I get up groggily, my head pounding but my wounds healed. I'm guessing I've been out for a while since the otherworlder is out of his corner and the dropped items are gone... where have they gone?!

I shake my head clear of the pain and look around again, no items to be seen. My gaze lands on Yūsha who is swinging his katana with more focus than usual.

"Yūsha?"

He jumps at my voice.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you know where my dropped items are?"

I out emphasis on my to get my point across.

"N-no, I don't."

"Are you sure? You seem awfully nervous."

"I'm not um... I'm just focusing on practice."

"Riiight."

This isn't getting anywhere. I look towards the doorway and notice the veil is still gone. Might as well check that room before continuing my investigation. I walk through the doorway into a room exactly like the one I just left bar the three items lying scattered across the room and a wider doorway leading into it. Two of the items are swords given to aetherborn upon birth and the other is a ring that I assume to be drop from a dead human.

Sword (Common)

Required Lv 0

Durability 7/10

Attack 3-5

A sword given to aetherborn who choose the path of swordsmanship

Interesting, its just like my spear but for swordsmen.

Lesser Ring of Strength (Uncommon)

Required Lv 2

Durability 5/5

Strength +1

A ring created for warrior apprentices to help in self-defense

I slip the ring on my finger, enjoying the rush if power that flows through my body, and spend a moment in silence for my fellow dungeon guardians that died here. I go back into my original room, shoot a glare at the thieving coward I have to share it with, and check my status before resuming my daily routine of spear practice.

Name: Aeron

Race: Human

Level: 3

Titles:

None

HP:  130/130

Strength: 13 (+1)

Constitution: 13

Agility: 13

Intelligence: 13

Skills:

Basic Spearmanship Lv 9/10

Basic Fist Fighting Lv 3/10

Pain Resistance Lv 2/20

As we practice I send the occasional glare over at Yūsha, trying to pressure him without crossing the line of fighting with my own race. In fact, why did I draw that line? Is this like the information in my head, an inbuilt instinct to protect the species?  Is this what stopped me from continuing my interrogation earlier? Well, it doesn't matter why I think that, I don't like my thoughts being messed with so I'll do the opposite and use a little violence. With that thought I go over to him and start yelling.

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"WHERE ARE THEY? GIVE THEM TO ME NOW!"

He shrinks back at my sudden outburst, shocked that I switch from calmly practicing to yelling in an instant.

"WHERE DID YOU HIDE THEM?"

He mutters something about not knowing but I grab him by the collar and push him up against the wall.

"WHERE ARE THEY?"

I raise my free hand and ball it into a fist.

"W-wait! I'll tell you."

The threat of violence seems to have cracked him. I gesture for him to go on.

See instincts? This is a way better way to handle the situation. Yūsha finally finds what he's looking for and pulls out a pouch that I inspect.

Small Spacial Pouch (Rare)

Durability 25/25

Item slots: 5

A pouch with a small pocket dimension woven into the fabric

I let out a whistle at the effect. I guess this is how he hid the goblin's weapons and drops from me. I grab it from him and try to check inside.

Items stored

Scimitar (Common)

Scimitar (Common)

Lesser Ring of Agility (Uncommon)

All I have to do to retrieve or store an item is will it to happen, this is very handy. As for the ring that dropped, the required level to wear it is Lv 4 and it gives +2 agility. So that means that the higher the level of an item the higher stats it has.

I throw the cowering man to the ground and go back to the other room to store the swords from the previous inhabitants, filling the last two slots of my spacial pocket. You never know what can be useful later on. My gaze sweeps the room again for anything I might have missed earlier but there is nothing.

I think I'll stay in this room from now on, away from the thief. I resume my practice facing the doorway to prevent the otherworlder from entering my room, and after a day of practice I place my spacial pouch in my pocket and sleep in the same position as usual, sat against the wall with my spear resting on my shoulder.

...

I awake to the screeching of more goblins. I open my eyes to see three Lv 4 goblins stood in a semicircle around me, seemingly arguing about who's going to attack first. I don't know though because I can't speak whatever abomination of a language they do. One of them notices that my eyes are open and goes to tell the others. I take advantage of this delay to stand up and ready myself for battle.

Seeing me up and ready, one goblin growls a menacing-sounding something at the other two and they look sheepish for a moment, if that contortion of their facial features could be called sheepishness. They take their stances and I inwardly feel ashamed that I let myself get sneaked up on by such shoddy fighters. What if it weren't these idiots and instead a goblin who didn't wake me up before attacking? Or worse, a race that's more strength focus that could end me whilst I sleep? Anyways, I'll come up with countermeasures later, now is the time to fight.

