The attack footstep markers lead on into a chamber where they split into dozens of options. The chamber was more den than lair—the creatures had grouped in one giant blob in the center, snoring away. By crude estimates there had to be at least six creatures there, possibly more. If he caught them by surprise, Dallion could kill at least half of them, six if he used his attack skill adequately... and that’s what he did, charging forward without a moment’s thought.

HOTHEAD!

Charging head on into dangers could be called brave, but it’s not always a smart decision.

Dallion ignored the rectangle as he lunged, striking the blot with his short sword.

SNEAK ATTACK

Dealt damage increased by 50%

Opponent’s options to react are limited

The boy didn’t stop following up with his attack sequence. Red rectangles piled one atop the other, each indicating a successful kill. Three creatures had gone before the blob began to budge. Two more perished after it did, thanks to the skill’s time-stop effects. Only then did green markers appear.

Let’s see how well you do this time, Dallion followed the green footsteps to safety. The blob burst apart like a water balloon meeting a needle. Silhouette creatures scattered throughout the chamber, quickly becoming invisible in the darkness. Even so, Dallion’s other senses gave a rough estimate of where they were, along with his shield markers.

A heavy mass with claws clashed against the boy’s buckler, only to receive a quick jab before the red markers could appear.

The markers must be contextual, Dallion thought while hacking away at another enemy. The lack of contact told him that the creature had successfully evaded all attacks and had retreated to elsewhere in the chamber.

The more Dallion thought, the more he became certain that in this world there was no such thing as a tilted build. While his reactions had given him an incredible initial boost when fighting enemies, that quickly vanished as he fought stronger enemies. On their own, his attack and guard skills were nothing without the stats to keep him going. Perception was necessary for the markers to appear, Reaction was needed for him to execute them on time, Body was a must for him to maintain them for long periods of time and… To be honest, Dallion still had no idea what Mind was for, but he was certain that he would have found out the hard way, had his Mind level remained at three.

MINOR INJURY!

Health has been decreased by 5%

A sharp pain ran through his right arm. One of the creatures had managed to successfully claw him moments before dying itself. Fortunately, it was the last one, though still a painful reminder that Dallion still had a lot to learn.

Realm section mended!

Overall completion 55%

The blue rectangle marked the end of the fight, giving Dallion a chance to rest. In theory, from this point on things were only going to get easier. To prove his point a way of sunlight shone through from above, lighting up the chamber. The stench was gone completely along with all remnants of decay on the stone walls.

“Tha-that’s nothing,” Dallion said, gasping for breath. “I can take all of you!” He waved his sword, though not too energetically for his arm was still stinging from the wound. Having some bandages would have been useful now, possibly some disinfectant. Lacking either, the boy tore off part of his shirt, then went to the nearest stream within the cave to wash his injury.

The water was crystal clean, just as he had predicted. There was no sign of the flow smelling much that had been there moments ago. Just to be sure, Dallion tasted a gulp. There was no trace of bitterness.

Washing off the blood, Dallion then wrapped the self-made bandage over the wound. The scar covered a large mark on his forearm, though didn’t seem deep. As long as he wasn’t too careless the pain was manageable. As for infection, he had to resot to organic methods to keep it from getting infected. Not a very dignified approach, and one that he wouldn’t do had there been other people around.

I wonder if it’ll leave a scar once I get out of here? The boy mused. The only way to find out was to defeat the guardian and leave this realm.

Before leaving the chamber, Dallion sniffed the other cave passages. The air was clean, suggesting that if there were other creatures, they were hiding pretty deep. The only thing left to do now was go back outside and continue the trip to the peak.

Sunset had already begun by the time Dallion emerged from the cave. Warm orange light fell on the mountainside, contrasting with the dark blue cast by the shadows. All in all, it was a nice place, if one wasn’t hunted by a pack of cracks.

Lying on the ground, Dallion closed his eyes. He didn’t feel sleepy just yet, though a break felt good. His stomach gurgled, issuing its hourly complaint.

“Later,” the boy told his stomach. At least there was enough water. If things got particularly bad, Dallion was going to resort to drinking in the hopes that would trick his stomach into shutting up.

According to what he remembered from school, a person could survive for weeks without food. Of course, that was if not surrounded by a pack of blood-thirsty creatures. If his calculations were correct, there were twenty-two of them left—more than twice as many as he had fought in the chamber. Most likely there were two or three dens inside the mountain. At nightfall they would emerge and try to shoo him off their mountain, or failing that attempt to devour him. Given that Dallion had climbed more than half-way up, he wasn’t sure which of the two options was worse.

Once I get through this, I’ll have a word with you, old man. Dallion clenched his fist, thinking about the village chief. Then we’ll see who’s arrogant and who’s not.