Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 92: Drink Me

Though he recalled falling down a hole within the curious tree, where he found himself didn't appear to be underground. The place he landed was the only spot of grass within a sprawling, eroded temple of cracked and faded limestone.

Ruins of an unknown place, though from the sheer scope of it all, replaceing himself looked down upon by statues that reached to the height of columns, it was undoubtedly once a revered keep.

'This is all under the woods…? No, where's the hole?' He questioned while looking up.

The hole he fell through was nowhere to be seen above, only the ceiling of splintered limestone. There was a single corridor to his right, though he didn't take any steps quite yet.

As he stood there for a moment, hearing the echoes of noises within the ruins that could be attributed to either age or what may be lurking, he questioned if he perhaps was dreaming. A quick pinch to his forearm confirmed that to be false; he was certainly awake.

Leaking from his nose was a warmth all too familiar, bringing his glove up to wipe it off. He looked at the blood on his hand before deciding to move, passing by the faceless statues.

'Shit…I feel lightheaded,' he thought.

He felt as if he was being watched by the statues, even if they were devoid of carved-in eyes, having to look up to make sure they didn't somehow move. That uneasiness settled in as he moved carefully, entering the corridor.

An unpleasant odor came off the walls, like that of rotten eggs. It didn't stir his stomach as he had smelled much worse, though what bothered him was the peculiar sensation with each step he took.

Bringing his boot down on a tile of the ruinous interior, it felt like small needles poked at the bottom of his foot; it wasn't particularly painful, but uncomfortable. Careful strides brought him further down the deteriorating hall, replaceing withered flowers that hung from the cracks in the walls.

'This place…none of it feels right. It just feels off,' he wondered.

It led into a compact chamber of washed-out limestone, only lightly decorated with deteriorated, silken curtains. The door ahead looked as though it was built for a mouse, being far too small for a person.

'What's up with this door? Is it for a rat?' He thought, half-jokingly.

He set aside the futile idea of the mouse-sized passage, looking at the only other object of interest. In the middle of the room sat a pedestal holding a note and a small, glass bottle of orange liquid.

Inscribed on the quaint parchment was a simple instruction: "Drink me."

It wasn't in his prerogative to simply indulge in whatever unknown substance he was told to consume, though he didn't see any other option. He removed the cork with a flick of his thumb, causing a vapor from the concoction to rise out, carrying with it a smell like that of ripe lemons.

'What is this stuff? I have to drink it, don't I…?' He reminded himself upon taking a whiff.

As hesitant as he was, his senses as an assassin didn't detect any poison in the substance, though that didn't mean it was without risk. Gazing at that extraordinary tiny door, he sucked in a breath before bringing the bottle to his lips in a swift motion.

There was no time to think twice anymore as he guzzled it down, replaceing the flavor to be tart, but not unpleasant; it was remarkably cold going down, though the bottle had felt lukewarm. In fact, it was an enjoyable drink, bringing him to gulp it all down before pulling the bottle away from his lips.

"Ahh…Ah?" He released a sigh, though was left perplexed as he looked around.

The room had become incredibly vast, with the pedestal standing as tall as a tower beside him now. Ahead, the door looked to be a normal size now; no, that wasn't quite it–it took a moment for him to process it as he looked down at his body.

'Did I…shrink?' He realized.

Even the bottle he drank from seemed to have been sized down, fortunately meaning everything he was equipped with scaled with him. It was a rather perplexing situation, bringing him to approach the door tailor-made for his altered size.

'I hope this is temporary–this is way too weird,' he thought.

What would've been a single stride before now required over a dozen to reach the peculiar door. He grasped the copper handle, tugging it open. It seemed to not have been opened for awhile, as dormant dust rained down, bringing him to close his eyes briefly as he coughed.

Parting his eyelids, he found what scenery laid beyond the puny doorway–

It made little sense; from the eroding ruins, it led into a vast stretch of flourishing lands. There were colossal flowers of shifting complexions, clouds that took the shapes of horses, dogs, even dragons while floating in the sky; it all seemed far too peculiar.

'What is this place? Where the hell did I fall into?' He questioned when stepping out into the unknown scenery.

It felt as though once again, he had happened upon a different world, though the oddities of the First Order didn't make the environment he found himself in seem all that impossible. Standing there amidst the grass that towered above him, he withdrew from moving yet as the turf rustled ahead.

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

–The soil trembled with steps massive enough to send vibrations through the dirt he stood on. He brought out his dagger, not hesitating to replicate it as he awaited what stomped through the high grass.

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

A mass of black fur emerged from the grass, baring its buck teeth at him as it roared with malicious intent. A beast of magnificent proportion, like that of a mighty dragon before him, only it wasn't quite that–

A rat; perhaps larger than a normal one, but in his current state, it stood before him as a colossus.

'This has to be some sort of twisted joke, right? A rat, right now–?' He thought, looking up at the beast that cast its shadow over him.

From the maw of the mountainous vermin, saliva dropped down, trickling like massive raindrops that splashed onto the soil. The first thought in his mind was going back through the door, which the rat would not be able to fit through, but that would only be delaying the inevitable.

'I guess this is happening then–I should be in bed right now…Instead I somehow ended up in this fever dream–I have to get back,' he urged himself, tightening his grip on his daggers.

As he faced down the vermin, it lunged right towards him, practically dragging its body across the soil while repeatedly chomping its teeth. He jumped to the side, letting it pass right past him in its relentless aggression.

It behaved rabidly, watching as it spun itself around, using its wired tail as a whip. Forced to jump up to avoid having his legs taken out, he found it immediately rushing him down again. Dirt was flung around as it clawed itself towards him, charging with its beady eyes locked onto him as though he were a pristine block of cheese.

"Give it a rest!--" He called out as he found the rat already close enough to smell its putrid breath.

As it snapped its buck teeth at him, he placed his hand on its nose before flipping himself up, letting it pass right beneath him before landing his boots on its black fur. Even as he stood atop its head, the rabid rat thrashed around, tossing and turning in an attempt to throw him off.

It seemed silly to even consider a vermin a threat, not worth plunging his blades into, though it was hardly seeming to be beneath him in his current predicament–

["Orcish Boost"] [4:59]

He flipped off of it, delivering a kick straight against its nose in the same motion. The sharp impact struck the hostile rat with such force that it was thrown back violently. It let out a shriek as it was tossed into the towering grass, leaving the young man to land on his feet.

'Did I…overdo it?' He questioned, catching his breath.

Delivering such a kick to the vermin seemed like it was a bit much now that he stood there, almost feeling bad for the poor rat. That guilt was swept away as quickly as it came as he witnessed a black mass once more emerge from the wall of grass–

"Shit," he mumbled, readying himself.

The colossal vermin leapt out like a raging bull, leaking blood from its nose, wasting no time in rushing him down. He felt the dirt rumbling beneath his boots as it closed in, bringing him to decide on his plan of action promptly–

"Sorry about this, big guy," Finn muttered with a sigh.

["Blink Slash"] [2:59]

He warped right beside it as it charged, plunging his daggers into its neck and pulling them out in the same motion. The seamless assault brought the rat to squeal before collapsing into the dirt some strides away. Fortunately enough, his natural inclinations as an assassin led his daggers to have found its artery, bringing a swift and painless death as it laid itself out.

["Rat defeated."] ["Anarch Coin x1 obtained."]

["Experience points: +5] [30505/50000]

["Assimilated ability from ["Rat"]: "Sense: Cheese" 1 / 5]