Axel wasn't sure how long he had been in the dungeon. Maybe a day or two had passed since he entered the 48th floor. Time seemed to slow down in this darkness, where the sound of monsters and the roar of water currents were his only constant companions.
Every second felt precious, every step taken carefully. Axel tried not to think too much about time. For him, the important thing now is to survive in this dungeon.
Axel spends his time hunting separate monsters, looking for opportunities to face off against each other. On this dark and dangerous 48th floor, every encounter with a monster could be a valuable test of his abilities.
He chose to avoid the clustered crowds of monsters, choosing targets that were easier to deal with alone.
When Axel felt tired, he would return to the cave where the glowing plants were. This place provides a relatively safe refuge in the middle of this dangerous dungeon floor. There, he could rest for a while, away from the dangers of the dark alleys.
Axel found that the cave was a strategic place to rest and recover, although he remained alert to the dangers around him. It seems that this cave is protected by the presence of Zerre Grass, a plant known for its scent that monsters don't like. Zerre Grass is also the main ingredient for making monster warding items, which is very useful for adventurers who are trapped too far from the safe zone.
The presence of Zerre Grass made Axel feel a little safe in the cave, because the monsters were reluctant to approach him. Despite this, Axel remained alert to potential dangers around him, even though the monsters did not dare to approach the cave.
Even though Axel managed to defeat several goblins scattered around the cave, the chaos caused by Ground Zero still continued. The sounds of rampaging monsters could still be heard in the surroundings, creating a tense atmosphere that was difficult to overcome. However, Axel tried to get used to sleeping amidst this uncertain situation.
Slowly, Axel looked for a safe position in the cave. Even though his body was tired and his mind was filled with worry, he knew that he had to rest to recover his strength. With a tense feeling, Axel finally closed his eyes and let his fatigue take him into the world of dreams, even though strange sounds from outside the cave still disturbed his peace.
In this dungeon, Axel felt how cut off he was from the outside world. Time becomes blurry, no longer has a clear meaning like in the outside world. There was no sunlight to shine or night to pass. Only darkness enveloped everything, as if the outside world was a faded memory.
Morning and evening became mere empty terms here, as useless as burning paper. Axel relied on his own feelings to determine the time. Within this dungeon, Axel has learned to rely on his own instincts to navigate time and his basic needs. When tiredness overtook him, he followed his instincts and returned to the safety of the cave to rest. Without fixating on the concept of morning or night, he sleeps when his body needs rest, regardless of whether it is day or night. When he feels hungry he will go looking for monsters like 'Horn Rabbit' if he is lucky and yesterday, he ate goblin meat which was quite tough and tasted very disgusting. But, he did all that to survive.
On this day, Axel decided to continue his routine in the dungeon: looking for a monster that was separated from his group and defeating it and gaining an additional Experience Point for his system. He realized the importance of continuing to improve his abilities if he wanted to survive in this dungeon.
Of course, Axel realizes that fighting head-on can be a dangerous challenge, especially after losing his left arm in a fight with a Razorback Troll. That serious injury was a painful reminder of the risks and dangers within this dungeon.
Facing real injustice, Axel learns to use ingenuity and strategy to overcome his weaknesses. He adapts his fighting style, relying on agility, speed, and tactical knowledge to deal with his enemies.
Although Axel accepts that losing his left arm was a heavy burden, he doesn't let it hinder his determination to survive and move on. He changed his strategy, finding a way to fight the injustice that plagued him.
"Okay, I'll see what level I'm at." Axel pointed his right hand towards a small digital window to his right. a status display appeared.
Axel Character Status:
Level: 7
STR: 12
AGI: 13
END: 11
INT: 9
LUK: 6
Axel carefully observed the attribute values. Even though he was still at a relatively low level, he felt confident that he had made progress since he suddenly discovered a strange system in this dungeon.
"I need to focus on developing strength, speed, and endurance so I can face stronger enemies in the future."
Axel directed his gaze to the skill window, where he saw information about the new skill he had acquired: Appraisal Level 1. His eyes watched carefully, recalling the moment when he first got the options from the system upon reaching level 5: Skill Points, Appraisal, and Instant Regeneration.
When choosing between these three options, Axel made careful considerations. Even though Instant Regeneration looked attractive due to its potential to heal his severed left arm, Axel decided to choose Appraisal. He realized that knowledge of the surrounding environment and basic information regarding the plants and monsters in this dungeon might be more beneficial in the long run.
Although losing his left arm is a heavy burden, Axel believes that with the proper development of skills and knowledge, he will be able to overcome this obstacle.
Axel was clearly aware that his current level was still far from being strong, especially with the heavy burden he faced due to the loss of his severed left arm. He felt frustrated with his physical limitations and the difficulties he had to face in this dungeon.
Despite this, Axel did not give up hope. He uses this weakness as motivation to continue improving his abilities. He knew that to survive and succeed in this dungeon, he needed to go beyond its limits and find a way to overcome every obstacle.
Axel took out his adventurer card and compared his status display and ranking with those displayed on the digital window. Even though he had experienced various experiences and developments in the dungeon, he found it surprising that his adventurer card showed no signs of change.
"Why hasn't this card changed?" Axel muttered, trying to understand the situation. "Is this card really broken?"
He felt frustrated by this lack of clarity. However, Axel tried to remain calm and rational. He realized that there was likely another reason why his adventurer card hadn't changed, and perhaps there was something he needed to know.
"Ah never mind, I don't want to think too much about that."
Axel took a deep breath, deciding not to think too much about the unchanged adventurer card. He realized that continuing to think about it would not help overcome the current situation, and it would be better to focus on trying to become stronger and face every challenge that existed within this dungeon.
"Then and now, the important thing is that I have to keep moving forward," Axel muttered to himself as he put his adventurer card back into his waist bag.
Axel slowly started to stand up and today he wanted to do reconnaissance in the area around the lake because his water reserves were starting to run low. He realized how important water and food sources were in this dungeon.
With a dagger in his right arm, Axel prepared himself to explore the area around the lake. He moved carefully, always alert to the dangers that might lurk in every corner of the dungeon.