"And another loot," Rex mumbled as he removed the red cloak from a girl's body whose head had been crushed like a juicy fruit. Though her body was too damaged to scavenge for stats, her clothing was salvageable.
"Thankfully, it isn't damaged." Removing the cloak ended just above the dead girl's ankle, and holding it up, Rex inspected the garment, and a screen appeared:
[Leather Cloak: A durable cloak made from orc hide. Market Value: 2,500 Valis.]
'It doesn't cost much, but every Valis counts,' Rex thought, removing the bloodied cloth from his neck. 'And it's cleaner and looks better.' He draped the cloak over his shoulders and fastened it at the neck, the high collar covering his mouth, but due to his stature compared to the deceased human woman, the cloak barely reached his knee, though it hid his hands completely. However, the tips of his sword sheaths peeked out from beneath the hem.
The only other item he gained from looting bodies over the past thirty minutes was a pair of leather gloves, however, Rex has scavenged so much from monsters that he now rivaled high-rank Level 1 adventurers in raw stats.
— — — — — — — — — —
[Strength] S919 | [Endurance] A873 | [Dexterity] B790 | [Agility] A814 | [Magic] I22
— — — — — — — — — —
The rate of growth was staggering. In less than an hour, he had surpassed what the original Rex achieved in five years. Even the protagonist of this world couldn't match his pace. His skill was, without a doubt, a cheat.
'But my magic…' Rex frowned. The ants had low magic stats, and their corpses reflected that.
Humans will give more magic, but counting the girl whose body he had looted, he had only encountered three adventurers, and all of them were so destroyed that they were beyond scavenging. 'I need to head to the lower floors to scavenge from monsters with stronger magic.'
The Hellhounds on the middle floors came to mind. He recalled from original Rex memories that they are supposed to have magic, but venturing down there now would be reckless. He needed higher physical stats—preferably S-rank across the board—before he dared to descend further. No, it's best he even becomes a level 2 before going down there, so that's out of the question for now.
He also needed better skills and equipment. His dagger was his most reliable weapon, but it wouldn't be ideal for the lower floors. He didn't want to get too close to the monsters so a longsword or spear would give him the distance he needed to stay safe.
A sharp crack interrupted his thoughts, snapping his attention to a nearby stalagmite, a thick column of stone that stretched from the ground to the cavern's ten-meter ceiling. A hairline fracture appeared on its surface before it burst open, and a Killer Ant emerged.
It was massive, over 1.7 meters long, and while standing on its back two legs, its head would almost reach his neck. Even on all six legs, it came up to his knee—a size terrifyingly large when you encounter it in real life. Its front legs ended in razor-sharp blades, each capable of cleaving a human in half with ease.
The ant snapped its mandibles together, creating a sharp clicking sound as it turned its attention to Rex. Without hesitation, it charged, its bladed forelegs raised high as it charged.
Rex quickly drew his longsword in one swift motion, gripping it tightly with both hands. 'Okay,' he thought, taking a steadying breath. 'My first official fight.'
The ant closed the distance in an instant, its bladed arm coming down in a deadly arc aimed at his torso. At the last moment, Rex leapt back, the blade missing him by a hairbreadth slamming into the ground where he had stood, sending shards of stone flying in every direction.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he rushed forward, thrusting his sword toward the space between the ant's head and thorax. The blade pierced the thick exoskeleton, meeting resistance for only a moment before sliding through, tearing the flesh and splitting the sinew.
*Ding.* The blade hit the dungeon floor as it exited the other side, and a spray of purple ichor splattered onto the ground, and with a flick of his wrist, Rex severed the ant's head. It fell to the ground with a thud, but the body continued its attack, unaware of its decapitation. He sidestepped its erratic movements, watching as it finally collapsed a few moments later.
"Well…" Rex exhaled, flicking his sword to the side to clear off the purple goo. Droplets splattered across the ground as he sheathed the blade. "That was easy."
Killer Ants weren't particularly dangerous when encountered alone. The real threat came from their pheromones. When in a pinch, they can release chemical signals that attract other nearby ants, leading to the deaths of many inexperienced adventurers. Their blood can also release these pheromones, so Rex had a few moments before reinforcements arrived.
