I woke up with a gasp, finding myself surrounded in darkness. The pain in my body was gone.
"Was that all a dream?" I murmured to myself, patting my body all over. It felt so vivid, so real. For some reason, I was surprised that I wasn’t freaking out about what just happened.
[You have died.]
[Would you like to fight your specter?]
[Yes | No]
I blinked at the message screen before me. Slowly, I realized that this was indeed real.
"No... I need answers," I muttered to myself. I hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to confront my own specter. After all, what harm could it do now?
I hit 'Yes', causing the dark void to vanish, replaced by a white space. In front of me, a shadow grew in size, shaping itself into a human-like figure.
As it finished forming, I realized that I was looking at a shadowy version of myself. The only difference was the gun it held in its hands.
"Oh, f–"
The specter began firing, which I barely managed to avoid by leaping out of the way. I had forgotten that my specter would have my previous equipment on top of the 5% increase in strength.
I didn't have a single thing on me, but I at least know that the gun my specter was holding only had 12 bullets. I had counted 4 shots it fired already, which meant I only needed to dodge 8 more.
But even as I thought that, a searing sharp pain suddenly raced through my left leg. Numbly, I realized that I had been shot, and my leg was bleeding profusely. I could feel my strength draining with every moment.
I stumbled, finally falling to the ground as more bullets embedded themselves into my back. I didn’t realize I was screaming in pain.
[Health: 10]
[System alert: You are low on health. Bleeding status inflicted. You will continuously lose 1 health point every second.]
I didn't have time to think of a snarky comeback before my world exploded in pain and my vision went dark once more.
----------------------------------------
My eyes shot open and I jerked upright, not registering that I was back in the corridor right away. I clutched at my leg and back, which were completely fine. My heart raced and my breath came out in short, ragged gasps. I had died twice, and it all felt very real.
A wave of nausea washed over me, and I got on all fours, dry heaving as the shock of my deaths hit me.
"What the fuck!" I shouted, still trying to get my bearings. I looked around, taking in the familiar sights of the corridor, the dim lighting and the damp concrete walls. I didn't know why this was happening to me.
"Let me out!" I shouted, looking around for nothing in particular. "Let me out of here!" My voice echoed down the corridor, but no one came to my rescue. I was trapped, and I knew it. The air was stale, the lighting dim, and the concrete walls seemed to close in on me. I couldn't help but shiver in fear.
[Are you just going to give up?]
I stared at the system message, my heart pounding. It seemed to be taunting me. "No," I said through gritted teeth, waving the screen away. "I won't give up."
Despite not knowing if I'd ever get out of here, the thought that I respawned in the same place was sort of reassuring, painful deaths aside. I forced myself to stand up once again, ignoring the throbbing pain in my leg from the first time around. I had to keep moving, keep searching for a way out.
But did I have a reason to get out? I had no friends, an estranged sister, and a shitty desk job that I couldn’t force myself to quit. If anything, maybe being stuck in here was better than living a life in the real world. If I could even call it that.
Shaking my head to push away my thoughts, I opened up my status window, surprised at what I saw.
[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1]
[Title: N/A]
[Health: 100 | Strength: 5]
[Speed: 5 | Magic: 0]
[Risk: 5 | Stat Points: 5]
[Experience: 0%]
"Holy..." I whispered. Having Risk as a permanent stat was pretty nice, but respawning with 5 extra stat points to invest with immediately gave me an idea. A bad one, but an idea nonetheless.
[You have added 5 points into Risk.]
[Current Risk: 10]
[You have no remaining points left.]
In hindsight, I realized it was a suicidal thing to do, but since I was level 1, I never planned on fighting my specter any time soon. The only problem was, I’d have to endure dying several times just to get a chance of getting to level 2. That was without saying the increased sensitivity to pain as well.
Sighing to myself, I turned around to see three weapon orbs in front of me once again. This time, there were different previews compared to the first round.
[Weapon Orb 1: Short Sword]
[Weapon Orb 2: Dagger]
[Weapon Orb 3: Bow]
I cursed, realizing that this round, my weapon options were less than superb. The short sword and dagger weren't much use with my limited experience, and while a bow could be useful at range, it wouldn't do much good in the tight corridor.
With another sigh, I made my choice. I would gamble on the short sword. It was the most versatile of the options, and even though I was level one, I could still hope to improve my skills with it.
[Short Sword]
[Damage: 10]
[Traits: None]
[Description: A standard blade, shorter than normal.]
Weapon in hand, I trudged forward, half-expecting to run into the Rotting Cannibal from before. To my relief, he was nowhere to be seen. The corridor stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, the dim lighting casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls.
