Time passed faster than I could even comprehend, but I didn’t care. I had killed the boss, going out was nothing but walking. I got up, reaching for the armor, trying to pick it up. It was heavy, too heavy for myself. How am I supposed to carry this?

I thought and thought, unable to come up with a plan. At first, I wanted to leave it down there, thinking I’d come later to just take it, but after the idea of the monsters respawning crossed my mind, I gave up on coming a second time. I checked through the things he dropped. Gauntlets, chestplate, helmet, the whole ordeal. I picked up a gauntlet, watching the golden lining glimmer in the light.

"I guess I need one, perhaps I could work something out."

I placed one on my left hand, and to my surprise, its ability was exactly what I needed at the moment.

"Call that plot armor, quite literally."

With a flick of my hand, I could open up a sort of subspace where I could store things. Despite lifting the heavy pieces of armor, my smile shot through the roof and my pain left my body.

"Now, to get out, that’s what I should do."

Said and done, I reached the end of the room, pushing open the iron doors, but not before glancing at the stone throne. Nothing about it seemed special, but it still caught my eye. Whatever.

Despite being two solid chunks of iron, they swung wide open the moment I touched them. I was ready for either a teleportation device or more stairs leading upstairs, but what I woke up to shook my body to its core. A forest and an entire underground ecosystem, with trees and everything needed. I saw no animals at the moment, which made me rethink that place.

"Just why can’t I catch a break? I just want to go outside for fuck’s sake..."

Knowing that nothing else could be done, I dragged my legs through the underground forest, hoping to find an exit at some point. As I went down the stairs, my eyes caught a glimpse of the place I was leaving. A stone fortress, yet it felt weird, like a palace. I brushed it off as me being unfamiliar with things like such, focusing instead on the road ahead of me—that is, if I could find my way through the forest.

Leaves, vines, and branches slapped me in the face as I walked. I got tired of trying to cut them, so I’d rather get slapped. The air felt heavy, and the lack of sound kept bothering me. Not even the leaves were rustling, everything was like a cemetery of silence. My steps broke the silence, each and every step pressing harder and harder, drilling away at my anxiety and stress. What if there’s no exit? No, I can’t think about such things.

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Every piece of me wanted to give up, to lay cold on the ground and await the end of the line, yet something kept pushing me, something deep within me stirred me whole, pumping strength where it was needed. Nothing of note was there, and even I got tired of the peace I found myself in. I wanted no battles, but when I have none, I’m being stupid and asking for one.

Finally, something worth looking at. A settlement of sorts, with houses built out of stone, like hollow cubes with windows carved in them. I guess rain was not a thing down there, since the lack of an angled roof would prove to be quite problematic if water was involved. Having heard nothing, I decided to go inside and see what I could find. My legs took me to the closest house, and after pushing the door open, I came to regret my choice. Human remains lay on the floor, partially turned into dust. My instincts told me to run, but I couldn’t be a scaredy cat for long.

I looked around, watching the pilled dust. They had basic furniture, but I kept wondering why everything was made out of stone. It was driving me crazy to a certain degree. Everything, even what remained of a bed, was solid rock. I found it funny how this made me feel more uneasy than the skeletons on the floor. I could only hope they remained there.

Making my way through the small village, I came to see even more remains outside. Something was wrong, this whole place is wrong. It’s like such a thing was not meant to exist. I moved on, leaving behind what I could only think of as a tragic ending to some.

"If it is within my power, I’ll try to avenge you, that is, if I make it out."

My words shocked me, but I knew damn well what I said. Despite living in poverty, hidden from the outside world, sitting under a canopy with fake stars as their only source of light, they still met such a tragic end. All were dead, no matter where or who they were. Revenge might be the only thing to soothe their desperate cries for justice.

Now, since when did I become so fixated on justice? Even I didn’t know. Perhaps... perhaps I think of this place as I think of the village I have as home now. They are simple people, going on about their lives, without interfering with others. Why is it always the people who have the least who have to lose that as well?

I held firmly to my decision, using it as a reason to get out. Unknown people, just like me, had their own lives, their own reasons to cry, their own reasons to smile, their own fears, and their own things to protect. I unsheathed my sword, aiming to move forward.

"Dungeon or whatever, there’s more to this story. I will avenge you."

Having said that, I got lost in the dense forest, when a simple thought hit me like a thunderbolt. Why was there no vegetation in the village? There should have been enough time for things to grow. This whole place only gets worse and worse.