Tranquility enveloped the entire cave. However, that was merely a facade. Wilhelm could feel that he wasn't alone; something else was looking at him. Whether or not that thing was stronger than him, Wilhelm wasn't too sure.
Like this, he slowly walked through the cave. Not too quick and not too slow, caution was of most importance, even if he was starving. Suddenly, he could hear the hurtling of wind from behind him. Shocked, he tried to dodge to the right.
Unfortunately, he was too slow, and a small gash appeared on his left shoulder. A few droplets of blood dripped from his arms and stained his already dirty clothes. Wilhelm's eye squinted as he stood in place, retrieving his dagger from his pocket.
Even the shiny dagger couldn't gleam within the darkness. nevertheless, the creature that had attacked Wilhelm halted due to the threat of the blade. A battle of patience was something that Wilhelm had long mastered, so he was in no particular hurry.
He was well aware of the fact that the creature he was currently facing was a skilled predator. Still, he too was a hunter. Killing from the shrouds of darkness was something he had long gotten used to, so he knew exactly what was going to happen.
He temporarily put aside his rumbling stomach, dry mouth, and sore body. His eyes gently closed as the knife in his hands danced rhythmically. Animals were prone to noises, especially in a secluding and quiet cave.
Wilhelm periodically tapped the side of the cave, tapping it faster and slower at different times. The sound echoed throughout the cave and a small smile played on his lips as a twinkling growl resounded a few meters from behind him.
Immediately, he stopped tapping on the wall and cut the edge of the cave with his knife, creating a few sparks. It barely illuminated the appearance of the creature. It was a grey and round creature with two round eyes on top of its head. Seven limbs extended from its torso and a rather grotesque expression was on its face.
It possessed no fur and was around two meters long, three feet wide. It lunged toward Wilhelm once the sparks showcased its whereabouts. With a dagger in hand, Wilhelm counter-attacked and also charged forward.
He evaded the abundance of limbs that shot at him, albeit barely. Soon, he closed the distance. The few cuts on his abdomen, back, and shoulders bled profusely as he finally reached the creature. Its mouth was opened wide and a set of sharp teeth presented itself.
A foul stench assaulted Wilhelm’s nose as he stabbed toward the creature, his night-eye skill barely possessing the capability of sight. The knife coursed through the air and time seemed to stop as the monster attempted to bite Wilhelm.
The incongruous monster, however, was a tad bit slower. The knife directly stabbed into its eye and caused it to scream out in pain. However, Wilhelm wasn't done yet. He let go of the knife and used his bare hands to strike the nape of the creature.
With pinpoint accuracy, he continuously punched its neck. The monster flailed its absurd number of limbs and injured Wilhelm in a last-ditch effort, alas, the life in its eyes slowly faded. Nonetheless, Wilhelm continued to punch until brain-matter was flung onto his clothes.
His bloody and exhausted figure soon collapsed onto the corpse as he stared listlessly into space. The wounds on his body stung and he could only curse his bad luck. Not only was he transported to this god-forsaken world alone, but he also happened to stumble across a dangerous dungeon as well.
[Grottenburg (infant) has been slain]
[250 experience has been acquired]
[You have leveled up!]
[One allocatable stat point is now available]
"That was an infant…?" Wilhelm whispered in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. Just the mere thought of facing the mother of that rather ugly creature caused him to nearly barf. Its obscene appearance had really scarred him for life.
Another deep sigh escaped from his lips as he stood up from the ground, dusting off his clothes. He tied a few pieces of cloth around his wounds and prayed to the gods that he wasn't poisoned. He then looked over his status.
---------------
[Character Information]
Name: Wilhelm Siegfried
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 6, [0/2000 EXP]
Class: Undertaker (1) [4/100]
Strength: 11
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 15
Stamina: 10
Magic Power: 0
HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
Skills: Krav Maga (level 10), indomitable will (level 1), superior intellect (level 2), Gun proficiency (level 10), Night-eye (class-skill)
Items: None
Allocatable stat points: 1
Evolution points: 0
Coins: 0
He briefly scanned through his stats and didn't even hesitate to place the 1 allocatable stat point into stamina. Since it didn't increase health, it seemed worthless. However, he felt younger every time his stamina increased. Not to mention the fact that his body was in dire need of medication.
A warm current flowed through Wilhelm’s body and temporarily sealed his wounds, giving him a moment of relaxation. He could feel the tendons in his body tighten and the small wrinkles on his face disappear. As if he were once again a 30-year-old man, his body felt fantastic.
After excitedly noticing the significant changes to his body, he decided to start digging a hole in the rough ground. His knife dulled as he dug, however, it was necessary for his class. Not only did he gain experience, but he was also intrigued as to what would happen when he buried 100 bodies.
