Bazel ran as fast as he could through the dimly lit tunnels. He could hear the rat following close behind him.

What do I do!?

He didn't have any weapons, and he certainly didn't know how to take down an animal that large with his bare hands. He needed something that he could use to escape the overgrown vermin.

The skills!

As he ran, Bazel looked at his interface which was still floating beside him. He thought about it showing his skills, and the screen immediately changed to list them.

[Drain Strength] - Take your opponent's strength for yourself. 25 Aether

[Entangle] - Slow your opponent's movement for a time. 15 Aether

[Mesmerize] - Put your opponent in a hypnotic stupor. 15 Aether >

He couldn't think of any way that draining the rat's strength would be useful, so he shelved that. [Entangle] seemed like a good choice since it would allow him to outrun the beast.

Bazel stopped running and turned around. The rat was less than two dozen feet away. He pointed at it and shouted the skills name.

"[Entangle]!"

Green light shot out of Bazel's finger in a stream and wrapped itself around the charging rat like a bunch of glowing rope. It instantly broke apart and the rat didn't slow down in the slightest.

"What!?"

Bazel turned and started running again. The rat was so close on his heels that he could hear its breath.

Why didn't it work!?

Bazel glanced at the interface and saw the third skill, [Mezmerize]. He didn't know exactly what a "hypnotic stupor" would do, but he hoped it would cause the rat to stop chasing him. Instead of stopping, he just pointed over his shoulder and shouted.

"[Mesmerize]!"

A swirl of yellow light shot out of his finger and hit the rat, but it still didn't do anything. The rat screeched and continued chasing him. Bazel doubled his efforts and ran faster than he ever had before.

Why won't it work!?

In frustration, Bazel looked over at the floating interface and projected his thoughts at it. He wanted an explanation. Unfortunately, the interface had no response.

Bazel tripped on a rock and went tumbling to the ground. The wool blanket he was still wearing somewhat protected him from getting scraped up, but that was the least of his worries. He looked back and saw the rat was mere feet away.

The rat lunged at him.

Bazel held up his arms and felt something sharp cut into his flesh. The fiery pain made him cry out and he could feel the slick wetness of blood. The rat clawed at him again and ripped the flesh on his other arm, making him cry out again.

Bazel was in a panic and kicked out with his feet, he hit something soft and wet. The rat screeched and backed up a little.

Bazel realized he had struck the rat's nose, and this was his best chance to try and escape again. He got up to his feet as quickly as possible and continued running through the tunnels. The rat followed a second later.

Up ahead, Bazel saw a small hole in the wall of the cave he ran through. It appeared just big enough for him to fit into, meaning the rat wouldn't be able to get in.

Bazel ran for the hole and dove in head first.

Rock and debris scraped Bazel's hands and knees as he jumped into the hole, making his skin burn with pain. In the low light, he couldn't see his wounds, but he knew he was bleeding profusely. He hoped he could stave off infection until he was able to complete the job.

The hole wasn't very deep, maybe a dozen feet at most. Bazel scrambled back until he couldn't go any further. Just then, the rat appeared at the entrance and stuck its large head into the hole, yellowed teeth snapping at the human.

The rat's head was as big as Bazel's whole body. He didn't think it would be able to fit inside the hole, but it just barely did. Luckily, the rest of the rat's body couldn't fit.

The rat struggled to get at its prey, spittle flying from its mouth as it chomped and screeched in Bazel's direction. The smell of its fetid breath made him want to vomit. The yellow eyes of the creature stayed wide open and glared at Bazel with hunger.

Bazel made himself as small as possible and pressed himself against the rock. He summoned his interface, and he quickly looked over it.

< Bazel

Swindler, Level 1

Rank E

Health: 12/60

Aether: 130/160

Credits: 200

Stats:

Strength - 5

Stamina - 7

Agility - 7

Sense - 15

Intelligence - 18

Spirit - 17

Skills:

[Drain Strength] - Take your opponent's strength for yourself. 25 Aether

[Entangle] - Slow your opponent's movement for a time. 15 Aether

[Mesmerize] - Put your opponent in a hypnotic stupor. 15 Aether >

The attacks from the rat had taken a lot of health from him, over three-fourths of his total. He doubted he would survive another attack.

