Frank hated his body.
Every muscle felt like it had been put through a meat grinder, then left out in the sun to dry. Moving was a battle. His joints were stiff, his legs felt hollow, and his stomach had long since stopped growling—because it had given up.
Hunger was a dull, gnawing weight in his gut, overshadowed only by the very pressing issue of his zero stamina. He couldn’t move fast, couldn’t fight, and he sure as hell couldn’t afford to pass out from exhaustion in the middle of a dungeon.
Which meant he had one job. Find food.
Frank forced himself to keep going, boots dragging over uneven stone as he scouted his surroundings. He couldn’t afford to be picky. Right now, he’d settle for anything that wasn’t actively trying to eat him first.
The tunnel stretched ahead, dark and silent. His breathing was shallow, every step a test of patience as he pushed forward, scanning for any sign of movement. The walls were the same damp stone, rough and uneven, but the air had changed.
It was thicker. Heavier.
Moist.
Water.
Frank’s sluggish brain snapped to attention.
Water meant life. Life meant food.
His steps picked up—or at least, they tried to. He was still moving at crippled old man speed, but at least now he had a direction.
After what felt like an eternity of trudging, the tunnel opened up.
Frank stopped dead.
A cavern stretched out before him, wide and vast, illuminated only by the soft, eerie glow of phosphorescent fungi clinging to the walls. But that wasn’t what held his attention.
The pond.
A massive body of water, dark and brackish, spread across the cavern floor. Its surface was eerily still, broken only by the occasional ripple.
Frank exhaled sharply.
Bingo.
His gut twisted. This was either salvation or a death trap.
Then again, what wasn’t in this dungeon?
Frank forced himself forward, one painful step at a time. He was too exhausted to be cautious, but he still kept his eyes moving.
No movement. No sound. No immediate sign that he was about to get his face ripped off.
That was as good as it was going to get.
His focus shifted to the water.
Was it drinkable?
Probably not.
Was that going to stop him?
Also probably not.
But before he took the plunge, he needed a plan. If this pond was his only source of water, then this entire cavern was a high-risk zone.
That meant one thing.
He needed a hiding spot.
Something close enough to the pond for quick access, but defensible in case shit hit the fan.
Frank exhaled, scanning the area.
Time to get to work.
Frank needed a fallback. Somewhere close enough to the pond to grab water in an emergency, but not out in the open like an idiot waiting to get eaten.
His eyes swept the cavern.
The walls were uneven, ridged with natural erosion and small outcroppings of rock. A few spots looked promising—deep alcoves that could be reinforced into a proper hiding spot.
Perfect.
Now came the hard part. Actually making it defensible.
Frank pressed a shaking hand against the stone, calling on his Earth Magic.
Nothing happened.
Right. No Mana.
The system hadn’t even given him a notification. Probably because it didn’t see the point in reminding him how screwed he was.
Frank gritted his teeth. "Fine. Let’s do this the hard way."
He dragged himself over to the nearest alcove and started clearing debris. Loose stones, jagged edges—anything that could give him cover without blocking his escape route.
The process was painfully slow. His stamina was still zero, and every movement felt like he was dragging himself through cement.
After what felt like an eternity, he had something that vaguely resembled a defensible position. Not great, but it would do.
Now, onto the next step.
Testing the system again.
He pressed his hand to the rock and focused.
This time, the system responded.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE ERROR: MANA RESERVE EMPTY. Unable to cast spell.
----------------------------------------
Frank sighed. Called it.
But that just meant he needed to find a way to fix that.
Water first. Mana second.
He leaned against the reinforced wall, scanning the cavern again. The pond stretched out before him, dark and unmoving.
The air was still. Almost too still.
Frank’s instincts prickled.
Something about this place felt off.
But right now, he didn’t have a choice.
Water first.
And if something was watching?
He’d deal with that later.
Frank hated the system.
Not just because it was a glorified rulebook with an attitude problem, but because it had conveniently forgotten to mention that magic needed a damn power source.
He wasn’t stupid. He’d figured something was missing when Earth Magic didn’t work earlier. But only now, sitting in his half-baked hiding spot, did it really hit him.
He was missing a whole-ass stat.
And if he was going to make it out of this dungeon alive, he needed to find a way to unlock it.
Frank pressed his palm to the stone wall. One more time.
No mana? Fine.
Then he’d force it.
