A demon ogre swung its great sword to cleave my body in half, but my speed proved too much for it. With a quick flip over its head and a smooth landing, I sliced away at the tendons in its leg. The ogre let out a painful yelp, and before it hit the ground, I shifted toward its front side and stabbed at the heart.
"You guys have these impressive weapons, but your movements are all too simple. I already memorized your patterns!"
With a powerful kick to the stomach, the ogre crumpled to the ground, its eyes glazed over with death. I removed my sword from the dead demon and wiped the blood off the blade.
"That makes six of them. While they may be getting stronger, they just aren't a challenge for me. What a disappointment... The only saving grace is that I'm getting closer to the end as the path seems to go upwards..."
Groaning to myself, I looked at my Status to see my progress.
Name: Isaac
Rank: Undecided
Strength:10 Agility:10
Durability:8 Mana:2
Masteries: Marksmanship Lvl 2 Swordsmanship Lvl 2 Night Vision Lvl 1
Energy Manipulation Lvl 1
After a quick peek at my stats, I nodded my head in agreement. Things are progressing smoothly at this end. Navigating through the cave over time allowed me to gain a new mastery of [Night Vision] and a level up in my [Swordsmanship].
I turned my head back to where I came from. "I wonder how Laila's doing on the other side. Getting kind of worried here but... Eh, I'm sure she's fine. It's her, after all. She can be quite stubborn whenever she wants to be."
And I can't let her get the one-up on me. If she were to be better at this type of stuff than me, that would deal a serious blow… Anyway, it's time for my periodic mana training.
I sat down at the nearest wall to prepare. After some experimentation, I figured out how to use mana. It took quite a while for it to manifest, but man, it was worth it! All I had to do was envision in my mind what power I desired and boom! My beautiful creation came to life, but something I hadn't expected happened.
With a snap of my fingers, I summoned a small ball of flames and a sharp piece of ice.
"No notable difference in size..."
Another snap later, they disappeared. That spectacle is called [Energy Manipulation]. The name came from the System itself. At first, I was confused about what counted as energy, but when you think about it carefully, mana could be counted as energy. I then convert mana into whatever I imagine, but there were two problems discovered during experimentation. One, it is ridiculously hard to level up my mana Stat, meaning slow development, and two, the more energy I use, the heavier the burden. I found that out the hard way when my heart felt like it would explode during an earlier fight. That is the reason for my mana training- to increase my proficiency and strengthen my body. Picking a class that produces quick results is what I usually get for RPGs, but I wanted to switch things up and thought of the complete opposite, which was a total blunder on my part.
"Man, this sucks. I picked one that starts off weak AND progresses slowly. I thought I would get multiple powers to obtain, which is why I made a mental list, but you could only choose the first thing you think of?! What kind of broken system is this? Should've just done something simple. Just thinking about it again pisses me off..."
Think positive things. Think about the endgame, not the early game. Wait, is there actually an endgame? This is the reality we're talking about…
I shook my head at the thought. "Screw it. Let's just keep moving on ahead. I'll deal with this problem later."
I stood up from my spot and gave my body a good stretch before carrying on. Demon ogres plagued the path, but they were dealt with swiftly. There was even an armored group of five gray ones with a red mage included who could control the earth. When it spotted me, it tried to limit my movements by ordering the ground to trap my feet, but I was able to get out of it by using the hilt of my sword to smash the rocks. Knowing the mage was the problem, I sprinted past the four gray demons and cut the mage's head off before it could cast any more magic.
"Heh. Always deal with the casters first."
The demons were confused, but it only lasted a moment. Their eyes glowed with rage after witnessing their comrades' death. They let out a collective war cry, somewhat rattling my bones.
"Bring it on, ya meatheads!"
