[You have entered an Instance. Instances may have one setting, environment, and organism type, or as many as several of each. Beware, some Instances contain hazards: traps, violent shifts in temperature, illusions, and more that you will discover on your own. It is entirely possible for multiple hazards to appear at the same time. Tread carefully.]

Izuku found himself in a room dimly lit by flickering sconces. Their flames were low burning and muddied by an oppressive atmosphere. The walls and floor were natural stone, having bumps and sharp ridges permeating their entirety. The air was practically damp, leaving Izuku to absentmindedly note that this place was the most humid location he'd ever been.

While Izuku had been waiting for nighttime the previous day, he had asked Bell a question about enabling some kind of heads-up display. As it turned out, he could, and it was accomplished via a mental toggle. Thinking that it may come in handy, he turned it on. Four bars appeared in the top left of his vision.

{HP: 80/80}

{STA: 90/90}

{MP: 120/120}

{Blackout: 0/28}

Apprehensively, Izuku took two steps forward before noticing a faint noise in the distance. It was like a harsh, drawn-out scraping of stone. Slowly following the sound with his whole body tensed, Izuku rounded a corner and came upon a small opening. Beyond it, he could see a bizarre-looking creature. When he examined it closer, he questioned how it could even exist.

It had an emaciated body and a spine so crooked and deformed that it should've been unable to move. It had one arm protruding from the center of its chest and another from its solar plexus, with skeletal hands that were crowned by brittle-looking jagged nails. Its face was concave and sunken in so far that he knew it was nigh impossible for the creature to have a brain. This face contained only one feature: a gaping mouth adorned by wispy, dry skin. Upon seeing its features, Izuku started shaking with fear and incomprehension. The worst quirk mutation he'd ever seen didn't even begin to compare.

Slowly and carefully, filled with terror, Izuku backed up until the creature was out of view. Taking his time, Izuku fell back until he was against the wall. Then, with legs like jelly, he slid down into a sitting position. What he had just beheld was haunting. He could tell there'd be nightmares in his future, and yet, he would have to kill it to get out of here alive. That realization struck him like a ton of bricks. He stiffened, finding breathing more and more difficult with each passing second.

Izuku forced himself to calm down. He couldn't give up. This was his first step, and he would do what it took to reach his goal. But it was hard. So much so that he was finding it a struggle just to move from his spot on the cold, uneven ground. He sat there until he stopped shaking. It could've taken a few minutes or an hour, but whatever the case, he knew he couldn't wait around any longer.

After a moment's hesitation, he rose. Seconds later, he was back where he'd left off. The thing was still there, and it was ambling around a small enclosure with no perceivable purpose. Izuku, looking down, connected the scraping sound to its feet. Two talon-like toes connected to skeletal legs that dragged behind its upper half, which barely seemed to register in the thing's mind—if it even had one—as part of its body. He noted that it had one leg that was less developed than the other, which left behind a sticky residue as the creature moved.

When Izuku was able to finally come to terms with the situation, his mind started working. Something important he hadn't noticed until now was a dim, blood-red health bar that hovered above the entity's head, similar to his. Atop the health bar was a name tag.

[Blighted Husk: Level 1]

{HP: 40/40}

Balling his hands into tight fists, Izuku stepped into the enclosure occupied by the husk and made a regrettable decision.

"H-hello?"

The husk's head snapped in his direction, its body contorting wildly, beginning to pulsate like a mass of worms. A single sound escaped from its gaping mouth—thin, sharp, and unmistakably malevolent—and it made Izuku's skin crawl. It began charging in his direction as fast as it could, which, while blessedly slow, was terrifying.

Not knowing what else to do, Izuku backpedaled. In a moment of panic, he tripped on a mound of stone and his feet fell out from under him. Before he smacked into the ground, he put his hands out to brace against the impact. It worked, but his situation did not improve. The husk was almost upon him, and its eerie movement sent primal fear raging through his system.

Bringing one hand up, Izuku traced an arc, and a blade of darkness severed the husk's legs at the thigh. Yellowish-red fluid spurted from the wound as the creature fell forward directly onto Izuku. He screamed in agony when the husk's hands and nails began ripping at his abdomen, tearing his body apart. The health bar in Izuku's vision dipped by 20 points before he was able to do anything.

Fearing for his life, Izuku hammered his knee, imbued by Empowered Strike, hard into the husk's stomach. Unfortunately, the attack did nothing more than jostle the creature; Izuku was in so much pain that he couldn't help but make noise, so the skill had failed to trigger. The husk's claws dug deeper, leaving bloody furrows trailing down his stomach. He was down another 25 points.

In unspeakable pain and with surging adrenaline, Izuku bit down on his lip and forced himself to be silent. A moment later, his knee was embedded in the husk's middle. He could feel some kind of impact, but it was strange and lacked finality. There was no vibration that traveled up his leg as the husk's bones snapped and its body was sent flying overhead. No, all he felt was a dull sensation that was overshadowed by complete silence.

[You have slain (Blighted Husk: Level 1) +6 EXP]

Izuku collapsed, his arms falling at his sides and his head coming to rest on the uneven ground. With shallow breaths that came in uneven gasps and with blood pooling at his midsection, Izuku felt a wetness gathering in his eyes. A hand was brought to his face and the unshed tears were swiped away. He couldn't cry here.

