Chương 5: Sticks and stones...

Riddles were never something Eric enjoyed, unless they involved math and numbers. Fortunately, this one was quite easy to understand. Turning around and going for the stairs, he stood right before the broken plate. Carrying his weapon, an acid potion, and bone dust, he climbed down the ladder into the basement. Darkness and cold vanished the moment his foot touched the tunnel floor. Light illuminated the long corridor, and flaming green torches flared to life along the walls.

In the distance, a large, well-lit room was visible, but along the corridor, several items caught Eric's attention. It doesn't feel safe here, but I only have to find the next checkpoint room to meet with Grim. The dagger shifted in his grip, slimming into a lighter, needle-like blade. He juggled it once in his hand and continued down the corridor. Old wooden barrels lined the right side of the tunnel. They looked almost broken, ready to crumble at any moment.

Unable to resist the urge, Eric kicked two of the barrels. The rotten wood splintered away, sending fragments flying across the room. Two small silver wisps flew toward Eric's body. Frightened that it could be some kind of trap, he stepped back. Another notification window gave him the explanation he needed. /———————————————————————————\ Essence acquired! Description: Used for casting spells and all kinds of magic. Stronger spells consume more essence.

Most inhabitants of the realm do not know the properties of the energy well. Some casters are able to manipulate it. Recharged through combat. Won't recharge if you read books. \————————————————————————————/ Who knew destroying old junk lying around could give something useful. Looking at his blade, Eric noticed the jewel in the handle now seemed to contain some sort of liquid. More barrels and rusted weapon racks waited ahead beneath layers of dust.

Eric almost sniffed the thick layer after a more thorough inspection. Some weapons were unfamiliar to him and looked nothing like the ones on Earth. Behind him, some of the green torches moved into the wall after he was far away. Continuing down the hall, Eric saw a strange rock on the left side of the corridor. It was all cracked from top to bottom, so naturally, he pulled his weapon and stepped back. Eric gripped the weapon with both hands. The blade widened and lengthened instantly.

His weapon nearly jolted from the impact. The stone deflected the hit with a metallic sound. Seconds later it fractured even more. An earthquake moved through the ground, and two sets of eyes appeared on the boulder. Please tell me I didn't wake something up. Eric ran as fast as possible to the open space at the end of the corridor. His muscles gave out after a minute of sprinting, and the adrenaline wore off. Preparing for a fight, he turned around and waited for the giant to arrive.

The wall hosting the tunnel broke down as the rock behemoth scanned the area. It had some moss on its legs and dirt on the side of its body from being trapped underground. The lower part of its legs had smaller stones and debris, in contrast to the solid rock on its upper body. Barely moving, the creature went in Eric's direction. The scene reminded him of the tutorial earlier, but something was different this time. The giant turned around and small mineral formations burst from its back.

Stone globules ejected into the air. While flying, scorpion-like creatures spread their appendages and attached to the walls and floor. Eric opened his inventory and hurled an acid potion at the rock guardian, stopping the hail of baby stone bugs. He really hated arachnids. The twitchy way they moved made his skin crawl. Fear, adrenaline, and a bit of lunacy moved him forward. He took wide steps towards the insects and attacked. They fell like bowling kegs, splitting into a thousand pieces.

After several of the critters met their doom, the whole room filled with dust, which acted like a smoke screen. Stopping for a second and gathering his thoughts, he listened for signs of more critters and their bigger brother. The glowing eyes of the stone giant were visible even in the fog. It locked its gaze on him. Eric immediately opened his inventory and scattered bone dust over himself. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Let's see how tough you are from behind. The distance between him and his target was greater than expected. While battling the smaller critters, he had moved away from the behemoth, and the smoke screen from the dust made everything worse. The plan was simple. Close the distance as quietly as possible and strike the unprotected parts of the lower legs, or any area without stone armor. At first, the golem searched without success. The closer Eric got, the more precise its attacks became.

A massive stone fist came down in his direction, but the behemoth missed by several inches. With each step, it became harder for Eric to go unnoticed, so he adopted another strategy. Zigzagging across the battlefield confused the monster, as it tried to follow without luck. Upon changing directions, the realization that his foe was feeling him instead of seeing came up. It used the vibrations in the ground and sensed where he was based on movement.

The closer he walked, the easier it was for the giant to feel his presence. I have two options. Go all in or somehow fool its senses. Without thinking too much, Eric bolted to the exposed points of the golem. The speed of his steps would make any sprinter green with envy. The heat of battle locked him into a state of total concentration. In this moment, nothing else existed for him. The stone guardian was prepared.

