I woke up the next morning feeling startled. When exactly did I sleep? I wondered, eyeing my surroundings frantically. Thankfully, nothing too dangerous was in my immediate vicinity, and what initially felt like relief turned to a premature, albeit overwhelming, excitement. The Gorgon eggs would sell for a high price, so I was already anticipating what I would buy with the money.

I had also gained some levels from them, so things were looking great. It's not much, but now I should be able to defeat some weaker monsters. I just needed to carry the eggs with me, and then...I suddenly froze. In my excitement, I had forgotten all about the logistics. How am I going to carry them? I slumped to the ground like a deflated balloon, robbed of all enthusiasm.

"I'm an idiot," I said to myself as I cradled my head in my hands. This wasn't the first time I had something like this completely slip my mind. I’d forget assignments, tasks, appointments, and my lecturers, bosses, and sometimes even my agents would chew me out for it. But this is different! My life is on the line here!

I couldn't just sit there and beat myself up over one mistake, so I started thinking about what I could do to fix the mess. "Besides, even if I had a bag, carrying three Gorgon eggs around would weigh me down." It sounded convincing enough, so I got up and went outside.

The fresh air was reinvigorating, so I took a deep breath before looking around for twigs. I was looking for an especially twisted one but found none. Guess my luck's already running out, huh? I took the nearest twig I could get my hands on and started carving it with one of my arrows into the perfect shape. I called it Lockpick-kun, as it would help me actualize my plan.

Once I felt ready, I returned to the cave. This time, I would be going deeper inside. It was extremely reckless, but I didn't care. In fact, I was rather thrilled! If I could come out of this in one piece, everyone would want me on their team! It was wishful thinking, but it was a good start, as I was finding more and more reasons to support my plan before long.

The cave was extremely spacious, with jagged, irregularly shaped rocks everywhere and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. A unique species of mushroom illuminated the cave with dim blue light, so I could make out some figures wandering around at a distance. They were a group of Skeleton Lancers, so I hid behind a rock and started mentally going through my options. I didn't want to just cut my losses and leave, but at the same time, I had to wonder if I could win against a group of Skeleton Lancers.

"If only Rock-kun were here to help," I muttered. At once, the realization struck me like a lightning bolt. Stalactites! I could use the environment against them! It would take a few tries, and I would probably waste a couple of arrows, but it would ultimately help me proceed, so I took my bow and started shooting at the stalactites.

I wanted to bring down as many as possible to hopefully wipe out the entire group. If any remained, I would take care of them myself, and to my surprise, some of them shook and then fell on the group of ten, killing eight and injuring two. I gained 104 EXP, and the panel appeared before me.

Daphne	LV 6
HP	45
Str	7 + 1
Dex	16 + 3
Spd	12 + 1
Luck	8
P-DEF	5 + 1
M-DEF	9
Status	-----
Compatibility	-----

Yay! My strength went up this time! I celebrated internally as I came out to finish off the remaining two. I gained an extra 26 EXP and skipped along happily. The win was like sweet wine to me. I had pulled off an overwhelming victory against the odds. Maybe I'm not so bad, after all, but once again, I was a bit too quick in thinking this because a spear came flying at me faster than I could react on time. I twisted my body to dodge, but it still managed to graze my side, so I gritted my teeth in pain and glared at the unwelcome visitor. It was a Skeleton Lancer that had managed to hide away from the group completely undetected. Now, it was quickly closing the distance, and I knew I had to act fast.

I tried to shoot, but it closed the gap between us and thrust its iron lance at me. I quickly ducked and rolled onto the floor to get behind it, but it turned and attacked with a sweeping strike that would have been fatal if it connected. Ugh, I'm really not suited for close combat, I thought as I ran around the room. I wanted to gain some distance, but it wouldn't let me, as it pursued me relentlessly. What did I do to make you pursue me like this? Did I kill your parents? Or are you seeking to avenge your friends, Mr. Skeleton? I tried to joke about it, but I knew better than anybody just how dangerous my situation was. I had broken the golden rule that all archers were supposed to follow: Always keep your distance. And now, I was already paying for it.