Shoulders squared, I faced my foes head-on as their feet pounded the ground with a frenzied intensity. The first to arrive only had a silver helmet on its head for protection. Summoning some darts from my Inventory, I threw two toward its exposed eyes and stabbed my sword right through its chest. The next one appeared to the left of its dead comrade and swung its club at my right arm while I was in the middle of pulling out my blade. In the nick of time, it was extracted, and my body instinctively arched itself backward to avoid the club. With the demon now off-balance, I crouched down and extended one of my legs to trip the demon. As it was flailing its arms, I wasted no time and pierced the back of its skull. The three that were behind the rest stopped dead in their tracks and all looked at each other with anxious expressions. Noticing that they were nervous, an idea came to mind just so my prey wouldn't run away.
I donned a sinister smirk. "Hey now. Don't start getting cold feet!"
In addition, I let out an obscene gesture with my left hand. Would they understand what this means?
Their anxious faces soon turned into anger once more as they collectively released a deep, guttural snarl.
Well. There goes my answer.
They all charged at the same time.
"Maybe I should use this chance to test out some strategies?"
I imagined that the ground in front of me was frozen over, and soon I felt a chill as a shining sheet of ice appeared. Even though the affected area was small, they all stumbled and teetered, trying to keep their footing. With them confused, I avoided the affected region by going around the makeshift ice rink and speed-blitzing the closest demon with a quick stab to the head. The leftover demons have already adapted to the ice and were now swinging their longswords at me. I aimed my sword at the next target, but it blocked my attack.
My eyes widened with surprise. "Oh? You know how to defend?"
After my retort, the other demon ogre took this opportunity to grab me, but before it could, I summoned ice in the form of a small nail to gouge one of its eyes.
"My magic is so weak at the moment that the only harm I can conflict is the eyes. Can you believe that?!" I shouted at the howling monster. Grunting to myself, I pushed back the demon and sliced its head off in a swift motion. The one-eyed demon also fell to my blade with another beheading. Sighing to myself, I stored my weapon away after confirming they were all dead.
"I'm sure of it now. They are getting more organized and are showing some skills. That could mean one thing. I'm close to an exit, a secret area, or just a dead end. Wait, that's three options..."
Before I move on ahead, a quick break wouldn't hurt. Don't want my performance to diminish!
I made sure the spot I chose was far away from the corpses. I slumped over to a nearby wall and sat down. The bag of rations I prepared was removed from the Inventory. I unzipped the bag and peered inside.
"Hm. Food and water are getting low. This is not good. It's best to find the way out soon."
While I was having a snack break, my thoughts drifted toward Earth and how it was doing. Were we the only ones transported against our will? If we weren't, where are the others? Why did only me and Laila show up here? Would the government look for us? We've been here for a while, yet we still don't know where we are. Is this still Earth?
Ah, I did it again. No use thinking about questions when the answers aren't within reach, especially for a situation as unnatural as this. Being kept in the dark about this kind of stuff can be draining to the psyche.
Around ten minutes of thinking has gone by in a flash. With my break being over, it was time to push ahead. After walking for about thirty minutes, wandering through tunnels and retracing my steps, I finally reached the end.
"Bingo! Seems like I chose the right path."
A musty smell filled the air as I stood in front of the old wooden gate that towered over me. It had two handles that I could reach, and some indistinguishable words carved into the middle.
"Yep. I have no idea what it says. Probably something important if there's a wooden gate in a cave. There's some mold here and there and visible scratches on the cavern floor. This thing isn't new, but it ain't old either. It's also been recently used too…"
Now the question is, what do I do now? Laila said that if one of us discovers an exit, we just wait. But is this really an exit? Is this some magical door that will magically wisp us away? Or maybe.... It's a boss room! I mean, this is a DUNGEON after all. It wouldn't be weird for that to occur. Ah, decisions... decisions. Do I take a quick peek inside or do I wait here?
I thought about what Laila would say if she found out I disregarded her warnings. Probably a whole lot of cursing and smacks to the head for being stupid. I paced around the room for a few moments before finally reaching a decision.
"I'll just wait here. Don't want her to get all crazy over me."
I walked on over to a wall and sat cross-legged, waiting. Not even five minutes passed before my curiosity got the best of me. I got up from my spot and stood in front of the gate, arms folded.
