No. I can't take him with me. He doesn't deserve that. If something happens to my soul…He'll go away too. I have to do this, or at least I have to try.
What do I have? "Inventory."
My entire inventory of about forty transparent boxes appears. Starting from the top is a couple boxes of fried rice, some vegetables from the garden, seasoning from the system shop, cooking oil, hair products, that bow I couldn't get rid of, arrows, a few knives, health potions, the grimoire, a first aid kit, petfeed, a cauldron, a cloak, shoes, a backpack, a compass, and a ring.
"That's it? I mean, that's not too bad, I guess, but I'll starve without any real food once I run out of this. Actually, maybe even before that." I still need blood.
Boo meowed and I grimaced. "At least you have petfeed. What should we do? Wait. I still have the taskboard and my space bag!"
Hastily, I check its contents and sigh in relief. Thankfully, I hadn't emptied it. Preserved Ichor, tonics, water bottles, snacks, clothes, gold, blankets, utensils, and other useless luxuries. "Harley, you're a lifesaver," I whispered. I wish I had packed fresh meat or grains in here instead, but beggars can't be choosy.
It's not a lot, but I can at least be warm while I'm out here. Maybe I can make a tent out of some of these things.Most of the clothes are useless to me now that I'm bigger. I should check my taskboard before I continue jumping to conclusions.
It pops up in front of me, and I see that every single previous mission, quest, and task has been blurred. I can't access anything from the outside or the soul space from in here.
Snot trails down from my nose, and I sneeze. Boo tries to lick it and I angle my face away from the furball. Gross.
[Conquer The Dungeon]
[Leave the Dungeon within thirty days.]
[Do not die]
"No fucking shit man…brrr. Description?"
[Welcome to the Frigid Cemetery]
[Within my walls lies the final resting place of the fallen race of True Elves. Whether you're searching for treasure, secrets, or a glimpse into our forgotten history. I must warn you. None but my kin shall leave this unholy retreat alive.]
[The dungeon shall be activated in 2:59 minutes. Prepareyourself.]
"Holy shit."
In a rush I put Boo down and made sure he wouldn't run off. Within a minute, I equipped myself with not only the cloak and shoes. But the weapons, I had no idea how to use. Maybe the knife could be used.
"Pheww."
Boo scratched at my boots and I picked him up so I could shove him in my cloaks pocket. He didn't fit, unfortunately, and I cursed.
Wait. I put on the backpack and shoved him inside.
The countdown continued, and I looked around. What's going to come out? It's fricking cold so maybe a yeti or something?
[DungeonActivated]
I struggled to breathe.
Nothing happened.
I didn't relax as I crept forward. Snow was softly crushed beneath my boots, and I moved forward.
Nothing's popping out. Maybe—
Something cracked underneath my foot, and I looked down. What is that? Mindful of my surroundings, I picked up a piece of…bone? A gray and brittle bone turned to dust as I picked it up.
"That's not good."
Careful, I stepped around the remains buried in snow. There must have been a hundred of them. Dead. Deteriorating slowly due to the influence of the elements. Spears. Swords. Brokenshields. Evidence of a terrible battle was crushed underneath my boots.
There are so many bones.
I almost stepped on a skull when I heard a clicking sound. Pausing, I continued on my way, pretending to be unaware of the sound, all the while secretly checking out of the corner of my eye for the source.
In my peripheral vision, several bones assembled together to make a semi-complete skeleton. It stood up unsteadily and tried to look around with its poorly assembled body.
"..."
Inspection.
[Undead Skeleton LvL 10]
[HP: 5000/5000]
[MP: 100/1000]
"..."
It turned around, and its bones made a horrible creaking sound that made me wince. We both stared at each other. Aware that we could both see one another. "..."
"..."
I picked up my foot, and it mimicked the movement. I stepped back, and it stepped forward.
"..."
"..."
"Please don't hurt me?"
It opened up its mouth, and its jaw fell down. Literally. It landed in a pile of other bones, and I winced. "Dude, that's like so rude. Pick up your jaw, this isn't your house."
It broke out into a sprint, and I screamed bloody murder. It jumped up slightly out of shock, and I took the opportunity for what it was. My ass lit on fire as I ran away from the jumble of bones.
It followed behind me with its decaying bones, and I sweated so much it turned into little icicles on my skin.
