by Jamey Sultan
Happy with his choices, James closed all his notifications. It was time to head back to the entrance of the dungeon.
He was ready to get out of this place.
Chapter 43
Back at the entrance, the clatter of bones echoed off the walls as the Defiled Skeleton patrolled the perimeter. James waited until the sound faded away before trying the trapdoor, but it wouldn’t budge. Cursing, he felt around the edge of the crack, looking for a latch that he could use to crack it open, but he couldn’t feel anything.
The rattle of bones grew closer, so James froze, hoping the skeleton hadn’t heard anything. He waited for the sound to fade into the distance again and resumed his attempts to open the door.
Clearly, fiddling with the trapdoor wasn’t going to get him closer to unlocking it. Instead, he went over his options. He could go back to Ozure and ask for directions out of the dungeon, or he could keep trying to get out through the trapdoor under the chest.
A strange sensation caught him by surprise, and he stared at his sword. It was as if it was speaking to him. Hadn’t its prompt said that it could cut anything? He normally wouldn’t use a sword to cut into stone for fear of harming the blade, but he was pretty sure that he’d be fine with a Mythic sword.
James unsheathed Tyrfing, shuddering at the rush brought on by the cumulative knowledge of its past owners. He made sure the skeleton was still out of earshot and stabbed directly into the rock, tracing the edges of the trapdoor. Tyrfing cut through the rock like butter and before he knew it, the stone fell, almost hitting James as it smashed into the ground.
Loudly.
James climbed up and tried to run out of the room before the skeleton returned, but by the time he was halfway to the other side, the Defiled Skeleton was back. It let out a blood-curdling shriek and raced towards James, who was suddenly finding it hard to move.
You been affected by the status effect [Fear].
He swung his head around wildly, searching for an exit, but before he could bolt, a warmth spread from his sword hand, winding up his body, washing away the fear. The warmth enveloped him, coating him in calming energy. He sighed in relief as the warmth pushed back the fear that had permeated his body, leaving pure rage in its wake.
Status effect [Fear] has been dispelled.
He could kill this creature. He would kill this creature. It was an insanely high level, but James had a mythical sword that could cut through anything. He just needed an opening. James summoned his Essence and cast Arcane Teleport.
Five.
The world stood still as he dashed towards the Defiled Skeleton and slashed at it with Tyrfing, confident that the blade would cut through the skeleton with ease. The sword hit the skeleton and stopped mid-strike, unable to make a mark on the skeleton’s body.
Four.
What was he doing wrong? The sword should have sliced clean through the middle of the motionless skeleton.
Three.
James cursed. If he couldn’t kill the skeleton, he’d be dead. There was no way he could compete with a high-level creature in a fair fight, even with a Mythic weapon. He could have tried to escape with Arcane Teleport instead of running in haphazardly without a plan. That didn’t seem like him, but he had no time to think about it as the timer continued to count down to his death.
Two.
Wait. The Ability said something about interacting with enemies. James pulled up the Spell prompt and searched for the problem.
One.
There! He couldn’t interact with anything while time was frozen. James cursed. His time was almost up, and the skeleton was going to attack him as soon as the timer hit...
Zero.
Time resumed, and the Defiled Skeleton swung at James. The spirits of the sword took over and blocked the blade, shattering it. As the skeleton reeled, James’ sword sliced a wide arc through its body, passing through the spine like a hot knife through butter.
The Defiled Skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones.
Immediately, James was inundated by a slew of notifications.
You have killed a Level 157 Defiled Skeleton.
+ 3,244 experience points
- 90% reduction due to level difference greater than 100
Achievement Unlocked: David and Goliath.
+ 15 Strength
+ 10 Dexterity
Kill an enemy 100 levels greater than your own.
Achievement Unlocked: Obliterator.
+ 25% to all damage
- Titan
Kill an enemy 100 levels greater than yours in one strike.
James felt the now-familiar burning sensation as a brand emerged on his bicep.
You have been given a brand: Titan.
Effect:
+ 10 Resilience
You’re unstoppable. A force of nature.
An overwhelming rush of power enveloped him, the pressure building around him as his body struggled to accept the energy coalescing around him. He was the center of a storm, where most of the energy evaporating into rainbow smoke before spiraling away. He was only able to absorb a small amount of the experience, but his heart still raced as his body tried to contain the power. He’d just gained more experience from one kill than he had from every other kill to that point combined.
Level up (x4)!
You are now level 19.
James wanted to assign his Stat and Ability points, but he was worried that the noise from his fight with the Defiled Skeleton might have drawn attention, so he raced back through the tunnels. Before he knew it, he was back at the cage bars.
He cast Arcane Teleport to get through the barrier but realized there was a big downside to his new Spell—it wouldn’t let him pass through solid objects.
