The Undercroft was another beast come nightfall.

Structurally, there was no difference in the passages, in the patrol path, in the groups of Skitterers moving through in clumps of three. But there was a notable lack of guild applicants queuing up outside, waiting to register their dungeon runs for guild ranks, once the sun set. During the day, there were guild ranks to obtain; during the night, there were those whose reasons were more... personal.

I had such a reason. Simple as that. Vorn was scheduled to make contact with Daren the following day and I was still unranked.

+4 EXP – Skitterer (Ranged Kill)

Total EXP: 306/500

The figures added up all too clearly. Three days and eight hours to become a D-rank. First window of Vorn to reach out to Daren coming up on the morrow. Meaning by the time I became eligible for B rank, he’d already made contact, already created the accidental connection pattern, and already generated documentation that seemed as clean as a whistle until you knew to look for his flags.

+4 EXP — Skitterer (Ranged Kill)

Total EXP: 310/500

Floor 2 had a rhythm and I was in the rhythm now, walking the halls on semi-automatic reflexes. Position, draw, release, reposition. The short bow was reliable within its range, the AGI scaling meant I could draw faster than before unnoticed, and the Skitterer patrol routes were familiar from when I’d originally mapped them out. Four EXP per kill, quick, ranged, no melee, no STR 12 difficulty.

The UI background buzzed quietly. Lyra’s box of readings stood in the corner, static.

PASSIVE MONITORING — LYRA

Relationship with Daren: 612 – stable

Corruption: 92/100 – stable

Current mood status: Resting

Active engagement: None

Contact with Vorn: no new entries

Resting. Late. Obviously.

612 seemed somehow less impressive after dark for reasons I couldn’t explain. Perhaps because during the day all the other activity around it — the noises of the market, the footsteps, the bustle of the cloth district — made the numbers feel more like another datum amid many. After dark 612/1000 stood alone. Corruption at 92. No return point not reached yet.

Not reached yet because of a quick talk at a fabric stand.

I wasn’t going to get into the narrowness of that margin.

+4 EXP — Skitterer (Ranged Kill)

Total EXP: 314/500

I continued clearing the rest of the floor systematically, starting with the northeastern corridor and then heading back to the central area and taking care of any skitterers lingering around the western wall. It felt like the shortbow came into its own when handling targets on the western wall, where greater distances allowed for a clearer shot. Precision Shot I was doing something I hadn’t fully clocked until tonight — a small accuracy bonus on stationary targets that made the west wall almost easy.

Or mostly.

+4 EXP — Skitterer (Ranged Kill)

Total EXP: 318/500

+4 EXP — Skitterer (Ranged Kill)

Total EXP: 322/500

I took a break at the rest node during my estimate of the second hour and checked my complete stats overlay.

CURRENT STATS

STR: 12

AGI: 16

INT: 20

Skills: Friendly Conversation / Moral Support / Observe / Evasion I / Throwing I / Fast Learner / Precision Shot I / Enemy Analysis I / Pattern Recognition I 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

EXP: 322/500

Rank: Unclassified

Days to D-rank: 3.2 estimated days

AGI had improved. I hadn’t noticed the improvement; another example of my passive skill Fast Learner kicking in behind the scenes while I was focusing on the experience points bar. Now it was down from 3.8 days to 3.2.

Not quite enough, but the course of action was correct.

Having eaten my dried ration and downed a little more than half of my water skin, I surveyed the rest of the floor.

My Stoneback Beetle was located on the south passage of Floor 2. I had fought one of these once, knew its soft spot – the underbelly – knew the need for an attack from range, which made up 35 EXP. This was almost nine Skitterers in one go! What I did not like was having to reach the Beetle via an approach by means of a cramped corridor with low ceilings.

STR 12. Movement is restricted. Low ceilings.

Thinking it over for thirty seconds, I moved to the south passage.

The insect was where my pattern predicted it would be – slow-moving and massive, with the carapace reflecting dim light of runes marking the walls of the corridor. It had yet to notice me, as I was standing at the threshold to the passage, twenty feet away and low ceilings forcing me to change the angle of my shot. I opened up Enemy Analysis I.

ENEMY ANALYSIS — STONEBACK BEETLE

Weak point: Underbelly (exposed when rear lifts/stumbles)

Trigger: Hit front right leg joint

Suggested strategy: Ranged, low angle shot

Caution: Charge attack may be used as counterattack if not stunned

Hit the front right leg joint for the trigger. Low angle shot to target the underbelly when it lifts. I had tried this tactic before in Floor 1 with space to maneuver. This time, however, I could only rely on a single shot for the trigger and a brief window of opportunity for the kill.

I readied the bow.

The angle was difficult due to the low position needed for the shot, made lower because of the ceiling, but the draw was smooth. With an AGI of 16, I had a stable aim. Spotting the joint in the crosshairs, I let the arrow fly.

The beetle stumbled.

Its underbelly lifted.

+35 EXP — Stoneback Beetle (Weak Point Kill)

Current EXP: 357/500

SKILL IMPROVEMENT – Precision Shot I -> developing

Skill Flag: Precision Shot II (threshold 60%)

I was already back by the wall, breathing easy by the time the beetle collapsed.

357. One beetle. One shot sequence. That level of EXP density turned the Skitterer grind into counting coins.

I checked the south passage route. The patrol routine indicated there was a second beetle on the lower loop.

I set out to find it.

I surfaced from the Undercroft after midnight with 423 EXP and legs that knew they’d been worked.

There was no one in the market. The cloth quarter was dark. The Broken Crown Inn had its lights dimmed except for the bottom level but it was quiet outside. I took a breath of the night air at the entrance of the dungeon.

CURRENT EXP: 423/500

Days until D-rank: 2.1

That was only two point one days left. I managed to halve the projection in a single session. Two beetles down, two weak point kills. Skitterers until I exhausted the water supply. The Precision Shot II proficiency requirement was at 60%.

The user interface pinged.

VORN — FLAG UPDATE

First contact window: confirmed — tomorrow morning

Location: Undercroft entrance, B-rank permit queue

Duration estimate: incidental — 4 to 7 minutes

Objective: recognize / create positive first impression

Corruption method: indirect – Daren trust infiltration

Tomorrow morning. B-rank permit queue. Four to seven minutes of peripheral contact that could be described as two adventurers queuing for the same permit.

I gazed out at the door to the dungeon behind me.

I gazed out at 423 in my experience counter.

77 EXP to get to D-rank. 19 Skitterers at 4 EXP each. Three perfect hits on beetles at 35 EXP each.

I spun on my heel and retraced my steps.

+4 EXP — Skitterer (Ranged Kill)

Experience: 427/500

Night watch duty at the Undercroft was peaceful. It was just me and the patrols and the number going up to 500.

I had until morning.