Chương 30: This can't be a dungeon

My jaw drops. Sunlight. The doors open into a colossal open area. A claustrophobic ceiling of ten feet transforms into miles. The walls similarly extend several miles into the distance. Thin, wispy, clouds float overhead. Massive holes are spaced in the ceiling, with heavy rays of sunlight shining through. The claustrophobic nature of the dungeon has transformed into an expanse. My eyes can't see how far the environment expands into the distance. Still, the cobblestone is present everywhere.

Pillars of the stuff rise into the sky and connect with the roof. Ranging from only a few feet to several yards in diameter. My jaw hangs open like a toddler seeing a television for the first time.

"This shit is NOT a dungeon." With steady steps, I walk out of the small room bathed in torchlight into an entire world. Does everyone on earth get one of these for themselves? How? How does the system make something like this? How powerful is it? This isn't the construction of an architect like the dungeon before. This is the work of a god. An entity with omnipotent powers, at the very least. Slowly, I walk over to a particularly large sunbeam radiating from the… Sky? Roof? Ceiling? I don't even know anymore.

Putting my arm under myself, I lower myself and lie on the ground. My arms spread out, eye closing as I bask in the sunlight. It's never felt warmer. A satisfied smile stretches across my face. A deep breath enters my lungs. Air tastes so fresh here. For a few minutes, all I do is rest and enjoy the atmosphere. There's wind. Inside the expanse of a dungeon, there's wind. I don't even bother comprehending it as it rustles my hair. Being outside has never felt like this before. Does this even count as being outside?

After a few more minutes, I stretch extra deep and get up. Alright, where to first? Cobblestone is absolutely everywhere. From the ground, up the walls, to the pillars and overhead in the ceiling. The pillars are quite spaced, not more than maybe a quarter mile between the closest ones. Leveraging my perception, I take a full three-sixty, evaluating the surroundings. I move as well, making sure the distance is correct. To the right, there's a lake. Slightly to the left, there's a wall. A wooden wall made of logs.

Where did they get wood from? Looking past it, there's a large structure in the distance. A really, really large structure. Narrowing my eyes and taking a few steps closer, certain details come into view. No. Surely not…

"Is that a castle?" I mutter. Shaking my head, I walk towards the lake in the distance to the right. There's seriously no limit to how hard you can push yourself in the dungeon. As I walk, I see a few more areas where wooden walls have been set up. Some are only a couple hundred feet wide before curving around, while others are triple the size. Getting closer, I can see that the lake reaches far into the distance, all the way to the wall, which must be four or five miles away.

I expected crystal clear water, but there's algae like any other body of water I might find on earth. There's even movement under the surface from what looks like fish. Along the shoreline, there are several small camps with a few tents. The most eerie part of the lake is the shore. It doesn't have sand or bleached rock. The same, mossy coverage on the stones continues into the water. The waves didn't erode the moss? Just another one of the weird quirks of the system.

Without many other leads and the system messages, the camp is probably the best place to start. Casually, I walk for another ten minutes before changing my direction and hiding behind a medium-sized pillar. About a hundred feet away stands the camp. Five tents made of crude cloth surround a single glowing campfire. With the glimpses of green through the gaps and the ones standing outside on watch, the camp probably has about ten to twenty goblins manning it.

Identify living being To my surprise, the skill actually reaches. [Goblin lv. 11] [Highest stat: Perception] [Goblin lv. 12] [Highest stat: Vitality] [Goblin lv. 11] [Highest stat: Agility] After finishing all the ones I can see, I'm greeted with a new message mid-way through. [Identify Living Being(lv. 6) > (lv. 7)] Sweet. Looks like all sides of the camp have at least one goblin standing watch, so my signature ambush move won't be an option.

Waiting until night is also a possibility, but I'm not sure if I want to waste that much time doing nothing. Wait, will it even become night? Looking up at the sunbeams streaming through the giant holes in the sky, I wonder whether it's possible for the time to change. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. If the system's omnipotence can create a sun to warm exactly one person, it can add day and night cycles.

Shrugging, I figure it's just a coin flip whether night comes or not. The only way I'll find out is by waiting. I look to the side at the expanding screen. [Health: 385(139)] [Mana: 280(24)] [Stamina: 265(103)] Honestly, I feel like crap. My stamina is far higher than it feels. Weakness spreads deep through my body, mostly through my head. Exhaustion bogs down every movement. I have no doubt. Without the ability to blind myself to my own pain, I would still be groaning in agony in the intermission room.

Not to mention… I look down sadly at my open right palm. Why couldn't it be the left one. If the left one were gone, I could still wield a shield in it. The same is true for my right hand, but I'm right-handed. Holding a weapon in my left hand and a shield in my right would feel horrible. Walking would feel horrible. Punching would feel horrible. Blocking would feel horrible. Everything would be horrible. The worst part is that it's such a specialized weapon.

If I had lost my sword, or my axe, I could have just picked up a new one off of some random enemy. It wouldn't be the same, but it would work. The gauntlets, though… My only hope of receiving more is from system rewards. Knights would have gauntlets if they existed here. Which I'm certain of, considering the big ass castle in the distance. But theirs are tools, not weapons. They're made to protect the hand while swinging an actual weapon. I gaze longingly at my empty hand.

