- “Well done, cutie pie. Eight experience points gained.” – Lavita announced excitedly.

“Ok, if my calculations are correct, I should receive a Level Up offer after the next kill,” I spoke out loud.

I’ve been killing Rhakis from an early morning. After my last Level Up offer, I’ve killed thirty seven of them and the next kill will confirm if I was right about needed three hundred experience points for a level up. I already knew the main spots where Rhakis spawned. It was my third day down here and I have worked out a pattern of going around, finding where those fish-alligator-dinosaur creatures dwelled, killing them and moving to the next spot. Taking into account the time it took me to do one round and the number of times I passed the same spot in a single day, I found out that Rhakis had about two hours respawn timer.

Surprisingly, I’ve encountered only one adventurers group while being here. I didn’t interact with them in any way. I was fighting two Rhakis at the time. I have fought them long enough to take two on and kill them without too much trouble now. After I killed one Rhaki, my eyes caught figures lingering in the distance. I could tell right away they weren’t monsters. I was still engaged with the second Rhaki, so I put my attention to get rid of it.

As soon as I killed it, I looked to see what the group was up to. I could tell they were observing me, but then all of them turned away and left the area. I don’t know what they were up to, but them seeing someone soloing Rhakis might’ve made an impression. Maybe they wanted to help out, but then again, they didn’t come over to help when I was fighting Rhakis and then left right after I’ve dealt with the monsters.

“Here you are. Come on, let’s make it quick,” I found one more Rhaki at the spot I expected it to be. “Shield.”

A magic shield shot out of my hand, hitting the monster on the side and making it fall over on its back. I quickly jumped in to smash it with my shields two more times to finish it off. Rhaki’s body puffed into a glowing dust, leaving an item behind.

“Oh, another Rhaki’s skin. Guess I’ll take it,” I had one more extra inventory slot thanks to eating one Carnabbit’s meat for breakfast.

- “You’re such a stud, taking care of it so easily. Eight experience points gained.” – Lavita’s announcement came next. – “Aah… you just look at that. You’ve acquired maximum experience points for another Level Up. How about we get to it right away? I’m all ready for you, my love.” -

“Aha, I was right,” I smirked, hearing Lavita tell me she was ready to do ‘it’ again. “Humph… let’s hear what you are up to this time, Lavita.”

I chose the ‘No’ option, waiting to be blown away by Lavita’s orgasms again.

- “Maximum level three stats reached. Cannot increase stats anymore.” – But I was taken by surprise when I heard the old, lifeless, mechanical voice announce Lavita won’t be putting her performance for me this time. – “Maximum experience points reached. Overgrowth skill is activated. Increasing character’s level from level three to level four. Complete. Increasing maximum limit of all character stats. Complete. Increasing Growth skill by one. Complete. Defense Skill: Shield has been improved. Attack Skill: Shield has been improved. Level Up complete.” –

“Wow, yes. Finally,” I raised my hands up to flex. For the first time ever, I was happy my level has been increased. “Ok, ok. Let’s check my stats now. Show Status.”

I opened my Status Window to check how my stats looked now.

***

Rockin Starling. Class: Shielder.

Character Stats:

Stamina – 28 + 4

Strength – 32 + 10

Agility – 21 +3

Spell Power – 5

Magic Energy – 10

Growth – 3

***

“Ok, so all of my stats except the Growth stats stayed the same after my level was increased. Hmm… the voice said my Growth stat has been increased by one point, but what does it do?” I had no idea and it didn’t give any explanation of what it did. “Whatever… Right, it said my both Shield skills have been improved. Let’s see…”

I quickly switched to my Skills tab window to see how they were improved. The first thing that caught my eyes was both skills had a cooldown of four seconds now which meant the cooldown timer had been reduced, so now I’d be able to use my Shield skills more. However, other than the change in the cooldown timer, no other descriptions about the Shield skills have changed. Still, the reduction in skill’s cooldown was pretty sweet.

“Right, I guess I’ll go back now,” I had only half a container of water and only two pieces of Carnabbit meat left with me. “Damn this mud. I’ll need to wash… and buy new clothes too.”

Even if I had extra supplies, I wouldn’t want to stay here any longer. The only reason I stuck around was to check if I was correct about how much experience I needed to get to reach a Level Up offer. It was probably three hundred experience points, but now that my level has been increased, it would probably take more than that. However, I decided I’ll leave it for later.

