Bob wasn't sure how effective he would be in a fight while injured, so he told his group to rest for a while.
After about 30 minutes of sitting on the ground in silence, doing nothing but enduring the stench of the tunnel, all of Bob's HP regenerated. Bob wasn't too surprised at how quickly it had recovered, so he decided it was time to continue down the tunnel.
After about four minutes of walking, they came across three skeletons.
Since Bob had already killed such a skeleton with a single strike before, he assumed these would be easy XP.
"Hey, Bob, let us kill something too. We need XP and combat experience," said Eduard, and David nodded in agreement.
Bob, wanting to grow as strong as possible, felt anger bubbling up. To him, their request to share in his hard-earned XP and coins was infuriating. His grip tightened on his sword as his annoyance grew.
"This is my hunt. You joined my hunt. If you want to hunt, go out of the tunnel and wait for me to finish," Bob said coldly, his voice tinged with anger.
[Blood Shadow liked your dominant words]
[Blood Shadow donated 50 coins]
Without waiting for a reply, Bob killed the three skeletons with a single sweeping strike, as they were standing close together.
[+75 XP]
[+300 coins]
"Fine, as you like," Eduard said angrily, pointing in the opposite direction.
"David, are you coming with me?" asked Eduard. Without a word, David turned and followed him.
"Nina, are you coming?" Eduard asked.
"I don't know," Nina replied uncertainly.
"Nina, stay with me. I need you to light the way," Bob interjected firmly.
"We need light too," Eduard snapped angrily.
"Excuse me, but I think I'll go with Bob," Nina said, moving to stand beside him.
"Suit yourself," Eduard muttered, then left with David.
"Come on, Nina," Bob said, walking further down the tunnel.
[Mysterious Wanderer likes your rizz level]
About two minutes later, Nina lit a cigarette, adding the sharp smell of smoke to the already unpleasant tunnel odor.
After another five minutes, they reached what appeared to be the end of this side of the tunnel.
It was a large, cave-like room illuminated by the neon-blue glow of mushrooms growing on the ceiling. Long roots hung from one side, but Bob paid them no attention.
The most significant sight was a treasure chest in the middle of the room, guarded by four of the spiny rabbits Bob had encountered earlier. In front of the chest was an enormous rabbit, twice the size of the others. Bob assumed it was the boss guarding the treasure.
Bob turned to Nina.
"Nina, something might happen, and I might need to activate my psycho mode. Go about three meters back. I'll come get you when the fight is over."
"Psycho mode?" Nina asked, looking confused.
"Please, Nina, just go. I've already got adrenaline pumping, and I'm tired of talking," Bob said firmly.
Without another word, Nina retreated back into the tunnel.
The four smaller rabbits were near the entrance to the cave, while the boss lay sleeping close to the chest. Bob realized he could deal with the smaller rabbits without waking the boss.
[Boss: Big Horn]
Not wanting to waste time, Bob decided to dispatch the weaker enemies quickly.
He crept along the wall until he was in front of the sleeping rabbits.
Leaping into action, Bob drove his sword into the head of the first rabbit, killing it instantly.
"Rffffff," came startled squeaks from the remaining rabbits.
Without giving them a chance to react, Bob stabbed his sword into the head of a second rabbit.
(It might seem surprising that Bob was able to kill these rabbits so easily compared to his earlier fight with six of them. However, the rabbits' heads are their weak spots, allowing Bob to dispatch them quickly with precise strikes.)
The last two rabbits jumped at Bob simultaneously. He slashed their bellies mid-air, throwing them to the ground. As they bled out, Bob finished them off with his sword.
[+140 XP]
[+440 coins]
The boss rabbit awoke, furious at the loss of its subordinates.
It charged at Bob, but its size slowed it down. Bob easily leapt over it, stabbing it in the back mid-air. However, to his surprise, the sword didn't cut as deeply as expected, despite the force he put into the strike.
Bob landed, grabbed his sword, and slashed at one of the boss's legs, severing it completely.
"Haha, I think I found your weakness," Bob said with a bloodthirsty laugh.
He quickly chopped off the remaining legs, leaving the boss helpless on the ground.
Bob then began stabbing the boss repeatedly until it finally died.
[+200 XP]
[+500 coins]
Exhausted, Bob fell to the ground.
"Good thing I found its weakness, or I'd have been here forever," Bob thought, recalling how he'd stabbed the rabbit about 40 times before it succumbed.
[Congratulations! you killed the Boss: Big Horn]
The boss's body dissolved into red particles, leaving behind a syringe filled with blue liquid.
Bob used Eyes of God to inspect it.
[Hizceyl IT54]
Rarity: Common
Bob assumed the syringe was meant to be injected into a vein, but he hesitated, unsure of its effects. He decided to save it for a desperate situation, but as he moved to place it into his inventory, a system window appeared.
[Ruby Ruler says it's a permanent mutation, and you don't need to worry. You should inject it now.]
Trusting Ruby Ruler, Bob injected the syringe into a vein in his bicep.
[A mutation is seeping into your body.]
[You were the first to gain a mutation and have been given the title: Mutant.]
Bob clutched his eyes as they burned intensely. After about a minute, the pain subsided, and system messages appeared. Bob felt slightly offended by the system labeling him a mutant.
He opened his status.
[Name: Bob
Level: 5
Class: Warrior
Age: 21
Race: Human
Supporter: None
Mutations: Hizceyl IT54 (Improved eyesight)
Titles: Psycho, First Blood, Warrior, Mutant
HP: 160
MP: 9
Strength: 22
Agility: 24
Intelligence: 9
Vitality: 16
Bonus points: 3
Skills: Inventory lvl:1, Eyes of God lvl:1, Whispering Forest lvl:1, Low-level weapon mastery lvl:1
XP: 900
Coins: 6080
Inventory slots enabled: 0/5]
Bob noticed the new mutation section and tested his eyesight. Sure enough, his vision was now twice as sharp, allowing him to see farther than before.
He also checked his new title.
[Mutant]
You were the first to add something unnatural to your DNA, becoming the first mutant. Your mutations will be 20% more effective.
Bob was impressed by the title's potential, imagining how powerful future mutations could become.
Deciding to spend his XP, Bob increased his stats.
[Strength increased by 1, Agility increased by 1, Vitality increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 bonus point.]
Bob's excitement waned when he realized he could only afford one level. With 450 XP left, and the next level costing 500 XP, he was just short.
He allocated his bonus points.
[Strength increased by 3, Agility increased by 1.]
Bob prioritized strength, recalling how much harder the fight would have been without exploiting the boss's weakness. (Unbeknownst to Bob, the boss was designed to challenge 15 elite survivors at once.)
Finally, Bob approached the treasure chest and began to open it slowly.
Meanwhile, Nina sat on the cold tunnel floor, lighting another cigarette.
At the same time, David and Eduard reached a crossroads and chose to explore the left side of the tunnel, while Bob had taken the right.
When Bob opened the chest, he found an old-looking crown. Picking it up, he felt an ominous, ancient aura emanating from it. The black crown, made of some unknown dark ore, had six red gems embedded at its tips. Bob decided to scan it.
[Rat King's Crown]
Rarity: ???
[Ruby Ruler's eyebrows are furrowed because he doesn't recognize this item.]
[Mysterious Wanderer suggests you don't put it on, as it might be cursed.]
[Blood Shadow is impatient and urges you to wear it already.]
[Night Whisperer has an unreadable expression and says you should put it on.]
Bob thought for a moment, then slowly began placing the crown on his head.