I wasted no time in opening the door.
The wooden door creaked as I pried it open and peered inside. Inside the tree was a set of stairs that led downwards. The stairs looked like they had been carved out of clay and seemed to be in good condition.
I wearily took a step down into the tree, ready to leap back at the first sign of danger. When nothing attacked me or fell apart I continued further down, remaining cautious.
The stairs continued for a short while before coming to an abrupt end at another wooden door. Seeing as I had nowhere else to go, I pushed it open and walked through.
On the other side of the door was a flat patch of grassland that was sunken into the ground. It was surrounded on all sides by sheer dirt walls that went up for a good number of feet. The grass was also taller than it was in the rest of the dungeon, and there was another door on the opposite side of the field from me.
I began walking towards the door only to be blindsided by something! I was knocked off my feet and flung a few feet backwards. I hadn’t even seen my attacker!
I quickly leapt back to my feet and began searching, looking for anything to point out where my attacker was, or what it was for that matter.
Now that I was focusing, I sensed something coming from behind me, but before I had a chance to whirl around and grab it, it had already hit me in the backside of the head. The only consolation was that this time I hadn’t been knocked over.
This thing was fast, whatever it was, so I needed a plan. Unlike the other monsters, this one wasn’t going down without a fight.
I started thinking. This thing was fast, and probably small considering I hadn’t seen it yet. It was probably using the tall grass to hide, only leaping out when it could get a clean shot.
As I was strategizing, I was forced to dodge, but I wasn't lucky enough to avoid the hit. My attacker wasn’t going to give me the chance to come up with a plan. Unfortunately for it I already had one.
If it was hiding in the grass then all I had to do was get rid of the grass!
I took a deep breath before I summoned my mana to create a massive fireball, launching it out into the field.
The grass caught on fire instantly, the fire spreading out to engulf almost the entire field in flames, before burning itself out.
I was hoping that that would end the fight. I assumed that while I was fine with the heat my new friend would not be.
Unfortunately, it must have found some way to avoid the fire because just as I was thinking that I got smacked in the face. But now my attacker didn’t have anywhere to hide, so I was finally able to get a good look at it. My attacker was a Rabbit! It had bright yellow fur and two big ram horns on its head.
With its ability to hide having been taken away the rabbit chose to go on the offensive. I was barely given a moment to react as what looked like electricity coated the rabbit before it leapt at me.
The rabbit flew towards me at lightning speed. I didn’t even have time to blink before it rammed into my head, sending me flying backwards. I landed hard on my side, skidding a few feet further.
The rabbit continued its attack, ramming into my stomach before I could get up. I was sent flying a few more feet back and began coughing like mad. I couldn’t take much more of this, I had to come up with a plan.
The rabbit hit me again, but this time when I landed, I did my best not to move. I was hoping that playing dead could buy me a few minutes to think of a plan.
This monster was way too fast for me to hit. I could barely keep track of it! But that speed must have drawbacks. It probably wasn’t going to be able to stop once it leapt at me. I could use that to my advantage, but it would only matter if I could cast a spell before it hit me, which I wasn’t certain of. Unfortunately, that was the only method of winning I saw.
I took a deep breath before leaping to my feet. I scanned the arena searching for the rabbit… But I couldn’t find it! The rabbit was nowhere to be seen. Just as I started to wonder if something had happened while I was playing dead, I was hit hard in the back of the head! I whirled around, but there was nothing.
While I was wondering where the rabbit had gone, I got hit in the back of the head again. I wouldn’t be able to find the rabbit like this. I should get an ariel view. I opened my wings to take flight but was only able to get a few flaps in before I heard something.
RRRIIIPP
I flung my head around looking for the source of the noise before my gaze settled on my right wing. There was a bloody tear in it!
“AAAAAAAHHHH!” I screamed at the sight.
In panic, I activated my magic and created a massive wall of fire to surround me. I then pulled my wings closer to my body.
I didn’t know what to do. I had never had to deal with injuries in this life. I rarely got hurt, and even when I did it was usually healed by a level up. Wait! Healed! My injuries would be healed! Healing magic was a mainstay in fantasy! Maybe…
I pictured mana stitching my wings membrane back together and sent my mana out. I watched as the gash in my wings was pulled back together and stitched up. It hurt as it was happening, I could feel the wound being pulled and poked by the mana, but by the end, my wing was good as new!
“You have gained new Primary Skill – High Heal lvl 1.”
“You have completed the prerequisites, Gained Skill – Healing Magic lvl 1.”