"Okay, just a tiny peek. I'll just creek open the gate a little, scan the inside without entering, and close it."
With a newfound determination and outstretched arms, I pulled on the gate just so a crack appears. The moment it was opened, an unseen force grabs me and shoved me inside with the gate closing behind me with a loud bang. I stumbled across a dusty marble floor.
"Really? It wasn't even open for a second and I just get shoved inside?" I said with a groan, lifting my head up after that weird ordeal. What I saw first was a statue in the middle of what seemed to be a place of worship. Behind that statue was a door tall enough for a demon ogre to fit through. I saw two lines of stone columns stretching out before me, their braziers crackling with fire. When you look up, there were glass panes. On a clear, moonless night, the sky was illuminated with thousands of shining points of light.
So, it's nighttime? When we were transported, it was morning. Also, is this really a place of worship? A church? I don't see any chairs and… church stuff here.
"This place is spacious and old looking. Wait first off, why is this in front of a cave? That seems weird and out of place. Secondly, what is that statue?"
Taking a closer look at it, it is only half a statue. Someone must've cleaved it in half with something sharp, and they did a damn good job at it. The middle was cleanly cut and as smooth as butter. Was it done out of anger? The male humanoid body was adorned with a single wing, and in its grasp was a jewel-encrusted crown.
I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. "What the fuck am I exactly looking at...?"
"It's a statue of one of the Pillars of course," said a frosty voice. My muscles tensed instinctively, and I unsheathed my sword.
"And who might you be, mysterious voice?" I asked hesitantly. I was only met with silence. The tension in my body intensified, and I could feel the sweat beads forming on my forehead. I shivered as an icy breeze chilled my neck. My sword whistled through the air as I swung it behind me, hoping to catch it off guard, but I felt the resistance of something blocking my movement. When I looked, a mysterious figure blocked my blow with only a dark sheath.
"My, aren't you a feisty intruder?" The mysterious figure purred.
Red flag! If someone pulls up and blocked a sword with a sheathe, they are probably a big shot!
The sound of my shoes on the ground echoed as I quickly took a few steps back, trying to keep some space between us. Two-handing the longsword, I glared at the figure before me, my concentration fully maxed out.
"And you seem to be a smart lad!"
The man stood in place, with a smile plastered across his pale face. When our eyes met, I could tell from his gaze that he does not see me as a threat. I started to cautiously ask him questions.
"Who are you?" I asked him calmly. Showing even a hint of fear against an opponent of this caliber is a death sentence, that much I knew.
The mysterious man raises a finger to his lips and made a hushing noise. "I'll be the one asking the questions, and you will answer."
It's hard to avert my eyes whenever he speaks. His eyes, which resemble that of an amethyst, make him quite an attractive fellow. He's also tall as shit! Way taller than I am. Maybe five to seven inches?
"First question. Are you, uh..., what they call a human?"
The way he emphasized the human part makes him sound like he isn't from Earth. Throw in the fact that he doesn't look like a normal human...
"Yes... I'm a human..."
It would be best to not get on his bad side.
The man shrugged and said, "I thought as much. You look exactly like what they described, yet I can sense some 'similarities' between us..."
They? Who is this 'they' he is referring to? Also, what similarities?
"Now on to the next one." He took one step forward, this time expressing an unnerving smile. "Were you the one who freed the traitor?"
And once again, I have no idea what he's talking about. There's a traitor? If I had to guess, someone was imprisoned here and was saved recently. And that savior is no other than Laila as we were the only people sent here. But he doesn't know that...
"I'll take that silence as confirmation that you have freed her, yet she isn't here with you right now. Did she run? Or perhaps she's still inside and there is another one of you humans?"
I can't let him know that there's one more person here. Who knows what he might do to us? My money is on silencing us forever.
"Yea, I freed her! She dipped a long time ago. There's still time to catch up to your prisoner so, go on."
