--Fwoosh –Fwoosh

As Gii's consciousness returned, his ears pick up the sound of rushing water. Blinking his eyes awake, the first sensation he feels is that his body is drenched in water. Immediately following that is immense pain, so much so that he lets out a scream.

“AHHHHHHHH!!”

Every time he moves his body the aching worsens. Using every ounce of his willpower, Gii grits his teeth, rolls over onto his back and opens his inventory. Not caring about conserving anything he begins chugging recovery potions until the pain subsides. After 4 or 5 of the beginner potions he had saved, the pain finally subsides and he lays sprawled out on the sand with his feet extending into water.

After a few moments of rest, Gii's brain finally starts to work enough to process his situation.

Somehow.....i'm alive...

After the ambush Gii vaguely remembers jumping into the dust to hide from the golem's attacks, only somehow there was a giant hole in the ground. In an event like this it wasn't uncommon for there to be traps like pitfalls to hinder the player. However a pitfall would usually kill the player and send them back to their registered spawn point. Since this didn't do that...

Could this be....a secret area!?

For those who had played Listonia online, it was well known that the developers liked to hide all kinds of secrets in their game. Part of what made Listonia so fun was looking for such places. Therefore it was easy for Gii to believe that the developers had made such a place in HCO as well.

First things first, lets check out the surroundings.

Gii rolled to his side and forced himself to stand up, ignoring the dull ache that still lingered in his body. As he got up and looked out toward the water, a mesmerizing site filled his vision. A large ravine with a river flowing down the middle. On the sides of the ravine were magic stones similar to the one on his mining cap. Since they were emitting a dull light he couldn’t see far but he could tell that this river was incredibly large. Enough that if it were on the surface it would surely have many villages dependent on it.

The area where he was standing was where the river made a sharp turn to his left. The sediment that had built up on this area was enough to create a small island about 20ft in diameter. Behind him was the wall of the cavern.

Hmm....what should I do now?

Gii was in a dilemma about what to do. It's not very often that you get a chance to enter a secret area, especially one that is only accessible in an event. However he was currently stranded on a small outcrop island of sediment.

Maybe the best thing is to suicide?

Dying in HCO wasn't that costly, at least at lower levels. Anytime a player dies in HCO their level progress is reset to zero. For lower levels they can get the experience back much faster than a higher level player. That's because the experience needed for each level increases exponentially. If a level 1 needed 100 experience, then a level 2 needs 200 and a level 3 needs 400 etc.

However dying many times in HCO could be very costly. Every time a player dies they will lose a little bit of their Spirit Bar. This is like an extra HP that only drops if you die. When it drops to zero it represents a soul degrading to the point where it can no longer be revived. They will then be sent to the Spirit realm and have to complete quests there in order bring it back to full. When a player dies with an empty Spirit Bar they will lose levels and possibly drop equipment. All of this was in place so that the players will avoid and fear death yet still enjoy the game to it's fullest.

Knowing all of this is the reason why Gii wasn't too worried about dying once or twice in order to revive at the spawn point. But he was still hesitant to go through with it. Even if he went back to the spawn point, there was no guarantee that he would be able to get back to this area.

I guess it's decided, I’ll just try to figure a way out

The first idea that entered into Gii's head was to make his way down the river. However everywhere he looked he could only see rock. There was nothing he could use to make a raft or boat. In addition to that there was no guarantee that following the river was the right move. He had no idea how long it would go on for or if it was even safe.

His next idea was to see if he could climb the wall and make it to the top of the ravine. Even though he couldn't see the top he figured it might be more plausible then floating down the river. He checked his inventory to be sure he still had everything. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw both his mining gear and the war hammer that he had somehow put away before losing consciousness.

He took out the mining gear and equipped it. When he did, the thought crossed his mind that he could tunnel his way out but when he checked the durability on his pickaxe he instantly threw that idea out the window.

Man, I wish I had bought an extra one...

Because Gii had used his pickaxe for extensive mining and combat, it's current durability was very low. So much so that he worried whether or not it would last until he reached the top.

Well...i won't know until I try.

Fortunately for Gii the wall behind him seemed very scalable. The glowstones that protruded out of the rocks and lit up the area were perfect for hand and footholds. Gii had never been rock climbing before but if he had to guess this would probably be the equivalent of one of the easier walls. That being said, doing this without any safety equipment would be crazy in real life. However, since he was bound to die if he just sat around, it was better than doing nothing.

He steeled his nerves and began the climb. First he would dig the pickaxe deep into the wall. Then he would grab onto a glowstone that was sticking out, Pulling himself up until his feet could reach one of the protruding stones. He continually repeated this process until he was a good 20 to 30 feet off of the ground. At this point It suddenly became apparent that this wasn't going to be as easy as he first thought. When he reached out to grab one of the stones, it jarred loose. If it wasn't for the pickaxe dug into the wall, he surely would have fallen.

