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DREUS

I open my eyes to a pitch-black abyss. Everywhere I look, emptiness seemed to gaze back. I glanced down to look at my hands, but they were also obscured, covered in the veil of nothingness. The lack of anything slowly started to drive me insane, as the dark expanse seemed to be never-ending. Because there were no points to fix my focus and give me some sense of space, my senses felt muddled and my brain felt dizzy.

I wandered, hoping to find anything, to no avail. I lost all recollection of time as I roamed through the empty abyss, looking for anything.

As I walked, I noticed how tired and sore my body was, like I had just finished a week-long workout session. My legs felt like they were going to buckle, but I kept trudging forward. I wanted to just collapse and relax, but I had a deep sinking feeling that if I stopped to lie down, I would never get up again.

Then, out of nowhere, a bright light appeared on the distant horizon. Seeing something different after what felt like eons, I cried tears of joy as I sprinted to the light.

As I approached the bright light, the surrounding black slowly started to lighten. The closer I got to the majestic light, the brighter the world around me became as well. The world around me looked majestic as it was colored in a mixture of orange and pink that painted the clouds in the sky that went on forever in all directions.

The closer I approached the light, the more my body felt rejuvenated. The aches and soreness washed away, leaving me feeling better than ever. As I got closer to the light, I could barely keep my eyes open as it was now radiating a blinding glow.

I inched my way closer until I reached the source of the blinding rays and I reached my hand out and placed my palm on it. Slowly, the light faded away and I could see what got rid of my fatigue and the void that almost consumed me.

I carefully opened my eyes, and I saw a small white orb hovering in front of me. It couldn’t be larger than the size of a marble, and it was hot to the touch. I tensed my muscles to retract my hand, but before I did, I realized that the heat wasn’t burning me. If anything, it was giving me the same invigorating feeling I felt earlier in the alleyway, and not that long ago when the abyss dispersed.

OH SHIT THE ALLEY!!! I realize as I quickly look down at my chest to check if the bullet hole was still there. I look down to see a red bloody hole situated directly in my chest, going right through my sternum.

As I look at the hole, I start to feel lightheaded and slightly stumble as I realize the gravity of the situation. Am I dead? Is this heaven?

While I’m panicking, a faint golden light emanates from the hole in my chest. Glancing down once again, I observe the muscles of my chest regrowing, intertwining to cover the hole in my chest until only a faint scar was left behind.

Shocked, I rub my hand over the prior hole, but much to my amazement, the once life-threatening injury was now gone.

As I marvel over the miraculous feat, a sudden wave of fatigue washes over me.

“Shi-”

Before I can react, my vision turns black once again.

—

Gradually, I gained consciousness again. My head throbs in pain to the pulse of my heartbeat. Laying down, I can feel what seems to be a soft blanket beneath me. My entire body is sore and stiff, but I peel open my eyes to scan my surroundings.

My eyes flutter open to hazy blurriness as my eyesight tries to adjust. My mind tries to reorganize my thoughts as I try to find my bearings.

The first thing that I observe is the stony grey and jagged edges of a cavern wall, with occasional scratches disrupting the unity of the rock wall. The damp and earthy smell permeated the air as I tried to make sense of how I ended up here. . Looking around me, I realize I’m somehow in a cave system.

The next thing that catches my eye is the corpses of massive animals scattered around me. No, these aren't animals, but more like monsters. It's as if these monstrosities loosely based themselves on already existing creatures. Giant spiders of varying sizes, from the size of my palm to as big as a car, lay in their black blood on the floor.

There were more insect-based monsters like centipedes, worms with a multitude of jagged teeth, and as many different types of beetles as I could comprehend.

But the monster that took up the majority of the monsters was rats. Simple rats with their pink, fleshy tails, and matted gray hide. Their beady eyes and buck teeth added to their repulsing image. But what made these beasts even more disgusting and unnerving were their sizes. They varied, from the tiniest ones being the size of a big dog, while the larger ones being the size of a motorcycle.

