Stepping through the portal was like walking through an ordinary door. One second Hector stood amid scorched stone and molten heat. The next, he heard the soft crunch of leaves beneath his feet as a forest stretched out before him.

  It was dusk.

  The light filtering through the trees had a muted, amber quality to it, the kind that came just before the sun fully dipped below the horizon. Cool air brushed against his skin, gentle and soothing after the brutality of the volcanic chamber.

  He stood still for a long moment, listening. He did not recognize any immediate danger. Somewhere farther off, a bird called once. The forest was calm, to the point where it caused him unease. After long years of working in the backwoods' wilderness, a quiet forest usually meant a predator or some other type of danger was on the loose; he was unsure if that philosophy was the same in Eden.

  His body remained tense as if he was still in the midst of battle. He found himself listening for the hiss of super-heated stone and the low rumbles of shifting lava. Flashbacks of the last fight rolled through his mind as he prepared for any potential dangers.

  Instinct tugged at him to activate Emergency Heal. The thought rose automatically muscle memory rather than intent. He stopped himself halfway through the motion, taking several deep breaths to calm himself. In the dungeon, every second demanded action. Healing had turned into a reflex, as it was the only thing allowing him to survive.

  Here, standing beneath trees instead of fire and brimstone, the silence felt almost wrong. He exhaled slowly through his nose and forced his shoulders to relax, one at a time.

  “I’m out,” he said quietly, more to himself than anything else.

  He found a relatively clear patch beneath the overhang of a large rock, trees providing natural cover on three sides. The stone above offered shelter from wind and rain, while the surrounding foliage broke up his silhouette. It was a good spot, not perfect, but safe enough.

  He worked quickly clearing debris and prepping his campsite for the night. He gathered dry wood, struck an Ignis Bloom, and coaxed the flames to life with practiced ease. He worked without thinking, letting muscle memory handle the details while his mind drifted back to the volcano. Not the serpent, but the fight as a whole.

  Hector had not been in many fights throughout his life, but when he was involved in one, he always had a good time, winning or losing. That scared him though. Violence before the tutorial was frowned upon, and no one wanted to spend the night in jail. Now violence was required; he wondered what it would be like back on Earth after the change. One thing he did understand though is that he was going to need bigger challenges because this was fun.

  He stared into the flames as meat roasted, watching fat drip and hiss against the coals. The sound was steady and grounding. The fight had not gone the way he would have planned it; in fact, there had been no plans. The environment itself had been trying to kill him, as well as the boss level monster. He had fought many fires in the past; it was his job after all. This time though the serpent had felt like a living fire.

  All his skills had synergized in ways he had not completely understood; he knew that this had been the key to his victory. Planning and skill training were going to be needed for continued success.

  His skills stacked naturally, as if his body already knew the order they belonged in. There had not been a need to think about timing, it was as if his body had taken over and helped guide his movements.

  This instinctive behavior caused him to pause, going forward he didn't want to merely act, but to consciously act. His entire life up to this point had been about control. For years he followed strict training regiments and detailed workplace SOPs. Personal actions were expected to be calculated, falling in line with specific procedures that were hammered into him. If his actions fell outside of that structure, consequences were given by his management. That was something he usually tried to avoid. Currently, he was running without any of that, and it bugged him

  He chewed slowly, savoring the food, letting the act of eating anchor him back in the present. As harsh and punishing as the dungeon had been, he felt good; he still felt the sensation of the fight which caused his heart to race a little.

  “I wonder what other challenges are waiting for me,” he murmured, staring into the flames. “This has been one hell of a ride. Hopefully I make it out of this alive and figure out what is really going on.”

  He pulled up his minimap, curiosity tugging at him now that survival was no longer immediately pressing. A blinking marker appeared in the south.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Looks like the next one is that way,” he said quietly. “Not too far, a day or two, maybe.”

  He would need water, food too, but those were problems he could solve on the move. The thought of the next dungeon stirred excitement inside him, His adventure so far had been filled with fights and danger, but at the end of the day he was having fun.

  "Who knew fighting would be so fun, am I starting to become a battle maniac", He thought to himself.

  His gaze dropped to his armor.

  “I wonder if I could get regular clothes treated like this,” he mused. “Or enchanted. Or whatever the system calls it.”

  His pants and shirt were shredded beyond recognition, stained with blood, soot, and ash. His boots had not survived the volcano. He had discarded them without ceremony. Walking barefoot felt strange, but the ground did not harm him. Life Mantle dulled environmental discomfort to little more than pressure and warmth, still weird, though.

  The fire crackled as dinner finished cooking. The smell was incredible. He tore into it when it was ready, eating with the hunger of someone who had earned every bite.

