Judging precisely where the drop started was difficult, so he had decided to take flight after exactly three paces.

Swinging his arms forward to aid his momentum, he hurled himself across the pitch-black expanse. Leaning forward with arms windmilling, Jeff hurtled through the gloom.

Success! His trailing feet brushed solid ground.

Triumphantly, he fell forward, touching down on the other side of the chasm in a three-point-landing, superhero style, alert for any potential danger.

You have passed a System generated test

Reward: One Omega Energy Point & Five Free Attribute Points

Your Speed Attribute has risen by 1

Your Cognition Attribute has risen by 1

The darkness around him had an almost deafening quality about it.

Remaining crouched for a moment to regain his bearings, Jeff finally stood up. Stretching his arms forwards, he once again resumed shuffling forwards through the dark.

After a few paces his fingers came into contact with solid stone. Probing to the left and right, his suspicions were confirmed when he found what appeared to be another passageway, identical to the one he had just left on the other side of the chasm.

Lacking any other options, Jeff set off down the new tunnel.

After a cautious minute of forward movement, Jeff’s eyes brightened as they caught sight of a flicker of light in the distance. Remaining alert for traps and more slime molds, he pressed on, his stride lengthening slightly as the light level increased in the tunnel.

As he advanced, more antique looking oil lamps hove into view, brightening the tunnel, which Jeff now saw was curving slightly to the left.

Finally, after another hundred yards or so, the tunnel opened up into a cavern, illuminated by oil lamps in sconces around the side walls.

More lamps hung from thick cast-iron chains, anchored to the rocky ceiling above. The lamps swayed backwards and forwards, buffeted by a steady wind blowing through the chamber. As they were blown, they cast complex shadows across the cave walls.

Jeff moved forward slowly until he had reached the end of the tunnel, then, cautiously poking his head out, he took a closer look around.

Before him lay a semi-circular area of ground, leading to another gaping chasm.

On the other side of the divide, a mirror image of his current location gave way to another tunnel entrance. The abyss dividing the cavern stretched off to both his left and right. Though whether this void was a continuation of the abyss Jeff had jumped across in the previous chamber, or a totally different one, he had no clue.

His eyes dropped to the ground before him, where he noticed a checker board pattern of tiles, each about two feet in width. The tiles were vibrantly colored: red, blue, green and yellow, seemingly scattered in a random pattern.

His gaming senses tingling, Jeff realized the layout before him resembled something like a classic puzzle test.

Casting his gaze around the chamber again, his eyes were drawn to a series of dark slits, interspersed around the top of the cavern walls, similar in design to medieval murder holes.

At the tunnel’s mouth, a row of four differently colored tiles lay before him. Stretching out beyond that, as the semi-circular space widened were more rows, their complexity increasing with each step towards the abyss. The tiles in each row grew in number, from six to eight, then ten, culminating in a final row of twelve along the lip of the precipice.

Jeff tapped the edge of the red tile directly in front of him, before leaping backwards into the tunnel.

Just in time too, as a crimson colored laser beam erupted from one of the ceiling slits, incinerating the surface of the tile and scorching the tip of his boot.

Jeff similarly tested the green tile, leaping back hastily. Once more, his prudence paid off as a emerald hued bolt of energy flashed from a ceiling slit, burning through the tile and blackening the surrounding stones.

Tapping the yellow tile triggered a blinding torrent of golden fire from another slot, which vaporized the tile and surrounding area Jeff had just vacated.

Jeff reached out to tap the blue square.

Nothing happened. Blue, it seemed, was the safe color.

Unfortunately, the blue tiles were in tragically short supply. Mapping out the mosaic of colored tiles before him, Jeff counted only four blue tiles scattered randomly across the forty tiles that completed the semicircle.

Each row contained a single blue tile, each awkwardly positioned: directly ahead in the first row, far right in the second, dead center in the third, far left in the fourth, and again far right in the fifth.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Peering beyond the abyss, Jeff could just about make out the location of the first blue tile on the other side of the divide; right in the middle of the row. The details of the rest were unclear—he realized he would have to map out the location of the blue tiles on the other side of the gap as he got closer.

An off-the-wall thought occurred to him as he was staring down at the tiles. What if he was looking at this all wrong? It seemed highly likely that any attempt to cross the tiles on foot could result in death, or at least serious injury.

This is like one of those old adventure games, with multiple ways to complete the same level. Sometimes the obvious route is a trap…

Jeff shifted his gaze upwards, towards the ceiling, and examined the lamps swaying back and forth in the perpetual gale.

The lamps dangled from a series of metallic chains, hanging down from the ceiling to a height roughly about fifteen feet above Jeff’s head.

Before entering this insane Tournament, Jeff would never have entertained the idea of jumping that high over such a wide abyss, but now, physically boosted, it seemed less far-fetched.

It was a plan—a daunting, perhaps suicidal one, but a plan nonetheless.

He retreated back down the tunnel and limbered up.

Then, wasting no time, he sprinted back towards the chamber at full speed. Launching himself forward from the first blue square, he soared over the deadly row of red, green and yellow tiles below, landing on the next blue tile with both feet. Using his forward momentum to propel himself upwards, he shot himself back into the air with explosive force.

Congratulations! Your Jump Skill has now reached Level 4

His grasping fingers closed around the base of the first oil lamp hanging from the ceiling.

For a moment he hung there, swaying in the perpetual wind, then he began to rock backwards and forwards, using his body’s weight to swing the heavy iron chain in the direction of the next lamp, around ten feet across the cavern.

Once he’d gotten enough momentum going, he released his grip, sailing through the air like a circus trapeze artist to catch hold of the next lamp in the series. He repeated this process one more time until he found himself hanging from the the lamp directly over the chasm that divided the chamber.

