I Reincarnated As A Stone

Time did not seem to flow within the dungeon. No matter the hour, the sky was always as bright as at noon, so knowing exactly how long I had been inside was difficult. Maybe it was only a few hours, or maybe a day or two, I couldn’t be sure. I just kept moving around there, avoiding as much as possible to face the monsters. It didn't take long for me to realize how dangerous this place was.

Unlike what one would think of a typical dungeon, this one had its own ecosystem. In addition, despite being simply the first floor, it was surprisingly extensive, allowing its inhabitants to live as they pleased, as if they were living in their natural habitat. Probably was made on purpose? Who knows.

Insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, everything one could imagine to be in a jungle existed on this floor. And there were not only monsters but also animals and plants of all kinds. What’s more, they prey on each other in the same way that those I knew from Earth… although most of them were nothing more than simple monster food. Well, I suppose that monsters also need to eat, and wouldn’t be good for the dungeon if they hunt each other all time. At least for the dungeon, for me would have been the best.

After the battle with that spider, I thought that the monsters in the dungeon did not hesitate to attack stones, but in the end it did not turn out to be like that. My condition as a living stone helped me a lot to survive. Going unnoticed was not as difficult as I imagined, although there were two big problems. In the first place, those monsters didn’t seem to discriminate between animals and stones. As long as they took me as a simple piece of rock they would do nothing to me, but if they realized that I was a living object they would attack me without asking twice. Secondly…

[Giant sundew: A monstrous carnivorous plant. Despite not being able to move, its enormous size and long sticky tendrils give it great reach. Like most plant monsters, unless its core is destroyed or its roots damaged, its HP will never reach 0.]

Status:

Name: -

Kind: Sundew| Race: Giant sundew

Level: 34

HP: 567/567 | MP: 783/783

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‘How am I supposed to deal with it?’

Each and every one of the monsters I had encountered had levels between 20 and 35. However, of all the monsters I checked, I did not see a single monster below level 20, either over 35. That made me dig a little into the structure of the dungeon. Perhaps it was an inverted dungeon, where monsters rose from the lower levels after rising their level.

‘If this really is the typical dungeon, and the monsters of the next floors are even stronger, I can now greet my third life…’

There was also the possibility that doesn’t have more than a single floor, separated by different independent zones, divided by level. Personally, I preferred the former, but that wouldn't be too bad either. However, in the end I fell into something that made me retract such thoughts. A dungeon is a place where monsters are generated artificially. It wouldn’t be strange for them to be born directly with such high levels, and there was a possibility that they were stuck at its level or didn't receive experience from each other.

‘Helpy, is it possible that these monsters have their level by default?’

[Insufficient information.]

Helpy was also unable to give me any information on the subject. Each dungeon seemed to be different, so it was completely impossible to know anything about one in particular. Anyway, no matter how this one worked, the end result remained the same: I was a mere level 7, defenseless against an army of monsters that could be twenty levels higher than me.

‘I need to get stronger, but… how? It’s not like I can go around killing monsters to level up.’

Last time I managed to kill that spider… or pig… or whatever… by pure chance. That would not be repeated a second time, much less three, four, or what would probably be necessary to reach at least level 25.

‘I need power… I need weapons…’

My first thought was a pretty obvious one. If your own power is in short supply, use a good weapon to make up for it… but how the fuċk can a fuċkɨnġ stone wield a fuċkɨnġ weapon?! Also, it is not like I had one in the first place. Relying on poison to fight was out of the question for exactly the same reason: being a stone!

‘I miss having arms… or at least hands… I want my voluptuous biceps back!’

I started rolling back and forth, like a retarded child. I had no real reason to do it, I was just so frustrated that I couldn’t think of anything better to do.

[Ability “Roll” is now at level 4.]

‘Seriously, because of this bullshit?! Although… it’s really not that weird. I’ve been rolling day and night. It was just a coincidence…’

‘Okay, this may not be a coincidence! Certainly, this is the only title with level included. I wonder if having it will influence anything.’

I opened the status and checked the skills. It was still exactly the same, with the exception of having leveled up a couple of them. Nor did I have any new titles… although seeing the ones I received, I was glad.

‘Right, I won’t be able to use weapons properly speaking, but skills can also be considered my weapons. If I cannot trust my strength I will trust my intelligence… Which apparently is the only thing I have…’

When reviewing my wonderful and overwhelming stats, with the power to terrify anyone who saw them… yes, those with a wonderful 0 next to each one, I catch something extremely important. Leveling up… didn’t seem to be exactly a solution.

‘No matter how much my level goes up, no stat will improve a single digit. The only raising are my HP and MP, nothing more. So it’s clear, no matter how much I reach level 20 and par with the monsters, I will still be just as weak as now. I will be able to take more damage and the increased mana will allow me to last longer in a fight, but nothing more!’

I fell deep in thought. It was undeniable that I needed to raise my level at any cost, otherwise I would die almost instantly when hit. Also, I wouldn’t have enough mana to withstand a fight that lasted too long. However, it was not the priority. It would be useless for me to have a higher level if I still did not have the ability to damage my enemies. The mana cannon and mana bomb alone weren’t enough for a real fight.

‘I need to learn more skills. Not necessarily offensive skills, but ingenious skills that allow me to fight enemies much stronger than me.’

Set traps, immobilize enemies, reduce their attack, dots that were constantly weakening them, and ways to avoid being hit. Even abilities capable of buffing myself would be fine.

‘But I suppose I should focus on something that meets the minimum requirements rather than looking through too many different options.’

‘Seems that these fuċkɨnġ stupid titles will really be useful for something… some… Well, at least this discards one of my priorities.’

The mobility issue, despite being improvable, was partially resolved. The next most important thing remaining, the attack and defense, was next. I had no doubt where I should start.

‘I am a magic stone, magic should be my strength… probably? Decided, I will become a mage! Although… I already am… Better not think about it, I get depressed alone…’

I slipped through trees and bushes, looking for the cleanest place possible of monsters. It would be unpleasant and dangerous if while training an enemy appeared. I would probably lack mana and focus to be able to evade a sudden attack.

‘I wonder if I will learn stealth.’

…

…

…

‘Thank you! I was waiting for the message to appear!’

‘This must be a good place. Time to train!’