Robin stared at his SP pool. It was the largest amount he had held at one time. And he had reached level 3! The new abilities were pretty neat… except the lesser armor of the beetle. That sounded grotesque. But more grotesque than those things? Robin took another step away from the elevator. He sighed.

Robin focused. Lesser Armor of the Beetle!

He immediately felt an itching over his skin, like his entire body was immersed in writhing hair. Robin stared at his forearm. A brown shell was forming over it, looking a little bit like a bracer. It went completely around his forearm, leaving only a small seam at the elbow, with the edges slightly flared up. A similar shell was forming over his upper arm, completely surrounding his biceps. Robin could feel the shell forming underneath his clothes, and was worried for a moment that it would rip his clothes. He didn’t hear any ripping, although his shoes were tight. He bent over and loosened the laces, adjusting for his slightly larger feet.

The sensation faded after a minute or so. He hadn’t felt anything grow on his head, but he checked his scalp just in case. No helmet! Thank Yoshi. If I met a random person they might attack me… He pictured himself being gunned down as he left the Laboratory and shuddered. The walls outside did have those massive anti-poacher guns… They probably can’t face inside, anyway. Uh-huh. Sure.

Robin heard a sloshing noise from up the way he came originally in the hallway, like a bucket being poured out. He looked up sharply and saw small rivulets of iridescent slime oozing out from the door he had fled. The door had dozens of holes in it, and looked to be almost entirely dissolved.

Robin paled. This thing is relentless.

He considered his options. I can rup up the stairs and deal with the black widows with the weird golden hourglass, I can try the elevator… He glanced at the elevator, edged closer, and then pressed the elevator button. This floor only had “up.” The button lit up and dinged, immediately going dark again. ...right. I guess it’s already here. I’d have to get in to really try it.

Nope. Not yet.

I can go to some of the other rooms. That thing will probably follow me, though. What other rooms might even be useful? I really don’t want to go anywhere near that thing again. The slime had almost entirely dissolved the door, and was beginning to burble out into the hallway.

Robin stepped into the elevator and pressed the “G” button, praying it would get him to the ground floor. He hesitated. Crap. Are the others still here…? He hesitated and then pressed the buttons for the other five floors. Dumb. Dumb! Everyone else probably got out already. You’re gonna die trying to be a white knight for nobody!

Robin prevented the door from closing and called out to Opal. She ran to him immediately, climbing down the ceiling and running across the floor, reaching her foreclaws up for him to pick her up. Robin sighed bemusedly and picked her up, setting her on his shoulder.

He let the door close.

The elevator did not screech and groan quite as loudly as it had before, but it still sounded unhealthy. Robin stood awkwardly in the middle, finding himself conflicted in his desire to hold the handrails and his desire to not be near the smeared spider corpses. The freight elevator rose lurching into the elevator shaft, smearing the spider bodies further onto the wall. Several were smushed off of the elevator and fell into the darkness below, a heavy splat their swan song.

Robin kept his head swiveling, trying to look in all directions at once. The elevator rose to the next floor and began the opening procedure. Robin readied his machete, expecting something to leap out at him. The door opened and Robin braced himself… for the empty hallway. It was the same kind of stone he had seen so far, along with another water fountain. Robin took a step outward as he had another thought.

I wonder if there is another rest room here?

Robin glanced back at Opal. She wasn’t following him , and…

Was she in pain? She was writhing on the ceiling! Her back was arching outward, bulging, and Robin saw it beginning to rip open. He stepped forward in horror, reaching out for her when he saw a vivid pink claw poke through the hole in her back. It was limp and noodly, but it was definitely a mantis claw.

She’s molting! This is amazing! Is she evolving? This is so cool! And… really, really gross. Ah, crap. Not supposed to stare at them or move them while they are molting. Robin looked away from Opal deliberately, then reached over to pull the “work halt” switch on the elevator panel. I hope no one else needs this before she’s done…

Robin stepped out of the freight elevator and shut the shaky metal behind him. She would be safe in the elevator cage, and he wouldn’t overly stress her out with his presence this way.

Might as well spend my SP while I have a moment…

Robin spot-checked the hallway again and then pulled up his menu, angling himself so that he could see down the hallway while reading it. I wonder… Robin focused, and the menu became partially transparent. Woohoo!, he thought, leaning more comfortably against the wall beside the elevator.

