Part 5

"Just as I thought, but this requires more testing," I smiled as I looked to the rabbit bodies. Despite seeing them in such a ruined and bloody state, I wasn't disgusted or surprised. I stood up and looked at Aros. Then, after a moment of silence I opened my mouth and began to give him a command, "Go back into the wilderness, Aros. Find another rabbit and bring it here, but don't kill it until you've come back to the dungeon."

"As you command," Aros said. Then he carefully laid the three rabbit corpses against the ground. Then he stood and left the boss room. I didn't pay attention to him when he left, and instead looked at the three rabbit carcasses on the ground.

"It's a bit gross, but I suppose this can be my breakfast," I sighed as I saw the raw meat. I bent down and picked up one of the rabbit corpses, then opened my mouth and quickly took a bite of the rabbit's meat. The meat was much tougher than I thought. I didn't even manage to get through the fur and the taste of the rabbit's blood was enough to make me want to vomit.

I quickly dropped the rabbit on the ground and turned away from the corpses. I covered my mouth with my hand as I tried not to vomit. I leaned against the throne once more, hoping to stabilize myself, and began to calm my breathing.

I turned back to the rabbits once my breathing was calm, but now I looked at them with a stare of disgust. I quickly inspected the rabbit, hoping to gain an insight on what the rabbit's specific race was.

﹃

Smoke Forest Rabbit

Race: Monster

Deceased

Rank: F

The Smoke Forest Rabbit is one of the fastest F rank monsters in the Smoke Forest. Because of it's wit and speed, the rabbit has very little natural predators. However, this doesn't stop the common adventurer from attempting to poach them for their fluffy tails. Barely any have succeeded

﹄

"This thing is a monster?" I choked, surprised. After I read the description of the rabbit, I gained even more respect for Aros, who was somehow fast enough to kill three of them. Then, soon after I spoke, the doors opened again. Aros walked through them, now carrying two living rabbits. I looked at the rabbits in confusion, then excitement. However, before I could ask Aros why there were two rabbits, I saw a notification pop up in front of me.

『 Intruders in Nameless Dungeon: 2 』

"So the rabbits count as intruders? Is that because they're monsters?" I mumbled, "What happens when normal animals enter the dungeon? Whatever, I'll find that out later. Aros, why did you bring two of them?"

"Milord, you seemed to be experimenting," Aros answered, "I now understand that the dungeon's DP increased every time I killed a rabbit, and you desire to test if the kill's location has an effect on the amount awarded per kill. However, what if the reward depends on the killer as well?"

"You think I would get more points if I killed them?" I smiled, "Aros, good thinking."

"I thank you for your kind words," Aros said as he bowed his head at me. Then he turned back up and looked me in the eye, "However, this can prove to be a good opportunity to train."

"To train?"

"Yes," Aros nodded, "These rabbits are fast, Milord. There aren't very many monsters faster than them at their rank, so it would be good to get used to fighting them. That way, you're not surprised when you find an opponent faster than you."

"Good," I nodded. I felt proud of Aros's quick thinking, then turned to the three rabbit corpses on the ground, "While I train, can you go out and grab firewood? I can't eat these rabbits raw."

"Oh! I'm incredibly sorry, Lord Aureys," Aros gasped, noticing the lack of fire nearby. He bowed, then continued speaking, "After I kill one of these rabbits, I will return with firewood."

"Good," I nodded. Aros turned to the rabbits in his hand, then took out his sword. He held the blade up to the throat of one of the rabbits, who was thrashing back and forth in fear. Both of the rabbits struggled against Aros's grip, but their efforts were in vain. After a quick cut from Aros's sword, one of the rabbits stopped moving and a puddle of blood began to form at Aros's feet.

『 +6 DP 』

"Good!" I shouted, glad to see that a bonus for kills inside of a dungeon existed. Then, Aros took the dead rabbit in his hand and carefully laid it's bleeding carcass with the other dead rabbits. The other rabbit was still alive, now struggling more than before after it saw it's friend die.

