- It's time

"Wake up you lazy boy, the elder Jahé is calling all the newborns and their parents to meet up deeper inside the cave." My mom said while pushing me awake. "Already?" I mumbled while sitting up. 'I thought it would take much longer, why the sudden change of pace?' My mom then grabbed me by my arms and flew me out of the den despite me being able to do it myself. As if she was reading my mind she said "Bad habit" while smiling at me.

I don't mind at all as I don't trust myself to fly when I'm half asleep anyways. As we were descending the cold wind woke me up as I saw a huge crowd of newborn Nyres and their parents. 'Parents! I forgot to ask about my dad! But should I ask? What if I bring it up and it saddens her. There's also the chance that he's just outside the cave or deep in the dungeon but it's more likely that he's gone... I'll just let it go. Gaining that little bit of information isn't worth the risk of hurting my mom.' After settling my internal dispute we landed right behind the crowd.

As we were walking to join everyone else the old man started his speech. "It seems this is everyone. Now firstly I should let everyone know that the requirement for entering the dungeon is to be able to fly. I watched you all yesterday and I can safely say if anything happens in the dungeon you can fly away from danger. Your parents will be accompanying you within the dungeon to further ensure your safety. Are there any questions?" A few questions were asked from the others in the crowd such as what type of monsters would be in the dungeon and if they had to go. Jahé refused to reveal what awaits us within as he said its part of the training to adapt to the unknown. His response to the second question was much nicer as he said you aren't required to enter the dungeon right away but you will have to eventually.

After that, there were no more questions and he dismissed everyone and went to stand by the entrance like always. Around half the crowd walked back to the main area as the moms didn't feel their children were ready although most were quite excited to explore the new area. My mom just looked at me with a face that screamed "If you want to go we can but I'm worried about you". I just gave her a confident smile and walked towards the dungeon. She walked beside me and said "I won't interfere in your fights as I'll watch from a distance but if I feel like I need to I will swoop you up in a heartbeat." I could only nod my head in response. I hate to put my mom through that internal pain but I needed to get stronger. I don't even have enough mana to use the one active skill I have.

Then it appeared

[Enterering Mole Grounds Dungeon (F-) Recommended level: 5]

'I'm so excited!' I thought as my mom flew further into the dungeon disappearing from sight. I continued walking for a couple of minutes closely examining my surroundings. 'I wonder what differentiates a dungeon with a normal area. I mean they look the same so It must just be the system that makes the decision. I'm just not sure based on what. Maybe if the monster density is high or if the boss is near? I'll look into it later.' It was then that I heard a high pitched squeak to my right.

I slowly rounded the corner to see two moles digging up the ground around each other. Without wasting any time I quickly hid back behind the corner and thought of a plan. 'If I can't transform then I need to trick them in another way... I got it.'

I quickly flew in the air and clung to the wall near the ceiling and stealthily climbed around the corner until I was directly above the moles. The moles started acting strangely as they stuck their noses in the air. 'They probably smell me. I need to act now!' I quickly jumped down and lunged my claws at them 'I just need to scratch one!' But by the time I hit the ground they were already gone.

"Damnit! This is harder than I thought." Feeling defeated I sat against the wall and tried to think of a strategy against these moles. They may be blind but their sense of smell is amazing. They can also dig underground so a pitfall won't work. My only advantage is my speed and ability to fly but how can I utilize that?' After racking my brain for a few more minutes I came up with an idea. I wasn't sure how likely it was to work but it's better than nothing.

I started wandering the cave again and I eventually came upon a dead-end where a single mole was digging around. I rolled around in the dirt to try to cover up my scent then quickly but quietly flew up to the ceiling and crawled above the mole sticking as close to the ceiling as I could. I started digging my claws in the ceiling in a circular shape till a boulder the size of me was dug out barely hanging on by the clump of earth in the middle. I discarded most of the dirt by silently dropping it against the wall. The mole seemed to notice but didn't care. I guess he assumed it was one of his kind digging around like always.

I then struck the only part that was keeping the boulder of dirt and rock on the ceiling and moved out of the way. I watched as the big rock descended to the ground to the unaware mole right before I heard *Squish*.

[You've received 21 exp from killing a dungeon mole]

'All that work and planning for not even a quarter of my level' I thought with the most disappointed look on my face. "You did great sweetie!" My mom said from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw her standing there with her arms outstretched trying to hug me. She hugged me with so much force I thought my Hp would deplete and I'd turn over dead, but I survived.

"It looks like I won't have to worry too much about you anymore, but I'll still watch you. Just be sure not to go too far into the cave as you'll find the moles get stronger." She warned me of the danger that lies somewhere ahead that I wanted nothing to do with. Surprisingly I didn't hesitate to drop the boulder on the mole. Maybe it's because it's just a mole but I know for a fact I could never kill a human or someone of my same species.'

'If I'm struggling this much just to kill some beginner mobs there's no way in hell I'm gonna try to travel too deep in. My mom wouldn't let me anyways.'

"Alright, I'm gonna try to kill a few more, then we can go back" I said while thinking of a way to speed up this process of hunting. 'I should refrain from spending all that time making a boulder fall from the ceiling unless there's a group of moles. If there's only one or two I'll risk just silently lunging at them from a distance while trying to cover up my scent.' It was then that I realized I had become lost and had no idea how to get back to the entrance. 'If my mom wasn't here I would be so screwed. I'll be sure to leave marks or a trail to find my way back next time.'

With those final thoughts, I departed from the dead mole in search of more of their brethren. 'My goal is to level up at least once today.'

*Ding*

[QUEST]

Slay 6 dungeon moles within 2 hours. Rewards: 50 exp, 1 attribute point.

[QUEST]

Defeat the boss of the Mole Grounds Dungeon by yourself.

Rewards: 2 attribute points, 1 skill point.