Chapter 18-

As I was making my way through the swamp, I kept an eye out for the door to the next floor and whatever's responsible for the bitter air.

When I first entered this floor and saw what kind of monsters were in the swamp, I couldn't see myself winning a fight against any of them.

But thanks to my newly acquired gear.

Splash!

I looked around me and saw that three of the six legged alligators leapt out of the water with their mouths open.

I then jumped out of the way of two of them and kicked the third one away, causing it to change course and crashed into a tree.

After failing their sneak attack, the three alligators started circling around me.

"I don't get why you guys are trying to eat me? I could barely be considered food, so why try so hard to eat me?"

Two of the alligators made low-rumbling sounds at me.

"I'm talking to alligators now. You're starting to lose your mind, Toshio."

Then all three of them charged at me.

I then ran towards one of them with my tower shield and tossed it into its open mouth.

The shield wedged itself into its mouth and allowed me to safely jump onto the alligator's snout.

"Get ready for a traffic collision!" I shout while sprinting over it's head.

I managed to leap off of its back just before the other two collided with it.

The sound of three large alligators colliding sounded like huge chunks of rubber smacking against each other.

They were all wiggling and crawling over each other, trying to get back on their feet.

I then held the Toad Hook out towards the one with my shield in its mouth. The tongue fired and hit the shield, causing the alligator to get dragged towards me.

I then reached over my shoulder and pulled out a short bulky bone spear. I then twisted the handle, causing the spear to extend into a javelin.

I then planted my feet and held the newly acquired javelin out towards the incoming beast.

It couldn't do anything to stop the tip of the javelin from piercing into its skull, killing it.

Once the other two got back on their feet, they charged at me.

Seeing this, I quickly used the Toad Hook to pull myself up to a nearby tree. After almost missing it, I landed on one of its branches and swapped the bone javelin with the insect bow.

"Can't get me now, idiots!"

Then they started to climb the tree.

"Sh**, forgot that they could climb trees!"

I immediately started firing arrows down at them.

I managed to shoot enough arrows to knock one of them off the tree and send it falling to the ground, dead. But the other one kept climbing, despite the arrows sticking out of its face and left eye.

Soon the alligator reached the top and started biting at me.

I kept climbing up the tree, trying to keep myself from getting bitten.

Now we were both climbing up the tree and soon would reach the ceiling of the cave.

I thought the weight of the alligator would be too much for the branches to handle, but it managed to climb without any problems.

In a moment of quick thinking I fired the Toad Hook down, past the alligator.

Just when the alligator was about to reach me, something struck it in the back.

It was my shield, since I used the Toad Hook to send it flying at it.

The impact of the shield caused the alligator to lose its grip and fall from the tree.

I used this opportunity to fire the rest of my arrows into its stomach as it fell.

Once it landed on the ground with a loud thud, the beast breathed its last breath.

Tired from the fight and climbing, I decided to rest on top of the branch that I was on.

"That would've gone worse if I didn't have these items?"

Despite all of the training and impressive gear that I have, I still felt like I could die if I ain't careful.

In order to stand a chance against the beasts on this floor, I had to plan ahead and use each of my items just to take one of these creatures down.

While I was resting on the branch, I decided to open my bag and pull out the ‘Concepts and Theories of Magic’ book.

I have made it a habit of studying the book whenever I have time. Also since it was one of the only few books that I had and that I needed something to read.

I’m already understanding everything from the book and got the hang of how magic formulas work.

But there was a problem.

“Finally understand everything about this, but unfortunately my magic power was sealed away.” I say as I stare at the cave ceiling.

After I rested enough, I climbed down to see what the alligators dropped.

I got an alligator leather headband that boosts strength, three thousand gold coins, and more alligator meat.

“Really, more meat?”

I didn’t have a problem with the free food, and that I don’t have to carve it from the things I killed. But this was the only thing that I had to eat since I ran out of the rations and fish that I gathered before. There are things that an all-meat-diet does to a nineteen year old boy, and what comes out.

So lately I was desperate to find something that wasn’t meat.

So after gathering everything into my bag and putting on the headband, I kept traveling through the swamp.

