He decided to keep this dagger close, strapping it to his right hip, as he drew his sword from the left hip. He then moved forward through the tunnel.

  After a few steps, confusion came over him when he realized his leg wasn’t really hurting anymore. Surprised and curious, he sat down for a moment and removed the shoddy bandage to examine his injury.

  The wound... how? The bleeding has stopped, and it reminds me of a cut that's a few days old, not something I got half an hour ago.

  Is my health regenerating?

  I guess that would kind of makes sense if the System has game-like rules overall. It does happen in games outside of combat. It's just ridiculous to consider…but these wounds are definitely real. That shit hurts. Even with my health going back up, I could easily die in a fight. It won’t protect me from a sword in the chest. I doubt I can regrow limbs either. If I'm slowly healing, that makes health regeneration a thing. Stands to reason mana regeneration would be too.

  Another thirty minutes and my leg will probably be healed completely, hopefully.

  As he made his way farther along the tunnel, the heat and glow of the molten rock became more pronounced.

  Alex quickly came upon another Kobold Miner, level 3 again, and luckily, this one was alone.

  Niiiice. Only one this time. It'll be perfect to test out my new stats and stealth skill.

  Activating the ability for the first time, he felt the shadows around him grow deeper and blend in his sight. The darkness felt like it was coating him in a blanket, one he could easily break out of if he weren’t careful.

  He stood there for a moment, feeling something else, something he had never felt before. Inside him, he could tell it was draining away from him, used up by the skill.

  Is that my mana? I never felt my own mana before. Now that I’m focusing on it, I can feel it slowly being used up. If I had to describe it... I can feel my mana limit, in video game terms.

  Alex probed at it again, confirming his thoughts.

  It's not something I can see, just a feeling. I know if it's full, empty, or even what percent it's roughly at. Activating and using my stealth skill, my mana is slowly draining away, but I know I could probably sustain this for a few minutes before it runs out.

  He decided to quickly test out mana regeneration. Out of sight from the creature, he turned off the skill and waited to see if the mana automatically recovered.

  Okay nice, I can feel it going back up. So that does confirm regeneration and that the system is a bit game-like.

  Sword in both hands, Alex reactivated [Stealth] and moved toward the creature. He did his best to keep his footsteps extra silent.

  In only moments, he stood behind the unaware Kobold, weapon high above him. Pulling down on the blade and using the momentum of the sword's length and weight, he cleaved through the air with every bit of strength he could muster.

  As soon as the sword made contact with the Kobold, he felt his stealth skill fall off. The strike hit the creature in the upper back and neck area, severing its spine and cutting halfway through its body, causing it to fall to the ground in a soundless heap. It folded backwards onto itself, the monster's face staring up at him.

  Alex quickly followed up and stabbed it in the eye with his sword, going deep enough to reach its brain. It died before it could utter a single sound.

  That turned out better than I thought, he thought as he stood over the Kobold’s body. The extra strength really helped me do more damage, and you can’t knock on being stealthy, it's amazing. I doubt I could have done that in a single strike before leveling up. It's kind of awkward to swing at these kobolds, though, since they're so much smaller.

  He quickly looted the coin and did the dirty work of extracting the core from the Kobold, then stored them both away and continued forward.

  Alex barely had to go very far before the dungeon changed things up. As he turned a corner, new enemies met his eye.

  It was only a matter of time before I found something stronger than a level 3 Kobold Miner. This dungeon was recommended for level 6 after all.

  Kobold Warrior (Level 4)

  Kobolds are a race of lizard-like monsters that prefer to live underground. They're aggressive and devious. If located outside a dungeon, they are known for setting traps and ambushing unsuspecting adventurers who stumble into their territory; inside a dungeon, they do not use traps. This Kobold variant is a basic warrior, the most common fighter in their race.

  Kobold Warrior (Level 4)

  Hmm.. the warriors have the same description, except the last line is different. There's two of them. They look like they're standing guard over the tunnels behind them. Does that make them smarter? And more importantly, can I even take on two warrior-type kobolds at once? That's a big step up from fighting two miners, and they weren't even at the same time.

  He backed up, returning around the corner to where they couldn’t see him. Alex was doubting he could do it, second-guessing his decision to come this way, once again.

  Again… do I have a choice? The other tunnel might be just as bad, I have no way of knowing unless I went back and explore it. Plus, the time it’ll take me to backtrack.