It annoyed him that the skills he had didn't work. Worst of all, he had no clue why.

But there's still one I haven't tried.

He read over the description of [Drain Strength]. If it worked like it said it would, it would make the rat weaker while making him stronger. But what could he do with that?

The rat somehow got its head further into the small tunnel, and snapped at Bazel again. He reflexively tried to move back, but his back was literally against a wall. His hand fell on something sharp.

He picked up the object. It was long and round, with a jagged and sharp point. Whatever it was, he thought he could use it as a weapon. But if he was going to fight the rat with a weapon, he would need more strength.

He pointed at the rat, "[Drain Strength]!"

Red light appeared, but this time it flowed from the rat. It swirled around and went into Bazel's chest. He instantly felt stronger.

Without waiting to analyze the effects of the skill, Bazel gripped the sharp object tightly and plunged it into the rat's skull. It went through the bone much easier than Bazel expected, and the rat shrieked as it pulled its head out of the hole.

Bazel watched from the safety of the hole as the rat flopped around on the ground outside for what seemed like minutes, shrieking and hissing loudly. Then, with one final spasm, it flopped to the ground and remained there, motionless.

"What. Just. Happened?" Bazel gasped the words between labored breaths.

The interface showed a new screen.

< Battle Report:

Bazel used [Entangle] on Giant Rat Matriarch,

Giant Rat Matriarch resisted [Entangle]

Bazel used [Mesmerize] on Giant Rat Matriarch,

Giant Rat Matriarch resisted [Mesmerize]

Bazel took 3 points of falling damage,

Giant Rat Matriarch attacked Bazel for 22 points of slashing damage,

Giant Rat Matriarch attacked Bazel for 22 points of slashing damage,

Bazel used [Drain Strength] on Giant Rat Matriarch,

Giant Rat Matriarch lost 10 points of Strength for 1 minute,

Bazel gained 10 points of Strength for 1 minute,

Bazel attacked Giant Rat Matriarch with "Broken Femur" for 27 points of piercing damage,

… >

From there, the report said that the rat kept taking damage from the broken femur. Bazel suspected this was because it was still lodged in the rat's skull. The report ended with a congratulatory message.

< Congratulations! You defeated a Giant Rat Matriarch (level 3)!

120 experience points awarded! >

Just at that moment, the effects of the [Drain Strength] skill wore off, and Bazel felt almost too weak to move. The battle report said he gained ten points of strength from the rat. Bazel only had five points to begin with, if it worked like he thought, the skill effectively tripled his strength for a whole minute.

That's actually a pretty good skill!

Bazel forced himself to crawl out of the hole and flopped onto the hard ground outside. In the low light, he could see the deep wounds on his arms – wide gashes that were seeping blood. The blood was all over him, actually. He was sure he looked terrible, but he struggled to his feet and called up the map on his interface.

The map now showed the location of the rat's nest. A red dot with a label was square in the middle of the chamber he had been to.

Bazel took one last look at the giant rat he'd just killed. Swashes of blood were smeared all over the ground and wall near the corpse, but there wasn't as much as he thought there should be. The femur was still sticking out of its skull.

He looked back to his map and started walking in the direction of the nest. He prayed to any god that would listen for there not to be another one of those waiting when he got there.

Ever so slowly, Bazel trudged to the location of the nest. When he arrived, he looked around the room for any sign of life. A scurrying sound preceded another rat walking into the light. Bazel tensed up and felt his eyes getting wet. He was scared to death.

The rat that appeared was not as large as the one he just fought. It still stood as tall as a large dog, however. The rat observed him cautiously.

Bazel pointed at the rat and spoke in a breaking and raspy voice, "[Mezmerize]."

The yellow light went out of his hand and hit the rat. The whole rat glowed with a faint yellow aura, and it walked away. Bazel let out a shaky breath and relaxed a little. At least his skill would work on the smaller ones.