I backtracked my way to where the pathway was. Thanks to it, I would be able to find my way out of the current floor and get out of here. As soon as I reached the path, I saw people walking in a distance. They were walking towards me, so I figured they were going to the fifth floor of the dungeon. As soon as they saw me approach, they stopped. We were on the same footpath, so me stopping might’ve looked suspicious, so I just kept going. However, I still slowed down my pace. I couldn’t tell who they were from the distance, but I knew they were people I haven’t met before.

When I got close enough, they stepped aside to let me through. We didn’t exchange any words or greetings. I simply passed them, gripping my shields tighter as I did. When I glanced to the sides, I could see they were looking at me with eyes full of pity, averting their stares when our eyes with some of them met.

“A lone survivor?” I heard one of the guys ask after I left the group behind.

“Probably. He must’ve had it rough,” another one added.

“Yeah, hope he will make it back alive,” the third one said.

They probably spoke for a short while longer before going on their way, but I couldn’t hear them anymore. Their words made me wonder, however. I definitely looked like a mess. Fighting Rhakis in the mud for three days really put my clothes to the test. My pants were all ripped and full of holes. My sleeveless leather jacket was still holding up, but I threw away my shirt because how badly torn it was. Worse yet, my shoes were just shoelace away from falling apart too. Not to mention, all the dirt that was stuck on me probably made me look like a swamp monster. No wonder the adventurers I met just now looked at me with pity. They were wrong on one account, however. I wasn’t a lone survivor. I was fighting Rhakis solo all this time and I wasn’t in a bad shape, my clothes were. In any case, I didn’t care what others thought of me anyway. I picked up my pace to reach the exit from the fourth floor faster.

On my way out of the third floor, I decided to visit the Secret Area with the Guardian Tree. I had no intention of spending unnecessary time in there, but wanted to wash myself a little. I didn’t go all the way to where the Guardian Tree was. I simply went to the stream to wash as soon as I came out of the secret passage. The spot where the small river was flowing through the cracks in the stone wall wasn’t that far from it. I filled up my water containers with the water from the stream too. The Guardian Tree’s water had healing properties in addition to tasting very refreshing. After a short stop to wash and relax, I left the area and made my way out of the dungeon.

Aaah… I’m finally out of the dungeon. I took a deep breath in once I was out of it. Emmy was right. A serene, peaceful feeling filled my body when I stepped out of the dungeon. Right, I better go before it gets completely dark.

The evening was approaching and I still had to walk back to the city which would take me another hour or so. I felt really hungry when I reached Hirvant, but I still decided to visit the Guild first. The Guild was always open, even during the night. They had adventurers come and go at different times of the day, so it had to be open at all times.

“Hi Rozalina,” I was a little surprised to see her work so late.

“Rockin, hi. Wow, what happened? You look…” She gasped after seeing me.

“Like a swamp monster?” I frowned in a funny manner, making Rozalina chuckle.

“S… sorry…” She tried to hold in her laugh.

“It’s ok. I know how I look,” I’ve already received a few weird stares from other adventurers after I entered the Guild building. “So, about that Quest to get Rhaki’s skin.”

“Ah, that. Did you manage to find a party in the end?” Rozalina asked.

“Well, no…” I crinkled my nose.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. Do you want me to cancel the Quest? You can check what else is available on the Quest Board,” she suggested.

“No, no. I want to report the Quest as completed. I have Rhaki’s skins right here,” I opened my Item Storage Box and took out six Rhaki’s skins which I placed on the counter.

“Huh? You… completed the Quest on your own?” Rozalina was shocked to learn that.

“Well, yeah… What else could I do if nobody wanted to form a party with me?” I asked, motioning with my hand and shrugging my shoulders.

“Wow… well… one moment, please,” Rozalina went to get something from the cupboard next to the wall behind her. “So, here is the payment for the Quest and I will be taking Rhaki’s skins. Also, you earned additional Rank points too.”

“Ok, thanks,” I took the two silvers she placed on the counter. “Sorry, but I’ll be going now. I’m really hungry. Good night.”

“Ah, bye, Rockin,” Rozalina said, her face still showing a hint of amazement and surprise.