Izuku was angry. Only 6 points. He had killed a walking nightmare and been subjected to an agonizing near-death experience for 6 measly points. His shirt was in ruin, as was his flesh, and he had ended a life. That wasn't why he was angry, though; Izuku didn't feel like a hero. If he could've curled up into a ball right then, he would've. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have been able to take the extra pain.

He spent almost six hours lying there. Izuku wondered if time passed the same way in an Instance as it did outside. That thought terrified him and kept him company the entire time he spent splayed out on the icy stone. He really wanted to go home.

Eventually, his HP reached full. As he made to get up, he felt the dried blood on his stomach crack and fall to the ground, revealing a congealed layer beneath. Using his hands, Izuku swept the blood off himself as best he could without taking too much time. Underneath was new, unmarred skin. He marveled at the lack of evidence of the damage he'd sustained. He idly considered what would happen if he lost a limb. Realizing he had a perfect source to find an answer, he used it. "Would my arm come back if it got removed from my body?"

[Once entirely separate from the host, any major appendage will be unable to regenerate. This includes arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes, and the head.]

Izuku suddenly felt lucky to be fully intact. If he lost a limb, there was little chance he'd fulfill his dream. Sighing deeply, he resolved to be more careful in the future. Before he traveled deeper into the cave-like Instance, he set his eyes on the bottom bar of his HUD.

{Blackout: 3/28}

'Blackout' was the one thing that carried the same weight as HP. If it filled up completely while he was in a life-or-death situation, the outcome would almost certainly be his untimely demise. It was something he absolutely needed to keep an eye on at all times. He recalled how punishing its description was.

[Blackout measures the total amount of pain you can take and/or effort you may expend before you fall unconscious. This is known as your blackout threshold. The lower your health and the more intense the pain you experience is, the faster this threshold will be met. Your effort, on the other hand, takes shape in the form of MP and STA expenditure. If either of these falls below thirty percent, they will begin to add to your blackout threshold as well. As with health, the lower they go, the faster your threshold will be reached. Finally, the closer to full your Blackout bar becomes, the more exhausted you will begin to feel, and the slower your accumulated Blackout total will drain.]

It was a harsh limiter that he had to endeavor to never forget. With his mind full to bursting with roving thoughts, Izuku left the chamber that stunk of blood and decomposing flesh behind. He only hoped that whatever he faced next wouldn't be as horrible as the husk.

With light feet, Izuku made his way through a narrow passageway filled with nothing but the odd flickering sconce. It was long, and he almost started to panic as he heard a noise in the distance begin to echo throughout the cramped space. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. Thankfully, before his fear could get the better of him, he found an opening.

Peering into a dim enclosure, Izuku's hopes were dashed; three husks mindlessly pulled themselves from one place to another, sometimes stopping for no apparent reason before resuming their endless trek towards nothing. He noted that not all the husks looked the same. One of the creatures before him had two underdeveloped legs and another had missing fingers from its chest hand. A final one was missing its right leg altogether, pitifully dragging itself along the floor with its skeletal arms. He could feel himself begin to hyperventilate. It was just too awful.

Before he drew their attention all at once, Izuku calmed himself by thinking of home. He closed his eyes and imagined returning to a warm dinner and a hug from his worried mother. He pictured her excitedly pressing for details about his date and fretting over every little thing. He loved his mom so much.

With a shaky smile on his face, Izuku did his best to refocus on the present while reminding himself that he would be okay. He examined the husks a bit longer and decided on his first target. One of the two husks on their feet was level 2 and had 60 HP.

Steeling himself, Izuku raised his hand, then brought it down in a diagonal slash. A deep, quiet hum sounded for a fraction of a second as a black blade cut through the air. In front of him, the level 2 husk's torso received a massive gash and one of its arms was severed at the wrist. Noticing motion, all three abominations turned his way. Before they could get any further, another scythe of darkness tore into the already damaged husk. Its body collapsed on itself like a folding chair as its spine was split nearly in half.

[You have slain (Blighted Husk: Level 2) +11 EXP]

He was already down a third of his mana and was extremely wary of using too much at once. With moments at his disposal, Izuku decided on his course of action. Locating the grounded husk, he used a third Void Scythe to cut off its arms. Only one was removed completely, but it was enough to reduce the husk's movement to the point of insignificance. Shifting his focus to the remaining threat, Izuku brought his hands up.

The husk had closed the remaining distance between them in a flash, lunging at Izuku with contorted movements, trying its very best to dig its nails into his soft flesh. Expecting something like this, he quickly backstepped just out of reach, then surged forward with an Empowered Strike coating his fist. There was a surreal silence as his knuckles slammed into the husk's face with the force of a sledgehammer. Its head, full of downward momentum, impacted the ground with an audible smack.

Before the husk could recover, Izuku empowered his foot and brought it down in a vicious stomp on the creature's head. It felt like he'd stepped on a pillow; there was no crunch as its face caved even further inward than its natural state. But it wasn't dead. He let out a loud yelp as one of the husk's hands grabbed onto his ankle and ripped at his skin and tissue. Desperately trying to remain on his feet, Izuku planted his other leg behind him and prepared to bring his fist down onto the husk's head for a final time.