I'm tempted to vomit as the stench of death and decay encircles me and the gruesome image of rat guts thrown around is forever ingrained in my mind.

My mind races as I remember everything that transpired before I woke up here. Everything from the alley to the floating words, to the white orb in the coral-colored room, and finally to the glowing golden light that healed me. I'm tempted to believe it's a dream, but the fact that I woke up in this weird cave, as well as the fact that I'm not dead attest to the fact that all of that was real.

I slowly try to pick myself up, but I stop as my chest aches in response. I look down to see my chest bandaged. Maybe whoever made that glowing light bandaged me up as well?

But why not bring me to a hospital? Just where the hell am I? I doubt Hoku brought me here. Wait, maybe the glowing words? I know I agreed to something, but I can't remember what it said.

I guess the first thing I need to do is figure out how I got here. Damn, I’m thirsty.

My thoughts are in disarray as I look around trying to find water. Much to my luck, there was a leather satchel next to me filled with dried jerky and a water pouch. I guess the person who helped me left this here as well. They also laid me on an animal hide of some type for me to lay on and I also assume they also gave me the torch lighting up the cave.

As I drink to soothe my parched throat, I hear a faint squeak echo further down the cave. The torch next to me wasn't powerful enough to light up the entire cavern, creating a wall of shadows on either side of me. Peering down the dark tunnel, suddenly a pair of red beady eyes stare back. I watch in astonishment as a rat the size of a Great Dane strolls in the dark.

The rat didn’t seem to notice me as it cautiously strolls forward, sniffing the ground as if trying to find something. Suddenly its head shoots up as it madly dashes toward the pile of dead rats. I expected it to mourn its fellow rodents' deaths, but instead, it opens its mouth and starts feasting on the remains.

I watch in absolute horror as the rat's giant teeth chomp down, separating flesh and crushing bone. The power in its jaws is easily apparent as it chomps down on the bone as easily as a human would a carrot.

I slowly start to back away, fearing what would happen if the rat were to bite me instead. I pray to remain unseen as slowly tiptoe backward. Suddenly, my foot accidentally kicks a pebble, causing it to tumble for a few seconds until it falls silent.

The sounds of crunching stop as the rat's head slowly turns in my direction, its beady eyes staring at me. What the hell is this, some type of horror movie?!?!

“…”

The rat continues to stare at me, both of us deadly still, as if waiting for the other one to make the move. The rat seems impatient as it suddenly leaps forward and rushes toward me. Its legs slap against the blood-covered floor as it rushes straight at me, its teeth gnashing in anticipation.

"oh FUCK!!"

Startled by its sudden movement, I stumble backward as I hold the satchel in front of me, hoping to block the rat from crushing my arm with its teeth.

The rat pounces forward and bites down directly on the satchel. Surprisingly, the leather seemed to be holding its own against the rat's teeth, not tearing apart immediately. The rat threw its arms in wild abandon trying to scratch me. A few swings were successful as the rodent managed to open the skin on my arm as easily as scissors on paper. There was no resistance whatsoever as its claws easily drew blood. My arms trembled slightly as the pain bombarded my mind.

The rat kept gnawing at the bag as I used all the strength in my arms to hold the ferocious rodent at bay. In those few seconds, my arms were already about to give in, partly from the pain, and partly from the vast difference in strength between us.

The rat’s saliva dripped from its sharp teeth onto my face as it kept biting madly. Because the bag was constantly jostled, one of the pockets opened and I saw something reflecting the torchlight as it fell out.

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Glancing over, I praise my luck as I notice it's a knife. I slowly scoot over as I keep trying to hold the rat from eating my face. I slowly slide over until the knife is within reach, and suddenly I roll out from under the bag and I grab the knife in one quick motion. The rat stumbles and falls forwards as it turns its head and glares at me as it leaps again.

The rodent's giant teeth flash in front of my face as I ungracefully lunge to the side. As I tumble out of the way, I'm slightly too slow as its claws scrape along my thigh. My mind bombards with pain, almost interrupting my plan, but I narrowly keep my wits.