I'll have to be more cautious...

He continued his climb, making sure to test his footholds before putting his entire weight into it. The higher he went the more his fatigue piled up. Because he didn't have a harness to rest on, his stamina was being drained rapidly. However Gii didn't give up and remained optimistic, he forced himself onward with pure willpower.

He kept climbing and climbing, focusing only on his next step, the next rock to grab. He had completely lost track of how long it had been since he started climbing. It was at this point, Gii did the thing he absolutely shouldn't have done, he looked down. Fear instantly enveloped him as he stared into the black abyss below. Only now did he realize that the sound of the river had completely died out and been replaced with silence.

Trying to kill the panic setting in he looked upward, surely he had to be close? However, he couldn't see anything. Only darkness surrounded him, it was like he was alone in a dark space, barely hanging onto a cliff. He pulled himself closer to the rock face and closed his eyes, desperately trying to calm himself. After a few moments he began to calm down, but the shock to his system made him realize just how dire his situation is.

Maybe I made the wrong choice?

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Gii's arms and legs were beginning to shake violently. He definitely wouldn't be able to hold on more than a few minutes. Looking for anything that could save him from this situation, he began to look around. As if to answer his calls, he could make out a vague crack in the ravine wall that looked to be just big enough for him to squeeze into. It wouldn't have been noticeable if it weren't for the glowstones.

Knowing it was his only chance to avoid falling, he began moving laterally along the wall towards it. Using every ounce of his strength he was able to force himself in the direction of the crack. Eventually he made his way to within an arm's reach of the crack but it was at this point he realized his grip was failing.

“Dammit, as if I'll die after coming this far!!!”

Screaming as if to boost his own morale, Gii used a last burst of strength to jump into the crack. Landing on a flat surface, he rolled forward and came to a stop on his stomach.

“heheheh....I made it.”

Sprawled out on what seemed to be a cave floor, he closed his eyes and his exhaustion overwhelmed him.

***

Springing awake, Gii hastily checked his surroundings before realizing that he was still inside the cave in the side of the ravine.

I fell asleep?

Checking the game clock on his character screen showed that he had only been out for a few hours. Gii got up from the ground and rubbed his aching limbs. After checking to make sure he was still in good health, he turned his attention to his surroundings. To his surprise what he had jumped into was a small cave which was about 10 feet by 10 feet. However what was more surprising was what was at the back of the cave.

Isn't this a tunnel!?

Indeed, the back wall of the cave had crumbled away and revealed a passageway. This was not a naturally forming passage but a man made one, which was evident because it was made out of bricks.

“WOOHHOO!!! A way out! I did it!!”

Ignoring the aches in his body, Gii lept for joy. Excited about his newly discovered circumstances he rushed into the tunnel. However, it didn't take long for his hopes to be dashed. To his right was a long corridor leading into darkness and to his left was a staircase that looked to be leading upwards. The problem was that the ceiling had collapsed onto the stairs. From the looks of it, the ceiling collapse is what caused the wall of the cave to blow out.

Gii tended to think of himself as an optimistic person, but even he began to despair at this sight. A sinking feeling entered his gut and it took everything he had not to give into it. What broke him away from the spiral of negative thoughts was a glint of light in the corner of his eye. Turning his head in the direction of the corridor, he squinted his eyes and looked into the darkness.

What he saw was quite literally a light at the end of the tunnel. It was so far away that it was only a speck but it was definitely a bright white light.

“oi oi...this better not be some kind of metaphor or something.”

Because of the negative feelings that were still lingering he tried to avoid getting his hopes up.

well...i guess it's the only way to go?

Having no choice, Gii began the long walk down the corridor. As he walked through the corridor he marveled at the condition of the walls. Even though the tunnel seemed ancient there was hardly any degradation. As the light got closer and lit up his surroundings more he could get a better look at the stonework and instantly recognized it.

“This is Listonian architecture!”

Because he had played a great amount of HCO's predecessor, he was very familiar with the differences between the architecture of the current kingdoms and the old Listonian architecture.

Then...this has to be a remnant or ruin that was left behind?

The excitement began to build in Gii's chest and his pace picked up as he rushed toward the end of the corridor. As he approached the threshold of light, a familiar silhouette entered his sight. He slowed down to a walk and stopped just after passing through the doorway.