Suddenly, Izuku felt his ankle bone being scraped at, and a bolt of hot, searing pain shot through his system as his talus was dug into like a fossil. Looking down, he saw, to his horror, the husk's fingers had torn through the thin layer of flesh covering the outside of his ankle and were now working to get even deeper. In one quick motion, Izuku's fist collided with the Husk's skull, and it caved in like a rotting pumpkin.

[You have slain (Blighted Husk: Level 1) +6 EXP]

Hissing through his teeth, Izuku pulled his foot free of the corpse's grip with a powerful yank. As soon as he tried putting weight on it, agony took hold. He grunted and nearly collapsed to the ground. Breathing heavily, he slowly brought his gaze to center on a quiet sound. A single hand worked to wear its fingers down to nubs, pulling itself and by extension, the rest of the husk, towards Izuku, absent of self-preservation. With a single movement and a flash of darkness, he brought an end to its sad existence.

[You have slain (Blighted Husk: Level 1) +6 EXP]

Izuku collapsed in a heap, placing his hands over his ankle to protect it from the air. The pain physical pain lessened, but mentally, he was hardly keeping it together. Dragging himself back the way he came, Izuku settled in a short way down the passage. He couldn't bear sharing a room with a corpse again.

Sitting against a slanted wall, Izuku kneaded his brow in a state of vexation. The damage he'd taken was entirely preventable, and any time he got hurt, he had to heal or risk more damage. The worst part was that healing took up a lot of time, and that time was precious in his current situation.

Snarling due to pent-up emotion, Izuku raised a shaking fist and seriously considered taking out his problems on the wall. His teeth creaked as his jaw clenched, and he had to work to keep from screaming as helplessness permeated his entire being. A deep rumbling noise escaped from his throat, filling the narrow hallway with a suggestion of imminent violence. With a swiftly quickening pulse and reddening face, He poised to strike. He didn't care if he broke his hand, he was going to—

As quickly as it had come, his sudden emotion abated. Izuku relaxed his tensed arm and gazed at the ceiling, breathing deeply.

"I will make it out of here."

He had never been as angry as he'd been just now. There was so much hitting him all at once that he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and underprepared for it all. At the end of the day, he was ending lives in the pursuit of strength. That was something a villain did.

Rubbing his eyes with his hands, Izuku promised that he'd make it up to, well, everyone. He'd save ten times more lives than he'd take.

A hollow laugh sounded. Who was he kidding? That was a promise he knew he couldn't keep. Izuku felt emptier than ever before...

Time passed at a glacial pace. This made him thankful for his user interface as it kept him from dwelling on bad thoughts; the green screen that appeared before him coupled with the dispassionate, plain black text helped Izuku to shift his frame of mind to something more analytical. So, sitting in the dim, dreary passageway with oppressive stone on all sides, Izuku examined his progress.

[Character Sheet]

|EXP to next level: 29/50|

He figured that one more encounter would get him to level 2. It was hard to be excited, though, because of... He sighed. Moving to the 'Skills' tab, he checked his skills' growth.

[Void Scythe]

|Level: 1/10|

|40% to next level|

With the assumption that his first use of Void Scythe on the river hadn't been factored into his current progress, Izuku recalled using it five times. After a minute to do the math, he came to the conclusion that he'd need to use the skill 12.5 times or, rounded up, 13 times, to level the ability. Perhaps there were other variables, but for now, that was his best guess.

[Empowered Strike]

|Level: 0/10|

|32% to next level|

Going by the same base assumption that the skill would only level when used in a combat setting, Izuku found that the number of uses required to level Empowered Strike was identical to Void Scythe. With that knowledge, he closed out of the 'Skills' tab and navigated to the Journal. He figured that he could write down all his current thoughts and emotions to hopefully lessen the significant weight bearing down on him. It would be his first journal entry—a reminder to his future self that it could be worse and that he needed to keep moving despite life's many hardships.

Eventually, Izuku's foot entirely healed. Mercifully, the damage to his ankle had been much less than what his stomach had sustained earlier, so he was up in less than half the time. As he rose, he took a moment to check his 'Blackout' bar.

{Blackout: 7/28}

The unwanted progress the bar was making was troubling. But there was no way to get rid of it unless he waited for much longer than he was willing to, so he continued onward. While he moved, Izuku noticed fatigue starting to pervade his body and mind, though it could've been due to the already long day he'd endured rather than his blackout threshold coming closer to being reached. Whatever the case, he was beginning to get hunger pangs and his throat was parched. Somehow, in his haste and excitement, he'd forgotten to bring along nourishment for his journey.

Moving quickly through the room coated in the stench of dead bodies, Izuku stepped around a bend that led to a large enclosure. He almost missed the thin, taut rope that sat roughly six inches above the ground at the entrance. Looking up, he noticed that directly above the tripping hazard, attached to the ceiling and camouflaged by dark rock, was a set of mismatched, crude blades. There was no doubt in his mind that if he were to tread carelessly, impalement would soon follow.

Diverting his attention away from the trap, Izuku peered into the cavern. He spotted five husks, three of which were at level 2. Though, they were not alone this time.

A fleshy, spider-like thing the size of a small dog skittered across the ground and along the walls, its every movement punctuated by a dreadful sound that Izuku could only call moist. Unlike the husks, this creature had a face ripe with features. Two mouths adorned with nasty-looking pincers jutted out of the sides of its head, dripping a translucent, greenish-yellow substance that sizzled wherever it fell. A single eye socket housed many eyes of varying sizes that were butted up against one another, subtly quivering. With orange irises and an off-white sclera, they evoked the image of sickly pustules on the verge of bursting. Below its many eyes, A series of hundreds of tiny holes containing sharp, jagged, pulsing spikes oscillated rhythmically, moving in and out of view multiple times a second, promising pain. Izuku glimpsed the monstrosity's name tag.

