Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

"Nathan Lake..."

I stood in front of a glowing tree, muttering to myself.

"It seems I'm lucky."

He is an NPC that appears randomly in the Eldtine Spire in the game. He is a rune seeker, but also a character that is slightly evil. He will attack the player, and we will defeat him. After all, as a student of Arcadia Hunter Academy, although Ethan ranks at the bottom, his strength is still stronger than most ordinary people.

Its function is to tell players the location of the tree, and this tree will lead us into the dungeon.

Now, standing in front of this tree, I realize once again that in-game visuals can never compare to the real world.

The tree stood tall and straight, unlike any other in the forest, and even in the dim light filtering through its canopy it still shimmered.

Its leaves are an ethereal silver, catching the faintest light and reflecting it like a myriad of tiny stars, while the trunk emanates a soft, pulsating glow that seems to emanate from within, casting intricate patterns on the ground.

The roots spread out like a web, and the pulsating energy seems to breathe life into the earth. Each root is like a carefully carved intricate pattern, intertwining and connecting in a mysterious way.

It’s as if these roots carry the history of this land, imprinted on every inch of the forest floor.

And that is indeed the case.

What makes this tree different from the others is that it absorbs mana from the dungeon, which is released from its roots.

And to enter this dungeon, you need to do one thing.

I reached out and touched the pulsating part of the trunk, tightening my grip on the dagger.

'Stab into the heart of the pulsating tree.'

prick!

As the dagger swung down, it pierced the glowing part directly. I didn't use mana because using mana would make things a little more complicated.

call!

Then, a cloud of smoke began to spread from the incision, and the surrounding environment was gradually shrouded in smoke.

Snap!

The intricate patterns carved into the ground by the roots began to shift and twist, their pulsating energy responding to the disturbance in the tree.

The steady rhythm becomes chaotic, with patterns and lights dancing in a mesmerizing display.

Crack!

The mist was full of electricity, a bit like the feeling of a storm coming in. The smoke formed a swirling vortex of mist, spreading out and shrouding the entire area in a mysterious mist.

The ground began to shake, as if awakening, and the patterns on the ground rearranged to form a hidden passage.

A low rumbling sound filled the air, and the passage slowly opened, revealing a path leading into darkness.

"It looks like this is it."

This is the entrance to the dungeon.

Standing here, it feels surreal enough to mesmerize anyone watching the scene.

"But the scenery inside the dungeon is not as beautiful as this."

Without thinking too much, I went straight into the passage.

Buzz!

I was sucked into the portal.

......

Bang!

When I hit the ground, the scene before me was completely opposite to what it was before.

Roar! Ah! Roar!

Countless screams echoed all around.

Darkness enveloped the entire space, without a trace of light.

The strange fog obscured my vision and I couldn't see anything.

There was no sunlight, only the moon trying to illuminate the darkness, but due to the obstruction of fog, it had no effect at all.

There was no sign of life, no trees, no plants, no grass.

This is a completely barren land, with only some rocks making the ground look less flat.

roar!

Screams were still coming from all directions.

On top of that, a smell enveloped the entire space.

'The smell of blood and rotting corpses.'

roar!

Snap!

'Just right.'

With a scream from behind, the ground cracked and something came out from there.

A corpse, its body twisted into a weird shape, its entire body covered with gray skin, like a hairless dog.

whoosh!

The monster rushed towards me with its mouth wide open, a foul smell emanating from its mouth.

"Ghoul."

I whispered the name and quickly picked up my gun. They were low-level third-level monsters, and with their speed and regeneration ability, they occupied a higher position among monsters of the same level, so I never thought of confronting the monsters directly from the beginning.

Bang!

I shot it and the bullet went through its head.

Bang!

The monster fell to the ground under the impact of the bullet. However, I knew that this would not be the end of it.

I prepared the dagger on my bracelet.

drop!

A drop of liquid dripped from the dagger.

whoosh!

I rushed forward quickly, first cut a hole in the monster's chest with a dagger, and then stabbed another dagger into its chest.

