The ironclad gaze of the statue locked me in place, deadening my body and making it feel like lead. It may have been the result of a Skill or the rampant fear coursing through my systems, or a combination of the two. Whatever the case, I could do nothing but stare in abject horror as the statue continued its steady, impossible climb.
If this monstrosity could resist the pull of the pit that nearly eviscerated me when I wandered near it, what did that mean for my chances against it? I growled, hating the fear that was flooding through my body.
I was scared, yes. But I would rather die than be a bystander again. Letting down my loved ones was not an option, so if I had to fight the unstoppable, then I would gladly take up arms. Whatever it took, whatever obstacles and hurdles were in my way, I’ll overcome all of them!
A surge of energy filled my body, dampening the effects of the fear. A rush of clarity showed me the truth. The unrestrained fear hadn’t resulted from the monster surviving my killing attempts, but because I thought it was stronger than the pit. That wasn’t the case, however. I didn’t know how the statue was escaping, but I knew with absolute certainty that it was weaker.
I inhaled, calming my mind and thinking rationally. There was no need to fear the statue just yet. I still had time; the statue was concentrating wholly on escaping the pit and was defenseless. I simply needed to force it back into the pit, and make sure it stayed there forever.
[Fire Glyph]!
A fireball formed at the end of my glyph and exploded upon reaching the statue’s face. Smoke billowed from the point of impact and obscured the entirety of the statue. I didn’t hold out any hopes that it was enough to knock the statue off the ledge, but I needed to buy some more time.
As the flames flickered against the emotionless carved face, rolling over the statue harmlessly, I focused on the Wisp.
“Destroy the wall!” I ordered, knowing full well I held no authority over the Wisp. However, the result of analyzing the feats proved that the Wisp was the only creature here who had a modicum of a chance at breaking the wall. There was no other option.
..….Why?
I grumbled. Of course it would ask that. The flames were dissipating quickly without the glyph to provide a constant source of fuel. “Because I want to live, damn it!” I stopped, focusing on what I knew about the Wisp. The concept of life and death had no sway over its emotions and actions. But every living being had something it desired. “What do you want!?”
…Nothing.
Bullshit. I thought. The flames were dying down, cooling into little embers that popped against the statue’s stone exterior. The statue had reignited its crusade, with over half its body over the ledge. It planted its knee to the ground and seemed to be struggling to pull up the other leg.
“As your party member, I hold you to the vow! Destroy that wall!” Something entered my voice when I uttered the command; a deep, guttural edge that was like rocks grinding against each other. I blinked and the sensation was gone, leaving me feeling stupid. I’d just blurted out nonsense. I wasn’t even certain if there was any ‘vow’ in a party.
So I was surprised when the Wisp begrudgingly went to the wall. I watched expectantly as the Wisp hovered back and forth, floating across the entire length of the wall. Finally, the Wisp lightly scraped the wall.
Thousands of cracks formed in an instant. There was no build-up nor an indicator of what caused them, but one second, they were just there. Cracks radiating teal light covering every inch of the wall. The light intensified, scouring the wall. Beams of it poured through the wall and I averted my gaze.
The wall exploded, splitting into a dozen different pieces that were hurtling away. Mid flight, they drifted to a halt and remained unmoving in the air, located at sporadic locations around us like celestial bodies.
“Woah,” I murmured. It was a reaction I couldn’t control. The thin coating of blue sparks over the wall pieces gave it an ethereal feeling, like it was something truly special. It was enough to make me forget my troubles for a moment.
Just a moment.
The sound of stone being cracked made me turn around to spot the statue had fully emerged from the pit and was now standing tall. It was an awe-inspiring sight and in another lifetime, I may have even congratulated it for its achievements. It wasn’t everyday someone took on the pit and won. In this lifetime, I bolted for the exit.
I didn’t need to look to know that the statue had done the same, sprinting after me; the displacement of air was enough of a warning for me. The statue was several times my speed, but I was counting on it being tired after fighting the pit and having to cover more distance.
I was inches away from the exit when three fingers dug into my body. “Aargh!” A gargled cry ripped from my mouth as I was carried away from my salvation.
I got flung backwards and sent flying towards the pit. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I glowered at the back of the statue’s head. Little remnants of my slime was glued to its fingers and even though that was minuscule compared to what it’d done to me throughout the entire battle, it still pissed me off.
“I refuse to lose to a statue!” I exclaimed. Using [Body Manipulation], I created two thick globs of slime that I shot to either side of the hole—and the statue. I let gravity push me closer to the pit until I reached my apex; the thick strands of slime I attached to the wall strained to their absolute maximum, stretching taut.
I neared the gravitational pull of the pit and resisted the prickling sense of fear. Now was no time to be afraid! I skirted the very edges of the pull and despite my insistence, the tiniest drop of fear poisoned my heart.
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Then physics established its dominance and I snapped forward. The stands broke in two as I became a projectile rocketing at incredible speeds. The world around me blurred into a mash of indistinguishable colors and shapes but one thing remained crystal clear: my target, the statue.
I liked to believe the eyes widened a little when I approached, the first sign of emotion it displayed since the battle began. Even if I didn’t, I definitely experienced a wave of adrenaline and triumph as I shot forward, aimed straight at the head.
I collided at break-neck speed, nearly exploding myself upon impact. The bonds that held my atoms together rattled as a result of the hit and [Body Manipulation] was stretched to the limit to avoid the unfortunate future of getting splattered around the room.
The statue’s head went backwards and its neck splintered. I flew past the statue even as it utterly lost its center of balance and fell on its bum for the first time. Landing on the ground I zoomed for the exit with the last dregs of energy.
