Rotten

The green corn plants kept me company as I walked through the seemingly endless maze. One turn took me in this direction, while another took me back to the starting place.

The occasional squirrel would show, but I have yet to encounter any other monsters besides them. I did manage to level up twice and get twenty more raw meat, but sadly that was it. Based on what I've received so far, keeping the squirrels in my inventory wasn't worth it.

"Another dead end." Shaking my head, I turned to find another path I hadn't taken yet. I couldn't count how many dead ends I've encountered so far.

Walking the narrow dirt path, I came across a new opening I hadn't seen before.

"Has this always been there?"

The green, vibrant corn plants turned dark. Bits and pieces missing, holes in leaves, missing chunks of corn. It didn't look like something had eaten it; it was like it had disappeared.

Turning into the new path, the plants turned purple, the ground blue. The once brilliant red sky turned dark, darker than a winter's midnight, with only the moon's light to guide my way.

Even the air turned heavy, and a sense of dread surrounded the area. The scent of something burnt entered my nose.

Pushing forward, It was a long, dark path with fog at the end. The yellow corn turned black, and more and more chunks were missing from the plants. It was almost like it was rotting at an extremely high rate, but only in certain areas.

Whatever caused this is probably behind the fog, waiting for me. But what is this?

Examining the leftovers of a leaf, its purple color, and it's hard texture made it seem like an entirely different plant than what I saw before. But I'm sure it's the same; I just don't know what caused this change.

Leaving the dying plant, I continued searching for the cause.

One thing I know for sure is this is the path I intend to take. No way a place like this in a dungeon isn't the way to the portal, I hope, at least. If I'm wrong, then so be it. I'll deal with whatever comes my way.

"What is that?"

Just before I was about to enter the fog, a small object caught my eye. A long bushy tail detached from its owner. Dried blood covered the ground around it. The tail was almost identical to the slicing squirrels I've encountered. Whatever caused the plants to change and harm them also attacked monsters.

"Floor guardian?"

I can't remember an instance of non-floor guardian monsters attacking each other. Of course, I haven't seen a floor guardian attack another monster either, but the evidence proves it.

The highest monster I have encountered so far was 32, meaning the floor guardian probably will be a little higher. At least based on the previous floors, but this is a dungeon; anything can change.

Gripping my trusty dagger, I moved slowly into the fog. Checking everywhere for signs of monster activity.

What kind of monster can do this damage, and what even is it? Missing chunks, leaving only a tail behind. This kind of power is different from what I've encountered before. That's why I believe it to be the work of the floor guardian. The blood from the squirrel's tail was dried, so that it couldn't have been that recent.

Inside the fog, fifteen feet is the max I can see. Just outside my range, anything could be lurking. The fog thickened, reducing my range to only ten or so feet.

The more I moved forward, the less I could see.

This is only a test, just like the fork in the path on the previous floor. Without a test, I would be fighting monsters all day. Leveling up isn't the only thing that can make you stronger. Without the will to improve, to go beyond, even with power, it will only get you so far.

Same with strategy and intelligence. There's more than raw strength.

Well, that's what I think. These dungeons are here to help us grow, not only in body but in mind too. This is my first dungeon, so I may be overthinking it; nonetheless, it's better to keep in open mind.

Soon, a heavy pressure fell on me. Like gravity himself wanted to put me down. My body feels heavier than a mountain. My legs are like steel rods in the ground, unwavering.

Despite this, I won't yield.

My surroundings are blurred, and my eyes can't remain focused. Instead of worrying about what I could see, I focused on what I could feel. The heavy pressure crushed my bones as I moved one foot at a time. The pain kept me focused.

A dazzling light appeared outside the fog, so bright I could focus on it. A light in the darkness, hope in despair.

'I can feel it.'

The light was calling me, calling me to push forward, not to give up. How can I disappoint something so beautiful, so pure?

"MM!" I yelled with my mouth shut. Biting down on my lip, a warm metallic liquid flowed down my throat.

My senses heightened, and the pain brought me back. Stomping with everything I have, I pushed through the invisible barrier.

The fog started to lighten, and the pressure began to fade.

The shining light, still so bright, called out once more. A gentle whisper in the ear, "Come."

But not all can stay the same forever.

The light changed, and the white pureness vanished. Replaced with a brilliant blue and a sinister glow.

"Hahaha! How?" My laugh echoed through the fog, and my soft, weak question was unanswered.

There was no savior, no guide. There was only bad and the worst. The light saved me, only for something far worse to happen. It lured me here like dangling worms above a fish.

My body felt weak; I wanted to roll over and lay down. But I couldn't; how could I let it win?

For every dungeon guardian was a blue-lit jack-o'-lantern watching.

Dragging my feet, the fog cleared, exposing what I'd expected.

The glistering white portal. Huge twenty-foot-high corn plants surrounded the area, forming a barrier. It was either through the portal or back the way I came.

The radiant blue light came from the jack-o'-lantern beside the portal; its carved face pointed toward me.

"I had my fun," I whispered.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rush of something new. The feeling of unstoppable power is like none other. I thought this dungeon couldn't be too hard, and for the most part, I was right. I preyed on the weak, just as everyone else does, but in reality, I was the prey.

This sinister jack-o'-lantern was the real hunter; it watched me, studied me. And now it lured me to the floor guardian, a true monster.

I can't tell if I'm jealous or mad. To play someone like a fool, what a fun idea.

But I still don't understand why it is carved into the same mark that's on my hand. Only two answers come to mind. Either the jack-o'-lantern inspired the mark, or the jack-o'-lantern was carved after the mark. Both answers only brought forth more questions.

Or maybe there's an easier way to get some answers.

"{Inspect}." I whispered, staring into its triangle eyes.

