Genji followed the map given by the stranger and came upon a field of sand. It was a calm field, but Genji felt that something was off about it. It was almost too calm for the wilderness. If this was a normal area, he should have felt the occasional vibrations of shifting sand caused by sandworms, but there was nothing.
If this was closer to the city, he could attribute it to the guards hunting them down to ensure order but there should be the occasional worm that slipped through their net. However, this area had none of that, not even a single disturbance, which triggered Genji's senses. After all, the calmer something appeared, the bigger the secret it hid.
Genji picked up a roadside pebble and tossed it outward. The smooth stone sailed through the air and plopped into the ground, sinking without a sound. There was no doubt; this was a zone of quicksand.
Genji took out the map and did some calculations, confirming that he was at the marked location. Yet no matter how he looked, he couldn't spot anything that resembled a ruin. There was only a field of quicksand before him.
"Did he give me the wrong map?"
Genji considered this possibility but quickly rejected it. Why would that stranger give him a random map that pointed to this area? There must be something special about this area for it to be marked. It couldn't be something as simple as an inconspicuous danger zone. This was in the middle of nowhere, and people would never take this route.
Trusting this reasoning, Genji took out a rope and tied it around another rock. Next, he dismounted and slowly probed the perimeters of this area. If the rock sank, he would pull it out and detour around.
This repeated multiple times until he had covered the entire perimeter and ended back at the start. When he returned, Bruce gave him a confused look. 'Master, why are you throwing the rock and pulling it? If you want a toy, I don't mind playing with you. You don't need to look like an idiot, you know?'
"I'm not playing around. I'm testing something."
Hearing his explanation, Bruce's eyes were filled with strong doubt and a small trace of pity. 'Master finally lost it. How can he justify playing around with that? Who will even believe him? But that's not a bad reason. I'm not overindulging in meat, I'm testing the quality of the food. Yes, that's a good reason. I'm using that from now on.'
"Don't look at me like that. I'm serious."
Bruce only nodded and showed no other expressions, which was somehow a stronger argument than if he had expressed anything. 'Sure... So what did you find?'
"Whatever. I won't argue with you anymore. This area is smaller than it looks."
Question marks appeared above Bruce's tilted head, confused about what Genji meant.
"Literally what it means. The quicksand looks like it's a certain size, but the area it covers is smaller than that. It's inconsistent."
'How did you even know to look for that? And is this calculation accurate?'
"It is. I did a lot of these estimations before I entered EverRealm. You'll be surprised by how many secret rooms people build inside their homes. Anyways, that's off-topic. Right now, I just don't know how this is done. No matter where I look, I can't find where this extra space is. The perimeter I traced is the edge of the area, but the distance I covered is smaller. It's like space is warped here, and I'm..."
By the end of his rambling, Genji's eyes widened in realization.
"That's it! Space is warped here. That's the only explanation for this. Hey Bruce, do me a favor. As I walk around, mark my position every time this rings."
Genji took out a timer and drew the area outline in the sand. "You don't need to be accurate, but try to get my rough location."
After Bruce nodded in understanding, Genji repeated his walk at a constant pace, minimizing the room for error. If it was as he guessed, then this would reveal the problem. Thirty minutes later, Genji returned with a wide smile when he saw Bruce's recording.
"As I thought. This place is changing my position. Come, I know where the entrance is."
Genji led Bruce to the location where there were the biggest gaps in his recorded locations and looked around. After confirming the rough position, he unsummoned Bruce and activated Like A Feather. Then he dashed across the surface, using his light weight to move before he could sink.
Seconds later, Genji felt himself pierce a thin membrane before the scenery changed, and a large pyramid appeared before him. It was an old pyramid, bearing visible traces of discoloration, but was otherwise unmarked by the elements. Whatever the membrane was, it did a good job of protecting this ruin.
Genji observed the new environment and realized the previous field of quicksand had vanished behind him. Now, the only structures in sight were this pyramid and the two statues of Anubis that flanked its large entrance.
Genji canceled the ability and approached the door, brushing his palm across its rough surface. Then he pushed with all his strength, creasing the doors aside and filling his senses with the musty smell of stale dust.
Genji slipped past the heavy and activated his night vision to wander the quiet hallways. Echoes of his footsteps sounded around him as he traversed these long, narrow hallways. Suddenly, Genji felt his foot sink, accompanied by a soft click.
Without hesitation, he dove aside and rolled away, barely avoiding the arrows that filled the air above him. When everything calmed down, the corridor walls were covered in a hail of arrows, all vibrating intensely. Whoever made these arrows, they were skilled. And these were no common arrows either. At the force they were shot at, Genji would have been severely injured if he didn't react in time.
Genji took out a stone and tossed it again. There was no response, but when he stepped over the area again, he triggered another trap. After one sharp pivot, Genji narrowly avoided the sweep of a blade.
"Weighted pressure plates. I don't think I can take this route."
Genji carefully plucked some arrows from the wall and used them to shimmy himself above the ground. Both of his arms reached out, stabbing the tips into the sturdy walls and leveraging himself across the trapped floor.