[Infant Rot: Level 3]

{HP: 70/70}

A simple, two-step plan formed in Izuku's mind. First, he would kill the outlier as fast as possible. With three well-placed Void Scythes, it would fall the same as the others had. Barring any outstanding circumstances, the second step of his plan would be as straightforward as the first. With a now-familiar fear settling in his veins, Izuku cautiously stepped over the thin rope impeding his entry into the chamber and waited.

The sound of scraping mixed with the erratic flitting of the many-legged rot while Izuku waited for the right opportunity to strike. It was unnerving, to say the least. But after almost a minute, the unearthly, many-legged mass of flesh darted within range.

A deep, violent hum accompanied a slash of darkness, which was immediately followed by another. Izuku jerked away reflexively as the infant abomination's gaze locked onto him. It was a slight mistake, but he was quick to recover, giving life to a third swell of darkness that split the air in a savage arc. Unfortunately, his slight mistake had cost him precious moments.

While the scythe of darkness tore through the air, the rot's head turned sideways and the mouth now facing in Izuku's direction hawked a glob of slimy acid directly at him. He tried his best to dodge, leaping out of the way with all his strength, but the caustic substance managed to catch him on the shoe. At once, the sneaker began to melt away, promising little protection against the devilish liquid fighting to reach him.

[You have slain (Infant Rot: Level 3) +27 EXP]

[Your Level has increased: Level 1 —Level 2 (+5 attribute points)]

Izuku, thinking quickly, practically ripped his shoe off of his foot in an attempt to elude acid burns. Finding little resistance, he yanked the sneaker off and chucked it into the distance. Noticing no pain, he backed up at full tilt, seeing the husks beginning to close in.

Glimpsing his MP, Izuku saw that it was completely filled. Not wanting to idle, he launched three Void Scythes in quick succession, bringing his mana pool down to half. In the process, a level 1 husk now sported a massive gash across its midsection and one of the three level 2 husks was now in pieces.

A minor mental fog hit Izuku while he led the remaining husks to the entrance he'd come from. Keeping his front facing the husks, he arrived at the rope trap. The three uninjured husks were moments away from reaching him and the wounded one was not far behind. Seeing this, he carefully stepped over the rope and anticipated their arrival. It didn't take long.

A bony, taloned foot made to cross the threshold of the opening but was unprepared for the rope that instantly snapped upon contact. Izuku watched as six jagged blades flew forward in an arc that carried enormous momentum, whipping through the air with an audible whoosh. The husk's gaunt body never stood a chance.

Four crude blades lanced through its fragile form, pinning it in place and causing irregular gouts of lumpy blood to bubble out from fatal wounds. The two remaining hunks of rough and pitted iron also found their mark. A husk went limp as cold metal found a new home in its sunken face. Its only feature, a gaping mouth, now served as a dam for the lake of blood slowly filling it to capacity.

Once he was fairly sure that the trap wouldn't snap back into its original position, Izuku raised his hands, nervously awaiting the arrival of the final two husks. He kept his eyes glued to the entryway as one husk attempted to squeeze through a small gap to reach him. Izuku stepped forward and launched an empowered punch, aiming for the spot just below its solar plexus arm. His knuckles slammed into the bony meat of its abdomen, tearing apart muscle tissue and breaking bone. He struck again, again, and again. On the fourth hit, Izuku's fist nearly broke through the husk's back, and he gagged as his hand was coated in mushy organs and fetid, chunky fluid.

After retracting his fist, Izuku did his best to wipe the gunk off, using his pants as an impromptu towel. He regretted it before he even finished. The smell reminded him of the time he found a dead raccoon in the woods rotting under a log, but this was far more intense. He threw up.

Seconds after Izuku vomited the contents of his breakfast on the floor, the final weakened husk began struggling to get through the mess of lifeless bodies. Wiping his mouth with his less dirty hand, Izuku took a moment to breathe. He felt horrible.

Not wanting to get himself any filthier, Izuku let a Void Scythe fly and the last living husk fell. Shakily, he moved forward and spent the next few minutes clearing the bodies so that he could get through.

Once he was back in the large enclosure, he made his way to the far end—the furthest point from the heap of corpses—and sat down to check his advancement. Perhaps sensing that he was now out of danger, Bell piped up with a short explanation of leveling.

[Every level you gain grants you a minimum of four things: full restoration of your MP, STA, a 25% replenishment of your HP, and five attribute points. As previously stated, every fifth level will award a skill point, and at every tenth level, you will receive a blessing and ten attribute points instead of five.]

That clarified his MP's sudden return to full. It was unfortunate that his HP wouldn't be getting the same treatment, not to mention Blackout being entirely unaffected. Still, he could imagine leveling at the right moment becoming a useful tactic in the future. Pulling up the 'Attributes' tab, Izuku recalled each one's functions.

[Strength: +2% to Stamina Based Attack damage and an overall increase in strength per level—this includes feats such as heavy lifting, long jumping, and close-quarters combat—in addition to a more powerful, muscled physique.]