Ignoring the new gashes in my lag, I use the fact that the rat is stuck in midair, utilizing that it can't evade to my advantage. I swing my arm and plunge the short knife into the rat's eye, piercing into its brain.

The feeling of the resistance of the rat's eyes until it finally gave way as the knife finally plunged into the rat's head was forever ingrained in my mind. My stomach lurches as I attempt to hold back the bile building in my throat.

Before the disgust and fear can take root in my mind and stop me, I use the rat's new blind spot to climb onto its back. Grabbing a handful of its matted fur to not be bucked off, I grip the handle of the knife again.

I yank the knife from the rat's skull, before plunging it back in. Switching the knife to my other hand, I impale its other eye as well. Every time my stomach seems to churn even more, but I keep stabbing, knowing it's either me or him.

It flops ungracefully on the stone floor as it wails in agony. Slowly the rat's cries die out as it eventually stops moving. I kinda sympathize with the rat. I mean, I also had to go through unbearable pain in my eyes.

*Sigh*

I plop down on the floor panting as I try to gather my strength back. My sore muscles and the claw marks on my arms make me grit my teeth in pain. Just why the hell was that rat so strong?! Also, an equally important question, Where the hell am I?!?!

*DING*

Suddenly, bright white transparent letters appear in front of me again, reading,

[lvl 1 Dweller Rat slain]

[No remnant Gained]

“…”

I stare at the information for a while, trying to wrap my head around what's happening. I knew that I saw the same words before, but seeing them fully conscious is different.

The fact that I am observing these words is proof that everything that transpired was real, and it confirms the fact that something beyond the realm of "Normal" is occurring.

So this thing is called a "Dweller rat"? Wait, it was only level 1? How?!? It was so strong. Then how strong is a level 2? The rat was smaller than most of the dead ones, so how powerful are the larger ones?

Then there's the second line. What does it mean by remnant? God, there are too many things happening right now. I'm too tired of this weird magic and monsters shit.

The full weight of what has happened to me seems to suddenly fall on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Wait, why am I freaking out? This could be a good thing, I mean maybe I’ve died and gone to a magical world like all those anime and light novels.

Wait, if I passed away, then isn’t Hoku all alone, and that also means I can’t get revenge on those bastards?! Damn it…

As I'm thinking of every scenario that could've happened to lead me here to this damp cavern surrounded by dead rats, I hear the same God-forsaken squeak as before, but this time it wasn't alone.

The sounds of multiple rats squeaking and their teeth gnashing echo through the tunnel like a song of death. My heart skips a beat as I gaze down the dim tunnel again, but instead of one pair of eyes appearing, there are dozens.

Knowing their eyesight is poor from the previous rat I slaughtered, I cautiously slip the bag onto my shoulder as I pry the knife from the rat's eye socket and I slip into the shadows, wishing not to be seen. As I gradually retreat into the dark, the rest of the Dweller rats approach, probably enticed here by their comrades' screeches of death.

While sneaking away I watch my feet carefully, not wanting a repeat of last time. Luckily I don't kick any stray pebbles as I leave. The squelching sounds of rats feasting on their brethren stay in my ears for way too long as I continue down the dark tunnel.

'...I should have brought the torch. I can't see anything

I walk slowly with my hand on the tunnel wall as I can't see at all, and knowing my luck, I'll fall into a hole if I'm not cautious. I keep creeping through the dark, hoping not to bump into any more disgusting creatures.

As I cautiously walk in the pitch black, I feel something smooth brush past my leg. I hold in my scream of alarm as I stand fully still, trying not to alert whatever brushed past me.

As I stare into the dark, listening carefully for anything that can help me pinpoint whatever was in the cave, I notice faint clicking sounds crawling away from me, like hundreds of fingernails tapping on stone.