The statue twisted its torso around and began crawling on all fours, looking like a horror ripped straight out of a folklore. Abandoning all the dignity of a knight, it tore up handfuls of the ground in its desperation to reach me.
I slipped through the hole only moments before the statue touched me. The statue continued its rampage on the ground, crawling resolutely forward. A chill ran down my back; it looked like it was going to clear through the hole and leave its resting place!
The dislodged pieces stirred to life and whizzed forward, fitting nicely into the hole with a satisfying click. Within seconds, most of the wall was re-established, leaving only a small portion empty to peer through.
The statue slammed into the wall without decreasing in velocity even a little bit. I was worried it would break through the wall, with it being previously shattered and still incomplete, but my worries were put to rest when the wall didn’t budge. The statue bounced off, reduced to a simple observer as it glared through the remaining hole.
Its lone crimson eyes imprinted upon my memories as the final piece covered it up, isolating the statue in its entirety. Blue light shined briefly from the cracks and I glanced away. When the light subsided, the wall had been restored to its former glory; not a single scratch, dent, or crack to speak up. One would never imagine that it had been broken into a thousand pieces.
I let loose a sigh that contained all the pent up stress and worry, leaning against the side of the tunnel. It would be wise to get as far away from the pit and the statue as possible, but for now, I needed to recharge my energy reserves.
Species: Gelatinous Cube (Level 5)
Subspecies: Trans-Phase Cubic Beast
Stats:
Magic Point (MP) : 25/60
Health Point (HP) :29/45
Strength Point (SP) :13/33
Endurance Point (EP) :8/35
Agility Point (AP) :8/28
Species Skills:
* [Subsumption] Level 1
* [Infirm Regeneration] Level 4
* [Adaption] Level 1
* [High-Tier Intelligence] Level 1
* [Innate Connection] Level 1
Skills:
* [Body Manipulation] Level 7
* [Weapon Generation] Level 5
* [All-Tongue] Level 1
* [Venom Resistance] Level 1
* [Fire Glyph] Level 7
* [Super-Sensory Perception] Level 3
* [13 Skill Points]
* [Available Skill Slots:3]
I didn’t miss how there hadn’t been any notifications to signal I’d leveled up. Was it a simple lag problem or was the System retaliating in what petty ways or could? It was possible I was too caught up in the moment to notice, but it was something to look out for.
“Welp, I think this is the first battle so far that I’m not on the brink of dying afterward.” I noted. “I’ll take that as a win.” This was a sure sign that I was improving, right? Although I couldn’t take the credit for that, and we all knew it.
I studied the Wisp. If I didn’t know better, I would say that it was preening under my examination, like it was saying, I know I’m the best, deal with it. Of course, it probably wouldn’t string that many words together but the emotion was there regardless. Hmm, maybe I didn’t know better.
“Thanks,” I said. It was weird talking to the Wisp on amicable terms, but credit needed to go where credit was due.
The Wisp didn’t reply but increased the glow, completing a couple of loop-de-loops before sidling out of the tunnel. I soon followed it, unwilling to be near the statue any longer. It was probably still on the other side, pressed up tightly against the wall. I wasn’t coming back here anytime soon, that’s for certain.
Exiting the tunnel, I’d barely hit the ground before the air rippled. When I glanced at where the tunnel had been, I was met with a rough surface like the rest of the cavern. Further surveys of the changed landscape showed the two other tunnels had vanished as well.
“Stupid System,” I muttered under my breath. It was evident to me now that as long as I remained in the dungeon, I was always going to be outmatched in this game. The System had control over the dungeon to the point that it could probably be considered an extension of its will. It would warp the world until I didn’t know which way was up and down, until I wouldn’t be able to trust my own perception of direction, and I would be so boggled that I'd most likely enter the Lower Levels willingly. Even the most cautious human couldn’t avoid this fate by themselves.
But I had help. A creature who seemed unaffected by everything the System threw at me, an existence beyond the strongest monsters that I met. It wasn’t a coincidence that whenever I followed it, I never got duped by the System. The only problem was, how should I go about convincing it to aid me?
“I know we already made a deal, but let’s add onto that. You’ll actively help me. You’ll serve as my guide, leading me to the entrance of the dungeon. You’ll make sure I leave this dungeon alive, or you’ll try to the best of your abilities.” I declared, knowing full well how dangerous this was. Adding on new details to an agreement that was already tumultuous at best was a prime formula for betrayal, but sometimes, taking the plunge into unsteady waters was the way to ensure survival.
…Why?
“I’ll show you something you’ve never known before.” I flashed back to the interaction I had with the Wisp regarding my makeshift rock shelter. “You don’t understand certain concepts that most living creatures know, like ‘home’, and ‘danger,’ do you? In that way, you’re more foreign to humanity than any other creature I’ve met. In exchange for your help, I’ll teach you about them. I’ll teach you all the little things that make up humanity. And you get to decide whether you enjoy it or not.”
Ultimately, it was a finicky offer that anybody else would write off as a half-assed attempt to placate them. The Wisp, on the other hand, actually seemed to be giving this some consideration. I tried not to get my hopes up but when the alternative was wandering this hellscape alone, it was better to have some hope.
The Will-O’-Wisp brightened, shining bright enough to make my salvaged orbs burn. I maintained my gaze in case this was a test to prove my determination. The light abruptly cut off and the Wisp flew away, but at a decidedly more leisurely pace than before. Almost like it was inviting me to follow.
I guess that’s a yes?