Never had I realized how attached to them I was. The feel of the soft leather and the comforting weight. Shaking my head, I look back at the small camp. Fighting over a dozen enemies that are technically around my level while injured and unarmed seems like a bad idea. But I can't see myself losing. My last bit of food I have is a single bag of jerky. If I finish a round of healing without anything present, I might very well start eating my own arm. Something has to happen, and I need to make it happen.

Nodding, I try to think of a plan. The pillar next to me is the only thing I'm capable of hiding behind. Not a single tree in sight, so sneaking up is impossible. My best option is to rush up and hope they don't organize themselves too much before I get close. Not my best plan, but not my worst either. Taking a deep breath, I speak.

"Kevin, don't feel pain, focus on advancing fast and the fight."

"Punch as hard as you can without losing health with your left arm."

"Dodge or block all attacks." Hesitantly, I wrap a pouch that held a drumstick around my right hand. It's nothing compared to what I had, but it beats nothing. I'm not planning to use it, but if I need it, it's there. With bated breath, I watch the sentry goblin. It stands with a single wooden spear and loincloth. Several minutes go by as it slouches lazily and picks its nose. Another goblin yells out to it, and it turns. The second its eyes leave my gaze, I burst into motion.

In shock, I watch as my own legs blur with grace. Even in my injured state, I had never run with such smooth movements. A smile crawls onto my face. Every single step becomes better than the last. Instinct combines with my rising agility, all controlled by the command I put on myself. The few hundred feet of distance turn into a dozen seconds of sprinting. My back straightens as I run. It tilts to the correct angle. My legs rise to different heights before settling on something perfect. I don't run anymore.

I lunge. My stride increases from three feet to four. Four to five. Five to six. With the power of the command, the strength hidden by natural limitations combines with the strength increased by the system. Feet don't slap awkwardly against the cobblestone, they slam fast and hard, emboldened by my increased fortitude. Five seconds to arrival. The sentry casually speaks to the other sentry. Four seconds to arrival. The goblin looks over at me. Three seconds to arrival.

The goblin yells and points, signaling the sentry. Two seconds to arrival. The sentry turns and lifts its spear. One second to arrival. Fear stretches across the sentry's face. Zero. The spear thrusts forward. My brain, increased by perception, agility, and wisdom, still isn't fast enough to react. A tingling sensation grows in my torso. One similar to when you hold a knife too close to your eye. A feeling of warning and danger. Unnaturally, my body jerks to the left mid-stride.

I curve like a snake around the spear and follow with a left hook. It collides with the goblin's head, crushing it inwards several inches. Its head flies down and slams into the cobblestone with a crunch. I look at my body in shock as I process what I just did. Chime The command forces me to move. The goblin that spoke to the sentry is running in the center of the camp, screaming in its choppy and guttural language. I ignore it and move into the nearest tent.

Inside, three goblins all lay, slowly waking up with alarm on their faces at the noise. The side of my gauntlet comes down like a hammer. Crunch Chime The other two look at me. Crunch Chime The third tries to run and screams. Crunch Chime I burst out of the tent and run to the next. A goblin walks out, holding a wooden spear while looking around. Its last sight is me. Crunch Chime I pull up the tent and burst inside. Two goblins hold spears low, walking outside. Both snap to me.

Crunch Chime The last panics and throws a jab. Again, the feeling of danger is felt in the right side of my hip. My thighs jerk, and I curve around the stab. Crunch Chime I turn and rush back out of the tent. This time, I have a welcome party. The last warriors are all just exiting the rest of the tents. The sentries enter from the other three sides of the camps. Some hold clubs, but most hold spears. The entire time, I flick my head to the side, covering for my lack of view in one eye.

I turn and slip around the side of the tent. A sentry stares at me, alarmed and alone. It stabs. I curve. Crunch Chime The sound of slapping feet echoes behind me. I pivot on my heels, seeing three goblins all holding spears out toward me. Alright, not so good anymore. Spears and arrows are probably the worst possible matchup for a brawler. The goblins slowly move around the sides of the formation, growing it to five, then seven. They fan out and slowly make it to my sides. Ten, eleven, twelve.

Twelve goblins are left in the camp. Behind them, I see a different goblin. It stands proudly in full leather armor. It's crude, but covers everything. [(II) Swift Goblin lv. 3] That's new. Out of options, I make the smartest move possible. I flip around and run. For several seconds, I sprint at full speed away from the poor tents and goblins. When I turn, I almost laugh. They're not even close. Not even a third of my speed. The special goblin is not the same as the rest.

With a determined look in its eyes, it barrels after me. Still, it's slower. Barely slower, but still slower. As I look forward, my panting and a blue expanding screen make a different problem known. [Stamina: 290(41)] Fighting just after almost dying half a day ago seems to have its drawbacks after all. I slow to a halt, catching my breath and facing the spearman. It does the same, noticing that I no longer intend to run. In the minute of running, the rest of the goblins are nowhere to be seen.

The camp is nothing more than a speck in the distance. A bead of thick, dark blood runs from my right eye. Or what used to be an eye. But a smile grows on my face as I raise my bloody gauntlet.