Ethan slipped, and time slowed to a crawl. He blinked, drawing a sharp breath, releasing a scream a moment later. Then all he saw was the sky with the setting sun above the cliff he had been standing on just a moment ago. The air rushed past his ears as he turned around midair and faced his inevitable doom.

He saw the river below and instinctively pushed his hands forward to dive into the water, uncaring of its speed. Suddenly everything went quiet as the water enveloped him, washing his cuts and bruises with a chilling cold. Calmness spread through Ethan as the water cut all sounds around him.

Then, Ethan regained his wits and thrashed violently in the ice-cold water before going to the surface with all his might. The sounds resumed as he breached the surface and gasped for breath, getting a splash of the raging river around him in his mouth. He coughed violently, gasping for more air, and flailed about helplessly, trying to find direction in the fast-moving river. He had no idea how much time had passed since falling into the raging stream as he struggled, uselessly trying to escape the river’s clutches.

For a brief moment, his childhood memories resurfaced as he remembered the first time he had visited an old water park in Reykjavik when he was fourteen. One waterslide too many, and he was under the water on his back, unable to turn around, gasping for air the same way he was now.

All that saved him from the slippery tiles beneath him and his idiocy then was an unlikely acquaintance - a boy from next door who happened to be beside him as Ethan drowned. He pulled him up by the hair and saved him, not thinking much of the gesture. Now the boy was not here, however. And Ethan was not fourteen anymore. No, he was a grown man, fighting for his life in a fantasy land, and if he could survive a freaking liger the size of a garbage truck, some river would not beat him.

Ethan calmed down, sniffling a cough, and breached the surface again. The river around him had relaxed, its surface stilling after passing the violent twists and turns. He finally coughed up the water that got into his lungs and managed to gasp for a sliver of clean air.

Ethan then swam to the side of the river with one goal in mind - getting out of the water. After pouring all his strength into swimming out of the water, he soon felt the riverbed appear under his feet. He started walking with the sliver of energy he had left after uselessly fighting the river and soon stumbled out of the water, instantly flopping on his back, trying to catch his breath.

The corner of Ethan’s vision flashed, showing the status of his main attributes and another notice. He groaned and pulled it up to have a look.

Health: 48%

Stamina: Critically low

Mana: Critically low

Congratulations!

Quest [Escape Castle of the Gloom] has been completed!

[Stone of Gloom] has been added to your storage.

He groaned and turned on his side, coughing up more water and muttering at prompt, “Yea, thanks. That was a close one.” He opened his eyes and saw that he was on a rocky beach next to an unfamiliar part of the forest. The sun was setting, casting orange colors at the top of the tree line, cooling the air. Ethan shivered and, for some reason, recalled the wails he had heard from the forest many nights ago.

Understanding that night was setting, and he did not want to be stranded outside, he pushed himself up, thoroughly exhausted, and took stock. I didn’t even break an arm by some miracle, he thought and pulled up his map ability to consult where he was and was surprised by what he saw.

If his map was accurate, he had traveled tens of kilometers after falling from the cliff in his brief fight for survival. “That cannot be right,” he muttered, looking back at the river and the forest around him. To him, the time he spent under the water seemed as short as a few moments. Was I wrong? he thought, looking at the map again and dismissing it.

It is good that the river took me as far as it did. Did the work for me. Now I do not need to run away through the forest from people in medieval armor slinging lightning at me, he considered and looked around, grimacing as understating dawned on him.

Ethan pulled off his cloak and squeezed the remaining water out of it, surprised that he had not drowned with the thing or lost it somewhere along the way. Next, he repeated the same with his shirt and pants, shivering slightly, naked in the evening wind. Once he got rid of the water as best he could, he put his clothes on.

I need to get some fire going to survive the night. Though where - not to attract monsters or the people from the fight? he asked himself and looked around, noting nothing to help him. He shrugged and decided to move along the shoreline bordering the forest, away from the castle, to avoid being discovered or encountering some random monster between the trees.

Ethan shivered from the cold and continued to walk for fifteen minutes, his stamina and mana recovering slowly until he noticed a cave to his right. Looking at the sun, he saw it was about to set and decided to check the cave out. I need to find shelter; this place is as good as any, he thought, changing course.

He slowly crept up to the entrance and peered inside, noting he could not see a damn thing. Next, he removed his light crystal from storage and cast some light ahead. A pair of feline eyes flashed some twenty meters in the cave, followed by a low growl. God dammit, Ethan thought and summoned his sword, getting ready for a fight.