So far, on his status, it showed 4/100 to the right of his undertaker class. Every time he buried a body, he would gain another number. Even if he was an older man, games, and secrets excited him, which was why he choose the undertaker class in the first place.
Thinking to here, about an hour later, the burial was finally complete. It didn't look very keen, but it would suffice for the morbid demon. Wilhelm kicked the corpse into the hole and recovered the burial with dirt, refusing to look at the creature again. Even if he was starving, he refused to eat that thing.
Soon, another notification popped up.
[Grottenburg has been buried, 150 experience acquired]
[Burials 5/100]
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Once the hideous monster was finally buried, Wilhelm fell to his buttocks and gasped for breath. The air within the dungeon was rather faint, and small particles of dust invaded his lungs every time he inhaled. The air was musky, and Wilhelm felt as though even the rabbit infested forest was better than this cave.
A groan escaped from his thin lips as he begrudgingly stood up and scratched his head. His stomach rumbled fiercer than ever and his wounds stung. He had no inkling of whether or not the creature that had injured him was poisonous. Nonetheless, he was in dire need of bandages and water, to clean the wounds.
The stuffy wind assaulted his nose as he continued walking. Thankfully, the humidity was proof of a nearby water source, not to mention the life that persisted inside the dungeon. All living creatures required food and water. The main predicament that Wilhelm faced was where the water source was located, and what was guarding it.
The thing he had just killed was a mere infant. Its skills were amateurish, and Wilhelm used a simple technique to eradicate it. However, the same couldn't be said for whatever gave birth to it. Whether it was the father or mother, just the thought of them struck fear into Wilhelm's heart.
With these troubling thoughts in mind, Wilhelm soon made it to another forked road. There were four passages present, all of them looking nearly identical. "It's going to take me a while to finish this dungeon" Wilhelm groaned, "based on the assumption that I even live, what exactly was the point of even placing this nearly impossible dungeon in plain sight?"
A handful of curses escaped from Wilhelm's mouth as he randomly picked one of the entrances. Knowing his luck, he was going to pick the most dangerous path anyway. Thus, he cautiously traveled across the pitch-bl
ack cave, not a single light in sight.
The walls were coarse and seemed to nearly crumble with the slightest touch. The base of the cave appeared to be thick, but the outer walls were made out of something rather strange. Wilhelm could hypothesize what it was based on the dungeon title. Still, he genuinely hoped that it wasn't mucus or some other form of bodily fluid.
This strange and quiet journey lasted for another 15 minutes until he reached the ending of his current path. The ground suddenly vibrated, and a few grunts could be heard from afar. In a moment of shock, Wilhelm quickly threw himself to the side and covered his body with the dirt laying on the ground.
The vibrations grew stronger and stronger until Wilhelm could vaguely perceive a few dozen taut legs strolling through the cave. He couldn't make out their appearance, but they were certainly large. The loud vibrations were a testament to that fact.
The creatures continued walking through the cave, unaware that a measly human had clung to the side. It took a few minutes for the huge line of monsters to pass by him. Though, he patiently waited under the dirt, not at all afraid of idling. Once the vibrations became faint, Wilhelm finally decided to stand up.
His figure was soaked with sweat and the aura of those beasts caused his body to instinctively retreat. Such monsters were completely different in comparison to the rabbits and grottenburg he had already slain. His hunger and thirst were momentarily forgotten as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
He could already be considered a monster to the human standard. His strength, speed, stamina, and even intelligence were higher than normal. However, even all of that was nothing before the monsters he had just borne witness to. Just a simple glance caused him to realize how minuscule he really was.
Wilhelm clenched his fists and ground his teeth in irritation. He wasn't used to this feeling of powerlessness. Even though he was always cautious, he still felt as though nothing could really threaten his existence. Even the goblins were viewed as insignificant life-forms in front of Wilhelm's eyes.
Suddenly, an indiscernible smile appeared on his face as he chuckled. "How fun…" he whispered to himself and turned around. A faint luminescence shone down from a hole located on the roof of the cave. It barely irradiated a beautiful, sparkling lake.
The waters were tranquil, and it appeared to be even more concentrated than the other lake that he had come across. Wilhelm was well-aware of what awaited him if he drank from the lake. Alas, he didn't have much of a choice. Without hesitation, he ran toward the lake and guzzled down the water.
His clothes, hair, and body became soaked as he drank like a dog. He temporarily ignored the burning sensation as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. It felt as though he were drinking acid and finally stopped after two more gulps.
His body convulsed and saliva escaped from his mouth. His eyes rolled back, and his body remained stationary for five entire minutes. Eventually, he got ahold of himself and sat back up. Fear filled his eyes as he observed the so-called firewater.
An abrupt curiosity struck Wilhelm as he wondered what was beneath the water. In a state of such oddity, he couldn't help himself from diving deep within the lake. Strangely enough, the water didn't even burn his eyes, but it felt abnormally warm.
