POV: Akir

"Great!" I threw up my hands in frustration.

'Of course, I was transported before she could tell me what she meant.' I thought and shook my head. 'Well, it was probably some nonsense anyway.'

After looking at the black object in my hand, I took my shirt off and put it against my chest. The object the attached it to me like it was conscious, and what followed was a burning sensation that enveloped my whole body and made me want to rip the thing off. It gradually got more bearable, and after it faded completely, I put my shirt back on, leaving the armor there to maybe help me out one day.

My injuries hadn't healed fully yet, so I decided it would be best to remain in the preparation room until they healed completely. With the food there was on the dining table and the water in the bathroom, I could last for a few weeks, but I was sure I would be healed in 3 to 5 days.

So for the next few days, I rested. It was the most peace I had ever experienced. It was dead silent. Sometimes the silence felt calm, sometimes boring, and occasionally it was terrifying. However, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

It didn't take long before I had healed, and ready to move into the next ruin.

As usual, I walked into the tunnel fearlessly with my dagger in hand. I marched all the way to the end of the tunnel where a large door stood that had nothing on it. I didn't think much of it, and walked closer. Then, without even making contact with the door, it opened, revealing a beautiful scenery full of leaf trees and pointy mountains.

Upon seeing that, I stepped back.

It wasn't right. Walking through the door felt like stepping into a trap. On previous occasions I had to work to get into the ruin, but now it felt like it was inviting me in.

I gathered myself and cautiously stepped in. But then the scenery changed. The trees that had been healthy and beautiful just a second ago were now burned, and the mountains had turned into sickly volcanos. The door has disappeared in an instant, so I was now stuck on this place.

I quickly adapted to the situation and looked around until I found something that caught my interest. There was a path towards the largest volcano that seemed like it had formed from many people walking the same way. With no other apparent options, I started walking the path.

While I walked, my mind was surprisingly quiet. There wasn't much that could scare me at this point. Still, I had my guard up the whole way to the volcano, since the place I was in seemed quite eerie.

Getting to the volcano took tens of minutes, but once I got to the end of the path, there was a dark cave that went inside the volcano waiting for me.

"This doesn't seem nice." I said out loud.

"Indeed, it isn't." I heard a voice resembling that of a middle-aged man from my right.

I didn't have time to wonder how he got there, and summoned my dagger, which I put against the man's throat too quickly for him to react. That was when I noticed that the man was light blue, like a hologram.

"What are you?" I asked, still holding the dagger against his throat, even though I didn't think such a weapon would work on him.

"Easy there. I'm simply a ghost that is here to serve as your guide," the light blue man answered with an innocent tone.

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"Guide? Where are you going to guide me?"

"Through this cave, of course."

I turned to look at the dark cave and then back at the so-called guide, "Why would I want to go in there?"

"To get the treasure. That's why everyone goes in there."

"What is the treasure?"

"I don't know. You can find out by getting to it."

'How absurd. Well, there's no other option. This is what I was brought here for.' I thought as I shook my head.

"Let's get moving then." I said and started walking towards the cave. "Would you care to explain to me what I'm going to face in the cave and how you're going to help me."

"I don't know what you're going to face, but my mates and I faced some ugly monsters and harsh conditions. As for your second question, I'll give you some guidance and mental support." the guide explained.

I raised my brows with an unimpressed expression, and then stepped into the cave. Immediately after entering, I was faced with a wave of hot air that made me uncomfortable very quickly.

I couldn't see anything in the dark cave, so I asked the guide for the guidance he was supposed to provide.

"What do I do now? Am I supposed to navigate in the darkness?"

"No, just stay still and wait. You're gonna get dropped."

"What do you mean dro—" I was saying, when suddenly I was standing on nothing but air.

It was dark, so I wouldn't have known that I was falling if it wasn't for the fluttering of my clothes and the feeling in my stomach.

Then I saw light once again. Unfortunately, it was from below, and it wasn't from just any harmless light source. The light came from lava.

"Hey, what do I do?!" I asked the relaxed looking ghost on my left.

"Don't worry, you won't die," he answered, waving me off.

"What are you talking about?! There's lava there!" I yelled, but then, just as I was about to fall into the lava, stone appeared below me.

I safely landed onto the stone and surprisingly didn't feel much of an impact. Afterward, looked around to discover that I was in a stone dome that had a floor of stone with symbols in it that were in the form of lava pits.

"Oh, I guess you get to experience the same first level that I did." the guide commented after seeing the surrounding structure.

"Huh? What am I supposed to do here?"

"Just kill the thing."

I looked around me and then back at the guide, "What thing?"

"Oh, you know. The thing. As in, the big chunky thing with the really dangerous sharp thing."

"Stop kidding around. Where is the thing I have to kill."

The guide revealed a sadistic smile, and pointed at the wall of the dome, "There."

Then the stone wall of the dome burst into pieces, revealing an enormous, hairy gorilla wielding a human-sized machete. Upon noticing me, the gorilla then let out a thundering roar as it beat its chest.

My mind went to the image of my corpse having been cut in two, with fury in my motionless eyes.

"So just got to kill that gorilla over there, and I'll make it out. You got any more guidance?"

"No further guidance. I wish you good luck. Tear that thing apart," the guide said, gazing at the gorilla with fury in his eyes.