The 2nd level was a beautiful open field of grass filled with flowers of all kinds and colors. The serene picture was only broken by a few trees dotted around and plenty of bushes. In the distance a healthy wheat field was decorating the horizon and behind it a lovely village was living it's everyday life with a river cutting it through the middle and flowing into the distance.
People lived in clay houses covered with straw roofs painting a picture of a peaceful place where people would want to go for vacation. The small river going through it was decorated with wooden bridges from which several running plants were making it look like it was one living organism.
On the other side of the village a dirt road led into the distance where a city was blooming on the side of a mountain range and in every other directions different villages that were built similarly were bustling with life.
In the middle of the grass field a sudden blue light emerged from seemingly nothing and Mamon fell out on his foot. He kneeled down and tried to resist the urge of seeing the hard biscuit he ate for breakfast.
After a minute of breathing heavily he stood up and looked around. He was relieved that the 2nd level was no different from the game and walked towards the village in the distance.
He was listening to the noises surrounding him because he knew there are creatures that are dangerous in this area, but only heard the birds chirping around him.
'This is the most annoying part out of the first five floors. There is a creature I don't want to get hit by if possible.'
As he walked with his senses sharpened, he thought he saw one of the bushes move not far to the right of him so he focused on it.
'This is how they usually show up. Making the plants around them move as they pass though.'
And just as he thought the most dangerous creature on the 2nd level showed up. A small ball of grass with vines as legs was charging at him.
- Oh no you don't!
He jumped forward and kicked it away before it could do anything. But he failed to notice that there was another one coming from behind and as it got close the grass on it hardened and started to look like needles. He only saw it a second too late when it discharged a few leaves towards him. He blocked the group of it flying towards his face with his hands.
- Gosh darn you! Why is there two of you from the get go?!
He stomped on it and killed it, getting a small amount of SP. Then spun around to see if there is any other ones while screaming inside.
'Ah! My hands! Why?!'
His hands started to itch so much that he had to scratch them and when it didn't get better he even tried to bite them as he would rather have them hurt than itch so much.
'These Grasslings are one of the most hated creatures in the whole tower. Instead of dealing a lot of damage they give you the worst debuff. Itchiness... And it's not even like, oh it's itchy and I scratch it! It is so annoying that you can barely concentrate on anything else!'
He picked up the pace to get to the village as soon as he can to get a balm that can help with the itchiness. But while he was going towards it, a bunch of Grasslings started to follow him.
- Leave me alone!
He was practically running at full speed after a few minutes to get them off his back.
'Why are there so many of them? There is only supposed to be one or two in the way!'
He got next to a tree and look around. After a few seconds just before they reached him he found a big stick.
- Perfect! Come at me you little menaces!
After picking up the stick he charged at them and started to swing down on them one by one. After he killed five of them a bunch of them shot at him, but he was ready for it so he jumped to the side and hit a few more with a big swipe.
- That is the tenth or so. But seeing how many of you are here I would guess you brought your Mama with you, didn't you?
But even when he looked around in a moment of peace he didn't see anything else but the small ones.
- Never mind. I guess it's just you all...
But just as he finished the sentence a few of them that were outside of his reached jumped into each other and merged into a bigger one.
- Great! Now you are even leveling up on the spot. What is going on in this game?
But even though they were bigger, they were still slow at attacking and even when his stick broke he could just kick and punch them a few times until they perished. After beating them all up he sit down to catch a breath, but his hands were so itchy he had to stand up and continue on before he lost his mind.
Meanwhile in the village's biggest house a fit middle aged man was scratching his bearded chin and talking with a younger man who was a farmer from the outskirts of the village.
- So you are saying there is an infestation?
- Yes chief! There is more of them each day. We have been repelling them every day, but it is slowing down work more and more. If this continuous on we won't be able to harvest enough food for winter.
The village chief sighed walked to the window and looked outside.
- We can not afford having troubles like this. Is there a way we could deal with them?
- I'm afraid we don't have the manpower and the problem is that we have even asked the neighboring village for help, but they are also having the same issues.
The chief ran his hand over his face and rested it on the window sill.
- In that case we can only ask for help from the city.
- But chief! They will ask for a ridiculous amount for even a few people to be sent over.
- Yes, but we don't really have a choice now, do we?
- No...
But as the chief was looking outside the window he saw something strange in the distance. It was a young man jogging towards the city scratching his hands and kicking Grasslings left and right.
He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. The farmer walked closer with a concerned look.
- Are you alright?
- Oh! Yes! But there is someone coming towards us from the fields.
- The fields? But it's infested with Grasslings this time of the year! Who would be so...
But when he looked out the window he also noticed the strange man that looked like he was doing a strange dance.
- Who is that buffoon?
That buffoon was none other than Mamon. Who was runing and trying to get rid of the creatures coming from every direction while shouting every swearword he could think of.
- Why are there so many of them? I have never heard of this happ... Ahhh... Now even my legs are itchy! Why?!
He was scratching his whole body when he finally arrived at the grain field. He turned around and stomped on the last Grassling that was following him.
- Finally! Oh my go-od it hurts so much!
He jumped into the wheat and tried to use it to scratch his skin just so it hurts rather than itches, but it wasn't working well.
When he arrived at the first house he shouted at the scarred women who's plan for the day wasn't including a scary guy running out of the fields screaming something about lotions. She only could think of doing one thing and that was running into the house and shutting the door.
- No please! I need he-elp! It itches so much!
He ran through the village while everyone was looking at him weirdly as they did not know who or why would be running through the village screaming "LOTION?!". Then he reached the river and jumped into it finally cooling his skin down.
When he came up from the water he sighed with relief while half the village was looking at him from the shore whispering to each other about the stranger who just ran in and dive bombed into the water.
- Here take this!
A small leather pouch landed on his face which he took and started to apply the lotion from it on his skin while getting out of the water.
He walked up to the person who throw it to him and bowed.
- Thank you! Thank you very much! Ask me of anything and I will help you with it! Be it cleaning, washing dishes, killing monsters or anything!
The village chief was surprised with the guy's answer, mostly with the killing monsters part as that was out of place. Though it gave him an idea.
- Good! Because we definitely need some help right now!
- Washing dishes?
The chief facepalmed already regretting his decision.
- Monsters... We need help with giant rats... A lot of them to be exact.
- Oh... That! Ok! I can deal with rats. Not my first time!
Then the chief lead him away towards his house and shouted to the people gathered in the center of the village.
- Alright everyone! Show is over! Back to work.
The people, though grudgingly, but accepted the order.