My speed is much greater than Ahorn’s and I arrive at my monster first. Using a bestowal-enchanced, charging stab, followed by ripping it apart using my massive strength. I have used heavy bestowal a lot today, I wonder how much longer I can use it for?

But such a thought is cut short by an unpleasant sensation. As if I have been splashed with a bucket of warm milk. The other monster, the one I turned to Ahorn reach and quickly kill as easily as he did all others, was facing me. It had covered me in its bile.

I still have a minute or two before the effect kick in, but there is no way I could remove all this gunk from me. Guess I’ll die. Ahorn looks over here with eyes filled with guilt. He is probably going to blame himself.

I spot another monster, awkwardly making small jumps to reach the small groups.

“Run, I’ll hold them off!” I shout, as parts of the main group does so… Yorgar looks very confused. After all, he knows I am immortal and that I don’t want to show it… Guess I will have to think of something.

I charge the awkwardly hopping monster and finish it off in much the same manner as the previous two, except the tearing open of the wound is harder, as my mana has run out.

Soon, intense pain starts crawling all over my skin, not giving me room to think about the situation. I examine it, as it slowly burns away any inch of skin I have.

“ARRRGH!!!!”

The pain is unbearable. I can’t hold in my screams. It is as if my entire body is submerged in burning oil and fried. I lose consciousness as the bubbles on my skin turn from red to pink.

I am up again. Shit. This is problematic. I don’t think of this as having to leave the group, but rather as having to reveal the true nature of my gift. I wonder if it is going to change relations around here. Will it bring problems for Yorgar, who has claimed me to be my brother? I don’t think he wants people to know he’s a dryad, as they have been hunted in the past.

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Another problem faces me. My armor is covered in the bile. It only seems to affect our bodies, but as I came back, I am still wearing the armor, and movement gets the bile on me. I quickly strip, grip my sword, and go punish some of these freaks. I have already resigned to doing another lap.

Soon, before I have even killed the second bastard of this life, the intense frying feeling starts once again. Fuck, it smarts, but it is also nowhere near as bad as it was before. At the same time, I look and, while I am not sure, I think it happens much slower? Am I building up a resistance to this too? How does that even work?

But, as the pain grows worse, and the bile works itself deeper, it gives me an idea.

Twenty or so cycles later, the bile no longer seems to affect me at all. Or at least, very slowly. But as long as it takes less than 24 hours, it will practically be inert. It felt like it could easily have taken 12 hours the last time. But, when I tell them what I am, I can also tell them about this. I bet Ahorn will be ecstatic that he can finally pass this floor on his quest!

But soon, another thought hits me. He needs to get to the 120th floor, right? And he has already lost twice on this floor? And monsters get harder the further you go?

I turn around from the stairs back to the 25th floor, that I was about to ascend. You know, if I really wanted to help, shouldn’t I go and turn deeper here? To proceed further into dungeon, and if not eventually make it to the 120th floor, at least take note of where I get stuck so counter-measures can be made.

Convinced of my new path, I turn around and climb to the hilltop in the middle of this floor. It is almost completely dark in here. I have no idea where, but there is at least a little light, and by straining my eyes, I can barely make out the next descending pair of stairs.

I run over there, killing the frogs in the way expending as little mana as possible, as I no longer fear their counter-attacks, and resolve myself to climb further down the stairs.

The visibility is very low. It is after all, very dark, but as I take a few steps, I see a silhouette move fast before me, and the-

Fuck, I think it straight up decapitated me. This is going to be troublesome.

So I think while I pick myself up, naked, armed only with a sword and magic, ready to take down this next challenge.