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“Phew. Let’s do this.”
The words came out quieter than I’d intended, barely more than a whisper. My voice didn’t carry, swallowed up by the cavern’s oppressive stillness. Good. The last thing I needed was for one of those creatures to hear me psyching myself up like some rookie idiot about to charge into certain death.
I crouched down, pulling my stuff closer as I went through my gear one last time. Bombs—check. I ran my hand over the satchels tucked neatly into the pack, feeling the faint hum of energy through the reinforced cloth. The crystals inside were stable—well, stable enough and I prayed they wouldn't betray me when I needed them most.
Next came my weapons. My sword was sharp, its edge gleaming faintly even in the dim light. My spear, now fitted with its improvised retrieval rope, lay beside it, its weight reassuringly familiar in my hand as I gave the rope a final tug to ensure the knots held firm. My shield sat strapped to my arm, its surface worn but dependable, the faint lines of its enchantments pulsing faintly with Exira’s energy. Good. That’s everything.
No excuses now, Lexi.
I stood, adjusting my armor as I shifted my weight from foot to foot. The Notics set clung to me like a second skin. Exira coursed through it in steady waves, activating the enchantments woven into the material, drawing the shadows around me closer, merging me into the darkness.
As long as I don’t do something stupid, like trip over a rock or sneeze in front of an elite, I should be fine. Probably.
I moved to the edge of the small alcove I’d been in, peering down into the cavern below. The sea of monsters stretched out before me, a chaotic, restless mass of claws, teeth, and coiled muscle. But now, after nearly nine hours of watching, waiting, I could see the cracks in their defenses, the patterns in their movements. Most of the lesser creatures had settled into a state of uneasy rest, their massive bodies sprawled across the stone floor in disorganized clusters.
Some twitched occasionally, letting out low growls as they dreamt—or whatever passed for dreams in these abominations. Others remained eerily still, their sides rising and falling in slow, steady breaths.
The elites were more alert, pacing in restless circles near the pillar. I’d counted them earlier—six in total, each one radiating an oppressive aura that made the air feel heavy, suffocating. They moved with purpose, their sharp, predatory eyes scanning their surroundings even as their movements grew sluggish, tired.
The Overlord, on the other hand, hadn’t budged an inch. It remained coiled around the pillar, its massive form radiating power, its eyes closed as if in a state of deep, meditative stillness. But I wasn’t fooled. That thing wasn’t asleep—it was waiting and quite possibly near evolution.
“Yeah, no pressure,” I muttered, forcing a wry grin that I didn’t feel. My fingers brushed against the hilt of my sword as I glanced at the map pinned to the wall behind me, the rough lines and crude marks serving as a reminder of just how insane this plan was.
This is your moment, Lexi. Your one-shot escape attempt. No do-overs. No retries. No second chances. I clenched my fists, feeling the gauntlets of my armor tighten slightly around my fingers.
For a fleeting moment, my mind drifted to my family—half-formed memories of a distant, familiar warmth that felt just out of reach. I didn’t know where they were or what kind of mess I’d stumbled into, but I knew one thing for certain: if I could just reach them, they’d fix this. My mom would fix this. She always did.
I shook my head, snapping myself out of it. Focus. This wasn’t the time for wishful thinking. I had a job to do.
“Alright, Lexi,” I said under my breath, rolling my shoulders as I tried to work the tension out of them.
I let out a faint chuckle despite myself, the absurdity of the thought cutting through the weight pressing on my chest.
I crouched lower, taking a slow, deep breath as I drove Exira deeper into my armor, letting its energy flow through me, sharpening my senses, heightening every fiber of my being. The shadows around me seemed to shift, pulling closer, the darkness wrapping itself around my frame like a protective cloak. My heart rate slowed, my breathing evening out as I let the power settle into place, a steady hum in the back of my mind.
This was it. The monsters below were at their most vulnerable—resting, recuperating, oblivious to the chaos I was about to unleash. I couldn’t afford to waste this opportunity.
One final breath, deep and steady, and I leapt forward. The ledge gave way beneath my boots as I jumped down, my body merging with the shadows as I landed silently on the cavern floor. The cold stone felt solid beneath my feet, the air thick with the acrid scent of monsters, blood, and decay. My pulse quickened, but I pushed the fear down, focusing on the task ahead.
Stay low. Stay quiet. Don’t get noticed.
Thud.
I landed softly, the soles of my boots touching the stone floor with a muted sound that barely stirred the air. For a fleeting second, I stayed perfectly still, my knees bent, one hand brushing the ground as I steadied myself. My heart pounded in my ears, but my breath was steady, controlled, as though my body hadn’t yet realized the madness of what I was about to do.
There was no turning back now.
The air was thick, heavy with the stench of sweat, blood. My eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light, the faint, unnatural glow of the pillar illuminating the massive cavern ahead. The monsters were still there, scattered across the space like living, breathing obstacles, each one a potential death sentence.
I could feel Exira coursing through me, responding to the resolve I forced myself to hold onto like a lifeline. It grew sharper, denser, the energy refining itself as I channeled it inward, drawing it up to Level 1 with an almost instinctive precision. The familiar hum settled over me, strengthening my senses, enhancing my body’s natural capabilities. My breathing deepened, each inhale filling me with a controlled power that sharpened my mind and quieted the noise in my thoughts.
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Fuuu.
I exhaled slowly, letting the tension bleed from my shoulders as my focus narrowed to a razor’s edge. With Exira boosting my cognitive functions, my thoughts felt clearer, faster, as if the clutter of fear and doubt had been wiped clean.