  He steeled his resolve and quietly punched himself.

  Quit it. You promised yourself you’d get stronger. No more fear. No more hesitation. Keep moving forward, not backward. Admit it to yourself, you kind of enjoyed those last fights. Deep under the fear and adrenaline, you felt something else more. A way to finally take control of your own life.

  He nodded to himself. I'll get stronger.

  A small smile spread across his face, and he kept moving forward. Alex poked his head around the corner to see them again.

  Both Kobolds seemed relaxed. They were in the tunnel entrance, facing each other, leaning against the walls on either side. One stood, and one sat. The one who was sitting, a sword wielder, was throwing bones down on the ground and picking them back up.

  Possibly playing a game?

  The other creature, the axe wielder, was standing up. He looked more observant, but still relaxed. He was casually looking around the tunnel, as if keeping watch.

  I don’t see any other weapons, shields, or armor. One side of the tunnel is near lava, so I’ll avoid that. I'll need to stealth up the right side and try to cripple or kill one quickly, before either one can react. I don’t trust myself to kill it with one attack, either. They're a level higher and probably have higher physical stats since they're warriors. So a crippling blow is my best option.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  That would allow me to back away and focus on fighting the sword wielder one-on-one, before coming to finish off the crippled one, assuming I survive.

  Slowly moving forward, Alex reached striking distance. He raised his sword into the air and prepared to stab the axe-wielding Kobold through the leg.

  He quickly thrust forward. Alex put the sword straight through the Kobold's leg. It let out a loud yelp of surprise and collapsed to the ground, its axe clattering to the stone floor. When the creature fell, it pinned Alex's weapon underneath its body, and latched its claws on the blade. Rather than waste time trying to yank it free, he instinctively let go and reached for the nearby kobold's weapon.

  He quickly picked up the fallen axe and swung it at the warrior. But Alex overestimated the length of the new weapon, having never used an axe, only swords. The blade edge was only barely able to reach the Kobold, causing the axe to bite into its chest, and only leave a shallow cut. Luckily, the weight of the swing caused the creature to shift backwards, though, freeing Alex’s sword.

  Throwing the axe farther away so the Kobold couldn’t use it, he grabbed his sword and backed away quickly, but it wasn’t quick enough. Right as he backed up, he felt a burning sensation across his back. The other Kobold had joined the fray.

  In pain and unsure how nasty his wound was aside from the terrible burning pain it caused, he stumbled away. He needed to put some distance between himself and the sword wielding warrior.

  Blood trickled from the cut on his back. Sweat and liquids drenched his shirt and pants. Though he felt great pain, and his footsteps were slow, he was determined to see this through. Alex refused to die at the hands of a level 4 Kobold. Even two.

  With his sword in his hand, he took a ready stance, preparing for the warrior to attack him again.

  Shit that hurts.

  The monster came at him with a flurry of blows, hissing and screeching, swinging its sword with so much force that Alex could barely block the attacks from the small kobold. It wasn’t easy, as the loss of blood was slowing him down. He couldn’t afford to get hit again.

  This thing definitely has more strength than I do; I can’t keep this up for long.

  One of the strikes got under his guard, leaving a shallow wound on his shoulder when he couldn’t entirely stop the blow. It was difficult to block a creature half your size when most of the attacks came at your legs, waist, and stomach. Blocking and deflecting wasn’t working for him; he could feel himself tiring, each strike rattling his bones, causing his arms to weaken from the strain.

  Even in this situation, though... he could feel it. The excitement of the fight rising inside him, overriding his fear, the ecstasy of this moment as he rode the edge between life and death. He was enjoying the battle.

  One false move and he was done; his story would end deep underground, and no one would know. Barely anyone would even care. But there was also power he could grasp, the control he had over whether this kobold lived or died. The power to strike it down, fueling his own ascension, his own strength. The experience he could gain.

  Finally, he stopped repressing his instincts within and stopped trying to think and analyze, or restrain himself… He let go.

  Freeing himself of the fear, the pain, the hesitation. Alex released everything. He stopped thinking. All that mattered was the flow of battle, of each hit clanging against his blade.

  He smiled despite the great chance he might die, enjoying this more than anything he had experienced before. His focus became so absolute that he could feel it swirling around him… the mana. The air was filled with it. Many different kinds.

  One of the types was full of earth tones, rigid, strong, but still malleable in its current form.

