With a gloomy face, Alice watched her self-inflicted wounds healing under the effects of a life potion.

Eighty points into nowhere... All because I forgot to don my archery tab. But else she would be left with a bruise or even a swelling on her bow-controlling hand.

Sighing, the girl concentrated on the inner fire that appeared again as she drunk the potion. Her sincere hopes were on a healing factor, no matter how weak. Wasn't she like magical undead according to the system anyway? The source of the inner fire was her blood and, more specific, heart. Blood, magical undead... Alice wondered was the system hiding 'vampire' behind the hidden entry in her status, but the girl didn't have any appropriate impulses.

Yet.

"2,108 points... I need armor. Insects use pincers, claws, jaws... fortunately Knight explained well." Alice murmured not just to herself, but also to the system's notebook. "Only plate, or partly plate. My legs and arms are the primary targets. One-sided guards don't work against grabs, it must be round. Segmented armor for the body would be the best. Also attached to leather. Darker. Darker. Here and here, use..."

Briefly, the girl speculated had she been chosen by the system because of her amateurish knowledge about medieval combat, but set on sticking to the 'no special' strategy. When Alice finally did design her full body protection, the system rolled out a mind-breaking 3,000 price tag. Cursing, the short girls proceeded with various machinations, rechecked her every step and grudgingly parted with most of her money.

A full set appeared before her.

Firstly, Alice put on a breastplate. A dark leather body armor with sleeves, which was thicker on the back and in shoulders because riveted metal plates were only covering her chest and belly. Tightly and according to her personal body outlines though. Leather pants followed, and the steeled thigh bits again only wrapped the front. Only her lower legs got full, round plates, with two cap-like salients covering the ankles. The girl's new high boots looked made of leather, again, but were hiding metal splints everywhere but soft soles.

What followed was a thick, round helmet that was also hiding back and sides of Alice's head, with a bridge for the nose and – a heavy decision! – small openings for ear-holes. Her face was protected by a steel mask, flat from the outside, yet smoothly attached on the inside to the cheekbones and to the helmet, leaving the eyes and mouth opened.

Lastly, Alice fixed bracers on her forearms and wore leather gloves with steel protection on wrists and backs of her hands.

The set had many weaknesses against a sentient opponent, but it was cheap enough and absolutely not medieval in its noisiness. The armor wasn't loose at all, and every metal plate was fixed in place and clothed with rubber in points of contact.

Even a full plate armor wasn't that heavy as most people would think. Medieval knights could jump, run and even roll without a problem because of the good weight distribution. Alice's wasn't a full plate, and it was tailored specifically for her by a definitely not a medieval master. Besides, she was much smaller, lighter than an average knight, yet already stronger than many, maybe most.

But only practice could prove a theory.

"Two lesser life potions and one antitoxin, please. And a bottle of water."

[Battle points: 288 - > 43]

"Four arrows with piercing heads."

[Battle points: 43 -> 3]

"Here I go broke."

The smile was sad. Alice didn't have much of a choice though. The girl had to invest every battle point into her equipment because every her dungeon sortie could very well become the last. Magic weapons? The shop still didn't have it and she had no right to place her bet on them appearing on level 5. Judging by exp requirements, she would have to kill dozens of monsters just to reach 6th. What if advanced stuff would appear on level 10, or never? Maybe it would be treasure chests drop exclusives?

Alice didn't know. She tried to ask the chat, but the system obviously prevented them from answering. Fucking system, the girl swore out of a forming habit.

Scarlet: I am going.
PR3DAT0R_696: good luck. Q(`⌒´Q)  don't you die.
Nomad17: Take care. Really
Scarlet: Thx

***Scarlet leaves the chatroom***

I didn't talk to teach... and Knight left earlier. No new faces. Maybe someone of them has already... and we would never know.

"Stop it. Focus." Alice ordered herself.

Emerald Caves (Dungeon Lvl. 0-16) awaited.

The girl advanced through the mist wall slowly with her spear pointing high and found the starting cave was empty and silent.

"No..."

No smells. I should really pull a ban on all self-talk.

In reality, it wasn't Alice's first entering into the dungeon today. After having woken up earlier this morning(?), she felt certain needs arising. Seeing the failure of the system in organizing a toilet and having no desire to pay for a bucket, the girl conveniently vented built-up anger – and wastes, while at it, – here in a corner instead.

There were no traces left now. As expected.

What a bright idea... not.

Quietly, the girl sneaked through the tunnel until the first fork. Then she chose the left passage intending to scout the vicinity of her operational base properly. After a turn, the tunnel narrowed down and became slightly steep, otherwise not any different from any other rock sleeve in the dungeon. Don't tell me there would be an exit there. Not that simple.

Soon, she heard echoes. Screeches, mostly. Then clatters, then humming and hammering.

I went ahead of myself.

Alice's 'Stealth: 1' wasn't enough. Her armor wasn't completely noiseless on its own, she had had no money for such luxury. Now she was spending most of her attention on controlling every muscle to move as silently as possible.

I am either lucky or it's very common for different species to fight in this dungeon.

It took time to get there: her hearing really improved with the perception stat; the tunnel ended with a cave. The girl was indeed lucky, for the tunnel exited high above the ground level. Well, it was convenient for snakeflies, too. Like Alice expected, a fight had broken up inside. A few dozens of giant rodents were seeking death and experience points with each other. Ants were the invaders. Snakeflies were the defenders, judging by eggs covering the surface of three big stalagmites in the cave. Alice had seen those before and the memory made her grimace.

The girl peaked from her high ground position calmly, not hurrying at all to join the fun with a solo performance. She was shy for the crowd was too big. She observed instead.

[Worker Ant Lvl. 6], [Worker Ant Lvl. 7], [Worker Ant Lvl. 9]

Two words names. In some rpgs, it got some meaning.

Specimens were shinier than your usual ant, had slightly bulkier jaws and mandibles than their same level kin, but that was all external differences Alice could spot with her 'Observation: 3 (MAX)'.

They are smarter.

Snakeflies without questions reigned air supreme. Ants, having only a slight numerical advantage, would normally lose. Alice herself could testify they were dumb and a few were already lying on the ground, paralyzed.

Workers were different. They used other ants as shields, baits, and springboards, attacking snakeflies from the middle of the group they had some degree of control over. Snakeflies with no special kinds and half of them being females with no paralyzing tail-needles couldn't withstand their assault at all, yet had to put pressure on ants all the time to keep them from advancing. Their eggs must be protected.

But Alice didn't choose to put a stake on either of the sides.

[Snakefly Lvl. 10]

A five-meter long monster was coldly watching the battle from a stalagmite after all, its tail with a blade-like point swinging lazily about.

Orb-like eyes swept across the cave and the monster's head slowly lifted up. Alice, who just barely had half a head poking from the tunnel, shuddered.