He gritted his teeth and pushed. Not just physically, but mentally, forcing his intent onto the system.
A deep ache spread through his skull, like someone was slowly tightening a vice around his brain. The rock trembled under his hand, barely responding.
Something resisted.
The system resisted.
Then—
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE MAGIC USAGE DETECTED. Primary energy source (Mana) has been unlocked. System recalibrating…
----------------------------------------
Frank let out a sharp exhale.
About damn time.
His status screen flickered, updating itself with a brand-new stat.
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UPDATED STATUS
Stats Value Details Health 7430 / 7656 Stable Stamina 0 / 1686 Critically Low - Regen Disabled Mana 215 / 430 NEW! Scales with INT. Used for spellcasting. Strength 26 Above Average Dexterity 24 Highly Agile Intelligence 43 Directly impacts Mana pool
----------------------------------------
There it was.
Frank’s eyes flicked to the Mana value. Half-full. He’d already burned 215 points just from forcing the stat to unlock.
So that meant 43 Intelligence = 430 Mana.
Which meant the system had been sitting on this the whole damn time.
"Really, system? You’re just now giving me this?"
No response.
Of course.
Frank exhaled, rolling his shoulders. Didn’t matter. He had Mana now.
That meant magic was officially on the table.
And if the dungeon was going to keep throwing surprises at him?
Then it was about to get a surprise right back.
Frank wasn’t the stealthy type.
But right now? Stealth was survival.
He crept toward the pond, keeping low, every step measured. His Mana stat was finally unlocked, but that didn’t mean he was about to throw fireballs like some overpowered anime protagonist.
He still had zero stamina.He still had barely tested spells.And, most importantly—he was still one bad decision away from dying horribly.
Which was why he stopped dead in his tracks the second he saw it.
The thing drinking from the pond.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Frank’s body locked up.
It wasn’t just big.
It was colossal.
A towering quadrupedal beast hunched over the water, thick, plated armor covering its ridged spine. Its head was broad and wedge-shaped, similar to a crocodile but scaled up to the size of a truck. Thick, muscular forelimbs pressed into the mud as it drank slowly, deliberately.
The pond itself barely rippled under its weight.
That meant this thing was used to being here.
Frank’s pulse hammered.
This wasn’t some mindless dungeon spawn.
It was a resident.
And worse?
It hadn’t noticed him yet.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE NEW ENTITY DETECTED. Classification: ???. Analysis Unavailable.
----------------------------------------
Frank had seen enough monster movies to know that when the system couldn’t classify something, it was bad news.
He had two options:
1. Stay hidden and wait for it to leave.
2. Run like hell and probably die.
Easy choice.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Just watched.
The creature’s massive jaws dipped into the water, pulling up another slow, deliberate gulp. It wasn’t in a hurry. It wasn’t on edge.
Which meant it wasn’t expecting danger.
That was the only thing keeping Frank alive right now.
He stayed crouched, heart pounding, waiting for it to finish.
Minutes passed.
Then, finally—
The beast exhaled, nostrils flaring.
It rose, muscles rippling beneath thick, armored plates, and slowly turned away.
Frank didn’t move until its footsteps faded.
Didn’t exhale until the cavern was silent again.
Then—**and only then—**did his brain finally restart.
Water.
He had one shot before this thing came back.
Frank moved.
Frank moved the second the massive creature was out of sight.
His body screamed in protest, but he ignored it. This was his window.
One chance.
If that thing came back and found him still skulking around its water supply?
He’d have bigger problems than dehydration.
Frank dropped to his knees at the edge of the pond, cupping his hands into the water. He hesitated for half a second, instincts screaming this was a bad idea.
Then he drank.
Cold. Metallic. Not outright poison, but not clean either.
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SYSTEM WARNING FOREIGN SUBSTANCE DETECTED. Water contains trace unknown minerals. No immediate toxicity detected. Long-term exposure untested.
----------------------------------------
Frank grimaced. “Yeah, well, long-term exposure isn’t really my problem right now.”
He scooped up another handful. His throat burned from dryness, and even if this wasn’t crystal-clear spring water, it was better than dying.
Then—
The notifications started.
One. Then another. Then a barrage.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE PASSIVE AURA EFFECT TRIGGERED. Nearby entities affected. Calculating impact…
----------------------------------------
Frank’s stomach dropped.
