I had a rather restless, guilt-ridden night. But the following morning, I felt surprisingly refreshed. I awoke with a yawn and was met with a lick to the face from Lily.

  The scene of the mother mouse protecting her young still lingered in my mind, but it already felt less real. The doubts it stirred in me must have still been there, but as I looked at my sister and thought of the danger we were still in, I knew I couldn't let it slow me down.

  I stretched as I stood, then padded out of the cave, eyes squinting at the light. I could see the red sky through the hole in the cavern, so far up. This cavern seemed like a good hunting ground, but that would end the moment a red mask flew in through that hole.

  However, we had traveled a long way through various tunnels to get here. It was quite possible—no, even more likely—that the red masks had no idea of this place. Even if they happened to fly over it, they might not even give it a second thought or consider that it connected to the cave they had chased us into.

  Lily let out a yip, and I turned to see her with her tongue lolling out and tail wagging innocently. She was asking what the plan for the day was.

  I ran ahead, jumped onto a large rock, and looked around. Following the river would lead us further away from our pursuers but into more unknown territory. I didn't trust that we were the strongest creatures within this cave system, and that earlier achievement seemed to warn me of such. This cavern, however, seemed relatively safe and was an excellent hunting ground.

  But it wouldn't be if the red masks found it.

  I checked my development, finding that it was now at 75%. It would take a day or two to reach stage 4, but that was still far away from gaining the Whisperfang Juvenial evolution path at stage 5. Then, I considered the other Path that was hinted to me from going to the lake and decided to check it again.

  Rare - Arcane Nightstalker

  Path hinted, further details currently unknown.

  Hint 1: You have stood where the world breathes magic, and its rhythm has touched your own heartbeat.

  Hint 2: Locked

  Requirements

  Stage 4 development

  Attribute Requirements: 70 attunement, ?? Sense

  Prerequisite Path: Veinseer Nightstalker

  Required Achievement: Heart of the Vale

  Required Achievement: Unknown

  I sighed, once again really wishing these unknown hints and achievements gave me a little more to go on. Well, it was most likely a magic-related Path, so it had to be some magic-related things that would open the path to me.

  My current attunement was only at 51, meaning I’d need more than just a couple level-ups before reaching stage 4 one way or another if I wanted to select the Path. My current Path had better scaling with Attunement, yet I had more dexterity, obviously thanks to the achievements. That made sense, since I spent most of my time doing Dexterity-related things.

  Therefore, I needed magic-related achievements that would reward me with additional Attunement while also hopefully picking up the one I needed to unlock the path.

  But how was I supposed to get magic-related achievements when I didn’t already have proper magic spells?

  My eyes scanned along the cavern, searching the greenery, and settling by the water. Whatever the case, I don’t think I would get it here. Here in this cavern, I would simply experience more of the same, so maybe it was time to move on.

  I then remembered that other cavern we had briefly entered. The one with the frogs and those bugs. The bugs kind of reminded me of the lake in the middle of the vale.

  Perhaps… that would be a good place to start?

  Though backtracking closer to our pursuers made me nervous, I also knew that there were some tight corridors in this cave system where me and Lily would be at a huge advantage over them. We did almost beat that one together, and had she not had a healing potion, we certainly would have won.

  If we were going to run into a red mask, it’d be much better to do it in a place where we had an advantage through mobility on our side. Here in this huge, wide-open cavern, we would be far more vulnerable to them, especially if we faced more than one. But inside narrow tunnels, they’d be forced to fight us one at a time.

  Lily suddenly jumped up onto the rock beside me and began dutifully scanning the surrounding area, almost like she was mimicking me.

  My tail wagged as I looked at her. She could really just be so cute sometimes!

  Nodding to her, I jumped down from the rock and started searching for that sloped path that would bring us back, and Lily followed me like a duckling.

  Upon finding it, Lily’s ears folded back, probably wondering why I was leading us closer to our pursuers. I wished I could fully explain my plan to her, but it seemed she trusted me enough, as she followed without complaint.

  There would be another advantage to getting more Attunement, being that it coincided with more Mana. Having my full skillset available to me was HUGE in a fight. Once my Mana ran out, I had nothing to rely on but my teeth and my passive skills and traits.

  I did a quick check of my Vitals.

  Vitals

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Health: 245 / 245

  Mana: 240 / 240

  Stamina: 236 / 236

  Plenty of Mana to have some confidence against at least one red mask, but my chances would be substantially worse against a second. Increasing Mana or even the rate at which it recharges would be a complete game-changer. Its current recharge rate was pathetic.

  As we continued to backtrack through the tunnels, I used {Pulse Sense} and spotted nothing that seemed human. More of those small heartbeats in the walls, but I don’t think they would be worthy prey even if I could get to them.

  Upon taking a few turns, I realized how much of an absolute maze this cave system was. I took extra care to remember our way back and…

  I heard a trickling sound and looked over my shoulder to see Lily peeing. Just a little bit—she probably did most of it this morning in a more private area, which is what I usually do. So right now her intention was probably to lay a trail, which…

  My ears folded back, and my eyes narrowed.

  Okay, yeah, I’m a dog now, and that’s what dogs do. But…

  Uuuuhhgg!!!

  No! I refuse!

  Lily padded up to me innocently and turned her head, wondering why I stopped.

  While normally it would—technically—be a good idea to mark where you’ve been (for a dog), that wasn’t the case now. Who knew if the red masks were smart enough to look out for something like that as well?

  I growled at Lily. “Don’t do that again.”

