“So this is just normal now, right?” Darren says as a doctor exams his wound.

“What is?” Charlie asks.

Darren smiles. “Getting stabbed. It's just part of life now.” He says, slightly amused.

“I've stuck all sorts of weird things inside me. You'll get used to it.” Shana says with a comforting pat on the back.

Charlie's eyes widen. “How is that the same!?” He exclaims, a little disgusted.

Shana smiles. “If you have the right attitude, it's the same.” She says, convinced.

Darren lets out a laugh. “Well, if there wasn’t the threat of death, the feeling isn’t so bad. But I wouldn’t let it happen willingly.” He says with a shake of his head.

Shana lets out a sigh and pats Darren’s head. “You’re still young. You’ll learn to enjoy it. Day after day, waking up, always expecting to get fucked… Learning to enjoy it is all we can do.” She says with a bitter smile.

Darren’s eyes widen as he looks at Shana. “Do you need a hug?” He asks, not sure what else to say.

Shana smiles. “Yes.” She says as she leans in.

Darren embraces the girl, feeling that the lady was quite fragile at the moment.

The doctor frowns. “Hey, can you guys wait a moment. This isn’t a hotel room. I still have to check the wound.” He says. He didn’t really want to break up the moment but he had no choice.

After a while the doctor stitched the wound and re-bandaged it. Then he took out a pill. “Experimental regeneration pill made from monster ingredients. Want to try?” He asks.

Darren frowns. “How experimental?” He asks.

The doctor smiles. “Very, very experimental. To be honest, I wouldn't take it.” He says with a laugh.

Darren shakes his head. “If you put it like that, it’s going to be a hard no from me doc.” He says.

The doctor doesn’t mind too much and puts the pill away. “No worries. In a few months there should be no harm in trying it out, so expect it. The world is changing children. With these monsters here, this is the start of a new era.” He says, giving his input. “Anyways, you should be good to go.” He says with a pat to Darren’s shoulder.

“Ugh, aren’t you going to give me something for the pain?” Darren asks.

“Are you sure?” The doctor asks. “I’ve heard that there have been a few people who received a Pain Resistance ability just from being wounded. But I mean, if you want to bitch out, I guess I can give you some pills.” The doctor says with a shrug.

Darren raises an eyebrow. “Are you really a doctor?” He asks, in doubt.

The doctor smiles. “Fully licensed. But like I said kid, it’s a new era. I’m hoping it’s the sort of era where a pediatrician can call his patient a little bitch if necessary.” He says with a laugh.

Shana also lets out a laugh. “I like you doctor. Also, you seem kind of shady. Is it okay to ask for your number?” She asks.

The doctor’s eyes widen. “How did you know I was going to start doing something shady!?” He exclaims.

Shana smiles. “Just hand over your number. I’ll be waiting to see how those regeneration pills work out.” She says.

The doctor doesn’t see the harm and hands over his number. “Alright. That should be all. Remember kids, have fun.” He says before walking away.

Charlie looks to Darren. “Are you ready for round two?” He asks, a little worried.

Darren lets out a bitter smile. “I should be good to go. After all, this is just normal now.” He says as he stands up.

“Should we stay at this dungeon or should we try out a few others.” Rose asks. “To be honest, I’m not a fan of the bugs.” She says honestly.

“Why ruin a good thing?” Shana asks. “Since they’re easy to kill, we should continue to kill them. We can check out some other dungeons later.” She says, deciding the matter.

Darren lets out a sigh at the thought of grinding more bugs. This is starting to feel tedious… He thinks. Suddenly a thought crosses his mind and his eyes widen. “Do you guys think that this is sort of like work? Like hunting monsters is our job?” He asks.

Charlie raises an eyebrow. “Well, we are getting money for it. So yeah, it’s kind of like work.” He says.

Darren frowns. “Damn. I hate work.” He says, losing enthusiasm.

Charlie laughs. “Don’t tell me you’re getting bored of it already? Relax, Darren. We’re just getting started. There’s still a lot of fun to be had.” He says with a smile.