It was an amazing feeling, using the items that boosted my strength and jumping around the swamp.

The moment I put them on, I could feel a boost in my strength and a rush of power to my muscles. Even muscles that I didn’t know I had felt like they’re begging to be used. So I found myself doing flips and hopping around with parkour tricks.

Soon enough, the air was getting stronger with the bitter taste. So knowing that I was close, I started running towards where I assume it’s coming from.

I kept following the scent for a while, swatting away giant mosquitoes and ignoring their drops.

I soon came across something odd.

As I was leaping over some trees, I noticed something in the corner of my eye.

I used the Toad Hook to grapple onto one of the trees that reached the ceiling and climbed it for a better look.

Once I reached the top, I had a clear view of what it was.

I saw a garden. But the strange thing wasn’t that it was a garden in the middle of a swamp. It was beautiful, so beautiful that it didn’t look like it belonged here.

It also had a strange orange crystal on the ceiling above it, giving off light similar to the sun.

“... That isn’t important, right?”

I then noticed that the bitter taste in the air was strongly coming from that garden.

“Oh… guess I have to go there.”

I then swung down from the tree and approached what looked like the front.

The front had a rose arch with a combination of white and red roses. There was a tall hedge that surrounded the garden and had little cat statues on pedestals near the entrance.

Once I entered the garden, I saw that it had many different types of flowers and trees inside.

But the strange thing was that unlike the plants and trees outside, these didn’t have that neon glow to them. They were just normal plants.

‘Somehow this is unsettling? Why does this floor have something like this?’ I thought to myself while inspecting the plants.

I then saw that one of the trees had something that I haven't had in a while.

The tree was full of peaches that were the size of a soccer ball.

I was about to reach for it, but immediately stopped myself.

‘You gotta think about this first. There would no way be a peach in this place and not be some type of trap?’ I thought to myself while inspecting the tree.

The tree looked like a normal peach tree. The only thing different was the size of the peaches growing on it.

My mouth almost watered to the sight and the thought of taking a bite of one. But I whipped my mouth and looked away from the tree.

‘Maybe this is the test? Have me survive and hunt for food, then tempt me with fruit. This could all be Q’s doing?’

I then looked back at the tree, then at the front gate.

‘It might be best to leave and ignore this place?’

Then my stomach growled.

‘Curse you high-strength stat.’ I say as I reached up and plucked a peach from the tree.

I then started munching on it and I felt the sweet taste of the peach fill my mouth. It was something that I haven't had in a long time.

Due to eating only meat ever since I got onto this floor, I have only tasted nothing but the same thing over and over. So this peach was a huge change in my diet.

While I was eating it, I felt a rush of warmth spread in my body. It was like my body was getting something else from this peach.

Once I was done with it, I surprisingly felt full. It was as if the peach satisfied my hunger.

I was left with the seed, which was the same size of a normal peach seed.

‘Big peach, little seed… huh?’

Then something else caught my eye. So I pocketed the seed and went to see what it was.

I then came across a large pond near the center of the garden. It had a marble fountain of a salmon, shooting water up in the air and down its side.

When I looked in the water, I saw that there were Goldfishes of many different colors. They were just swimming around the pond without a care in the world.

But something else caught my attention.

There were water lilies floating on the water. But they weren’t floating like normal lily pads, these were actually floating above the water.

They had the same green leaf as water lilies, but the flowers and roots looked different.

The roots were long and dragged along the water. They were dark blue and had a strange sack right under the lilypad. The sacks were glowing neon purple and reminded me of the trees on this floor.

But that wasn’t the strange thing. The strange thing was that the flowers on top were alive.

They were in many different colors, but the petals had teeth-like bristles and looked similar to venus flytraps. But these were opening and closing their mouths, as if they were breathing. Whenever they open their mouths, a small bitter scent fills the air.

I then saw that one of the roots of the strange water lilies reached around the water and grabbed onto a Goldfish.

The fish didn’t even react to being grabbed and pulled into the plant. It just stayed motionless while the roots wrapped around it and the plant started floating away.