He continued swimming down for around 20 seconds until he laid his eyes upon some sort of coffin. The lake wasn't very deep at all, and its temperature seemed to rise as he got closer to the casket. It was the complete opposite of the other lake that he had stumbled across prior.
Unfortunately, he couldn't inspect the coffin for much longer, as he was forced to rise up to the surface for air. His wet hair shifted in the water as he quickly scrubbed his body and face, ridding himself of the excess dirt that stained his body.
Once he was finished rinsing himself, he stepped out of the lake and removed his ragged clothes. They were riddled with holes, scratches, and other uncleanable filth. He let them dry by the edge of the lake and then proceeded to tie his long hair into a ponytail.
His green eyes faintly glimmered as droplets of water fell from his well-defined body. His nude physique swayed within the wind as he slightly shifted his torso. Wilhelm didn't feel the slightest bit of shame; he had long been used to strutting around while naked.
The chilly winds disturbed him ever so slightly, but he ignored it. After his hair was tied into a rather simplistic knot, he sat down, cross-legged. He stroked his scraggly beard as he looked over his attributes and skills.
The gun-proficiency skill was practically useless and even the night-eye skill was also underwhelming. Thus, so far, the undertaker class could be considered anything, but extraordinary. Wilhelm could only heave a deep sigh of disappointment. He had slowly started to regret choosing the secret class merely because it was "secret".
"Well, I seem to have gotten myself into a rather perilous situation, now, haven't I" he grumbled jestfully and once again stood up from the ground. He executed a few rough calculations and recognized that his chances of survival were little, to none. The likelihood of him making it out of the dungeon were too damn low, not to mention the fact that even if he did, how long would it take?
A year? Two years? Three years? Such thoughts troubled him as he stroked his beard. The only opportunity that he had at survival was hiding from the strong monsters and hunting the weak ones. He needed to assassinate and slowly cultivate more power. An advanced class would also be wonderful, as long as it gave him new abilities.
The fire within his heart rekindled as he sought to hunt a few monsters. Every man desired to gain strength, especially when it came to games. A weird and elegant chuckled escaped from his mouth as he tugged on the corners of his lips.
***
At another part of the holy land, Anna was currently questioning her underlings. They kneeled in front of her and practically licked her toes as they nodded fearfully. Anna carried an unpleasant expression as she heard their words.
"You mean to tell me that he joined the goblins?" Anna asked, "that army of hideous green monsters let him join them, just because he killed one of their members…?"
As she spoke to here, she started nibbling on her fingernails. A fire simmered within her eyes as she kicked one of the underlings in front of her to the side. "I want him... " she paused, "find his whereabouts and start constructing an actual village. Humans need to quickly regain their rightful spot on top!" she ordered and walked away with a flip of her dress.
She hugged her body with both of her hands as a crazy smile formed on her lips, "I can't wait to find you," she whispered with a lick of her lips.
***
In other parts of the holy land, humans slowly started to reach a similar consensus. "We need to rebuild". Henceforth, humans started to slowly band together and create some form of civility. Some of the smarter humans even discovered strange functions within their interface. Creating things such as guilds, parties, and even sub-classes.
Tragically, however, all of this could not be observed by Wilhelm. As he was currently stuck inside of a pitch-black dungeon crawling with strange monsters. No other human had yet to even stumble across a dungeon. Consequently, Wilhelm was a certain kind of ill-fated.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Wilhelm expended the rest of his ragged clothes to create some basic form of underwear, protecting his family jewels from the cold winds. Unfortunately, there were not enough untorn leftovers to create anything else. Thus, he simply used them as makeshift bandages to cover his remaining wounds.
After which, he stretched his body and entered back into the cave where he had come from. The guts and blood from his earlier bout with the Grottenburg stunk and stained the walls. Blood dripped from the roof and ominously fell to the ground, creating a rather strange atmosphere.
Wilhelm didn't pay it much mind and merely scrunched up his nose as he made his way through the grotto. His hunger which he had temporarily forgotten in the midst of battle once again struck, rumbling loudly in protest. His thirst had been quenched. How
ever, he was now hungrier than before.
The dark caves seemed to crawl with monsters, and the hurling of wind could be periodically heard. Wilhelm was unable to perceive anything within the dark cave. Albeit, his night-eye ability was still able to detect some small movements.
Judging by the sound that they generated and their nimble way of moving, they were most certainly the same type of creature. Considering that the one he had killed earlier was a mere infant, he figured the entire cave was infested with said infants.
Their strength was nothing to scoff at, but Wilhelm was not afraid. He already knew how to deal with the particular type of monster and didn't hesitate to start sporadically tapping the wall with his sharp knife. The sound of metal clashing together echoed throughout the cave, irritating the group of infants.
The Holy Land Page 8