Without hesitation he drew Tyrfing and lashed out at the grate. The blade rang like a bell against the hardened metal bars, but only cut halfway through before it stopped, unable to cut through a core of blue metal. The sudden impact sent a shockwave of force up James’ arms, knocking the sword out of his hands. Embarrassed, James retrieved his weapon and tried again with the same result.
Do I really have to use this belt again? It’s disgusting.
James tried to cast his Slick Skin spell, but didn’t feel any energy circulation in his body. A notification appeared.
You do not have enough Mana to cast Slick Skin
James felt dread rising in his stomach. Does this mean I can’t gain spells from enchanted items? What about my legendary necklace? He had the immediate urge to test out the spell, but decided against it. He was still underground.
Even though he couldn’t cut through the core of the metal bars with Tyrfing, James could cut the outside metal. It might give him just enough room to squeeze through the bars and into the room. Terrified of touching Tyrfing’s blade, James gripped the sword by the handle and proceeded to shave off the softer outer metal of the bars.
Eventually, he stripped two of the bars, exposing the cores. He tried to squeeze through but found that he was still too thick to make it. I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that extra helping. Sucking in his gut, James tried again, and, with a grunt of effort, he slipped through, stumbling but catching himself before he tripped.
James cheered as he approached the bars on the other side of the trap and started shaving them. But halfway through, the dungeon rumbled, and the bars moved.
James stumbled back from the moving bars, almost dropping Tyrfing, terrified that he’d accidentally cut himself with it. Then the rumbling stopped. The bars had shifted much closer together, removing any possibility of escape.
He was trapped. Again.
James pulled at his hair in frustration. He had to be the unluckiest bastard in this entire world.
He paced around the room, wondering how he was going to escape. But just like every problem in life, it could be fixed with the sword. If he couldn’t get out through their exit, he’d make his own.
Tyrfing cut through the stone next to the bars with ease, and James grinned. I’m
a genius. His first two strikes were perfect. The third one hit something. Something hard. James’ smile froze, and he cut the wall to see what had stopped his blade. Another bar.
A few frantic minutes of cutting later, it dawned on him. He wasn’t just locked in a room. It was a cage, with bars surrounding him on all four sides. But I bet they didn’t think of this. James stabbed his sword into the ground and swiped in a huge circle. He was getting out of here.
There was another rumble, and the earth opened beneath his feet.
Chapter 44
He landed on a pile of rubble, bruised but mostly unharmed. The opening he fell through was about twenty feet above him. He took a second to thank his boosted stats. The room was about the same size as the cage above, but this room had no bars and only one exit.
I guess I’m going that way.
James followed the tunnel until he reached a golden door, emblazoned with the head of the skeleton. With trepidation, he pushed, and it swung open easily.
He entered a brightly lit, circular room with a raised platform in the center. The walls of the room were lined with shelves of bones, and an enormous crystal hung from the ceiling above the platform, filled with the shimmering orange light that mimicked the flickering of flame. It cast beautifully dancing shadows across the crypt, giving it an otherworldly look. Behind him, the door slammed shut.
Before he could react, a dark portal opened in the center of the dais. A robed figure glided out, accompanied by the reek of death.
Cypress, Lord of Shadows (Boss: Level ???)
The Lich was clad in midnight robes with blue flames flickering along their edges. Instead of embers, small icicles fell from the fire and hit the ground with a crystalline clatter. His eyes danced with eldritch fire, illuminating his horrifying facial features. His was a combination of four or five faces, poorly stitched together by someone who didn’t have a clear grasp on human anatomy. Each part of the Lich’s face was in a different stage of decomposition. A maggot crawled from the mouth on his forehead down to the center of his cheek, where it entered one of his noses.
James gagged at the sight, then vomited, almost missing the Lich’s words.
“He wants me to leave you alone.” Cypress’ voice was rasping, as though his throat were filled with chalk. He raised his hands, fingers contorting into arcane gestures. Another mouth, on the side of the Lich’s neck, murmured arcane words, and an icy glow built up around him.
As soon as James saw the Lich casting, he started casting too. The world, including the Lich, froze around him and the blue grid appeared.
All thoughts of fighting were cleared from James’ mind as a primal part of his brain took over, filling him with a deep terror.
His timer ran out just as he reached the entrance, where he grabbed the ornate handle and pulled. The door cracked open an inch before a burst of energy hit it, expanding into a wall of ice. James pulled his hand free a moment before it would’ve been enveloped by the creeping freeze.
He yanked Tyrfing out of its sheath and hacked at the ice, frantically cutting off large chunks. If he could cut through it, he could use Arcane Teleport to escape. But with every chunk he cut, another grew back.
Ghastly laughter echoed through the chamber and a bolt of dark energy hit the ground next to him. The shockwave lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the ice with a loud crack. James’ vision went black as his head hit the ice and he slid to the ground. His essence bar flashed as it dropped from 1100 to 700 from the barest of glancing blows. He could hear the Lich speaking as if through a great distance.
“—keep you as my slave forever.”
