Chapter 16 The Toughest Fight So Far

We reached floor 15 sooner than I expected.

After floor 11, dungeon changed. The narrow, claustrophobic tunnels gave way to wider chambers, the rough stone walls replaced by something that resembled bricks. Crystals jutted from the walls and ceiling, glowing with a soft light that bathed everything in a pale blue hue. The air was warmer here, carrying a faint, dirt smell that reminded me of forests after a rain.

Moss clung to walls in patches. Strange vines crept along the ground, their leaves a deep, almost black green. Small flowers bloomed in clusters.

I reached level 20 on floor 13. Monsters there were level 30 and above, and each kill gave me decent experience. My stats were climbing, and I could feel the difference in my body.

By the time we entered floor 15, I was level 24. A few more monsters, and I would hit 25.

But floor 15 was something else entirely. We stepped out of the tunnel onto a small cliff, and I stopped, my breath catching in my throat.

The cavern was massive. A vast, open space that stretched as far as I could see. High above, a giant crystal formation hung suspended, radiating a warm, golden light. It looked like a miniature sun. The floor was covered in twisted, ancient trees, their branches reaching toward the light like grasping hands. Moss and ferns carpeted the ground, and strange, glowing fungi dotted the landscape.

It was a forest. An underground forest, lit by a crystal sun. It was beautiful. But I had no time to be mesmerized. A high-pitched shriek come out of nowhere. I spun around, my sword already in hand.

It was a bug. A massive, terrifying bug. Its body was segmented, covered in a chitinous shell that glistened like polished obsidian. Its legs were long and spindly, ending in razor-sharp blades that glinted in the crystal light. Its eyes were compound, reflecting my image a hundred times over. It was fast, its bladed limbs lashing out before I could even react.

I dove to the side, barely avoiding the strike. The blade carved into the ground where I'd been standing, leaving a deep gash in the stone.

I used Appraisal.

Monster: Crystal Mantis
Level: 38
HP: 2920
ATK: 580
DEF: 180
SPD: 290
END: 340
Weaknesses: Joints (soft, elastic)

Oh, hell no! Level 38?! The highest I've faced so far! This is going to be brutal!

Mantis lunged again, and I was ready this time. I parried its blade with my wooden sword, the impact jarring my arms. The creature was fast, faster than anything I'd faced before. Its strikes came in quick succession, each one forcing me back, each one carving away at my defenses.

I took a cut across my shoulder. Shallow, but it burned. Another across my ribs. A third on my thigh. They were light cuts, nothing fatal, but they were adding up. If I took too many, I would start bleeding out.

I need to end this fast. I need to hit its weakness.

I watched its movements, studying the way it attacked. Its limbs moved with incredible speed, but I noticed something, a slight hesitation when it struck. A moment of vulnerability when its joints bent.

I waited. Dodged. Weaved. Let mantis wear itself out, let it think it was winning. And then, when it lunged with both blades extended, when its arms were fully stretched, its joints exposed, I moved.

I slipped beneath its guard, my sword carving upward in a precise arc. The blade caught the joint of its left arm, slicing through the soft tissue like butter. Mantis shrieked, its limb falling to the ground, black blood spraying from the wound.

It stumbled, off-balance, and I didn't hesitate. I swung again, catching the joint of its other arm. Another shriek. Another limb falling. Mantis was crippled now, its bladed weapons gone, its movements sluggish and uncoordinated. I stepped forward and drove my sword through its head, ending the fight.

I stood there, panting, my cuts stinging, my heart pounding in my chest.

This thing nearly cut me in half. That was the toughest fight I've had so far. But I won. And I'm level 25 now. Finally, we can get the hell out of here.

You have reached Level 25!
HP: 1,501 > 1,560
ATTACK: 471 > 489
DEFENSE: 36 > 38
SPEED: 181 > 188
ENDURANCE: 36 > 38
MAGIC: 0 > 0
SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 23 > 24

I heard footsteps behind me. 

"Well done, Kuzu-kun. That was a level 38 Crystal Mantis. And you killed it."

I looked at my sword. At blood still dripping from my blade. At my cuts, still bleeding.

"Yeah, I did. I'm starting to think I'm actually good at this."

"That's the spirit, Kuzu-kun. Do you want to continue? We can look around floor 15 if you like.  But you need to be careful, Crystal Mantis is not what you should be looking out for on this floor. There are much worse things here. Still, you did much better than I expected. We can leave if you want."

I was still catching my breath. The thought of facing another monster, of pushing deeper into this eerie nightmare, made my stomach turn.

"No, no, no! I want to leave. Just let me catch my breath. Give me one minute, and we can go. I've had enough of this dungeon for a long time."

 She walked past me, toward the dissolving remains of Crystal Mantis. 

