So I'm a Bat, Big Deal

I soared higher than the toads could leap, then glided back a bit to make it tricky for them to snag me with their tongues. I set my sights on two toads: one hunter orange and the other a neon yellow. I had no clue what the yellow toad could do, but I recalled that the stone that had originally powered my finger guns was yellow, and I didn't want to take any chances with it possibly shooting lasers from its mouth. In an instant, two more toads collapsed, but that was just the prelude; the real battle was about to unfold.

In a flash, the sky was filled with massive toads, each one bouncing at different elevations, but none could match my soaring height. Their tongues launched toward me, converging in a wild frenzy, yet I was ready for their antics. Just as they opened their mouths, I ascended even higher, causing their tongues to collide and intertwine, resembling a bizarre mass of giant purple worms. As they fumbled to untangle themselves, I quickly drew my finger guns and fired at the confused toads before they could mount a defense.

As I gazed at the lifeless toads around me, the pink toads suddenly opened their mouths wide, unleashing a torrent of pink jelly goo that splattered all over the purple toads. I couldn't help but frown as I watched the goo trickle down their bodies, and then I noticed their eyes shifting from a light purple to a vibrant pink. The two purple toads began to wobble unsteadily on their feet. Well, now I've got a solid grasp on what Pink Lovetoad Jelly is, but what's its purpose? In a flash, the two purple toads leaped in front of their pink counterparts and hurled dark purple goo straight at me. I managed to dodge most of it, but a few splatters still hit their mark, leaving me a bit gooey.

[You have been bathed in poison, good thing you have already swallowed a poison mana gem and are accustomed to poison! Poison resistance level up! Poison Fang level up! Aren't you a lucky duck!]

"No way!" The goo had a bit of a bite to it, but I stood my ground, letting those purple toads unleash their toxic sludge all over me.

[Poison level up! Poison Resistance Up! Poison Fang up! Poison Fang up! Poison Resistance Up!... New skill available! Would you like to learn the attack Poison Spit? Yes or No?]

"Yes!"

[congratulations user you have learned the New skill learned Poison Spit. Poison spit is a passive skill, so be careful with it.]

"You think you could have warned me about that before I chose to accept it?!"

[Its more funny if I don't warn you ahead of time.] 

I stared down at the toads spitting purple goo at me and decided to give my new power a whirl. A thick stream of purple poison blasted from my mouth, splattering the lead toad right in the face. "This is wild! My spit is actually purple and thick!" I fired off another shot, turning it into a projectile. When did I become this powerful? I'm becoming a total freak! But it seemed like my spitting was just annoying the poison toads. Is their poison not that strong? I aimed at a pink toad trying to hide behind the purple ones, and it melted into a gooey pink blob on the lily pad. "Well, that's one way to snag some jelly!"

 I let those toads take a few more shots at me, but it was clear the poison levels had hit a wall, and there was no point in dragging this fight out any longer. I fired off my finger guns while the toads were too exhausted from their spit attacks and trying to shield their pink counterparts. The effects of that pink goo were obvious, and I couldn't help but wonder what the requester wanted with it, but that wasn't my concern. I had a mission to complete, and the guild was counting on me. After taking down the purple toads, I quickly eliminated the rest of the pink ones with my finger guns and zipped around collecting all the toad bodies. Once I had them stashed away, I flew out of the swamp to avoid attracting that bizarre creature from earlier. I found a spot to rest, lowered Biter so she could dig into the dirt, and gave her some water. Then, I retrieved the toads from my storage and cut them open to search for mana gems. I hit the jackpot with one large purple gem, a small yellow gem, a small pink gem, a medium pink gem, and a small orange gem.

[Go ahead and gulp those down; I promise you'll level up.]

 "Let's do this! Bottoms up!" I shouted, cramming all the mana gems into my mouth at once. The taste was a nightmarish blend that should never have existed! It was like I was licking a dumpster! Hot sauce, garlic, sweet cake, charcoal, cherry syrup—each flavor was a warrior, clashing in a chaotic battle on my taste buds. My instincts screamed to spit it out, but I stood firm, even as my stomach threatened to rebel from the chili I had earlier. With acid bubbling up, I pushed through. Once those gems finally melted away, I swallowed hard and downed two full bottles of water. "That was absolutely horrendous!"

[Newsflash: I didn't say to devour the entire stash in one go. That was purely your genius at work. But honestly, it was a riot to witness.]

Suddenly, I found myself engulfed in a thick cloud of gray smoke, accompanied by a loud wooshing sound. Before I could process it, I was trapped inside a massive cloth sack! "What the hell is happening?!" I shouted, struggling against the heavy fabric that was trying to smother me. As I finally broke free, I caught sight of my two furry gray arms, which were beginning to turn a fiery red.

"Bane, why have I reverted back into my bat form?"

[Well you are a bat.]

"Yes, I can see that but why am I involuntarily a bat?"

[Life's a delightful dumpster fire, isn't it? At least you're not in a twisted relationship with a nocturnal mammal that thinks it's royalty. What a relief!]

"What the heck just happened? I turned into a bat out of nowhere! I was all set to head back to town and grab my rewards!"

[Don't worry, it'll still be hanging around when you finally decide to return. Just make sure you survive the thrilling adventure of the third level of the dungeon first. No pressure!]

"If I let my quest expire then it'll look bad on my record!"

[Tick-tock! Better get a move on and wrap up that third level. Not that it matters, since I can't revert you to your previous form anyway. You leveled up, and poof! That power's gone like your chances of being normal again. Your Mimic power will recharge after a few days.]

