As Travis walked deeper, the oppressive atmosphere grew heavier with every step. The mana in the air was so thick it seemed to coat his skin, each breath filled with its dense, electric tang. His senses struggled under the overwhelming flood, muffling even the faintest echoes of his footsteps. It was as if the Dungeon itself wanted him blind to its layout, its traps, and its lurking dangers. A chill ran down his spine at the thought of navigating this place without his sight—he wouldn’t have lasted a second.

The faint hum of mana vibrated through the air, almost like a heartbeat, and as he pressed forward, his mind wandered.

' How did this place come to exist? '

From what little he understood, Dungeons were supposed to be man-made constructs, but this one felt alive—ancient and predatory. The thought ignited his curiosity, despite the danger. How did people create something like this? He resolved to find the answers later. If he survived, the first thing he’d do was find a book detailing their creation. The mysteries gnawed at him, and now they felt personal.

After what felt like an eternity of trudging through the oppressive haze, Travis entered another chamber. The air here was colder, the mana sharper, prickling at his skin like a warning. The room stretched far and wide, the vaulted ceiling disappearing into shadow. The oppressive silence seemed to thrum with anticipation, each beat of his heart sounding like thunder in his ears.

He unsheathed his sword in one smooth motion, its blade catching the faint, eerie glow of ambient mana. His fingers tightened around the hilt, his muscles tensing as he surveyed the space.

“Hmm,” he mused, a small, wry smile tugging at his lips. “Must be a larger threat this time. Wonder what it’ll be.”

His voice was a whisper lost in the vastness of the room. A low rumble echoed in response, faint at first but growing louder, and his grip on the sword shifted, readying himself for whatever emerged from the shadows.

At that very moment, a loud, grating cackle reverberated through the chamber, filling the vast space with a sinister resonance. The sound seemed to come from everywhere at once, bouncing off the walls and amplifying its eerie effect. Travis's grip on his sword tightened instinctively, his heartbeat quickening as his eyes darted around, searching for the source.

Then, slowly, smoke began to swirl in the center of the room, curling and coiling like living tendrils. It gathered with an unnatural speed, thick and dark, obscuring the ground beneath it. Within the churning cloud, a shadow began to take form, vague at first but growing sharper with every second. Travis narrowed his eyes, his breath hitching as the figure solidified—a hulking silhouette that exuded malice.

The figure towered above him, its sheer size and presence daunting. A sharp chill crept up his spine as he tried to steady himself.

“So, I’m fighting one of them, huh?” he thought, a faint smirk forming despite the tension. “Well, one’s better than twenty, that’s for sure.”

Stolen novel; please report.

He shifted his stance, clenching his sword tighter, the leather of the hilt digging into his palm.

As the smoke dissipated, the creature came into full view. It was tall, its lean, sinewy frame covered in a sickly green hue that seemed to shimmer faintly under the ambient glow of the mana. Its eyes burned like embers, two pinpricks of fiery malice fixed squarely on him. In its clawed hands, it carried a massive blade, jagged and cruel, easily as tall as Travis himself. The weapon radiated menace, its edge gleaming dangerously. One swing from that thing could slice him in half long before he even got close.

“I guess that explains why the room’s so damn big,” he mused grimly, his lips pressing into a thin line.

The creature shifted, its movements eerily fluid, as if it had no weight despite its size. It raised its blade slightly, the sharp hum of metal slicing through the air sending a shiver down Travis's spine.

He took a deep breath, forcing his nerves to steady. He wasn’t going to let it rattle him.

Travis analyzed the situation quickly. The creature had the obvious advantage in reach, and with a weapon like that, it would aim to keep him at a distance. Getting too close would be suicidal unless he moved fast.

“This has to end quickly,” he thought, shifting his stance. The mana-drenched air seemed to crackle with tension as he locked eyes with the towering opponent.

The creature wasted no time, lunging forward with surprising speed for something its size. The blade came down in a deadly arc, slicing through the air with a high-pitched whistle. Travis barely sidestepped in time, the impact of the blade against the ground sending tremors through the chamber and kicking up shards of stone.

Travis darted to the side, closing the gap slightly, his sword flashing as he aimed a quick strike at the creature's side. It twisted with uncanny agility, its massive blade sweeping horizontally to force him back. The gust of wind from the swing nearly knocked him off balance, but he pivoted on his heel, avoiding the lethal edge by mere inches.

The monster pressed its advantage, slashing in rapid succession, each strike a blur of green and steel. Sparks flew as Travis deflected one blow with his sword, the impact jarring his arm and forcing him to retreat a step. His eyes darted around the room, looking for openings, for anything he could exploit.

He feinted to the left, drawing the creature’s blade in that direction, and then dashed to the right, closing the distance faster than it could adjust. His sword lashed out, slicing across its thigh. A spray of dark green ichor hissed as it hit the ground, sizzling against the mana-saturated air.

The beast roared, the sound shaking the very walls of the chamber. Its retaliation was immediate—a wide, sweeping slash that forced Travis to dive into a roll to avoid being cleaved in two. He came up on one knee, breathing hard but grinning.

“Not so tough up close, are you?” he muttered under his breath.

The creature didn’t give him a chance to recover. It surged forward, its massive blade carving through the space where he had been a heartbeat before. Travis ducked low, his sword flashing as he slashed at its abdomen. The blow connected, cutting deep, but the monster barely flinched.

Its blade came down again, and this time, Travis was a second too slow. The edge grazed his shoulder, tearing through fabric and flesh. He bit back a cry of pain, rolling away as the beast pressed its attack.

Blood dripped down his arm, but he ignored it, his mind racing. He couldn’t keep this up. The creature’s reach and strength were too much.

He leaped back, putting some distance between them, and gripped his sword tightly. The air around him shimmered as he began channeling his mana. Heat surged through his body, radiating outward as flames licked the edges of his blade. The fire roared to life, casting flickering shadows across the chamber.

The creature hesitated, its ember-like eyes narrowing as it sensed the shift in energy. Travis didn’t give it time to react.

With a burst of speed, he dashed forward, flames trailing behind him like a comet. The creature swung its blade in a desperate arc, but Travis ducked under it, his fiery sword slicing upward in a devastating arc.

“Burn!” he shouted, pouring every ounce of his mana into the strike.

The blade connected with the creature’s torso, the fire exploding outward in a brilliant wave. The monster roared in agony as the flames consumed it, the intense heat turning its green flesh to ash in seconds. It staggered back, its massive blade clattering to the ground as its body crumbled, the fire reducing it to little more than smoldering embers.

Travis stood there, his sword still glowing faintly with residual heat, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. The room was silent now, save for the crackling of dying flames.

“Fuck that was close” he muttered to no one in particular, a small, satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.

TO BE CONTINUED