[Constitution: +10 HP, +1 Health Regen Per Hour, +1 to Blackout threshold, and increased resistance to toxins and fatal wounds per level.]

[Endurance: +10 STA, + 1 to Blackout threshold, and an overall increase in endurance per level—this includes feats such as marathon running, sustaining a physical burden, and tolerating high levels of pain—as well as a leaner physique.]

[Dexterity: +3 Stamina Regen Per Minute, + 1% Attack Range, and an overall increase in physical dexterity per level—this includes feats such as agile movement, fast reflexes, superior hand-eye coordination, and balance.]

[Intelligence: +10 MP and an overall increase in memory and speed of thought per level.]

[Willpower: +3 Mana Regen Per Minute, +2% to Mana Based Attack damage, +1 to Blackout threshold, and an overall increase in willpower per level—this includes feats such as resisting temptation, withstanding mental manipulation, and following through with difficult tasks.]

[Charisma: Makes you more appealing to look at and be around and improves your ability to charm, inspire, and influence others more per level.]

[Luck: +.25% to Critical Strike Chance and an overall increase in good fortune per level.]

He locked in his decision without a second thought.

[Attributes]

|Strength: 7 (+)|

|Constitution: 8 (+) 5|

|Endurance: 9 (+)|

|Dexterity: 10 (+)|

|Intelligence: 12 (+)|

|Willpower: 13 (+)|

|Charisma: 9 (+)|

|Luck: 10 (+)|

|Unallocated Attribute Points: 0|

Immediately, Izuku felt less tired and somewhat better off. He noticed his blood pumping stronger than ever before and he just felt... More. Constitution had been the only choice in his eyes. So far, he had eluded death once and that had been against a single creaturethe first and weakest one, too. If he was going to stay alive, he would need to be stronger. But in his case, that started with the strength to survive.

Now that he'd tasted what an Instance was actually like, it gave him an idea of what he would need to become to overcome them en masse: a killing machine. Problem was, that wasn't his goal. Instances were simply the means to facilitate one piece of his progression. Already, he felt like he'd sacrificed his humanity by taking lives for no other reason than to get stronger.

In a way, it wasn't his choice; this was the avenue life had given him to achieve his goal. On the other hand, though, he was taking the easy way out. He had been prepared to become a hero even as a quirkless nobody, and even though he'd known the chance was infinitesimally slim, he still would've taken that chance bar nothing.

Izuku could tell he was becoming desensitized to ending lives. He was still terrified of encountering whatever awaited him next and being forced to kill it or be killed, but that feeling was getting duller. Though it was slow, he was intelligent enough to know that the more he ended lives, the less he would take note of the immensity of his actions. With all that being said, however, he couldn't state with absolute certainty that he wouldn't do it again.

The creatures here weren't people: not heroes, villains, civilians, or anything like that. They simply were. He didn't know if this whole Instance thing went deeper than being an obstacle created specifically for him to overcome, but he could honestly say that at the current moment, he wasn't itching to know that truth. Still...

Before moving on, Izuku checked his headway towards leveling his skills.

[Void Scythe]

|Level: 1/10|

|96% to next level|

"One more," Izuku said tiredly.

[Empowered Strike]

|Level: 0/10|

|64% to next level|

Naturally, Empowered Strike wasn't as far along as getting up close and personal made him feel more connected with what he was doing. Still, it was probably just one room away from leveling regardless. Pulling up his character sheet, he took note of his progress towards level 3.

[Character Sheet]

|EXP to next level: 51/150|

With that done, Izuku marched forward without hesitation, not wanting to let his fear take the spotlight. It took him less than a minute to find his next hurdle.

The room he encountered this time was much smaller than he'd expected, clocking in at about half the size of the previous one. However, it was at least twice as deadly. Four level 3 infant rots skittered along the narrow enclosure, while a fifth, slightly larger one did the same with a presence that told of its relative unmatched power. However, its form wasn't just larger, but more developed.

[Adolescent Rot: Level 5]

{HP: 160/160}

Izuku couldn't help but think this was unfair. The tutorial Instance was turning out to be more deadly than it had any right to be. He struggled to think of a way to end this in a way that didn't end with his permanent disfigurement or death. He wished he had more skills at his disposal.

Feeling disheartened, Izuku stood still and thought. After a moment, a horrible idea popped into his head. Minutes later, two corpses laid around five meters from the entrance to the room full of rots. After a few deep breaths, Izuku made his move.

Tossing a piece of husk into the dark room, Izuku waited for a reaction while he hid in a corner that was hopefully out of sight. Almost at once, two of the level 3 rots scuttled along the floor and came to a stop in front of the corpses. They poked, prodded, and chittered as acid leaked from their mouths. One rot soon lost interest and returned to its place inside the dim cavity. The remaining fleshy monstrosity would've followed if not for the sudden removal of its head.

He had wondered how getting a critical hit would feel, how he would know. As Izuku brought his hand down like the axe of an executioner, he now understood. It was an overwhelming urge that filled him, one that demanded strength. It was a will that was and wasn't his own that forced absolute perfection. A single scythe blade hummed through the air as it took life with seemingly no effort at all.

The rot collapsed in a heap and joined the now growing pile of corpses with a mushy thud. No other rots came to check their brethren as it lay in two pieces, oozing caustic liquid.

Izuku received a prompt.