He walked into the middle of the room and put his hand up, palm out. He mentally summoned the feeding station from his inventory, and it immediately appeared with a "pop".

His interface made a "ding-dong" noise.

< Congratulations! You completed a job!

Rewards:

100 Credits,

500 Experience Points,

Access to first level safe zone,

Item: "Exterminator's Vest"

…

Congratulations! You leveled up! You are now a Swindler, Level 2!

…

You have gained access to the first level safe zone! Would you like to be teleported there now?

Yes / No >

Bazel raised his shaking hand and pressed the "yes" option. Blood from his finger smeared on the interface.

< Please stand by, you will be teleported to the level one safe zone in:

00:01:00 >

Bazel felt sleepy and cold. He wrapped the wool blanket around him even tighter and waited for the teleportation to happen. He tried to keep his eyes open and watch for more rats, but his eyelids felt like slabs of stone.

His eyes slowly closed, and he felt himself falling just before he lost consciousness.

●●●

Samara sat down on a bench in the plaza of the first floor safe zone. The planters placed around the area made it feel like it was outside, and the bright blue light from the ceiling reinforced that. She knew it wasn't real, but it was good enough.

The planters contained things she had never seen – strangely shaped trees and flowering bushes. They were real plants too, not an imitation. The plaza itself was paved with white and gray stones set in a spiraling pattern. There was even a slight breeze flowing through the space.

Before she came to the dungeon, she never could have dreamed that such places even existed. The sheer size and complexity of the structure defied her imagination.

She liked it though.

Sure, there were incredibly dangerous monsters that could rip a man in half like a piece of paper, but there was also beauty.

Samara learned during her time as a mercenary that finding time to unwind was important. She liked sitting in the plaza after a job and relaxing. Letting the stress of the day dissolve.

While being in the dungeon could be stressful, it was also rewarding, and not just because of scenic areas like the plaza. The powers she was getting and the riches available in the dungeon were also more than she ever could have imagined.

When she first arrived, the woman who "interviewed" her said that the dungeon could give Samara anything she desired, and it was true. For a price, she could have nearly anything she wanted, and she was still on the first level. She heard from one of the knights that higher levels held even more unbelievable wonders!

As she relaxed on the bench, the popping sound of someone being teleported drew her attention to the middle of the plaza. It wasn't unusual to see people teleporting in on occasion. It was the fastest way to travel, after all.

The person who appeared looked for all the world like a beggar.

He had long stringy black hair, and a big nose on a gaunt face. The only clothing he wore was a loincloth and a wool blanket over his shoulders like a robe. He was covered in blood and grime.

As soon as he appeared, he fell backwards and landed hard on the stone floor, knocking his head in the process. Samara's first thought was that she had just witnessed him dying.

She jumped up from the bench and rushed over to the man.

"Hey!" She shook him gently, "Are you okay?"

She knew it was a stupid question the moment it left her mouth. He was obviously not okay. His arms had huge gashes in them that were bleeding everywhere and there was blood coming out of his head from where he hit it on the ground.

Samara pulled her medical bag out of her inventory and fished out a canister of ambrosia. She held the glass and metal canister up, pressed the switch on the side that extended the needle, and plunged it into the man's chest. The golden liquid inside quickly drained out and went into the man.

"Show me his diagnostics."

Her interface appeared and showed a readout of his injuries. Besides the obvious wounds, he also suffered from malnutrition, tooth infections, liver disease, and stomach ulcers. She knew the ambrosia would fix everything except the malnutrition.

The diagnostic readout identified him as "Bazel the Beggar", which Samara would have thought was hilarious if not for the line right below his name.

"You are damn lucky I just happened to be nearby, Bazel the Beggar."

She looked around the plaza and sighed. Then looked back down at Bazel. She needed to get him cleaned up and in bed so the ambrosia could do its work. She lifted his body up and held him in a princess carry. He was way lighter than a man his size should be.

Samara turned towards the apartments and began walking with the half-dead man in her arms.

"I guess my quiet time is over."