"What do I do? Oh my god. Jesus. Holy shit. Uh…Our father…"
It threw a bone at the back of my head, and I face planted. Blood streamed from the back of my head and my nose as I cursed him out. "You motherfucker! Fuck your mother!"
It caught up to me, and I raised my hands just to defend myself, and it flew away. Fricking flew away. It landed in a snow pile a little ways away, and I sat up on my elbows to see it.
"..."
"Well…That's what you get!"
I touched the back of my head and groaned. That's going to hurt tomorrow.
The bones underneath me shifted a little, and I gulped. Oh no. All around me, bones shifted, latched on to one another, and formed skeletons.
Undead skeleton assholes that were staring intently at me with empty skulls.
"..."
"I'm sorry?"
Cue the fucking mob.
They broke out into a sprint, and I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me. Thank goodness, they seemed to be relatively slow in comparison to the living. Boo meowed and peeked out to look at the situation from inside the backpack.
About ten minutes later, I was not only sweating, freezing, and exhausted. But I was nowhere near any markers of civilization. There was no point in running when there was nothing to run to.
I can't run anymore.
But they're skeletons? How can they be so energetic? Should I just blow them away? I can't kill them since they're kinda already dead. Jesus Christ.
The Skeleton's gang up on me, and their jaws snapped open and closed.
"You all have such bad manners."
Damn it what do I do.
How much magic stuff do I have? There's like a hundred corpses here, and I don't want to get too close to any of them. I veered away from them and towards a pile of snow so I could hide for a little bit.
"Status!"
[Miseria Noxcissa Duccanes.]
[Level: 20]
[Class: Control Witch]
[Race: Vampiric Elf, ???]
[Age: 1]
[Health: 1950/1950]
[Mental Energy: 800/800]
[Strength: 10]
[Vitality: 13]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Agility: 10]
[SP: 75]
[Skill : Telekinesis]
[Skill: Psychic Perception]
[Skill: Cognitive Overload]
[Skill: Aura Manipulation]
[Skill: Psychic Barrier]
[Skill: Pet Space]
[Skill: Culinary Novice]
[Skill: Novice Gardener]
[Equipment: Cloak, Backpack, Shoes, and Compass.]
[Balance: 0 GD]
Right. Status points. I originally wanted to save those for a rainy day, but now is as good a time as any. While keeping an eye on the approaching mob, I clicked a few options.
[Miseria Noxcissa Duccanes.]
[Level: 20]
[Class: Control Witch]
[Race: Vampiric Elf. ??? ]
[Age: 1]
[Health: 3000/3000]
[Mental Energy: 3000/3000]
[Strength: 20]
[Vitality: 23]
[Intelligence: 40]
[Agility: 20]
[SP: 25]
[Skill : Telekinesis]
[Skill: Psychic Perception]
[Skill: Cognitive Overload]
[Skill: Aura Manipulation]
[Skill: Psychic Barrier]
[Skill: Pet Space]
[Skill: Culinary Novice]
[Skill: Novice Gardener]
[Equipment: Cloak, Backpack, Shoes, and Compass.]
[Balance : 0 GD]
I refused to use all of them. But I did significantly increase all my stats. Please work.
I raised my hands again and called for those tendrils. They left my hands and struggled to grab hold of something. Just this time.
"Octopus thingie go!"
I spread my hands and let them loose. They grabbed hold of a Skeleton creeping closer to me and squeezed. They squeezed hard until those brittle bones turned into dust, and I received a notification.
[+100 EXP]
"Holy shit. I did it. I really did it. OH MY GOD!"
A growl came from behind me, and I ducked as one of the Skeletons took a swipe at me.
[+100 EXP]
[+100 EXP]
[+100 EXP]
[+100 EXP]
[+100 EXP]
Constant notifications rang out as I whittled down the number of Skeletons. The cold bit at my exposed cheeks, and I had some close calls from running in between their legs and escaping their range of attack.
But finally…
[+100 EXP]
I sat down in a huff and wheezed from the sheer amount of cold air I was inhaling. Piles of bonedust swirled in the wintry air and were carried away by the wind.
[Floor One Cleared]
I jumped up, and a glowing circle appeared about ten feet away from me. Hurriedly, I stepped on it and was transported to the next floor.