  Sleep came easily as the exhaustion of recent events and a full belly lulled him.

  Morning broke with pale light filtering through the leaves. He packed the camp quickly, checked the minimap again, and started south.

  The journey was quiet at first; being in nature had always been an anchor for him. What drew him to the forestry department had been his desire to be in nature. This had not changed after the Pantheon was introduced; he doubted it would ever change. It was a core tenant of himself, something he had been aware of for a long time now.

  About halfway to the dungeon, he reached a river. He knelt to refill his bladders. That was when the water exploded. Massive shapes burst upward. Upright crocodilian forms rose from the riverbank, towering over him by at least a foot. Thick scales gleamed wetly in the sunlight. Yellow eyes locked onto him with unmistakable hunger.

  [Analyze: Eden Crocodile]

  Level: 25

  They were strong but not fast.

  The first one lunged and Hector met it head on. A punch landed and he felt the energy leave his hand and visibly saw a reaction in the creatures' eyes as Overheal took over and got to work.

  The second fell seconds later, then the third. They fought like predators that had never faced something capable of hitting back harder than themselves. Creatures used to ambush and intimidation without resistance.

  Within moments, the riverbank was quiet again. He harvested meat, hide, and scales with practiced efficiency, storing everything without question. His inventory filled with monster parts and crafting materials he did not yet understand, but he saw no reason to turn down free resources.

  “I really hope there is a shop somewhere,” he said. “Or at least a use for all this.”

  The minimap pulsed again. The dungeon was close.

  An hour later, ancient ruins emerged from the forest. A ziggurat rose from the earth, stone steps worn by time and something far less natural. At its summit, a portal shimmered faintly.

  Between him and that portal stood a problem. Dozens of monkey-like creatures swarmed the structure. They hooted, screamed, and hurled themselves around with wild abandon.

  [Analyze: Ziggurat Defensive Apes]

  Level: 30

  There were a lot of them.

  Hector exhaled slowly.

  “I am not climbing through that.”

  He moved into the trees, using cover to approach. Ten of them clustered near the lower steps. Vital Conduction had given him options. This time, he wanted to push it, but not recklessly. He centered himself, as Hands of Triage primed with Vital Conduction layered beneath it.

  He launched forward. His hand slammed into the nearest ape’s face, and green energy surged through the creature, spider-webbing outward into the group. Bodies dropped as arcs of Overheal tore through the crowd.

  Pushing, he willed Vital Conduction to not stop until the job was done. It did not take long for all movements to stop. Something warm splattered across his cheek.

  SPLAT.

  The smell hit a heartbeat later; he knew what this was, but he really hoped he was wrong. Several more brown lumps landed in the area confirming his fears.

  “…Are they throwing shit at me?” he said flatly.

  Another splat struck his shoulder. Then another narrowly missed his face.

  “No! Absolutely not!”

  Life Mantle flared, and the fecal projectiles struck the golden-green aura and slid off like mud against glass. Disgust etched across his face as more brown lumps pelted towards him.

  “Well, at least this is considered environmental,” he thought with a hint of relief.

  He began charging mana into one fist as he ran. Green light leaked between his fingers. The familiar burn of Overheal threatened to spiral. For a heartbeat, instinct screamed at him to let it go, to flood the strike with massive amounts of Overheal well beyond his control.

  “No,” he muttered.

  The energy resisted, pushing back against his intent, hungry to expand. He held it anyway, shaping it tighter instead of stronger, forcing it to obey rather than overwhelm. The skill wrapped around his hand, creating a green glove.

  POP.

  He leapt.

  Five apes met him midair.

  His punch landed.

  A shockwave tore across the ziggurat, bodies thrown backward like ragdolls. Others closer to the impact collapsed, lesions blooming across their flesh as Overheal consumed them from the inside. The survivors froze, then they ran.

  Fleeing foes was a concern for another time though; the only thing on his mind currently was the dungeon before him.

  System messages flared.

  [Level Up]

  [Level Up]

  [Hector has reached Level 35]

  He took one last looked at the portal before stepping through, next thing he knew the forest was gone as he arrived in an unfamiliar location.

  Stone replaced the air beneath his feet. The heat vanished all at once; the oppressive weight of the volcano gone like a held breath finally released. Coolness settled against his skin, seeping through muscle and bone. Hector staggered half a step, then caught himself. Nothing attacked, but his instincts screamed, looking for any possible danger that may come his way. Preparing himself for an attack, he activated Life Mantle.

  "Good, at least there wasn't an instant ambush the second I got in here, I still feel like it is too quiet though."

  “Alright,” he muttered under his breath. “Let us see what kind of place this is.”