Stomping the ground just before Eric was in striking distance, it ruptured the carefully laid stone floor of the basement. Jagged columns and peaks burst from the ground all over the battle arena. A rising slab of stone launched Eric into the nearby wall. Slamming into it, the knife in his hand scraped across a large ornament. Light pulsed beneath the carvings behind him. This doesn't look like the Elegy Vault. He caught his breath and inspected the glowing decorations.

Before he could concentrate fully, he dodged a flying rock aimed straight for his head. More came from the same direction, raining down like an artillery barrage. Eric drew his sword and hacked the incoming rocks out of the air before they could hit. Determined to put an end to this, he tried navigating the maze, now replacing the once beautiful arena. Some pillars were taller than others, but it was possible to climb higher. Eric replayed the fight in his head.

If the golem tracked vibrations through the floor, staying off the ground might hide him. The imperfect nature of the rock columns worked in his favor. Some had enough edges he could climb, and for the rest he used his sword as a stepping stone, embedding it into the pillars. Finally, higher above the battlefield, he could think clearly. The dust had settled, and the golem couldn't track him anymore. Getting near the giant made him even more nervous.

He knew one wrong step could make everything worse and ruin the whole plan. His body was battered and bruised, but he didn't feel the pain he thought he would. The only explanation he could think of was his Reaper Acolyte class. It probably gave him better combat instincts and made him tougher. To test the theory, he made a small scratch on his arm with the knife. To his surprise, he could feel pain. Moments later, Eric understood that was a stupid idea because it removed his invisibility.

With these injuries, I would have been in the ICU. Grim better explain what the hell is happening to me. Just as he was thinking about how to mend the damage, his health replenished. With the slightest blue glimmer, the deeper cuts on his right hand had partially sealed. A small warning popped into his vision. /——————————————————————\ Warning! Your Essence is depleted! (This notification is shown only once upon first depleting your primary resource.) \————————————————————————/ Gasping for air, Eric couldn't believe what he had done. Staring at his arm, now looking and feeling better than before, he froze for a couple of seconds. The columns' height brought a sense of calm, as the monster seemed less worried about locating its prey. It grabbed some of the bigger stones on the battlefield and devoured them. Munching on the rocks, it repaired some of the damage done by the acid potion earlier. Eric watched the creature heal and kept jumping between the pillars.

When he reached a pillar directly above the golem, the reaper acolyte drew his weapon and prepared to drop. He used his last sack of bone dust before descending. Impaling the back of his enemy, it let out a deep, guttural growl which caught him off guard. He instinctively tried covering his ears, but the sudden loss of balance forced him to recover. The stone guardian clawed at its back and failed to reach Eric. He dodged sideways and planted his sword higher.

Both hands on the handle, he pulled himself up, now crouching on the sword lodged in his foe. Eric cursed as the stone plates on the back of the monster locked his weapon into place. Even with all his might, he couldn't pull it out. Reaching out again, the stone behemoth finally grabbed him. Its massive fingers couldn't form a tight grip, leaving gaps he used to avoid being crushed to death. What he couldn't avoid was the monster ejecting its stony palm into the air with Eric still trapped inside.

The hand served as a protective capsule, offering a shield from the fall. Tired, covered in dust, and without a weapon or any supplies, Eric shoved chunks of stone off himself. Okay. Enough with the superhero stuff. I'm going into the room. Grim better not kill me over the knife. Understanding the arena's layout proved beneficial. He found the room faster than before. Ornate carvings depicted a demon with horns holding a circle above its head. Scraping his weapon earlier activated it.

Eric hesitated because this didn't look like the protruding skull Grim mentioned. Another barrage of stones in his direction, but he hid behind a nearby column. Pushed to the edge and with nowhere else to go, he entered the room. There was no ground beneath his feet. His body went into panic mode from the fall into the abyss. Colors bounced in his vision, with images of angels and demons playing out before him. Moments later, Eric slammed into the cold stone, and another system window appeared.

/————————————————————————————\ Essence Room discovered! Description: This room hungers for failure. Traps spring from shadowed corners, designed to punish every misstep. Only those who endure the danger may claim the reward. Those who survive may expand their magical reserves or learn new spells. Challengers can enter this room freely, but they can obtain rewards only once. Upon death, challengers are respawned at the entrance, and the room resets.

\——————————————————————————————/ A single fountain with a floating book materialized in the distance. Eric took a step forward, and a series of torches ignited. Blades, spikes, and traps covered the floor and walls. I'm either a genius or completely suicidal. Probably both. He did some light stretching and prepared himself for the incoming carnage. We're just getting started! Too bad there's nobody here to enjoy the show!"

Powered by bravery and stupidity, Eric ran straight into the hall before his fear could stop him.