"Ahahahaha! Look at him! Frozen in fear!"
The grating cackle of an obnoxious individual echoed through the grotto.
Droplets of blood splattered from my clothes, a sight that set my nerves on edge.
The unexpected crimson shower had startled me. I was ready to pounce on the rabbit, and suddenly, I was drenched in its blood. It was akin to one of those unsettling screamers, jarring my senses and sending a shiver down my spine.
Turning quickly, I scanned the surroundings, only to find a group of four delvers reveling in their prank.
Three men and a woman comprised the group, all sporting an air of self-assuredness. Light armor adorned their forms, but the most prominent feature was the sly smirks they wore like badges of honor. They were clearly relishing the mockery they had just subjected me to.
As my eyes assessed their posturing, a singular thought crystallized.
[Third-rate villains.]
A smile tugged beneath my mask, the perfect response offered up by Jarvis.
'You hit the nail on the head, Jarvis.'
[I have a good teacher.]
'Yeah...'
Though I might be influencing Jarvis's language, I couldn't deny that these individuals deserved the moniker.
I don't have time to waste on these clowns.
I turnd around and continued down the path. However, the annoying voice rang again.
"Hey! Wait!"
The voice, belonging to the one who had laughed like a hyena earlier, called out again. I pretended not to hear, maintaining my steady pace.
"You deaf?!"
A member of their group interposed himself in my way, attempting to halt my progress. Beneath my mask, my eyes rolled at the predictability of their actions. They clearly had too much time on their hands.
"I'm busy, if you'd excuse me."
I offered a casual response before attempting to sidestep him. If looks could kill, the contempt in my gaze might have inflicted a mortal wound.
They were stereotypically annoying, a cringe-worthy portrayal that felt as if lifted directly from a badly written script.
"I said, wait."
Their self-proclaimed leader approached this time, his eyes lingering on my short sword with a greed akin to someone eyeing a priceless treasure. He slung an arm around my shoulder, grinning like a cheshire cat.
"How about joining our party for today?"
"..."
"We could show you the ropes of being a Delver. What do you say?"
I removed his arm from my person, shaking my head decisively. I didn't need any special intuition to realize that these weren't the types to offer mentorship or camaraderie.
"Daring to refuse my generous offer?!"
Generous offer? Really?
"Yeah."
I replied without hesitation.
"Dare you dismiss my goodwill?!"
What goodwill?
"Yeah." I repeated and approached him.
"Then what are you going to do?" Leaning closer, I whispered near his ear, with a smirk. "Third-rate prick."
A word that was as satisfying to utter as it was to hear, yet simultaneously, I understood its power.
"Y—You!"
The bulky leader's response was swift, hand moving to unsheathe his sword, a gesture that spoke louder than words.
And then, I acted.
A well-timed spin on my heels propelled my foot forward, striking his stomach with force. His surprise worked to my advantage, and he was sent sprawling through the air, tumbling unceremoniously across the ground. My kick had been reinforced with a subtle manipulation of mana.
"Ah!"
A mixture of astonishment and pain emanated from the leader as he landed with an indignant thud.
"See ya!"
My parting words were accompanied by a wave of my hand. I addressed the remaining three delvers, who were now frozen in disbelief. I turned on my heels and made a swift escape. My victory had been due to the unexpectedness of my actions; it was doubtful I could replicate it against the entire group, especially with their experience.
As I sprinted onwards, curses and epithets trailed in my wake, but I paid them no mind. My focus was on the next floor, and I had a feeling that my path would be paved with encounters both expected and unforeseen.
Was it the Falkrona bloodline that granted me this newfound swiftness? The sensation of my legs propelling me forward felt oddly electric, possibly a result of my recently sculpted, toned body.
...
...
Third floor.
That's where I ended up after a two-hour sprint. A couple of times I encountered monsters, but it seemed they weren't interested in me, perhaps because they were of the non-hostile natural variety. I could have stopped at the second floor, but I wanted to avoid those troublemakers from earlier. Dealing with them again would have been a hassle.
