Chương 7: Hidden and dangerous

With a clear memory of his last practice bout against the wooden dummies, Eric found the new environment unsurprising. Every new skill seemed to come with its own moment to be tested. The system in Purgatory considered him too weak. That's why he got spawned a tutorial for his new skill. Given the recent events, he was happy with the outcome and eager to try his new ability. The Essence Room behind him collapsed in a flash of blue light and a distorted ringing sound.

When it faded, Eric stood in what the system labeled a tutorial area. It comprised a spacious room with one central pathway. On it, several enemies resembling humans patrolled the area, taking turns. Most of the interior looked like an old, worn-out castle with ragged draperies, destroyed flags, and burning torches. The placement of the guards made passing the area without getting close impossible. They wore brown trousers and masks in the shape of skulls.

Armed with small clubs, their language wasn't something Eric had heard before. It sounded more like a distorted dog bark than anything else. Another interesting finding was that their helms had no eyes. Only a mouth, ears, and a nose. Still, they could somehow sense, indicated by them noticing each other up close. Down the hall was an entrance back to the Essence Room, a portal showing the spot where he had spawned in the challenge earlier. He had to get to the other side to finish the tutorial.

The Camouflage spell was important to him, so he was willing to sacrifice an acid potion for the cause. In the rare moments Eric had some time to think, he always checked his inventory to see what remained from earlier battles. He was surprised to find a small warning window pop up as he opened his items. /——————————————————————\ Warning! You cannot open your inventory in this tutorial area! \——————————————————————/ Great… Now what? I guess it's going to happen the hard way.

He didn't know how to cast this spell and whether it worked at all. Bone Dust was straightforward, dump it onto yourself and you are invisible. The group of enemies was far ahead and couldn't notice Eric's movement or the sound he made. The tutorial had a convenient area to practice casting the spell before engaging in actual combat. Eric sat on the ground, clutching his head in his hands. He tried to play out all potential scenarios while watching the guards patrol the area. No respawn strategy yet.

Taking turns, his enemies walked around the same route, their actions telegraphed. When someone was slow, they got pushed around while the next in line took place. Eric scanned the area, trying to find something to distract the guards. He hurled some small rocks. All of them pulled out their maces and snapped their heads. Seconds after, they returned to the usual stance and guard duties without discovering where the threat came from. Attempts to move the group were unsuccessful.

Eric went closer and approached the enemy. The closer he got, the more their behavior became vigilant. One strategy he figured out was to get closer and stop for some time; this way the sound from his movement would subside and he would pass in a suitable moment. Unfortunately, things didn't work out as planned. The guards sniffed the air and came closer to Eric. He ran backward to the entrance area. He thought about the entire scene while fleeing for his life.

Another normal day of being chased by a horde of blind, barking, berserker-looking humans wielding maces. He stopped at the wall and turned back towards the guards. All of them slowed as he stopped moving and making noise. One of his enemies drew near and took a swing with its weapon. Eric dropped into a crouch and raised his arms to shield his head. Just before impact, the guard stopped as if he had lost his target. He sniffed the air and turned back. Eric barely dared to breathe. It's working.

He was completely transparent. Grabbing his only chance, Eric sprinted across the guards, shoving two of them. All of them began to bark and sniff the air, while he dashed away and ran for the exit. The group moved in directions, confused by all the noise in the area. Eric didn't look back and jumped straight into the portal to the Essence Room. /——————————————————\ Camouflage Spell Learned! Essence Rooms Cleared: 1/113 Love this story?

Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! \——————————————————/ Taking a breath and feeling his racing heart, Eric reappeared in the old Essence Room. A new system pop-up flashed briefly in front of him, but he barely skimmed it before turning toward the exit. He wanted to get out as fast as possible. At least the stone golem waiting for him was familiar, and he already had a plan to take the situation. The room itself had changed again.

The moving platforms connecting the previous death machine areas continued their normal movement. Behind him, the portal to the tutorial sealed shut, the view of the berserkers fading and disappearing into obscurity. Eric gazed at the entrance to the Essence Room. Soft elevator music reached his ears, the exact same tune from Hop Trading. This place is beyond screwed. Eerie calmness filled the air. Eric headed towards the exit with careful observation of his surroundings.

Riding the platforms felt more comical than victorious, but he achieved his goal. The Camouflage skill was essential to him because without it he was rather helpless. He felt refreshed with his essence full and health topped off. Eric slipped back into survival mode the moment he opened the door back to the battlefield. The combat zone was almost unrecognizable. Most of the stone pillars were smashed apart, leaving the room buried in rubble and dust.