I listen closely as it slowly walks away, I realize it must have been one of those centipede monsters in the first room I was in. I'm so glad I didn't have to fight that thing because the rat was hard enough to withstand. One wrong move and I would have died in an instant. I don't want to know what that centipede could have done. I don't even know what level it is.

After a few seconds after the noises quiet, I let out a deep breath as I suck in air. I stayed still for minutes in fear of it returning, but eventually, my fear of something being able to see in the dark finding me overwhelmed me and I continued forward. As I crept even slower through the damp stony tunnel, I try to think of a plan to help me survive.

I have to be more vigilant, that much is obvious. If I stepped to the side even slightly more, it would have noticed me. I have to do something about seeing in the dark, and I can't bring a torch because that's like covering myself in steaks and jumping in a lion enclosure.

Every few minutes, I hear an echo of a beast far away, sending chills up my spine and freezing me in place. Any one of the monsters making these howls could effortlessly slaughter me with no effort.

As I continue stumbling, the absence of any light slowly gets to me as my mind wanders. Against my best wishes, my mind becomes less alert, and my movements become less cautious. My thoughts drift back toward the floating words earlier.

The words told me that I had slain a level 1 Dweller rat. Everything about it reminded me of video games and light novels. And if it follows the same rules as those stories, there should be a status screen that shows things like my physical status like strength and dexterity.

As soon as I think that, the same white glow appeared in front of me, slightly illuminating my surroundings.

===Status===

Name: Dreus Aphor

Health: 10/10

Mana: 10/10

-Stats-

Rank: G

Strength: 3 (G-)

Agility: 5 (G)

Endurance: 6 (G+)

Stamina: 5 (G)

Charm: 12 (F-)

Command: 0 (G-)

-Temperament-

[Observant LVL 1]

Quick to notice things.

-Elemental Affinity-

None

=========

"...H-holy shit I was right!!"

Just like a game, words hovered in front of me, detailing and explaining parts of me, most of which I didn't understand.

I read where it says basic things like my name and race, but my gaze drifts father down to the word "Mana"

"No way…"

In every single book I've read, and every piece of fiction set in fantasy, the word Mana always meant one thing.

Magic.

"...Hah"

A stunned laugh escapes my lips as I acknowledge what that singular word could mean. Does this mean I can do magic?

I was just finally coming to terms with the fact that I was in a world of Fantasy, and my thoughts brushed over the idea of magic, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. But now? Now I couldn't hold back my excitement because of the possibility that I would be able to do magic.

Elated by my discovery, I continue examining the words. My eyes skim down, reading over my physical stats, mostly disappointed with how weak I was. I didn't know what the G meant, but I could assume that it was the way it ranked my strength. It's most likely that it goes up from G to F then E, all the way to A.

And the pluses and minuses are perhaps a sub-ranking system, where G- is weaker than a G+.

But man, I am weak. No wonder that stupid rat almost beat me, I'm incredibly weak. And why is my charm my highest stat? I'm not complaining, but wouldn't it be more useful to have it be endurance or agility?

And what is Command? It's pretty obvious what the other stats mean, but I can't understand what it signifies, much less that it's at zero.

While still being a little annoyed by my weak stats, I continue reading to where it says Temperament. So… it just describes my personality? I mean people have always said I'm observant but was it necessary to put it in my stats? And also what's with this lame description?

"Quick to notice things"? They could have at least made it sound cool.

And what's with this elemental affinity, and why do I have none? Does this mean I'll have an elemental affinity eventually, or am I just unlucky and have no affinity?

God, I hate not knowing things. Everything is just loose speculation at this point.

Also, why the hell are my stats so boring? Nothing is interesting about my stats at all. I feel like a background character with how boring it is.

While I'm pissed off about how incredibly boring my stats are, a very slight tremor ran through the ground under my feet. It was so subtle that anyone could have missed it, and even I barely felt it.

Over the next few seconds, the tremor grew stronger and stronger until the ground beneath me was trembling. The tremors grew in strength in a set pattern like… Footsteps.

As I made that realization, I heard an eardrum-shattering roar down the tunnel ahead of me.