“We’re going down, there’s nothing up here on the first floor that will gain us levels, well apart from for the runt, but chasing down weak monsters for his sake isn't something I’m wasting my time with.”

“That’s okay, just let me stab whatever you normally fight and forget I’m here otherwise,” murmured Rain.

“Shut it runt,” spat Myra.

Brax snorted then gestured at a wide stairway. The group followed as he descended. The stairs went deeper and deeper, each stair coming down onto a new floor which Brax promptly ignored and moved to go further down.

Rain would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. All the power levelling from scratch he had heard about normally involved the first floor where the monsters were weaker. If he was to be hit by a monster this far down he would be nothing but a smear on the ground.

He almost verbalised a question, to ask if this wasn't a bit much, but instead he carefully bit it back and kept it to himself. The last thing he wanted was to be seen second-guessing Brax.

At last, the stairs ended and they came out into a cavern dimly lit from above by massive grand crystal formations. A lake filled most of the cavern floor.

“Wow!” said Lira.

“Some of the best monsters this dungeon has to offer like to hang around here. It’s prime real estate for levelling if you’re smart about it, and more to the point, it’s great for power levelling.”

Rain simply stared in wonder as the lake reflected the light of the ethereal glowing crystal. The lake had to be at least a kilometer or so across, likely more.

What a wondrous place to finally begin his journey and join the levelled.

He startled seeing the group trundle away from him and raced to catch up hope rising in his heart.

“You see, monsters have to drink at some point, guess where they come? This lake, obviously. The short of it is that instead of wandering around aimlessly we can simply wait for the monsters to turn up here one by one.”

“Yeah yeah, very clever, this is a good spot we got it,” said Adlen

“Well they don’t know that, I’m saying it for their sake so shut your trap. Ah, here we go.” Brax came to a stop by the shore.

A large boulder blocked his path.

“Looks like a boulder doesn't it? Watch.”

He drew his sword, a brutal looking thing that had clearly seen a lot of use and he swiftly drove it into the side of the boulder.

The boulder let out a keening scream and it’s legs that had been tucked beneath its form sprung outward revealing it to be a gigantic toad monster with rough skin.

Brax yanked his sword free as the toad leapt away angrily hissing and screaming like a kettle.

Adlen charged it from the side and jabbed at it with the spear he had unslung from his back scoring hit after hit. The toad raged and awkwardly turned to face him.

“Myra, care!” shouted Adlen.

He sidestepped as the monster opened its mouth and a long oily black tongue lunged outward. It struck toward the dodging Adlen. Myra took the opportunity and flung out her palm. A violet fireball flared and shot toward the toad like a screaming comet, it landed in its mouth where it promptly exploded. The toad's tongue snapped back as it cried out in pain, trying to spit out and extinguish the fire.

Adlen took the monster's distraction as an opportunity and scored a hit on its eye, eye goop spurted as he successfully blinded it. The toad was losing all reason by now and was charging around aimlessly. Brax stepped in and with a vicious arcing cut he chopped off one of its legs.

The toad slumped to the ground where Brax wasted no time in delimbing it.

“Lira, you’re up.”

Lira stepped forward nervously with a knife in her hand. She swallowed and then with a yell drove the knife down. The monster shuddered as she withdrew it.

“My turn!” said Eliza as she drew her sword and added a practised cut. “Easy!”

Now it was Rain’s turn. His knife was a rusty table knife he had stolen and secreted away. He had obsessively sharpened it before he had left town but it remained a poor weapon. Still, he only needed a pointed bit of metal, enough to draw blood.

He gripped the handle with sweaty palms and raised it above his head ready to plunge it into the monster's side. His arms swung down!

Myra caught his arm mid swing, her arm as unbending as iron.

She tittered. “Oh you actually thought we would let you level, how cute.”

She twisted his arm until it felt like his bones would break and he was forced to drop the knife with a gasp.

He watched with mounting horror as Brax leant down and swiftly punched his sword into the toad’s head killing it instantly.

“Oh! I levelled up! I’m level 15!” exclaimed Lira jumping on the spot with glee.

Rain could only stare at the dead and unmoving toad.

“Why.” he breathed.

“Because the town Ranker doesn't forgive or forget, but he does get sick of seeing you begging in the streets for scraps. You make us look bad when out of towners visit.” Brax shrugged. “He gave you to us.”

Rain suddenly ran at Brax with hands raised, recklessly trying to throttle him. Brax simply laughed and lightly brushed him aside. To Rain it felt like being hit by a sledgehammer and he was knocked tumbling across the ground. Breath came painfully and he realised he had likely broken a rib, likely more than one.

“Oops, I forgot how weak you were.”

“Hey don’t break my toy before I get a turn!” scowled Myra.

Rain felt a hand grab his wrist and drag him up.

“Oh, so weak, so pathetic. You’re like a doll.” said Myra.