The stone golem stumbled and fell to the ground as it brought smaller rocks to its collection. Eric spotted his knife. It was still lodged deep in the back of the monster. Thick purple fluid leaked from the wound and dripped down the cracked floor. He was surprised that his blade was still there and had caused some damage. Moving away from the monster, Eric crouched in the room's corner, analyzing the battlefield. He used the pillars to reach the giant, but this time he needed a different strategy.

Grim watched silently from within one of the green-burning torches. He had no intention of interfering. This was the kind of moment that could make or break Eric. Purgatory presented all kinds of challenges, and there was no time for panic. Eric needed to learn this the hard way. The Reaper was willing to help, but only if things turned catastrophic. What Eric didn't realize was that his stats weren't high enough to damage the stone giant.

Practically, he couldn't kill it because the bleeding was making his foe tired instead of dealing damage. With the arena clear and the stone giant almost sleeping on the ground, Eric activated the Camouflage spell and headed for his knife. Closing the distance, his mind became fixated on his target. Releasing the blade was the only important task because he didn't want to disappoint his only ally in the realm. He didn't fear Death.

He wanted to be reliable so that The Reaper was more willing to help in the next steps of the adventure. This mindset wasn't new. Back on Earth, Eric always threw himself into things too hard once they mattered. His mind urged him to be so. This quirk related to over-fixation was always helpful, but sometimes hurt his social interactions. Nearing the giant, the arena rumbled beneath his feet. More pillars burst upward through the jagged floor. The golem sensed his presence, but couldn't move the same as before.

One stone pillar rose from the ground slower than the others, and Eric used it as an elevator. He didn't know when the best time to jump was, but soon enough, his intuition told him to. Landing on the monster's back, his Camouflage spell failed. The last of his essence drained away, leaving him to deal with the situation without other options. The stone behemoth tried to react, but it was too tired from the profuse bleeding.

Eric was covered in the purple, sticky liquid seeping from the spot where his knife was stuck. Finally grabbing his blade, he pulled back but couldn't take it out. He tried again, but only got more and more tired. As a last resort, Eric tried twisting the blade. The golem shattered the air with a piercing roar. The reaper acolyte pulled with everything he had to the left, forcing the giant to stagger sideways with him. Amused, Grim watched the chaos unfold.

If Eric slammed that thing into a wall at full speed, there was a decent chance the entire arena would collapse on top of him. The Reaper moved from one of the torches to the shadows near the arena. He didn't want to steal the spotlight from Eric. Every victory counted, even if the rewards weren't visible. Each mental triumph would make his pupil stronger and more confident. As Eric dragged the giant faster and faster towards the wall, Grim finally stepped in.

Shadows wrapped around the brute's legs for a split second, locking them in place. Focused entirely on controlling the embedded blade, Eric never noticed the subtle trap. Approaching the wall at high speed, the monster fell to the ground and to the side. Just before touching the floor, Death summoned a spike that impaled the stone giant and killed it. Moments later, a small explosion went off beneath the colossus. Its massive body jerked upward for a brief moment before collapsing into rubble.

Rocks flew everywhere, and some almost hit Eric as he tried to shield himself with his weapon.

"I'm back, champ!" Grim emerged from the shadows near the torches in the hallway. His appearance spawned a cold gust of wind that swerved the projectiles. Dusting himself off from all the stone and rubble, Eric moved the blade into his inventory. He was relieved to see Death. Inside, he noticed how his feelings were a little confused. Most people spent their entire lives fearing Death, yet I'm glad he's here…

"I died in the room over there!" Eric said, pointing toward the Essence Room.

"I forgot to tell you about those. They are important because you can gain…" Grim was cut off as his apprentice was eager to tell of his recent adventures.

"There were traps, and skills, and then another tutorial spawned as I chose one. Look!" The air moved around Eric. He had depleted all his essence earlier and experienced for the first time how it felt to cast a spell with nothing left in the reserves.

"Calm down, boy! I don't want you shitting yourself right now. You don't have any essence, don't you feel?"

"Yeah… so this is how it feels." Grim turned around and expelled the orbs left from the stone giant away from himself.

"Pick those up. You fought hard!" Eric picked up the floating yellow XP orbs. /—————————————————\ You have gained Experience Points! 15 XP gained. \—————————————————/"That was a nice battle! You are getting the hang of this, but don't get carried away." Grim turned around and raised his scythe at the protruding skull on the other end of the battlefield and continued.

"Come on," he said.

"We'll head to the Elegy Vault. You can tell me what kind of trouble you got into while I was gone."