He crouched down and placed his hand on the ant's severed head. 'Scavenge.'
[+1 Strength, +1 Endurance, +1 Dexterity, +1 Agility, +1 Magic]
"Amazing!" he muttered exaggeratedly, mentally accepting the gains.
His ears picked up something, and he snapped his head to the side, his yellow eyes locking onto glowing red eyes moving toward him. His throat tightened as a massive figure emerged from the shadows—a 2-meter-tall Minotaur with red skin, a gray chest, and one missing horn.
The beast Ottar had trained, and the one old Rex had freed.
"Shit!" Rex shot to his feet and bolted, sprinting like his life depended on it—because it did.
He ran with short, frantic breaths, his arms pumping furiously at his sides, his speed far exceeding anything a human on Earth could achieve, the dungeon blurring past. He didn't dare look back; the thunderous hoofbeats and enraged snorts behind him told him everything he needed to know.
"FUCK!" he spat, hearing the beast gaining ground. Though slow by Level 2 standards, the Minotaur was still faster than a Level 1 adventurer, even one with A-rank agility like Rex.
He turned sharply into a side room, his shoulder slamming into the wall from the momentum. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, but he pushed through, continuing his desperate escape. Behind him, the Minotaur failed to make the same sharp turn, its massive body crashing into the wall with a deafening BOOM.
The delay bought Rex a few precious seconds, but the monster quickly recovered. "UOOOOOA!" It roared, the sound reverberating through the room like an earthquake. The vibration paralyzed Rex mid-stride, his body seizing up as he fell forward, hitting the ground face-first.
'!!!' His screamed internally as he lay there, his fingers twitching uselessly against the stone floor. The heavy footfalls of the charging beast grew louder. 'I'm dead!' He frantically activated all his skills, desperate for a solution.
'———' Scavenger can judge the quality of even more abstract concepts or properties, and this includes his thoughts. Out of hundreds of fleeting ideas, one stood out—Scavenger deemed it the highest 'quality.' Rex.
*SPURT.* He bit down hard on his tongue, the sharp pain jolting through his nerves like a lightning strike, breaking the paralysis.
He rolled to the side just as the Minotaur's massive sword slammed into the ground where he'd been lying, the impact shattering the stone, sending jagged chunks of rock flying outward. The force flung Rex backward, his body slamming into a stalagmite with enough force to knock the breath out of him again.
"Haah… haah…" He gasped for air, struggling to his feet as the Minotaur dashed toward him, each step deliberate and menacing. "Get BACK!" he shouted, pulling his magic sword from his belt. He activated its power and aimed for the ground.
A fireball shot out, striking the ground and exploding in a fiery burst. Smoke and debris filled the area around it, momentarily obscuring the monster. Using the brief opening, Rex forced his aching body to move, adrenaline dulling his pain as he sprinted away.
The Minotaur blasted through the cloud of dust moments later, roaring in fury as it charged again. Rex's mind raced, thoughts firing off in every direction. How to escape? How to run faster?
Then he heard it—muffled voices. 'People!' He couldn't pinpoint the source, but Scavenger judged one direction as having the highest 'quality.' Without hesitation, Rex turned and ran toward it, deciding to just trust the skill.
As the voices grew clearer, he suddenly heard a low growl from behind him and quickly pointed his magic sword behind him, quickly activating the sword. The fireball blasted out from the sword, hitting the Minotaur square in the shoulder, momentarily stunning it and halting its building roar. Rex didn't stop, the dungeon walls blurring past as he pushed himself to his limit.
Finally, two figures came into view—a teenage boy with white hair and red eyes, wearing lightweight armor, and a small girl in a full-body cloak with a hood, carrying an oversized backpack.
"!!!" Rex's eyes widened. It wasn't hard to recognize them. Bell Cranel, the protagonist of this world, and Liliruca Arde, the girl who once belonged to the Soma Familia. 'Isn't she supposed to be dead? I heard she died from killer ants!?' He didn't care.
The two froze as the bloodied doberman demi-human sprinted toward them, his cloak billowing behind him and blood dripping from the side of his mouth. Liliruca's eyes widened in shock, immediately recognizing the figure.
Rex ran past them, not stopping as he shouted, "It's all yours!"