My new short sword felt light in my hand, but I was grateful for the extra reach it gave me. The last thing I wanted was to get up close and personal with whatever horrors lurked in these halls. As I walked, I found myself becoming more accustomed to the weight of the weapon, learning how best to wield it.
For a while, I walked on, cautiously straining my ears to hear anything out of the ordinary. But the silence was oppressive, and I began to feel as if something were watching me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
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A sudden groaning up ahead made my heart leap into my throat, and I quickly crouched down, my short sword at the ready. The groaning grew louder, more agonized, and I realized it was coming from around a corner. I carefully crept forward, my senses on high alert. As I rounded the corner, I saw a figure slumped against the wall, its back turned to me. It was another survivor, or at least someone who had once been human. Their clothes were tattered and bloodstained, and their movements were slow and labored.
[Name: Rotting Corpse | Level 1]
[Health: 100 | Strength: 20]
[Speed: 2 | Magic: 0]
Seeing how low the monster's stats were gave me a bit of hope. Slowly, I crept forward, preparing to plunge my sword into its back. As I drew closer, I raised my blade, tensing my muscles, ready to strike. But then something stopped me. Something didn't feel right. The figure didn't move or react at all to my presence, and its movements were unnaturally slow. It almost seemed... like it was trying to convince me to approach.
I couldn't stop though, my heart pounding in my chest. Something was wrong, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into a trap. As I hesitated, the figure suddenly twisted its head around, revealing a gaping hole where its face should be. The sight sent a chill down my spine, and in that moment, I knew. The creature wasn't trying to convince me to approach, it was trying to lure me in.
It lunged, faster than I'd anticipated, its tattered hands reaching for my throat. I stumbled back, barely managing to dodge the attack. The short sword flashed through the air, meeting the creature's grasp, and for a moment we were locked together. I struggled to maintain my grip on the weapon as the creature thrashed wildly, its movements growing ever more desperate.
"Fuck!" I cried out, wrenching my weapon free and thrusting the blade into its neck. There was a sickening crunch, and the creature went limp, falling to the ground. I yanked my sword out and stumbled back, breathing heavily as my heart was still racing.
[Name: Rotting Corpse | Level 1]
[Health: 20 | Strength: 20]
[Speed: 2 | Magic: 0]
My eyes widened as I watched the creature's body twitch and convulse on the ground. I knew it wasn't over yet. I had to finish it off.
Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself against any more surprises and raised my sword once more. I brought it down with all my might, decapitating the monster. Its head rolled away, coming to rest against the wall, and the body went limp.
[You have gained 50 experience points.]
[Experience: 50%]
"Oh, hell yeah," I muttered to myself, feeling a surge of relief wash over me as I surveyed the now-headless corpse at my feet. If I leveled up, I’d receive 5 stat points on top of the extra 10 from Risk. I didn't have time to celebrate, though. The halls were still eerily silent, and I knew that whatever horrors lurked here were far from defeated.
I walked on, gripping my short sword tightly. If this was anything like 'Last Stand', then I should expect to encounter more of the same monsters. Hopefully.
Gradually, I began to hear a chorus of groaning, similar to the one the Rotting Corpse had made. It seemed to be coming from deeper within the corridor. I steeled myself, readying my sword, and continued onward. As I turned another corner, I was confronted with a scene that chilled me to the bone.
[Name: Rotting Corpse | Level 1]
[Health: 20 | Strength: 20]
[Speed: 2 | Magic: 0]
[Name: Rotting Corpse | Level 1]
[Health: 20 | Strength: 20]
[Speed: 2 | Magic: 0]
[Name: Rotting Corpse | Level 1]
[Health: 20 | Strength: 20]
[Speed: 2 | Magic: 0]
An entire swarm of Rotting Corpses blocked my way forward, their tattered bodies shuffling slowly as they moaned and groaned. The stench of death was overwhelming, making it difficult to breathe. I froze in place, watching as one of the monsters took notice of me.
"Wait, fuck–"
The swarm of Rotting Corpses surged forward as one, engulfing me in a sea of tattered flesh. I was thrown to the ground, my short sword flying from my grasp as the creatures swarmed over me, their putrid hands clawing at my exposed flesh. I screamed in pain and terror as they tore into me, their strength seemingly inhuman.
It hurt. The pain was so unbearable that I couldn't think of anything else. The 10% increase to pain sensitivity was so much worse than I imagined.
[Health: 80]... [Health: 50]... [Health: 20]... [Health: 10]
I couldn't even see the system message as my eyes were gouged out, and my world faded into darkness once more.
