Ah, treasure. Glorious treasure. The thing that makes any dungeon diving worth the pain and aggravation. 

The rats nest is filled with an interesting assortment of goodies. As a low-level horde generated by mice, I’m not surprised to see that most of it is bits of food and materials—probably of a similar level to the loot I get from the rats themselves. 

Seeds, feathers, bones; I’m not sure what most of these things are used for, but convention dictates that there will someday be a merchant to sell to or a crafting class to delve into. The rotten smell I’d caught earlier was from a couple of pieces of moldy fruit and a pile of bones that had some spoiled meat on it.  

There are shinier things, however. My eyes hadn’t failed me. Bits of metal and labeled ores are notable among them—but what catches my interest most are a trio of small beads. [Dark Vision] doesn’t reflect colors very well, so even when I’m close to them I think they might be pebbles or pearls. I pick them up to investigate, and find they are called [Tiny Silver Eden Orbs].The tool-tip is particularly interesting:

║Tiny Silver Eden Orbs║

✦Solidified balls of Eden Energy. Can be converted to 100 Eden Coins when turned in to the System.✦

So. Killing creatures isn’t the only way to progress in this game. 

But also, treasure!

Thinking of all the treasure I might be able to accumulate as a big snake, I giggle to myself. New meaning in life established, I pack everything neatly into my inventory and head out before those nasty rats have a chance to respawn on my head.

Safe and comfortable back in my so-called base that is the chamber, I get comfortable and open the System’s menu. 

“System?” I call out. 

<<Yes, Player Orenoa?>>

“Where do I turn these Eden Orbs?”

The System responds by opening a window that lists different items and item combinations I can turn in for Eden Coin amounts, titles, and achievements. The titles and achievements look like they come with bonuses, like stats, minions, and mounts—each noted, but with details hidden from view with an obnoxious gray question mark.

“What the hell?” I question as I scroll through the list. There’s thousands of them. For a normal player, this would be a gold mine of delicious grinding opportunities, but both the daunting number of things on the list almost made me give up right then and there. The image of snakey me riding on any kind of mount is comical at best, too. A minion might be useful though, if it does something. But with requirements to earn one, it’ll be a while until I find out. Many of the high tier collections have numbers in the thousands.

Out of curiosity, I flip to the tab that specifically focuses on what I have, and find that there is a collection for each of the mice and rats. 

Mice Cream Sunday║

✦

[0/100 Mouse Fur Scraps]

[0/100 Vials of Mouse Blood]

[0/100 Mouse Meat]

[0/100 Mouse Skulls]

[0/10 Still-Beating Mouse Hearts]

❖

Finishing this collection will give:

All Skills +3

Title: Mouse Hunter

✦

+3 to each of my skills was a nice bonus given that all I had to do was turn in things that I was already getting from killing the mice in the first place. That was a value of three thousand Eden Coins on top of whatever I got for killing the obnoxious creatures while I collected everything. 

The rat collection was similar.

║Rat Run Rum║

✦

[0/100 100 Torn Rat Pelts]

[0/200 Vials of Rat Blood]

[0/100 Rat Tails]

[0/200 Rat Whiskers]

[0/10 Crystalline Rat Eyes]

❖

Finishing this collection will give:

All Skills +5

Title: Rat Slayer

✦

 +3 was good. +5 was better. 

I look through my inventory and slot what I have into the appropriate places. I may be able to get quests down in this tunnel, but this works well enough for me. 

Time to wreak havoc on the local rodent population.

After dumping my Eden Points into stats, I went back to the chamber and explored the left wing. The rats were a touch too difficult for mass destruction at my current skill level, but the mice were nothing, and after my turn-ins, I was already about a third of the way through the mouse collection, anyway. 

The mouse tunnel plays out similar to the rat tunnel in the way it’s designed. It contains several nesting areas off the main way, each with a family of roughly five mice each. These are easy to clean up with tail swipe, and clear eight chambers in under an hour.

I don’t get everything in one go, but I don’t want to go too far, so I double back and work on the rats' nests. The respawn timer seems to be about one hour. If I were sitting at a computer all day, that would be atrocious—but I have nothing better to do.

I seesaw back and forth. I feel like my stats are starting to get a bit unhinged, but it’s not like I know what’s normal. I can’t wear gear, either, so I’ll take the trade-off without complaint. By the time I finish the [Mice Creme Sunday] collection, all my stats easily increase by ten. 