[Void Scythe has leveled up: Level 1 —Level 2 (Please select an upgrade path.)]

[Stability: +3 to damage and +1 MP cost per level]

[Power: +5 to damage and +2 MP cost per level]

He wiped nervous sweat from his brow as his plan worked; it really shouldn't have. If his attack hadn't felled the rot in one swipe, he had been prepared to sprint back the way he'd come as soon as he'd finished it off. But for the first time since setting foot in this Instance, he'd gotten lucky.

After waiting a minute longer to make sure that none of the living rots were going to surprise attack him, Izuku deliberated over the correct choice. It wasn't a difficult decision for him. The more damage he did, the likelier it was that he'd kill his target. That just wasn't his objective outside of Instances. While he didn't foresee extensive use of Void Scythe outside of them, he couldn't get behind the thought that more equaled better. Not to mention that he didn't have the MP to spare right now. So, Stability it was.

[Void Scythe]

|Level: 2/10|

|2% to next level|

|Description: Conjure a meter-long scythe blade composed of the blackness of the void that slices its target. To use this skill, trace an arc in the air with your hand that you wish the blade to mirror.|

|Damage: 35.28 (28 * 1.26)|

|Range: 33 ft (30 ft * 1.10)|

|Cost: 21 MP|

|Cooldown: None|

Izuku waited for his MP to regenerate to full, then threw another piece of husk into the darkness. A single rot appeared this time, visibly agitated. Upon noticing the corpse of its brethren, its head whipped about, searching for the cause of its death. It never found its target.

One after another, Izuku called forth deadly blades of black, which instantly carved the rot to pieces. This time, he didn't get quite so lucky. Before it died, the rot had managed to let out a single insectoid cry of alarm. A moment later, all three remaining abominations were skittering across the floor and walls at speed, searching for the cause of death.

Staying very still, Izuku made some quick calculations in his head. If he managed to kill both of the weaker rots with two scythes each, he would level up. Then, hopefully, if whatever god out there was on his side, he could take out the adolescent before it could tear him apart. But he needed to act fast. He could almost feel eyes on him alrea—

A glob of acid landed inches from his head, splattering against the wall and causing a few drops to land on his collarbone. Searing hot pain raced through Izuku and he involuntarily screamed. Immediately, the world around him slowed to a crawl as the will to live gave him laser focus. he looked to his left and saw a level 3 scuttling closer to him. Darkness flashed twice and the rot was cleaved in twain, plopping onto the floor.

Whipping his head about, he found his other target. A larger, thicker glob of toxic death was sent flying his way, and Izuku dove for his life. His head slammed into a raised piece of stone and stars danced in his vision. Before he could orient himself, he was on his feet and making a mad dash to whatever was in front of him. He heard something on his right.

Schlick

the final level 3 rot chittered in anger as three of its legs were bisected, causing it to fall from its position on the wall. A second later, its many eyes popped as they were sliced open, leaking disgusting ocular fluid all over the ground.

[You have slain (Infant Rot: Level 3) +27 EXP]

[Your Level has increased: Level 2 —Level 3 (+5 attribute points)]

Feeling his nearly empty reserves return to full, Izuku turned to face his last obstacle. The adolescent rot looked at him with hunger in its eyes, acid dripping from its mouths like drool as it made wet clacking sounds with its pincers. Both Izuku and the rot moved at once.

A glob of acid launched past his face, Izuku barely dodging to the side in time to evade the caustic projectile. Two blades of darkness flashed, only one finding its mark as the rot closed in on him, seeking his flesh. With only meters left between them, Izuku jumped back and launched two more scythes in quick succession, and this time both found their mark.

With its health dipping below half, the rot lunged at Izuku, its face's pulsing spikes beating faster and faster. A final scythe tore through the air, cutting through the rot's body and causing a cascade of vile fluid to spill from its side. Izuku's mana dipped into the twenties and he saw his Blackout bar increase by two. With nothing left in his mana reserves and the adolescent rot mere feet away, Izuku readied his leg for an empowered kick.

Shin met flesh in a haunting display. The Empowered Strike landed clean, sending the rot careening backward. Unfortunately, a large glob of acid was now seeping through Izuku's tattered pants and into his calf muscle. Falling onto the ground and writhing in agony, he struggled to rip his pant leg off and use it to wipe away as much acid as he could. With hands shaking from pain overload, Izuku roughly swiped at the acid boring a hole in his leg. That was when he realized the rot was still alive.

He felt a weight settle on his middle. One of its legs, he saw. He noticed significant movement on its face. The hundreds of tiny spikes were pulsing faster and faster. Its head was moving closer to his stomach. It was going to shred his body until it came apart in two halves. He knew he couldn't use Empowered Strike again. The pain was too much. A revving noise came into being, getting louder and louder with each passing moment. The rots head lowered further and Izuku felt the first few spikes begin to tear into him.

Schlop

[You have slain (Adolescent Rot: Level 5) +73 EXP]

Izuku Continued to writhe in agony as the acid kept melting his flesh. Grabbing onto his leg, he almost passed out as his vision doubled. His MP had dropped to the single digits and it was making his head throb terribly. He watched as the acid made it all the way through his leg and fell out the bottom. His tibia had a chunk missing and his calf was in ruin. To the best of his ability, Izuku dragged himself backward and away from the now-deceased monster.