Steadying himself, Jeff risked a glance downwards into the gulf below. What he saw almost caused him to loose his grip on the lamp.

Bones. Some tarnished armor and rusty equipment, but mostly bones. A massive river of piled up bleached skulls, spinal columns, femurs, and other unidentifiable skeletal remains, some humanoid, others alien, spread out below him.

Jeff stared numbly down at the horrifying spectacle. Finally, after several long seconds, he roused himself; charting a safe path across the treacherous mosaic of tiles below, he again swung forwards and back, in a pendulum like motion, before letting go and flying towards the next lamp in the line.

Jeff continued jumping from chain to chain, swinging across the deadly red, green and yellow tiles, building up momentum before letting go and finally touching down on a safe blue tile. From there, he was able to hop scotch his way to the next beckoning tunnel.

You have passed a System generated test

Reward: One Omega Energy Point

Reward: Five Free Attribute Points

Your Cognition Attribute has risen by 1

Your Speed Attribute has risen by 1

Your Vitality Attribute has risen by 1

Your Endurance Attribute has risen by 1

Jeff stepped through a doorway at the end of the tunnel, his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting to be met with an unexpected sight.

Not another cave or tunnel system, as he had expected. Instead, he stood on a darkened field of some kind stretching forwards into a gloomy distance, illuminated by sparse ghostly lights hanging overhead, interspersed between patches of inky blackness.

Due to the low level of light, Jeff could not work out if he was in an enclosed space or indoors, if the gloam overhead was a ceiling or a sky. The twinkling lights above could be stars, or they might equally be some type of artificial illumination.

One thing was clear, the overpowering aura of Death hung over this place.

A large battlefield spread out before him—the signs of war all around. Corpses littered the blood soaked ground, some creatures resembling carrion crows picking at their flesh. A fell wind picked up, blowing the smell of rotting flesh and decomposition into his nostrils, causing his nose to wrinkle with distaste.

Stepping forward, Jeff noted one unexpected boon amidst the bleak landscape—the air around Jeff was particularly rich with raw mana, meaning he would be able to make plentiful use of his Skills without worrying too much about the usual constraints.

Jeff’s attention flashed to his HUD as the mini-map glowed to life, indicating that the dungeon exit lay some eight hundred meters east of his position.

Equipping his newly looted Janissary Long Sword, he moved forward, the feel of Leech’s hilt in his hand giving him some comfort in the grim environment.

It wasn't long before Jeff encountered his first dungeon mob.

A rotting corpse that had been prostrate on the mud-streaked ground suddenly lurched into a semblance of life, rearing up in his path.

A fucking zombie!… Jeff groaned internally.

He had thought this shit-show of a Tournament couldn’t get any weirder. Big mistake…

The creature, an undead Kobol according to [Identify], brandished a large double-headed battle axe with practiced ease, its other hand gripping a round, battered leather shield.

RACE: Kobol (Undead Husk), Grade I

HIT POINTS (HP): 50/50

MANA POINTS (MP): 10/10

REWARD: 10 Coins

The Kobol species, humanoid in form, are to be found populating countless planets across the System universe. Renowned for their formidable combat skills, these fearsome fighters are often employed as personal bodyguards or mercenaries within elite fighting units. This Kobol has been deceased for some time. Its current reanimated ‘husk’ state is due to the application of Necrotic Energy.

Despite its decaying and gruesome appearance, the dungeon dweller reeked of lethal intent.

Holding Leech with a firm grip, Jeff stepped forward, bracing himself to meet the approaching monstrosity. He noted with a shudder of distaste the revolting sight of maggots writhing in its empty eye sockets and the ooze of putrefaction dripping from its ragged form.

Man the hell up, you goddam pussy, he told himself sternly, attempting to still the shivers that plagued him at the sight of the rotting corpse.

The husk's advanced state of decay did little to hinder its movements, unfortunately.

The Kobol hoisted its battle axe high above its head, quickening its advance. As it closed in on him, it swung the axe downward with uncanny speed, aiming a deadly blow towards Jeff’s head.

Jeff’s reflexes kicked in as he deflected the blow with the flat of his sword, the axe’s head skittering down the length of his blade and kicking a shower of sparks off Leech’s cross-guard.

Using the momentum from the deflection, Jeff executed a 360-degree spin on the ball of his foot. In one smooth motion he plunged the sharp point of his longsword into the undead assailant.

Have some of that, you asshole…

Jeff continued pushing forward, completely running the zombified Kobol through. To his astonishment, despite pushing his sword hilt-deep into its chest, it had absolutely no effect on the creature. It leered at him, pushing forward against Leech’s cross-guard, its hideous face perilously close to his own.

The Janissary long sword, twitched in his grip, grumbling. Through his growing affinity with the blade, Jeff felt Leech signal its distaste for this type of enemy.

The zombie, meanwhile, completely unfazed by the impalement, raised its axe aloft once more—its movements still unnaturally swift considering its state of decay.

With a brutal chopping motion, the Kobol aimed for Jeff again, forcing him to hastily withdraw his sword and move back a step, narrowly dodging the lethal arc of the axe.

He retreated a couple more steps, then lashed out with a swift horizontal sweep, aiming for its axe arm.

Jeff’s attempt to gain the upper hand failed, the zombie, moving with preternatural speed, deftly blocked his strike with its round shield. An eerie, grotesque smile stretched across the undead creature’s face, almost as if it was enjoying itself.

As Jeff watched in horror, he realized that the rictus grin was actually caused by a large rat, nestled in the Kobol’s mouth, which had chosen that moment to vacate the premises.

The rat pushed the zombie’s jaw open fully and departed, scurrying down the undead’s shoulder and fleeing across the battlefield, squeaking.