Berry Fairy pounded her fists into the back of the Glaber's head, sending shockwaves through its body. She had learned quickly after their first encounter with these monsters that striking them at the back of their craniums would cause the most damage.

It had been Lixin who noticed it. If it weren't for him she would still be expending all her MP trying to kill these things. She was grateful he did, now she wouldn't have to keep chugging down those nasty potions.

Furrowing her brows at the thought, she gave the giant mole rat one final punch, killing it. As it slumped to the ground, defeated, she leapt down from its back and looked over at Lixin with a satisfied smile, giving him a triumphant thumbs up.

~

[Cora:] [You Have Leveled up!]

[Cora:] [You are now level 4!]

[Cora:] [You have gained 5 skill points!]

Lixin returned the smile, pleased he had leveled up and walked toward her. However, he couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty. After learning of the Glaber's weak point, he barely needed to help in the battle at all.

All he needed to do was bind the monsters and Berry Fairy would do the rest. Yet she was still willing to share the loot evenly and even assured him that it was fine.

If he still thought she was a two-faced vixen like his stepsister and stepmother, he no longer thought so.

“How about we take a rest here?" Lixin proposed after they looted all the items from the fallen Glabers. He was slightly disappointed that he didn't get any more crystal cores after that first time. However, he did get tons of coins, metal plates, and potions. "I don't know about you but I want to check my fullness and make sure it hasn't dropped too low."

"That's right," Berry Fairy acknowledged, absentmindedly scratching the back of her neck. "I got an alert about that when I was fighting that Glaber."

Lixin couldn't believe her nonchalance. He knew she must not have experienced the side effects of low fullness yet. “Berry, you can’t be so carefree about this. If your fullness dips below fifty while in battle it can be really dangerous."

"What could happen?" She inquired as she took out a loaf of bread from her inventory and started eating it.

‘’While it is manageable below fifty, it will affect your speed. But when it reaches forty or lower, it will feel like you have 100-pound weights tied to your legs, making it extremely difficult to move," he said, remembering how horrible he felt when he was walking back to Peter's shop.

Berry Fairy processed his words and promised herself that she wouldn't let it happen again. "I will keep an eye on it from now on."

Seeing that she understood the necessity of watching her fullness level, Lixin nodded before checking his own status; looking at both his temperature and fullness levels. 

Name: Fortuitous Fish Race: Koi

Title: N/A

Level: 4 Exp: 25/1000 (+5000 after level 10) Skill Points: 5 ←-- (+5 each Lvl)

HP: 130/130 MP: 130/130 SP: 130/130 ←- (+10 each Lvl)

Char: 6 Str: 5 Int: 10 Dex: 7 Mental: 7

Fullness: 59% Temperature: 16°C (60°F)

Special:

Luck: 10

Coins: 0 Gold 0 Silver 620 Bronze

Once he saw that his fullness was in the fifties he knew it was time to open one of those packets of sweet biscuits he bought at the general shop. However, it seemed he didn't have to worry about his temperature. It barely rose. It must be because he was in these dank tunnels.

After quickly distributing his skill points he closed his status and began eating his biscuits. They tasted alright despite being a little firm. With a flavor profile of four, he expected the worst, but they might suffice in a pinch. When he had finished eating two of them, he wiped the crumbs off his lips and looked toward the Panda girl to see if she was ready to continue their journey.

~

As Lixin checked his stats, Berry Fairy did the same for her own. She couldn't believe how much EXP she had accumulated since arriving at this location-- just 150 more points of experience and she would level up to 8.

In her mind, meeting the Fish Boy was by far the best thing that had happened to her in this game. Not only was she receiving tons of experience, but also tons of coins.

The only thing that disappointed her was the items. She expected at least one valuable thing from these monsters but got nothing.

However, she learned after they killed that first Glaber that she was the only one. It seemed that Fortuitous Fish had lucked out and gotten something amazing—and here she was getting zero loot. 

She couldn't help but wonder if the fish boy's luck was that great or if it was just bad luck on her part. Just as she was pondering whether she should ask her brother to get her an item with a luck buff, the fish boy interrupted her thoughts.

~

"Are you ready to continue?" Lixin asked as he shifted the skeleton in his arms.

"Yup, Berry Fairy responded. "I feel so much better after eating. I can't wait to kick some more Glaber butt."

Lixin laughed at her words, "Well, I better rebuff you so that you can. I don't want it to wear off while we are fighting."

"Oh man, just thinking about that is terrifying. Without the defense buff, I still might be able to handle my own but if they get in a good strike I will definitely be struggling."

It was the exact opposite for Lixin, if the monster hit him he wouldn't be struggling, he would be dead. Another reason he preferred long-distance fighting. It's easier to escape.

~

Once he cast the buffs again, they continued their journey through the tunnels. The stale air hung heavy in the darkness and each footstep seemed to echo loudly off the walls.

Every now and then they thought they heard something but when they aimed the Whooselit flowers toward the sound nothing materialized. Finally, they reached an intersection with two tunnels branching off in opposite directions.

"Which tunnel should we take?" Berry Fairy asked, looking toward Lixin for guidance.

He surveyed both passages, debating his options, when suddenly he felt a strange force within him directing him to take the left tunnel. Although confused, he had no clue where to go, so he decided to trust the force and gestured for Berry Fairy to follow him.

The farther along they walked, the more relieved they became that they weren't running into any Glabers. Well, Lixin was happy, but Berry Fairy was somewhat disappointed.

Then, almost as if it were fate, a faint light appeared in the distance and grew brighter as they approached. They had the feeling the exit was near.

Lixin and Berry Fairy exchanged a smile before picking up their pace. As they walked the tunnel widened, turning into a large cavern. However, they didn't care about that because the exit was just ahead.

'Finally, we can leave this tunnel,' Lixin thought, until he noticed movement near the wall next to the exit. That's when he saw it.

He stopped the Panda girl by extending his arm in front of her. When she stared at him, puzzled, he motioned toward the wall. She didn't see anything at first, but when she did, her eyes widened. Because there was a Glaber in front of them. One that appeared to work out a lot.

New Stats (with buffs & after eating):

Name: Fortuitous Fish Race: Koi

Title: N/A

Level: 4 Exp: 25/1000 (+5000 after level 10) Skill Points: 5 ←-- (+5 each Lvl)

HP: 130/130 MP: 130/130 SP: 130/130 ←- (+10 each Lvl)

Char: 12 Str: 10 Int: 17 Dex: 14 Mental: 12

Fullness: 94% Temperature: 16°C (60°F)

Special:

Luck: 10

Coins: 0 Gold 0 Silver 620 Bronze

~

Author Says: Macho Glaber Alert!