My speed stat was the only thing keeping me alive, as I dodged attack after attack. I knew it would all be over if I failed to dodge, but I was beginning to run out of steam. I dodged a bit too late, and it grazed me a second time. My HP started dropping to worrying levels, and my enemy wasn't going to let the chance slide. It drew the lance back and thrust with killing intent, but just then, I happened to step on what felt like loose soil. What? It crumbled under my feet, and I fell...and fell...and fell...until I abruptly lost consciousness.

***

"Ugh, where am I?" I asked as soon as I regained awareness. I was at the center of a hall that had multiple passages branching off from it. My HP was critically low, and I could barely make out my surroundings. Is this the end for me? I began to wonder with a self-deprecating smile on my face. All I wanted was to be able to find a chest, pick it, steal all the items inside, and use it to store the eggs, but for my plan to fail so miserably. My uncle was right. Nothing is guaranteed.

The monsters in Everlast Dynasty adhered to a strict hierarchy. Higher classes of monsters could command weaker monsters and coordinate attacks with them, but weaker monsters generally avoided places like these, where strong monsters could be found. I really, really hope I'm wrong.

Hearing a noise, I hid behind a large rock. I could tell what was coming was massive, so I calmed my breathing to the best of my ability and stood completely still. I only caught a glimpse of it, but what I saw shook me to the core.

A Queen Spider! These spiders, Cyclopses and Dragons, were among the strongest monster classes in the game. Not even a General, with their extremely high defense stat, could walk away from a fight with the Queen Spider unscathed! For their massive size, they were also surprisingly swift and could afflict players with the Deadly Poison status. I shuddered when I thought about it. In all respects, they were boss-level threats. I'm doomed, I thought to myself, but it didn't seem to notice me and disappeared into one of the many passages.

At once, I felt like I could breathe again, and that was when it occurred to me. Why don't I follow it to see where it's going? I paused. What?! That has to be an intrusive thought! I immediately dismissed it as foolishness of the highest order, but it may not have been as unreasonable as I thought it was.

I didn't know where I was and how to get anywhere, and if I started going through all the passages one by one, I could very well end up encountering another threat I had no hope of defeating. I stared into the passage the Queen Spider followed as if I were asking it for answers, and then I made my decision. I will follow it at a distance! If it looks like it'll turn back, I'll either hide or run away! I gripped my bow firmly and went into the passage.

The passage was dark and moist. With no mushrooms, it was really hard to make out anything, so I followed the sound of its walking, which had become somewhat faint. It has probably gotten far. That's good. I marched on silently, practically holding my breath the entire time till I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

The exit! But wait. Is that a Death Knight? It wasn't the strongest undead class out there, but it was guarding the exit for some strange reason, and it looked like the Queen Spider had some business outside, so they were squaring off. Monster fight! Monster fight! I cheered on from a considerable distance, but it was over in a flash. The Death Knight threw the spear it was holding, but it didn't even leave a scratch as it bounced off the Queen Spider's skin. What was its skin made of? Then, it drew its sword and adopted a stance, but before it could do anything, the Queen Spider raised one of its massive legs and crushed it.

R.I.P Death Knight-kun. Your efforts will be remembered. The outcome of the battle did not surprise me one bit. There was an undeniable gap between higher-class monsters, so it had no chance of winning from the beginning. The Queen Spider crawled out of the cave exit, leaving me alone with the option of entering the room with the defeated Death Knight. What does it want to do outside? And why was the Death Knight guarding the exit? Could it be...that Necromancers actually exist? Before I could further pursue that thought, something at the corner of my eye caught my attention.

"A chest!" I exclaimed and then quickly covered my mouth. I looked to my right and to my left before dashing into the room towards the chest, thinking, it was not a complete failure, after all! I grabbed Lockpick-kun and started picking the lock until I heard a satisfying click sound. Quickly opening the chest, I found four items inside.

"Three potions and...a silver bow!" I quickly gulped down two of the potions to replenish my HP, put the remaining one in my pocket, and carried the silver bow. I wouldn't be able to use it, as my weapon rank was probably E-tier at the moment, and one had to be at least B-tier to wield silver bows, but I could sell it for a good price.

After I was sure that the Queen Spider had left, I tentatively stepped outside to a cliff where I finally had a bird's-eye-view of the surrounding area. I could see the forests, the mountains, and a town nearby. At last, a town! Of course, I had my regrets. It would have been great to bring the Gorgon eggs along with me, but one had to look at the positives, right? Right, I have to keep looking at the positives. With newfound determination, I carefully made my way down to the forest.