He had entered from the west side, into a large circular courtyard. The area itself was a hallowed out large cavern and he could make out a dome like shape carved into the rock on the ceiling. To his right, on the north side of the area, was what looked like the entrance to an old Greek temple. It had large white pillars that looked to be made out of some kind of marble. Everything was visibly aged and many parts of the structures were missing or falling apart. However, what caught Gii's attention the most was the thing in the center of the courtyard that had been emitting the light he had followed.

A large statue of what looked like a mage wearing a hooded robe was directly in the center of the space. He held his hands above his head with his palms facing each other, a common pose when casting attack magic. In between the statues hands. was a floating ball of light that lit up the entire area.

This.....this is a resurrection statue right?

The reason why the statue looked different from the one he had seen before, was because of the lore in this world. All of the resurrection Statue's were built in the likeness of one of three great heroes. These heroes had defended the mortal realm from a forgotten enemy in a forgotten time. However the people of this world may have forgotten their names but they never forgot their deeds. They were worshiped as gods and were the basis for all the available classes.

There was Eopas the Knight which all of the close combat classes tried to emulate. Crass the Ranger who specialized in long range weapons and strategy. Finally there was Xelox the mage who was said to be the first mortal to harness and control mana.

Gii strode forward in an attept to inspect the statue, but when he got close enough to see some of the details on the statue, he heard a sound when his foot touched the ground.

--SCHING!

A bright red magic circle appeared on the ground surrounding the statue.

“uh-oh”

The light from the circle quickly condensed and began to travel along the ground toward the statue. It traveled up the statue and twisted around the arms before entering the orb of light. As it entered, the light became more and more tinged with the reddish color. Gii could feel the heat rising and flames began to burst from the orb. Even though he knew what was happening it was all going so quick there was now way he would be able to stop it. The light completely entered the orb as the magic circle disappeared.

Gii barely had time to jump out of the way as a massive fireball was launched from the statue. Feeling the heat of the fireball as it whizzed past, Gii realized it wasn't aiming at him.

“Wait!”

But it was too late, the fireball was heading right for the doorway he had just came through.

--KABOOOM!!

A large explosion rocked the area. Gii collapsed to his knees, unable to believe what he just witnessed.

I could cry....

However there was a further assault to his mind when he was bombarded with multiple system messages.

You have discovered a Secret Dungeon

Cursed Ruins of the Gemstone Mines.

The following effects will be applied in the dungeon for 1 week.

Double Experience

Double Monster Drop Rates

Due to the restrictions of a quest, resurrection spot has been registered to Gemstone Mines Cursed Ruins Dungeon entrance.

The option to change Resurrection spot registration has been locked. In order to unlock it, the following must be completed.

Complete Quest: Escape from the Cursed Ruins!

Quest "Escape from the Cursed Ruins!" has been started

While exploring underneath the old Listonian gemstone mines you have come across some ancient ruins, remnants of a great empire. While exploring the ruins, a trap was triggered and blew up the only exit. You're only hope of escape now is to make your way through the ruins and look for an exit. But beware, who knows what other traps and tribulations await you inside...

Quest Difficulty: D

Quest Rewards: ???, unlock resurrection spot registration

Gii just stared blankly at the messages in front of his face. His mind had stopped working.

--GROUU~~

Suddenly a large growl came from his stomach and brought him back to reality.

Oh right...I haven't eaten all day

In order to make the world as believable as possible the developers had even put in things like hunger and thirst. Because Gii knew resurrection statues were also safe points in the world he calmly walked over to it and leaned his back up against the base. Since the orb had returned to normal he had assumed that what he triggered was a one time trap and didn't bother checking for others.

“sigh~~, all I wanted to do was hunt a little bit and raise my level.”

Taking a piece of bread out from his inventory, he took a large bite and leaned his head on hand while chewing. For a few minutes he sat in silence eating the bread and occasionally taking sips of the water he had brought. When he had finished everything and check the reserves in his inventory, he stood up and dusted himself off.

“Sigh~~ Let's figure out the next step then...”

Gii had quite the amount of mixed feelings at the moment. On one hand he couldn't help but feel weary and despair. All he wanted to do was go on a peaceful hunting excursion and raise his level a bit to get away from the grind of mining. On the other hand he had a once in a lifetime experience of exploring and attempting to conquer not only an undiscovered dungeon but a Secret one as well!

However if this dungeon was anything like the secret dungeons he knew of in Listonia online, then this would be far from easy to complete. On top of that this quest difficulty was D which was generally for players around level 20. Currently Gii was half that level which was not a very good sign.

“Well...can't say anything until I try. Worse case scenario I die too many times and end up in the Spirit realm. Hahaha!!”

As Gii's anxious laughter filled the cavern, he took out his war hammer and slung it over his shoulder while walking toward the entrance of the ruins.