STR

12

+

AGI

16

+

CON

10

+

BODY

14

+

INT

16

+

WILL

13

+

AURA

15

+

LOOKS

10

+

PHYSDEF

3

+

MENTDEF

2

+

ENERDDEF

1

+

SPEED

4

+

RECOV

5

+

REGEN

1

+

PHYSTAM

48

+

MENSTAM

58

+

MANA

10

+

RUN

7

+

SWIM

2

+

LEAP

3

+

SP

17

+

So far, SPEED had left him with the most noticeable difference in his physical abilities. Robin flexed his fist, glaring mildly at it. His STR score was low, and his CON was also low. Robin refused to acknowledge his low LOOKS score. ...can’t quantify something subjective like that. Robin attempted to refuse to acknowledge his low LOOKS score.

This might be a good opportunity to see how the points work with my stats…

Robin put a point into BODY. Health is always a good choice. His body increased by one, as expected, but he noticed that his PHYSTAM increased by two. Grimacing, he put five points into CON. His CON jumped to fifteen, and his PHYSTAM increased by a whopping ten points. Robin flexed his arms and jumped up and down a bit. He didn’t feel any different…

I think I have to get my STR up sooner rather than later. I keep facing huge creatures, and I need to actually be able to hit them hard enough to do damage without always relying on Shining Swipe. Robin decisively added a point to STR. Ten points left. I don’t know if I’ll get another multi-kill windfall of SP like that, so maybe taking the one that I can’t level up slowly would be best. Robin wavered, then willed his system points into SPEED.

It ticked up to five, and the “+” beside it disappeared. What does that mean!?

Almost like an answer to the seedling of panic, a notification appeared.

PEAK HUMAN (I) You have reached the limit supportable by the natural human BODY in one of your attributes. Much like the heroes presented in fable, myth, and story, you recover faster than others. +5 RECOV, +1 REGEN

Robin’s jaw dropped. That was six SP worth of stats! His RECOV had just doubled. Robin grinned. I am no chūnibyō! Behold my power! Robin made finger claws and cackled silently, leaning against the wall. First this dungeon-lab-thing, then the world! And that (I)...! Are there more? Is this a tiered title?

Robin sighed and sat down against the wall, keeping his eyes on the hallway. Wait on Opal or explore a little bit? Maybe I could take apart that water fountain, too… Robin decided to do just that. He walked over to the water fountain, and as he expected, had more of the strange ceramic screws. Robin willed the anytool to change and placed it down.

He suddenly felt naked without the machete. He reached into the satchel and pulled out the broom, feeling a little silly.

The anytool finished transforming. Robin picked it up and unscrewed the ceramic screws, then took the thin stone plate off. He peered in and saw a similar flask to the one he had removed from the previous fountain. He reached in, snapped the thin metal holding it to the tube, and quickly screwed the cap on. After a quick Identify, Robin confirmed it was another Flask of the Red Rune Witch. He placed it into his satchel, and after a moment of hesitation, stuck the stone fountain cover in, as well. Why not? Every purse should have some random junk in it… Robin dropped the ceramic screws in after it, then stood up.

Robin stepped over to the nearest door and inspected it. It was a lighter brown than the doors below had been. To his surprise, a box appeared.

Willow Door of Growth The room sealed by this door gains +10% plant and [edible] fungus growth.

...huh. That’’s oddly specific… He reached for the handle and lifted it, pushing the door into the room. The verdant, earthy smell of an indoor garden flooded out, along with the pinkish glow cast by plant lights. It smelled like outside, and to Robin, it smelled like freedom.

Robin’s brief revelry was interrupted by a shrill voice shouting “First Rune: Ignore Armor!”, and a thin, shimmering green sword blade snapping through the barely-opened door towards him.

The odd light was disorienting. Robin noticed the strange rippling of the green blade arching towards his face, the c contrast making it stand out in the odd lighting. He moved to yank his head back, letting go of the door. His newly-acquired SPEED was the only thing that saved him from being skewered through the eye by the first thrust, but he realized immediately that there was a reason that SPEED and AGI were different. The thrust cut into his cheek, neatly slicing through the top of his cheek before darting backwards. He moved back from the door, ducking low.

The second thrust came before he had finished his first step backwards.