"Okay, just let me get the crystal core, and we can go back. But no scroll this time. They are expensive, meaning, we're walking back."

 "Oh god no. I have to kill my way back out of here? Crap. At least give me one of those red potions. I am tired."

"But just this once. As a reward for doing so well. But don't get used to it. You know, these red potions cost one gold coin each. We can't use them too often."

 "Gold coin?! Damn, that's expensive! But surely, this Crystal Mantis core will cover it, right?"

"Oh no, silly. This core will give us maybe few silver coins. We can eat a tasty ramen tonight."

"A few silver coins? That's basically worthless considering how hard it was to beat that thing."

"Kuzu-kun, if monster cores were valuable, would F-rankers live so poorly? No, even rookies would be walking with the best gear after farming for a few days. Weak monsters like this one, they're barely worth the effort."

 "Weak?! You call this thing weak? It nearly took my head off!"

 "Silly. You were fighting alone. No dungeon crawler goes into the dungeon alone. Do you have a death wish? No, they come with a party of at least four others. Would it have been hard for you to defeat this Crystal Mantis if there were four other people just as strong as you? No. You would have killed it easily."

"Well shit! It's rich coming from you! Why the hell are you not helping me then?!"

 "Kuzu-kun. You need to gain experience."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm too tired to argue with you. Let me rest. Keep that red potion for later."

Fiona nodded, tucking the bottle back into her robe. 

"Okay. Will do."

She walked to get the core while I leaned against a nearby tree.

I made it. I survived. I'm level 25. And I'm going to have to fight my way back out. But at least I get to eat ramen tonight.

I closed my eyes, just for a moment. Just a few seconds of rest before we started the long walk back to the surface.

Ramen. Hot, salty, delicious ramen. With extra meat. And an egg. And—

I felt it. A sharp pinch on my neck.

My hand shot up, swatting at the source. Something big and hard crunched beneath my palm, and I pulled my hand away to see a crushed spider, its body no bigger than my fist, its legs still twitching.

Holy crap! Where did that freak come from?!

I used Appraisal.

Monster: Forest Weaver Spider
Level: 18
HP: 120
ATK: 50
DEF: 20
SPD: 80
END: 15
Venom: Mild 

Level 18? Damn, even spiders are massive here. 

I crushed it fully, wiping the remains on the grass, and let out a breath.

Damn bastard, scared the hell out of me but he is nothing. I've fought things hundred times his size. A tiny little spider isn't going to—

I stopped. My vision blurred. I blinked, trying to focus. The crystal light seemed too bright, the shadows too deep. My heart was pounding, and my skin felt hot, then cold, then hot again.

I looked at my stats.

Debuff: Venom (Mild)
HP: 1,525 > 1,415 > 1,345

OH CRAP! My HP is dropping! Fast!

I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't obey. The forest spun around me, trees twisting into strange, distorted shapes. My stomach clenched, and I felt bile rising in my throat.

What's... happening? It was... just a spider. Level... 18. It's not supposed to—

The venom was spreading. I could feel it coursing through my veins, cold and burning at the same time. My body was betraying me, my limbs going numb, my vision swimming, my heart drumming.

I'm... dying. I need... help.

I tried to call out, tried to scream, but my voice wouldn't come. My throat was closing, my tongue swelling, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.

Then I heard footsteps. Running. And then Fiona's face was above me.

"Kuzu-kun! What's wrong? Kuzu-kun! Talk to me."

I tried to speak, tried to tell her what happened. But only a choked sound came out. She found the bite on my neck.

"Kuzu-kun. You got bitten. A Forest Weaver Spider. I warned you to be careful. This floor is full of venomous creatures."

I couldn't respond. The pain was too much. My body was wracked with convulsions, my skin turning pale, then gray, then a sickly purple. Every nerve was on fire, and I could feel the venom eating away at me from the inside.

Fiona checked my stats.

"This is the weakest poison on this floor. It's a good chance to build up a bit of resistance to it. Lower floors will have way stronger venom, and many more monsters that use it. I'll heal you. Just hold on. I have antidote."

I wanted to drink it. I wanted to reach out and grab it and drain it dry. But my body wouldn't move. My arms were limp at my sides, my fingers twitching uselessly.

"Kuzu-kun, you need to drink this."

I couldn't. I couldn't even open my mouth.

Fiona tried to pour the potion into my mouth, but it dribbled down my chin, wasted.

"Kuzu-kun! No! Kuzu-kun! You have to drink it!"

Her voice was desperate now. She tried again. Again. The potion spilled across my lips, my throat too swollen to swallow.

I... can't... drink...

The convulsions stopped. My body went limp. My vision faded, the crystal light growing dimmer and dimmer until there was nothing but darkness. I died.

"No! Takumi! Don't die! Don't leave me here! Not you too!"