I tried my absolute best to keep a straight face and sound as convincing as possible. The man narrowed his eyes at me and stared with a grim face as if pondering whether I'm lying or not.
"Listen here, boy..." He took another step forward. "You are in no position to be lying to me. I could've killed you as soon as you entered, but I'm giving you a chance to live. Now, I will not ask for a third time. WHERE is the prisoner?"
His eyes were fierce, conveying to me that he was completely serious. He also had one hand resting on the sheath. If he doesn't hear anything good, a fight between us might ensue. I'm pretty confident in myself, but I'm not confident enough that I would last even three minutes against this guy. Even so, if he were to head inside and come across Laila after killing me...
I could feel a hard lump form in my throat as I started to speak. "You'll have to get through me first if you want to know where they are."
I clutched the hilt of my longsword tightly, feeling the weight of the weapon in my hand as I pointed it at the man's head. He cupped his hands over his face and released a deep, mournful sigh.
"So, you want to do this the hard way? Fine, you better pray to whatever god you worship."
He reached inside the sheathe and pulled out a black sword. The weirdest thing was that I felt mana radiating out of the blade. Comparing it to my sword, the blade in my hand felt small and insignificant.
The man then said, in a mocking tone, "I might as well enjoy myself while you struggle meaninglessly."
Well, would you look at this prick? He thinks I have no chance. Just hearing it come out of his mouth makes me want to win no matter what!
Wanting to take the initiative, I rushed towards the smiling bastard. He showed no intent on moving a single inch, just standing there in a defensive position. Now face to face, I wanted to test the waters, so I aimed my blade toward his neck as fast as humanely possible. I thought he was less capable than I had assumed when I saw no response from him, and I was disappointed. Though that feeling was fleeting as he blocked the swing faster than my eyes could process!
"You thought I wasn't going to block?" he sneered maliciously. "I could tell what you were aiming for, since your movements were predictable. I bet you've never held a sword in your life!"
He pushed back my strike with minimal effort and pointed a finger at me. "If you don't get serious, this fight will be extremely boring. I want the first human I have come across by chance to give me a good battle."
I glanced over my shoulder. "What about the prisoner that escaped? She's getting further and further away."
The man snickered at my bluff. "Oh please. I know she's still in that cave after interrogating you. You lacked confidence whenever you answered my questions. I'll go after her when I'm done with you, as she is powerless at the moment. Now, come!"
This guy is really making me angry with that damn smile of his. It's time to wipe that grin off his face. If he thinks I'm too predictable, then I'll just have to switch it up!
Once again, I ran towards my foe. I pulled out my last remaining claw darts and hurled them at his head, abdomen, and legs.
"Are those the claws of the spritsies? How smart of you to use them as ranged weapons!" He easily deflected all four projectiles, but that was what I expected. Right when he finished deflecting the last one, I had already closed the distance between us. I went for an overhead slash.
"Aiming for my head again? How foolish." The man, thinking I was going for his head, went for a horizontal slash against my body, but...
"Oh?"
At the last possible second, I changed direction and leapt into the air, my body soaring above him as I completed my pre-jump preparations. An array of ice crystals sparkled into existence behind me, and I sent them hurtling towards the man. At the same time, I landed behind him and aimed for his legs.
"Magnificently done!" he roared. "However..."
The ground beneath him rumbled, and a cube made from the marble floor enveloped the man like a protective cocoon. As my blade hit the marble, I heard the clink of metal against stone, and the ice crystals from earlier reduced to nothingness. A second later, the cube slinked back onto the ground as if nothing happened. The man, while smiling, gave me some applause.
"It hasn't been long, but you already know how to harness mana. Your adaptability is also commendable! To think of a plan like that..." A hearty laugh erupted out of his mouth after the praise.
"Hey! You done enjoying yourself yet? I'm not done fighting you, ya know?" I shouted with a tinge of anger in my voice.
My opponent moved his eyes along my body like he was sizing me up. "It's just, I didn't think I would have this much fun against a human. The longer we fight, the more intrigued I am by your growth!"