His eyes snapped to the water.
Something was rising.
Tiny shadows beneath the surface drifted upward.
Dead fish.
One. Then another. Then dozens.
Bubbles broke the surface as their lifeless bodies floated to the top, belly-up, eyes blank.
Then the system started naming them.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION You have killed [Lesser Cave Guppy] (Lv. 117). EXP Gained. You have killed [Blindwater Eel] (Lv. 103). EXP Gained. You have killed [Scaled Depthfin] (Lv. 128). EXP Gained. You have killed [Murkwraith Fry] (Lv. 132). EXP Gained.
----------------------------------------
Frank stared.
What. The. Actual. Hell.
These weren’t just fish.
These were high-level monsters.
Level 132? What was it doing in a goddamn pond?
The system didn’t care.
It did, however, reward him for it.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT LEVEL UP! You have gained +9 levels. Stat points available for allocation.
----------------------------------------
Frank slowly ran a hand down his face.
He should have expected this.
He really should have.
But seeing an entire section of the dungeon’s ecosystem die because he just sat near it for too long?
That was new.
And apparently, it was rewarded.
Frank exhaled sharply.
“Guess that solves my food problem.”
He reached into the pond, grabbed the closest floating fish, and started eating.
Because fuck it. At this point? Might as well take advantage of the bullshit.
Frank had just swallowed the last bite of his Level 128 dinner when every instinct in his body flared in warning.
The air thickened. Not physically, but in the way things did when something bigger than you was nearby.
Then came the sound.
A slow, dragging inhale. Wet. Thick. The kind of sound a predator makes when it’s testing the air.
Frank’s eyes snapped to the cavern entrance.
A shadow blocked the tunnel.
Not just a shadow. The shadow.
The massive creature had returned.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM WARNING UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY DETECTED. Behavior shift observed. Threat level increasing.
----------------------------------------
The same monster from before. But something about it was different.
It wasn’t just drinking from the pond this time.
It was hunting.
And it was sniffing.
It smells the fish.
Frank’s stomach twisted. That meant it would smell the thing that killed them next.
And if it put two and two together?
He was dead.
Frank had to move.
His first instinct was to make a break for his original hiding spot. But the creature was between him and safety. No chance he’d make it.
He needed a new hiding spot, fast.
His eyes flicked to the cavern walls. The rock formations near the pond weren’t ideal, but he could use Earth Magic to carve out a temporary crevice.
Frank activated Earth Magic.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE EARTH MAGIC: MINOR TERRAFORMING ACTIVATED. Mana cost: 45.
----------------------------------------
The rock shifted, opening just enough for him to wedge himself inside. Not great. But better than sitting out in the open like an idiot.
Then his Mana hit zero.
And everything went to hell.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM WARNING MANA DEPLETED. Converting Health to complete spell.
----------------------------------------
Pain.
Not like a direct hit, nothing dramatic like being stabbed or burned. It was a drain. A slow, suffocating pull, like something was yanking his life force out strand by strand.
His status screen updated itself in real-time.
----------------------------------------
STATUS Health: 8284 / 8920 (-636 HP) Stamina: 62 (Critically Low) Mana: 0 (Depleted)
----------------------------------------
Frank bit back a curse.
The system hadn’t just blocked the spell—it had finished the cast by pulling HP instead.
That meant every spell from now on came with a blood price.
Frank’s vision blurred for a second as the level-up took effect. His body felt stronger, more stable—but the exhaustion was still there.
He didn’t have time to process it.
Because outside, the creature’s rage was building.
Its massive nostrils flared again. Then it turned to the pond.
The second it saw the floating fish corpses, it froze.
Frank’s breath stopped.
For a moment, nothing moved. The cavern was dead silent.
Then, all at once, the creature’s muscles tensed.
It didn’t just see the fish.
It felt something.
It felt him.
And it didn’t like it.
Frank’s stomach dropped.
The monster felt him.
Not saw. Not heard. Felt.
Some instinct deeper than thought, more primal than vision, told the thing he was here.
Frank didn’t wait for confirmation. He ran.
His legs screamed in protest, his body still drained from forced spellcasting, but panic overrode exhaustion. He needed cover.
Now.
His eyes scanned the cavern. Anything. A gap. A hole. A shadow deep enough to disappear into.
There—
A crevice in the far wall. Narrow, tight, but big enough to wedge himself into if he moved fast.