Slumping onto the floor, Izuku felt like he was going to die. The pain was unbearable. Taking dry, deep, labored breaths, Izuku glanced at his heads-up display.

{HP: 36/130}

{STA: 84/90}

{MP: 11/120}

{Blackout: 19/33}

His fist slammed into the floor. Once, twice, and then it lay still. Izuku fought back tears as his lip quivered. He had done his best. This wasn't his fault. There was nothing more he could've done.

After an hour spent just lying there, Izuku made an effort to pull up his 'Attributes' tab.

[Attributes]

|Strength: 7 (+)|

|Constitution: 13 (+)|

|Endurance: 9 (+)|

|Dexterity: 10 (+)|

|Intelligence: 12 (+)|

|Willpower: 13 (+)|

|Charisma: 9 (+)|

|Luck: 10 (+)|

|Unallocated Attribute Points: 5|

He was so unbelievably frustrated at his weakness. But there was nothing he could do about it besides fighting tooth and nail to get stronger. Now, even after doing his best, he had to wait precious hours to heal. Who knows, maybe the exam was over by now. He had no way to know how fast time was going in the Instance compared to the outside world.

"Shut up!"

He really needed that. Wallowing in his sorrow was familiar to him, more so now than ever, but it did less than nothing to help him get out of here. What he needed was a way to not take damage, but there was no way he could do that directly. The luck stat would certainly help, but he doubted its effectiveness in the short term.

Not knowing what else to do, Izuku dropped 2 more points in Constitution, bumped his Strength by 2, and Endurance by 1, figuring that it would help him when he got into another situation like he'd been in with the adolescent rot. Void Scythe was undeniably powerful, but he needed to incorporate all his tools into his fighting style or he'd end up running out of MP again and instead of scraping by, he'd die. Ultimately, Izuku wanted to have a relatively even balance between all of his stats, because they were all powerful in their own way and would help him become the hero he wanted to be.

Thankfully, the more Izuku increased his Constitution, the faster he healed. However, it still took many hours for him to get back to full. By the time he finished regenerating, he was itching to move on: to go home. He didn't even notice the slight definition his muscles had gained.

As he stepped past the many bodies littering the floor, he noticed a glow out of the corner of his eye. Curious, Izuku slowly closed in on the corpse of the adolescent rot. As he bent down to examine the glow, he saw something he would've never expected. A plain silver diadem in perfect condition sat undisturbed, glowing with a subtle green hue. He picked it up.

[Silver Diadem (Uncommon)]

|Effect(s): 4% damage reduction|

|Requirements: None|

|Weight: 0.237 Kilograms|

|Durability: 125/125|

Izuku blinked in surprise and found himself smiling at the unexpected fortune. Holding the object in his hand, he was about to try storing it in his inventory when Bell spoke.

[Items are found on the corpses of entities slain in Instances and can alternatively be purchased in the Shop. They come in many different forms and rarities. Rarities determine the number and potency of an item's effects, as well as influence the strength of its durability. Starting at the most common and ending with the truly extraordinary, these rarities are as follows: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Transcendent.]

Izuku nodded, filing the information away for later. Holding the diadem in his hand, Izuku thought of depositing it inside his inventory. There was a mild display of blue light as the item disappeared from his hand. Izuku opened his user interface and entered the 'Inventory' tab.

[Inventory]

|[Silver Diadem (UNC)] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_]|

|[_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_]|

|[_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_]|

|[_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_]|

|[_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_] [_]|

Almost feeling relaxed now that something not death-related was occupying his mind, Izuku held out an open palm and the item returned to him in the same show of color as before. Taking the diadem in his hands, he figured he'd put it on. He found that it was a little small as he tried to affix it to his forehead, but just as the thought entered his mind, so too did the item grow to perfectly fit his size. He marveled at the show of magic with a laugh of disbelief.

After putting it on, he felt no different, but he supposed there was really no reason to. It's not like his skin would suddenly harden to match his new level of protection. Yeah, Izuku was glad that didn't happen; it would be weird.

With his moment of joy slowly fading, Izuku looked onward with resignation. Hopefully, it would all be over soon. He was finding it harder and harder to swallow as his thirst was pushed to the forefront. He couldn't be in here much longer.

His face a mask of emotion, Izuku quickly made his way forward, entering a symmetrical hallway that led to a set of modest double doors. On one hand, Izuku was blasted by overwhelming relief. But on the other, he felt a cold resignation fill his system. This was it. Taking a moment to think of his mother, his home, his future, his goal, Izuku then strode up to the double doors and slowly peeled one open. A high-pitched creaking sound echoed about the cave.

Peering into the room, Izuku saw a single figure standing tall at the end of the well-illuminated space, which was embellished by a blast white marble floor and nothing else. A massive, ten-foot-tall figure outfitted in medieval plate armor rested its hands on a simple greatsword that looked well made and reliable. As he entered the room, The figure bowed to him, then leveled its sword at his chest. Izuku read its nameplate.

[The Forgotten Watcher]

{HP: 400/400}

Looking around, Izuku saw nowhere to hide, and he flinched when the doors behind him shut of their own accord. He would either kill this Forgotten Watcher, or he would die and be forgotten. The knight respectfully waited for Izuku to raise his hands before it began to advance on him.

Izuku felt somewhat bad despite the life or death struggle he now found himself in; he couldn't help but think there was a person in there. It was an awful situation, but there was nothing he could do about it besides survive.

