Misery Swamp isn't actually all wet lands, there's a rain forest neighbouring it and it is far larger than the swamp itself. There are lakes, rivers, and other fascinating landmarks in said forest as well as a variety of creatures that, when they migrate into Misery Swamp, mutate and become aberrants thanks to the leyline.

  And that's the only real reason why Misery Swamp is well known: because it's full of dangerous monsters. If not for that, the forest would be the main landmark here.

  Presence wise, the leyline can also be found in the forest but the magic here is faint and barely noticeable. It's not enough to mutate creatures but say, if a dungeon were to spawn around here then they'd be able to make use of that leyline and grow abnormally stronger compared to other dungeons.

  As luck would have it, a dungeon did spawn in this forest.

  Several names were given to this dungeon, with the most popular being Misery Dungeon– and I like to use it myself. – but the one that's used in the game is; Humus Dungeon.

  Humus is this type of soil that forms every time a layer of fallen leaves/organic debris gets fully processed.

  Probably because the dungeon is the kind that naturally spawns but the name isn't related to the dungeon's nature at all, there's nothing about humus in there.

  Most of the enemies that the core spawns are either made of rocks or this series of strange mole-like creatures with large claws and sharp teeth. There are different castes for these moles, weirdly enough, and people on the internet liked to call them "clothed mole rats" because they had fur.

  Thanks to the lack of an HP bar in this world as well as their subpar speed, I wouldn't have any issues when dealing with the moles and my icicles are strong enough to kill them in two casts. The golems on the other hand...

  ... Well I have [Freeze] but immobilizing them isn't efficient and I can only do it so many times before I run out of mana and risk dying. Using [Icicle Spear] on golems can kill them but how many times do I have to do it before a single one falls?

  No, it's not worth it. But maybe one day?

  For now, I'll grind up levels and prepare for my expedition into the dungeon. I'll start dungeon diving at the start of winter and spend the rest of the season trying to bring it down, which means I need to get several new sub classes before winter strikes.

  Guess Laself is going to go to Ghorise alone much sooner than I anticipated.

  ... Or maybe I can practice getting classes in that alleyway to pass the time? It doesn't hurt to earn more money in my current state honestly.

  "That depends though..." Why is choosing always so difficult? This is kinda annoying. "No, I need to help Laself still, I can't just let her go to Ghorise all by herself."

  Okay that settles it, I'll level up every night and then go to Ghorise every morning to sell food and while passing the time, I'll try and fulfill the conditions to acquire certain sub classes.

  There are three that I have in mind: one is [Cutthroat], next is [Ranger], and lastly I want [Swordsman].

  All three classes are tailored to wielding physical weapons like daggers, bows, and swords so I don't have to rely on my magic all of the time and on top of that, they also give me Dexterity and Strength after I get them.

  Maybe I'll also try to get new passives during this? [Night Vision] would be useful, even if it's only minor, the same thing applies to the passive, [Magical Recovery].

  Having more mana while inside a dungeon is incredibly useful so I should probably prioritize that last one.

  Since I'm inside the forest anyway, I'm starting right now to work on getting it.

  My feet carried me through the thick foliage and the expression that I wore is determined.

  With so many plants actively blocking my line of sight, it's a miracle I haven't been ambushed yet. I've always seen forests as this empty expanse of trees and stuff but I guess that only applies to pine forests or something? I'm not sure. Pine forests are the only ones I've been to once.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Or maybe that was an orchard?

  Being on constant vigilance to make sure that no creature is sneaking up on me is pretty hard but I made it work. Oh and also, I'm short enough that I can actually use the undergrowth as a hiding spot if I need to, so really, I'm the one using the plants for ambushing, not the monsters.

  And speaking of monsters, it didn't take me long to find one. This isn't one of the aberrants I've been killing so far, where those are just animals mutated by magic, this thing is a genuine monster with a magical core inside its chest.

  Physically, it didn't look that different compared to regular animals. The monster even reminded me of a wolf.