There was almost no resistance and the dagger easily penetrated the monster's body.

puff!

Then, the monster began to slowly disintegrate, and the matter in its body gradually disappeared.

Its body matter turned into soil and mixed with the earth, leaving me alone in this strange space again.

Looking at the yellow liquid flowing from the tip of the dagger, I remembered its name.

'Holy water.'

A fitting name, it fits its properties. It is called holy water because it has purifying properties, specifically against cursed creatures.

For example, ghouls, these monsters born from cursed corpses, are essentially undead creatures.

When the word "undead" is mentioned, most people associate it directly with necromancers, but undead can be created even without a necromancer.

The resentment that permeates the space and people's unfulfilled wishes before their death may also produce undead creatures, or cursed creatures.

The key is the connection between the soul of the deceased and the material world. With this connection, the soul will not be able to leave this place and will be trapped here for a period of time.

This is the explanation in the game, and ghouls are low-level undead creatures.

'So, essentially, I'm saving you.'

I thought as I watched the thin smoke rise from where the ghoul was disintegrating.

'I guess that's a good thing to do, right?'

The effect of the holy water is simple. It directly counteracts the regeneration ability of the ghouls, which is one of their powerful characteristics. By counteracting this regeneration ability, the ghouls will eventually become nothing more than a pile of corpses that attack mindlessly.

Also injecting the bullets with holy water takes too much time and is not very efficient, which is why I don't use the gun too much.

So I use daggers when fighting ghouls, and I don't mind that.

With this thought in mind, I continued on my way.

As I penetrated deeper into the darkness, the screams grew louder and the smell of decay became more suffocating.

The eerie atmosphere heightened my senses and I knew more ghouls were lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on me.

"roar!"

Another ghoul burst from the shadows, its hideous form lunging toward me.

whoosh!

I deftly dodged its blows and quickly struck back, plunging my dagger into its rotting chest.

puff!

The ghoul disintegrated, dissolved into a pool of mud by the holy water. I didn't stop, more ghouls were approaching.

'There are about fifteen of them.'

This number is quite high, but ghouls are among the least intelligent monsters. Rather than being naturally evolved creatures, they are more likely to be creatures created by resentment.

I quickly formulated a battle plan in my head.

Then I started to pick them off one by one. Sometimes I would shoot with my gun, giving myself a brief advantage. Although I knew they would regenerate, the time I bought was very useful.

Other times, I fought in close combat, the dagger dancing in the darkness. To prevent the holy water from spilling out of the dagger, I used mana to enhance the dagger and cover it.

Bang! Bang!

Gunfire echoed through the desolate space as I felled the approaching ghouls. The holy water on my dagger ensured their final demise, turning them into mud with every swing and thrust.

This strange land has become a battlefield, and I am a lone warrior fighting against the curse.

The moon above witnessed this conflict between life and death, occasionally casting an eerie light on the battlefield and providing me with mana.

I felt as if the moon itself was watching me, and that feeling kept me going.

roar!

Another ghoul lunged at me, teeth chattering. I dodged and stabbed my dagger into its flank.

whoosh!

The creature dissolved into a pulp, leaving a foul stench in the air.

Roar! Squeak!

I continued to move forward through this desolate landscape, the screams of the uneasy world pushing me forward. There were also some screams of birds, and I felt that a dark shadow creature was watching me along with the moon.

'This place is a nerve-wracking place.'

No matter how strong one's will and mentality are, it is difficult to stay sane in a place full of death, walking on a road where nothing can be seen. There is no walking path to follow, nor any clear path to choose.

It is a mental torture to be able to only wander aimlessly until you find the source of this space.

To counteract this, I distracted myself intentionally.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground cracked under my footsteps, the only sound that wasn't screaming. While that might have attracted monsters, it wasn't that important.

The test of this place is not about physical strength, but about how strong a person's will is and how strong the resistance can be against this weird feeling.

'Let me see how long you want this ordeal to last.'

As I thought about this, I continued walking aimlessly.