"There are bugs everywhere!"
"The ground is like mush!"
"Where are we?!"
"Why does the water look like shit?!"
All kinds of voices sounded through the camp, everyone complaining at once.
Lucius rubbed his forehead tiredly. "It seems all we were seeing yesterday was a strong illusion or maybe the pink fog changed the terrain... Either way, it’s fucking annoying."
He looked around at the disgusting, swamp-like terrain.
The trees were pink and fleshy and even the air slled sour. The beautiful island they’d camped on last night was gone.
’So the entire thing was fake,’ he thought. ’If the Awakeners had known they were sleeping in sothing this gross... on top of living monsters, they’d never have set up camp.’
He floated down from where he’d been hovering, just in ti to see Grimm stabbing the "rock" he’d been sitting on with his spear.
The rock twitched and let out a groan before sinking into the ground.
Lucius shook his head. "It’s too early for this."
He glanced down at his clothes.
"I need to put on my Guild uniform," he muttered. He was sure this floor would be another headache full of overpowered monsters, but that was normal by now.
Rita, anwhile, stood a short distance away, still eating her breakfast calmly despite the chaos.
When she finished, she turned toward Vanessa, holding out her empty bowl.
"Thank you, Vani," Rita said with a small smile. "I hope I can have your breakfast even more next ti."
Vanessa blinked but smiled as well.
Before she could respond, Rita turned, smiled at Lucius, and walked off to join the gathering Awakeners.
It didn’t even take twenty minutes before the entire camp was packed up. Everyone stood together in a formation like the day before.
Luna took that as her cue.
She tapped the drone on her wrist, and the P40 drone shot upward with a soft hum. Its lens adjusted automatically, focusing on the party.
[@DruidMain: Wait... where did the green grass go?? It was paradise yesterday 😭]
[@NatureLover_77: Bro it looks like soone turned off the graphics settings 💀💀]
[@HolySaintFan: Yesterday it was a resort, today it’s a nightmare island 😭😭😭]
[@DungeonTourist: That grass was the only normal thing here 😩 bring it back!]
[@VividViewer: I swear this place looked like heaven before... what happened?!]
Lucius glanced up at the drone briefly.
The viewers were definitely confused and he didn’t bla them.
Supre Man stood in front the group. "I trust all of you had plenty of rest! This second floor isn’t going to be easy."
He gestured toward the island beneath them.
"This morning, we sent out a single surviving scout. She explored a portion of the island and discovered that this—" he pointed down at the squishy, shifting ground "... covers everything. The entire island is made of this... organic substance."
Several Awakeners grimaced, looking down at the squirming pink surface under their boots.
"It will reduce your mobility and reaction ti," Supre Man continued. "You’ll need to fight harder to move properly. If you trip, don’t expect soone to pull you up fast."
Lucius raised a brow. "Real motivational speech."
Supre Man ignored him. "Regardless, stay sharp. Try to fight to the best of your abilities so you don’t die a pitiful death."
Supre Man turned and his face got serious.
Ahead of them stood a forest... it was the quickest route to the island’s center. It was either this, or a long hike through mountains and poisonous bogs.
"The forest is the shortest route," he said. "Stay alert."
He gave the signal. "Let’s go!"
...
The forest was nothing like the surface. The trunks were soft, like rubber, and the bark had the sa squishy texture as the ground.
The leaves were bone white, and when the wind blew through them, it made a strange, wet rustling sound that didn’t feel natural at all.
Supre Man and Rita led the group from the front.
Vanessa, Lucius, and the rest of the squad followed behind, while the other Awakeners moved in loose formation.
Everyone was on edge, expecting a monster attack at any mont.
Lucius sighed, resting his chin on his palm as he floated slightly above the ground.
’Five minutes and nothing?’ he thought. ’What is this, a sightseeing tour? The dungeon’s really trying to make lose viewers.’
He glanced at the drone hovering nearby. Who would want to watch his hair swaying in the wind for five minutes straight?
Up ahead, Supre Man stopped and turned slightly.
"It seems this path is safe. The scanner detects no monsters nearby."
Several people exhaled in relief.
For once, a safe zone.
"That’s good to hear," Vanessa said. "We can make so ground without wasting mana."
That was when Grimm noticed sothing on the side of the path... a small creature crouched near a squishy root.
It looked like a bunny, but not quite. Its fur was pink, and two small black horns poked out from its head. Its eyes were too round, almost human-like.
Grimm crouched down and scooped it up gently.
"You’re cute," he said with a grin.
The bunny blinked.
Grimm turned to Lucius. "Boss, can I keep him?"
Lucius glanced over lazily.
The tiny creature looked harmless enough. "Whatever. Just don’t let it wreak havoc."
Grimm smiled proudly. "Thanks, Boss."
[@FluffyKing: Awww Boss actually let him keep it 😭😭 na it BunBun!!]
[@PetFanatic: That bunny’s so cute!! Call him Marshmallow 🐰]
[@HolySaintWatcher: Grimm’s got a pet now?? This is peak content 😭🔥]
[@CutieCollector: Please na it HornBun!! Those little horns are adorable 💕]
[@DungeonViewer_09: Protect the bunny at all costs 😭 na him Lucky!!]
He chuckled as he tickled the bunny’s head.
"Even the way it breathes is so cute," Grimm said. "Is it a he or a she?"
Luna looked up briefly from her gauntlet scanner.
"It’s a he," she said plainly. "He has... that organ."
"Ah," Grimm said, turning red. "Okay."
The bunny wriggled slightly and then sniffed the air, its little nose twitching.
And then...
It sneezed.
The sound echoed across the forest.
It wasn’t loud but it carried a vibration that shook the nearby branches.
"Even the way it sneezes is adorable—" Grimm began, but stopped.
Sothing was wrong.
The air was suddenly thick with mana.
Lucius’s eyes widened. "Grimm..."
The bunny’s body began to glow.
In the next second, it expanded bursting out of Grimm’s arms and hitting the ground with a thud.
The cute, palm-sized creature grew larger and larger until it towered over Grimm himself. Its horns lengthened, its fur darkened, and its eyes turned pitch black.
The "bunny" was no longer cute.
It was an abomination.
And it wasn’t alone.
The ground trembled as other small animals nearby... birds, insects, even slugs began to grow, their shapes twisting horribly until they beca grotesque, oversized monsters.
The once-silent forest erupted with shrieks and roars.
The giant bunny opened its maw wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth, and scread.
The force of the roar blew Grimm’s hair back.
"Grimm, what did you do?!" Lucius shouted imdiately, not even hesitating to bla him.
He was NOT taking responsibility for letting Grimm keep that monster.
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