I flung myself back and swung my sword, slicing across the larva's mouth just as it snapped at me. The monster squealed and tossed its head side to side, leaking clear liquid out of the wound.

Before I could stand up, another monster landed on my back, the hooks on the bottom of its thin legs attaching to my armor. The weight threw me off balance even more and I almost face planted again. There wasn't time to recover before a stabbing pain shot through my left shoulder and down my arm. The monster's moist skin smeared against my cheek as it bit down, digging its mandibles into my shoulder.

I groaned in pain and swung my sword at the monster. The blade sunk into the monster's back, cutting all the way down its body. With a vicious tug, I ripped the sword out, sawing the wound deeper as I went.

The monster let go and weakly dropped to the ground. It wasn't dead – I didn't get an EXP notice – but I was finally able to get to my feet. Breathing heavily and smelling my own blood, I looked around the blue lit room.

The broken tables and chairs were all sporting insect claws and teeth marks. A pile of bones, both human and monster, collected in every corner. Mucus globs stuck to the walls, ceiling, and across the floor. Six larva scurried across the room, all aiming for me. Even the two hurt ones hadn’t given up yet.

And there was something new – a level seven giant nymph. The cockroach-like monster was over two feet long, the mandibles on either side of its gross mouth as long as my hands. The blue light from my torch orb caused its brown exoskeleton to reflect a muddy shade. It flicked the shell over its transparent wings in agitation, but didn't fly. Behind it was a pale blob and a trail of mucus stretched between the blob and the giant nymph. Did it just metamorphose from a larva to a nymph? God, I'm glad I missed seeing that. I just hoped that its exoskeleton hadn't hardened yet.

Suddenly something banged on the heavy doors behind me, sending another shock through my heart.

"Ria! Ria, are you okay?" Star's voice was barely audible through the metal door and her repeated banging. "Ria! The door's blocked!" The handles shook and the door creaked, like she was trying to open it, but it stayed decisively shut. "Ria! Ria!" She pounded on the door again.

What the hell was she doing, making that much racket right now?

Every time she banged on the door, the monsters shuttered with agitation, getting more and more riled up. The closest larva jumped at me.

I swung my sword, ignoring the stinging pain throbbing from my left shoulder. I caught the monster on its side, flung it to the side. It landed next to the most injured larva. I thrust out my left hand, unable to contain the painful moan, and shot a Bubble at the larvae. They were close enough that they didn't have time before the glowing water attack hit and exploded.

[+6 EXP]

[+7 EXP]

Two down, I thought and turned just as the rest of the agitated monsters rushed me. I cast a Bubble and zoomed it around me, like a bright mini moon. As soon as a monster got too close, the water magic homed onto it. Since the magic was so slow, I needed to wait for the monster to deliver itself to me. I only had six more casts left, so I had to use them wisely.

Some of the monsters flinched away from the magic ball, but three larvae didn't care. They lunged at me, hungry mouths open. I smashed the Bubble into the closest one. The Bubble exploded in a bright flash, sending the larva to the ground with a loud thud. I slashed the other monster, cutting several of its legs off. It squealed as it landed heavily on the ground, but couldn't get up without its legs.

The last larva landed on my right hip, hooking onto my armor, and sank its mandibles into my side. My armor stopped some of its attack, but not all. It pierced my under armor, right into my flesh and dropped my HP into the low orange range.

I yelled and slapped my left hand down on its head, casting Bubble at point blank. The larva was blasted right off, leaving a bleeding gash in my side. Hissing with pain, I lunged after it, driving my sword down in the hole I just blew open.

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[+6 EXP]

"Ria!" Star continued to pound at the door.

The rest of the monsters attacked, whether excited from her noise or the allure of my blood, who knew. But I was in deep shit.

I attached a Bubble onto my sword and spun in a circle, forcing the monsters away. A larva and the nymph dodged back, but I caught the smaller larva. The blade cut through the larva's white outer skin, then the Bubble contacted the cut and exploded.

