It's morning and I am currently leaning over a toilet bowl.

After I woke up I feel a pull in the back of my throat, so I ran to the bathroom and promptly threw up. It was quite big too. I don't know if this is food poisoning or if I was actually poisoned yesterday. Thinking back, I wonder why that officer decided to tell me of all people about the police. There were definitely better choices, but I digress, none of that matters when I am sick.

"Ugh…this sucks. Why is has my life been changed so much by a single rock."

I down some stomach medicine, grab a trash bag and move back to my bed. Since I probably won't be getting much done today I might as well look at my status.

[ Name: Alice Windshaw

Species: Lunares Wolf Beast-human

Age: 24

Level: 3

Experience: 0/50

Titles: Rank F Adventurer

Effects: Poisoned(Mild)

Health: 180/180

Magic: 10/10

Mana Regen: 0.1/hr

Power: 139

Endurance: 100

Intelligence: 120

Wisdom: 100

Agility: 90

Dexterity: 64

Skills: Enhanced Senses(Major, Passive)

Sharp Teeth(Major, Passive)

Powerful Jaw(Major, Passive)

Beast Transformation(Active, Hereditary)

Bite(Active)

Sleep Immunity(Passive)

Poison Resistance(Minimum, Passive)

Night Vision(Passive)

Lunar Power(Passive) ]

[ Poisoned - A foreign man-made substance is attempting to kill you. The dose is not at a lethal level. Multiple side effects may happen. ]

This doesn't look good. I guess I actually was poisoned yesterday and now I am feeling its effects. I seem to have received a title for joining the guild too, but it doesn't do anything. What I seem to have missed though is that I have mana. It's the key to magic, you know? Since I can't move I might as well try to use this magic I have received.

Shifting on my back into a comfortable position, I try to look inward to find anything new. Take a swim in Lake Me and search for any anomalies.

…

I don't find anything for a few minutes, but if I look closely I can find some kind of glowing, wispy essence within me. It flows through me though it seems to be in minuscule amounts. I think that the energy is mana and the amount might be due to the size of my mana pool. I then attempt to grasp the energy but it slips from my grasp like wet soap. If grabbing it won't work then I try pushing it, and then that works. Glancing around my inner self I try pushing the mana into the corners of my mind. However, it just moves slowly back to the center area. So I try moving it around the corners but move it back to the center after each corner, sort of like a heart pumping blood. Once I do that, I notice that the mana moves in a cycle on its own I open my eyes.

I now have new system notifications in front of me.

[ Through repeated actions you have unlocked the skill: Meditation(Minimum, Active) ]

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

[ Through repeated actions you have unlocked the skill: Mana Circulation(Minimum, Active) ]

[ Meditation - Allows the user to focus on themselves and increases the user's mana recovery rate temporarily. User cannot move while in effect. Current boost: 0.1/hr ]

[ Mana Circulation - Allows the user to shift mana within their body and permanently increase their mana pool. User cannot move while in effect. Cost per cycle: 5 mp. ]

'Hmm, this might be useful for the future.' I look my status and see that my mana pool has increased to a maximum of eleven, but I have only one point of mana left. I might as well meditate for at least five hours to recover one point of mana.

*Grrr*

My stomach seems to disagree with my plans however and once I see the clock it is almost 1 o'clock. So I move to the kitchen and after making a sandwich I move back to the bed. 'Perhaps there is skill I can receive while practicing in bed.' Thinking such thoughts I received a new notification.

[ Poison Resistance(Minimum, Passive) has evolved to Poison Resistance(Minor, Passive) ]

'Oh, I don't know what to think of that, but I don't feel like shit anymore.' I look at my status and see that my effects are back to normal. Now with my status at a normal state I decide to do my normal plans for the day, so I get dressed, grab my gear, and head out the door heading to the dungeon.

————————————————————————————————————

I walk to the guild building and glancing at the directory I see that the dungeon entrance is in the basement. So I take the elevator down and out of the doors I see a security kiosk and a big metal door.

