Secrets

The moment Steven stepped beneath the forest canopy, the atmosphere changed.

The salty breeze from the beach disappeared behind him, replaced by the earthy scent of damp soil and moss.

Sunlight filtered through thick branches overhead, casting shifting patches of light across the forest floor.

It wasn't quiet.

Leaves rustled.

Branches creaked.

Occasionally something moved just beyond his vision.

Then he saw the first monster.

"...Seriously?"

A flower.

It looked almost like an oversized daisy growing from a thick green stalk. Instead of roots, however, it possessed two vine-like legs and a pair of flexible vines ending in thorn-covered tendrils that lazily waved through the air.

Further ahead wandered another.

Then another.

Towering venus flytraps waddled from place to place on root-like feet, snapping their enormous mouths at passing insects.

Pitcher plants crawled across fallen logs.

Thorn bushes slowly dragged themselves through the undergrowth.

If someone imagined a plant suddenly deciding to become alive...

It probably existed somewhere in this forest.

"...That's both adorable and horrifying."

The nearest flower noticed him.

Its vines lashed forward.

Steven stepped inside the attack and drove a fist directly through its stem.

His translucent Slime Gloves glowed faintly.

Acid hissed across the monster's leafy body.

The plant rapidly blackened before collapsing into mulch.

"...These gloves are amazing."

The +10 Acid Damage was doing far more work than he'd expected.

Plant monsters practically dissolved after only a handful of solid hits.

One after another...

Steven cleared his way deeper into the woods.

Vines whipped.

Flytraps snapped.

Roots tried tripping him.

He punched.

Kicked.

Dodged.

Stomped.

Hour after hour.

Eventually...

He estimated he'd defeated at least forty different plant monsters.

Some simply dissolved into experience.

Others left behind small glowing leaves.

Each time one appeared, the System quietly announced the same item.

Leaf of Life

Curious, Steven picked one up.

It looked almost ordinary.

Bright green with faint golden veins running throughout.

He cast Identify.

Leaf of Life

A medicinal leaf that restores Health when chewed.

"Huh."

He tucked it away.

The leaf disappeared into his Inventory.

Soon another dropped.

Then another.

By the time he finally stopped fighting...

He'd collected eight of them.

Inside his Inventory they occupied a single slot.

Leaf of Life ×8

Steven grinned.

"Noice."

His thoughts wandered.

"I wonder if there are Alchemist classes?"

Someone had to be making potions.

There was no way Players were just chewing leaves forever.

Maybe an Alchemist could refine them into something stronger.

Healing potions.

Recovery elixirs.

Buffs.

His Wisdom and Intelligence naturally pushed his thoughts toward efficiency.

"Raw ingredients almost never stay the best option."

Eventually fatigue won.

Not physical fatigue.

Mental fatigue.

Constant fighting demanded concentration.

Even if the monsters weren't individually dangerous...

Hours of combat wore him down.

"I've had enough."

He turned around.

Following the distant sunlight filtering through the trees back toward the shoreline.

The beach came into view.

As did the Gate.

Just as Steven approached it...

The enormous doors opened.

A young woman stepped inside.

She looked around eighteen or nineteen.

Dark ponytail.

Athletic build.

Leather armor with a short sword resting casually at her hip.

She stopped dead in her tracks.

"...Where'd all the fucking slimes go?"

Steven awkwardly raised a hand.

"Uh..."

"I think I killed them all."

"...Including the King Slime."

She stared blankly.

Then let out an exaggerated sigh.

"...Figures."

She crossed her arms before shrugging.

"First come, first serve."

Steven smiled apologetically.

"I got tired."

"There are still plenty of plant monsters in the forest."

He pointed inland.

"The place feels endless."

She nodded.

"Good to know."

"Oh."

Steven remembered something.

"If you get lost..."

"...Time doesn't seem to change in here."

"The sun never moves."

"So if you need to get back..."

"Just keep the sun behind you and you'll eventually reach the beach."

She gave him a small nod.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The two passed each other without another word.

Back home...

Life immediately returned to normal.

His mother had made lasagna.

Steven happily accepted two generous servings.

After spending nearly an entire day fighting monsters...

Home cooking tasted incredible.

His parents barely glanced at his torn clothing.

His jeans were dirty.

His shirt had acid holes scattered throughout it.

His mother simply assumed he'd been outside fixing his car.

Or helping a friend.

His father didn't even ask.

Only one person seemed unconvinced.

Joseph.

Late that night...

The house fell quiet.

Steven's medical bed still occupied the living room despite no longer needing it.

He hadn't wanted to explain why he suddenly didn't.

Footsteps descended the stairs.

Joseph appeared.

He quietly walked over.

Neither brother spoke for several seconds.

Finally...

Joseph broke the silence.

"So."

"You became a Player."

Steven looked up.

"...Yeah."

Then realization hit him.

His eyes widened.

"...You."

"You've been one since the beginning."

Joseph smirked.

"You're goddamn right I have."

Steven waited for congratulations.

Advice.

Anything.

Instead...

Joseph's expression hardened.

The warmth vanished completely.

His eyes became cold.

"Don't get in my way."

His voice carried an edge Steven had never heard before.

"...Or you'll regret it."

Without another word...

Joseph turned.

Walked upstairs.

And disappeared into the darkness.

Steven remained frozen.

"...What..."

His older brother had always been relaxed.

