It had been a while since he'd been on the second floor. Last time, they hadn't dwelled or lingered here long, so they couldn't make a detailed map of the place. They'd only learned about the monsters that lived here.
If the first floor had just mutated rats, the second floor housed other creatures entirely. There was a giant scorpion whose armor was incredibly thick—it had four pincer arms instead of two, plus two tails with poisonous sharp tips. Then there were the mutated rabbits with huge front teeth they used to crush opponents to death. Their claws were so sharp they could tear through regular steel, and they could hop so fast they were too agile for the natural eye to track.
These two monsters dominated the second floor.
But that wasn't his goal right now. His goal was to find the next sanctuary in this place—hopefully before meeting any of these fucking monsters that were too strong for him, at least for now. While he might be able to escape, it wouldn't be unscathed.
He started wandering the second floor, avoiding monsters here and there. Sweat poured down his body, and each movement was carefully calculated. If there had been no ambient noise on the second floor, you could have heard his heart beating like a drum. Thankfully, the second floor had some sound to it—maybe from the monsters or other things they hadn't discovered before.
Benny's exploration hit a bottleneck. The sanctuary was nowhere to be found, and he'd only covered maybe half the area of the second floor. It felt bigger than the first floor where he was currently living. Another important decision needed to be made: risk himself and continue searching, or return to the first floor where he felt much safer.
"I guess I should head back for now."
He made his decision. Since he'd learned what paths he could use to get to where he'd stopped, his next run on the second floor would be much smoother.
It was easier to memorize than the first floor, which had few landmarks he could easily identify even in the dark. The landscape of the second floor was filled with towering pillars of natural rock and earth. It was also filled with light crystals, so it wasn't as dark as the first floor. The walls remained the same height as the first floor—or were they doubled? He couldn't tell since the ceiling was so high it disappeared into pitch blackness.
Just like on the first floor, the light crystals didn't reach very high. There seemed to be a limiter on how far up these crystals could illuminate. The pitch darkness of the ceiling had a disturbing quality—if you stared at it too long, it would certainly drive you crazy. It had that kind of effect on people.
Since he hadn't made much progress, he couldn't make detailed observations yet. He was only taking in what he'd seen before and what he was currently seeing.
He returned to the first floor using the same path. While it remained dangerous, he'd learned what to do and what not to do this time around.
After reaching the spiraling stairs that led back to the first floor, he took a massive breath, finally releasing the fears he'd held for too long. He might have gained some confidence to attempt this, but it remained a fact that he had a cowardly nature.
The second floor felt different from the first in ways that went beyond just the monsters. The air was thicker somehow, more oppressive. The rock formations created natural corridors and hiding spots, but they also created blind corners and potential ambush points. Every shadow could hide a giant scorpion, every open area could be a rabbit's hunting ground.
The abundance of light crystals was both a blessing and a curse. Sure, he could see better, but so could everything else. His little portable crystals that had given him such an advantage on the first floor were nearly useless here—like carrying a candle in broad daylight.
He'd also noticed that the monsters here seemed more intelligent than the rats upstairs. The few glimpses he'd caught of them showed creatures that moved with purpose, not just instinct. They patrolled territories, communicated with others of their kind, and seemed to coordinate their hunting patterns.
That made them infinitely more dangerous than simple predators.
Upon returning to the sanctuary, he could finally rest. His makeshift armor was soaked with sweat, and his hands were shaking from the constant tension. But he'd gathered valuable intelligence about the second floor's layout and dangers.
He sat by his fire, methodically going over what he'd learned. The sanctuary down there had to exist—every floor was supposed to have one. He just had to be smarter about finding it.
Next time, he'd bring more supplies and plan better routes. Maybe he'd even figure out a way to distract those monsters instead of just avoiding them.
But for now, he was content to be alive and back in his safe zone. Tomorrow, he'd plan his next venture into that hell below.