To his dismay, he triggered another trap halfway through, filling the hallway with a spew of flames. Sensing the dangerous temperatures, Genji activated his Quantum Shield and dropped down.
Then without care for the traps, Genji made a mad dash for the distant exit. Spikes shot up from behind him, arrows filled the corridor, floor tiles fell away into nothingness, and large axes hacked at him.
Genji ignored everything but the axes that could disrupt his dash, trusting that his protective barrier could hold out. Seconds later, he leaped into an open room as the corridor collapsed behind him, narrowly avoiding being buried under the rubble.
"What the hell. How did they even fill such a small space with so many traps? Isn't this ruin explored already? Why are so many traps triggering? Those don't look resettable either. Did I get lied to? But this is the correct place. Nothing makes sense anymore."
Genji shelved his doubts and observed the three paths before him. He was going to have to pick one, but he had the feeling that only one of them was correct. The other two would be death traps that aimed to kill him.
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"Total bullshit," he muttered and summoned three shadow figures.
After setting them in a safe position, he activated Untraceable Movement and flashstepped down the middle path. Even more traps went off behind him, with one of them dropping a giant boulder of spikes after him. Genji ran down the winding hallways, making turns left and right, but it followed him like a persistent stalker.
Something was tracking his movements and adjusting the boulder to follow him. Minutes later, he came upon a dead end and was forced to teleport back.
At the change of scenery, Genji threw himself down another tunnel without wasting a single moment. Dance of Death only lasted 10 minutes, and he had to find the correct path before then. Otherwise, he would be gambling with his life or be forced to end his exploration.
Luckily, the second path was correct, and he came upon a set of stairs that dipped downward. Genji sat down and recovered his energy before descending deeper. As he set foot on the next floor, a series of rooms and crossing hallways greeted him.
Many of these rooms were missing a door, leaving only a rectangular cutout on the walls. Walking into one of these rooms, Genji found multiple clay jars stacked in a corner. Genji removed the cloth covering one of them and spotted numerous bugs crawling about inside. He calmly returned the covering and walked out, continuing his exploration elsewhere.
After a few rooms, he found a room with a raised table and bandages. A few red vases with fancy paint stood beside this table, further accenting the importance of this room. On the wall, a tool case made of thick crocodile leather hung, portraying the owner's strength. Genji walked over and examined the rusted ritual knives before walking out.
This room was fancier than the others, so he must be on the right track. Following this direction, Genji found countless traces of life on this floor. It was as if people had once lived here before they abandoned this grand structure. It was a strange occurrence since so many daily items were left behind.
As he went deeper, he noticed that the rooms decreased in number, paving the way for bigger, more luxurious ones. Furniture soon appeared, adorning the previous bland rooms with a bed and chairs. The biggest of this bunch was the cafeteria, filled with dining tables and dusty cutlery.
Shortly after, he found a large room with a statue of a lion's body and human head. Prayer mats covered the floor, all positioned in a geometric pattern around the old statue.
'That must be the Sphinx. What a strange face it has.'
Genji stepped out and eventually found himself in a grand room filled with elaborate stone sculptures and jewelry, all neatly lining the wall shelves. It was bigger than even the cafeteria, attesting to the wealth gathered here.
And in the middle of all this, was a large, golden sarcophagus with black markings sprinkled around the surface. Genji approached this grand coffin, intending to open it, but something beat him to the task.
*Click.*
Genji instantly jumped back from the triggered pressure plate, but the expected attack never came. Instead, a large stone door dropped and blocked the exit. Then, all the cindered torches lining the walls lit up in sequence, with the outer ones first and leading toward the sarcophagus.
When the last torch ignited, a dim lighting cast over the room, illuminating the golden sarcophagus. Lines that Genji took merely as decorations lit up as well, giving the coffin an ethereal glow.
When this light reached its peak, it blinked out, and the lid slid aside. A bandaged hand reached out and grabbed the side, leveraging on the support to pull its owner up from its dormant position.
[Tomb Guardian, Haruk]
Health: 15,500/15,500
Black Energy: 840/840
Con: 35
Str: 37
Dex: 33
Int: 28
Spc: 21
Skills:
- Boss (Passive): +12,000 health
- Embodiment of Darkness (Passive): Convert normal energy to Black Energy at 1.5x and gain +8 resistance to curse abilities
- Undead Slumber (Active): Enter a state of coma and sleep for thousands of years or until awakened.
- Scimitar Grandmaster
No other skills can be read.
As Haruk, the mummy, stood up, Genji appeared before it with a beheading strike. Genji would be a fool not to capitalize on this opening when his opponent was vulnerable and let him get ready.
A dagger of shadow flames swept through the neck, but Genji knew that this fight was far from over. The instant before his dagger made contact, Haruk's neck emitted black smoke and turned into a pile of bugs. Genji's strike had killed most of them, but Haruk's health barely moved.
Genji sensed this and changed his attack trajectory, plunging his other dagger into the skull. Similar to before, Haruk transformed the target location into bugs, negating it.
However, Genji refused to give up and delivered a harsh kick to the stomach. Feeling the solid rebound, Genji knew his attack connected and followed up with a stream of attacks. Bug corpses sprayed everywhere as Genji aimed for one fatal point after the other, supporting the combo with sudden kicks.