The three goblins advance at once, more coordinated than the last ones I fought, and swing their scimitars in sync. I block the centre one and lash out with a kick on my right, the blow sending that goblin sprawling. I brace as a blade slashes along my side, right where I was hit last time. I wince but don't let the pain distract me as I hook the centre goblin's weapon with my spear and draw a circle in the air with my spear tip, causing the scimitar to fly out of its hands. I then thrust forwards and the spear sinks into the creature's torso, but not far enough as it's still kicking and screaming on the end of it.

I charge forwards, pushing the goblin along, and a silver flash passes through the space I occupied just moments ago. I continue forwards until I ram the goblin into a wall, my spear finally sinking in enough to cease its movements. I watch as the life begins to fade out of its eyes but it doesn't happen fast enough as the two other monstrosities are approaching behind me and I can't get this damned thing off my spear!

I spin around, using the almost-corpse on my spear as a weapon in its own right, sending the other goblins flying. These things sure are weak for their level, or I'm just strong, or both. No, focus on the battle! Don't get distracted! My momentarily lapse of concentration is enough for a thrown scimitar to pierce my stomach, dropping me to my knees as my spear clatter to the ground.

Pain Resistance is now Lv 3/20

The welcome ding of a notification sounds in my ear and I gain a slight relief from the pain assulting my senses. That relief quickly turns back to agony as another blade bites deep into my shoulder. Not thinking straight, I grab a hold of both weapons, preventing their wielders fro, pulling them out. I shakily get to my feet, resisting the urge to give in to the pain as the two monsters attempt to tug the blades out of me. I let go of the weapon in my shoulder and reach out to grab a goblin's head with a bloody hand. I then precede to smash the things head into the wall next to me until it stops struggling, just like its friend did a while ago.

A smile curls itself on my lips at the death if another goblin but I wipe it off as I resist the foreign influence trying to make me enjoy the kill. Dammit, now's not the time for an identity crisis! I try to ignore everything but the goblin in front of me as it gives up on wresting its weapon from my grasp and strikes at me with its claws. Cuts open along my left arm as it rakes its hand across my skin.

I send a hook with my right, but my poorly formed fist causes my wrist to jar. The little green monstrosity then latches onto my arm with its teeth and I have to bite back a scream.  My mind is consumed by rage but with both my arms disabled and my legs refusing to listen to me, I only have one limb left to attack with. I mimic the thing in front of me and lock my teeth around its neck, crunching down. Warm blood fills my mouth as I ravage its windpipe as much as I can. It tries to yell, shout, claw, bite, anything, but nothing can save it from its fate. With a snap, I bite straight through and the goblin enters a final dying frenzy as it lashes out with everything it has, drawing more lines of blood across my body, before it becomes still. A few seconds later, the weight pressing down on me grows lighter as the things body begins to dissipate.

I learned my lesson from last time, without listening to the chorus of notifications ringing in my ear, I gather the two items formed from the dissipating motes of light and huddle over them as my consciousness slips and my vision fades to black.

...

The first thing I see when I wake up is the undismissed notifications from my last fight. They cover my whole vision yet do not get in the way of my view of anything else.

Basic Fist Fighting has become Lv 6/10

Pain Resistance has become Lv 5/20

You have killed a Lv 4 Goblin, +150 exp

You have killed a Lv 4 Goblin, +150 exp

You have killed a Lv 4 Goblin, +150 exp

For successfully defending against 5 invaders by yourself, you have earned the title [Dungeon Defender]

[Dungeon Defender] is a title given to those who have defended their species' dungeons from invaders. The more invaders one defends against, the more stats this title gives.

Current stat bonuses: +1 Constitution

Your body has adapted to perform part of the dungeon's regeneration on its own:

You have learned HP Regeneration Lv 1/10

Including the items I got, that last fight had a pretty decent payoff. Not enough to make up for almost getting killed, but enough to make me happy with my progress. Its those last three notifications that really intrigue me though because now I know that to gain titles I have to earn them and that my body can adapt to external factors and makes me get stronger and gain skills.

Still, the exp I got per goblin went down. Is it because I'm a higher level now? Yeah, that seems about right. That last thought was different from the other information I've been given before, it was more like the knowledge I gain from levelling up skills, a more instinctual understanding rather than a force fed one. So I wonder what makes the difference? I ponder it for a while before giving up.

"I already said I wouldn't focus on things I can't understand."

I say to myself.

"So I'll focus on things I can, like training."

And so that's what I do. I swap the swords in my spacial pouch for the items that dropped, pick up my spear (it's now on 4 durability) and practice my spearmanship, my mind clear of any thoughts other than training.