(Riven POV – Dungeon, Floor 13)
"So this is why the 13th to 17th floors are called the Cave Labyrinth." I muse, stepping into the next floor.
The change is immediately apparent.
Gone is the blinding fog from before, and in its place stretches an endless maze of bedrock. The floor, walls, and ceiling are made of it, while even the air feel heavier. Every tunnel twists into another, branching and curling like veins carved through stone. Dim blue crystals embedded in the walls give off a faint, ghostly light that barely fight against the darkness.
Moist air clings to my skin, and each step echoes through the silent corridors. Along the way, I catch glimpses of vertical shafts leading deeper down… gaping maws waiting to swallow the careless.
And best of all…
"So many damn monsters." The complaint betrays the grin spreading across my face.
A low rumble sounds beside me, acting as a split-second warning before the wall erupts.
BOOM!
A massive maw bursts out, jagged teeth glinting as it lunges for my head. I duck, feeling the air rip past my hair, and pivot back in time to see the creature's long, writhing body slither free from the wall.
"A Dungeon worm." I mutter. "It looks disgusting."
Its mouth, filled with rows of sharp fangs lets out a screeching howl, as though offended by my words, before it snaps towards me again, and I sidestep smoothly, my boots grinding against the stone. As it shoots past—
"Gotcha."
I grab its body mid-lunge.
My fingers dig deep into its fleshy body, and my muscles flex as I twist, ripping it cleanly from the wall. Dust and chunks of debris explode outward as the worm shrieks in fury, flailing in my grasp.
"Three meters long." I estimate aloud, eyeing its length with a smirk. "Perfect."
I then spin, using its weight as leverage. The worm screams just before I swing it like a whip.
The crack echoes through the corridor as its tail slams into a wall. A wall that moments prior, exploded outward as a massive Silverback bursts free, roaring in triumph. Its crimson eyes lock on me, then widen as the incoming worm collides with its chest, smashing it back into the wall it just escaped from.
The impact shakes the ground. The Silverback bellowed in pain, while the worm thrashes wildly in my grip.
"Don't be like that." I coo comfortingly, my voice dripping with mock sweetness. "You should calm down."
It thrashes more vigorously.
"I said…" My time lowers. "Behave!"
I yank it back and whip it again. And again. And again. Each hit lands with a bone-crunching THUD. The air begins to reek of blood and dust, and the worm finally goes limp in my hands after a few more shakes.
"Was that so hard?" I sigh, rolling my eyes as I let its corpse dissolve into black mist as Predator devours it whole. Warm, sticky blood stains my fingers, but I easily shake them clean, and due Predator to remove what persists.
Walking to where the Silverback once stood, there's nothing left but a mangled heap of flesh and shattered stone. Buried somewhere in the mess is a magic stone, which I absorb along with the remains. Even though the sight is enough to invoke instinctive revulsion and disgust in any sane individual, all I can think is…
'I would've preferred a boxing match with it.' I think in disappointment. Then I shrug. 'There's plenty of monsters in the dungeon.'
I turn a corner, and stop. Three Silverbacks block the path ahead, their muscles bulging beneath coarse fur, knuckles pressed against the stone as they snarl.
"Speak of the devil…" I grin, cracking my own knuckles. "…and he shall appear."
Their roars shake the air, echoing down the tunnel as they rapidly pound their chests. The beat echoes like a war drum, signalling the start of of fierce battle. And my grin sharpens into something feral.
"Alright then." I smile, stepping forward. "Don't disappoint me."
The Silverbacks charge forward, and so do I.
The air whips past my face as stones tremble under their pounding fists. One cocks its arm back for a haymaker, the second crouches low, its muscles bunching for a leap, and the third continues unhindered, bracing to smash me into paste the moment it closes the distance.
Their charge is chaotic at first glance, but strangely, there's coordination. Even if it's primitive and instinctual, it is lethal. And to any normal adventurer, it'd be the end.
Yet I grin.
"Boo."
The word leaves my lips soft as a whisper… then detonates as Sonic Scream activates.
The shockwave rips down the corridor, rebounding off stone walls in a shrill, concussive echo. The air shivers, while dust is flung upward.
The Silverbacks falter instantly, their formation shattering. The first Silverback loses its balance mid-swing and crashes backward. The second's jump turns into an embarrassing face-plant as its muscles seize, and the third stumbles to a halt right in front of me, dazed as its muscles fail to follow its will.
In that moment, I stare in amazement.
"…Huh." I blink rapidly.
'I didn't think they'd go down that easily.'
Still… mercy isn't really my thing.
My fist rushes forward in a blur of motion, whistling through the air, then—
CRACK!
The third Silverback's skull explodes from the blow as bone, blood, and grey matter paint the tunnel walls in a grotesque mural. Its body drops before it even realizes it's dead.
I charge forward, driving my foot down and stomp hard on the second's skull as it groggily tries to lift its head. The sound that follows is a wet crunch, like fruit bursting open, as the floor beneath us is dyed red.
The last one finally blinks awake, trembling beneath me, my boot planted on its chest, pinning it to the floor. It struggles to breathe as its bones creak under the pressure.
I sigh, looking down at it. "Is it that you guys weak…" I press down harder, feeling its ribs bow inward. "…or am I just too strong?"
It wheezes, trying to roar, but all that comes out is a strangled rasp. There's no air left in its lungs to scream with. Its hands grab at my leg, futilely trying to push me off, but I don't budge.
"Not even gonna answer, huh?" I click my tongue, my expression flat.
At this time, I conveniently choose to forget that it can't speak at all. Not that it matters.
"Then die."
I push down. Hard.
Its chest caves in with a sharp CRACK, ribs snapping as its sternum shatters. I feel the faint crunch of its heart and the brittle snap of the magic stone beneath my heel.