He let out another boisterous laugh. The laughter then died down. He then changed into a new stance. "Now that I've seen how you fight. Let's see how well you can defend against me. Prepare yourself..."
Ah. No wonder he wasn't counterattacking whenever a chance was given. He was only gauging my capabil-
Without a sound, it seemed as if the man disappeared completely. I glanced around, searching for any signs of him, and soon realized he was behind me when I heard a faint scuffing sound. In a split second, I turned around and felt my muscles tense as I positioned my body to block the attack aimed at my right shoulder. I winced at the sheer strength of my opponent. It's like trying to stand firm against the thunderous charge of a raging bull!
The man smiled at my futile struggle. "I'm surprised you blocked that! Your reflexes are pretty good! Try blocking this!"
He unleashed a flurry of attacks that gave me no chance of counter-striking. It took all my concentration just to block. He was even getting faster with each precise strike, while my movements got sluggish. Slowly, gashes appeared on my body as time goes on. I hadn't even noticed I was backpedalling until I felt something solid on my back. Taking a quick glance, a pillar stood behind me. An idea popped up in my head. The man kept up the momentum without letting me breathe for even a second.
"Your backs against the wall, boy! What will you do now!"
Not yet... The perfect opportunity will appear soon...
I kept on making micro-adjustments whenever I deflected his swings. Slowly but surely, I was detecting a pattern in how this man carried on his next move. Every swing he released was calculated, and I noticed this man wasn't dead set on killing me just yet. He was fooling around, playing with his food. I would get angry at this sort of development if I wasn't fighting for my life at the moment!
The moment I was waiting for soon arrived when he aimed his next attack at my head. With a desperate parry, I had him hit the pillar behind me. Upon impact, there was a dull thud, followed by the sound of small rocks bouncing off the floor. The structure, its walls riddled with sword marks, now creaked and groaned beneath its own weight. I took that chance to bash the pillar as hard as possible. Now crumbling, the debris then fell from above. With haste, I took that chance to run behind the next available pillar.
"Even with your back against the wall, you still came up with a plan to escape from me. All that planning and yet, all you did was run from the inevitable..."
He wiped the dust off his white sleeveless shirt. Now that I think about it, what fabric is that? It looks comfortable to wear...
Think about that later, Isaac! Start the next phase of the plan!
"Hiding behind there won't be of use to you. If you're planning on luring me, it will not work out the way you thought." With that statement, he assumed a new stance. With his legs far apart, he held the sword with both hands. His muscles bulged almost instantly and the sound of air rushing through filled the room. The column I was hiding behind was split in half.
"Oh shit, oh shit! Definitely not getting hit by that!"
I moved on to the next available pillar. Every pillar I went to met the same end as before, getting split by this crazy son of a bitch wind slash. Is he so strong that he can create enough pressure to slice at a stone? Just who the hell is this guy?
Before long, I found myself latched onto the last pillar standing.
"You have nowhere else to go. Why not just face me head-on like before?"
"Alright, fine then," I mumbled.
Right before he could unleash the next strike, it was time for the next course of action. Leaving my hiding spot, I ran straight at the assailant.
"Finally... Come at me then!" He raised his sword in a defensive position as if he knew my next move.
"Hm?"
I pretended to lunge for his hip, but quickly spun around him and aimed a thrust at his back.
"Is that all you got? I can see right through you!"
The man pivoted to face me and defended against the blow, but that was what I wanted him to do. Later, small balls of electricity appeared from the destroyed pillars and rushed toward the oblivious man, electrocuting him.
"Grahh!"
Direct hit! Since he's decommissioned now, I can't let this chance go to waste!
I brought my sword up high and then down quickly in a powerful slash, aiming straight for his head. When I glanced at the man, I expected to see a look of nervousness, but instead, his face was contorted into a sly smirk.
"Fool!"
He clenched his fist and gut-punched me when his nonchalant demeanor caught me off guard. I was sent flying forward, sliding across the marble tiles and leaving a trail of dust in my wake as I landed in front of the statue. A sharp pain tore through my body, making it impossible to take a breath, and I found myself gasping for air. My fingers clawed away at the marble under me.