With a relieved sigh I folded my wings tightly against my body. I didn’t want that happening again, but I didn’t let the wall of fire down just yet. It was doing its job of protecting me quite well, and I wouldn’t pass up this chance to strategize.
My previous strategy was a complete failure. I had underestimated how smart the rabbit was and assumed that it not having grass to hide in meant that I would always be able to spot it. I needed some other way to know where the rabbit was. The rabbit was too fast for me to keep track of with eyesight, and I probably wouldn’t be able to set up a trap. So how...
OH!
I had the Mana Perception skill. Which let me feel all the mana around me. And since mana was everywhere I would be able to feel the rabbit move!
But I had to test this before I jumped back into the fight.
I closed my eyes and activated Mana Perception. I could feel all the mana in the arena. From the mana that was lazily floating around, to the mana that was being used to create my wall of fire.
I began searching for the rabbit. It wasn’t too hard to find, considering it was constantly pushing the mana around. I took my time monitoring it, to make sure I could “see” it well enough to attack it.
After I was confident, I would be able to hit it, I let the wall of fire down.
Instantly the rabbit leapt at me, but I was ready. I immediately summoned a fireball and launched it at the rabbit.
I opened my eyes to watch as the fireball collided with the rabbit. The two flew at each other, and time seemed to move in slow-motion as they came closer to each other. I was excited. I couldn’t wait to see this monster dead. But the rabbit had other plans.
The rabbit came so close to the fireball that it almost hit it before the rabbit covered its legs in electricity and jumped off the air over the fireball!
I didn’t have enough time to react before the rabbit collided with me, sending me flying once again.
What was that! The rabbit just literally double-jumped! What do I do now!? I can’t hit it with a normal attack!
I would need to attack it with something it can’t see. Maybe a new kind of magic? Oh I know, air magic!
Before I could start formulating a plan the rabbit leapt at me again. But with the help of Mana Perception, I noticed it just in time. I leapt out of the way and the rabbit sailed over me. I dodged it! I actually dodged it! But I couldn’t celebrate yet, I still had to come up with a plan.
The rabbit continued to attack me as I formulated a plan that I hoped would work. I was mostly able to dodge thanks to Mana Perception, though I still got hit a few times. But after a few minutes of this, I had a plan.
My goal was to create a wall of air in front of the rabbit so that when it leapt at me it would run into it instead, and then I could use that moment to capture it.
As the rabbit prepared to launch towards me again, I visualized my mana reinforcing the air in front of the rabbit.
The rabbit leapt, only to ram headfirst into a wall of air. At that moment I pictured mana pulling the air into a cage.
In the span of a few moments, the rabbit was in a cage. I had done it! I had caught it! I had also got a few notifications!
“Gained new Primary Skill – Solid Air lvl 1.”
“Gained new Primary Skill – Air Prison lvl 1.”
“You have completed the prerequisites, Gained Skill – Air Magic lvl 1.”
Now that the rabbit was caught, all that was left was to finish the job.
The rabbit frantically bounced around its prison as I made my way towards it. Along the way, I summoned a fireball and prepared to roast the monster alive. This monster had caused me more pain than any other in this world, and I was excited to get back at it.
Wait, was I enjoying this? What was going on, I wasn’t usually like this. I shouldn’t be excited to kill it. I took a deep breath. I shouldn’t be excited, but I still had to kill it. The least I could do was make its death as painless as possible.
I let the fireball go, and instead created a blade of air. I sent the blade forward, and instantly cut off the rabbit’s head.
“You have killed level 8 Lightning Ram Rabbit - Gained 37 XP.”
As soon as the rabbit died a chest appeared in front of the door opposite the one I had come in through. Before I went over to it I checked out what the rabbit had dropped. The rabbit had left behind a bright yellow pelt and its two horns. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, but I picked them up to take as a trophy.
I walked over to the chest and flipped its lid open. Inside I found a scroll! I assumed it had something interesting in it, but even if it didn’t, being a book nerd, I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed the scroll to take with me as well.
After grabbing the scroll, I continued past the chest and opened the door that it sat in front of. Despite being tired I decided that there was no harm in looking, so I opened the door and entered.
Through the door were more stairs. They only went on for a short bit though before coming to an end. The stairs transitioned into a path that quickly opened up into a cave. In the cave was a waterfall! I rushed over to it to check if it had writing next to it, and sure enough, it did! The writing read “A Portal To Where You Have Been Before” just like the writing next to the other waterfall! I still wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was now almost certain that this cave was a safe zone.
With that, I dropped the things I had been carrying, along with the tension in my body, and promptly passed out.
Thanks for the chapter!