Chapter 5: 04 – First Hardship Start

The field boss, Alpha Rodent, is a rare monster that the dungeon gives birth to every month upon its death and lets it roam the first ten floors. It is a bat with the head and legs of a frog. Its strong legs allow it to do quick movements even without its wings. Its saliva contains a paralyzing effect when applied to wounds, combined with its long and quick tongue. Its small size allows it to fly around with its jet-black wings and makes it even harder to deal with.

A terrifying monster that can destroy even a silver ranked well-balanced 6-man party will be easily destroyed in front of its strength and speed if they were ambushed. It also has a certain intelligence to it and takes advantage of ambushes. Most veterans fear meeting it alone with only a weapon on hand. If they don't then that just means that they are new to this dungeon.

That very Alpha Rodent is eating a body that I have assumed to be a dead adventurer in front of the small crack on the wall that I have been camping inside of for an estimate of 3 days. I have moved lower down from floor seventh down here to twelfth after completing my second quest the same day I received it, the rations were not tasty but it was plenty enough to keep me fed twice a day. Our party was by no means weak and I am secretly the star player of it. But throwing that aside.

There are 3 more bloodied and butchered bodies around it. It seems to have destroyed a party yet again. But what I found weird is, why is it down here to the 12th floor? It's a monster that only hunts in the first 10 floors out of a hundred. This could only be explained as strange as it is not allowed by the dungeon to roam lower. Not that it is restricted by some force from the dungeon itself, but because the field boss of this floor will hunt it.

'Hey, Vodi. Got any idea what is going on here?' I asked Vodi. That is the name that I came up with to address the system.

[It is probable that it has grown stronger as a result of being neglected and evolved. In order to satiate its hunger for food and stronger foes, its instincts led it here. That could also explain why it is abnormally huge.]

Right. Its wingspan easily exceeds twice my height which is only a meter and a half! What happened to the original one-meter length that it should have?! Ahem! Anyways, its body length from buttocks to its forehead is probably the same as my height when it should have been only 4 feet long. The head and legs that should have been bare brown skin are now covered in black fur. Fangs that were not supposed to be there, grew for some reason and are now sticking out of its mouth!

[It has evolved into its greater species, a Big Bat Rodent. It being the former alpha rodent makes it stronger. It has reached a certain amount of vitality essence, thus, evolution. That is also one of the reasons that it is still alive down here when it should already have been hunted by the field boss. As far as strength goes, you have a slim chance of winning. Only amounting to 12.18%. This conclusion has been reached not due to your lack of skill, you're in fact plenty skillful but the lack of equipment that could keep up with your strength and skill is pulling you down.]

'Right. Those guys stole my treasured mithril-plated silver bow and magic quiver. I will definitely have them pay thrice for what they owe me. Including the help that I have been secretly giving…' I replied with sheer determination.

[It is good that you are motivated, but keep your head in front and find another place to hide in. You can't win right now so here's this.]

After I heard those words in my head, the mechanical ring that I am yet to get used to rang inside my head twice.

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(!) Quest 3: Alpha Hunt

Objective: Kill the evolved Alpha Rodent, Big Bat Rodent

Completing Rewards:

Crystal-plated Mithril Bow

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Endless quiver

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(!) Quest 4: Plenty of Essence Crystals

Objective: Collect 50 Essence Crystals

Completing Rewards:

Iron slingshot

lesser Dimensional Pouch

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'… hey I think I just noticed something. Isn't the rewards a little too much? Like a crystal-plated mithril bow for a Big Bat Rodent? Even an endless quiver!? That is something the nobilities would kill for! I once had a lesser dimensional pouch and it cost me 3 large gold coins! With that, I could feed a family of three with a balanced meal thrice daily for nine months without problems! What the heck?!' I retorted in my mind as I sneak away from the Field Boss.

[Please hurry up and get away from the monster first. Its smelling sense may not be the best but its hearing and night visions are top-notch. Also, where did that growing brain go? I told you that I am to help you grow infinitely so this much is actually too little! I am planning to make you strong enough to go on equals with the human hero after a century, so this is actually too little.]

'What do you mean the Hero!? They are the equal of the Demon King, you know!? They are both transcendent beings that could destroy the world, you know!? And a century?! I will be walking on three legs by then!'

[Please abandon such common sense as you will encounter not only Heroes or Demon Kings but also demi-Gods and eventually Gods. Also, lifespan is no longer a limit for your body as it is now soul-bound. Meaning that unless your soul is destroyed, you are not going to die. With your current self, it could lead to that though as the soul slowly breaks into essence and die without a container. Right, I'll have you work harder to train your soul and have it develop a certain amount of defense against soul-damaging attacks. Of course, it will be in the form of quests. Pretty sure the quest manager that is part of me will agree to this idea like how it agreed to Quests two and four.]

"… You are making less and less sense, you know that..?" I uttered to Vodi's incomprehensible explanation.

That marks the start of Vodi's sudden nerd modes and will be giving me headaches in the near future.

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