8 Dungeon Crawler

When Rei woke the sun had climbed a little less than halfway through the sky. Her breathing had been deep and paced all through the night, the dream of her parents deaths calming her as it shouldn't have.

She'd wondered in the past why she hadn't died that night and then why she had chosen that night to be her favorite, the one she thought of whenever she was on the verge of failure.

It was because she hated her parents, for they did not love her, so she loved the assassin that had come that night. And she loved that night, for afterward she had been given to her grandfather.

Thinking about that course of events could only make her smile, and be more than ready to attempt a Dungeon. She cooked herself breakfast, slid into her hunting gear, and headed out.

The nearest Dungeon was fenced off, just inside the western border of Valan. There was already a line out front, most coming here with a Guild grouping, or at the very least, a Party. Rei was stopped by the Dungeon Manager on her way in.

"You're really soloing? As an E-Rank?" Rei nodded and pushed passed the man into the Dungeon. Dungeons worked to where there was the same level and number of Monsters for every group that entered. The lower the Floor inside the Dungeon, the more Monsters and the higher level they'd be.

And because of that system, people could solo just fine, sticking to the higher Floors, but that wasn't the issue. Sometimes there were Dungeon breaks, where Monsters from lower floors made it to the higher Floors. It wasn't a big deal in a group, but alone you had a great chance of dying.

Nobody could come to help you either, since the Dungeon sent people in only with whatever Party they had, meaning Parties could never help one another while in a Dungeon.

There were some Dungeons that limited the number that could go inside as a Party, and those were set aside for people of higher Ranks.

This particular Dungeon had no Party limit, which was why it was even weirder that someone would solo it, but Rei didn't care.

All she wanted was to get stronger as fast as possible, so she could enjoy a quiet life without any disturbances, just as her grandpa had. And the best way to do that was by being alone and unrestrained. This way she could use her System Skills freely.

So, Rei entered the first Floor of the Dungeon, which was home to Red-Eyed Rabbits. The Floor itself was a plain, riddled with holes that the Rabbits made their burrows in and hid away their precious babies.

The first line of Rabbits emerged from their burrows as she approached, surrounding her and making low growling noises.

She shifted into a Judo stance, not bothering to pull out her Bow for these close-ranged creatures, but instead taking out a Dagger.

[Task]

-eliminate the Red-Eyed Rabbits

Reward: 1 exp per Rabbit

Bonus: collect their Pelts and Cores for 10 exp

She sprinted along the grass, using the slippery blades to slip under and gut her first kill. Twisting, she stabbed the one next to her straight through the eye.

If she was taking their Pelts, she would keep them as clean as possible.

The final three Rabbits mobbed her as a team. She smirked, waiting until the last second to jump up and cut them all from behind. To save the Pelt quality, she aimed only for the spots she had already cut, smiling each time a blow hit.

She thanked her grandpa once more for teaching how to hold and use every weapon, and how to fight.

Rei felt amazing, killing the three remaining Monsters with a finishing stab.

She settled into the grass to begin skinning them, not caring or even noticing how much blood and flesh got all over her clothes.

Slinging the Pelts over her shoulder, she cut out the Cores.

[Task complete]

[+5 exp]

[Bonus Task complete]

[+10 exp]

Rei wasn't about to carry the Pelts and Cores with her into the next area, so she went to leave the Dungeon, half-tripping in surprise when Aspire decided to send another message.

[Skill-Sprint Rush-learned]

A quick burst of speed that increases damage output by 20%

-Active, E-Rank

Rei burst into a grin, finally emerging back into the light of day.

The cores were gripped firmly in her left hand, dripping with blood, and the Pelts were wrapped around her neck and shoulders.

A crowd of Adventurers were coming in and out of the Dungeon, and some citizens were watching from the sidelines. They all froze to watch as she strode passed.

Unknowingly, her long silver hair had escaped from its ponytail, and she had been dyed red everywhere but her face. So when she came from the Dungeon she earned a new title: Silver Demon