Chapter 9: Half-Orc's Lament - Part 1

He felt his body almost crushed under the pressure of the strange portal; flashes of blue and silvery white blinded his eyes, almost vomiting from nausea from being disorientated.

'What's going on... I can't stop spinning!'

The view from his eyes was distorted. Raven wanted to regain his stability, trying to smash his axe down, the sharp spear at the end slamming into the ground with a loud thud as his body suddenly shot forward.

"Fuck!?"

Bang!

His body slammed into a complex, grey rocky wall that began to crumble upon his head, Raven's thick hands brushed his forehead, feeling a slight bump growing already, suddenly wondering if getting a helmet would be wise in the future before taking a look around him.

"So this is the dungeon? Rather eerie... Nothing like the brochures."

Raven's ears began to move, the slightly pointed tips flopping around as a strange sound, like a howl, began to sound like a loop as the wind died down before a loud wail sounded after 5-6 seconds of waiting.

'Is that why it's called wailing caverns?'

Using his axe as leverage, Raven pushed himself to his feet, his eyes still feeling a little off as he almost stumbled; those portals needed getting adjusted to first; he began to imagine if monsters were waiting as he entered, feeling a slight chill down his spine as he took a slow, heavy step forward.

Woosh! Swoosh!

He began to swing his axe, the wind forming a small scream as he began testing the old movements his mother used to hammer into him, something Raven thought he might have long forgotten; however, thankfully remained burned into the memories of his muscles as he approached the door with quiet and cautious steps.

Crunch!

Under his feet, a pile of rocks were crushed into dust; with a wry smile, he felt a little self-conscious about his weight, the tall frame and strong muscles causing him to never get below 90kg.

His eyes peered around the dim cavern, surprised that the only form of light was a series of strange blue stones littered across the walls, like miniature lights, their gentle azure glow lighting around 60% of the caves with a pale blue light. At the same time, the rest was pure darkness; even his eyes were useless.

To his east was a passage that seemed to go on for 5 metres before splitting into a dual turn left or right.

While a dark, grimy black wall blocked off the North and West, and he just came from the small starting point in the South.

"Let's take a moment, properly prepare." He said, tapping the ground with his black shoes; the ground wasn't wet or brittle, meaning combat would be balanced; Raven thought back to all the times his mother said not only weapons but the place you are fighting is essential.

Woosh!

He swung the axe, holding it horizontally at the very end of the shaft, more than 4 metres each way; the ceiling was extremely high.

Thus his axe wouldn't get in the way or hit the ceiling or walls, just in case he held the axe higher up, limiting his range but increasing brute damage and control.

"Okay, weapons are good, I have healing items.... vision is a low pass. Finally... my capabilities? Didn't the bureau say you must do something when entering a dungeon..."

Raven had long forgotten many things his mother taught him, only the most painful and vibrant things still ingrained in his muscles and body.

'Status'

He quickly recalled what was needed, calling out the term in his mind before a pretty and very well-formatted interface appeared in his vision; if he wished for it to move, it would move out of his main sight to avoid issues during combat.

"This is handy; let's see... Does it show more now I'm inside the dungeon versus using the guild's system?"

Seven years of being the breadwinner, working hard at his job to limit mistakes as he couldn't afford to lose money during those years, wanting to support Philis, who entered a high-tier university but lacked time to earn money to help pay her tuition.

In those years, he always learned to make sure you are completely ready, no matter what you will face, be it a meeting, cooking, or like now in the dungeon.

o-- Alistair "Raven" Granbell

o-- Human / High Orc

o-- Class N/A

o-- Experience: 0/10

Attributes (Average = 1)

Strength: 2.4

Agility: 1.1

Stamina: 4.4

Vitality: 4.4

Intellect: 1.2

Wisdom: 1.5

o-- Skills: N/A

[Warning, you cannot level up until you have a class!]

'Ah, figures something stupid as that would happen...'

Raven's eyes darted to the left as the attributes vanished, instead now a small '+' in the corner of his vision with 70% opacity to avoid affecting his sight.

Now, finally, he felt ready; tightening his grip on the black leather handle while loosening his slightly stiff arms and legs, Raven walked into the darkness towards the east, the only area without a blocked wall.

