Dustin held an arm up to block the intense light shining down on them. Two burning giants sat in the sky, surrounded by a whirlpool of clouds. He could feel a warm feeling encasing him, enduring the slow process of absorption as something crawled into the pores of his skin. It was something Dustin had interacted with before. Mana.

The group stood on the top of a grassy hill overlooking a forest. The trees were a darkish red colour, and the tree canopy branched out ten feet above the ground. On the other side of the hill was a vast empty landscape of rolling hills, filled with patches of wildflowers and rocky outcrops.

The other students that travelled with him were frantic, taking in the new view with wide eyes. Dustin met Ben’s eyes and saw the panic spreading through them, his friend's hand squeezing the bag.

“I’m not sure.” Dustin turned to the side and inspected the other students. Three had their phones out calling for help, whilst others gasped at the beautiful scenery surrounding them.

The teacher in charge of the class, Sam, looked clueless and was also attempting to contact the outside world. Dustin looked down at this shoulder bag and unzipped half of it, relieved to see his part of his bow visible inside.

“Is this even Earth?” Jennifer muttered. She crouched on the ground, running a hand through the grass. Her brown ponytail landed on her shoulder as she turned to Dustin.

Dustin raised his hand and pointed to the sun, drawing the attention of others. They looked up in the sky, glimpsing not one, but two burning giants. They fell silent, eyes wide and mouths open.

Kantaro walked over to Dustin and leaned in, his black hair sliding to the side, and whispered, “Can I have my bat?”

Dustin pulled the wooden baseball bat from his bag and handed it over, taking out his own at the same time. Dustin twisted the bat in his hands, taking refuge in the safety of holding a weapon.

Markus held his girlfriend in one hand and took out his own bat with the others. They had similar ideas and looked down at the noisy forest. The sound of birds chirping broke the silence, proving they were not alone.

Dustin guessed that the path they needed to take lay within the forest. They had a good vantage point to look out into the hills, and there were no signs of life, let alone monstrous creatures.

One of the female students screamed as a grotesque caterpillar crawled onto her shoe. She kicked the air, flinging it towards the forest. It flew a metre and hit the ground hard, tumbling for a moment.

If it had been a dangerous insect or something worth fighting, she would have earned experience and Dos for killing it. Her nose shrivelled up, and she took a few steps backward as the caterpillar oriented itself and disappeared into the blades of grass.

“What do we do?” Markus’ girlfriend, Katie, piped up. Dustin squinted and looked down into the forest, scanning for any threats. The immediate vicinity seemed safe, but Dustin knew otherwise. They had likely landed in the extermination dungeon category, where the aim was to kill monsters and escape.

Their tracks and scent would draw monsters towards them. It was possible to hide from them if one was careful and covered their tracks, an impossible feat for the unaware and untrained students.

There was no need to cover their tracks, as exterminating monsters was Dustin's primary goal. Provided it did not put other students at risk of dying, he would clear the entire forest of creatures before leaving.

Markus spared a glance at his shivering girlfriend and looked around, finding no obvious path out of the predicament they had landed in. There were no signs of civilisation nearby, nor roads or trails that led there.

“I don’t think we should stand around here. We could take cover in the forest…” said Dustin, watching the groups reactions. The teacher was biting her thumb when the students turned to look at her as a person of authority.

She froze and her gaze locked onto Dustin and Kantaro who were holding their baseball bats.

“Somebody has to know we’re missing. I don’t think we should move.” She forced out, swallowing the build-up of saliva in her mouth. Dustin kept a blank face as he let out an internal sigh.

They would have to wait for at least a week before anyone relevant came to help. Between the time it would take for anyone to realize they were missing, authorities entering the classroom, it was a poor choice to wait it out.

Even before authorities showed up, other classes would enter the room the next day, falling into the dungeon’s trap.

They had no food supplies, limited to whatever snacks the students might have in their backpacks or pockets, and they would have to find a source of water. 

A river might exist in the forest, but there was no guarantee that the water was drinkable.

Dustin did not reject the idea and instead offered an alternative.

“That might be the case, but it’s unknown how we even got here. I think we should at least look around.” Dustin argued, gesturing to the forest.

No one responded, too scared to offer a suggestion. The teacher looked frustrated and opened her mouth again, but Ben spoke first, “I’ll climb up one of the other hills to see if I can find anything else if you have a look in the forest Dustin?”

