Chapter 3: Light or false hope?

"What is the point of trying? It is a basic instinct of survival"

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Status:

- HP:100/200

- Sta: 20/20

There are ways to recover HP. But two most common ways that many adventurers can think of: One, potions and consumables, easy and simple. Second, skills and spells, but it is a gift.

There is another way, it is a taboo. Cannibalism.

Using flesh from another of your own kind is savage, uncivilized and disgusting.

Hivon has a thought of such a taboo. But he rejected it. Maybe, luck will come if he can get some troll's blood on the ground so he may have to find a way to make a quick potion inside this forsaken labyrinth. Trolls are known for regeneration ability and their blood is the main ingredient for health potions. But also their blood is so abundant that the market value is practically affordable for everyone to buy. But the health potions require certain plants to make the blood consumable. If not, it is just basically a one way road to death's door.

One plant that Hivon has to find after getting troll's blood is a white flower, a thornless rose. It may look like rose but it doesn't have thorns like rose. Two plants are completely different.

How to get fresh blood but without getting killed by those trolls is a real pain.

He keeps sneaking and stalking the trolls group. The earlier group that he noticed from that skeleton before. They are armed with clubs and leather armors.

Huge figures but little of brains. He can't fight them to get some blood even if they are as dumb as a rock. Even if they are sleeping and don't feel pain, his dagger can't pierce this skin due to his affinity.

But one thing for sure, their hygiene is just way more terrible than us humans. So one thing Hivon knows from those who harvest troll's blood. Parasites. One of the best ways to harvest the blood safely without getting killed.

A problem…

The parasite is as tall as a child. This leech is soft but very very gullible. Troll leech is just a sack of blood that is ready to be harvested. Best of all, they are very persistent. Split them half, still alive, dry them out, still alive, burn them to crisp, somehow, someway, a flesh just as big as a human's palm, still alive and regrow all the way in a week. The only way to kill them is well, acid and biles. Once the nerve gets poisoned by acid or biles, they are dead in a minute.

A parasite just drops from those trolls just now. Quickly, he advances as soon as those trolls move away. First, he has to gag that leech first with a piece of human bone nearby on its mandibles . Second step, he pours out the strange water from the vines. It stops struggling. Finally, a stab wound to bleed the leech out. The blood is gushing out, he grabs on his small pouch on his belt that usually carries his snack and collects some.

Finally, he stands up and tries to finds the stairs

This 3rd floor is too dangerous to stay.

**Clack clack**

**UGOOOOOH!!! Crack! Thump! **

That was just a clash between hunters and the prey. Trolls often hunt those skeletons for bone marrow nutrition. However, they also eat humans and other creatures. Their skin and their digestion system give them enormous advantage to hunt down undead. Their skin is thick enough to withstand skeletons' poor swordsmanship and their efficient digestion system is resilient enough to digest any type of food given. Unless it is metal, gems or some magical items that is too tough for their teeth to chew.

The stairs are found, Hivon's hope begins to sprout. He can finally escape this hell hole of massacres. The second floor is more forgiving than the third. Level 10 at max, the creatures here are easier to be defeated. If he tries enough, he will be able to fight one patiently.

Best of all, the second floor at worst is a group of goblins scouts. They are smaller but more intelligent than those trolls. The higher ranks of goblins are scarier than those scouts. If you ever see a hobgoblin among the scouts as low rank adventurers, get out quickly, abandon the quest, there is no shame. If you engage as low rankers, either you are going to be eaten alive or kept as slaves. There is no good ending if you are captured by those goblins with a higher leader.

Hopefully for Hivon, he doesn't want to get close to that kind of goblin group.

Something is not right. A trail of broken swords, dropped daggers and some arrows sticking on the walls. There must be a terrible fight here.

The scenarios that Hivon can draw out are Hobgoblins with a shaman or two, second is worse, a possessed adventurer. He suddenly realises that Davick could be one of the victims or the one who killed many people and put…

It is just nausea. A slight uncomfort, he stands up. He collects all the daggers, selects a sword with the most length of blade and pulls or snaps some arrows. He also finds some rags nearby. He uses arrow shafts and combines them to make a makeshift torch. But there is no fire starter. This labyrinth has light but there is no torch around. It is rumored to be enlightened by certain magic remains with a crimson light.

Hivon then checks his rucksacks. There is a problem. He is running out of water and there is no food since his fall.

'There might be goblins meat that I can consume but I have no fire'

A rule of thumb among adventurers must know. If there is monster meat, you must have a way to process it. Either salt or fire. In this case, goblin meat can be only consumed after fire treatment. Afterall, cooking is important before eating some kind of raw meat with potential poison in it.

Another option, taking their eyes. Universally, monster's eyes are considered to be safe for most cases. Well there are some poisonous or unpleasant or even bringing you down to the next life. Goblins' eyes are not poisonous nor infected with parasites. Other organs of monsters are likely to be disposed of or sold. A good rule of safety is not to eat anything that possesses many such toxic substances and you don't know any damn about it.