It was a fresh new day. However, the same could not be said about the food we ate. The food served to us by Maki was the most disgusting stuff I had ever eaten.

“What is this!? slime?” I asked. As I pointed my finger at the translucent green jelly that quivered in my red bowl.

Henrietta did not seem to mind as she spooned her plate into a state of half-emptiness.

“You can thank your daughter for trapping us in a dream world,” Henrietta said, speaking with jelly in her mouth. “Else, I would have hunted a few rabbits to make kebab.”

“She is your daughter too, you know,” I responded.

Henrietta blushed. She tried to hide her face by eating directly from the bowl. Making her look less like a demon and more like a pig. Even Elvin, who was happily eating his portion underneath the wooden table, was more civilized.

“You are nasty, you know,” I said.

“Blah blah blah, you humans are so complicated. If you are hungry, eat. Why does it matter how you eat?”

I did not respond. I had no need to respond to her rant.

Once we were done with breakfast, we changed into our adventurer gear; Leather boots, backpacks, hundred of potions, and my witch outfit.

While wearing the witch outfit, my magic attacks dealt +5 magic damage. There was only one way to find out how effective that is…

***

Henrietta held her long silver spear forward.

The deeper we got into the dark forest, the more likely it was for us to encounter the evil rabbits that almost ate me alive.

“I can smell them. They are gathering behind that bush,” Henrietta said. Pointing with her spear to a big bush covered in red berries.

I pulled a black potion from my backpack, then threw it into the bush.

A loud pop was followed by ringing in my ears.

The explosive had done its job. The bush, along with the rabbits, was no more. Only a meter long crater remained.

[+300 EXP] [Penta Kill]

“Congrats, you made a mess,” Henrietta said, cleaning berries out of her face before thrusting her spear into the charging rabbits. The creatures knew no retreat..

[+100 EXP]

We kept massacring them until my level increased. When I started, I was merely a Hero level 3. But by the end of the hunt, my Hero class had gone to level 4.

*************************

———-Core————

[Class: Hero —- Level 4]

[Subclass: Alchemist —- Level 2]

[Power Level: 19]

[World Rank: #171311]

*************************

I still was unsure how power level was measured. Perhaps it depends on my skills?

“Henrietta, can you tell me what are your core stats?”

She seemed to be happy that I asked. Was it something to be proud of?

When she mentioned them, Maki displayed them for me.

*************************

———-Core————

[Class: Dungeon Sovereign —- Level 12]

[Subclass: Dungeon Crafter —- Level 5]

[Power Level: 320]

[World Rank: #125136]

*************************

“For someone who only ever picked rocks, you sure leveled up fast,” I said.

“Huh? I have you know that I do more than that,” she replied. “Collecting water, hunting, setting up traps, etc.”

I guess she had a point.

“Is there anything else we can hunt?” I asked. Evil rabbits were not something heroic or exciting to hunt.

“You want to hunt slimes?” She asked.

I shook my head. “How about goblins? Or perhaps dragons? Is there any create like that around here?”

“YOU, want to hunt dragons?” Henrietta laughed. “No way. Goblins are not a good idea either. But… we can hunt slimes. They give a bit more EXP than rabbits, but they have no loot.”

“Then let’s go!”

***

“This was a bad idea after all!”

The entrance to the slime cave was filled with… well…. slime. The entirety of the floor seemed to be covered in greenish pasta. My boots would get all nasty.

“No, something is wrong,” Henrietta said. For the first time, I saw Henrietta's bushy brows frowning.

“Huh?”

“Slimes only ever release that much slime when they die. Some asshole is poaching on my turf!” Henrietta yelled. “We’ll teach the bastard a lesson. How many explosive potions do you have left?”

I opened my backpack and counted the black potions.

“Five,”

“That should be enough. Blow the entrance to the cave.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Force a cave-in.”

“But-”

“It will not kill the intruder. Trust me. But it will for sure lure them out.”

I was not so sure that was the truth. But I threw the explosives at the entrance, and when the gray rock fell, only a small hole was left. It was enough to walk in and out of the cave, but a single person was more than enough to block the exit. 

“Is that good enough?” I asked Henrietta. Who, without saying a word, set the grass in front of the entrance on fire.

“What are you doing!?”

“Whoever is inside, will have to rush back or they will die.”

“Henrieta…”

“Ufufufufu. Victory is mine,” she said, as she began blowing the smoke into the direction of the cave.

After a few minutes of waiting… A small silhouette coughed her lungs out as they emerged from the darkness cave. 

Henrietta redied her spear.