He didn't look back. Moments later, the Minotaur stormed into view, its massive form emerging from behind a stalagmite, huffing angrily as it locked eyes with the startled duo.
After running for a while longer, Rex finally slowed down, his chest heaving as he leaned against a stalagmite that stopped short of the ceiling. "Oh, fuck," he breathed, feeling his veins throbbing in his temple and his head growing light. "Never again," he huffed, wiping the sweat from his brow and sliding his magic sword back into its scabbard.
'That was the protagonist's achievement to reach Level 2,' he thought, resting his back against the wall. 'He should be able to handle it.' His ears twitched, picking up the distant, angry mooing of the Minotaur echoing through the dungeon.
"I should leave… after catching… my breath." He took in one long, steadying inhale, then pushed himself off the wall. "..." But then curiosity got the better of him. 'I can just outrun it if it comes after me again.'
Instead of leaving, he circled back around the large chamber, careful to keep to the shadows as he returned to the room where he'd left the Minotaur with Bell Cranel. Sticking to a dark corner, he peered into the room just in time to see the white-haired boy get flung across the floor.
Bell's body hit the ground hard, the impact knocking his dagger from his hand as he coughed up a mouthful of spit. The Minotaur slowly advanced toward him, its cleaver scraping against the ground with a metallic screech as Bell struggled to get back on his feet.
Rex cursed under his breath. 'When I was down, you charged me like a lunatic, but now you decide to take your time?' He clicked his tongue in frustration. 'So unfair.'
Then, before the Minotaur could reach Bell, a stunningly beautiful young woman leapt between them, her golden hair catching the dungeon's faint light as it fanned out behind her. Her presence was magnetic, commanding attention without a word.
'Ais Wallenstein.' Rex instantly recognized her. She wasn't just any popular adventurer—she was the adventurer, the Sword Princess of the Loki Familia, and the girl with the fastest level-up in Orario's history. 'Was she the main female lead? Or was it that fox girl?' His memory was hazy, but it didn't matter.
From his hiding spot, he watched silently as Bell, with newfound resolve, rose to his feet. Then, Bell grabbed Ais by the wrist, gently pulling her behind him as he stepped between her and the Minotaur. The massive creature growled low in its throat, lifting its clever to point directly at Bell, as if accepting his challenge.
Rex resisted the urge to groan. 'So cliché.' He cringed. 'That Minotaur definitely wouldn't have pointed its sword at me like that. It would've just tried to slice me in half.'
The room grew more crowded as Tione, Riveria, and Finn entered. Rex ignored their banter, focusing entirely on Bell, his arms crossed over his chest as he observed the fight, analyzing each movement.
'Hmm…' he thought, narrowing his eyes as Bell and the Minotaur clashed. The sheer speed and precision of their movements were leagues above what Rex could manage. 'Yeah, he definitely out-stats and out-skills me.' If they fought now, Bell would annihilate him.
A shockwave from the combatants' clashing blades rippled through the room, ruffling Rex's hair and cloak. "Damn," he muttered, blinking. 'My strength is at S. I should be able to do that… right?' He watched as sparks flew with each strike, the room illuminated by bursts of light as strength met speed in a fierce exchange.
After about thirty seconds of watching, a wicked thought crept into his mind. 'What if…' He unsheathed his magic sword, carefully pointing it at the Minotaur. Adjusting his aim as the beast moved, he smirked. 'What if I attack it right now? Wouldn't that mess up the high-rank excelia he's supposed to get from beating it alone?'
His grin widened. 'One fireball and I could destroy the entire plot—'
*SHIVER.*
A cold dread washed over him, freezing his entire body, and slowly, like a poorly oiled machine, he turned his head. His heart dropped when he saw Finn Deimne, the captain of the Loki Familia, staring directly at him, his piercing blue eyes seeming to glow in the dim dungeon, cutting through the shadows like a blade. Rex swallowed hard, his grip tightening on his sword as he noticed Riveria, the high elf, was also watching him with a piercing gaze.
'Shit.' Without a word, he slid his magic sword back into its scabbard before taking one careful step back. Pulling his cloak's high neck over his mouth, he turned around and walking away as nonchalantly as possible.