*Cough*
My blood fell from my chin. The same as the blood that is surrounding my chest and stomach... they fell to the ground.
"Filth."
My sights moved...
*Woosh*
At this moment, I realized just how much "luck" I have in this game.
*BANG*
My vision was abruptly disoriented. This pain I feel, it's much worse than the time I had when I was at the hospital.
Not only that I feel the innate of my stomach flapping around, I feel that my head is about to explode as my sights themselves are tainted in a red hue.
"What is this…"
I can hear the monster getting close, I can see him being confused. Shifting his sword in sync with his body, turning left and right, then he turned around, towards me.
"They sent you?"
I feel like, I'm sitting on something big, something majestic, but it felt like a chair. I can't move my body. The monster, suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Lost One."
My head, my hair being pulled, and then the monster's face, his helmet, come close to facing mine. "To send such a pathetic worm into my domain…"
*Fwooosh*
Suddenly, I heard a large door opening and the paladin shouted, "They just don't give up, do they?!"
He leaves my head and turns around with his giant sword swinging.
*Groooooooooaaaaaaaaaaan*
A massive giant made of rocks appeared. The monster paladin stomped his foot on the ground, creating cracks and earthquakes.
*BOOOM*
The giant failed his foothold and has one of its foot stuck in the cracks, "To send unto me, only stones… Foolish!"
Splitting the wind, he dashes towards the giant and started running towards it. But his movement does not resembles that of a valiant warrior, but more like a wounded one.
(*Author's Note: Like Slave Knight Gael)
His swords shine in golden light and he thrust it into the giant, throwing it.
*BOOM*
The giant staggered once more but the monster paladin didn't let it catch a breath, he quickly launched himself unto it and impale his sword even deeper to the core of the giant.
*BWOOOOMH*
Its stone falls apart, and the monster paladin returns to his original spot with his sword in his hand.
"Whether it be demons and gods, if they were to be in the way of her ideal… I'll slay them all… and you stones included."
*Cough *Cough
Not good, my consciousness is fading. The sound of the music is deafening.
"Now I wonder… What do I do with you, oh Lost One?"
My eyes felt heavy, and soon as the monster step closer in, my vision shut itself down.
…
I don't know how long I have passed out, and it seems that I'm still not fully awake.
"Head to the Surface, Lost One."
! {New Objective Received}
~ {Quest: Trials of Unholy Light}
~ {Quest: Demise of the End King}
~ {Quest: The Unserving Guardian}
My eyes kept blinking, seeing the image of a menu screen appeared, and soon shut itself again.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
I can feel time passes. When I awake, that monster is nowhere to be found.
*D-I-N-G*
Echoing sound under my ears, almost deafened me.
! {Dungeon of the Fallen Guardian} !
Guardian, I remember that I just got something similar.
*Cough *Cough
I'm fine, there is no wound on my chest. "Ngh, this is not what I signed up for."
To think that I actually spawned near a monster, and almost died because of it too.
"All right, calm down."
"The basics, learn how things work."
"How do I bring up the menu?"
Maybe by thinking about it in my mind? Something like shouting it out?
*Ding*
A translucent blue screen appeared, "Mm."
Though the options here are so little. From the top, you have Forum, Network, and Logout. All of them are faded out though, can't seem to touch them either.
And then there is another Menu that I wanted to bring up. "Profile Status."
=====
Name: Lin Lanken
Level: 1
Class: None
Attributes: 5% Vitality
Skills: None
Spells: None
Miracles: None
=====
Much simpler than I expected but no matter. Maybe the system is much more complex than it seems, and judging by what happened… I can assume the level of its complexity is just as good as the A.I just now.
It didn't feel like it was scripted, if it is so, then whoever designed it should get a raise.
Talking about these things won't give me an answer to anything, and it'll just end up with me wasting my time.
"What's the Vitality stand for? Stamina or health? Maybe it's Carryweight or Equip Load?"
Can't seem to open anything for its info, maybe I can search about it on the net later.
I brought up the "Journal" where it holds all of the quests I have.
-----
Trials of Unholy Light
Rank: A+
Objective: Clear every layer of the "Dungeon of Fallen Guardian"
Reward: A Select for any Light-type Class, +10 Levels, Book of Prayer, +5 High-Potion
-----
The Demise of the End King
Rank: Unknown
Objective: Locked
Reward: Locked
Requirement: Complete the Chained Quest "The Unserving Guardian"
-----
Right off the bat, I just got an impossible task. The image of that giant still fresh in my mind, "There's just no way I can do it."
And this Chained Quest seems troublesome.
-----
The Unserving Guardian
Rank: D
Objective: Fight your way to the Surface
Reward: None
-----
Well, this one is straight forward. It's something that I intended to do anyway. But of course, I'm sure that thing will be there waiting for me.
"Maybe it's wiser to complete the Trials of Unholy Light first before meeting him."
Just in case, by then I can at least fight when things went wrong again.
"Now where should I go from here?"
The area is dark and gloomy, dim to be exact. I almost can't see anything, but thanks to how long I've been here, it seems like my sights have already adjusted to it.
Another thing that I want to bring up is "Map" but it seems that function does not exist here in this game.
"Let's just go there and see, just what lies ahead."
Not long that I walk on this large slope, I found something sinister. A monster with the heads of a human - that's right - head(s). Several of them were cracked open on a ball-shaped carcass that seems to be killed just recently.
"Doesn't look like it just was the giant. Must've been the monster's doing, I mean the Paladin."
I approached it, slowly. Inspecting the corpse, then I got a small menu in my vision.
It listed all the "lootable" items from this corpse. They look awesome.
[Grade-B Gemstone]
[Letter]
[Small Ruby]
[Demon Carcass]
I took them all, opened up my inventory, and take the time to read the "Letter"
-----
Child, please come back. You've already proven yourself enough, I'm sure the marquee is satisfied with you finding the dungeon alone. Please, your father and I are doing well here in the countryside and we want you to be a part of this joy.
We and Saphir are waiting for you, son.
-----
! {New Objective Received}
~ {Quest: Lost Knight}
It left me speechless. So, this creature's face, at least one of them was a human.
Sighing, "I suppose it's obvious what happened to them."
No doubt, this is a Parasite-type demon. Or at least, one that can consume things and make them their own.
"I wonder, can't I just take this bone-like…"
*Pluck*
[??? Spine / Attack Power: 40 / Effect: 10% Physical Attack are converted to Dark Damage / Requirement: None]
"All right, I can use this as a weapon. I wonder to what extent does the 'Dark Damage' can do in this game though."
I shouldn't treat this like a game, the pain was immense and it felt all too real.
"None of these things I can see its details about, so maybe I need something or someone that can appraise and check them for me."
Right, the Quest that I just got.
-----
Lost Knight
Rank: F
Objective: Inform the sender of the "Letter" / Hints: Saphir
Reward: Grade-F Random Item Box
-----
No reason to abandon it, might as well just do it when I have the time.
Right now though, there's something else that requires my full attention, and that is my safety and survival.
As sweat keeps going out of my skin, the eerie atmosphere I felt is intense.
I survey my left and my right at repeated intervals because I know... how dangerous a dungeon can be, at least in the traditional games.
And to experience it in this level of immersion with so little preparation. It's just outright ridiculous.