[Arc 1] Chapter 2: Tunnels and the Underground Area
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Okay, now I should be safe from that slippery catastrophe, AKA the water snake. *phew*

Ugh, now that I relaxed, Concentration slipped and my vision expanded. Get yourself together, me!

Still, what a monster that snake was. It exceeded the spider by a mile and more.

If that thing isn’t the boss of this place, then I don’t want to imagine the real one.

Now that I think about it, what is this place?

In contrast to the lightly illuminated lake, the tunnels are drenched in darkness. How am I able to see? And why do I know that this place is without light?

There must be some skills that I don’t know of. Skvalv did say that the skills I chose were bonus skills, so it wouldn’t be too strange if I had some from the beginning. Like a racial trait skill.

Well, since all have been going all good for now, let’s start exploring these tunnels for real now.

There is water leaking out of cracks and rifts from the wall. I didn’t talk about it then, because of the triple combo of spider corpse, majestic lake, and scary snake, but the lake got its water from different tunnels that let out waters currents. The water from the cracks has to be leaking from those pipeline-like tunnels.

The tunnel that I'm currently crawling in is going upwards. That means the lake must be at the bottom of the dungeon. I’ll keep calling this place a dungeon till the contrary is proven. This place just has this dungeon-ish feeling.

Since the lake must the lowest level of the dungeon, that would make that snake this dungeons boss. 

Another thing that gives me an impression of the lake being the dungeon’s heart, is that there are no monsters here in the tunnels that are in the vicinity of the lake. No weakling would want to stay near the dungeon boss. I included.

I definitely will not return there! Never! No dungeon bosses, no dungeon bosses!

Moving on, I’ve got a bigger problem than worrying about the snake. And that is that I have no food. There’s nothing to eat in this tunnel.

To be honest, I’ve not been feeling any hungry since I reincarnated, even if several hours have passed since then.

Yes, I needed several hours to be able to move around without mentally vomit my guts out. You gotta problem with that!?

Nevertheless, even a goop of dough needs more than just water, even if they don’t feel hunger. I think. Maybe. Perhaps.

Fat chances that I find a supermarket here though. The same is the chance for fruit trees to grow inside an underground dungeon where sunlight doesn’t reach.

Then there is just one thing left for the menu: monsters.

The thought of eating monsters is creeping me out like any other civilized person. But do I have any other choice? Nope. Not at all! I’m pretty creepy from the beginning, so why care about that in the beginning?

Then how should I hunt those monsters? Better yet, where are they?

Since I’ve escaped the snake, I’ve not seen a single living being, friend or foe. Not even a frenemy.

I should check out my stats before going into battle.

Wait, how do I check my status?

‘Status’? ‘Skill List’? ‘Anything’!?

Oh crap. This isn’t good. I forgot to ask Skvalv how to access my status!

...Let's leave that for later, till a time when I’ve managed to get to safety first. *Sigh*

---

After some unknown time, more than a few days, I managed to find a huge passage that leads out of the tunnel.

Yes, I have been lost a few times. Yes, I also have a terrible sense of direction.

But anyone that has to concentrate with all their might just to focus their sight forward, will end up as a certain moss-head swordsman! Try it yourself if you don’t believe me!

Okay, enough venting. What does the outside look like?

The new passageway didn’t lead outside. Instead, it ended up in a wide, open area, like an underground plain.

From what I can see, the size of this new area is around three times that of the lake cave below it. It goes so far in that I cannot see the end of it.

Something appearing to be pillars of water falling from the ceiling.

This is not waterfalls I’m talking about. It’s literal pillars made of water.

If I have to explain it, it’s like an upside-down geyser from the ceiling, just without the water splashing all over the place, and the water is clear as crystal.

The water pillars are glowing like the lake water, although somewhat weaker. The water is disappearing into the ground, probably on it’s way down to the lake.

Now that is fantasy! Nevertheless, there is something more important about this area:

… I know I asked for some monsters, but this is ridiculous.

The whole place is flooded with monsters.

Many of them have aquatic features, like the huge frogs, a fish/human crossbreed walking on two legs, something that looks like a combo of a ray and a bat, and finally, a turtle with the neck of an eel. Just to mention a few.

Guess there is sushi for dinner tonight. Or maybe not. The amount of monsters is ridiculous. It’s like a monster party.

The monsters are not trying to kill each other, but that’s only because they are all steering clear of anyone else. If someone tries to do something funny, the rest of them will gang up on the troublemaker.

Who would be such an idiot? Not me. I'm just passing through. 

Good thing that I have [Stealth]. As long as I’m using that and keeping my distance from the monsters, I will be able to slip through them. 

This open area is a bad hunting ground for me right now. Let’s try the tunnels that go higher up.

In video games, the closer to the surface, the weaker the dungeon monster is, right? That theory is probably right when we ignore the fact that I was born in the boss room.

Then, away from the monster party, we go!

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