“I don’t think you should eat that.”


    G?kb?rü tried to gnaw at the parts of the creature I just killed. According to soul I absorbed it was called Fungal Spriggan. It was similar to the wooden golem Adonis had summoned during our fight. It was a roughly human-shaped tree with mushrooms growing out of its body. Its legs or should I say roots were hidden under the swamp. I sighed as I looked back at the ground. Most of the third floor was a thick, muddy swamp. Some dry parts existed but they were guarded by various monsters that weren’t adapted to water. I wanted to avoid fighting them at the beginning so I tried to climb to a tree and it turned out to be this thing.


    “I can’t believe that cheap jumpscare actually startled me.”


    I may or may not let out a shriek when its branches tried to grab me. But now it was dead and I was using its corpse to observe around me. According to the guide Morrigan gave me, the water should be as deep as an adult beastkin at its deepest. I tore a stick and tried to touch the bottom of the muddy, green water.


    …


    Either this water got deeper or adult beastkin are taller than I think. That’s not good. I pulled the stick out of the water and saw moss and algae stuck to it. I already disliked swimming in clean and monster-free waters and I had to now swim in this shit? Thanks, no. I stretched my legs and prepared to jump to another tree. Even though there was a chance that the tree I would jump onto turned out to be a monster in disguise, it was still better than swimming.


    “Come on, G?kb?rü. Unless you want to swim hop on my back, we are moving.”


    G?kb?rü jumped around the branches and climbed to my back.


    “Ready to go?”


    “Bark!”


    I crouched and jumped to the closest tree, aiming to grab its thickest branch. From there I could jump like a monkey, from tree to tree. As I focused on aiming at to tree I couldn’t notice the ripples in the water. I heard a splash and what I next saw was a gaping maw. Since I was in the air it was impossible for me to dodge it. The maw closed, trapping us in the sticky, dark mouth of the creature. I clicked my tongue in frustration. I can’t believe I was inside of a monster, again.


    I summoned several copies of Cruel King’s Longsword and pierced the walls of flesh closing on us. The creature, whatever it was moved as my swords tore through its body.


    (Tyranny of King is activated. Your Strength increases by 5 for 1 minute.)


    Despite it being big enough to swallow us in one gulp inside it wasn’t durable. I was able to cut through it easily. However, that created another problem: Water started to fill its mouth. Damn monster, we were in the water.


    I focused on what I discerned as the thinnest part and cut a way for myself. Despite the water, I was able to squeeze through and free myself from the creature’s mouth. I took one look at the creature. Despite the unclear water, I could see its massive frame and catfish-like body. I swam to the surface, G?kb?rü sticking to me.


    “Gah!”


    I took a deep breath and coughed. I quickly swum towards to closest tree and climbed on top of it. I looked back at the water but even while sharing G?kb?rü’s Enhanced Senses, my senses couldn’t pierce what was inside the water. Thankfully, the catfish seemed to understand that I wasn’t easy prey and stopped chasing me.


    “There was nothing like this in Morrigan’s documents…”


    First that Bug Knight, now this catfish. Was this normal? I didn’t have the most experience with dungeons but something felt wrong.


    “Bark!”


    “You feel like something is wrong, boy? I agree.”


    I patted his fur. He froze all the water in his fur and shook, drying himself in the process.


    "Neat trick. Do you think I could do it?"


    (Your partner wants to share the skill Greater Ice Resistance. Do you accept?)


    I accepted it and froze the water on my body. Then I broke that ice. I moved higher and settled for a little. I observed the area around us. Even with this world’s rules, I doubted that catfish that size couldn’t exist if waters were only as deep as what the documents said. I also noticed how deep the water was when I swam. If only monsters were weird I could chalk it up to it being a mutation or something. But the space itself was getting weird too?


    “Even if it is nothing I should report it.”


    My pride called me a coward but my experience insisted me to return.


    “But how I will return back to the second floor?”


    I was slightly away from where I arrived. I either had to jump from tree to tree or swim. Both had the risk of being caught by that catfish. While it backed away for now, what if it returns? What if it isn’t the only thing lurking in the waters? I was sure I saw some crocodile-looking monsters. Choices, choices?


    “Bark!”


    G?kb?rü’s bark alerted me to incoming enemies.


    “Yes, I heard them. It is impossible to not hear them.”


    The buzzing filling my ears was coming from a pack of mosquitos. Each one of them was as big a dog.


    “And here I thought we finished with bugs.”


    I sighed as I summoned spears. It was hard to throw them while keeping my balance on top of the tree but I could manage it. G?kb?rü barked as he summoned ice spears. I smirked.


    “Wanna compete?”


    “Bark!”