  One of heat and fire, and another he assumed was life .

  The life mana filling the tunnel around him felt natural. It was a part of everything, and everything was a part of it. It just existed. The fire mana filled the tunnels from the lava. It wanted to burn all of existence, destruction in its purest form, but also creation and warmth.

  Alex could feel it all.

  It was everywhere. Mana was in everything.

  The mana in Alex’s body felt different, though; it was almost… aimless and pure? He didn't know how to describe it. It felt free of all expectations and aspects, as if it could do anything it wanted and change into everything that ever existed. It was free and unrestricted.

  The colors were different from any other he had seen so far, too. The colors inside him reminded him of the Progenitor Class Gem he used. His mana was black, speckled with white, surrounded by gold. The same that he saw in his dream when he felt the universe before him.

  All of this happened in a split second, and almost no time had passed. His senses had expanded, inward and outward. Feeling the mana, he realized it wasn’t just that, a feeling, but he was also seeing colors and movements in the air.

  Dark colors, light colors, colors and hues he didn’t have names for, blending, swirling and moving around. Not just through the air, but he saw it flowing through everything—The walls, the ground, the ceiling, the lava, and even the kobold rampaging in front of him.

  Alex saw the mana flowing through the creature and felt it without even touching the creature this time. Each shift from himself or the Kobold moved the mana in the air, allowing him to see its actions more clearly. Each movement displacing the mana.

  Alex could also feel the mana in the creature’s body.

  It was a lot more concentrated than the free-flowing mana around them. It meant he could predict it. This helped him block, deflect, or dodge the kobolds' attacks more effectively. He could feel where they were coming from much more easily than relying on his poor fighting skills or speed.

  Now that he could defend himself much more easily, Alex focused on regaining his balance and looking to counterattack.

  He steadied himself as he was slowly pushed backwards. It had gotten easier for him. Crouching low, feet wide, Alex tensed his legs and leapt forward straight into the Kobold. His knee rose up, impacting the smaller creature.

  Caught off guard, the monster stumbled backward, moved by the sheer difference in their size and weight. Keeping the momentum from his charge, Alex swung his sword in an upward arc, catching the Kobold's arm and cleanly severing it from the rest of its body.

  Briefly looking towards the axe wielder, he saw it had almost hobbled over to its axe; only a few seconds had passed. Knowing he was on a ticking clock, Alex turned back to his current opponent as it howled in agony, barking and hissing, throwing spittle all over. It was clearly out of its mind with pain. The lizard ran toward Alex, one arm raised, its sword held aloft.

  The creature, only having one arm, wasn’t able to fight as effectively. He easily deflected the blow, able to see the mana moving and better protect himself.

  Sidestepping towards the Kobold’s weaker side, where the arm was missing, he brought his weapon down with two hands, cutting deeply into the creature's shoulder and back. The strike knocked the Kobold to the ground.

  He left it writhing on the stone floor, wailing in pain as it bled out. Turning his head towards the other enemy, he started walking towards it.

  Having just picked up its axe, the Kobold was barely standing. Its leg was severely damaged, and it was bleeding from the wound on its chest. It hobbled towards him.

  “Come on, let's end this,” he mumbled to himself. Alex felt truly alive, walking towards the weakened creature. He didn't feel any sense of urgency to finish the fight. Fear wasn't something he felt right now, whether that was from the adrenaline or stupidity, he didn't know. On the contrary, he felt great, even with the blood dropping down his back and shoulder.

  Alex hadn't been very aggressive in his life before the tutorial; he had always avoided fights. But here? He couldn’t imagine life without the excitement. This was what he had been waiting for: a chance to grow and change. To become something new.

  To no longer be the Alex who had lived his life in loneliness, guilt, and weakness. But something more.

  Once in striking distance, the Kobold screamed out in rage at him, mimicking a small dragon roar, and it swung its axe towards Alex's face. Not even breaking stride, he sidestepped and plunged his blade straight down into the Kobold's chest. It seethed in rage and pain as it tried to bite him, but it couldn't reach. Alex stood there, staring at it, not letting the small creature fall to the ground as he held it up and waited.

  He watched the life fade away from the murky, unfocused eyes.

  After a moment, he shook his head, coming back to reality, and pulled out his sword. The creature fell to the ground.

  He quickly walked back to the other one and finished it off with a quick slash to the neck.