Wasting little time, Izuku brought his hand down in a diagonal arc, then instantly copied the motion in reverse. Two blades of darkness came into being and slashed at the knight's armor with noticeable weight. The well-made steel cracked, and as if on queue, the Watcher lunged at him, aiming to run him through.

Clumsily ducking under the blow, Izuku then rebounded and began to run. When he looked back, he knew that was pointless. Leaping forward, he got clipped by the edge of the knight's blade, taking 14 damage and hissing in pain. Quickly whipping his head around, Izuku just barely avoided a slash that would've taken his head off.

Finding no luck with running away, all he could hope to do was somehow avoid enough hits to come out on top. Raising his hand in a gesture that was becoming muscle memory by this point, Izuku let two more scythes fly, and the Watcher's chest piece began to crumble. Once again, his mana was down to a third.

Resigning himself to pain, Izuku waited for an opportunity to strike. Sidestepping as a vertical slash smashed into the ground, he empowered his fist and clocked the knight in the hip twice before it could rebound. Guessing the next attack, Izuku slid around to the Watcher's backside and twisting at the waist, slammed an empowered elbow into the knight's lower back. The armor there cracked and the knight was quick to react. Raising a leg, it kicked out at Izuku, thumping him hard in the chest.

He practically flew back, landing hard on his shoulder and taking 19 points of damage. Wheezing and reeling from the blow, he barely avoided the knight's follow-up attack. Its massive greatsword impacted the ground with such force that the marble below crumbled. Knowing he had another chance to get a hit in, Izuku jumped up and thwapped the knight in the leg with an empowered kick, silently piling on more damage as he bobbed out of range.

[Empowered Strike has leveled up: Level 1 —Level 2 (Please select an upgrade path.)]

[Utility: +2 to damage and +1 STA cost per level]

[Might: +3 to damage and +2 STA cost per level]

Izuku ignored the prompt as he dodged a fatal stabbing attack. The Watcher was just under half HP now. Hope began to bubble up in his veins as he felt victory was possible. Eyeing his MP, he saw that it was nearly back at two-thirds full. A diagonal slash suddenly caught him by surprise, slicing his abdomen down to his upper thigh. Grunting loudly at the fresh wound that brought with it a stinging pain and 36 HP toll, Izuku did his best to put distance between himself and the knight.

Now a few meters away, Izuku launched two successive Void Scythes at the Watcher, noticing its armor beginning to truly fall apart. A piece of plate thudded against the ground and gave Izuku a clear view inside the armor. Nothing was there. Not a shred of substance could be seen.

A horizontal slash sailed over Izuku's head and he stepped in. Taking a significant risk, he rapid-fired three Empowered Strikes, tearing off chunks of armor like they were paper mache. Knowing what was coming, Izuku dove between the knight's legs, but his remaining shoe still got clipped by the powerful sword swing. The sole tore partway off the bottom, and Izuku could only be glad it wasn't his foot.

Izuku gazed at the boss' health bar with tired eyes.

[The Forgotten Watcher]

{HP: 54/400}

Knowing he could end this, Izuku considered using up nearly all of his remaining mana on two final Void Scythes. Not wanting to chance it, he instead dipped below thirty percent and only used one. A dark blade tore off much of the remaining armor, which further showcased that there was nothing beneath.

Seeing his win within a moment's reach, he dashed inside the Watcher's range, waiting for the last chance he'd need. An overhead swing. This was it. Izuku rushed forward, empowering his fist and driving it into the knight's middle with an overhead strike. One final blow.

Izuku pulled back his fist once more. Without a second thought, he drove it home, taking the last sliver of HP from the Watcher's now empty health bar. There was just one problem. Bringing his hands to his solar plexus, Izuku felt a hunk of cold steel protruding from there. He thought that was rather strange. He wondered if his HP had hit zero yet.

[You have slain (The Forgotten Watcher) +290 EXP]

[Your Level has increased: Level 3 —Level 4 (+5 attribute points)]

[You have completed a quest: The Beginning (+600 EXP and +5 Vyra)

[Your Level has increased: Level 4 —Level 5 (+5 attribute points and +1 skill point)]

Looking down, Izuku watched as the sword, along with the rest of The Forgotten Watcher, disappeared. In its place was a large gray key. He grabbed it absentmindedly, hardly believing he wasn't dead. He did feel very sleepy though. That was okay. He'd sleep as soon as he was out of here.

[Random Instance Key: Level 5]

|Weight: 0.1 Kilograms|

|Durability: Unbreakable|

Izuku dropped it into his inventory and began walking towards a portal that'd just appeared.

[You have found an Instance Key. Every boss at the end of an Instance will always drop one, and they may be used to either create an Instance quest or be exchanged for a lower-tier Instance Key. Note that Instance Keys come in many different types and can tell you valuable information about an Instance before you enter it. When purchased from the shop, however, these keys are markedly more expensive.]

He didn't care. He was much too tired for that, thirsty too.

[Enter the portal to complete the tutorial.]

He paid the message no head as he lumbered over to the portal and walked straight in. On the other side, Izuku found himself back at the river. He really was parched.

Taking a big drink, Izuku felt... Tired. He needed to go home. Walking forward three steps, Izuku fell flat on his face, unconscious.

{Blackout: 36/36}