Due to the seamless flurry, Haruk could only focus on dematerializing the dangerous positions on his body rather than anywhere else. This barrage cut off Haruk's room for counterattack and forced him to a vigilant defense. It was a horrible situation because if this continued, Genji would combo him to death.
Haruk quickly realized this and allowed a critical attack to land to make room for retaliation. Genji brought up his dagger to block, but Haruk's arm transformed into bugs and bypassed it. Assessing the situation instantly, Genji instinctively launched another kick.
*Slunk Crash.*
Both of their attacks collided at once, sending each other backward. Genji's vision blurred from the impact, but he took this chance to activate Berserk. Then, using sound as a locator, he kicked off toward the cracked walls that encased Haruk.
As he neared, a pitch-black scimitar greeted his face. Genji's eyes dilated, and his brain went into overdrive, conveying countless possibilities to his mind. The next moment, he snapped out of it and stomped down hard, sending himself twirling past it. Then two flashes of metal creased through the air and two blotches of blood stained the walls.
Haruk's head slid apart, but it quickly reassembled with the assistance of more bugs. Genji sensed Haruk's energy take a huge dip from this maneuver, but before he could capitalize on it, Haruk jumped back.
From these exchanges, Haruk knew he was outmatched, and staying in melee range was perilous. As he sailed backward, his body slowly broke apart into a sea of bugs that swarmed Genji. It was another costly ability, but it was required to ensure the retreat.
Genji quickly pulled out a gallon of gasoline and drew an arc. Then, before the liquid could fall, Genji ignited the contents, forming a blanket of flames. All the bugs rushing at him flickered through this coating and ignited, becoming cinders before they could reach him.
[Curse Bearer] appeared and shot a large sphere through this covering, catching fire and igniting many more bugs. Moments later, it exploded and doused the entire area with debuffs, further weakening them.
Genji chucked the remaining gasoline at the horde before popping it with a pebble. A lighter subsequently followed and started a second combustion. Another gallon soared through the air, turning this bonfire into a sea of brightness. Cauterized bugs fell like rain and emitted a funky smell before dissipating into energy and wafting back to Haruk.
Suddenly, Genji burst through the flames and launched another fierce attack at the astounded Haruk. In a sudden stroke of inspiration, Genji simulated the violent properties of Shadow Devour. As he stabbed him, Genji channeled this into Haruk's body without care, instructing it to rampage. It was not his body, so he didn't need to worry about internal injuries. Rather, the more unstable it was, the better.
This unbridled energy clashed violently with Haruk's own, generating an explosion that forced another insect transformation. Blood spewed from Haruk's mouth as his internal organs tore from the impact.
Genji switched to a backhand grip and swiped at Haruk's counterattack. Wary of Genji's energy, Haruk twisted his arm aside, dislocating it, but outside of Genji's trajectory.
The next moment, a huge mental impact hit Haruk, dazing him. By the time he recovered, Genji's dagger was directly above his head and cleaving downward to bisect him. The pain hit him and Haruk rushed to dematerialize his body below to avert any more damage.
Genji sensed the fluctuation and twisted his weapon mid-swing. Then he yanked the dagger free, ripping off a quarter of Haruk's head. As this quarter slid off, its single eye widened in shock.
'How can he have such fast reactions? No one should be able to change his attack like that!'
Haruk glimpsed that another metal streak was heading for him and made up his mind. With a crazed look, his remaining energy vanished, fueling his final attack against Genji.
Bandages with blotches of decay unraveled, revealing a withered body with numerous aged spots. Following that, Genji's dagger swept diagonally upward, cleaving the head again. This time, Haruk had a dangerous smile as his body crumbled into bugs.
But unlike the bugs summoned in previously, these bugs were bigger and more tenacious in vitality. Jagged mandibles extended outward like a tool solely for carving up flesh. A horrible clanking sound came from their jaws, informing Genji of their horrible power.
Suddenly, these bugs lunged at Genji, point-blank, giving him no time to dodge. But as they swarmed him, they met with formidable resistance. Genji pushed Solid Core to its limits, paralyzing his entire body with full crystallization. Jagged mandibles ground against his skin, sending strong signals of pain, but he was otherwise unaffected.
Under normal circumstances, this attack would have shredded anyone within the same stat range, but Genji had a shadow core to boost his abilities beyond his stat range. Pairing that with the unique techniques he had developed on the edge of death, Genji defied expectations and emerged unharmed.
When the remaining energy ran out, the bugs fell and died, signaling the end of the battle. Genji undid his crystallization, and his skin became inflamed with countless red marks, the aftermath of the previous attack.
"Solid core has reached such a level. How wonderful," he commented, drinking a potion to recover from his exhaustion.
[You have slain: Tomb Guardian, Haruk]
[Your maximum energy has increased by 26]
[You have obtained: Tomb Guardian's Key]
[Tomb Guardian's Key]
Rating: Uncommon
Description: A key to a treasure Haruk was guarding. If you can find it, you may have a surprise. If not, you can trade this in for an epic item.