Slowly his steps echoed in the darkness, the distant groans of what might be creatures or maybe a stream hitting the cavern floor; Raven couldn't be sure; the hair on his arms was long erected, with goosebumps along his flesh.

"Gigigi."

He finally reached the end of the eastern path; looking swiftly to his right was a small room with orange light, swaying, billowing from the small torches that seemed out of place in this dark blue cavern, the floor littered with bones, skulls and the sound of footsteps.

'Then the left?'

Slowly, Raven's body etched towards the left, peeking around the corner only to find a single goblin, its short body barely the height of his thighs, carrying a rusted-looking sword, mottled leather and dirty cloth rags covering its body, with small pointed ears.

It looked magical in the light blue radiance, but in reality, Raven knew it was deadly, a monster that needed to be purged.

Despite the left path being a dead end, he wanted to get some experience, slowly waiting as the goblin patrolled a set route, as if programmed somehow, 1 meter towards the opposite wall, then 3 meters back towards Raven's position.

'I have no idea what it feels or even thinks...'

He tried to discern if it would scream for help; should he try to kill it with one blow? So many lessons and thoughts from his past muddled up into a messy puzzle in his mind.

'No... Let's go with the flow; only relying on the mother's words isn't the right way. My body will remember as I fight and move forward, let's use her words as guidance, not law!'

Step!

Raven's hand held the axe to his hips, moving closer to the goblin with each step, his speed growing faster until he broke into a dash, the wind blowing his hair backwards as a large smile filled his face, tightening his grasp on the axe, he swung it over his head, the goblin moments from turning back to continue its patrol.

Would his strike hit first? Or might the goblin turn early!?

Swoosh!

Stamina -0.2

He threw his entire body forward, a colossal overhead slash with the axe, the blade tearing through the air as Raven could hear the powerful booming sound before the sound of something soft and fleshy being torn apart, a slight cry sounding but ultimately too late as his arms buckled, feeling a tight recoil sending a little pain across his arms.

Crunch!

The axe tore through the goblin as he watched with wide eyes, the neon-glow of his blue eyes the same as those beautiful crystals, watching as blood spurted over his body, a wretched-smelling ooze followed by the awful sound of the goblins organs dropping out of its body that was split in half.

A sloppy and goopy sound almost caused Raven to heave, his shoulders rising rapidly from the deep breaths, feeling a sense of euphoria and adrenaline as he flicked his axe, tearing the goblin apart.

"It's dead... good....."

[No Experience Gained]

'Tsk... let's hope I get my class soon.'

Raven's body stepped forward, forced to cover his nose with his left hand; goblins were disgusting in the dungeon; despite being so strict and well-groomed in the real world, it was impressive.

Reaching down, he began to rifle through the small cloth pouch formerly attached to the goblin's waist, a slight jingle of coins, leading Raven to wonder how they got this money in the first place.

[Convert 20 bronze into 20 credits?]

"What!?"

20 credits was not a huge amount, but it shocked Raven as he thought about the past years of his life. His hard work for hours and hours, only earning 500 credits a month...

Yet killing this little green monster was worth so much?

The lowest level, at that!

"Phew..."

His body lifted back up, flicking his axe so it rested over his shoulder, a strange glow filling his eyes, Raven wasn't greedy, but he held grudges and regrets for a long time.

'If I had known, why did Mother never tell me it was so lucrative? No... She probably knew it was dangerous to let someone who entered the dungeon only for money... Let's stay calm and enjoy the income...'

"You're not young anymore, Raven... Let's aim for a comfortable life, no... an enjoyable life!"

Recovering from the initial greed, he cleaned off the axe with the goblins cloth garments, ensuring no other things were needed.

He even checked the guidebook for items the guild accepts; cutting the ears of the goblin would get him 2 credits bonus for a pair. Thus he used the spear tip of the axe handle to slice them off cleanly, now ready to head down the right-hand path.

"Let's move onward... That room seemed to have a small chest; maybe the 'Gift' mentioned would grant an adventurer their latent talent and class."

Raven's eyes watched as the torches fluttered, the darkness eerie under the orange light; moments of darkness with the quiet skittering of feet caused his adrenaline and anticipation to skyrocket.

'This won't be as easy... yet my body feels so energetic...!'