Chapter 15 Healing Magic and Healing Potions

We had pushed deeper into the dungeon, past floor six, past seven, past eight and nine, until finally we reached floor ten. The air was thicker here, heavier, carrying a musty smell that clung to my clothes and filled my lungs. Walls were rougher, shadows deeper, and monsters were relentless.

We took short breaks when we could. Ten minutes here. Fifteen there. Just enough to catch my breath, drink some water, and steel myself for the next fight. And the fights kept coming.

Countless packs of thorny dire wolves on floor seven. Swarms of giant blood bats on floor eight. A large nest of cave frost trolls on floor nine that had taken everything I had to bring down. My arms were burning, my legs were trembling, and my mind was starting to blur at the edges.

But I kept going.

We were on floor ten now. The cavern was massive, its ceiling lost in darkness, its walls lined with jagged rock formations that looked like teeth. The air was colder here, and I could see my breath misting in front of me.

And then it came.

A massive lizard, easily twice the size of a horse, its scales a deep, mottled green that blended with the stone. Its eyes were yellow and slit-pupiled, its mouth full of serrated teeth. 

What the hell is that thing!? Appraisal! 

Monster: Greater Cave Lizard
Level: 25
HP: 1,300
ATK: 450
DEF: 350
SPD: 80
END: 300
Critical weaknesses: Neck (unarmored)

It got a weakness? Hell yeah! 

It moved with a speed that belied its bulk, lunging toward me with a hiss that echoed off the walls. My body reacted on instinct, sidestepping the lunge, bringing my wooden sword up in a sweeping arc. The blade caught the lizard's neck, carving through scales and flesh with a sound like tearing rocks. The creature's momentum carried it forward, and its head separated from its body, crashing to the ground.

I stood there, breathing hard, my sword dripping with dark blood. A window appeared in front of me.

You have reached Level 17!
HP: 1,036 > 1,095
ATTACK: 325 > 343
DEFENSE: 25 > 26
SPEED: 125 > 132
ENDURANCE: 25 > 26
MAGIC: 0 > 0
SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 15 > 16

I looked at the window, the exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Thank God it fell down so easy. Level seventeen. Day two, and I'm level seventeen. My stats starting to look good. But comparing to the numbers I had seen on those F-rank adventurers in town, I'm not there yet. Not even close. But I'm getting closer. The gap is shrinking. Painfully, but shrinking. I'm closing in. I'm—

I swayed on my feet, the exhaustion finally catching up with me. My vision blurred for a moment, and I had to plant my sword on the ground to keep standing.

I heard footsteps behind me. Soft. Calm. Fiona's voice drifted through the haze.

"Kuzu-kun. You're tired. You're about to collapse."

"Yeah, no shit. Been fighting for past two days."

I swayed again. My legs buckled.

Fiona was there, her arm slipping around my waist, held me. Her body was warm against mine, and I could smell the faint scent of lavender in her hair.

"You did well reaching level seventeen in two days. That's impressive. I think you deserve a reward."

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come. I was too tired. Too spent. I just leaned into her, letting her support my weight, and closed my eyes.

Reward my ass... get me... out... of here... I—

"Rest now, you earned it."

I didn't argue. I just let the darkness take me.

---

I woke to soft warmth and gentle fingers stroking my hair. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. There was something soft beneath my head. Something warm. Something that smelled faintly of lavender.

Then I realized. My head was on Fiona's lap. I tried to sit up, but her hand pressed gently against my shoulder, keeping me in place.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet Kuzu-kun. You finally awake."

 Her face was hovering above me, her eyes wide and glistening. She looked worried. 

"It was so scary while you were asleep. I was so alone and scared. Monsters showed up, so many monsters, they nearly got us. It was lucky for us that some noble, good-hearted fellow dungeon crawlers passed by. They killed the monsters that nearly tore us apart. Please, Kuzu-kun. Don't faint on me like that. I was so worried about you."

Is she... acting? Is she that bad at acting? Or is she actually scared? Or is this just more of her games? I can't tell. I can never tell with her.

I tried to sit up again, and this time she let me. I looked around the cavern, and my breath caught in my throat.

Piles of monster corpses lay scattered across the floor, their bodies half-dissolved, their corpses already beginning to fade into mist. There were so many of them, easily more than I had killed in the past two days combined. 