    We launched our weapons into the pack. The buzzing insects darted through the air as they tried to dodge yet their larger size which made them menacing than their smaller counterparts betrayed them and made them easy to hit. I hurled your spears with precision, taking down several mosquitoes in quick succession. G?kb?rü, with his icy spears, also proved to be a formidable competitor. The frozen projectiles pierced through the air, meeting their targets with accuracy. I saw corpses getting grabbed as soon as they hit the water by some fish-like entity. It wasn’t the catfish. I narrowed my eyes.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.“Bark!”


    G?kb?rü spun around, excited.


    “Bullshit. I got more.”


    “Bark!”


    He snarled at me.


    “Nobody likes a sore loser.”


    He pulled my cloak, nearly causing me to fall into the water.


    "Alright, let’s call it draw since we need to figure out our next move. Jumping from tree to tree is risky with that catfish lurking below. Swimming is equally dangerous. What do you think?"


    G?kb?rü tilted his head and looked at the water thoughtfully. I tilted my head together with him. He then looked at one of the trees.


    “Bork!”


    “If that’s what you say, I will trust your instincts. They are sharper than mine.”


    As I carefully moved through the branches, I couldn''t shake off the unease that lingered after the encounter with the mysterious catfish and the oddities of the swamp. The buzzing sound of the mosquitoes had ceased after our successful battle, and the water below seemed to have settled for the moment. However, the uncertainty of what might be lurking beneath the swamp''s surface kept me on high alert. Maybe I got too used to the comfort of Enhanced Senses and Night Vision and now that they weren’t enough I felt crippled.


    Reaching the tree G?kb?rü had identified, we both found a relatively stable and large platform. It offered a vantage point to assess the surroundings and plan our next move. The swamp stretched out in all directions, its murky waters concealing potential dangers.


    “At least monsters aren’t as common as the previous floors.”


    G?kb?rü sighed at my words. I paused for a second.


    “Damn. I hope I didn’t jinx it.”


    As if the universe itself heard me and decided to screw me, my instincts, or more accurately G?kb?rü’s Combat Instincts screamed for me to get down. I didn’t lose a second to throw myself to the ground. The reason for it revealed itself as an arrow flew past me, just barely missing me. I summoned my hammer while still on the ground and slammed it into the water, creating a wave. G?kb?rü froze it without me needing to say anything. Several arrows hit our makeshift shield. I rolled on the ground, grabbing G?kb?rü. I got up and looked in the direction where the arrows came. At the same time, a single arrow curved around our shield in a way I didn’t know was possible and struck me in my chest, knocking the air out of me.


    “That’s some bullshit.”


    Cursing under my breath, I examined the arrow that struck me. Its design and the way it had curved around our defensive measures hinted at an unnatural proficiency in archery. The attackers were skilled, and their precision was unsettling. Whatever or whoever they were, it was clear that they had intelligence. Beastkin? Grizzon’s man?


    I summoned two hammers and loaded them up with mana. I took a deep breath and threw them.


    “You are not the only one who can curve his shots, asshole.”


    Even though I hadn’t seen them, I knew where the shots came from and there were only a handful of solid places to stand on. My hammers struck trees and broke them to pieces. As they fell to the water, I saw two humanoid figures move out of the way. They looked too thin to be beastkin. But two? I could swear…


    “Shit!”


    (Wurmblood Resonance is activated. Your defense increases by 10 for 5 minutes. Your resistance towards any kind of toxin or poison increases by 10 percent for 5 minutes.)


    An arrow hit my helmet, just beneath my eye. If it wasn’t for me summoning my hammer and activating its opinion, it would have pierced my armor. I felt anger rise up inside me. I threw my hammer into the air and caught it by its tip. Winding up, I launched it to where the arrow came from and obliterated a tree. An individual jumped off it and walked on the water.


    “What a load of bullshit.”


    Walking on the water wasn’t even on the top 10 most impressive things I have seen since I came to this world but it felt a little bit unfair. But at least I was able to see my attackers clearly. At least one of them. I wasn’t sure of his gender as his face was androgynous but I guessed he was a male. His platinum hair fell down to his shoulder. He looked attractive, despite his cold face. Two sharp, long ears poked out of the sides of his head.


    “An elf…”


    He was lightly armored. Runic, silver letters adorned his armor.


    “Guardian of the Forest.”


    Just like before I could read the runes even though I didn’t know them. He wore forearm protectors and gloves too but his biceps were exposed. He wore boots though I was sure they were nothing special. What was special was the bow he was holding. The divine force of Aliera told me that it was special. It looked like it was made out of an ancient wood. Several runes were masterfully carved into it yet they were too small to read from this distance. Its string looked more like a ray of moonlight given form rather than a physical material. I saw a dagger on his side too. It was a good weapon but compared to his bow it was nothing. His quiver hung from his back. The arrows gave out varying amounts of energy as if they were different in quality.


    My eyes locked with his golden eyes for a second. He looked strong. He felt strong. Without breaking eye contact, he gracefully notched an arrow on the moonlight string of his bow. The runes on the weapon pulsed, reacting to the imminent threat. I could tell that this was one of his better arrows.