The beetle wave of the dungeon ended like the previous one. Brett was 48 minutes into his run and completely covered in bug guts. Despite the slightly squishy feeling he got whenever he moved his arms, he felt better than he had in days. His thoughts flowed freely, and he no longer had the nagging urge to act. Telling him to do something. 

He knew what he needed. He would grow stronger, and then he would hunt down Cherry's killer and anyone remotely responsible. He analyzed the situation with some semblance of objectivity for the first time. There had to be a reason for what happened. People didn't kill for nothing. It didn't have any of the markings of a serial killer or anything like that. This was clean, calculated, and professional. It spoke of organized crime or the like. 

There was a motive, and if it was business, then there would be something for him to track down. Comparing the fight that covered him in bug guts to what he had seen Bernard and Alan do to the bandits, he knew if he started looking now, he might find himself in more trouble than he could handle. Besides, level 367 was nearly three times their level. Brett himself would have a long way to go. So he resolved to wait, learn this world, explore its in and outs, and grow stronger. 

He just needed to figure out how. Right now, he was getting helped by what were basically complete strangers. So far, they had been nothing but nice to him, but he didn't understand their motives, making it hard for him to trust them. Besides, he had no idea how long he could count on their help. Nothing was binding them to him. They had made no promises. He suspected they were just bored of guarding the caravan, and once they reached the city, he would be alone.

If he didn't want that to happen, he would need to find a way to avoid it. He didn't want to be passive, but what could he offer in return for their assistance? He didn't have anything. Not yet. At the very least, he needed to find out their immediate plans, and then maybe there was something he could work with. 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Brett realized he had been muttering for a while in the middle of the tunnel. He checked the timer. 50 minutes had passed since he entered, and the third wave had not yet begun. Glowing again, he checked his notifications. 

Would you like to be a Bully?

It took him a second to realize the Bully was a class. He quickly rejected that. How was that even a class? Brett thought. The next one was Berserker, something he might be willing to take. It didn't really fit the sneaky vibe he was going for, but he bet it would be powerful. Seeing that he still had an hour and ten minutes left, he decided to take the light to the eyes and keep this one for later. He blinked a few times to relieve the dryness, doing his best to ignore the stabbing light.

Standing up, he walked around the next corner, and the third wave began. This time the bugs were larger, and the shells were harder. They skittered forward with even more speed. The slash of his dagger skittered on the first one's back. That was not a good sign. However, his fist crushed the bug just fine in the follow-up. The hiccup caused him to stumble before getting into his rhythm, and the next big one nipped at his ankle. He felt the pressure clamp down on either side of his leg without any real pain.

Kicking out, he knocked the offender into the wall. The next one was crushed under his boot, then he stabbed down directly into the fourth's back, pinning it to the ground. He was glad this wave was much less dense than the previous one.

Striking out wildly, Brett couldn't find the meditative state that had overcome him in the two previous waves. Instead, every second was a struggle. He had to be intentional with each attack, or he would get bugs clinging to him. A few times, so many grabbed hold that he had to run back to shake them off. 

Mercifully, the wave ended. Brett slumped against the wall and caught his breath. This whole ordeal had gone from meditative and almost fun to a real struggle in a snap. He supposed that was a lesson; a fight can turn on a dime. It took him a couple minutes to fully recover after over an hour of near-constant fighting. 

He wasn't in the worst shape, but the last time he ran for an hour was probably when he played soccer in middle school, and this fight was far more demanding. Looking at the tunnel ahead, he considered whether it was a good idea to continue. Would it not be reasonable to just stop and wait? He had a class that might work for him, and he wasn't getting anything more out of this fight. If things continued getting harder and he got more tired, it might get dangerous. The smart thing would be to sit and wait till the timer runs out and collect my reward. 

He walked forward. He hoped there was a reward. This world somewhat operated like a game; if he knew anything about games, the further you went, the better the reward. He wouldn't get any stronger, hiding from the first sign of real danger.

***

In the fourth wave, the mandibles of the bugs had spikes, and it hurt a lot when they bit him. And they could jump. That made it so more could attack him but also let Brett fight more upright. It was a nice change because his back was starting to ache after bending over for so long.

In the fifth wave, some of the bugs in the back shot sticky strings at him that slowed him down or forced him to rip them off. He got bitten several times. Luckily his jeans were tough enough not to fall apart with a few holes in them, even if they really needed to be cleaned.

Once the timer hit zero, a black portal opened before him. He waited for a reward but realized that he probably wouldn't get it until he checked his notifications. Rubbing his eyes and bearing the light to the eyes, he stepped through the portal. The same odd feeling washed over him as he stepped through as it had the first time.

He stumbled onto an odd scene. Ravenous had apparently woken up, and she sat across from Alan. Between them was a set of what looked like playing cards arrayed in an intricate pattern. They looked up from their game and noticed Brett coming out of the portal. He gave them a glowing wave.

"Did you have fun?" Alan asked. Brett paused for a second. Fun? Thinking back to the desperate struggle, he considered. It definitely was therapeutic.

"Yeah. I think I did," Brett answered through a grin splitting his face.

"So what did you get?" Ravenous asked, staring at him questioningly.

"Get? Oh, I haven't checked my notifications yet."