"My day just keeps getting better and better!"

This couldn’t get any worse…could it? I’m trapped inside a fucking dungeon. Relocated my save point here and I have to put to rest a potentially dangerous enemy, that has a name ‘Mutatio’.

We all know that enemies that are hard to find and with proper names from older games come out as strong or they'd fight with a strange gimmick once you meet them. I'm talking about you Master Tonberry, you cheeky bastard

'Sigh…let’s just take a look around then, maybe this place isn’t as hard as it looks'

I looked around and saw coffins on the walls that are parallel to each other. There were also glowing green crystals here that illuminate this creepy place.

“Maybe this place isn’t just for Mutatio’s grave?” I said as I go near one of the coffins and took a look inside

There was nothing but cobwebs, dust and a puddle of black slime in it.

"Hmm?" I reach out to touch the black puddle, but when my middle finger made contact with it, a burning sensation went through my finger all the way to my shoulder.

"Wa!?" I immediately retract my finger

I checked my HP bar, there was the icon for being poisoned but my HP wasn’t going down.

I immediately use Poison Treatment to get rid of it.

“Holy shit that hurts a lot. I don’t think this place is newbie friendly...or even friendly for that matter” with renewed caution, I walk outside the room where I came from with vigilance.

I see nothing but a long hallway leading somewhere.

"Nice, I just love long dark hallways that might lead to my death"

I move forward trying to be as quiet as possible along the hallway. It led to a big circular room with other hallways connecting to it, the place littered with coffins on the walls and a single pedestal was in the center of it.

“Uhrnnn” a low sounding groan came from one of the coffins.

"No..." realizing immediately what that sound means

'Coffins, groaning sounds, inside a grave, equals a ton of fuckery' I thought

A grotesque gray head comes out, its eyes glowing red with black ooze coming out of its mouth makes it look like a zombie from a horror movie. It stands tall at a height of seven feet, sniffing the air around it and turning its head towards my direction.

"Great!"

I ready my knife, as it roars. Charging at me with an unnatural speed.

“Graaar!”. It swings both its arms at me quick enough that I couldn’t dodge, sending me into the one of the coffins on the wall shattering it completely.

"Why...cough...too strong" coughing out blood as I stare at this monstrosity running towards me

It grabbed my head and lifted me up to meet its eyes.

"RAAAR!" it roars one more time before taking a bite out of my neck.

I couldn’t scream in pain as I quickly lose consciousness and died.

I wake up in the darkness once again, with the same glowing door.

"Hah..."

I get up and go out through the door, only to find myself back in the same room with the coffins that I was in a few minutes ago.

“Fuck, this ain’t good. How the hell am I supposed to get out with that thing here” groaning at how unfair this situation was

I then go back to the big circular room to check on the zombie, it was standing near the pedestal looking up towards the ceiling.

"Uhrnnn" it then sniffed at the air and turned towards my direction.

“Not again!” I scream as I run back towards the first room while It chases me down the hallway.

I made it back to the room, but there was no chance of escaping now as the figure behind gets closer and closer.

“I come in peace! There’s no need for any violence! We can talk this through!” as I wave my hand in front, trying to console the monster.

"RAAAR!" it dives towards me and bites my right hand that’s extended, dropping the dagger I was holding.

The zombie tears through the bone as it takes another bite of my arm.

“AGHHH! SHIT! WHY DOES EVERYTHING I MEET IN THIS WORLD HAVE A THING FOR MY FLESH!?” I scream as it continues to eat at me.

I swing my left hand to punch the zombie, but It just won’t give way.

"ARHHH!"

A full minute of agonizing bursts of pain and cursing later, I finally died.

I step out of the darkness again and see the zombie inside the room staring at the ceiling. I notice that my HP/MP gets restored to full after I revive each time, but my stamina stays the same.

"If I'm gonna die anyway, then you're coming along with me!" I activated Butchers Instinct and a few red lines appear where the joints were. With its cranium where more than two dozen red lines where, almost highlighting it.

I rush at him knife in hand and used julienne three times in succession on its right shoulder joint. My dagger digs through, ripping a few centimeters of flesh from its shoulder.

“How fucking though is your skin!” it didn’t even flinch as it grabbed my shoulders taking bite after bite of my flesh and I died once again.

The dying cycle continues as I keep trying to kill the thing. Chipping at its body, concentrating on one particular spot on its right shoulder joint every time I come alive.

After the twelfth time, its right arm finally came off.

“I have to hand it to you for being too tough man~” I said, smiling as it kills me again for the thirteenth time.

The next ten times, I focused on chopping off its left arm.