The light dies from its eyes before its body dissolves into black dust.
I exhale through my nose. "Tch. Should've been more careful."
Lifting my boot, I find glittering fragments embedded in the blood.
"What a waste." I crouch, gather them up, and let Predator absorb the pieces. And as an experiment…
'GS, can you repair it?'
[Notice: Magic Stone restoration complete.]
The request is completed almost instantly. I blink, and the magic stone has knitted itself together seamlessly, like it was never damaged in the first place.
My eyes widen, excitement flickering within.
"So I can repair them…" I chuckle, my lips curling into a grin. "If I can fix broken ones, then I can make use of Goliath's magic stone after fixing it." My pulse quickens at the thought.
"How much could it sell for…?" I let myself ponder, before shaking my head with a quiet chuckle. "Not that I'd ever sell it."
It'd be far better if I used it to create something useful.
Straightening up, I dust my hands off and glance toward the tunnel leading deeper into the maze.
"Hopefully…" I murmur, rolling my shoulders, "The monsters below can actually put up a fight."
With that, I descend toward the next floor, my footsteps echoing against the stone as the scent of blood still permeates the air.
After some walking, and right before I descended to the fourteenth floor, I ran into a Hard Armour, which is basically an oversized armadillo with a hide as tough as stone.
Its beady eyes blinked at me as it rolled up, thinking its shell would save it.
It's almost cute how optimistic it was.
I caught it mid-roll and smashed it into the wall hard enough to crack the stone behind it. Dust rained down as it struggled, claws scraping uselessly as it tried to free itself. And I tilted my head curiously while grinning.
"Let's see how many hits you can take."
The answer turned out to be one.
My fist drove clean through its shell and into its chest cavity, the creature convulsing as blood and chunks of flesh splattered across the floor. I ripped the magic stone out of its chest, watching it twitch once before Predator devoured it.
"Guess defense isn't everything." I muttered, wiping gore off my arm as I stepped down into the next floor.
The 14th floor provided no major change in scenery, but the monsters…
So many monsters.
The first to greet me were Almiraj. Little rabbit creatures I could relate to. These rabbits were axe-wielding maniacs with red eyes and with a similar lust for battle as myself. One charged me, squealing, its axe raised high, and I sidestepped, grabbed its ears, swinging it, before smashing it headfirst into the floor. Bone and metal collided with the floor as its axe clattered away, leaving its owner to die.
Then the others came. Thirteen of them.
They swarmed me with purpose, axes whistling through the air in an attempt to reap my life, but…
I laughed.
I ducked, weaved, feeling the gusts generated by their strikes. One swung too wide, and I broke its wrist and used its own axe to split its skull. Another leapt at me from behind, but I turned and met it midair with a knee to the face. Skulls burst, blood spilled, and when the last one tried to flee, I hurled its companion's axe through its back as silence fell, save for my footsteps squelching in river of blood that remained.
Deeper in, the tunnels widened again, then I saw them… the Lamia Mormos.
With the upper bodies of women, and the lower half a snake, their eyes gleamed with predatory hunger. Their hisses filled the air as they slithered out from the shadows, claws extended.
They lunged together, claws flashing towards me.
I caught one by the wrist, twisted, and felt bones snap beneath my fingers. She screamed, fangs flashing toward my throat, yet I tore her head off instead.
Of the remaining two, I grabbed the tail of one and swung it into the other. The wet crack of impact echoing through the chamber as they collapsed in a tangled heap of broken scales and blood.
No matter how human they might look, monsters are monsters. As such, I absorbed their bodies without remorse before moving on.
Then came the Wyverns.
Their screeches echoed from above as two of them swept through the cavern, wings slicing the air. They circled me, trying to keep out of reach, confident in their aerial advantage.
"Annoying." I muttered, my eyes narrowing.
I inhaled sharply, then let it rip.
SONIC SCREAM.
The roar blasted upward, bouncing through the cavern with a force that shattered stalactites. The wyverns shrieked, their flight faltering as they tumbled from the air like broken kites. One hit the ground hard, wing bent at a grotesque angle, while the other tried to crawl away.
But I reached it first.
It tried to flap, and I grabbed a wing, pressing my foot firmly against its torso before ripping it off. Bone tore from socket in a spray of blood. It screamed again, but the noise was abruptly cut off as my sword decapitates it. The remaining wyvern was shown no mercy either.
By the time I reached the next passage down, I'd lost count of how many monsters I'd encountered. The air stank of blood, and the stone floor was wet beneath my boots.
None of them had been worth much of a fight.
I sigh. "At least I haven't met any of the actual strong monsters yet. There's still hope for a fun fight." I say optimistically.
And with that, I started down the winding path to the next level, hoping to encounter something exciting.
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A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, this is the chapter. Lots of violence and bloodshed after all the fluff from before. Honestly, it was super fun writing this. I kinda feel regret since I had to speed up the last 3 monster fights, since writing proper fight for all those would be quite boring to read. It gets old, at least that's what I think. It's just him fighting weak monsters, is better to summarise.
As for Riven himself... I have to wonder about his mental state🤣. Dude's nuts. And a bit psychotic... But in a charming way (at least, that's what I'm hoping to achieve). I mean, he's just looking to have some fun... Is that so wrong?🙃
I really like that he's using his newly acquired skills, and no, I haven't forgotten about Ariel. Patience... I'm cooking (hopefully). But you won't have to wait long, I think. The next chapter (which will probably be the bonus chapter I promised), will be very interesting, trust. Lots of fun stuff is planned for it. And I'm wondering... Should he fight Goliath now? What do you guys think? (I've already made up my mind, but I'm just curious)
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
I hope you all have a great rest of your day/night 🌉.