James saw red. He’d rather die than become a slave again. Throwing caution to the wind, he activated Arcane Teleport again and ran at the Lich, who was frozen with his head tossed back in laughter. The Lich’s hood had fallen back completely, revealing a patchwork of hair. Short red stubble bordered long locks of greasy, matted blonde.
When James reached the Lich, he placed Tyrfing directly against Lich’s throat and rested all of his body weight against it. When time resumed, he would fall directly into the Lich and cut off its head.
Zero.
Quicker than James had thought possible, Cypress spun and slapped away his blade and grabbed him by the throat. James’ legs dangled helplessly as the Lich lifted him off the ground, bony fingers digging into James’ neck. Cold leeched off of the Lich’s hand and sunk into James’ skin. Every shallow, icy breath was agony. James tried to pry at the skeletal fingers, but the Lich’s grip was like iron. As the edges of his vision blackened, James’ struggling got weaker and his thinking slowed. His essence bar drained precipitously in the corner of his vision.
The hand grasping his throat was barely covered in skin that clung miraculously to the skeleton underneath. He let out a soft chuckle that came out as a wheeze, as a vision of visiting his grandmother in a retirement home when he was a kid popped into his head. Her skin clung tightly to her gaunt form in much the same way. When she’d reached out to pinch his cheek, he’d screamed and run away. The absurdity of the connection sent James into a fit of hysterical giggles that got cut off halfway out of his throat.
The pain from his laugh brought James back to reality and he suddenly realized that he’d been holding his sword the entire time. He swung Tyrfing and severed the Lich’s arm at the elbow. He fell to the ground gasping for breath as he pried the lifeless hand from his throat. Before the Lich could retaliate, James activated Arcane Teleport and climbed the dome.
As the timer ran out, James stabbed Tyrfing into the central crystal, leaving him dangling high above the Lich. James grabbed hold of the crystal with one hand and pulled his weight off of the sword. He then levered of the sword up and down, creating a small indent in the crystal. He pulled the sword out and made a series of cuts and twists to widen the indent.
Below him, the Lich was surrounded by a nimbus of black energy. With a gesture, the abomination sent a bolt of darkness toward James. It smashed into the crystal, and James almost lost his grip. He tightened his grasp and increased his speed until he’d formed a cavity, just big enough for him to fit into. James scrambled inside as another spell hit the crystal, causing the entire structure to shake. He breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t rest. Spurred on by the relentless bolts of magic, he cut his way further into the crystal until he was encased deep within it.
Every few seconds, another magical attack sent spasms through the rock. Glowing dust and small crystalline chips littered his tunnel. If he didn’t get out of there soon, the entire thing would collapse.
That’s pretty stupid of the Lich. If he knocks the crystal down, it will fall on his head.
A light bulb flashed above James’ head, or maybe it was just the crystal. Either way, he had an idea. It would be dangerous, but it was his only hope. To improve his chances of survival, James pulled open his stat page to assign the 36 stat points he’d gotten from the skeleton. He was about to dump everything into Constitution, when a new notification popped up.
Would you like to convert your basic stat points into advanced stat points?
Advanced stat points can be used to upgrade hidden stats.
Points can be traded in a 10:1 ratio.
James winced as the crystal rocked with the force of another blow. He didn’t have time for this. He quickly and converted thirty basic stat points into three advanced stat points and dumped them into Resilience. The stat most likely to save his life. He then dumped his last six points into Constitution and took a deep breath. It was time to do something stupid.
Chapter 45
James ignored the part of his brain that told him this making a huge mistake, then swung his sword in the long arcs. Each swing destroyed a large portion of the crystal and weakened its structural integrity.
The crystal shook with the combined efforts of James and the Lich until with a loud crack, it dropped.
James hit the ground hard, his essence bar flashing dangerously. As he collapsed to
the ground in a cloud of dust, slew of notifications flew across his vision.
You have killed Cypress Lord of Shadows, Level 271 Lich.
+3500 experience points (99.97% reduction due to level difference greater than 500)
Level up (x3)! You are now level 22.
Achievement Unlocked: David and Goliath II
+ 20 Strength
+ 15 Dexterity
Kill an enemy 250 levels greater than your own.
James' bones cracked as his body rearranged itself to compensate for his increased Strength and dexterity. He let out a soft whimper as he sat up, amazed that he wasn't dead. Everything hurt. Gingerly, he reached for the pouch at his waist to summon his Weak Health Potion. He pulled up its description to see if it had changed to heal Essence, but it hadn’t.
Weak Health Potion (x1):
Rank: Common
Heals 100 Health
A Weak Health Potion crafted by a novice.
James brought the potion to his lips and drank. The potion didn't say anything about Essence in its description, but hopefully his Absorb ability would still work.
You've absorbed 50 Essence from Weak Health Potion.
It wasn't much, but the potion brought James up to a hundred essence. James poked through his bag in search of something else to help heal him and pulled out a bottle of Unfermented Bleufruit Cider.