----------------------------------------
[You have died.]
[Would you like to fight your specter?]
[Yes | No]
I found myself back in the darkness, staring up at the system message. Just like the time I died to the Rotting Cannibal, I was strangely calm, my body feeling no traces of pain. Maybe this space of limbo prevented me from feeling such things.
Regardless, I was aware that it would hit me once I returned. I pinched myself, feeling no sensation of pain. That was good; it seemed like this darkness was a safe space.
Turning my attention back to the blue screen, I tapped ‘No’, my vision blurring once more as I found myself back in the corridor. A wave of nausea washed over me as the memories of my latest death flooded through my thoughts, but I managed to force it down, opening up my status window.
[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1]
[Title: N/A]
[Health: 100 | Strength: 5]
[Speed: 5 | Magic: 0]
[Risk: 10 | Stat Points: 5]
[Experience: 0%]
Okay, so everything had reset besides my Risk. At this point, I figured I should invest my stat points into something else that would help me survive.
"Wait..." I murmured to myself. Since there was a good chance that every run was randomized, I figured I should save my precious stats points and use them accordingly. As fun as it was to try builds or stat combinations, the reality was that this wasn't the game I had been playing. I could and had died already, each death more painful than the last.
I closed my status window, deciding that I would put off any stat point investment until I had a better understanding of the world and the enemies I would be facing. For now, I would focus on survival.
I turned around to the three floating blue orbs, wondering what selection of weapons would be available to me this time. Hopefully something good.
[Weapon Orb 1: Skeletal Sword]
[Weapon Orb 2: Dull Short Sword]
[Weapon Orb 3: Sickly Club]
"Are you shitting me..." I cursed under my breath. While I couldn't tell what their stats were, their names didn't sound like powerful weapons to me.
"Well, maybe there's something about the Skeletal Sword that makes it useful against the undead..." I muttered, selecting the floating orb containing the Skeletal Sword. A weighty, yet well-balanced weapon appeared in my grasp. "I hope so."
[Skeletal Sword]
[Damage: 15]
[Traits: Fragile | Summon]
[Description: A deceivingly weak blade, this weapon will shatter upon first contact, but will spawn Skeletons from the broken pieces.]
I swore loudly. It seemed like this was a one-time use. But then again, maybe I could use it to weaken an enemy before finishing them off with something else. If I was lucky enough to find something else till then.
Steeling myself, I began to creep forward in the corridor, my senses on high alert. If I was to escape this place, then I'd have to level up quickly. That meant surviving and killing whatever I came across.
The hallway stretched on for what felt like an eternity, the cold stone pressing against my back. I passed by several doors, but I didn't dare open them, afraid of what might lie behind them.
I paused as I heard a couple of growling and groans from behind the doors, but continued when I figured it was safe. After a while, I began to make out a faint warm light up ahead. My heart raced, realizing that it was a yellowish color compared to the sinister blue flames from the torches. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but feeling the air grow warmer gave me the impression that it was the exit.
I grew slightly bolder, increasing my pace towards the light as I gripped my Skeletal Sword. If this place was anything like 'Last Stand', then I knew that it might not be the exit, but rather a trap or worse.
The hallway seemed to go on forever, and my heart began to race as I neared the end. I could feel a draft of cold air blowing from the direction of the light, and I forced myself to remain calm. I could smell a hint of flowers, like I was near a garden. My hopes soared, but I knew I had to be careful.
My eyes adjusted, and I finally saw what lay beyond: A meadow with a distant village far ahead.
I unconsciously smiled, relief flooding through my body as I jogged towards the exit. Finally, I was free from this–
My foot sank a little deeper than usual on a concrete tile. I glanced down, immediately realizing I had stepped on a trap.
Above me, I heard multiple clicking sounds whoosh open, but I didn't even get the chance to look up as I felt several sharp stabs of pain pierce through my body. Whether I was screaming or not, all I knew was that the pain was excruciating, and I was pinned in place by the long rusted spears that had fallen from the ceiling.
[Health: 10]
[System alert: You are low on health. Bleeding status inflicted. You will continuously lose 1 health point every second.]
The Skeletal Sword had dropped from my hand as I watched my health tick down. In a split second of clarity or insanity, I managed to open up my status screen.
[You have added 5 points into Risk.]
[Current Risk: 15]
[You have no remaining points left.]
****
[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1]
[Title: N/A]
[Health: 100 | Strength: 5]
[Speed: 5 | Magic: 0]
[Risk: 15 | Stat Points: 0]
[Experience: 50%]