Katsuya began to dry his wet hands on a cloth as he had just got done washing the dishes. He stepped into the living room and noticed that the news channel was on.
Upon looking closer, he saw that the reporter stood in front of an area which had been blocked off by police tape. Katsuya thought the area looked familiar as he saw the title at the bottom of the screen.
{Low threat monster found dead in peaceful neighborhood}
The reporter started talking, explaining what had gone down.
"This morning, a woman driving to work saw something lying in the middle of the road. She stopped and got out of the car to look closer as she realized that it was. The woman went on and contacted the police. They blocked off the area and began an investigation. They came to a conclusion that the monster had escaped from a low rank dungeon in the forest before being killed by an adventurer in the street."
Katsuya had realized what happened. The monster which was found, was the same one he had defeated last night.
He walked over and snatched the T.V remote off the couch, clicking his thumb on the power button.
"That's enough news for today. Time to workout."
He then proceeded to do 55 push-ups, 55 squats and 55 sit-ups
After he was done, he rested on his back as he tried to catch his breath.
Katsuya jumped to his feet and grabbed his brown coat off the bed. He quickly put it on as he checked the time on his phone.
{11:30 A.M}
"I'll have enough time to go back to that dungeon."
He was going to the D-rank dungeon which he had failed to clear along with Genzo and Jill. Katsuya didn't want to go as he still carried some guilt, thinking that it was his fault Genzo had died. He then let out a breath as he walked out the front door.
"Today, I'll see how much I've progressed."
--------------------------------
(Forest)
This was his third time walking back to the D-rank dungeon, but to him it felt like he's been there many times. Even though the dungeon held bad memories due to Genzo's death, Katsuya felt that he had to be the one to clear it. Alone, without help because he feared someone else may be killed despite the fact it was the lowest rank possible.
Katsuya admired the way the ice cold air felt as it gently moved across his face.
"This is one thing I love. The calming air of the forest."
Now, his walking came to a stop as he approached a cave, the dungeon entrance.
He took a deep breath, to calm his anxious body. As he let it out, two creatures began slowly walking out. They walked on all fours and had snow whit fur and intimidating yellow eyes.
These were "Dire Wolves" but a different breed than the ones he had come across before.
Katsuya quickly pulled the knife out from his pocket and tightly held it, ready to fight.
He then thought to himself.
"Okay, I need to quickly take one of them out. If they both attack me at the same time, I'm finished."
At that moment, one of the wolves jumped towards him. Katsuya was surprised and tried to back off, but tripped and fell on his back.
THUMP
He felt the creature's jaws stab into his forearm as he yelled out in pain.
"Aaaaggghhh!!"
(Katsuya: Hp: 7/18)
Katsuya fiercely shoved the tip of the knife into its neck and roughly yanked it out. The creature let out a dying howl as it fell over.
[Exp Up]
Katsuya slowly stood, regaining his balance and noticed the other wolf and not attacked him yet.
"I guess they were going to take turns tearing me apart." He thought to himself.
Katsuya was right, most Dire Wolves would take turns ripping apart a single weak opponent. He held his knife, waiting for the right moment to attack.
The wolf stood in place and began growling at him, showing it's slimy drool and razor sharp teeth.
It then leaped through the air. Katsuya slammed his fist onto its nose, knocking the wolf on its side. He ran and jumped through the air, stabbing the knife into the creature's skin as he landed. The wolf let out a crying howl and jumped back on its feet as Katsuya yanked his knife out. The creature backs up a good distance to put space between the two.
"I just need one more good hit to put it down. That thing is faster than me, Will I be able to keep up long enough?"
Katsuya then came up with a solution. He held his knife back as if he was preparing to throw a baseball across a field.
"I can land a hit first with this!" Katsuya thought to himself.
He roughly swung his hand forward as he let go of the knife. It fell through the air, spinning like a fan. The tip of the blade hit and stabbed into the wolfs forehead. There was five second of silence, then the creature began growling and began walking towards Katsuya.
He was shocked as the knife did not put the wolf down for good.
"It just tanked that?" Katsuya asked himself.
Once more, the wolf jumped through the air, tackling him to the ground.
Katsuya held and tried to push the creature's face away as it rapidly and violently snapped its jaws at him. He was beginning to tire out and was unsure if he could keep up any longer. As a last resort, he firmly closed his fist and slammed it against the creature's face.
To his surprise, the wolf's eyes darkened and fell to the floor, motionless.
[Exp up]
[New skill learned: Medium Hp Regeneration]
As Katsuya panted, he crawled over to the wolves body and yanked the knife from its forehead.
"I did it…. I beat two monsters...all by myself."
As he stood up and regained his balance, he stared into the cave, thinking to himself.
"I need to challenge myself in order to get stronger. I'll go in and kill some monsters. I can always run if it looks like I'm going to lose."
Katsuya took a deep breath then let it out. He began walking, disappearing into the caves pitch black entrance.