[+6 EXP]

Breathing heavily, I faced the two remaining monsters. My shoulder was screaming in agony. Just lifting my arm caused mind-numbing pain to ripple from head to toe. I could feel the blood leaking from the wound on my side, which throbbed just as painfully every time I moved my torso. Even breathing sucked. Still, I brandished my sword at the monsters and cast another Bubble.

The nymph jumped into the air, fluttering its wings to get lift, aiming at my face.

I slashed my sword at it, but pain slowed my movements.

The nymph flapped its wings, backpedaling in the air enough to dodge. It veered to the side and landed on an overturned table. Fluttering its wings in agitation, it turned around and hissed.

I didn't have time to react, because the larva attacked my right calf from behind. I jerked my leg out of the way just before it locked its jaws clamped shut. Spinning, I kicked the monster as hard as I could. It squealed and shot across the room until it landed in a pile of bones. I lunged after it as I attached the Bubble on my sword. Before it could climb out of the bones, I slammed my foot down, pinning it in place. I stabbed down with both hands and watched as the Bubble blew a hole in it.

[+7 EXP]

Suddenly, my Hunter senses blared. I dodged to the side, feeling the flutter of the nymph's wings on my cheek. I staggered back a couple feet, putting distance between me and the nymph, as it landed on the wall right where my head used to be. In the blue light, it nearly camouflaged completely against the dirty wall.

"Ria! What's going on in there?" Star's pounding never stopped. Seriously, what was the door made out of? Any armor made of the same material would be indestructible.

I gasped for air as my HP slowly dripped down into the red. Not because I was hurt again, but because of blood loss.

The nymph clicked its mouth parts and flung itself at me. I swung my sword and it dodged to the side again. As soon as it passed me, I changed out my sword for my bow. My shoulder wanted to give out, but I drew the string back while casting Bubble. As soon as the magic attached to the arrowhead, I released the string, swallowing the painful groan.

The nymph landed on a chair. Before it could turn, the arrow hit its back, right between the wings. The Bubble exploded with enough force the bug monster and chair it was on was to be blown back. The nymph let out a squeal and thrashed its legs about, trying to right itself but it was too imbalanced because one wing was blown off.

I drew an arrow back and attached my last Bubble to the tip. Then I released the arrow. It shot through the dark room – just as the nymph flipped over. The arrow landed on the ground right where the monster used to be. The Bubble exploded, pushing the monster across the ground and disorienting it again. But it wasn't dead.

A piercing ache throbbed in my temple started, joining the rest of the wounds torturing me, letting me know I was very low on MP. I squinted to force away the double vision and drew another arrow. I might be out of MP, but I had enough arrows to turn this thing into a pin cushion. Given that my shoulder didn't quit on me first.

The monster scrambled to its feet just as I loosed another arrow. I was shaking so badly my aim was off. The arrow stabbed into the right side of the monster, instead of the head like I aimed. It screeched and scurried at me. Apparently it had the same intentions I did – kill it before it killed me. It was missing two legs, so it didn't move as fast as before, which was good, because I wasn't moving that fast either.

I shot two more arrows, but only hit it once before it got to me. I dodged back, out of reach of its sharp mandibles, changing my bow back to my sword. It latched onto my leg guard with the tip of its mouth and jerked, trying to rip the guard off.

I was so weak, it nearly took my leg out from under me. I stabbed down with every ounce of strength I had left, right into the hole left by my Bubble earlier. With a crack, my sword broke through the belly of the exoskeleton and hit the cement. The monster froze, then collapsed, its mandible still stuck on my shin guard.

[+10 EXP]

I stood there, gasping for air. Star was still pounding on the door, but I could barely hear it over the pounding in my head. It wasn't until all the movement in the room stopped that I realized there was still a monster alive in the room – the larva with its legs cut off. It trashed around, wiggling for who knows what reason. Was it trying to attack me? Or run away? Either way, it had only moved a couple inches from where it landed earlier.

I pulled my sword out of the nymph's back and shook my leg to make its death grip release. Staggering, I across the room, shaking and dizzy from the aftermath of adrenaline and lack of MP. A quick stab later, my System dinged again.

[+6 EXP]

[You have Leveled Up!]

******