Chương 6

From the window of his attic, Ethan gazed at the remaining vestiges of the ancient civilization, which had long since become a playground of monsters. The sun slipped away over the horizon about an hour ago, leaving another half an hour before the darkness claimed the city. Chugging the last drops of water from his beat-up hip flask, he turned and walked to the lounge chair to check his belongings one last time. His leatherwork ended up pretty decent in his opinion.

Their craftsmanship was shoddy at best, but they did their job as intended. His backpack came out as a long and narrow sling bag. The bottom of it was full of miscellaneous items and dozens of darts wrapped in a piece of fabric. His jerky was in another compartment, while the blowgun was placed in the middle, a quarter of it peeking out from the top. His pouch was already tied to his jeans' belt ring, filled with six darts and easily reachable.

And lastly, his knives were in their new sheaths, placed on his belt horizontally, one in the front and one in the back. He'd spent the last five days scouring the city relentlessly and managed to explore most of it, other than the completely wrecked structures and the places too close to the big shots of the town, of course. Unfortunately, there were no other items like his talismans or anything close to them. At least none of the bloody battles had forced him to use his precious treasures.

He did swap his cleaver with another chef's knife, which was nice, but he was still glass cannon equipment-wise. On the other hand, he'd found two more books without any lewd content and a dozen or so parchments in decent condition, and many more badly damaged ones. One of the interesting things he'd learned was the name of this world, Elisium, and the names of the two known continents on it, Azora and Noxara. Sadly, he had no idea where he was right now, or what had happened to the residents of this place.

The information he'd gained was all over the place. What he gathered from a cookbook and a blacksmith's ledger barely amounted to pieces of a massive jigsaw puzzle. Then there was the problem with the moon. More than once, he'd read phrases like 'cursed moons' and 'moons above' but there was only a single moon as far as he could see. Compared to Earth's moon, this one was bigger and had a purple hue, but it was definitely the only one in the sky.

In any case, he needed a better source of information, and this place didn't cut it. Once he was sure he had everything, he threw his bag over his shoulder and gave a mental command,'Status.' Status: Level 6 Health: 203/220 Mana: 120/120 Stamina: 166/180 Vitality: 22 Strength: 20 Endurance: 18 Agility: 30 Intelligence: 12 Perception: 10 *Available stats: 0 He'd decided to ditch the name, race, and age sections from the panel, and planned to do more through optimization once he was safe and sound.

He was actually pretty close to level 7, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't get another level-up. The required Exp for the next level kept increasing to the point that killing rats became almost meaningless, well, other than self-defence. If he wanted to level up fast, he had to fight stronger beasts but not too much, and those were hard to find in this place. Back to the status, his stat distribution wasn't quite ideal, but he felt like this gave him the best chance for survival in the short run.

Intelligence was useless for now since all he could do with his mana was move it through his body. He did many experiments with it, like trying to boost his body and his weapons, but nothing worked. That didn't mean he'd stop trying different applications, but he wouldn't waste any more points until there was a new discovery. Perception, on the other hand, increased his awareness, but it was so marginal that he decided to save his precious stat points temporarily for more practical uses.

Maybe in the future he'd go easy on Vitality and pack some more Perception. All in all, he was fairly satisfied with the progress he'd made. Dismissing the panel, Ethan took one last look at the attic and went downstairs. In the middle of the crammed room lay a bed sheet with a bunch of kitchen utensils and two oversized rats on top of it, both heavily sedated. They'd been his guests for the past day, and it was due to their contributions that he'd managed to learn a lot about his darts.

How long it took for paralysis to start, whether using more of them stacked the effect, or what was the duration until they started to move again, he got it all. Sadly, using the same dart reduced its potency, but the process was gradual. He could probably use the same dart about ten times before it started to become ineffective. And that was only the case for the low-level beasts, as he had no idea whether it would be the same for the high-level ones.

He did try to entice the big monsters to eat his badger carcass that was filled with darts inside but failed every time. Even when the fresh meat was in front of them, they didn't spare it a single glance. Whether it was that they didn't bother eating low-tier creatures, that they noticed the darts, or there was something else going on, he didn't know. After all, they didn't seem to drink water either. His best guess was that they could go a long time without food or water with their high stats.