A sudden cessation of my breath alerted me. There was something behind me, an entity that I hadn't sensed until now. Instinctively, I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword.
"Falkrona Bloodline, First Wing."
A small spark ignited in my brain, causing my thoughts to race.
Without hesitation, I threw myself onto the ground.
-Booom!
Pain radiated through me as thorns and spikes lacerated several parts of my body. The injuries weren't severe, but the shock was real.
Raising my head, I met the gaze of the assailant.
"Scanner."
-CLICK!
The enigma-scanner performed its duty, revealing the details of the creature before me.
[Hedgehug]
-Rank: ☆
-Hybrid Mana Beast
-Weak Point: Belly
It was a hedgehog, standing at a rather peculiar human-like height of 1.80 meters.
Still, why was it upright? Why did it appear so... human?
I shook off the strange thoughts and focused my attention on the task at hand. I couldn't afford to be distracted. Not when facing an opponent like this.
The match had begun.
There was no controller in my hand, no buttons to press. This was reality; I was the one engaged in battle.
"..."
The hedgehug lunged, propelling itself toward me with surprising speed. My accelerated cognition, a gift from the Falkrona Bloodline Ability, kicked into gear. In a split second, I reacted and sidestepped the attack.
-Bam!
A thorny rain cascaded around the spot where the hedgehog landed. The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. This was dangerous. One misstep and the consequences would be dire.
The creature attacked.
-Clang!
Steel met claw, the clash reverberating in the air. I pushed back against the assault, my fingers white-knuckled around the hilt of my blade. Surprisingly, I was holding my ground— no, I was more than holding it. I was dominating.
Empowered by the Falkrona Bloodline Ability, I pressed the attack. Confidence surged through me. The experience with those four delvers earlier had taught me to underestimate myself less.
A surge of mana surged through my left hand. It was a wellspring of power I had previously left untapped. I channeled it, letting it flow into my fist.
My blow landed square on the hedgehog's form.
"Skiiiii!"
Its stance faltered. I capitalized on the opening and swung my sword at its belly.
-Spurt!
Crimson arced through the air as blood spewed from the wound. The hedgehog's pained scream echoed, but I was quickly becoming accustomed to such sounds.
As I swung my blade to rid it of fresh blood, I pivoted to face the unexpected.
Before me stood four more hedgehogs.
A complex mixture of excitement and fear stirred within me. If I could emerge from this alive, I might finally grasp the danger of this world.
What transpired next occurred in a blur.
With my thoughts racing at an accelerated pace, I nimbly sidestepped the incoming attacks from the hedgehogs. Swiftly, I countered, dispatching each one with a lethal blow. It was almost disconcertingly easy.
"Ah… ah..."
My breaths came unevenly. Perhaps it was due to the adrenaline of my first real fight for survival. After all, I had danced on the precipice of death throughout the encounter.
[Congratulations! New Title Obtained!]
[Noob to NoobMaster!]
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the snarky title. Swiftly, I checked my rewards.
[Lifestone: Teleport you instantly to a safe place. 3 Remaining.]
My eyes widened in disbelief.
This was a cheat item, an escape mechanism that could whisk me away from mortal danger. It wasn't unfamiliar; similar items existed within the game, but they were exceedingly rare, obtainable only through sheer luck.
"Your master is quite generous, Jarvis."
[I don't know.]
"You don't know? By the way, how can I use tha-"
In my eagerness, I inadvertently channeled my mana into the stone.
"...!"
A brilliant blue light radiated from the stone, and in an instant, I was enveloped in a portal.
...
...
-THUD!
I plummeted headfirst into a bush.
"Fuck!"
My curse echoed through the air. I had wasted one of my precious lifelines in a stupid manner.
'Jarvis, you could have told me!'
[You didn't let me.]
"Yeah, it's my fault!"
My retort was laced with annoyance.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, I felt the presence of others, and I instinctively turned around before freezing in place.