"You did that on purpose to get me back into the dungeon!"

[I didn't not not not do it on purpose. Look at that! Gotcha Gain and Roulette Wheel have recharged!]

The Roulette Wheel crashed into my line of sight out of nowhere, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Fine, I'll let it slide this time, but for crying out loud, give me a heads-up about this kind of stuff next time!"

[...]

I let out a heavy sigh and slammed the button in my head. The wheel whirled around, spinning over numbers—1000 experience points, 10%, 50 coins, 10 experience, and it just kept going! Finally, it screeched to a halt on 100 coins. A triumphant ding echoed in my ears, and out of nowhere, a vending machine popped up in the corner of my vision.

[Congratulations, you've managed to stumble upon the in-system vending machine. Just keep spinning like a hamster on a wheel to unlock more features. The more you level up, the more I level up.]

"How does this work?"

[Ah, the wonders of modern technology! You feed a machine some coins, and it rewards you with snacks. Truly, we've reached the pinnacle of human achievement. What's next, a tutorial on how to open a door?]

Alright, here we go! There's really nothing left to do but give it a shot. I can see that vending machine in my head, loaded with all those Earth snacks and drinks—most of them costing six coins, a few at four, and some even at eight. I can almost taste those cheddar potato chips, just four coins for a little bag. I imagine myself shoving those coins into the machine, and bam! That bag of chips is right in my hand.

I ripped open the bag and was hit with the glorious aroma of powdered cheddar. I shoved a chip into my mouth and chewed—pure bliss! "What the hell is going on? How can a vending machine serve up snacks from my world right into my hands?"

[So, let me get this straight: I expend my precious energy leveling up to create a vending machine from your dusty old world, and you're questioning that? Meanwhile, you've been sucked into your phone like it's a black hole. Newsflash: I'm a magical being, not a therapist.]

Our chat got interrupted once more when he jammed that gumball machine right in my face. I slammed the button, the metal bars twisted, and out came a pod. I ripped it open, and what do you know? A scroll shot out!

[You've acquired Beast Tamer level one. Now, scurry off and find a monster so feeble it'll be eager to take orders from a minuscule bat. Truly, the stuff of legends!]

[Your Charm has been affected by swallowing the two Charm Mana Gems +50 Charm! Swallowing a Light Mana Gem has caused you to gain the ability Light Healing level 1, Swallowing Poison Mana Gems has boosted your Poison resistance and Poison Fang +4, ]

[You've just been handed three hundred points to waste on whatever nonsense you desire. Enjoy the thrill of spending it all on things that won't matter in five minutes!]

After I was done my stats looked like this:

Aerial: 80 

Bind: 50 

Ninja: 80 

Observation: 100 

Reasoning: 80  

Mana: 100  

Armament: 75

Luck: 85  

Charm: 100  

Yeet: 100  

[Ah, I see you've decided to pump up your Observation and Yeet like it's a bodybuilding competition. How charming! Let's rummage through the ability bin and see what kind of ridiculous abilities we can slap on that inflated ego of yours!]

[Discus: Who doesn't love the idea of tossing objects for fun? Seriously, it's the perfect way to show your enemies who's boss—by using them as ammo! You get a temporary boost of strength to launch heavy stuff like you're in the Olympics, all while your mana reserves dwindle. Because why save it for a rainy day? (High Mana, High Yeet).]

[Evaluation: You've mastered the art of monster observation. Now you can see what you're up against before you dive headfirst into doom. You can even check its health and mana bars. How quaint! Just don't forget that knowledge won't necessarily save you from a swift death. (High Observation)]

[Magical Mystery: So, you've got a wand that can doodle a question mark in the air. How thrilling! Just what every aspiring wizard dreams of—an unpredictable spell that could either be a game-changer or a total disaster. (High Mana, High Luck)]

I though about it for a while and wishing that I could choose both Discus and Evaluation, but when all was said and done, I chose Evaluation because I'm going back down into the dungeon after this and I would feel better about the challenges coming my way if I better understood what I was facing.

[Look at you, all cautious and responsible! I was really hoping you'd dive into the Magical Mystery, but I guess that's too much thrill for your delicate sensibilities. Enjoy your 1000 points while you play it safe in the land of the boring.]

[Nosey: Wow, you've really perfected the art of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. You can sniff out people's scents like a bloodhound. 500 Points]

[Private Eyes: Oh, look at you, using your peepers like they're high-tech binoculars. I can only hope you're not planning to spy on your neighbors. Birdwatching, right? Sure, let's go with that. 500 Points]

[Heat Vision: Wow, you've got the ability to see warm-blooded beings through solid objects. Just remember, if those objects are as toasty as a campfire, you might as well be staring at a brick wall. 500 Points]

[Well, well, well! You've opted for Heat Vision and Private Eyes. You've bulked up to the size of a sugar baby watermelon! And those eyes of yours? Lovely shades of yellow, red, and orange. How about you let them rest before they start a fire?]

Thermal Bat: Level 30

Powers: Poison Fang Level 10, Swift Wings, Flesh-Eating Flora Control, Leaf Snipping, Gotcha Gain, Roulette Wheel, Beast Tamer level 1, Heat Vision, Private Eyes, Evaluation, Light Healing Level 1, Light Finger Guns, Poison Spit Level 8

Purchase Points Remaining: 0

Level-up Points Remaining: 0

Coming Next Time: Third Level

[ Relax, you're completely safe. They wouldn't bother with you.]