"Now then, Lord Aureys. I wish you good luck in your training," Aros said as he handed me the struggling rabbit. After I took a hold of the rabbit, I realized just how difficult it was to keep a hold of the rabbit. Every single time it thrashed around my grip on it's ears would loosen, "I will be back with firewood in just a few moments."

Aros quickly bowed, then left the dungeon again. Now that I was alone, I looked down at the rabbit and smiled. Then, after staring into it's eyes for a moment, I let it go and watched as it dropped to the room's floor. The rabbit quickly gained it's bearings and began to dash through the room like a rat stuck in a maze.

I watched as it showcased it's speed. It was fast, fast enough to reach the other end of the room in under ten seconds. It wasn't as fast as Aros, but it was still far faster than I had expected from a creature it's size. After the rabbit ran through the room, it stopped at the door and began scratching the metal surface, desperately attempting to escape.

"You are fast," I smiled as I dashed forward, chasing it away. The rabbit yelped in surprise and began running along the wall. As I chased it, I kept my eyes trained on the rabbit while I dashed through the room's various obstacles. I quickly grew surprised by my own speed and realized I was basically as fast as the rabbit.

My body seemed to move on it's own as I jumped over and around obstacles. The chase between the rabbit and myself seemed to be tied. The rabbit was still alive, but I was never far off from it. After running around for a little over a minute, I saw a notification pop up in front of me. Despite my quick speed and rigorous movements, I was able to read the notification perfectly.

﹃

Skill: 『 Acrobatics 』, Learned

Acrobatics (LVL 1): Gain a deeper understanding of the movement of the human body. For 20 seconds, increase your speed by 20%. Cost: 10 MP. 2 Minute Cooldown

﹄

"Interesting!" I yelled as I activated the skill. Because I already had the skill, I instinctively understood how to activate it. I felt my MP decrease, but my entire body seemed to suddenly move faster. I quickly caught up to the rabbit, grabbing it by it's ears. Once my prey was safely grasped in my palm, I stopped running by quickly slamming my heels into the stone ground.

My body lurched forward as all of my momentum suddenly disappeared, but I didn't fall forwards. It took a moment for my body to relax, but I was left smiling in triumph as I did. I held up the rabbit in my hand, looking at it like a hunter looks at his prey. As I held it still with my right hand, I raised my left and brought my elbow back.

Then, once my fist was raised, I smashed my left fist into it's body. My hand ran right through the rabbit, almost cutting it in half. The rabbit flinched as my hand stopped in it's chest, but it soon stopped moving soon after.

『 +7 DP 』

『 +2.3 XP 』

"Let's go!" I shouted in glee. I withdrew my hand again, then threw the rabbit corpse with the others. Now that I had an idea of how the DP rate worked from inside a dungeon, all I had to do was test out what the reward was from kills outside a dungeon.

For Aros and most likely other dudgeon monsters, an F ranked kill would award 5 DP when outside of a dungeon, but 6 when inside of one. However, for me, I would be awarded 7 DP while inside a dungeon. However, I couldn't tell if the bonus DP was given through flat points or through an increased percentage, as I would have to wait until I defeated stronger monsters to test that.

However, what I was more surprised by was how much XP I got from a single monster. I quickly opened my status, then appraised my Level.

﹃

Level: 2

XP: 2.3/200

﹄

"That's weird. Why did I get 2.3 and not 2?" I muttered. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Aros with a bundle of firewood. He entered the dungeon, then stopped in front of me and kneeled down. While he did so, the door closed on it's own again, once again echoing a loud bang through the room, "Oh, Aros, you're back! Nice. I'm getting more hungry, can you get a fire started?"

"At once, Milord!" Aros said. I nodded, then moved back to the throne as I watched him get a fire started just a few yards away from me. While I watched him work, I kept my hand against my stomach and pushed through the hunger that was coming back to me. Not long after Aros got a fireplace set up, he quickly got a fire started and began skinning the rabbits before cooking them.