The world around me dulled, the colors fading to muted tones of black and gray as my mind shifted into a state of heightened concentration. The only thing that mattered now was the goal ahead.
“Everything from here on will be over in a few breaths,” I murmured under my breath, barely more than a whisper. My voice sounded foreign in the cavern’s eerie silence, swallowed up before it could even reach my ears.
This is it, Lexi. No distractions, no second-guessing. Just move.
Fuuu…. First breath.
The world blurred as I surged forward, Exira thrumming through my body, amplifying every muscle, every fiber of my being. My legs pumped with everything I had, the floor beneath me a fleeting blur of gray stone as I sprinted headlong toward the pillar.
The layer of sleeping lesser monsters blurred past me, their lumbering forms fading into the periphery as I closed the distance to the elites.
No alarms yet. No mistakes yet. Keep moving.
huuu… Second breath.
Grreeuk...
The first elite moved before I even saw it, its clawed arm cutting through the air with a sharp whistle, the attack aimed straight for my head.
Instinct kicked in, Exira surging reflexively as I tilted to the side, the claws passing so close that I could feel the rush of air across my face.
Swish.
Not today
My sword flared to life, the crackle of Exira wrapping around it as I struck with a quick burst of peak Level 1 strength attack. The ugly lizard elite faltered, its body stiffening, its snarl freezing in its throat. That hesitation was all I needed. My blade punctured its neck with a sickening crunch, piercing scales and muscle as blood sprayed across the stone floor.
The monster collapsed with a guttural sound, but I didn’t stop to watch it fall. Another quick burst of Exira shot through my body, propelling me forward as I broke past its crumpling form. My breaths came sharp and fast, each one fueling the burning fire in my legs as I drove onward toward the pillar.
Fuuu… Third breath.
A chorus of snarls erupted behind me, guttural and furious, as the commotion drew the attention of the other elites nearby. They rose in unison, their eyes locking onto me, their movements predatory and swift.
I didn’t need to look back to know they were coming. I could hear the scrape of claws against stone, the thundering impacts of their heavy strides as they closed the distance, and the low, growling fervor that made my skin prickle.
Gritting my teeth as I pushed Exira higher, forcing it to Level 2. The strain hit me instantly, a sharp, throbbing pressure in my temples that threatened to split my focus. My lip stung as I bit down hard, trying to ground myself, to ignore the telltale warning signs of overuse.
Focus, Lexi. Don’t break now. No need for irrelevant thoughts now…
Two elites—both hulking brutes, their forms rippling with unnatural muscle—rushed me from the front, their yellow eyes gleaming with bloodlust. My gaze darted between them, my mind racing to calculate my options. Behind them, the cavern opened into the boss’s layer, the imaginary line between death and worse-than-death running straight between their snarling forms.
Fu huuu…. Fourth breath.
The elites were on me, their claws raised high, their movements a blur of raw, physical power. But I waited, forcing myself to hold still, to keep moving forward at a controlled pace. My muscles screamed for action, but I forced them to stay steady.
Wait for it… wait for it.
The first was inches away, its claws raised for a downward slash that would have gutted me where I stood. At the last possible moment, I struck. A burst of Exira surged through me, snapping into both elites at once, freezing them mid-lunge. Their bodies went stiff, their momentum carrying them forward like broken puppets as they slammed into the ground in front of me with a bone-shaking crash.
“Thanks for clearing the way,” I muttered, leaping over their prone forms without missing a beat.
The strain of maintaining Level 2 Exira burned like a white-hot ember in the back of my mind, my focus beginning to waver under the pressure. My calves felt like they were on fire, each step sending a fresh jolt of pain up my legs, but I couldn’t slow down. More elites were closing in from either side, their snarls and howls blending into a cacophony of chaos that seemed to echo from every corner of the cavern.
huuuuff… Fifth breath.
I ducked low, narrowly avoiding the claws of an elite that lunged for my back, its attack passing just inches above my head. Another elite dove for my legs, but I twisted mid-step, using Exira to propel myself sideways, my body barely clearing its snapping jaws as I hit the ground rolling. The impact jarred me, but I pushed through it, springing back to my feet and driving forward.
And then, suddenly, I felt it—a shift in the air, a weight that pressed down on me like the crushing force of a tidal wave. I stumbled, my breath catching in my throat as an overwhelming presence bore down on me, suffocating and unrelenting.
Shit…No…
My head snapped up, my eyes locking onto the Overlord.
It had moved.
Its massive, coiled form was no longer resting against the pillar. Its head was raised now, its piercing yellow eyes fixed on me with a cold, calculated fury. The air around it seemed to hum with raw energy, the faint, rhythmic pulse of the pillar amplifying as if in response to its awakening.
“Great,” I muttered, my voice barely audible over the sound of my own heartbeat. “Of course, you’re awake now.”
The Overlord’s gaze was unrelenting, its massive jaws parting slightly to reveal rows of jagged teeth as it let out a low, rumbling growl that reverberated through the cavern. The sound sent a chill down my spine, my body instinctively recoiling as every instinct screamed at me to run.
But I couldn’t stop now. Not when I was this close.
Clenching my fists, I forced myself to keep moving, my eyes fixed on the pillar ahead. The elites were closing in, and the Overlord’s gaze burned into the back of my mind, but none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered now was reaching the pillar.
Five breaths down, I thought, the words a grim reminder of how little time I had left. No stopping now. No turning back.
With every ounce of strength I had left, I pushed forward, the burning fire in my legs forgotten as the towering presence of the pillar loomed closer, its pulsing light reflecting in my wide, determined eyes.
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