Walking to the kiosk I see a Bear beast-man standing. He glances at me and asks, "Guild I.D. please." After I hand him my card, he hits a button next to him and the door opens extremely slowly. "Stay safe," he says.

"Thanks, I will."

I walk into the darkness and beyond.

————————————————————————————————————

The inside of dungeon met some of my expectations. The walls and ground were solid stone lined with wooden boards like walking down a mineshaft. The tunnel even had electric lighting. However, unlike a mineshaft the path was linear and had enough room for six people to walk through at the same time.

*Screee*

I looked ahead and saw a rat give a piercing shriek, but this rat was the size of a boar and purple. With beady red eye it glares at me. In the next second it charged at me and I tried swinging my knife at it, but I miss. With my arm wide open it bites my arm, however it doesn't reach the skin due to the corduroy. It's singular tooth is caught on my clothes and the rest of the rat is swinging around. I take my time and stab my knife into its head.

[ You have killed a level 2 "Large Mad Rat" x 1. 10 experience points gained. ]

"Oh, that looks good." After the rat died, it's body started to turn into a black mist which then flowed into the surrounding ground and walls. Checking my equipment and clothes for damage and finding everything in good condition, I continue my trek into the dungeon.

After walking in the same tunnel for 30 minutes with no changes the entire time, not even another monster, I came upon an intersection with two paths. The one on the left leading into a tunnel of the current style but without lights. It would be fine with my night vision but I don't know the strength of the monsters. On the other hand, the path on the right leads into a tunnel that looks more paved with grey brick walls and floors, all uniform. This tunnel seems to have flame torches lighting up the tunnel, but I can probably assume the monsters are of a different type than the current tunnel.

So either creatures of the dark or a new theme to explore. Well, I going to stick with familiarity and head left.

Almost five minutes after entering the dark tunnel I feel the hairs on my neck raise a little.

[ Through repeated actions you have unlocked the skill: Danger Sense(Minor, Passive) ]

[ Danger Sense - Allows the user hints to a small premonition to harmful events. ]

With the System Notification giving me a hint, I decide to look up. And then I see hundreds of bats. Thankfully, the bats don't seem to notice me and are still sleeping. Thus, I quickly yet quietly continue forward. Well, I try until I trip over a strange rock.

*Squeak*

"Uh oh." Without thinking, I grab the strange rock and start running back to the dungeon entrance. I don't even stop to look behind me as I hear the bat noises grow louder and louder. Somehow, I make it back to the metal door, go through, and shut it behind me.

"Was it the bats?"

"Huh?"

Looking to who was talking to me, I see only the Bear beast-man. I decide to reply to him.

"U-Uh, yeah. It was the bats."

"Hmm, only people with wide spread attacks go down that path. Well, good luck next time."

"Thanks."

I decide I have had enough for today, so I move to go back to my apartment.

————————————————————————————————————

Sitting on my bed, I remember that I took that rock with me for whatever reason. I took all my stuff off and left it in the closet when I got home without thinking, so grabbing the rock I notice that it was more of a tablet than a rock. Well, it was a tablet made out of rock so both statements are kinda true. Nonetheless, the tablet is covered in strange markings but it just looks like a maze of soft, glowing orange lines. I trace the markings with my finger then they start glowing. In the next second a bright flash comes from the tablet, blinding me temporarily, and after I could see again the tablet was gone.

[ Through external sources you have unlocked the skill: Inspect(Active) ]

[ Inspect - Allows the user to see a creature's species and a description of its species. User cannot see variant data unless the user has prior knowledge on species. ]

'Ooh, this is new.' I try using the skill on myself and see a System Window open up in front of me.

[ Lunares Wolf Beast-human - A variant of the wolf beast-human species. Unobtainable unless creature is a descendent of a Lunares Wolf Monster and interacts with a source of Lunar Energy. With characteristics similar to humans, Beast-humans can perform almost as well as humans, however they lack in magical ability but have slightly more physical abilities. The Lunares variant can make up for these weaknesses and has great magical capability and can keep its beast strength. ]

I may have to reschedule my visit to my mother.