Chương 12: Voices from above

Heart racing, Eric clicked the bright YES button on the pop-up. His vision went dark in an instant. Voices whispered in his ear as he travelled through the vast emptiness. Moments later, he spawned in the uncharted realm. Surprisingly, a brand-new system window showed up. /—————————————————————————————————\ Warning: Your level is not suitable. You will gain bonus experience based on the level of enemies encountered. Warning: Your stats are not suitable. Your learning rate has been increased.

Warning: You take bonus damage from all sources. \—————————————————————————————————/ No risk, no reward. What's strange is that learning rate stuff. Would I become smarter or just get the hang of things more easily? I could use some bonus experience. Still, my main objective is finding the key to the cage. I'll find the warden. On the other hand, defeating some low-level enemies might help with the bonus experience. Every stat point matters.

Standing in the same portal on the floor as the one he had entered earlier, Eric spawned into a mountain near a cliff. The sky was full of grey clouds, covering everything he could see. Multiple steps and bridges extended upwards, spiraling through the summit itself. More pathways twisted far above. A giant door with a massive snake symbol connected all the bridges. To his right was the white nothingness, the same he saw when arriving in Purgatory.

Small lines of green energy circled around Eric and replenished his essence. In this place, there was no concept of days or anything resembling timekeeping. There wasn't a sight of enemies or living creatures, but Eric felt a powerful gaze tracking his every move.

"Mere shade, lay your eyes on my realm. I'll give you one chance to go back to the hole you crawled out from. The Infernal General needs more servants. You should go to the top of the tower." The voice of the key warden echoed in the realm, each word layering over the next. Can he see me? Eric went near the bridges on his left, away from the edge of the cliff. Two statues of vipers caught his attention, both carved into the mountains.

Looking closely, he saw thin channels coming from above, connecting to the stone serpents. He continued down the path leading to the exit with the snake.

"You are still here?" from above, the loud, rasping voice of the warden reverberated once more. The grey, clouded sky became darker, and the clouds clumped into one.

"Very well. Stay long enough, and perhaps I'll keep you." Lightning struck near the top of the mountain. After a brief delay, massive chunks of stone fell off, tumbling downwards with destructive force. A gust of wind redirected some of them towards Eric. He stood his ground and tracked the falling debris. The rocks were small enough to dodge without risking a lot of maneuvers close to the cliff edge. Eric twisted between the falling stones and survived by pure instinct alone.

Chunks rolled around him and vanished into endless white oblivion. Upon nearing the exit, he laid a hand on the snake carved into its center. Sounds from an organ filled the room, and a red film encased the door.

"Please accept my gift. Don't be humble, just take it," the warden's voice carried through. Red rain poured from the clouds overhead. Water cascaded from the top of the mountain down to the serpent statues, filling every crack and crevice. Seconds later, the eyes of the reptiles ignited with a green fire, and they burst out from their former shells. Two giant serpents with wings flew in the stormy sky. Fantastic… this is exactly what I needed. Flying snakes. Eric summoned both his sword and the witch's hand.

This time it had a name and a description. /—————————————————————— \ Eternal Flame Description: Anger, hate, and revenge pulse through the witch, fueling the flames. The only thing she remembers is the pain others caused her. If you want to see true power, make her suffer. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Warning: This item has limited use.

\———————————————————————/ Swirling through the bridges and steps of the mountain, the serpents slaughtered with surprising caution. Even with wings, they tried to stay away from the edge. Eric didn't know their statistics, levels, or any information, but he could see that the storm clearly strengthened them. One reptile remained motionless, absorbing more of the water. The other burrowed into the earth, disappearing from sight. Beneath his feet, the ridge Eric stood on shook violently.

Multiple holes in the ground appeared, dug by the serpent. It used them for easier transportation, propelling itself with wings, and crashing down again into the mountain, creating even more tunnels. Holding his blade in one hand, the reaper acolyte made a dent in the witch's hand and fired into the network of tunnels, trying to predict where the serpents would appear. After a few shots, he could guess where an underground passage connected to the other, as the reptiles were circling them constantly.

The power of the fireballs evaporated all moisture in the burrows, creating significant discomfort for the passing creatures. Eric moved near the snake door. It stood on a wide stone ledge, providing enough space for dodging and repositioning. As he steadied his aim, one serpent surged from the peak and caught him by surprise. The force of the movement carried debris from inside the mountain, hitting Eric and pushing him to the edge.