“Just fall of already!” as I die seeing its left arm hanging by a few centimeters of flesh. It can still move its left arm though, even with its bones separated.

On the next round, I finally chopped it off, with only the head as the only threat left.

“Need a hand there buddy~?” focusing on its right knee this time.

The amount of my deaths decreased by a lot, only dying once this time before chopping off its knee. With both its arms and one of its legs below the knee gone, it couldn’t stand anymore. However, he can still sit up and bite when I move close enough for its jaws to reach me.

“Not looking so good now are you? Now it’s time for me to have some good ol’ fun you little piece of shit”.

I noticed that my vocabulary got more vulgar ever since I started playing this game.

'I had better keep myself in check whenever I’m around Mrs. Lane and the kids or I’ll hear a long sermon again'

I then started slashing at the red line on its neck, careful not to get biten by it. Several minutes later, I chopped it off. It would’ve been sooner, but I needed time to replenish my MP and I ain’t dying just to get it faster either.

'I wonder if I could put the head inside my inventory as a souvenir'

Once I chopped it off, the zombie was still alive, trying to bite me though the body stopped moving. So I kept slashing at the decapitated head until it stopped moving.

A *ding* came, meaning I leveled up by killing one of these things.

"Woah! This thing is loaded with experience!" I openned my status window to see that I leveled up twice

I put ten points to vit , five to con, and five to agi.

'Gotta survive first, before I go all out on killing'

Putting my max HP at 310 and MP at 108. My skills also leveled up, with Butchers Instinct now at lvl2, Knife finesse at lvl3, and Julienne at lvl 5. A window then popped up in front of me showing Karens message that everyone has already gathered and were waiting for me.

'Friends assemble! Need help. A.S.A.P!'

I replied that something chased me down the sewers, jumping on a crack on the floor and got stuck inside a dungeon, asking them to help me get out.

They said ‘Ok, were coming to rescue you princess’

After thirty minutes of waiting and sitting on the floor, a reply came.

‘There was a black thing that kept chasing us when we went there, It killed Luc so we had to get out. When we came back again, we saw the crack but it wouldn’t let us enter. It said ‘Denied Access. Dungeon clearing is ongoing’. Try inviting us to a party, maybe that’ll work’

I tried adding Karen, but it wouldn’t let me. Cursing at this, I tell Karen that the system won’t let me.

‘Hmm, there doesn't seem to be a way for us to help you John. We’ll try to contact an admin in the meantime’

I waited for an hour, but no reply came, so I went to the circular room once again to explore

'Where are we going? To my death of course' trying to psyche myself up

I don't think I know how to do it right...

I mark the path leading to the hallway that goes to the first room. I then go to the path next to it, walking as quietly as possible. When I reached the end, I see a room similar to the one that I first saw.

"Urhnnn" I hear another oh-so familiar groan and a head peeks through an open coffin.

“Not this again!”

I run towards the zombie as fast as possible, activating Butchers Instinct and unleashing four Juliennes at its head.

"Raaa..." it staggers for a moment, but it remains standing, as it rushes at me with its unnatural speed,

I couldn’t dodge

"Ahhh!" it pushes me down

It then starts to feasts on my arm.

"Shit!"

I try to slash at its head with my knife, but it blocks my attack and grabs my hand, taking another bite out of me. I died once again, this time I went back inside the first room and used Knife Sharpening before going back to the zombie.

'Round two. fucker. There's still ten more rounds'

I moved out of the hallway and saw the zombie that I fought earlier, standing inside the big circular room in front of the pedestal looking at the ceiling. Without a second thought, I rushed towards it before he sniffs me through the air.

"Let's see you fight without a head!"

I used julienne at its head three times before kicking its back, making it stumble forwards.

"RAAAR!" It got up quick and rushed at me.

I run towards the pedestal in the center of the room to give myself some distance from the zombie.

However, it was too fast and catches up to me, tackling me from behind. I turn around to see it's head a few inches away from my face with its jaws open.

“Too close for comfort! Fuck off!” swinging my knife towards it head.

It bites at my cheek and tears a piece of flesh. I roar as I swing again, this time killing it.

A *ding* sound can be heard, as I leveled up once this time around. Putting my points into str by two, agi by two, dex by two and vit by three.

"My stat window looks better now" amused at how increasing the numberse makes me happy

Using First Aid, my HP goes up until half with the wound on my cheek slowly regenerating flesh.

I sat down and waited until I got enough MP to cast First Aid on myself again.

"Oh, yeah, there's that too" remembering that I could use Disassemble on them.