  I couldn’t exactly explain to her the reasons why, but she was a smart pup, so maybe she figured out that my complaint was to avoid being tracked by the red masks.

  She let out a soft, apologetic whine that made me feel bad for scolding her. But I gave her a nod that said it was alright and continued leading the way. It made sense that she wanted some way to easily find her way back. There was no light in these tunnels, after all, and it was only thanks to my Night Vision that I could see. I had to remember that Lily didn’t have that, and she was basically blind, keeping up with me through sound and scent, most likely.

  A few more turns and we made it back to the room I was looking for. There were still those bugs floating around, providing some light to see by, and as I used {Pulse Sense} I saw the heartbeats of many creatures throughout the area. Most of them were probably the frog things.

  I focused further away but did not detect anything that I thought could be human. Actually, the tunnels between caverns were pretty much all uninhabited except for the very small heartbeats that I had no interest in.

  Well, time to hunt.

  I wasn’t sure that this cavern would be key to gaining more Attunement. Actually, the only reason I tried here was because those glowing insects reminded me of the orbs that floated off the pond. They were the exact same shade of green. It wasn’t much to go off of… but it was all I had.

  I picked out a heartbeat and went for it. It was a frog, sitting very still atop a rock, and as I prowled closer, slowly, it suddenly jumped away. I chased it, but it disappeared under some loose rocks that I began pawing at. But the ground was too hard here for me to dig properly. I managed to push some rocks out of the way, but soon realized that the heartbeat that was just a short way down would be impossible for me to get to.

  Okay, so I’d have to really get a sneak attack. I hate to waste mana on Veil of Shadows for something so small. It cost 30 mana, which was still over ten percent of my maximum, so I needed to save it for when it really counted.

  I managed to focus in on another heartbeat just before my Pulse Sense wore off and spotted the shape of another frog on top of a different rock. Its tongue suddenly whipped out and snatched one of the insects.

  I prowled around behind it, being very slow and careful, and when I was in range, I pounced.

  I nailed it before it ever saw me coming. It fit about halfway into my mouth, and as I bit down, I heard it croak in alarm and then die as my fangs pierced right through its soft flesh and crunched some of its small bones.

  Prey eliminated - Level 3 Cave Toad

  Experience gained!

  Before I had time to be disappointed over the low level and likely low gains, I heard something plop down near me.

  I saw another toad hopping away.

  Got you!

  I went right for it, scooping it up with a dying croak before it could escape.

  Prey eliminated - Level 3 Cave Toad

  Experience gained!

  But we weren’t done yet. More of them started hopping out of hiding and running. Lily now joined in as she managed to grab one, and I attacked another.

  Prey eliminated - Level 3 Cave Toad

  Experience gained!

  Prey eliminated - Level 3 Cave Toad

  Experience gained!

  Some ducked into the rocks and out of our reach, but another hopped towards another tunnel that I hadn’t noticed before, so I followed it.

  This tunnel was small enough that a human would have to get down on their hands and knees, but it was perfect for a pup my size.

  I gave a short sprint and scooped up the toad, ending it with one quick bite.

  Prey eliminated – Level 3 Cave Toad

  Experience gained!

  Then, a ding awarded me for what would have otherwise been a nearly pointless slaughter.

  Achievement! Culler of the Meek

  To grow stronger, showing mercy slows the climb. You hunted without pause, culling those beneath your strength, and racked up five kills in quick succession.

  Minor Bonus to all stats!

  I paused at that. The System certainly knew what was in my head. Considering it didn’t give any rewards last night when I spared the mother mouse and her young, I could almost imagine it as signaling its disapproval. I wouldn’t have thought that, but now it gave me another achievement with oddly relevant wording.

  I sighed. The minor bonus to all stats meant a little extra Attunement, but I’d need something more directly related.

  I looked back to make sure I hadn’t lost Lily and found her right behind me. This tunnel was a little too narrow for her to come to my side.

  I decided to move ahead. The red masks would have to be extremely determined to go splunking through a passage like this, so I had to investigate the possibility of this leading us to an even better hunting ground than the open cavern we had hunted and slept in yesterday.

  As we moved forward, the tunnel curved upward, and I was soon rewarded with another glowing light at the end of it.

  I could feel Lily’s excitement as she moved behind me. She apparently did not enjoy traveling through the dark, so we went right for it. As we got closer, I could hear the sound of running water, and I began to feel excited about what we would find…

  …and I was not disappointed.

  The slope flattened as my paws touched damp stone, and the passage opened into another huge cavern with moss clinging to the walls in thick patches. It was not as big as the skylight cavern, but there were many glowing mushrooms for health, and many more of those glowing insects. There was a cluster of them spread across the ceiling, their green glow pulsing almost like a heartbeat, while others meandered about in the air.

  Not only that, there was a steady waterfall coming from one of the walls, creating a stream that cut through the center of the cavern and vanished into a stone arch at the other end. I could imagine that it emptied out into the river of the skylight cavern.

  Most importantly, I used {Pulse Sense} to find that this place absolutely hummed with life.

  I looked back at Lily to see her tail wagging.

  This certainly was a promising find, but I still had to consider if it had an exit. If it didn’t, it was a dead end, and that meant we couldn’t stay here for too long. Our ultimate goal should be to escape this cave system, after all.

  But then, I got one more reward for my find.

  Achievement! Arcane Vein

  Deep underground, your expedition has led you to a magical place brimming with life, where the air itself hums with energy. Who knows what secrets may lie here, waiting to be unlocked?

  +4 Attunement

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