{???????? ??????}

{Tier:? Level:???}

"Uhh, hello? System? Haha." My nervous laugh and rambling caught the attention of the floor guardian. But I didn't care.

How, no, why? Why is this thing here? Only at the level that the dungeon is can those exact entities enter. The highest anyone can be to enter level 50. So what in the hell is this thing? It hasn't attacked me. Why hasn't it attacked me?

"Haaa. Ok, let's focus on the monster approaching first."

I was so focused on the jack-o'-lantern that I forgot about the floor guardian: dark blue, almost black feathers, black beady eyes with a long, slightly curved black beak. It walked at me with its wings spread out, trying to intimidate me. Its long black talons ripped the earth beneath it.

"{Inspect}."

{Floor Guardian - Rotten Raven - Avlor}

{Tier:0 Level:35}

Okay, ok. Let's think; it's four levels higher than a floor guardian and me. It most definitely has the stat advantage, besides possibly my strength. It's safe to assume its talons are sharper than my dagger.

So what can I do? If I can grab it somehow, I should be able to moderate damage, but only if I can touch it. Since it's a bird, its speed isn't to be underestimated.

Gripping my dagger with the bone blade facing down, I waited.

Avlor leisurely approached, underestimating me. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last, but something about proving them wrong makes me so happy.

Standing tall, Avlor was at least two feet tall, with a wingspan of about seven feet. A true hunter of the sky.

The light of the moon and blue flame shone on Avlor's feathers, making him seem even more impressive.

Cranking its neck back, Avlor looked toward the moon and let out a cry.

CAWWW

Piercing the ground with its talons, small cracks formed. Arching its wings with a mighty flap, Avlor took off like a bullet straight at me.

At its current speed, I can barely keep up. The sheer gust Avlor's wings produced was more than enough for me to tell how strong he was.

Dodging to the side, I narrowly avoided being pierced. Rolling on the ground, Avlor flew up almost a hundred feet before turning around back to me. Beak diving first with the extra momentum; even a slight scratch would cause a fatal injury.

"This is so annoying!" I spat, watching as Avlor got closer.

I can't even touch him; how am I supposed to fight this?

With the extra speed from the momentum, Avlor moved too fast for me to keep up. The canaries couldn't compare to this level of speed. I would already be a goner if I didn't have the cloak that gives me +10 in dexterity.

My eyes couldn't keep up with Avlor's movement, only appearing as a blur. That didn't necessarily mean my body couldn't. A gamble, but I have nothing else I can do now.

If it doesn't pay off, I might die, but if it does, then Avlor might die. And if I don't do anything, I die; I don't have a choice here.

As Avlor reached the ground, he stirred up, flying above the ground. Shaking the ground as he went, Avlor was closing in.

Waiting until the last possible second, I was sure, I rolled to the side, standing on one knee, extending my arm to the side with the dagger still pointed downwards. I lined the bone blade with Avlor's wing, hoping it would hit.

By the time Avlor saw my movement, he was already too close and too fast to avoid properly. Avlor pulled in his wings, hoping to avoid the dagger.

Avlor flashed by me; in an instant, hot crimson blood covered my upper body. Along with feathers and meat. Along with a loud crash and rumble from the earth.

The white bone blade was dyed red. My hands started shaking out of complete shock. The hot blood dripped off my face onto the ground, adding more to the growing puddle.

Kaw

A weak cry shook me from my dazed state. Turning my head, I noticed the ground was ripped up. Following the line of ripped-up earth, I saw Avlor. His left wing was gone, and the same blood covered him. He flopped around, splashing blood as he did.

"I... I didn't expect it to work." My voice was quiet, full of shock.

Because Avlor was going so fast, he couldn't react in time to my dagger, or perhaps he did see it. I do not know, but I can't say I'm over the moon about this one.

I've grown accustomed to blood and killing, as sad as it may seem. Blood and death never bothered me much, but I've never seen something this gruesome.

Avlor stopped flopping about and gave up. Laying on the ground, I approached him. Flipping my dagger to the blade pointed up, I wanted to leave this place as fast as I could.

Although it doesn't bother me that much, I still have to get used to this type of scene.

Standing aside from the half-dead floor guardian, I looked into Avlor's eyes. What I saw was acceptance; that was all. He knew he was going to die, and it was his fault.

Extending my arm, I put the bone blade against Avlor's neck. Bringing my arms back, a sudden movement caught me off guard.

Avlor still had a fight left in him.

Cranking his neck back, he jolted forward, his beak drawing blood. Avlor bit my right pinky and ring finger ripping skin from them.

"Damn!"

Gripping the dagger even harder, I swung it at Avlor's head, ending it all.

"Man, that hurt!"

Ignoring the notifications I received, I looked closer at my hand. The bite took part of my glove off, allowing a full view of my injury. Wiping the blood off, bits of flesh were missing, but nothing too major. It should heal on its own, and since I feel the power surge I get when I level up, it should recover soon. The wound itself was next to the knuckle closest to the nail.

It'll leave a scar, no doubt. The only thing that was noticeably concerning was the purple-brown skin around it.

Willing it, my glove disappeared along with my dagger.

"Oh no."

All skin around the wound turned into a purple and brown color. Oddly similar to what some of the plants looked like.

A rotten raven, huh? So the Avlor damaged those plants. With some rotting power similar to poison or venom, I assume. Only some parts of the plants and leaves were affected, so I don't have to worry about it spreading. But what will happen to the infected area? Will it fall off?

"I really don't want to lose my fingers."

Looking for anything I could use, I saw the jack-o'-lantern but no blue flame. Whoever, whatever it was, it was gone.

Putting my glove back on, I opened my notifications.