Chương 17: Cherry Cough Syrup and Cowardice

Recap: You defeated a Yellow Slime but took acid damage. You found loot including a Healing Potion and metal items. You voted to LOOT THE POTION (HEAL). Survival Rule #1: HP is life. Metal is just shiny weight. The howl was closer now. It wasn't a dog. It was something with lungs the size of bellows. A Dungeon Warg. They hunt in packs. They eat wood. They eat meat. They eat mimics. I didn't have time to swallow a canteen and a sword hilt. I needed to be fast. I needed to be healthy. I extended my tongue.

The Red Potion vial was glass. I couldn't digest glass quickly. But I could break it. I wrapped my tongue around the neck of the bottle. I squeezed. Crack. The glass shattered. The liquid splashed onto my tongue. It tasted like cherries. And copper. And… hope. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Item Consumed: Minor Healing Potion Effect: HP Restored +15 Current HP: 15/15 (Full) Status Effect: Glass Shards (Undigested) Note: Glass will pass naturally or remain in stomach. The burn on my lid vanished. The wood grain knit together.

The smoke stopped. I felt… renewed. Like I hadn't just been melted by slime acid thirty seconds ago. Thump. Thump. Thump. The Warg burst into the clearing. It was massive. Shoulder height of a horse. Fur black as oil. Eyes glowing red. Saliva dripped from jaws that could crush a shield. It sniffed the air. It smelled the slime residue. It smelled the potion. It smelled… me. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. It locked eyes with my lid. I didn't hesitate. I didn't taunt.

I didn't bite. I ran. Well, "ran" is a strong word. I engaged my maximum sprint capability. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Stamina Cost: 2 SP per 6 seconds (Sprint) Current SP: 14/20 Scrape-scrape-scrape-scrape! I left the metal canteen. I left the sword hilt. I left the silver ring. I left my evolution progress sitting in the dirt like a discarded toy. The Warg lunged. Its claws scraped my rear iron band. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 1 HP (Glancing Blow) Current HP: 14/15 I didn't look back.

I slid into a narrow crevice in the wall. Too small for the Warg. Too tight for its shoulders. It snarled, clawing at the stone, but it couldn't reach me. I waited. Ten minutes. Twenty. The Warg paced outside. It huffed. It scratched. Finally, it lost interest. It went back to eating the slime remnants I left behind. I was safe. I was full health. I was… still Level 1. I checked my evolution progress. Ironband Requirement: 3 Metal Items. Current: 1 (Rusted Dagger). Lost: 2 (Canteen, Sword Hilt). I sighed.

Metaphorically. Inside my box soul. I was back to square one on evolution. But I was alive. And I was close to Level 2. I had 40/50 XP. I just needed 10 more XP. How do I get 10 XP? Eat a rat (5 XP). Trick an adventurer (5 XP). Solve a puzzle (5 XP). I was on Floor 2. The "Warrens." Tight corridors. Dirt walls. Rat holes everywhere. My tremorsense pinged. Skitter. Skitter. A giant rat. Just one. Level 1. It was digging near the crevice entrance.

Current Stats: HP: 14/15 (Full heal, minus scratch) Mana: 10/10 Stamina: 14/20 (Sprint cost) Inventory: 3 Pebbles, Rusted Iron Dagger (Undigested). Glass Shards (Undigested). Status: Safe (Crevice), Evolution Reset (1/3 Metal), Level 2 Close (40/50 XP). What do you do? A) EAT THE RAT (LEVEL UP) Wait for it to get close. Bite. Gain 5 XP. Reach Level 2. Unlock Stat Points & Taunt. (Cost: 2 SP. Reward: Level Up. Risk: Rat might squeal and alert pack.) B) LEAVE THE CREVICE (EXPLORE) Slide out once the coast is clear.

Search for other metal items to restart evolution. (Cost: 3 SP. Reward: Evolution Progress. Risk: Encountering Warg again.) C) USE THE GLASS SHARDS You have undigested glass in your stomach. Regurgitate it as a weapon? Sharp projectile? (Cost: 1 SP. Experiment. Reward: Potential New Attack. Risk: Internal damage.) D) REST & REGEN Stay in the crevice. Let stamina fully recharge. Plan your next move carefully. (Cost: 0 SP. Time Skip. Reward: Full SP. Risk: Boredom/Time loss.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS.

Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 16! Option B (Potion) saved your life! You're fully healed, but you had to leave the metal items behind, resetting your Ironband evolution progress. Now you're close to Level 2!