Thud.
The heavy body of the monster hit the stone floor. Dustin pulled his steel dagger free and wiped the dark blood off the blade onto his pants.
He had just killed another beast deeper in the dungeon. The system flagged it as Level 9. The creature looked like a rabbit, but it was almost five feet tall and covered in thick, wiry grey fur. A single, sharp black horn protruded right from the center of its forehead. Dustin could not even pronounce the complicated, ancient-sounding name the system had given it. He decided to keep things simple in his own head. He just called it the Single Horned Grey Rabbit.
He stepped over the carcass and kept walking. After fighting that giant monkey earlier, a giant rabbit did not even make his heart rate spike. He was getting used to the madness of this place.
After walking for some time, the narrow tunnel opened up into a wide, humid cavern. He found a massive patch of fungi growing out of the rocky ground. There were hundreds of mushrooms clustered together. They were bright red in color and covered in distinct white pores.
Dustin stopped and focused his eyes on them. He used the system to analyze the strange plants. He had been doing this for quite some time after he killed that Level 14 monkey. He made it a habit to scan almost every plant and strange object that caught his eye. Knowledge was power, and power meant survival.
DING.
[ Crimson Blood Mushrooms (Level 3) ]
[ Description: Can be consumed raw to lessen the stiffness in muscles, cure mild injuries slowly, and provide relief from physical pain. Higher level variants can be used to make powerful medicines or healing potions by individuals with the Alchemist class. Once these mushrooms reach above Level 50, their essence can be used to forge weapons with blood-related powers. ]
"So it acts like some kind of organic painkiller," Dustin said as he analyzed the details in front of him.
His body was screaming for relief. The healing potion he took earlier had fixed his broken arm, but his entire body was still incredibly sore and stiff from the relentless fighting. He bent down, plucked one of the bright red mushrooms from the rock, and popped it directly into his mouth.
He bit down.
Ptht. Ptht.
"Ahhh, gross," Dustin yelled. He quickly spit the chewed pieces out onto the ground. "What kind of terrible taste is that? So gross."
He wiped his tongue with his sleeve. But a few seconds later, a warm sensation spread through his limbs. The deep stiffness in his muscles actually became noticeably less severe.
"At least it works," Dustin muttered.
He reached down and took another mushroom. This time, he tossed it to the back of his throat and gulped it down whole without chewing it. The stiffness and pain in his muscles lowered again.
"I am so incredibly hungry right now that I can eat just about anything," Dustin said to himself.
He grabbed a handful of the mushrooms and gulped a few more down. He had not eaten anything substantial for a very long time. The last proper meal he took was the leftover fox meat from his storage vessel, and that felt like it happened a lifetime ago.
More importantly, he had not had a single drop to drink. His throat had started to dry up completely, feeling like it was coated in sandpaper. He did find a small, clear pond on his way through the dungeon earlier, but he refused to drink water from it. Dungeons were filled with many kinds of magical traps and weird biology. It was highly possible that the underground water had some kind of special, negative effect. It was always better to not take the risk if it was not absolutely necessary.
Because of that intense thirst, Dustin was really hoping to find enough monsters to complete the system requirements quickly. He wanted to get out of this glowing dungeon, get back out to the real forest, and find that familiar rushing river so he could finally get a drink and find some decent food.
After he forced down around ten of those bitter mushrooms, the lingering pain in his muscles completely vanished. He felt remarkably refreshed. It was as if he had just woken up from a long, peaceful nap.
He then looked down at the massive patch of mushrooms. There were hundreds of them covering the floor. He thought that leaving them all just sitting here would be a complete waste of valuable resources. He decided to take them with him.
However, taking hundreds of delicate mushrooms by hand was not practical. He tried to open his food container, but the black vessel flatly refused to store them. The container was strictly meant for meat and basic food items, not alchemy ingredients.
He sighed and opened the shop section in his mind. He navigated to the basic tools and finally bought the Supplies Carrier.
DING.
[ Congratulations, you have bought the Supplies Carrier ]
A dark, heavy-duty leather pouch materialized on his belt. He touched it and the interface popped up.
[ Supplies Carrier (Level 1) ]
[ Space filled: 0 / 200 ]
[ Upgrade to Level 2 Cost: 200 points ]
"Let us see how many mushrooms can fit inside this two hundred space limit," Dustin said.
He crouched down and started picking the mushrooms one by one. He dropped them into the dark pouch. The bag did not get any heavier. Each mushroom simply vanished into the sub-spatial pocket and cost him exactly one space. He worked systematically for several minutes. After he had picked two hundred mushrooms and put them into the carrier, the system gave a soft beep. The storage space was completely filled.
Dustin then picked a few more loose mushrooms and stuffed them directly into his regular pants pockets. He stood up and looked at the ground.
"There are a few hundred more left," Dustin sighed. "But there is nothing I can do about that right now. Let us first focus on getting out of this place."
He walked ahead, leaving the rest of the valuable red patch behind.
He moved through the winding corridors for another twenty minutes. Finally, his perception bubble picked up a distinct signature just around the next bend. He peeked around the corner and found a large, scaly monster resting near a cluster of glowing plants. He checked it quickly. It was Level 8.
"Finally," Dustin whispered with a tired smile. "Let us get out of this dungeon."
He gripped his dagger and stepped out into the open.
"Sorry pal," Dustin said casually to the beast. "But I am really hungry and incredibly thirsty. I simply cannot spare you today."
The monster hissed and charged. Dustin did not even flinch. His stats were far too high for a basic Level 8 creature to pose any real threat. He ducked under its clumsy swipe, pivoted on his heel, and drove his dagger straight up through the bottom of its jaw.
Squelch.
He twisted the blade and pulled it free. After just a few minutes of fighting, the corpse of the monster was lying motionless on the ground.
DING.
A massive, golden screen illuminated the cavern.
[ Congratulations, you have cleared the Beginner Dungeon ]
[ Rewards: 1000 points, 15 bonus stats ]
Dustin let out a long, heavy breath and dropped his shoulders.
"Finally," Dustin said. "Let us get out of here."
He opened his stats section immediately. He now had a pool of fifteen bonus points to distribute. He thought carefully about his recent struggles. He needed to hit harder, take more damage, and run longer without exhausting himself.
He allocated the points with a few quick mental commands.
DING.
[ Physical Strength: 43 ]
[ Vitality: 40 ]
[ Agility: 55 ]
[ Stamina: 43 ]
[ Endurance: 34 ]
[ Perception: 49 ]
[ Wisdom: 15 ]
[ Intelligence: 26 ]
Dustin stared at the screen and waited for a moment. He blinked a few times.
"I feel exactly the same as before," Dustin grumbled. "I just increased my Wisdom by a whole point and I do not see or feel any difference in my mind at all. Is this system just playing a joke on me?"
He shook his head and closed the screen. The system had projected a faint, glowing arrow onto the floor. It was marking the fastest path to the exit now that the clearing requirements were officially met. Dustin tightened the straps on his new supplies carrier, gripped his dagger, and started following the arrows toward the surface. He was going to find that river if it was the last thing he did.