Easygoing.

Protective, even.

The man who'd just spoken...

Felt completely different.

There had been something behind those eyes.

Something unsettling.

Almost...

Evil.

Steven frowned.

"...Maybe dungeon stress?"

He shook the thought away.

Eventually...

Sleep claimed him.

The next morning smelled of toasted waffles.

Steven wandered into the kitchen.

His breakfast was simple.

Eggo waffles.

A layer of margarine melting into the hot waffles.

A light drizzle of Aunt Jemima syrup.

A tall glass of orange juice.

Perfect.

Within minutes...

He was already heading back toward yesterday's Gate.

The playground sat nearly empty this early in the morning.

Only a maintenance worker pushed a broom across the nearby sidewalk.

The sandy-white gateway still stood proudly in the park.

Steven smiled.

"So she didn't clear it."

He pushed open the doors.

The beach greeted him once again.

Ocean breeze.

Rolling waves.

Golden sand.

But...

Something was different.

He frowned.

"...Where are the slimes?"

The beach was completely empty.

Not a single blue blob bounced across the shoreline.

"Aren't they supposed to respawn?"

He scratched his head.

"I'll have to check the handbook later."

"Or maybe someone leaked information online."

With no reason to linger...

He headed directly toward the forest.

Hours passed.

Steven continued deeper than he'd explored yesterday.

Plant monsters became less common.

Eventually...

Ancient stone walls appeared between the trees.

"...Ruins?"

Massive cracked pillars rose from the earth.

Weathered carvings covered broken stone.

Nature had slowly reclaimed the structure over countless years.

Near the center...

A staircase descended underground.

Steven smiled.

"Now this feels like a dungeon."

He stepped inside.

Immediately...

The atmosphere changed.

Cold air.

Dark stone corridors.

Water dripping somewhere in the distance.

His footsteps echoed.

Much more fitting.

Movement.

Tiny glowing eyes.

An undead rat scurried toward him.

Its flesh hung loosely from exposed bone.

Steven instinctively punched it.

The creature exploded into dust.

"...Gross."

Further inside...

Undead wolves prowled abandoned hallways.

Feral skeletal cats darted between collapsed rooms.

The monsters were all animal-shaped.

All dead.

All still moving.

"Creepy."

He frowned.

"Why wasn't any of this in the guide?"

Then he smiled.

"...Actually."

"Better for me."

"Maybe nobody found this place yet."

That thought alone filled him with excitement.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

He'd stumbled onto something valuable.

The ruins became increasingly maze-like.

Dead ends.

Collapsed passages.

Circular hallways.

After nearly getting turned around for the third time...

Steven sighed loudly.

"You know..."

"A minimap would be nice."

The System responded instantly.

Learn Skill: Mapping Lv.1?

Steven laughed.

"...Seriously?"

"I really can just complain until you give me things."

"I accept."

-2 Skill Points

Immediately...

A translucent map appeared in the corner of his vision.

Retroactively filling itself.

The beach.

The entrance.

His path through the forest.

The outline of the ruins.

Areas he'd explored were clearly visible.

Everything else remained hidden beneath a dark fog.

"Oh..."

"This is awesome."

Nearly thirty minutes later...

According to his phone...

He reached the deepest chamber he'd seen.

It was enormous.

Unlike the twisting hallways outside, this room was perfectly circular.

Only one monster waited inside.

A giant rat.

Standing upright.

Humanoid.

It gripped a rough wooden spear with practiced confidence.

Though clearly larger than the other undead rodents...

It still stood several inches shorter than Steven's own five-foot-nine frame.

The moment Steven entered...

The creature attacked.

No hesitation.

No warning.

The spear shot forward.

Steven barely twisted aside.

"...Nope!"

There wasn't even time to cast Identify.

The battle erupted immediately.

The rat fought intelligently.

Sweeping strikes.

Quick thrusts.

Powerful lunges.

Several times Steven barely avoided having the spear driven straight through his chest.

His Slime Gloves hissed with acidic energy every time they connected.

Eventually...

After a grueling exchange...

Steven slipped inside one desperate spear thrust.

His fist smashed into the rat's skull.

Then another.

Then a spinning kick shattered its ribs.

Finally...

One crushing downward strike caved in its chest.

The undead creature collapsed.

Its body dissolved into black ash.

Steven staggered backward.

Panting.

His Status flashed.

HP: 20 / 100

"...That..."

He wiped sweat from his forehead.

"...Was cutting it close."

He waited.

No title.

No achievement.

No special drop.

"...What a gyp."

He sighed.

Then noticed something behind where the rat had been standing.

A stone pedestal.

Resting atop it...

A single book.

Its cover was bound in dark green leather reinforced with tarnished bronze corners. A simple emblem had been embossed on the front—a twisting vine wrapped around an open hand.

Steven's pulse quickened.

"...No way."

He hurried across the room.

Thankfully, this low-level dungeon seemed mercifully free of hidden traps.

Stopping before the pedestal, he carefully pointed a finger at the book.

"Identify."

A blue window materialized.

Skill Book

Vine Grasp

Grade: Common

Description: Allows the user to conjure and control a sturdy vine to seize, pull, or briefly restrain a target. The vine's strength increases with the user's Wisdom.

Steven stared at the description.

"...Okay."

He slowly reached toward the book.

"...That... is actually pretty interesting."