The Third Floor

At least I don't have to wait till I leave to find some clothes. Opening my inventory, I saw my two new treasures. Inside a box was a deep black, smooth cloak. Next to it were black, shiny gloves. Mentally clicking on the cloak, a new system prompt appeared.

{Equip (Stalker Queen Cloak) Set 1/5?}

{Y/N}

"Set?"

Would I gain more of a bonus if I had the entire set? Intrigued, I equipped the cloak.

{Equipped (Stalker Queen Cloak) +10 Agility +10 Resistance Set 1/5}

A white mist appeared, swallowing me whole, then vanished like it was never there. In replace of the mist, a black cloak covered my body.

It reached down to my feet, only a few inches off the ground. I could feel a weight at the back of my neck, what I could only expect to be the hood. I could feel the softness of the cloak through the small parts of skin that rubbed against it. The cloak's sleeves didn't quite reach my hands, stopping a few inches from the wrist. Hopefully, the gloves can make up for it.

Unfortunately, my hands were covered in thick blood. I don't expect my clothes and weapons to be clean, but I'd rather not wipe blood all over me. Once the blood dries or I can clean my hands, then I'll equip my gloves.

"I expected more stats, but it's partially free stats, so I can't complain. But why didn't Pin have a set?" I asked aloud to myself.

I smiled, thinking about all that was left to do. For some, it may seem stressful to have so much to think about and do, but it gave me purpose, and I'm happy.

And it felt great to get results after your work immediately. Like leveling up and this gear I just got.

Looking down at the Moxa, I noticed her legs curled up, forming a sort of ball, with her back pressed against the ground.

Willing it, I tried to put Moxa inside my inventory to no avail. I figured this would happen. It wouldn't be fun if I could. Because then there's no point in going back to dungeons for boss materials, instead you need someone with that class in the dungeon, making the experience harder but more rewarding.

Depending on my evolution, I could get a harvesting class.

"{Collect}!"

{Obtained, Boss String x13, Stalker Queen Tentacle x2}

Nodding, I'm more than satisfied.

"?"

A blue light appeared just on the side of the tree. Its light illuminated the ground with a blue hue.

Walking toward it, I kept my distance from the trunk in case something was hiding there. Turning the corner, my heart sank. There laid the portal to the next floor, something that would bring great joy to anyone. That's not what causes a sense of danger; no, it was what lay on the ground next to it.

"Why is it here?" My voice was quiet, cautious if anything was listening.

With a brilliant blue flame, the same jack-o'-lantern from the previous floor, where I fought Pin. Aligning my left hand with it, there was no doubt they had the same mark.

I shouldn't be, but I smirked; I found a clue. Whatever these jack-o'-lanterns were, they were connected to me.

"Did the being who marked Nightmare City come through this dungeon?"

Just the thought made me excited.

As I was about to walk toward the portal, it happened again. Like it never existed, the flame went out. Leaving the jack-o'-lantern bare, lifeless even.

The portal and jack-o'-lantern were inside the trunk; a part of it had been carved out.

Standing now in front of the portal and jack-o'-lantern, my foot rested upon the carved pumpkin. I wanted to kick it, but I decided to leave it for whoever may come across it next.

I walked through the inviting, mystical portal, teleporting me to the world of darkness once more.

Pitch black, nothingness; the nice thing about nothingness is you can create whatever you want. Fill in the void; let your imagination run wild. Fly through the skies, hold a star in your hands or walk through fire.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do any of that as I was almost instantly teleported to the next floor. A mixture of colors blinded me. Once adjusted, the bright orange sun and orange-red sky mesmerized me.

Uncut, wild orange-yellow grass was the next thing I focused on. Not far from me was an endless amount of tall green plants, with yellow objects sticking out of them, corn.

"So much corn!"

Hundreds, maybe thousands of corn plants everywhere, with only a tiny gap between an area to the side, allowing access to the inside.

The sound of running water piqued my interest. Turning my head over my shoulder, I saw a crystal clear river.

I made my way over to it, only twenty or so feet away. Cautious, I didn't run; besides the abundant corn, this floor was an open space with no trees or bushes to hide behind. If there were any monsters nearby, I'd see them, but everything needs water to survive. Unless they endlessly level up, which I'm not sure is possible with these monsters.

I've only made it so far without food, water, and sleep because I've leveled up so fast.

Kneeling at the bay, I tipped my foot in, feeling the icy cool water embrace my foot; I couldn't help but put the other in. Slowly the grim and blood drifted off my feet and sandals, cleaning them thoroughly.

"This dungeon is amazing."

The river has some unique property, or how else could my feet be clean without doing anything? Peering into the clear water, I saw no signs of blood or grimness. As if the water purified my feet, nothing remained.

The calm relaxation was nothing I'd experienced before; this was truly peaceful.

Arching my back, I dipped as much of my arms as possible. The cold water embraced them the same way it did with my feet. Clearing away all impurities.

"Ahhh." Yawning, my eyes feel heavy. No, I can't fall asleep he-.

---

"AAHH!" Stretching never felt so good.

Flinging my arms out of the river, water flowed down, dripping on my face. The cold water felt nice; it was no wonder I fell asleep.

"I'm lucky to wake up," I admitted. Falling asleep in a dungeon is an easy way to die.

Slipping my legs away from the river's grasp, my legs cried in protest. Reluctantly, I stood up and stretched a little more.

"Huh?"