He drove his weapon into the ground, stopping himself from tumbling into the unknown. Just as he regained his composure, the second serpent attacked him from a new burrow. In the last moment, he pointed the Eternal Flame relic, scorching the reptile in the air. The collision sent Eric flying into the white abyss. The giant snake door still had the dagger lodged near it. He wrestled with the red creature mid-air, desperately trying to keep its fangs away from his throat.

The serpent spread its wings and flew back into the burrows, leaving him plummeting down into nothingness. Is this how everything ends? No! I can't let this happen! Essence swirled around Eric as he reached for his weapon. His body began vibrating more and more until finally, he found himself back on the cliff. How could this be? He teleported back to his dagger. The power didn't come from the blade, or from someone helping him. It was always there, inside him, waiting for the right moment to sprout and bloom.

The rain subsided, and the serpents moved even slower. A completely new pop-up showed in Eric's vision. /————————————————————————————————-\ New skill unlocked! Teleport Description: By bending space itself, you can move in a direction of choice instantly. This skill relies on your Insight, Willpower, and Awareness. Essence consumption scales with distance and terrain. Casting in quick succession increases essence consumption. This skill benefits from concentration casting.

No, you cannot kill living things by teleporting inside them. Warning: Using this skill while injured may have unforeseen consequences! Teleporting to a destination you cannot see may leave you clipped into the realm! \—————————————————————————————-/ Eric couldn't contain his excitement from the newly learned skill. He quickly checked himself over, almost expecting something to be missing. After reading the description of the skill, he could envision several scenarios where this could've helped earlier.

The warnings were a significant detail, and Eric was extremely grateful for them. His mind was racing through all the possibilities of the new power. Thoughts of him getting trapped inside some unreachable corner of the realm made him uneasy. Camouflage was an impressive skill, but it didn't offer the agility and potential of his new spell. Teleporting into something living and killing it instantly was a great idea, but the system said you cannot do it.

The system never said what would happen if he tried, so in extreme situations, he could do it. Could this learning rate increase be responsible for him discovering this skill on his own? He didn't learn the skill like Camouflage earlier. The system gave him an opportunity with the Essence Room but with Teleport, he found it all alone. Eric loved theory-crafting and being creative with his skills, but he was out in the rain.

Buried in so many questions and no answers, he snapped back into reality, leaving everything for when Grim arrived, whenever that may be. He was still stranded inside the storm-filled realm. Can this place stop trying to kill me for five minutes? The grey sky wasn't as dark as before. The angry clouds had now dissipated. Sounds from the serpents were almost gone. The water from the rain no longer gave them the life essence they needed. Eric glanced at the serpent door and saw it still encased in a red film.

Something gave him the feeling that this encounter wasn't over yet. Light drizzle made everything slippery around the edges and bridges connecting the upper part of the mountain with the spawn point. Teleporting might be risky, but standing still out here might be even worse. He looked at the entrance portal, concentrating as much as possible on the end goal. His body vibrated slightly, but nothing happened. Another try solidified that this wasn't the way to do it. Okay, this isn't working.

Maybe I need an anchor point? Just right next to the snake door was a small crevice that could hold his weapon. Gently putting it between the layers of mountain flesh, Eric moved several steps backward. Not giving up, he took a deep breath and locked his eyes onto the dagger. The mind of the reaper acolyte had only one goal: reach the dagger. He could hear the drops of rain dripping on his clothes and ears. All this waiting and tension wasn't going to work out. There has to be a way. Let's stop forcing it so much.

With no better option, he pulled the dagger back into the inventory and sat on the edge of the cliff. Earlier, Grim told him that the system didn't give tutorials for all skills. If the caster is strong enough, there won't be any training ground. Eric replayed the camouflage trial in his head, trying to find what made him use the skill. Previously, his enemies were blind, and he had to exploit the mechanic of masking his presence.

If Teleport came without a trial, that means the system decided he already knew the mechanic and had enough power to cast it. Sitting on the ledge, Eric let his legs dangle over the endless white void. He even enjoyed the rain for a bit, forgetting the danger from the serpents burrowed into the mountain. Glancing back at the entrance portal, he saw the sparks it emitted weren't affected by the rain. The next instant, Eric's body flashed and disappeared. Suddenly, he teleported right on top of the portal.

The skill had activated the moment he stopped actively trying to do it. As if being relaxed in this hellhole in the middle of nowhere is going to be easy… His thoughts were interrupted by yet another stampede of debris erupting further up. The serpents tried to drill bigger holes and catch more water in order to maintain survival. One of them flew out of the nest and landed near the entrance portal. The reduced intensity of the rain made the creature smaller and less agile.

Pulling out his battle arsenal, Eric had a plan on how to fight this time. He wasn't afraid of falling to his death anymore.