Darkness...
Blackness...
Nothingness...
Nell found himself standing in a vast expanse of darkness.
It was a strange sensation, to be surrounded by nothingness.
There was no light, no sound, no scent, nothing.
It was just darkness.
"Hello?"
His voice echoed in the darkness, but no reply came.
"Anyone there?"
Still, there was no answer.
"Guess, not."
Nell sighed and began walking forward, his steps were slow and cautious.
In his past life, he only heard about the Breakout that happened in the restaurant, and he had also seen the news about the massacre, and about the difficulties the heroes had while defeating the boss.
And, since his past life was a long time ago, the information might be outdated, or incorrect.
So, he was not sure about the current situation.
He was in a place where death could come at any moment.
A place where the monsters would attack him, and try to kill him.
A place where even the slightest mistake could lead to his death.
A place where he had to be alert, and cautious, at all times.
"Is it supposed to be dark inside the Dungeon?" Nell wondered, trying to look at his hand in front of him.
But, he couldn't see anything.
He couldn't even see his own body, let alone the surrounding area.
'This is not normal,'
He felt uneasy.
'Something is not right.'
He had expected the darkness to be a little lighter, or at least, to have some light.
'Something is wrong.'
But, the darkness was so thick, so heavy, that it was almost suffocating.
'Very wrong.'
There was no doubt about it.
The situation was different than what he had expected.
Instead of being in a dungeon, he was in a void, a black abyss.
He was completely enveloped in the darkness, and it felt like he was floating in an endless abyss.
"GRRR!!"
Suddenly, as he kept walking ahead, a loud screeching sound pierced the silence, and Nell felt his entire body freeze.
"GRRR!! GRRR!"
The sound was coming from right in front of him.
It felt so near, yet so far.
It was terrifying, yet exciting.
He couldn't see anything, but he could feel something.
Something was there, in front of him.
"GRRRR!! GRRR!!!"
It was a monster, a monster that was growling, and breathing heavily.
Ding!
Just then, a sound echoed in Nell's mind, and a window appeared in front of him.
[Boss Monster detected!
Prepare to face the Boss Monster: King Dark Zombie!]
The blue holographic screen in front of him was shining in the darkness, it became the only source of light, and Nell could finally see a bit clearly.
"Grrrr..."
He could see the outline of a monster.
A gigantic figure, towering over him, its eyes burning with rage and hatred.
Burnt skin, dehydrated muscles, and dried-up flesh.
The monster had the appearance of a zombie, but it was much bigger than the other ones.
Its hands were as big as tree trunks, and its claws were sharp enough to tear through steel.
It was a beast, a creature that could only be described as a monster.
'Boss Monster...'
Nell swallowed nervously.
He was not scared, not at all.
'This is what I was waiting for,'
He was excited, ecstatic.
He had been waiting for this moment, the moment when he would be able to obtain the item he needed the most.
And, the moment was finally here.
"GRRRR!!"
The monster roared, and raised its massive hand, ready to strike down on Nell.
'So fast!'
The boss zombie was so fast, that even though Nell's eyes were locked on its body, he couldn't follow its movements.
The monster's claws swiped through the air, and a loud 'whoosh' resounded.
"Shit," Nell cursed under his breath as the zombie's claw slapped his face and sent him flying.
Nell's body crashed against the wall, and he felt his bones crack and his muscles tear.
Then, his body bounced off the wall and slammed into the floor, as the debris and dust rained down on him.
"Cough..."
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his vision began to blur.
Pain.
The pain was the only thing he could feel.
His body was broken, and his blood was oozing out of the wounds on his face.
He could taste the iron-rich fluid on his tongue, and his nose was filled with the stench of his own blood.
'Heh...'
Still, even with his body battered and bleeding, Nell placed his palms against the ground and pushed himself up.
He stood there, his hands dangling at his sides, his clothes tattered, and his hair disheveled.
His face was covered in bruises, and his left eye was swollen shut.
Blood dripped from his chin, and his right eye was bloodshot.
'King Dark Zombie... huh...'
Despite his injuries, a smirk was plastered on his face.
He felt no fear, no regret, no sorrow.
Instead, he felt exhilaration.
His blood was boiling, his heart was pumping, and his veins were throbbing.
"This..." He muttered, his voice hoarse, and his body trembling.
"Is... Nothing..."
He lifted his feet and took a step forward.
"Compared..."
His body swayed, and he nearly lost his balance as he continued to walk forward.
"To... That..."
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"HELL!"
His right eye was blazing with rage and madness, and his body was trembling with anger and bloodlust.
As soon as he was hit by the boss monster's claw, the system's window disappeared and everything was once again plunged into darkness.
But, to Nellas, it didn't matter.
Even with one of his eyes shut, even with his body hurting, and his limbs broken, he continued to move forward.
In the cold and silent darkness, he still kept moving forward because the system was there to help him.
Darkness?
"System..." He muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
The pitch-black surroundings?
"Status."
The complete darkness?
"Status."
The absolute emptiness?
"Status!"
He shouted, his voice echoing in the darkness, and his blood boiling with fury.
"SHOW ME EVERY SINGLE STATUS SCREEN AVAILABLE IN THE SYSTEM!"
And, the system, complied.
Ding!
In an instant, multiple screens appeared in front of him.
Some were blue, some were green, some red and some were even purple and yellow.
Around a hundred status screens appeared, floating in every direction, each showing the status of different skills, things, or powers.
And, in an instant, the darkness was lit up, and the entire area was illuminated.
The bright lights shone down upon the surroundings, and the shadows were cast aside, revealing the true form of the void.
A big cave with different sizes of stones scattered on the ground, and stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
The whole cave was brightly lit, and in the middle of all the commotion, the King Dark Zombie was standing still, its gaze fixed on Nell.
"There you are..." Nellas whispered, as he finally got enough light to look at the King Dark Zombie.