My hand shook as I clicked on the button that would allow me to enter the nearby dungeon. Going into random dungeons with no information could be dangerous. You could not simply exit every dungeon you went into.
Plus there was always the risk that the dungeon you entered could be too high level for you. The different designs of the dungeon made it unpredictable as to when or where you encountered monsters. If I had not found the walls, I would even say that the dungeons one entered were endless.
The familiar shining light surrounded me and I felt a faint sense of nausea. The air tickled my nose as the smell of saltwater filled the air. A long beach spread out before me with water gently crashing over my feet. A beach dungeon?
This would be my first time experiencing this type of dungeon. It was almost beautiful, were it not for the giant crab that was coming to attack me with a claw twice the size of my head.
I side stepped the incoming claw hammer and silently cursed the sand underneath my feet. The last several times I entered the dungeon I had focused specifically on my footwork in order to gain skills needed to survive the more dangerous dungeons.
I can tell my efforts were not going to waste based on the hair-breadth difference in being able to avoid being crushed to death. Sand flew up into the air as the giant claw crashed into the sand where I once stood. The sand flew into my face causing my eyes to water and tears to stream down my face.
"How annoying."
I looked down at the regular weapons I had been bringing into the dungeon all this time. They were beginning to become damaged from use. I would need to approach a craftsman soon to make me something from monster materials.
In my hand was a short sword that I thrust at the joints of the crab in front of me. Sparks flew into the air before I backed away from the crab. This is an armor type. I don't know if this weapon will be able to damage it.
I gritted my teeth as I took a quick look around the area, but I could not see a doorway out of the dungeon. The crab swung its giant claw again and I moved to avoid it once more. In order to get past its armor I needed to get in close. I felt reluctant to get into range of its claws, but I was not optimistic that I could get away from it.
I did not feel the panic or the sense of impending doom that I felt in my last life so I knew I still had the resolve to win. I just needed to find the solution to my problem. Right now I had a short sword, some throwing knives, and a one handed sword.
It could be possible to land a critical hit if I threw my knives, but I would need to throw them without making any mistakes. Sand was being thrown about all over the beach as I dodged the crab's attacks. Divots in the sand made by its giant claw attack were making it difficult to traverse the already unforgiving terrain.
The only one to benefit from drawing out this battle would be this crab. I pulled out one of my knives and carefully aimed for one of the eyes sticking out underneath the large red shell. Please don't let all those hours of practicing go to waste. I could feel myself holding my breath as the knife flew through the air.
A loud roar rang out over the beach as a blue tinged liquid sprayed out of the eye where my knife had landed. The air I had been holding wooshed out of my lungs in relief. However, my relief was short-lived as an orange aura started emanating from the giant claw of the crab.
I cursed under my breath and tried to create as much space as possible between the crab and me. The area around me began to grow increasingly hotter. My lungs felt like they were going to explode before I felt the familiar feeling of the ground becoming loose at my feet. I was falling into one of the holes created by the large claw of the crab.
It was always at times like this I looked back on my actions and wanted to yell loudly at my past self for being careless. Was I going to die again in this life? Would I have to start over again? The sand hit my face and a loud explosion boomed behind me.
When I came to, I was not sure where I was. I had no way of knowing how long I laid on that beach. It could have been thirty seconds or several hours. The first thing I saw was my gloved hand in front of my face. A wailing ring echoed in my head and the pain that followed told me that I had taken damage.
I pushed myself up and coughed up the sand that had made its way into my lungs. The sand made the back of my throat burn and the taste of iron filled my mouth. I spit out the blood and looked behind me in a daze. The hole I fell in was deep enough that it seemed to shelter me from the worst of the blast.
I reached up to the edge and was surprised to find that the area around me had been melted into glass. I heaved my sore body onto the somewhat smooth surface of the ground and peered over at the still body of the giant crab. One thing echoed in my mind, suicide crabs.
It was something that had filtered into the chat rooms online in my past life. I felt dumb how these important parts were only being remembered after the fact. It was a miracle I was alive. Did I have some kind of hidden luck ability?
No, I needed to stop thinking about this like a game. This was my life and I had no reason to believe that I would come back if I died again. First, I needed to find my way out of this dungeon. Most of the crab was blown apart by its explosion skill, but a few parts of its shell made it through. I placed them inside of my pack.
The rest of the beach seemed utterly calm; it was almost like this fight had never happened. Only the aftermath of the fight would ever hint that something so dramatic happened here. I held onto my short sword just in case anything attempted to attack me. The ringing in my ears was still affecting my hearing.
A shining door had materialized behind the remains of the crab. Was this entire dungeon just one boss monster? Whoever made this dungeon had some kind of sick sense of humor. I still don't feel like I achieved anything. The only reason I survived here was because I was clumsy. Any other battle and I would have most certainly died from my mistake.
In a weird way it was like the dungeon wanted me to survive, but I couldn't rely on such a feeling. The only way I would manage to uncover the strange changes in this time and uncover the mystery of the system and the sudden appearance of dungeons was to become stronger.
So strong that no one could defeat me, monster or human. It would mean that I would stand out and that the chances of dying would increase dramatically. What would the point of getting this second chance be if not to achieve something?
I had already surpassed my past life. I could feel it in the way I approached dungeons now. I was not confident, but I felt sure that somehow me coming back into the past was not a coincidence. The system wanted me to achieve something. I could only pray that whatever it was, I would have the strength to succeed.
*********
"You see that is what I am talking about!" A figure dressed in robes of bright yellow shouted amongst a crowd of similarly dressed figures.
"That item is cheating. I can't believe they allowed that into the game." Another figure in a green robe spoke.
"No, it's much more interesting now. It is a lot more fun when they put up a fight!" The yellow robe lifted a mug and gulped down the amber colored liquid within.
Many screens filled the room with the robed figures as different scenes played out in the room. Even the events that had played out for Kai moments prior. Many eyes were indeed settled on the screen that showed the battle with the giant crab. It seemed Kai would be popular for quite some time.