Eric POV

  "There is something strange about this old mine" I say as we approach the entrance. "I'm not just talking about the fact that there is no record of it existing before a few months ago either. I mean for one the snakes, and now even the spiders, are endless. On top of which they never seem to change which is odd given that everything around us is becoming nearly impossible to deal with. And don't even get me started on the chests which always seem to have something in them." The others all nod their heads in agreement. Nobody wanted to admit it but the old mine has become the safest place outside of town, even with all the snakes and spiders. Maybe even safer than town, at least until the wall gets finished. At least with them you know what you're getting.

  The idea that this might actually be a real life dungeon has slowly begun to be accepted by our little group. We still haven't voiced that opinion outside of our little group lest people think we're nuts, but it's the only answer that makes sense given what we've experienced while exploring the old mine. After all nearly everything we have equipment wise came from those chests and I doubt some blacksmith is making them and then placing them in chests surrounded by snakes.

  Stepping inside the mine it doesn't take long for us to notice that something has changed. "Why are there rats?" Rachel half screams while firing off fire blasts as rapidly as she can. I had almost forgotten about her unhealthy fear of rodents ever since a rat bit her finger when she was three. At least that's what I was told is the reason. Either way we should probably deal with this if we want to continue getting stronger. I motion for Damien to talk to her since they are 'unofficially' dating. I hate to be mean but if we're going to survive in this new world we can't afford to have our progress stalled because of some phobia. Which means as insensitive as it sounds she's going to have to get over it.

  After a few minutes Damien comes over to me. "She has agreed to keep going. She's not happy about it but I reminded her that there are now rats out in the wild who are an actual threat, and she needs to learn to deal with these so she doesn't freeze up with panic when encountering them. So, she's willing to try. Again she's not happy about it, like at all, but she's willing to try."

  Fear is a funny thing, as we continued to explore the old mine I swear she could see the rats even before I could even though I'm pretty sure my perception is slightly higher than hers. On a positive not her fire blasts became hotter and more concentrated. I know this because she nearly hit me a few times. She immediately apologized after the panic subsided but right now she is a bigger threat than those rats. The real problem was that she spammed fire blast so frequently that she started to run low on mana. Fortunately, we made it to the first chest already so this trip wasn't a complete waste.

  These bottles of liquid have to be good for something, why else would we keep getting them. Granted I'm not brave enough to drink an unknown substance just to find out. We can't exactly sell it either without knowing what it is. what if one of them is a poison. Still there has to be some reason we keep getting them. After putting the stuff into our bags we decide to rest here for a few minutes to let Rachels mana built back up a little. We can't stay here to long but it should take at least a few minutes for the rats to start making their way towards us. After about two and a half minutes we decide to continue on before we have to fight our way back to the main tunnel.

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  About ten minutes later we start seeing some snakes mixed in with the rats. That's a good sign. The rats may be weaker but all things considered I believe the snakes will be easier to deal with. Me and Amy deal with the snakes for the most part. Damien's heal spell helps somewhat, but it can only treat miner abrasions and such. Rachel on the other hand is trying to let her mana recharge in case it's needed later. She could have let us help with the rats but I understand she wasn't exactly thinking rationally. We grab the next two chests in short order. It's almost become routine at this point. Then we decide to try for the fourth chest. It's a bit risky because we are all a little exhausted.

  The reason however, is that I can feel a level up coming and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I didn't know what that feeling was the first time but this time I know what it is and what to expect. It's like when your unscrewing a stubborn lid and suddenly you can sense that it's about to give. Not exactly but It's the only thing I know to compare it to. At any rate stopping now that I'm this close to a level up feels wrong. Still we take our time, we're exhausted not stupid. To be honest we have no proof that their is another chest but at this point I'd put money on every dead end tunnel having a chest. Plus we've learned to identify the side tunnel from the main tunnel.

  About half way down the tunnel towards where their is hopefully a chest waiting it finally happens. That magical feeling hit's and at the same time I see a notification that I've gained a level. After dealing with the few remaining spiders I take a moment to consider my options. This time I put two stat points into perception instead of strength. After that comes the new skill selection. This time I look for a utility skill. My reasoning being that we're not always in combat and there must be skills to help with daily life too, a cooking skill, a swimming skill, maybe even a carpentry skill. After a while I find a skill that seems to jump out at me. The skill is identification and according to the description It can allow you to identify any item by looking at it so long as the Item is below a certain level. I didn't even know Items had levels.

  The last thing I noticed was a new skill point, apparently skills can be upgraded. The question is which skill should I upgrade. On the one hand the new identification skill might help me identify more things or give me additional information. On the other hand weighted Strike being upgraded would help me deal with tougher opponents. I end up going back and forth a few times but I eventually decide to upgrade my new identification skill. We need to be stronger yes but right now what we need more is to understand this new reality. confirming my selection I quickly close the window and see my party patiently. Apparently haven takin the time to relax almost completely. Already I can feel my awareness expand. Not like I can see further, not yet anyway, but more like I notice more. My increased perception making me aware of even faint sounds nearby. At least they use to be faint.

  I'm about ready to continue on, but when I look towards Amy I can see information floating beside her.

  Amara Shin

  Race: Human

  Age: 16

  Level: 2

  Huh, the rest of the information is accurate but I always thought her name was Amy. That's who she introduced herself as and who she has always gone by. Whatever the reason I decide it's none of my business, people are allowed to be embarrassed about their name. If she wants to be called Amy who am I to argue. That does however work to show how useful the new skill can be. I'm tempted to start pulling things out of our backpacks and identifying them right here but we've been idle in one spot for far to long already I fear. So instead I announce to everyone that it's time to continue onward. It was during the next encounter that I got my next big shock.

  Spider

  Dungeon mob level 3

  Dungeon mob huh? That can only mean that my guess was actually correct, we are in fact in a dungeon. No wonder this mine seemed to appear out of nowhere.