She grabbed at his old and tattered clothing and ripped his shirt off followed by his trousers and undergarments.

“Ah I thought you would just have a nub down there like a doll, guess not, but it’s as stunted as you are, just look at that little thing!”

She pulled a knife free from her belt and poked it at his genitals, Rain’s eyes went round and he screamed as he felt the tip of the blade go in slightly.

“P-please! I didn’t do anything to you, why are you doing this! Lira, Eliza! Stop them Please!”

Brax scoffed. “They aren't going to help you.”

“Sorry Rain, it's better this way.” shrugged Lira sadly.

“You never could accept it Rain. If you are stunted for so long you can’t ever escape that, you never had a hope.”

“What?”

Myra dropped him and he fell bonelessly to the cold damp stone. Myra drove a boot into his stomach and he went rolling across the ground.

He clawed at his stomach in pain.

“T-tell me! What do you mean!”

Eliza looked between Myra and Brax. “Rain, it wouldn't have mattered, it’s not well known but past a certain point an unleveled and stunted human is simply unable to gain levels. That's why humans power level their young so early compared to other races. It’s a racial trait.”

“No! Y-You’re lying!”

Adlen casually poked at him with the tip of his spear drawing blood. “She’s not lying, the only worth you have left is our amusement.”

“Haha yes! Dance my little doll dance!”

Myra flicked fire at Rain’s feet causing him to scuttle back in fear, a fireball landed awkwardly and violet fire splattered up his leg. Rain screamed as it ate into his flesh. He desperately smacked it out burning his hands in the process.

“Oh he has a voice on him doesn't he. Care, he might attract monsters.”

“That’s fine, we can use them to power level once we’re done with this.”

Rain crawled toward Lira, the halfling, the only one he hoped would have some sliver of sympathy left.

“P-please Lira! I’m a Leveler! I’m a person! You can't let them do this to me!” he clutched at her boots. “I just wanted to level up like you!”

Lira’s face went from what Rain interpreted as potential sympathy to a sneer of disgust.

“Don’t touch me with your filthy hands! I’ve seen you scrabbling around in bins. Eliza’s right you’re just stunted trash and a burden on the town.”

She kicked his hands away.

Rain paused. He realised it was over. He was surrounded by monsters as bad as the monsters that inhabited this dungeon, no, worse, these monsters killed not for food but out of contempt. Anger built in his chest and all the frustrations of a lifetime kept down for something he didn’t do welled up in him.

“You- Damn you!”

He stumbled to his feet one hand still clutching at his stomach.

“You’re all psychotic amoral scum, I don’t deserve any of this! I’ll fucking haunt you, I’ll curse you! I’ll-”

Brax’s sword whipped through the air and lopped off his arm .

Rain stared down at the stump poking from his shoulder and at his arm limp on the ground. He could feel himself going into shock.

“Hey! Don’t finish him off too quick!” said Myra bouncing up behind him. Her knife went into his side with a sickening squelch.

“I-...” words fled Rain as his thoughts started to shut down.

“‘Don’t finish him off quick’ she says as she stabs him in the kidney. Fuck sake Myra.” growled Adlen. He flicked his spear and casually dismembered Rain’s other arm at the elbow.

“Do we get levels for killing him? I should get in on this!” said Eliza as she lazily gutted him. His intestines spilled out of the slit in his stomach.

“Oh gods the mess! Eliza you don’t cut there! Stomachs smell! And no you don’t get levels, that's monsters only.”

“Oh. Well he’s not much better than a goblin so who knows.”

Rain could taste blood in his mouth and his vision was going hazy around the edges. He would scream but shock had fully taken hold. He could only watch as Lira timidly came toward him.

“E-everyones uhm, doing it, so I should too, right?” She pushed the knife she held between his ribs. Blood welled up in his throat.

“Rain, you lived as a stain on our town, be glad you’re being cleaned... S-still, I’m sorry it turned out this way, I still feel bad, you should know.” Lira murmured.

“F-fee..-l b...ad?” whispered Rain, red streaming from his mouth.

“Aww does the runt have a crush?” said Myra, she giggled and withdrew her knife from his side.

“I don’t think getting laid is on his mind right now Myra. I don't think much is on his mind at all to be frank. Adlen finish the little fucker off, he’s gotten boring. I get the feeling we’ve attracted the attention of a few monsters anyway.” said Brax.

“Tchh, he was never going to be much fun, I mean have you looked at the guy? He makes kids look strong.”

Adlen strode forward and with a swing of his spear he swept Rain’s legs from under him. Rain crashed to the ground insensate and on the verge of blacking out.

“Here watch this. Watch me toss his ass.”

Adlen stabbed his spear into Rain’s stomach and hefted him up into the air so that Rain was hanging like some grisly war banner. With a heave of his level empowered muscles and a flick of his spear Adlen sent Rain flying over the lake to splash down near its center.

By the time Rain hit the water he was already dead.