"I was told that you humans possess no mana within your bodies. That doesn't seem the case anymore..." The man slowly marched toward me while talking in that disgustingly annoying tone. I could now breathe somewhat normally, but the pain was still there.
"While you possess mana now, it is still weak and fickle."
He squatted down and his hands, rough and calloused, grasped my head and made me look at him, his gaze piercing.
"Taking a closer look... yes... I see it now... No wonder I thought we were similar. I can see a 'core' inside of you. It is the same as us Apithiens, but also different... Artificial."
What exactly is this core that's inside of me? Is it the reason I could pull off all this crazy shit? So many questions, no time to find answers!
"I've decided!" said the man, springing upward. "You'll be my first test subject, human."
That does not sound good at all.
"I'll pass on that wonderful offer..." I weakly murmured.
The Apithien merely chuckled. "That's funny. I don't remember giving you a choice. Now then, playtimes ove-"
He stopped himself mid-sentence and whirled himself, facing the gate. He drew his sword from its sheathe and the sound of metal on metal rang through the air as he deflected a blue katana.
"What's this now... Another human?" he mumbled.
Soon as I heard him say that, I snapped my head around to see what he was looking at. When I caught sight of who stood there, my worries were suddenly gone and a wave of relief washed over me.
"Hey, you! Step away from the idiot," my sister snapped.
That's kinda harsh, ya know?
Laila looked as if she went through a blender. Her clothes seemed wet, and some parts of the fabric were torn. Bruises and scrapes were visible on her body, but she could still walk without wincing. When I turned to the man, his attention was clenched by the newcomer. Not wanting to make a sound, I quietly grabbed my longsword and went for a sneak attack.
"Don't bother. I didn't forget about you, boy," the Apithien jabbed without even looking my way.
Mission failed. I'll get em next time!
Instead of a sneak attack, I manifested some icicles and aimed them toward the man's back while I ran for my sister. As expected, he sidestepped without even sparing a glance at them.
"Isaac! What did I tell you about waiting for me?!" She elbowed me in the gut when I stopped right next to her.
"Not-the gut-please..."
"Shut up and tell me what happened. Who is he?"
"So, do I shut up or speak? Which is it?"
Her eyes were like daggers as she gave me an intimidating glare, as if she was trying to decide if she should strangle me.
I held my hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay... It was a joke. The thing is, I was waiting in front of the gate for a bit, until my curiosity got the best of me. I only wanted to take a liiiiitle peek, but something forced me inside. Then this guy showed up talking about Apithiens and some prisoner. We started duking it out, but I was getting my ass kicked most of the time. He didn't even break a sweat talking about oh how-"
"Ok stop. I get the gist of it now," she sharply cut in. Her eyebrows scrunched up as she rested her chin on her hand. "We have no choice, then. We'll have to stall him long enough until she arrives."
"She? Are you talking about the prisoner you freed?"
"Yes. I'll tell you all about it later. Right now, we have a bigger problem in front of us." She pointed at the man. He had his arms crossed, staring intently at Laila.
That's true. We still have to overcome the man that stands before us somehow.
"You, human girl. Since you just came out of the cave, I'm guessing you're the actual reason the prisoner was freed?"
"So what?" She pointed her blade at the man in a confident stance. "Now that I'm here, it doesn't matter. Your downfall is all but determined."
"You say that, but you're visibly shaking," I thought. I wouldn't dare share that out loud, so I kept my mouth shut.
Laughter came out of the man after hearing Laila's bold statement. "My downfall, huh? I like you, girl! Your arrogance knows no bounds for someone so little."
He took one menacing step forward, unsheathing the black sword once more. "Let us see if you can back up that arrogance against I, Volken, leader of the Apithiens!"
Laila glanced my way. "Can you still fight, Isaac?"
"Of course I can!" I nodded.
We raised up our weapons in response to the fired-up Apithien.