James did have a boost to his Intelligence thanks to his Enchanter Class, so it wasn't difficult for him to retrace his steps in his memory and create a simple map of what he had explored so far. Nor was it difficult to reorient himself: the lizard's tail conveniently marked in which tunnel the lizard had been originally, even after stepping into the four-way intersection of identical tunnels.

He marked the tunnel leading back to the exit with a big arrow pointing in the right direction, at eye level, on both sides of the wall. Then, following that arrow, he retrieved his warding stakes from the entrance to the side passage. The stakes were still in perfect condition, though hot to the touch. Again he marked the way back to the exit with a large arrow scratched into the stone wall, and then he made it back to the first intersection and the tunnel leading back to the small cavern and the staircase to the third floor.

No monsters encountered. The rest of the journey back to base camp was just as uneventful, though climbing the stairs in all his armor and dragging the Fire Lizard carcass proved exhausting, even with his Smith class boosts to Strength and Endurance.

The meat proved unusable. Even after smoking overnight while James slept, it didn't seem to cook at all. And James didn't want to risk eating unfamiliar meat he couldn't cook. So he cautiously moved towards the edge of the boss arena and hucked it the last few yards over the edge, gone forever.

The hide proved a fair bit more useful. Thus far, the Smith had been reusing the few remaining bits of mole monster hide to pad his armor, and it was wearing out. The Fire Lizard hide was tougher and seemed to provide a similar level of cushioning. With technique that would make a Tailor weep and a gratuitous number of rivets holding the hide together, James fashioned for himself an underlayer of Fire Lizard hide armor that would fit under any of his suits of armor: whether it was his Green Iron Water Resistant armor, or his Water, Wind, or Fire armor.

Thinking of eventually creating some Earth Armor, just to round things out, he crafted a small jug for collecting Fire Lizard blood as a source of Earth Essence. And he took the time to forge and sharpen a Red Iron knife for disassembling monster carcasses.

[Smith] Class Skill [Sharpening] has reached level 2.

He also worked a point into the handle of the knife, for marking the wall without dulling the blade.

After lunch, he armored up and re-entered the fourth floor. He quickly made his way through the small cavern, still empty of monsters, and returned to the T-shaped intersection.

And here he stopped.

The arrows he had carved into the wall pointing down the tunnel towards the exit were gone.

He carved them into the tunnel walls once more. Cautiously he went down the left-side path again, and as before, he came upon the entrance to a side passage on his right.

The arrow was gone here, too. He replaced it and moved on.

Rustle fwoosh squeak rustle fwoosh

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At the four way intersection there was a flaming bat monster fluttering about, and it flew towards James as he approached.

Crunch

Wham

Wham

Wham

James handily killed it and, upon ensuring there were no more monsters about, he harvested its Red Magic Stone and kicked the carcass back down the tunnel he had come from.

The arrows were missing here, too.

James grew concerned.

He retreated back to the second T-intersection and this time, put his warding stakes down. He didn't want to risk getting lost at the four way intersection, but he figured he could remember just two T-intersections.

Shield up, he headed down the side passage, carefully minding the floor and ceiling as he proceeded. The passage was the same size as the others, and lit by the same random scattering of blazing mushrooms. Unlike the others, it quickly reached a corner at a perfect right angle, the tunnel continuing to the left.

Carefully he made his way around the corner, scanned for monsters, determined it safe for now, and continued.

Ten yards later, another corner, this time to the right.

And around the corner, just ahead, another four way intersection.

James stopped. He had seen more than enough to realize what was going on.

This was a maze.

He carefully made his way back towards the maze entrance and at the first T-intersection he returned to, where he had left his warding stakes to create a safe zone, he saw that the arrow he had carved into the wall was already fading, the stone returning to its flat, unblemished carved state.

A glow, different from the flickering light of the blazing mushrooms, caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

Several yards down the passage, where he had left the carcass of the dead flaming bat monster, something glowed.

He raised his shield and carefully approached to investigate, and soon regretted it.

A spider monster was feeding on the carcass. It had thick, hair-covered legs the same nearly-black dark red as the bat monster, and a body that was a lighter shade of red glowing like embers the size of a small dog. Perhaps two feet across.

James froze, horrified.

He really didn't like spider monsters.

As he hesitated, the spider monster finally noticed his presence and stopped feeding, turning its many reflective eyes towards him.

Hate-filled eyes of malice.

Or so James saw them.

It started to creep towards him and with a flood of adrenaline, James burst forward, raising his hammer in one smooth motion and flooding the enchantment with all the mana he could muster in that moment.

Even as panicked as he was, with his Dexterity boosted by both of his classes, and empowered by his Technique, he landed his strike perfectly.

Spla-BOOM

The sound echoed through the tunnels as the Smith's strike shook the ground, creating a decent-sized crater in the dungeon floor. Cracks spread out even further than that.

The spider monster was totally dead.

James panted for breath, paused with body outstretched.

[Smith] Class Skill [Nerves of Steel] has reached level 7.

With shaking hands James put down some more warding stakes and he leaned back against the tunnel wall before sliding down into a sitting position while the rush faded, leaving him trembling.

For a time he just sat there, the intrusive thought in his head lingering.

He hated spider monsters.

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