"What the hell is all this? These are all monsters over level twenty. And there are so many of them. Where the hell did they even come from?"

 "Kuzu-kun, you need to understand something. Just because you can't keep going, or you're hurt, or you can't fight anymore, this dungeon will not show you pity. It's a disgusting place. Monsters will only attack you more relentlessly if you show weakness. If you're hurt, more will show up to feast on your bones. If you fall asleep, they will feel your weakness and come to claim you. And well, you and me, we were so helpless. So weak. We were like bait for monsters."

Bait. She's saying we were bait. That we almost died. And she's trying to make me believe that she couldn't do anything?!

I felt my anger rising, hot and boiling.

"Bullshit! I don't believe you! You're this all-powerful wizard, and you killed them all! What is this shit about me killing monsters for you? You can do it just fine! Look at this mess! I would die facing even a small portion of what's laying on the ground!"

Fiona's expression didn't change. She just looked at me with those warm eyes.

"Kuzu-kun, I told you. I am weak. I am a level five wizard. It was not me who killed these monsters. It was a party of fellow dungeon crawlers who passed by a few minutes ago."

I turned to looked at the corpses. At the wounds that had killed them. I opened my mouth to shout at her, to tell her that was impossible, that the monsters were clearly killed by magic. But they were cleaved in half. With something sharp. Something massive. A giant sword. A claymore. Something that left clean, brutal cuts through flesh and bone. Not magic. Not spells.

What?! This can't be! Her whole act was so terrible! All she said should be a lie! But... she's a wizard. She uses magic. She has no sharp objects that could do this. It wasn't her?

I swallowed my rage, forcing the words down my throat. I sat down on the ground.

"Thank you," I said through gritted teeth, "For keeping me safe."

Fiona didn't seem angry at my tone. She didn't even seem bothered. Instead, she scooted closer, her arms wrapping around me in a gentle embrace. Her hand found my hair, stroking it softly, like I was a lost child in need of comfort.

"There, there, my Kuzu-kun.... Now, that we're all calm, it's time to give you your reward."

She pulled back, reaching into her robe. When her hand emerged, it was holding a small bottle filled with a red liquid.

"Ta-da! A healing potion."

"Why would I need a healing potion? I'm not hurt. I'm just tired. Like an old dog that was forced to run a marathon."

"Oh, you silly. You're so cute and adorable. Listen now, Kuzu-kun. Healing magic and healing potions are two different things. Healing magic patches you up from the outside. But a healing potion restores you from the inside." She winked at me, "And guess what? It restores stamina too. Here. Give it a try. You'll feel much better."

I uncorked the bottle and gulped it down. The liquid was warm and sweet, coating my throat and settling in my stomach like a comforting fire. Almost immediately, I felt the change. The ache in my muscles faded. The exhaustion that had been weighing me down lifted like a fog. My mind cleared, my limbs grew light, and I felt, for the first time in days, truly, genuinely rested.

"Hey yo! This thing is amazing! I feel good. I feel really good. I feel—"

I stopped. The grin froze on my face.

Oh shit! Oh no! No, no! I think I should have kept my joy to myself.

Fiona's smile widened. Her eyes sparkled with something that looked a lot like glee.

"Oh, what great news, Kuzu-kun! You feel great, right? That's good. That's very good. Because we still have one more day to go. I think we should push for floor fifteen. I believe we can do it."

 "Oh my god, no! Please! When we reach floor fifteen, you'll say we go for floor twenty! No! I want to go home! No more monsters! Come on!"

For once, Fiona didn't laugh. Her expression changed. Her smile faded. Her eyes grew serious, and her voice dropped to something low and firm.

"Kuzu-kun. You are not ready for floor twenty yet. Even if we reach floor fifteen."

I blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in her demeanor. This wasn't her usual warm, teasing tone. This was different. Real. Serious.

"We leave when you hit level twenty."

She's being serious. This is the first time she's shown me this side of her. Not the warm, kind appearance. Not the playful teasing. Something real. Something honest.

"Oh... yeah, okay."

Then her usual smile returned, soft and warm.

"Good." She patted my cheek, "Now rest. Tomorrow, we have a long day ahead of us."

Level twenty. That's the goal. That's when we leave. I can do this. One more day. I can survive. I have to.