Dustin smiled and nodded to his friend, dropping the black sports bag on the ground. He dug through it, pulling out the extra baseball bats and his padded armour.

“What are you doing?” Sam asked, furrowing her eyebrows as Dustin started to pull the padded outerwear on, tying it around his legs and abdomen.

“We have no idea where we are, and no idea what's in the forest. I’d rather not get bitten by something venomous.” He retorted, fishing out a quiver full of arrows.

When he finished, the black bag sat empty on the ground. Dustin wore padded armour from head to toe, with mesh covering his face. He strung his bow over his shoulder, and the quiver snuggled against his hip.

He handed two of the bats to Ben and Jennifer as Markus pulled out his own. They agreed to meet back in fifteen minutes, enough time for Ben to reach the other hill, and Dustin to explore the edge of the forest.

Dustin slid down the hill alone, keeping his footing stable as loose dirt cascaded down, hammering the tree trunks. Ben walked along the hill, intent on reaching the top of another hill to the east of them. That left Markus and Jennifer to defend the group, the latter pulling out her bow.

A few concerned looks span his way as he entered the treeline, watching as the padded figure dissipated into the shadows, hidden by the winding trunks of ancient trees.

Dustin let the tightness in his shoulders go, pushing air through his pursed lips. The stress of acting the part of an unaware student was proving more difficult than the task at hand.

Using the baseball bat to push drooping vines and barbed branches out of the way, Dustin moved further into the forest. Alien flora covered the forest floor the deeper he went. Yellow ferns, vibrant pink mushrooms and strange flowers that recoiled as his leg brushed past littered made it difficult to push through.

The tree canopies above him painted an image of trees struggling for dominance, claiming what sunlight they could afford with the older tree’s rising above them.

There were no signs of roads or paths within the forest, giving Dustin a difficult time moving around. The time for him to return was approaching, if he continued any deeper into the forest, he would be late.

A light scratching sound, different from the other ambience of the forest caught Dustin’s attention, leading him towards a fallen tree. The ancient trunk spawned new life from the havoc it had wrought upon its collapse, and a particular organism gave Dustin alarm.

A medium-sized rabbit, no taller than Dustin's ankle sat next to the trunk, scratching at something on the ground, its claws covered in soil and chips of wood. The claws scraped against the trunk, tearing chunks of soggy wood free with ease.

Dustin stopped his approach as the rabbit’s target of interest came into view. A rat lay motionless on the ground, its innards displayed for the world to see through a gaping hole in its side. The rabbit’s claws dug into the wound, dragging what little meat the rat possessed.

The rabbit pulled stringy flesh free from the smaller creature and tore into it, swallowing it in one bite. Dustin couldn’t help but shudder from the abnormal sight. Rabbits were herbivores on earth, and this specimen, though similar to the fluffy creatures, was anything but.

Dustin took an arrow from his quiver with slow and practised movements, he placed it against the string, keeping it in place with a finger and drew it. As he kept the weapon in top condition, the entire process did not alarm his prey. With a silent breath, Dustin aimed the arrow at the rabbit and released. The arrow flew with a quick exhale, pinning the bundle of fur against the log, a light thud masked by the rabbits surprised screech.

It revealed the sharp teeth inside its mouth to Dustin, covered in a dark shade of red from its victim. Dustin approached the rabbit with his baseball bat ready in case the arrow came loose, but the nightmare fuelled bunny stayed pinned, wiggling to free itself, but causing the arrow to dig a wider hole.

Although small, the amount of blood was enough to give Dustin concern as he felt the bile rise in his throat. Although he could remember killing countless monsters and humans, the act of doing so was new to his current body.

Faced with the decision on how to end the rabbit's life, Dustin ran his thumb over the back of hilt of the bat, watching it struggle. Before the rabbit or Dustin could act, another hiss sound from above Dustin, and a white blur leapt from atop the log, pushing into his right shoulder.

Another rabbit, either hunting the party that had entered the dungeon or protecting a member of its species, sank its teeth into the padded armour, almost reaching the clothing underneath. Dustin fell away from the log, landing on his backside.

As the rabbit possessed much larger front teeth, Dustin grasped the rabbit with two hands and pulled it down hard, wrenching the dagger-like jaw off his shoulder. He tossed the violent animal away and peeked a glance at his no longer pristine armour.

Several holes, almost invisible against the black padding, were now present in the armour, a successful save.

