《A Fungal Dream》Chapter 5. Home

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[

Name: Unknown.

Race: Unknown Lv: 0/?? (0/60)

Main Class: [Life Scholar]

Sub Class: [Runner]

HP(Health Points): 50/50

SP(Stamina Points): 60

MP(Magic Points): 10/10

Active Skills: None

Passive Skills: [Basic Body Knowledge] [Basic Plant Knowledge] [Basic Medicine Knowledge] [Basic Stamina Enhancement] [Basic Movement Enhancement] [Basic Reflex Enhancement.]

Titles: [The One Who Saw A Thousand Worlds]

]

Yep, this definitely looks like a video game status screen. Is there a way for me to see the descriptions of these skills?

I tried various commands, but nothing seemed to work, meaning that there wasn't any or that I will unlock it when I leveled up enough.

This is bullshit. How can a world function like this? Every living being in this world have stats? How the hell is that even possible? What about non-sentient beings, like trees or bacteria? Do they have this? Can they evolve? How those it works?!

While holding my head, which was filled with questions upon questions, the world of the 'System' repaired in it.

[User completed requirements.]

[ You received Title: [Deep Thinker]]

Okay, now I have a tone more question! Why did I receive a title just now? Who names them? Do they have any sort of effects or are they just decorations? SOMEBODY, EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO ME!

Even with the cries of help, no one answered to me, there was only silence which was broken by the sound of water flowing around me.

...You know what? FUCK THIS! No answers? Then I will FIND them! I will research, experiment, and read till I figure out every little thing about this world! I won't stop till I will be the smartest being on this planet!

[User Completed requirements]

[You received Title: Knowledge Driven]]

SHUT UP!

Angry and frustrated I continued walking through the sludge, not carrying about my boots completely soaking in the stuff, or the drips that fell on me from the ceiling.

Need a dry place where I can start working. A place big enough for me to set up the equipment that I stole. A place wide enough for-

Suddenly at the next turn, I met something.

It was a rat. A BIG rat, the size of a dog, maybe bigger.

The rodent was bulky, covered in black fur, had red eyes and two sharp-looking front teeth.

It also looked surprised to see me, it squealed a little before stepping back a little.

Holy mother of -What the hell has it been eating?! Fantasy steroid pills?!

The rat, which I nicknamed Steroid Rat, seemed to gather up its courage and came closer to me, opening its ugly mouth.

Nope!

Instinctively, I jumped back a foot while throwing a potato bomb into its ugly mouth.

The rodent swallowed it whole, squeaking happily, enjoying the taste.

It came toward me, probably asking for more when it immediately stopped, before starting to wheeze.

Blood started to drip out of its mouth and nostril, then it fell limp, squealing and wiggling.

Soon the mold which grew in it killed it from the inside, making its body release that strange orb of light.

Sigh, dinner time.

I grabbed the or put it into my mouth and eat it.

When the warm feeling passed through me, I inspected the rat closer.

...Bah, why the hell not.

I took off my gloves and sack-mask, before-

RIP!

Using my bonny fingers as knives, I slowly peeled off the skin on the back of the rat, revealing what lied underneath it.

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Normal muscular structure. Blood is red, meaning that its blood cells have the same coloration hat the rats in my world. No tumor or sign of mutation noted. Moving towards the ribs.

While I tore off the muscles, I realized that the rat had a secondary vascular system, with the veins looking transparent and containing nothing.

A secondary set of empty veins? Did it pump air and not blood? Those it used them as an easier way for it to transfer oxygen to its cells? Interesting.

Going deeper I reached the bones.

No abnormalities. They are white and surprisingly healthy, considering the environment the subject lived in. Under the ribs, I can see a fleshy sack, probably a protective pouch in which the organs are.

Using all my strength I managed to break off a couple of ribs and opening of the sack.

Man, this thing is fast!

The mold has already grown on most of the organs, making it hard for me to study the thing further.

Next time I want to examine one of these guys I will need to kill them without my potatoes-Hmm, what is that.

Amongst the green organs, I could see something shining.

Not carrying about any hygiene, I reached into the body and pulled it out.

It's a...heart?

It looked like one, but its composition was all wrong.

Firstly, it was hard, and it seemed like it was getting harder. the color also looked glass-like, as if it was made by an artist.

A transparent organ and veins, both containing nothing but air. No, if that vascular system is connected to this heart, then it would mean, that this heart indeed pumped something. But what? I can't find anything in it. A substance that disappears upon death? I need to investigate this when I have some free time.

After putting the heart into my bag, I put my gloves and mask back, only realizing the blood which splashed on me while I was dissecting.

Well damn it, now I look like a serial killer.

Having no better idea, I tried to wash it in the water, resulting in me looking even more disgusting.

...I don't even care anymore.

[Congratulation.]

[You killed your first enemy without being wounded]

[Special one-time reward received: multiplying received Exp(experience points) by 10]

[You received 560 Exp]

[Lv: 9 reached]

[All states have been increased.]

[Congratulations.]

[You dissected your very own prey and harvested its organs]

[Due to Main Class [Life Scholar] You received an additional 40 Exp]

[You reached Lv: 10]

[New skill received:[Basic Steady Hand] ]

Okay, this was too much for once, my head hurts. Let's see what my status looks like now. How did I do it again? Ehhh, Status?

[

Name: Unknown.