Right, all the shops are closed right now. Let’s hope Savirei’s diner is still open. I was looking forward to tasting her cooking again.

Fortunately for me, Savirei’s diner was still open. It wasn’t full of patrons, but it wasn’t empty either. I got a real eyeful as soon as I entered the diner. I knew I looked like a mess, but I didn’t have any spare clothes to change to.

“My, my, what happened to you, handsome? If I didn’t know better, I might think you like to play dirty,” Savirei commented with a chuckle upon seeing me.

“Well, the fourth floor of the dungeon is not very fit for picnics,” I tried to joke about it.

“I see. I’m glad to see you back in one piece, darling,” she understood what I meant. “I take it you’re hungry? But just so you know, I can offer only Carnabbit meat for now. I’m all out of Rhaki’s meat I’m afraid.”

“About that. I have a few pieces of Rhaki’s meat for you. Well, more than a few,” I said, adding a smile.

“Ah, you’re such a charmer. That will make a few of my regulars happy. How many pieces did you bring me, darling?” Savirei’s eyes sparkled.

“Let me check,” I opened my Item Storage Box to see. “I have twenty pieces in total.”

“Oh, my. You’ve been really busy. I was wondering why you hadn’t shown up at my diner for the last couple of days. Now I know why. Why don’t you come with me to the storage room, so we can sort it out?” Savirei motioned with her hand to follow her.

“Sure,” I went after her.

Savirei brought me to another room where she kept her supplies. We passed the kitchen where a bear-looking beast-woman was preparing a dish for someone. The kitchen was quite spacious, looked well organized, clean and tidy. Savirei must’ve had more people working for her during the busy times of the day, but since it was very late, she had only one other assistant to help her now.

“Here we are. Why don’t you place all the meat on this table, darling?” Savirei removed a box that was sitting on it.

“Ok,” I started taking out the meat and placing it on the table. “Sorry, some of it is a bit dirty.”

“No worries, darling. It is normal, considering the meat drops on the ground after Rhaki is killed. I take good care to wash it well before preparing it,” Savirei told me.

“Right, this is the last one,” I said, after taking all the meat out. The table had a mountain of meat lying on it.

“Twenty pieces of Rhaki’s meat. You surprised me good, darling. I am willing to pay you one silver for four pieces of Rhaki’s meat or… I could pay you… in some other way, whichever you prefer…” Savirei became extremely sweet all of a sudden. She licked her lips while running her hand around her breasts. I couldn’t mistake her actions for anything else other than Savirei offering a very special payment for the meat I got her.

“Ah, that is… very generous of you, Savirei,” my mouth became very dry in an instant. I would’ve definitely accepted her ‘other’ offer if not for me being broke and in a complete mess as far as my appearance was concerned. Not to mention, I really needed a bath. “But you see, I’m really broke right now, so… I need the money and… I’d like to… put myself in order… in addition of needing a bath…”

“Oh, I don’t mind getting a little dirty, if you know what I mean? Besides, you got dirty for my sake, darling,” Savirei came closer and pressed herself against me. Her breasts felt very soft and very, very pleasant.

“Aah… sorry, Savirei,” my body shivered when she licked the side of my neck, making me jump. “Maybe… some other time? I appreciate the offer, really, but… I don’t think I’m up for it right now.”

I honestly had mixed feelings about it. I couldn’t hide the fact that her licking my neck made me feel aroused. However, she was a beast-woman for one and I couldn’t help but wonder how would that work. Beast-humans must’ve had the same body composition as all normal humans had, but I was yet to confirm that. I wasn’t comfortable with having sex with a furry woman. Not yet, at least.

“Please do forgive me, darling. You’re the first person in a long while who went out of their way to not only fulfil my request, but you also overdelivered by a mile. I couldn’t help but feel grateful to you,” Savirei smiled at me in a seductive manner, her eyes flashing with passion.

“You’re… welcome. I mean, I have honestly enjoyed your cooking and… I wanted to taste roasted Rhaki’s meat again, so…” I didn’t know what else to say.

“Your kind words fill me with an immense joy, darling,” she touched her cheek with one hand. “Well then, how about I prepare some Rhaki’s meat for you and it will be my treat this time? Oh, and I will pay you for the meat as promised.”