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Just as he stepped away from the cave, a large striped cat jumped out, hissing at Ethan and swiping at him with its paw. Seeing that the beast was relatively small, the size of a lion, and not on fire, Ethan swung his sword, cutting the monster down without much fuss.

Not a monster, huh? he thought in surprise at the quick fight, if you could call it that, and identified the beast.

You have defeated [Feral cat]!

Do you want to loot [Feral cat]?

Yes/No

The prompt confirmed his suspicions as he accepted the message and was surprised that the animal vanished altogether, leaving no trace behind. Now I just feel bad. Sorry, bud, it was either you or me, he thought and checked his storage for loot. The first thing he noticed, though, was the fact that it had expanded.

Instead of the usual twenty spaces stacked full of items from the castle, he had a hundred more available. Some things he had not seen before were there as well. Understanding dawned on him as he remembered that he had stored the satchel he had taken as payment after the fight with the fat man. He silently thanked the man for kindly donating to his journey and continued exploring the cave.

Ethan walked further into the cave, noting that it expanded nicely and set the light crystal down. Then he got some logs out and lit a small fire to warm the chilly evening air. Looking back toward the entrance, he saw that the night had already set, casting long shadows from the trees around the cave. This place is a godsend, he thought, thanking his luck for once.

Ethan laid the cloak on a pair of sticks to dry it out, doing the same with his shirt and pants. He felt awkward for a moment, crouching utterly naked next to the warm fire, but quickly dismissed the thoughts. Once dry, he equipped his only clothes again, cursing himself for not thinking of the option before everything got wet. Yeah, as if I would have remembered that plunging head first in a raging river, he thought, pulling his dry, warm shirt on.

As on habit, he got some of his cooked fish stock out and started eating. The food managed to calm his nerves, making him contemplate how quickly things changed. One minute, I mind my business; the next, I fight some cultists. And the dungeon? Why did it start reacting once those guys arrived? he pondered, chewing on the steaming sustenance.

Then he remembered the satchel he had stored and pulled up his character sheet, noting that he had used a slot for cloak and bag, which had, in turn, expanded his storage capacity. “That is quite neat. I wonder if I could get more bags and start my own trade company. Interesting what the people here do for logistics.”

Then, he unequipped his cloak and checked its properties.

[Cloak of the Drakone] (item, unranked, rare)

An invisible garment concealing the wearer in the darkness of space.

“Huh? How does that work exactly?” Ethan turned the cloak around and equipped it again. Then, pulling it around himself, only leaving his face out, he noticed that his body below vanished as if it was not there. “Oh, I did not know you could do that,” he said, surprised again at his stupidity.

“Too bad I did not check it sooner. Maybe I could have gotten out without a fight and a swim,” he shook his head and checked his boots.

[Boots of Indulgence] (item, unranked, rare)

Cushioned footwear that provides exceptional ease of movement and coziness to the feet.

“Seriously?” Ethan asked, staring at the boots and putting them back on. Then he remembered the fatso and how he carried himself, likely not seeing a single day of labor in his life, and admitted, “Well, I guess it makes sense given who owed you before. Still, a rare rank for a pair of boots and no special properties?” Then he pulled the dagger the fat man was attacking with.

[Dagger of Sacrifice] (item, unranked, legendary)

A ceremonial blade used for sacrifice or ritual purposes. It can capture or consume the target's soul binding it to the dagger.

“Holly shit, fatso. That is some evil dagger you had there,” Ethan observed the blade, surprised that such a mundane-looking iron dagger could pack such an ability. “I wonder what would have happened if you managed to stab me with it. It is a legendary item even. Damn.” He stored the blade, shaking his head and storing it in his magical storage.

Next, he observed the other items he had gotten from the satchel.

* 3 Platinum tokens

* 25 Steel tokens

* 435 copper tokens

* 45 iron tokens

* Aspect seed of the Soul

* Compass of Peril

“What is with this loot? Did you carry all your family’s possessions with you?” Ethan asked, pulling out a platinum token and observing it in his hand. The token looked almost the same as a tin one, albeit shinier. Wonder how much this is worth, he thought, turning it around.

He stored the piece of currency and pulled out the next item on the list.

[Aspect seed of the Soul] (aspect, celestial)

An aspect seed granting the power over the soul.

Do you wish to absorb?

Yes/No

Ethan stared at the description of the ethereal, almost transparent orb in his hand and contemplated for a minute. Do I wish to pass out in the middle of the cave and gain magical abilities, or am I a responsible adult? he thought for a second. Then he grinned and mentally selected Yes.