The rabbit was quick to recuperate and launched an immediate attack, aiming for the lower part of Dustin's body instead. It darted from side to side on approach, screeching the same as its partner had. Dustin snatched the fallen baseball bat and readied himself, waiting until the rabbit was within range.

It aimed for the shin guards on Dustin’s right leg but ate dirt instead as Dustin slammed the baseball bat into its skull at the right moment, just when it had jumped off the ground and could no longer dodge.

Compared to the other rabbit, it met a rather sudden death. The small skull could not handle the blunt force of a baseball bat and shattered, giving way for the metal sporting equipment to flatten its brain into the ground.

The rabbit's legs kicked once or twice before flopping to the ground as Dustin lifted the bat, heaving a sigh. Blood pooled out of the rabbit's eyes and ears, staining the matted white fur.

Using the bat to take a seat on the forest floor, Dustin rubbed his hands together to quell the shaking. His body was reacting to the stimuli of a forceful skull restructuring, sending shivers through his hands and fastening his breaths.

Dustin went through the motions of meditation, slowing his erratic breathing rate, waiting until it was back to a normal rhythm before he stood again. His ability to handle killing would improve with each life he took, a once terrifying concept that would become his reality.

Dustin had killed two of the monstrous creatures inhabiting the dungeons already, as he noticed the other rabbit had perished too. As he expected, there was no display opening to reward his valiant efforts or teach him the joys of spending money, just the return of silence.

Rather than leave empty-handed, Dustin retrieved the rabbit he had shot an arrow at to show his classmates, giving him some benefit to the expedition. It was less likely to draw looks of disgust compared to the rabbit with a caved-in skull.

Dustin twirled the arrow he had plucked from its corpse around, noting the worn tip after it had pierced through fur, flesh, and wood. He would not abandon ammunition after the first sign of disrepair and returned the arrow to his pouch, it could still pierce the unarmoured skin of animals.

The three bloodied carcasses would draw some attention from the other denizens of the forest, giving Dustin an idea. Rather than clean up the crime scene, Dustin tore a large leaf from one of the overgrown ferns and picked up the other rabbit within it.

Dustin hesitated with his hand around the rabbit, but fought against the rising anxiety and squeezed. Blood pooled from any orifice in the rabbit's head, dripping viscous liquid from the leaf.

He walked back to the hill where the other students gathered, spreading the rabbit's blood, creating a trail as he walked. The blood was not enough to attract attention from the students, but the scent would travel on the wind, enticing monsters to follow.

Before he broke through the treeline and reappeared within everyone’s vision, Dustin disposed of the rabbit, digging a small hole for it rot in. Dustin hid the now crimson fur from sight among the dirt and vibrant vegetation.

He could hear the chatter of his fellow students as he returned to the sunlight, feeling the weight of two suns bearing down on him. He used the bat to climb the hill, keeping the rabbit in his other hand from touching the ground.

A few curious faces peeked over the edge, watching his approach and offering a hand when he neared the top. He grasped the first hand offered, finding himself face to face with Kantaro as the man lifted him with ease.

“Thanks,” Dustin said, looking down at his scuffed shoes. Under normal circumstances, the deterioration would have annoyed him, but now it all seemed petty.

“Did you bring us Dinner?” Kantaro smirked, looking at the dead rabbit. He was no stranger to dead rabbits as his father had immersed him in the joys of hunting.

“I wish, it tried to make me dinner instead.” Dustin scoffed, using one hand to pull on the rabbit's lip, revealing the sharp teeth underneath. Kantaro ran a finger over the sharp incisors, one of his eyebrows raised to its limits.

“Teeth used for shredding meat, not plants.” He whispered, quiet enough that only Dustin could hear. Ensuring the rest of the group could see, including the out of breath Ben that stood at the other side of the group, Dustin held the rabbit's mouth wide open.

Ignoring the gasps and disgusted glances thrown his way, he continued, “It was eating a rat when I found it, and it tried to attack me,” letting the lip slide back into position, Dustin pointed to the holes in his shoulder armour.

Only a few brave students approached to inspect the dead rabbit, including the friends he had brought on the exposition. Ben was recovering his breath and looked out towards the hills with a frown.

“Forget the rabbit Dustin, something weirder is going on,” Ben said, tapping a finger on his chin. Although already aware of the answer, Dustin waited for him to finish.