Shaking his head, he grabbed the corners of the sheet and made a bundle, easily lifting it off the ground and tossing it over his shoulder, all thanks to his newfound strength. Like a thief who scored big, he left the house and slipped into the shadows. An eerie silence dominated the streets of the ancient city. The air hung heavy and still. Ethan knew from experience that it could change in a heartbeat, as this place didn't lack night predators.

However, the route he chose was relatively safe, or it should've been. A deep growl rang out. He stopped his advance at once and leaned into the building next to him, his eyebrows shooting up. The noise came from a block away, followed by stomping sounds. Ethan held his breath and waited. Soon enough, the quiet returned, and he resumed his walk, slightly changing his path just to be sure. Wary steps carried him through the weed-choked cobblestones as he made his way toward the city center.

Night outings weren't anything new to him, but today he was on a timer. Any delay could be fatal for his plans. After a series of brief pauses and throwing rocks to direct the attention elsewhere, he sighed in relief at the sight of the 15-foot-tall pyre that he'd meticulously set up beforehand. Drawing near it, he put down his package and hid himself nearby to observe the rats. In about five minutes, they started twitching faintly. It wouldn't be long till they woke up.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ethan removed his backpack and fetched his bow drill from inside, along with everything else he'd need. Kneeling on the ground, he stepped firmly on the fire board and wrapped a short vine around the spindle stick before pressing the top block down and moving the bow back and forth with quick, steady strokes. The wood soon hissed and smoked, forming a small glowing coal on a piece of tree bark placed underneath.

Carefully lifting the bark, he dropped the hot coal into a handful of dry grass and blew gently until it burst into flames. He then pushed the burning grass deep into the base of the woodpile and set the tall pyre on fire. As the cracking sounds swelled into a roar of flames, he grabbed a burning stick from the bottom and rushed to the rats, finding them with open eyes yet still struggling to move. He didn't mind giving them some motivation for it.

They both had a long, green vine tied around their torso, which was also tied into various kitchen utensils, chosen specifically for the noise they would make. Aside from that, their tails were wrapped and tied with long fabric, which Ethan set on fire unceremoniously. The beasts let out high-pitched screams as they took off, their staggering gaits turning into a full sprint in no time.

Waving the burning stick in his hand, he managed to herd them toward the desired directions and tossed the stick before quickly stuffing his bow drill into his bag and getting the fuck out of there like a sensible arsonist. It didn't take him long to arrive at his next destination: a small thicket with wicked-looking, sickly-green thorns and a perfect view of the temple's entrance and the giant lizard lying in front of it. Probably a drake, Ethan mused as he quietly crouched next to the bushes.

Doesn't really matter though. What do I know about drakes? By now, his pyre illuminated the city center like a beacon, turning the midnight sky into a fiery canvas. Meanwhile, the sounds of the rats became distant, but they were still alive, running around in a frenzy. One of them was on the other side of the temple, while the other one ran straight into the territory of the rhino couple.

Ethan had observed the big shots of the town for the past week and learned that the most nosy ones were the baleful creatures with crimson gem-like horns, resembling Earth rhinos in a menacing way. The couple made full use of their numbers, always strolling their domain separately and getting together whenever a fight was about to break out. They even ventured into other beasts' territory from time to time and escaped when it seemed dangerous.

He really hoped they would check out the commotion and at least lure the lizard a few blocks away. Finally, a distant roar cut through the clattering and tumbling sounds. Come on, big guy. Go check– Another cry boomed through the city, followed by a howl that seemed to radiate bloodlust. Ethan's heart skipped a beat, his jaw tightening. That last one came from his would-be escape route, where no beast ought to live. Then, the ground shook with a sudden jolt, just before the sky lit up with azure lightning.

W-What's going on!? Don't tell me they have group fights as well! If that was the case, considering his proximity, he was as good as dead. The battlefield of these monsters would end him obliterated as collateral damage. Ethan curled his fingers into a fist as the predators of the ancient city went wild with each passing moment. He needed to leave. Now. Slitted amber eyes shot open. The drake heaved its massive bulk to its feet and started lumbering toward the pyre.

Gritting his teeth, Ethan waited, his mind racing while the seconds dragged like hours. As soon as the beast turned the corner, he dashed toward the temple with wild abandon. The wind picked up violently and began to form a tornado just a few streets away. Something crashed into a building, the shockwave sending him floundering. He didn't linger or turn to look and instead climbed the stairs in a flash and pushed the gates of the temple with all his might.

