"My butt hurts," was the first thing I thought when I regained consciousness. I was lying on the ground, surrounded by complete darkness. I couldn't see anything, and I wasn't sure if I had lost my sight or if I was simply in a place where light didn't reach.
[You're not blind, Host. It's just dark. By the way, I'm glad you've finally woken up. You've been unconscious for seven minutes. You're lucky no monster showed up during that time.]
The system's voice echoed in my mind, with that impersonal and distant tone that only frustrated me even more. "How funny," I thought ironically. "I'm glad I survived, but I don't see it as lucky."
My butt still hurt, and the rest of my body was sore. But the worst of all was the complete darkness surrounding me. I tried to move, but the discomfort of my body stopped me for a moment.
"Damn, I can't see anything," I murmured, feeling more lost than ever. "Hey, system, can you do something so I can see? I don't want to stay here in the dark, especially if there are monsters around."
[Sure, give me a second...]
The system's response was quick, as always. Suddenly, a torch appeared in front of me, illuminating the narrow passage I was in. At least now I wouldn't be blind.
[Reward for surviving the fall: a torch.]
I silently thanked the light, though the situation still wasn't favorable. The place I was in looked like a narrow tunnel, almost like an underground passage. The air was dry and cold, with a sense of emptiness that stretched beyond what my eyes could see. Every step I took echoed uncomfortably, amplifying the silence and creating an atmosphere even tenser than it already was.
"By the way, system, can't you give me something else? If I face a monster now, I'll die, you know?" I said, not expecting to get anything useful.
[Right, I forgot about that!]
"How the hell do you forget that?" I frowned, looking at the torch.
[Congratulations, your stats will increase by +3. Also, for receiving help from a guardian animal, you get two sturdy daggers.]
I felt my body immediately revitalized, like when you drink an energy drink. It was a sudden surge of energy, as if they had injected coffee directly into my veins. My body felt lighter, more agile, and my senses sharper. Well, at least now I didn't feel as weak.
"I guess the rewards are better now..." I murmured, looking at the daggers the system had given me. They weren't large or flashy, but I felt a little more prepared for whatever came next.
[Host, I hope you're not complaining about the rewards.]
"Complaining?" I responded, smiling ironically. "Do you think I'm grateful for the rewards you gave me before? I still have pain in my butt, in case you didn't notice!"
[Rewards are given based on what you do, Host.]
"So the more dangerous the situation, the better the rewards, right?"
[Exactly.]
"Then why didn't you give me better rewards when I was on the verge of death? I was about to be eaten by a giant spider, and all you gave me was a low-level torch. That doesn't seem like a fair reward."
[Well, at that moment it wasn't that serious, so it doesn't count. You just got the initial package.]
"Well, what a pathetic initial package..." I said, looking at the torch in my hands as if it was going to leap out of the darkness and bite me. "What's next, system? A first aid kit?"
[You're ungrateful, Host.]
"If you knew what it's like to be lying on the ground in pain, in the middle of the darkness, with zero trust in the rewards you give me, maybe you'd understand my frustration," I replied, feeling a bit more irritable than I should. "But well, I guess all of this won't be so bad... right?"
The system didn't answer, and for a moment, the darkness seemed more present than ever.
I shrugged and took a deep breath, preparing for whatever was coming. After all, I had no other choice but to move forward. What else could I do in this dark and desolate place? However, it was clear that, no matter how much I complained, my adventure had only just begun.
...
The darkness enveloped me like a heavy cloak, but something wasn't right. At first, I only heard my own footsteps echoing down the narrow passage, but suddenly, something interrupted that sound.
"What the hell are those things?" I wondered, glancing to the side at two figures approaching. My vision still hadn't adjusted properly, but something about them froze my blood. They looked... gelatinous, but with a grotesque rat-like shape. My stomach churned as I looked at them more closely. The slimy, shiny skin covering them made it seem like they were gliding effortlessly, as if they were an amorphous mass.
[Those creatures are called Mucorats, Host. They're neither fast nor strong. They're weak and don't have magical abilities. You can easily get rid of them. But be careful with their liquid: if it touches you, it will melt you quickly.]
At least that sounded good. If the system said they weren't that dangerous, I had to trust it... even though I still didn't feel completely safe. I watched the creatures approach slowly, and although they seemed more grotesque than intimidating, something inside me told me not to underestimate them.
"Well, at least they're not fast," I murmured, giving myself some confidence. I set the torch aside, letting it burn on the floor as I drew the two daggers the system had given me. With my hands firmly on the grips, I felt a wave of familiarity; my fingers seemed to move with more dexterity than before, as if the daggers were becoming an extension of my own body.
"I feel a lot more comfortable with these than with a sword," I thought. The skill increase also helped. I wasn't the same as before.
The Mucorats didn't take long to detect me. Their eyes glowed with an unsettling light before they turned toward me, their gelatinous bodies twisting as they changed direction. At least they weren't that fast. Still, my heart was pounding, and there was a knot in my stomach.
"Come on, what are you waiting for, ugly?" I taunted, and the first of the gelatinous rats lunged toward me, but at a surprisingly slow speed.
I prepared myself. The distance between us closed, and the muscles in my legs tightened. When the creature shot a stream of transparent liquid, my instincts kicked in immediately. I stepped back, feeling the heat of the acid barely graze my face. I didn't give myself time to think. Without missing a beat, I charged at the monster.
The daggers gleamed in the torchlight as I wielded them with more finesse. My movement was swift, and with a precise twist, I stabbed the viscous flesh of the Mucorat on both sides of its torso. A guttural growl emerged from its throat, but before it could do anything else, its body collapsed, leaving a puddle of gelatinous liquid on the floor.
"First one, done," I muttered under my breath, watching with some satisfaction the monster's corpse.
But there was no time to relax. I looked toward where the second Mucorat should be, but I didn't see it. Was it... hiding? "Did it run away?" No, it couldn't be. I was about to turn in a circle to look for it when something made a drop of acid fall right in front of me.
I looked up, and there it was, the other Mucorat. It was suspended on the ceiling, its huge eyes fixed on me. In the blink of an eye, it lunged down with incredible speed. No time to dodge, I used my backpack as an improvised shield to block its attack. The monster crashed into it, and the acid began melting the fabric of the backpack in seconds.
"Dammit!" I grunted. The backpack wasn't worth anything, but that acid sure was powerful.
Without wasting time, I changed tactics. I was determined to make it pay for that attack. I grabbed a dagger with a different grip, one that fit my fighting style better. I clenched my teeth, crouched down, and ran with all the speed I could muster toward the monster. I threw everything I had into it: my legs worked to the limit as the Mucorat fell toward me. At the last moment, I threw the dagger with precision, aiming for its face.
The monster tried to dodge it, but as I had anticipated, it was already moving. In the blink of an eye, I was on the Mucorat, sliding between its claws, and before it could react, I buried the dagger deep into its face. A guttural growl came from its throat, and then, its body collapsed, lifeless, onto the ground.
"And that's it, finally," I exhaled with a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of the tension lift from my shoulders.
[Well done, Host. You've defeated the creatures with little effort. Would you like to receive more rewards for this battle?]
"Sure, whatever," I replied, with a slight smile. Whatever to avoid having another Mucorat fall on me.