As Fade moved deeper into the passage, he noticed a faint glimmer. In the darkness of the cave, strange plants emitting phosphorescent blue lights here and there hung from the walls. Some were wriggling like tentacles, carrying traces of life that had seeped into the darkness.
"This... is it alive?" Come on, Fade, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a plant." He thought.
But deep down, he was uneasy. As the footsteps echoed on the stone floor of the passage, a shiver was felt with each step. Suddenly, a strange sound rose from beneath the stones. Fade froze.
"This... what was it?!"
In the dark, large worms emerged from between the stones. 30-40 cm long, 15-20 cm wide They had noticed Fade's presence with its antenna-like extensions that sensed vibrations, despite not having eyes. One of the worms quickly moved towards it.
Fade suddenly threw himself into his backpack and pulled out his old rusty sword.
"This piece of junk... but I have no other choice!"
When the worm's head attacked him, he reflexively swung the sword. The rusty surface of the sword slightly cut the worm's skin. The worm recoiled for a moment, but then immediately launched an attack. Fade received a hard blow to his leg. A warm pain spread.
Ahh! Damn it! I said it wouldn't work. He scolded himself.
Gripping the sword tighter with both hands, he struck another blow. This time, he delivered a sharp cut towards the worm's head, and the creature collapsed to the ground.
System Notification:
The Underground Worm was killed. +16 experience points
"So this sword... isn't so useless after all!"
A few more worms started to move. Fade noticed that they were sensitive to vibrations.
"Slow and careful... without making too much noise..." Come on, Fade, you can do this.
He tightly gripped the hilt of his sword, motivated himself, and began to swing his sword, hunting them down one by one. Some of them attacked quickly and caught him off guard. He received a slight wound on his shoulder, and his arms trembled. But he didn't back down. With each attack, he became more accustomed to the weight of the sword.
System Notifications:
The Underground Worm was killed. +17 experience points
The Underground Worm was killed. +16 experience points
+1 Underground Worm Skin
+1 Underground Worm Broken Tooth
Experience Bar:
Level 1 (49/100)
Fade took a deep breath, looking at the blood on the tip of his sword.
"I'm fighting... this is a new beginning for me."
At that moment, a mysterious whisper echoed in Fade's mind:
"Power... is only gained through blood..."
Fade looked around, but he couldn't see the source of the sound.
"This voice... I've heard it before." But who... what is this?!
For a moment, a shiver ran through him. But he gripped his sword tighter and stepped deeper into the passage.
"I'm not afraid." Because now I have this sword in my hand. And I have a reason... a path.
Fade, as he progressed through the winding paths of the passage, noticed tiny glowing insects among the plants nestled between the cave walls. Some of them had wings, and their shimmering colors partially illuminated the cave. The fear of the unknown was penetrating deep, but on the other hand, it felt very enchanting.
"This view... as frightening as it is captivating." It's like the door to another world...
As the footsteps echoed, Fade suddenly flinched. A large worm emerged from between the stones, this time a bit bigger and faster than the previous ones.
He had wounds; they didn't pose a life-threatening risk, but if he got an infection, it could become a serious problem for him, and on top of that, he had distracting pains from his wounds. He needed to gather his thoughts and focus all his attention on this battle.
"This is different... I need to be more careful."
Fade raised his sword. He quickly retreated in response to the worm's attack, aiming the sword's rusty sharpness at the worm's head. A few moves later, the worm staggered. Fade seized the opportunity and delivered a fatal blow. But the worm, despite the wounds it had taken, did not fall and, as if trying to escape, quickly maneuvered to turn its back to Fade and began to crawl in the opposite direction.
"Now I've caught you..."
Fade quickly understood the situation and, without a second thought, lunged forward, swinging his sword from the bottom up towards the upper left side and delivering a deep cut to the giant worm.
"cyaaak"
The disgusting sound of the big worm echoed through the passage, and after a bit more gasping for breath, it lost its life.
Fade was breathless. Everything he experienced had happened so suddenly and unexpectedly, but there was a strange familiarity within him, as if he had always wanted to do this, as if he had found his true nature.
For a long time, Fade had been holding back his emotions due to his boring life, but he had finally started to express them and become his true self...
System Notification:
The Underground Worm was killed. +26 experience points
+1 Underground Worm Skin
Experience Bar:
Level 1 (75/100)
Fade took a deep breath for a moment. But this relief didn't last long. There were sounds coming from the fine cracks in the walls of the passage. Slowly, more worms emerged from between the walls. This time, there were more of them.
"Again?" Their numbers are increasing... I have to fight.
Fade gripped his sword tightly and launched an attack. The worms were sensitive to vibrations, so Fade began to defeat them with quick and sudden moves. But one of them grazed Fade's leg with an unexpected attack.
"Ahh!" This... this feeling... It hurts, but it can't intimidate me!
System Notification:
The Underground Worm was killed. +27 experience points
Underground Worm Skin
Underground Worm Broken Tooth
Experience Bar:
Level 1 (100/100)
As the Fade worms were being eliminated one by one, a voice was rising from within.
"Keep going... every death gives you strength..."
Even though Fade didn't know whose voice it was, he decided not to focus on it. When the battle ended, the passage fell into silence. Fade slowly lowered his sword, breathless.
"I did it... but this is just the beginning."
At that moment, a notification window appeared in front of him:
System Notification:
Level 1 → Level 2
Experience Points: 02/200
New features Acquired:
-Speed Boost (Short term speed brusts)
-Sword Mastery (Basic sword skill)
Fade's eyes popped up with this notification.
"Speed boost ?" This could give me a great advantage while running away or attacking. And… swordsmanship… I will finally be able to fight better with my rusty sword.
After the sound of the system, Fade felt an internal change in his body. His muscles slightly tensed, his reflexes became even sharper. When he gripped his sword, his movements seemed more controlled and balanced.
"This feeling… my body has leveled up."
At that moment, a faint hum coming from the dephts of the cave caught his attention. The cracks, which were the exit points for the worms, were filled with darkness. However , Fade did not expect for more creatures.
"This place has calmed down for now… But who knows what will happen when ı go deeper ?"
Fade carefully collected the skin and teeth that had fallen from the bodies of the underground worms.
"Maybe these will come in handy later. Who knows, maybe I can trade them or give them to a craftsman to make a weapon or armor."
Fade paused for a moment and caught his breath; under the effects of adrenaline, he had forgotten his wounds. Even though they were small, he needed to take good care of them. He tore a few pieces from his shirt and bandaged his wounds with the torn fabric pieces. After resting a bit more.
He decided to move towards the end of the passage. He took a few steps to test the speed boost feature, and suddenly his body glowed slightly. He quickly leaped forward a few meters.
"Great..." This feature is perfect for both escaping and sudden attacks!
Fade took a deep breath.
"I must use every advantage to survive in this world."