  Quadrupedal and equipped with a snout armed from back to front with dagger-like teeth twice as long as my fingers. It had light green fur and a bushy tail, its ears, while small compared to the rest of its body, are constantly twitching like they're listening in on everything.

  Honestly I'm surprised this thing hasn't discovered me yet, but that's basically so much better for me right?

  I was about to whisper words of encouragement for myself when I realized that probably isn't a good idea. Wasting the element of surprise by pumping myself up is stupid so instead I just pointed my wand at the beast and cast [Water Ball].

  The spell turned into [Freeze] and ice quickly enveloped the monster's body, it struggled to break free and I know that the more time it spends flailing the more energy it will lose so I can just choose to not take action and I'd still win. My iron dagger left my pocket and I sat back, waiting for it to tire itself out and hypothermia to run its course.

  When the wolf finally showed signs of exhaustion, I moved close and plunged my blade into its eye. Monsters have tougher skin so I needed to be efficient with my strikes, I can't have this dagger breaking on me after all.

  The whine it released made me wince but only for a second, this is the survival of the fittest and this wolf is a monster who would hunt me down no matter how much I cried so it's only natural that I can do the same.

  Once again, I raised my dagger and stabbed it in the other eye. With both eyes now plucked out, the wolf could no longer see so I tried to make its death quick, I stabbed it until it stopped moving.

  And just to be sure it's dead, I continued until the wolf's head was split open.

  When my mind caught up and the adrenaline faded, I let go of the dagger, my hands were shaking and I felt cold despite all the thick clothing I'm wearing. My feet dragged me away from the wolf and towards the trunk of a tree, I braced my arm against the bark and emptied my stomach.

  Tilting my head upwards, I turned to the sky, hoping that the angle would keep the inside of my gut from rising again.

  It worked. Somewhat. I stopped puking.

  Breath in. Breath out. I've always known that killing animals would be different from a crayfish, no normal human can relate to a crustacean but a fellow mammal? And one that looks eerily similar to a dog? Yeah...

  This is one of the reasons why I killed that monster with my dagger instead of my magic, because I needed to get used to the fact that I will be killing things like that in the future. Potentially killing another human isn't impossible either.

  Doing that was so personal, so... Intimate that the image of the wolf and the implications of what I did to it refused to leave my mind.

  More often than not, I found myself asking: was it necessary for me to make my kill so gruesome? Yeah. It was. It was absolutely necessary and I don't regret it.

  Even if I'm feeling like shit, I need to get over this now. I need to get used to the gore, to the way the wolf looked, how its eyes practically burst when I plunged my dagger into them...

  More air. I needed more air. I'm about to puke-

  Vomit rushed out of my throat. The aftertaste is acidic. I don't think I like it.

  Another gag, thankfully it was only air. Has my stomach finally been emptied? That took so long. I shake my head and just bend over the tree, heaving.

  I did breathing exercises to clear my mind and balanced myself.

  My eyes went upward, the sun was up huh? How long have I been here?

  Hours. I think? I'm exaggerating my recovery but I still spent a lot of time just getting my clarity back so when the stress finally stopped, I felt tired. Exhausted. My brain literally drained all the energy in my body and I didn't want to continue this.

  But I know I have to.

  Reluctantly, I made my way back to the wolf and broke the ice prison I had encased it in. Letting myself ignore the gore that I caused is not ideal so I made sure that my eyes didn't actively pry themselves away from the monster's mess of a head.

  "You need to get used to this." I keep telling myself.

  Ice broke, the corpse fell, and I backed away with tears forming on the corners of my eyes. I gripped the hilt of my dagger tightly, bent down, and plunged the weapon on the wolf's chest, directly below the sternum.

  I tried not to gag as I dug through flesh, the mushy sensation wasn't comfortable and I started crying halfway through but I pushed through the unease.

  When I pulled my hand back, I held an object between my fingers. The sphere is so perfect that it reminded me of those marble balls back on earth, except this one is blue and not transparent. It's also pulsing with energy.

  This? This is the reward that adventurers seek when they kill monsters. A monster core.