As it floated in the air, the strange sacks on it started popping and releasing an even stronger bitter air, which made me cough a little.

I watched as the plant kept floating away just like a stray balloon, floating away and releasing that bitter air.

“Coming here might’ve been a bad idea?” I say while noticing something.

It was then, I noticed something about this place. The cat statues, the fish fountain, and the Goldfish.

I remember that I saw Q cooking a small fish a few days ago. It was hard to tell what type it was, since it was cooked. But there was no doubt that it was a Goldfish.

“... Oh no.”

I then noticed a strange cave in the back of the garden.

“Oh no.”

And inside, I could see a small familiar figure walking out of it.

“You gotta be kidding me?”

I see that it was Q, who was picking her teeth with one hand and holding a large bone on her shoulder with the other hand.

She then tossed the bone aside and kept walking towards me.

“Hello, Toshio.”

When she said my name, I felt my whole body freeze in fear.

It was like I was seeing a monster coming for me and my body was telling me to run.

But before I could even try taking a step back, Q vanished and appeared in front of me.

She then used one of her paws to grab onto my pants.

“You know... it’s rude to leave right after you arrive and not say a word?”

Part of me felt like kicking her away and running away, but the other half knows that it wouldn’t be that easy.

So I made an attempt to swallow the lump in my throat and speak.

“What is this place?”

“This is my lovely little home. What do you think of it? I haven’t had a visitor since I was assigned to this floor and I would like another person’s opinion on it?” She said while letting go of my leg.

When she let go, I felt like I could breathe easier.

“So what do you think of it?”

“It’s a nice change in scenery. I really like how everything here is growing nicely, despite the fact that we’re underground.” I say while pointing at the glowing orange crystal above.

“Oh that? That’s a Solace Crystal. It provides sunlight and is the best way to grow stuff underground. Useful if you’re someone who gardens for a hobby.”

Despite her calm tone, I still felt uneasy around her.

“That’s pretty useful. So what’s with the water lilies?” I say, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Oh those? Guess there’s no hiding it? Those are what’s responsible for the ‘bitter air’. They release tiny spores that allow me to turn dead beasts on this floor into gold and items.”

“That’s cool, so they…”

I then realized what she meant.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘allows you’?” I say while taking a step back.

“You could say that they’re a part of me? They allow me to keep an eye and maintain everything on this floor.”

“I thought you said that you didn’t need to keep an eye on things?”

“Well that wasn’t a lie… technically? While I don’t need to keep an eye on everything, I give the job to them and they’re technically also me too. But their main purpose is to turn the beasts you slay into items. The closer the dead beasts are to the ‘bitter air’, the higher chance that I could use my magic to turn them into magical items. Like so.”

She then walked over to the pond and with one quick motion, she snatched one of the Goldfish from the water and waved a hand to one of the water lilies.

The water lily floated towards Q, who quickly bit the head off the fish and held the now dead body towards the water lily.

I then watched as one of the sacks popped and sprayed spores onto the fish’s corpse.

Then the fish morphed into a strange orange, brown, and white curved dagger.

Q then started swiping the newly made dagger around, creating soapy bubbles with every slash.

“They could also become gold coins, pieces of the beast’s meat, and other items.” She said while tossing me the dagger.

Once I caught it, I was left confused.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Q asked, confused.

“Why are you telling me this? What reason do you have, telling me about your water lilies and what you could do. But more importantly, you said something about being ‘assigned’ here?”

“Yes, I see your confusion?”

She then held a sleeve out.

“To put it like this, I wish to make a... ‘deal’ with you?”

“What kind of deal?”

“You came here by the summons of ‘her’. If you happen to reach the bottom of this dungeon, there is a chance that you’ll free her. The guardians of each floor’s job is to keep people that enter this place from progressing further and freeing her.”

She then waved a hand over to the water lilies.

“My offer is to make it so that you can come and go from this floor. You could gather whatever resources you want, take them outside, and use or sell them. This could make you well known, rich, powerful, and live a wealthy life. Sounds like a great deal, right?”

She then holds a sleeve out to me again, waiting for my response.