It proved to be unnecessary as the tall gates burst inward on his touch. Ethan stumbled through and took a few uncontrolled steps to keep his balance. Then his foot came down on nothing. The ground ended just inches ahead of him. His eyes widened as his stomach lurched. His momentum carried him forward for a terrifying second before he flung himself backward, windmilling his arms. He staggered back and collapsed onto one knee. The next moment, darkness gave way to an impossible scene.

Gray, mistlike tiles hovered around an endless black void, illuminated by a myriad of stars in their grandeur. He was standing on one of them as well. It was square like the others but several times larger. More importantly, there was nothing beneath him but a bottomless, inky void. W-What in the actual hell?! Ethan closed his slack jaw and turned back to look at the gates, but all he could see was more of the same. The entrance was gone. It was just scattered tiles to no end.

He rose with a shaky breath and pivoted in a slow circle, taking in the outlandish surroundings. Maybe this was a bad idea. It felt like he'd traded one nightmare for another, and honestly, escaping from the city center in that chaos seemed like child's play compared to this.'' Hello?!'' he yelled and found his voice surprisingly loud. Then again, perhaps that wasn't so surprising considering he could also breathe in space, not to mention the gravity that was exactly the same as before.

There was clearly some magic fuckery going on.

''Hello? Is there anybody out there? It seems I came to the wrong place. Can you please let me out?'' The eerie silence was all the answer he got. During that time, he also noticed that he'd lost the connection to his talismans. His mana still moved through his body, but it refused to enter the talismans for some reason.''Hey! I entered here by accident. Let me out!'' He yelled and bit his lips as he looked around, desperation settling into his eyes.

''What is this place!? Is this a test? I give up, okay? I just want to return.'' His voice got quieter toward the end, but he still waited for a good while for something to happen, anything, really. In the end, he realized he was on his own, same as always. A wry chuckle escaped his mouth as he walked toward the edge of his platform and sat down. He removed his backpack and fetched one of his darts before tossing it out to the abyss beneath him.

It took almost ten seconds for the darkness to swallow the dart, and no sound came for the next minute it followed. Maybe it would be a different story if he'd thrown a rock or something, but he didn't have anything like that. Everything in his backpack was essential, except a large portion of his darts. Sighing, Ethan stared at the hovering tiles that stretched endlessly. No one arranges a setup like this without any reason. This has to be a test of sorts. Cultivators love their tests, don't they?

But what's the purpose here? Should I just keep jumping from one tile to another and search for an exit? He took out his blowgun this time, leaned toward the closest tile, and gently hit its surface. The bamboo stick knocked the gray tile that looked like a piece of solidified cloud with a flat surface, bounced a little, and then passed through on the second contact. His grip on the bamboo tightened. With a dark face, he probed the tile a few times more. The third time was a miss as well.

The 4th time landed a hit, but the next three times his stick acted like there was nothing in front of him.

''Ah, I see. They turn illusory. Of course they do. Why wouldn't they? What's next? Lava tiles? Spiky ones?'' Grumbling, he got up and moved next to another tile and continued his investigation. The good news was that he didn't encounter any other traps. The bad news was that every tile switched between solid and illusory, seemingly randomly. There was no way to distinguish them, and every time he touched one, it changed again.

That also brought the question of what would happen if he were to jump on his own platform right now? He tried not to think about it. In theory, if he found a solid tile with his bamboo stick, as long as he didn't cut the contact, he could jump on it and look for other tiles from there. But if he had to jump in that awkward position for God knew how long, raising the other end of the bamboo tube even a little would get him fucked.

He could tie his backpack to the bamboo and do the same thing in an easier way, but the other tiles didn't have much space; taking up most of the tile with his backpack would be another death sentence. More importantly, what would be the meaning of this kind of challenge? No, this feels like a courage test more than anything. But even if that's the case, which direction should I go? Is that also a part of it? That I should trust myself and my path without a doubt?

Ethan considered his options as he took a strip of jerky from the bag and clamped his teeth onto its edge, tearing a ragged piece. It was salty and leathery. Some spice would be great, but that would likely make him even more thirsty. He narrowed his eyes and kept chewing, a little angrier each time. Fucking hate cultivators already.