I used it and gathered 1x Rotten Flesh and a black ooze thing coming from its mouth called ‘Essence of immortality’, putting everything inside my inventory. I used it on the zombie from before too, which didn’t disappear yet.

After marking the other hallway with an ‘X’, I sharpen my knife and got ready, expecting another fight at the end of the hallway.

My assumption was correct and there was more than one, this time there were three of them.

"Raaar!" they turn their red eyes towards me

“Ah, fuck it, I’m going to die anyway, so let’s get this started!” as I charge towards my death.

-----------------------------------------------------------

“Whew, it’s finally over” wiping the sweat from my forehead.

It took me six hours of constant fighting and dying to get rid of all the zombies and slimes in this place. I also ran out of food and water, so my stamina drained faster, stopping my body from moving whenever I fought. But my skill Insatiable Hunger did kick in, making me move faster and strike harder.

'This thing's aren't harmless. It's a walking bomb for Christ's sake' stepping over the black puddle on the ground

There were also black transparent slimes with a yellow circle thing inside of it, which fell from the ceiling of a few rooms. They weren’t that hard to fight since you only need to hit their ‘core’ once or twice. It’s just that when they die, they explode, scattering black slime all over the place. When I made contact with it, It made me feel like that part of my body was burning.

In total, I died seventy three times from the zombies and nine times from the slimes.

Not too bad, if I do say so myself. It would've been more, but I was too smart and outclassed them...not

I only leveled up three times since the last level up notification. Due to the exp penalty when dying, every time I kill something in here, I die immediately due to the other things that want me dead. Losing 1/3 of the total exp that I needed to level up.

I distributed my points evenly to vit, agi and con to survive a little longer.

'I'm looking more beefy now' I thought, flexing my lousy muscles

Karen also messaged me, they already informed an admin and were waiting for their reply.

Good news keep on coming and I hope they don't stop coming, else I'd go crazy in here.

As I was heading back to the central room, the dungeon trembles, forcing me to go on my knees so I won’t fall over. Then a loud crashing noise came from the central room.

"What the hell is going on..."

I run towards it and saw the pedestal spinning downwards, moving the earth on the side of it, revealing a staircase going below.

“More surprises. Yippee!” sharpening my knife before heading down the stairs.

As I arrive at the bottom of it, I see a four meter tall blue door in front of me. I move closer to it and then a window pops up and a loud rumble happens behind me. Turning back, I see that a wall blocked the stairs now.

Turning my attention to the window.

Save point has been updated: ‘Mutatio’s resting chamber’

“…The boss fight huh, I hope it isn’t a large zombie this time around” I said while openning the door

The room was wide with an open coffin at the center. The green crystals on the walls were illuminating a humanoid figure. Looking closely it resembled a female, but it was pure black with yellow eyes, no irises, no mouth, no nose, and no ears. A name hovered on top of it with the words “Mutatio: The Immortal Morpher”

'Welp, I hope you aren't a Master Tonberry either'

-----------------------------------------------------------

Inside the main office of Grand Gift Corporation, two men were inside a luxurious office.

One was a bald man with almost no facial hair except for his eyebrows and a scar on the left side of his face, from the earlobe going down to his chin.

His name was Hector C. Avem, the head neurologist and programmer of Grand Gift Corporation.

Facing him was his associate, wearing a blue polo shirt and gray pants that makes his dyed yellow hair and green eyes stand out.

“Hector, reports came in from the admin department. It's said that there seems to be three different cases of individuals who were trapped inside dungeons that aren’t meant for newer players. Two of which were trapped inside a dungeon with a recommended level of 60 while the other one wass trapped at one of the event dungeons that’s going to be used for the end of phase one. The administrative gaming division of ‘Beginning’ requests access to ‘Dotir’ to relocate them” reading from his note pad

Contemplating for a few seconds

“No. Not yet at least, let’s see what they’ll do first. This is a great chance to gather data that we can’t replicate using artificial intelligence. We can use these independent variables to further our own research”

The man in front of him raises his eyebrows

“Are you sure? If word got out that we’re using our player base as data for our experiments wouldn’t we get into huge trouble? It might also affect the minds of those three players who're trapped if they were to stay for long durations. Even with the sensory link at only 60% synchronization, it will still do harm to the human psyche if excessive amount of stimulation happens” said the man trying to convince him otherwise

“Then silence the ones who know about it in the meantime. No word of this discussion should get out of this building, you hear me Jacob? Not a single word. This discussion is over, you may leave” dismissing his associate

When the yellow haired man left, Hector turned towards the picture on his desk. A hard look on his face

“I need all the information that I can acquire and I’ll take every chance that appears before me to complete ‘it’ even if sacrificing people is one of them”