Darkness.
That was all Arin could see. His body refused to obey his orders. His every breath was a torment. His eyes tried to open, but nothing happened. Then the System appeared.
[Emergency Recovery Sequence Initiated.]
[Checking host condition.]
[Multiple injuries detected.]
[Beginning emergency treatment.]
A warm sensation ran through Arin’s body, dulling the pain. His fingers twitched. Then his eyes opened. He looked up at the darkness above him.
"What happened?"
Arin tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest. He stopped, staring at his arms. They were covered in gashes, and his clothes were torn. His sword was a few feet away, lying on the ground. He picked it up, his hand shaking.
"At least I’m alive."
A blue window appeared before his eyes.
[Emergency treatment completed.]
[Host condition stabilized.]
[Further treatment is required.]
Arin frowned.
"So the System saved me."
He looked around, but the System didn’t reply. Arin stood, his legs shaking, and grabbed the wall for support. "This isn’t the first floor." He looked up, his gaze falling on a hole in the ceiling. It was high, but not impossibly so. If only he could climb back up. He picked up his sword, wincing as he looked at the cracks in the blade.
It was damaged, but not beyond repair. Arin looked around the room. It was large, with several tunnels leading out of it. The only source of light was the faint blue glow of the crystals growing on the walls. He walked up to one of the tunnels. Arin touched the crystal, feeling the warm glow. He withdrew his hand.
"At least I can see."
He opened his Status.
[Status]
Name: Arin Rahman
Race: Human
Level: 4
EXP: 45/150
STR: 9
AGI: 8
VIT: 9
INT: 5
Skills:
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1
Titles: None
Arin stared at his stats.
"My strength increased."
He looked at his sword.
"Maybe leveling up really does increase my body’s power."
Arin closed the Status window. Then he looked at the tunnels. "I need to find a way out." Arin walked up to the nearest tunnel and entered it. He walked for a while, his footsteps echoing in the narrow passage. Arin stopped. He heard something. A growl. His hand went to his sword.
"Who’s there?"
No one answered. Then two red eyes appeared in the darkness. Arin raised his sword. A wolf jumped at him.
"Whoa!"
He sidestepped, the wolf’s claws grazing his side. Arin brought his blade down, slashing the wolf’s side. The beast fell.
[Monster Defeated.]
[Experience Gained.]
Arin looked at the wolf. "Only one?" Another wolf jumped at him from behind. Arin turned, bringing his sword up. The wolf’s claws met his blade, sending a shock up his arm. It pushed him back, and the wolf came at him again. Arin ducked under the beast’s charge and brought his sword up, slicing across its chest. The wolf fell.
[Monster Defeated.]
[Experience Gained.]
Arin breathed heavily.
"Even the wolves here are stronger than the ones on the first floor."
He looked into the darkness ahead, his stomach twisting. The first floor had been full of weak monsters. These wolves were far stronger than any he had faced before. And if this was a deeper floor, Arin shuddered at the thought of what else he might find. He walked down the tunnel, his footsteps echoing. After a while, he came across something strange. A staircase. It went down, vanishing into the darkness. Arin stared at it.
"Down?"
He looked around. There was no other exit.
"Why would there be a staircase going deeper?" Arin sighed. "I guess I have to."
He walked down the stairs, the air growing colder with every step. The crystals on the walls grew brighter. Then he heard growls. Arin stopped, his breath coming in short gasps. Another growl answered, and then another. His eyes swept the darkness ahead, taking in the many pairs of red eyes. "How many are there?"
The wolves stepped forward, their glowing eyes watching him. They were bigger than the ones he had fought, their black fur rippling with every step. Arin’s grip tightened on his sword. "Come on." The first wolf charged, but Arin raised his sword to meet its claws.
CLANG!
The impact sent a jolt up his arm, nearly knocking him off his feet. Another wolf came at him from the side, but Arin jumped back, avoiding its claws. "Wolf’s are fast."
He brought his sword up, but the next wolf was faster. It slashed at his side, tearing through his shirt. "Too fast!" Arin swung his blade, but the wolf ducked under his attack.
Another one came at him, and Arin raised his arm to block its claws. They cut through his skin, making him gasp in pain. "Agh!"
Arin stumbled back, blood running down his arm.
The wolves surrounded him, their eyes glowing. Arin looked around, his mind racing. He couldn’t fight them all at once. He needed to find a way to get an advantage. He looked at the glowing crystals on the walls, then the narrow passage behind him. An idea came to him. Arin ran toward the passage, the wolves hot on his trail. "Come on!"
The passage was narrow, and only one wolf could fit at a time. The first one jumped, but Arin sidestepped, and it crashed into the wall. Arin drove his sword into its side.
[Monster Defeated.]
The next wolf came, but Arin blocked its attack and kicked it in the chest, sending it flying. He drove his sword into its side, and it fell.
[Monster Defeated.]
The remaining wolves tried to follow him, but Arin fought them off one at a time. His arms grew heavier with every strike, and his breathing became gasps. Finally, the last wolf fell.
[Monster Defeated.]
[Experience Gained.]
Arin slumped against the wall, panting. His EXP had increased greatly, but he was still not level 5. "Almost." He sat down for a moment, then stopped when he heard a sound coming from deeper in the dungeon.
BOOM.
Arin’s eyes widened.
Another sound followed.
BOOM.
Something was walking. Something big. Arin stood, his hand tightening around his sword. The sound grew louder.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
His heart pounded in his chest. A shadow loomed at the end of the tunnel. It was huge, far bigger than any of the wolves. Arin raised his sword. "Please, don’t be another Minotaur." The creature stepped forward, revealing itself to be a giant lizard covered in dark scales. Two horns grew from its head, and its mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth. It let out a deafening growl that reverberated through the tunnel. Arin stared at the beast, and the System appeared before his eyes.
[Warning.]
[High-level monster detected.]
Arin’s face tightened.
"High-level?" The monster let out another roar.
ROAAAAAR!
Arin took a step back, his heart hammering in his chest. He felt powerless. The monster charged, but Arin turned and ran. "Not fighting that!" The beast chased him down the passage, its claws tearing through the walls.
BOOM!
Large chunks of stone fell behind him, but Arin didn’t stop. He ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t know where he was going, or how far he had run. All he knew was that this dungeon was nothing like the first floor. It was far more dangerous, and Arin had just entered its true territory.