“No matter how fast I run towards the hills, I can’t reach the top of another one. I don’t even seem to move any further from the group either.”

Running a hand through his ginger hair, Ben turned to look at Dustin, his lips pursed. Laying the rabbit down on the ground and walking over to the edge of the hill to keep up appearances, Dustin picked up a rock from the ground, no different from any other stone on the ground, and threw it towards the closest hill with all his strength.

The rock hurtled through the air for a few seconds before it seemed to halt, spinning in place for a few more seconds before it fell to the ground. Ben, having seen the phenomenon first hand, bit his lower lip and gestured towards it.

“See? It’s like the area is out-of-bounds or something.” He muttered. Dustin gave an apprehensive nod and looked Ben in the eyes.

“There was no such thing happening in the forest, at least as far as I went in. Are we on the edge of something then?”

The group of students devolved back into a mix of confused and anxious chatter as Dustin and Ben looked towards the forest. Kantaro crouched next to the rabbit, prodding it with his finger. The animal seemed the same as anything he had come across, minus the enlarged and sharpened teeth and claws.

Markus had no interest in the deceased bunny and held his girlfriend close, whispering her words of comfort. The unease was visible in her stiff posture, the hand that held Markus’ clamped tight and shaking. Jennifer moved closer to Dustin and Ben, her bow held out, ready to fire at a moment's notice. It brought a smirk to Dustin’s face; he had been right in bringing her along.

“Do you think we should stay on the hill?” She asked, her eyes zipping between the trees for any signs of movement. The trail of blood Dustin had left to lead monsters towards them would attract attention soon. Being within the confines of the forest would offer them limited protection, though the hill had a charm to it as the rough incline would provide a natural defence.

If Dustin was unaware of the situation, he would have opted to maintain the higher ground, perhaps setting up a barricade with fallen twigs to hinder approaching monsters.

“It might be best to move into the forest. The trees provide some cover and I get a feeling we’re supposed to move deeper. I don’t like our chances of anyone coming to save us.”

Lingering on his last word and feeling the warm sun caressing his face, Dustin noticed the blur of something moving within the treeline and slid his hand into the quiver.

“Rather, I’m more worried about something coming to harm us.”

Noticing the change in Dustin’s posture, Jennifer adjusted her aim towards the location Dustin was looking at, waiting for something to move. A single fern resting against the aged trunk of a tree rustled, out of place against the still bushes that surrounded it, protected from the wind by the tall trees.

Four legs carrying a stubby body emerged from the flora, its large snout sniffing the air. A sudden gasp from beside Dustin alerted the creature to their presence, and it squealed in excitement.

The boar tore up the hill towards them, kicking stray rock and dirt aside as its feet sunk into the ground. At first glance, the students recognized the animal as a wild boar, roaming the forest in search of plants to eat. But for Dustin, he could spot the big difference between this alien creature and the boars that roamed Earth.

A series of spikes lined the Boar’s neck, something that could be mistaken for a dog's collar. On closer inspection, the spikes seemed to protrude from underneath the Boar’s skin, a white and yellow colour. Made from bone, the spikes were not an accessory, but a part of the boar’s skeletal system.

A Bone-spiked Boar, as the name suggests, was a boar with bony spikes emerging from its neck, acting as both a defensive mechanism for any larger predators attempting to bite its throat and as a weapon to spear the enemy with.

Jennifer looked nervous as she glanced over to Dustin, her eyebrows lowering.

“Should we kill it?”

Dustin kept his eyes on the approaching boar, knocking an arrow with practised movements and nodding his head. Jennifer mimicked his movements, and the boar snorted in anger as it neared the top of the hill.

“On three, we shoot. Got it?” Dustin asked. Kantaro and Ben set up beside the two archers with their baseball bats at the ready as Jennifer grunted, the two of them pulling back on their strings.

“One.”

The boar saw two more humans at the top of the hill wielding metal sticks and squealed again, lowering its head to show off the two tusks aiming at them, the tips covered in fresh blood.

“Two.”

The teacher, Sam looked on with wide eyes as her students aimed their bows at the Boar. Unadjusted to a life of hunting, and unwilling to be an accomplice to the murder of another animal, she screamed out, “Wait!”

“Three.”

Despite hearing the scream, Dustin yelled the last word and released his arrow, feeling the vibration travel up his other arm as his arrow flew towards its target, followed behind by Jennifer’s.