When my stats hit twenty, I unlocked new abilities—including [Poison Fang II] and [Stone Skin II]—but they each cost five thousand coins. In favor of survival, I go with the upgraded form of [Stone Skin] and move on. 

It doesn’t take long at all to finish two achievement quests, and I look at my stats sheet with a great deal of pride.

⚫

<<Orenoa Dannan - Level 1 - Snake>>

<<Stats:>>

< Strength - 33 >

< Constitution - 28 >

< Resilience - 28 >

< Agility - 33 >

< Intelligence - 28 >

< Wisdom - 28 >

< Presence - 28 >

< Willpower - 28 >

< Perception - 28 >

< Luck - 28 >

⚫

“Not bad for a days work, if I do say so myself—which I do,” I say— but the fact that numbers aren’t in neat intervals of five bugs me, and I go to increase them further. 

My heart near stops as I see that something has changed—and it’s not a good something.

“System, what is this?”

<<Please Define.>>

“The stats cost a hundred coins each before—why did they jump up to five hundred each?” I exclaim. “What is this inflation crap?”

<<Stat point costs increase every twenty-five levels,>> said the System. <<You have achieved stat points over twenty five-levels.>>

I stare flatly at the screen. “Okay but why is it so expensive? I’m still level one!” 

<<You have achieved stat points over twenty-five levels.>>

“Oh, for the love of—” I start to shout, then take a deep breath. “Fine. How much will they cost when I reach stat level fifty?”

<<At stat level fifty, the cost of each stat point will be two thousand coins.>>

“That’s outrageous,” I say. “How am I supposed to get to that!”

<<Play the game, Player Orenoa.>>

“Yes, thank you. Now go away.”

I rub my face with my tail and contemplate my life choices. Again.

Did I waste my time and coins getting those achievements, then?

No. I can’t start to think like that—after all, I now have stats in the thirties, and I’ve unlocked several new abilities that are worth more than the stats at this point. [Regeneration I] looks absolutely crucial, for example. [Life Drain] and [Antidote Fang]—there are plenty of things that will make me stronger without stat points.

It’s just infinitely more annoying that I need to mass murder to get anywhere, and the number of creatures available for me to kill without getting completely lost are dwindling.

I could go outside and evolve finally, I suppose—but am I strong enough to take on the big scary outside world?

Sucking on my tongue as I stare at the middle tunnel, I sigh. 

Not yet. I’m very self aware, and I’ve grown comfortable in my tunnels. I head back to the right and make a firm decision:

I need to follow this tunnel to the end, and find a new hunting ground. That is my main quest. No more side quests unless the side quests come to me. 

Quickly and quietly I slither down the halls, my tongue flicking out at a rapid pace. I’m familiar with this underground world now. I’m part of it. Embracing it was the natural next step.

Oh. I pause a moment and lift my head off the ground. My perception is much higher now, and I hadn’t allowed myself a chance to take it in until I picked up on the wonderful scent of water. 

Not condensation or nasty wet fur, but real water. The vibrations rumble through the stone like never ending laughter and the sweet scent beckons me from beyond. I don’t know how far it is, but it must be close. 

Rushing now, I almost miss the turn. The way isn’t a part of the main tunnel, but an offshoot I might have mistaken for a rat’s nest. I go through this tunnel slower, in case there are friends I don’t want to run into, but it seems clear. 

I try to ease my excitement. There’s been enough disappointment on this adventure for a lifetime; I might go crazy if I run into some stupid monster that just smells like water. The thought sends shivers down my spine, but I know I’m just being silly.

It becomes all the more clear when the damn stone sprouts lichen and moss. Joyous, I rub against the soft glory of the simple plants. Evidence of life other than rats and mice. Evidence of a whole new world. 

And what a world it is.

A sharp turn is my gateway. My eyes blink wildly as they adjust to the bright light of the bioluminescent paradise that unfolds from the dark. The moss and lichen was only the beginning. 

A massive cavern with a liquid azure and magenta glow from mushrooms and moss and all manner of things create an eerily beautiful scene. A river rushes through the center, and stalactites drip from above like a light rain.

It's wonderful. Amazing! It’s—

The flash of a gleaming blade destroys my moment as an unknown entity asks, “You. Who the hell are you?”