Race: Unknown Lv: 10/?? (20/60)

Main Class: [Life Scholar]

Sub Class: [Runner]

HP(Health Points): 60/60

SP(Stamina Points): 70

MP(Magic Points): 20/20

Active Skills: [Basic Steady Hand]

Passive Skills: [Basic Body Knowledge] [Basic Plant Knowledge] [Basic Medicine Knowledge] [Basic Stamina Enhancement] [Basic Movement Enhancement] [Basic Reflex Enhancement.]

Titles: [The One Who Saw A Thousand Worlds] [Knowledge Driven]

]

It seems like once I level up, my states get boosted up too by one. Also, what does Basic Steady Hand do?

The moment I thought about it, my MP dropped to 15, and a dim green light covered my hands.

From what I could tell by testing it on the body of the rat, this allowed me to move my fingers and hands more skillfully.

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Not bad, it will surely be useful when I am operating on a living specimen.

Once I 'cleaned myself again, I continued walking.

On the way, I meet with other rats, but they seemed to be intimidated by my gory appearance, so they quickly ran away from me.

Yeah, that's right, run! run for your miserable lives before I turn you into fur coats!

Soon I finally found what I was looking for.

A side tunnel led me to a dry, narrow passage which ended in a big circular room, with two chairs and a round table in the middle, I could see a few crates in a corner with a lantern on top of one.

I guessed it was some sort of waiting area, where the workers could rest during work, but seemingly nobody used it.

Before settling down, I inspected every cranny of the room, looking for any potential escape route if I was to be discovered.

Sure enough, next to the crates I found a small hole that was probably used as a toilet.

When I found nothing else, I opened the boxes emptying their content on the floor.

Most of it was dried food, which I wouldn't recommend eating, blankets, empty water bottles, and a small hand mirror.

Finally.

I picked the mirror up, took out my mask, and looked at my face for the first time.

it was, as I expected, a skeleton.

A skull looked back at me, covered in a green mold with some black bumps on its surface, within its sockets two small green flames were burning.

So, this is what I look like. Honestly, I expected much worse, it's at least a relief to know that I have a human's skull and not an animal's. Deciding that I saw enough I put the mirror on the pile of stuff I wanted to keep, and I got to work.

The passage was quite narrow, a few crates should block the entrance from those rats and if I need to move out of here, I can pass through the wall! This is truly the perfect place for me!

When I stock up every crate at the entrance, I started emptying my bag, putting the objects on the blankets, the cleanest thing in the room. Need to do some cleaning here, a sterile lab is an efficient lab!

Once I was finished, I blocked the entrance with the crates, partially locking myself in here.

Finally, a little time to rest. And by rest, I mean...

I sat down next to the pile of objects I bought with myself and took the first book I had in hand.

Reading time!

*****

???POV:

"It is getting worse."

A man in a white coat and a knight wearing a masterfully crafted silver armor which was decorated with a gold cross on its chest, looked into a room through a one-wayed mirror.

The otherwise windowless room was entirely made from brownstone, polished to the perfection, with its surface particle shined in the light of the candles which were slowly burning on a table in the furthest corner.

In the middle of the room a double-sized, metal framed bed was placed, and on top of it, a woman was sitting on it.

It was the same woman who inhaled the spores from the potato bomb.

After she arrived back at her base, her case worsened, she needed to be hospitalized.

Her breathing became ragged, with green rashes appearing on her neck, chest, and around her mouth, from with, a small amount of black sludge was dripping out.

She seemed to be in a daze, staring into the distance.

The doctor looked at his notepad, which was filled with papers.

"We have no idea what she has inhaled. The only thing we figured out is that it's some sort of mold, maybe a fungus, that attacks the respiratory system and spreads to the other part of the body through the blood system. It has a negative reaction to healing potions, it becomes violent, increasing its spread drastically. Antidots seems to calm it down, but even the highest grades only managed to slow down its growth. We estimate that if we continue to administer them to her every day, she will live for 3 months, after that, the pathogen has spread to most of her body."

"Is there a way to save her?"

To the knight question, the doctor scratched his head, feeling annoyed.

"Maybe, if we have a sample from the original plant, we could make an antidot specialized to this thing."

"So, we need to find the one who poisoned her."

The knight placed his palm on the glass, creating a barely visible ripple on its surface.

"Angela, can you hear me?"

The girl immediately looked in the direction of the voice, her eyes still dazed, but her voice firm.

"Your Holiness! Wh-What are your Holiness doing here? Am I in trouble?"

"No. You are not. Listen. The doctor said that you are dying from whatever that masked man threw at you. You have 3 months to live, if you take the antidot every day. The problem is that from the reports I received from you and the petrol who was there, this guy is incredibly fast and nimble. We need your help, the fastest holy knight we have. So, you have a choice to make, capture this guy while you are able, saving yourself or stay here, write your will, and let potential victims suffer the same fate as you."

Hearing the words of the knight, Angela's eyes got their focus back, with flames of determination burning in them.

*****

Down in the sewers, several small rats gathered around a bigger member of their race. the rats squealed in pain in grief, seeing as one of the strongest comrades laying there. The worst part was that it died for nothing, the predator that killed it didn't even eat it, I just opened it and left it there, wasting a good meal and a life.

The rats, deciding not to waste their comrade's sacrifice, slowly started to eat its body.

None of them noticed the green mold growing on its innards, the black bumps which release the deadly spored when they got touched them.

Or the giant rat's green heart which slowly started to beat again.

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Somebody asked me, I can't remember who that have I even played D&D as a dungeon master before. The answer is no, I never played it in my life, don't even know the rules.

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