“Thank you,” I said, my mouth filling with drool when I remembered the taste of Rhaki’s meat.

“My, my, you must be really hungry,” Savirei noticed it.

“Yeah. I haven’t… eaten anything since breakfast,” I felt embarrassed, admitting it.

“Really? How unthoughtful of me. Please, forgive me for making you wait, darling. Please,” Savirei motioned for me to leave the storage room, but then she stopped right before opening the door. “And just so you know, the other offer is still on the table, whenever you feel like it.”

“Ah? Oh, ok, thanks,” I averted my eyes away, feeling like a dork.

I didn’t have to wait too long for Savirei to cook some Rhaki’s meat for me. She brought the order to my table in a short while, together with five silvers as a payment for the meat I have brought her.

“Here you go, darling. I’ve cooked half a serving just like before for you. Of course, if you don’t feel satisfied with one serving, I can always cook another one for you,” Savirei told me after placing the plate in front of me.

“That smells so good. Thank you,” I didn’t hide how excited my taste buds felt, the drool filling up my mouth.

“By the way, I wanted to ask you, darling. Where are your party members? I would’ve treated them as well, you know,” Savirei wanted to know.

“Oh, ahm… I don’t have a party. I went… to the dungeon by myself,” I told her in between the bites.

“By yourself? Wait, you mean, you got all that meat fighting Rhaki’s on your own?” Savirei was definitely surprised, as well as, impressed.

“Yup. Apparently, my level is too low, so other adventurers didn’t want me to form party with me,” I told her the truth.

“Your level is too low? But… what is your level, if you don’t mind me asking, darling?” She became very curious.

“I’m level four right now, but I gained a Level Up right before leaving the fourth floor,” I saw no reason to hide it from her.

“Level four? You must be messing with me, darling,” She pierced me with her sparkling, brown eyes. “Even level six adventurers form groups to fight Rhakis. Mind sharing your secret with me?”

I was devouring Rhaki’s meat, but Savirei was devouring me with her eyes and didn’t hide it.

“Well, I have a skill that allows me to use higher level equipment which… increases my stats as a result,” I wasn’t lying about that part, but I didn’t want to reveal I had a Unique skill that allows me to increase my stats by declining a Level Up offer.

“Wow, a skill that allows you to use higher level equipment. That must be a very rare skill you have there, handsome,” if there weren’t any other patrons inside her diner, I could almost see Savirei crawling on the table on all fours and then on me, and I probably wouldn’t be able to resist her at this point.

“It… helps… gulp…” I was having a hard time swallowing my food. “To tell you the truth… I wish I could join a party or at least have someone else with me when I go out to the dungeon.”

I don’t know why I told her that, but the words came out of my mouth on their own.

“Yes, I can understand that. It must feel… rather lonely being on your own,” this time, Savirei sounded rather supportive. “You know, you could always buy a slave for yourself.”

“Huh? Buy a slave?” My hand stopped midair when I was about to put another bite of the food in my mouth.

“Of course. Some adventurers buy slaves to make up the numbers to fill their party. It doesn’t always work out, unfortunately. Many slaves are lazy and rebellious, but if you can find one that is willing to work hard for you, they could be worth the cost,” Savirei told me.

That’s right. Luise had that dog person, Ronnie with her. He was quite loyal to her too. Hmm… that might be a good idea, actually. I thought about it quietly.

“Where can I buy a slave?” I asked Savirei.

“There’s a Slave Market a few districts away from where the Crafters District is. They also have slaves for sale at the Auction House now and then, but the ones sold at the Auction House are less fit for adventuring and are usually groomed for… other uses instead,” Savirei’s sly smile told me exactly what she meant by the ‘other’ uses.

“Right, good to know,” I smiled at her, pretending I wasn’t bothered by it.

I guess I’ll check the Slave Market tomorrow. Buying a slave, eh? The thought was foreign to me, however. I knew what a slave was, but I would’ve never imagined of ever owning one. Anyway, I still had to put myself in order before I did anything else.

“Would you like another serving after this one, darling?” Savirei asked, seeing me about to finish my food.

“No, thank you. One is more than enough. And just so you know, it was extremely delicious,” it honestly was and I felt really full after finishing my food.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Savirei smiled.

“I’ll be going now. Thanks again, Savirei,” I stood up to go.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” she said with a sly smile.