He bolted.
Then the world behind him exploded.
A detonation of rock, dust, and pure annihilation erupted through the cavern as the monster slammed its full weight into the stone. The impact thundered through his bones, sending a shockwave of raw power rippling outward.
Frank barely made it.
His shoulder clipped the rock wall as he threw himself into the crevice, breath coming too fast, too ragged.
Not enough space. Too tight. He pressed a trembling hand against the stone.
Earth Magic.
The system responded instantly.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM WARNING MANA DEPLETED. Converting Health to complete spell.
----------------------------------------
Pain.
His lungs locked up, his limbs went cold, something deep inside him burned.
His status screen updated in real-time.
----------------------------------------
STATUS Health: 7745 / 8920 → 7281 / 8920 (-464 HP) Stamina: 62 (Critically Low) Mana: 0 (Depleted)
----------------------------------------
Not enough.
Another impact.
The cavern shook violently, sending chunks of rock raining from the ceiling. A boulder the size of his torso crashed down inches from his foot.
Seal it. Seal it.
He cast again.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM WARNING MANA DEPLETED. Converting Health to complete spell.
----------------------------------------
His vision blurred.
Another chunk of HP vanished.
----------------------------------------
STATUS Health: 7281 / 8920 → 6849 / 8920 (-432 HP)
----------------------------------------
His head swam. His breath came shallow.
The alerts were piling up. System messages flooding his vision, notifications overlapping, turning his world into a blur of red warnings and damage reports.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE IMMINENT. REINFORCEMENT REQUIRED. BLOOD MAGIC THRESHOLD NEARING CRITICAL. USER AT RISK. WARNING: HIGH-THREAT ENTITY DETECTED.
----------------------------------------
Frank gritted his teeth, forcing himself deeper into the crevice. His limbs felt like they belonged to someone else, his chest too tight to pull in a full breath.
It wasn’t enough.
The monster outside wasn’t slowing down.
Another crushing impact.
Another shockwave of destruction.
Then— alerts flooded his vision.
SYSTEM ALERT DAMAGE DETECTED: User has sustained multiple lacerations from sharp stone formations.
SYSTEM WARNING UNAUTHORIZED MAGIC DETECTED: User is attempting Health Conversion without appropriate Blood Magic skill.
SYSTEM ALERT DAMAGE DETECTED: Collision impact against rock. Internal bruising detected.
SYSTEM MESSAGE EARTH MAGIC PROFICIENCY INCREASED: Level 7 → Level 8.
SYSTEM WARNING MANA UNAVAILABLE. Converting Health to complete spell… Excess health cost applied due to lack of Blood Magic proficiency.
SYSTEM ALERT DAMAGE DETECTED: Deep abrasions accumulating. Minor bleeding sustained.
SYSTEM WARNING UNSKILLED HEALTH CONVERSION DETECTED. System compensation applied—20% increased HP consumption.
SYSTEM ALERT BLOOD LOSS INCREASING. HEALTH DEGRADATION WARNING. Additional HP drain imposed due to inefficient casting.
SYSTEM MESSAGE EARTH MAGIC PROFICIENCY INCREASED: Level 8 → Level 9.
SYSTEM WARNING USER ATTEMPTING BLOOD MAGIC WITHOUT FORMAL TRAINING. SPELLCASTING PENALTY: +35% HP Consumption.
SYSTEM ALERT DAMAGE DETECTED: Severe tissue strain due to repeated forced casting. Movement efficiency reduced.
SYSTEM WARNING FORCED SPELLCASTING HAS BREACHED SAFE LIMITS. PENALTY INCREASED: +50% HP Conversion Rate.
SYSTEM MESSAGE EARTH MAGIC PROFICIENCY INCREASED: Level 9 → Level 10. Skill evolution possible.
SYSTEM ALERT WARNING: UNSKILLED BLOOD MAGIC USAGE NEARING SYSTEM OVERRIDE. FINAL PENALTY IMPOSED: +100% HP Conversion Cost.
SYSTEM MESSAGE THRESHOLD BREACHED. USER HAS ADAPTED TO UNREGULATED HEALTH-BASED CASTING. PENALTIES REMOVED.
SYSTEM MESSAGE NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: BLOOD MAGIC (UNLOCKED). Certain spells can now be cast at the cost of HP when Mana is unavailable.