Leave The Monster Alone

The down path was a black abyss with no end. Even on his unlocked map, he could see nothing but darkness and he knew it was a stupid idea to fall down and risk his life. 

Still, something in him compelled him to take this risk and find out what would happen. The more he looked down, the worse that compulsion got and he had not realised he had even taken a step till Kuro bit his clothes to physically restrain him.

"Sorry. You're right, we need to move" her worry and judgement flowed through his senses. He quickly went back to safety and opened the map once again. It felt like looking at a maze with certain corridors not opening into the subsequent one.

And then there was a random chance that you might end up at an unwanted place without even realising at all since some corridors did not have markers.

That all being said, there was a way to get into every corridor and Mark just needed to figure it out. It would take time but it was possible.

Since he was on a time restraint, he decided to decode only the central path to the boss for the time being. Kuro took the watch, her eyes not wavering even when they were at a safe point.

It was complicated to find the path since many corridors needed to be crosschecked before he could mark them out but he finally reached a conclusion. If there was no abnormality then his mapped path had the best chances of landing him in the monster's pit. 

The first thing he needed to do was to leave this platform and reach the side corridor. There were no connected oaths to that palace, just platforms he would have to jump across to reach.

"Kuro, do you think you can carry me across?" Normally, he would not take this risk since it could tire Kuro out.

She purred in agreement but he was still worried. While Kuro did carry Rika out before, she was both smaller and lighter than him. His weight could potentially tire Kuro out but there was no other option.

If he tried to cover it all then he would get tired along with Kuro and that would be a disastrous combination. 

Kuro was large, but her strength only came into play once he was on her back. He had to hold on tight to her neck while she jumped around. It was difficult to keep his balance and he felt so many times he would fall.

Every time he slipped, his heart skipped several beats till he could not tell if it was even beating normally at all at this point.

Only after his feet landed on the land did his heartbeat begin to calm down and he relaxed. It had been so stressful to put his life in another's hands and this was not something he needed to experience again.

But he had a feeling this thing would be repeated several times.

While he moved forward, his brain tried to calm down. The first corridor ended right into a gate-like opening and one could not see anything beyond. It was like a screen of shadow and darkness was obstructing their vision and not allowing them to see any further.

But once Mark and Kuro crossed that opening, another corridor started. It looked virtually the same as the first one in all the ways but only through his map could he tell that this was a different place.

Soon they came to the end of that corridor too and they both knew this would be the last time they would face such calm surroundings. From the next corridor, enemies would come and space would get narrower.

'Guns would be a hindrance' Mark only realised this fact once he had already stepped inside. He did not even get a chance to breathe before small squid-like things attacked. 

It was only his sharp reflexes that saved him from that strange small monster. He had shot the few who had been close enough but Kuro seemed to be struggling. The corridor was not too small yet, but her big form hindered her against so many small enemies.

"Kuro, get ready to run" he called out to the large feline who growled and he threw the smokescreen. His only hope now was to not hit any monster while Kuro fled to the other side. Monsters from one corridor would not flood into the other ones due to programming reasons.

The later corridors would not be an actual problem since they had bigger monsters to fight. Despite their larger power level, their big size was actually a con in Mark's eye. It made them an easier target.

The real problem was these initial small monsters who were too numerous to kill and very difficult to target.

Due to their small form, their mobility was better and it allowed them to dodge most attacks. It would not be bad for someone like Alan or Luna who had really good shooting skills, but Mark was average and seemed not to be improving.

For someone like him, it would take too long to put them all down and that was only the first corridor. They were almost too much for the poor him to handle, not to mention Kuro who still had no handle on her abilities.

There were 3 more corridors like these but after that, it would be the bigger monsters which he could likely take on.

The next 3 corridors followed a similar strategy and finally, they were in the corridor with the bigger monsters. There were 2 of such before the boss chamber and he stopped just as he stepped inside.

The corridor had no one inside it and he allowed himself to relax. But Kuro growled at him and he had to sidestep the incoming weapon.

The opponent cannot be described in words, a weird cross between a frog and a fish and it looked bipedal? Mark had no words or comparison to make, not that his mind would allow him to either.

The fin-like hands wielded an axe which came down hard and sharp. Even as Mark dodged, the floor had a noticeable dent which caused him to winch. Kuro made a motion to attack but Mark stopped her short.

That axe would need to be separated from the monster before Kuro could make an attempt on him. He was not sure she would be able to take the force, nor was he interested in finding it out right now.

The monster attacks again and Mark dodges while shooting at the other. Had he said these monsters would be slower? He took that back now since this one was just as fast as those small ones from before.

The monster's body was slimy which made the effect of his guns much less noticeable.

He always knew that there would be a time when these low-grade guns would lose their significance but not like this and not in such a situation. The only high-grade gun he bought was in the hands of Alan and he had not bought any since.

After all, he never had a need and his funds had always been lacking. Now he regretted such a poor decision on his part. Even if his shop had a good weapon available, he did not have enough resources to buy it.

Should he pull out the sword? It was better than anything else so he took the chance.

As his body dodged backwards, his hands gripped the sword handle and pulled it out of his inventory. The monster was close and he swung the sword.

It cut something and a small cry of pain reached his ear. A metallic click was heard and the axe fell to the floor and Kuro took that chance. Her claws shredded the monster in seconds and it dissipated into the same light.

"Let's hope the next one will be easier" 

Fun fact, it was not and this time, Mark received a few bruises of his own but he was finally here - right in front of the boss chamber.

He had rushed the whole base for this place and now he could get his hands on the reward. He made sure he was ready and Kuro was ready and finally entered.

The darkness was unexpected and Mark expected it to blow away after a few seconds but it did not. The buzzing sound reached his ear but the darkness did not subside.

It was the first sign that made Mark aware that things were not right at all and he might be severely underprepared.

Then he felt something collide with him and the darkness subsided. The light hurt and before he knew it, he was back at the start - right into that base's door.

What had happened? Had he not been hit and died? Kuro also looked alright but a little dazed at his side.

On his system screen, it flashed in big, bold words - 

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System notice: Boss fight failed. Forceful evacuation. (Player Skill Lvl not met. Advised to bring more party members)

Penalty: Loss of all the loot 

First-time attempt reward acquired: Boat keyX1

(Note: evacuated due to requirements not met. Party members 2/4 - failure)

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What was all this about?