The cold water that was once present on my legs and arms vanished. What else can this water do?

Sadly, I don't have any cups or containers to hold and bring the water with me—the crystal clear water is so alluring. Even the sand and rocks at the bottom looked special.

Clean and refreshed, opening my inventory and clicking on the gloves and metallic ting sounded.

{Equip (Stalker Queen Silk Gloves) Set 2/5?}

{Y/N}

Click yes; white mist covered my arms before vanishing. My hands are now covered in a black silk glove, skin-tight. The soft silk gloves went up my arms, stopping halfway to my elbow. Far longer than I thought they would be.

The gloves were a bit 'girly,' but it didn't bother me. Reaching around, I lifted the hood over my head, feeling the security and warmth it brought. I felt wrapped in a protective layer of armor; I felt invisible and untouchable.

"How interesting!"

{Equipped (Stalker Queen Silk Gloves) +10 Dexterity Set 2/5}

No resistance? That's fine, can't be picky.

"{Status}!"

{Name: Kai Venator

Race: Human

Class: N/A

Level: 25/50 - 50/1300 -> 29/50 - 50/1500

Hp: 2,900/2,900 -> 3,250/3,250

Energy: (Locked)

Magic: (Locked)

Mind: 145-> 164

Vitality: 116 -> 130

Strength: 188 -> 205(+5)

Intelligence: 125 -> 139

Agility: 134-> 151(+10)

Dexterity: 129 -> 143(+10)

Resistance: 115 -> 130(+15)

Attribute Points: 48-> 8

Equipment: (Click To See)

Inventory: (Click To See)}

"I will never become numb to this." Watching my stats increase level after level feels so good.

Spotting the entrance of the mass of corn, I decided to head toward it. Because there wasn't any pillar of light, there must be a path to take, and this looks like it.

As I walked, my legs and feet felt bare compared to the rest of my body. My torn rag did little to protect my legs, and my shabby sandals didn't do much better.

Whatever the floor guardian is, I hope it drops some leggings or footwear. Maybe another weapon, eventually Pin's dagger, will become obsolete; having a higher-level weapon would be nice.

Higher-level gear. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a high-tier person could give you gear beyond your tier? Alas, such a loophole wouldn't be allowed. I once asked my dad about it, but he said, "There are requirements that need to be fulfilled before you can equip gear. However, I don't recall any requirements on my gear.

Opening my equipment, I clicked on (Rat King Pin's Dagger), and a new panel opened up.

{(Rat King Pin's Dagger)- Required level 10. Made from the bones and body of Pin. Gives +5 in strength and resistance. Ability [Rodent Repellent] - Installs fear in rodent monsters lower than the user's level.}

"Oh, oh. Haha, this makes everything more dangerous and exciting."

Selecting my cloak, a similar yet different panel popped up.

{(Stalker Queen Cloak)- Required level 25. Made from the silk of Moxa, The Stalker Queen. Gives +10 in agility and resistance. Set 1/5.}

"No ability or special features?"

Checking the gloves, the same panel appeared.

{(Stalker Queen Silk Gloves)- Required level 25. Made from silk and venom of Moxa, The Stalker Queen. Gives +10 in dexterity. Ability [Venom Touch] - injects venom into an open wound or contact with bodily fluid upon contact. Won't work on those at a higher level than the user.}

"Okay, okay. So Moxa was venomous; that could've been bad. But this [Venom Touch] is amazing! I can't wait to try it out."

Not every piece of gear has abilities. Chance? Or maybe that's how it's designed. The only real way to tell is if I had two identical pieces of gear dropped from the same floor guardian, and only one had an ability while the other did not.

"Ahh!"

So many things to test and find out!

Shaking my head free of these thoughts. I entered through the entrance.

A dirt clearing in the middle of the corn, the path toward the portal. Almost immediately after entering, the path took a hard left turn.

Looking down the left path, I saw the first monsters of the third floor. In the end, it stared me down.

Chubby cheeks, brown fur, a bushy tail, and brown eyes. A white line went down its stomach, and its claws were inches long, shining from the sun; they also looked incredibly sharp.

"{Inspect}."

{Slicing Squirrel}

{Tier:0 Level:26}

"What a consequence; I needed a rodent to test on."

Walking toward the squirrel, I brought out my dagger. With each step, my expectations soared. The slicing squirrel stood still, watching as I approached it.

Stopping within twenty feet of it, I moved my dagger, pointing toward the squirrel.

"[Rodent Repellent]!"

Five seconds. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Nothing happened.

"Am I not close enough?"

Based on the description, it should've worked.

My leg mid-air, about to take another step forward, the squirrel seemed off. Its brown eyes were wide, and its body was shaking.

At first, it was a slight shake, which one could mistake as a twitch. But as time passed on, the shaking only got worse.

Soon it was violently shaking, and its eyes turned red. Blood started leaking down its eyes, pouring over the squirrel's body.

"Oh. This does a little more than give them fear."

A cruel way to die, by making them feel so much fear they can't move, wishing for death.

Moving next to the poor squirrel, I quickly put it out of its misery.

{Earned 600 Experience Points}

"{Collect}"

{Obtained, Raw Meat x3}

The raw meat can't be that much if this tiny squirrel gave three of it. About the size of my hand or smaller.

Turning once more to the right. The path continued onward for as long as I could see. This place is like a maze, a corn maze. What monsters lurk inside a maze?