CHAPTER TWELVE: STRONGER

Beom Soek, with newfound determination, rose from the sand. "The voice in my head is right. I must get strong or I will die. This is my reality now," Beom Seok said, clenching his fist. But he wondered what the voice meant by that. "The world was never your world to begin with." Before Beom Seok could continue thinking to himself, his eyes caught something reflecting in the far background. "An oasis!" Beom Seok said excitedly. He dropped everything he was holding and ran to the oasis as if his life depended on it.

Finally, Beom Seok arrived at the oasis. He began to drink the water as if his life depended on it. A few minutes later, he stopped drinking the water and leaned against a tree near the oasis and fell asleep.

Hours passed, and it was now nighttime. Beom Seok woke up and wondered when he fell asleep. As he looked up at the water, he saw it was glowing bright red, the same type of red as the dungeon gate.

"Why is the water glowing?" Beom Seok said.

Beom Seok slowly walked closer to the water and took a closer look. He saw something down in the water. "There is something there. I'm going in," Beom Seok said.

Beom Seok took a few steps back and dived straight into the water. He continued to swim further down until he stopped at two huge doors emitting a red light. At this point, Beom Seok was running out of air and didn't have much of a choice, so he used all his strength to open the doors.

As soon as the doors opened, he felt the water push him through the doors, and as soon as he was in, the doors were closed. Beom Seok was shocked. The place was pitch black, and yet he was able to breathe.

Beom Seok got up and took one step forward. As soon as he took that step, all the torches lit up, one on the left and the other on the right.

Beom Seok looked around and saw that he was in a large room with stone walls and a high ceiling. He couldn't see the end of the room, but he could hear the sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance. He took a few more steps forward, and suddenly the ground shook beneath his feet.

"What was that?" Beom Seok muttered to himself, looking around for the source of the shaking. Suddenly, he heard a deep growling noise coming from the darkness in front of him. Beom Seok's heart raced as he realised that he was not alone in this place.

He took a deep breath and reached for the dagger that was in his system inventory. The sword was old and rusty, but it was better than nothing. Beom Seok slowly walked towards the source of the growling, his sword held tightly in his hand.

As he got closer, he saw two glowing red eyes staring at him from the darkness. Beom Seok raised his sword, ready to defend himself, but then the creature stepped forward into the light of the torches.

It was a massive beast, with dark fur and razor-sharp claws. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly fire, and its breath was hot and fetid. Beom Seok felt his knees go weak as he realised that he was facing a monster.

But then he heard the voice in his head again. "You must get strong, or you will die." Beom Seok gritted his teeth and charged forward, his dagger held high.

The battle was fierce and brutal, but Beom Seok fought with all his might. He dodged the creature's claws and struck back with his dagger, slicing through its fur and drawing blood. The creature roared in anger and lunged at Beom Seok, but he sidestepped and plunged his dagger deep into its side.

The beast fell to the ground with a thud, and Beom Seok breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived his first battle in this strange new world. But he knew that there would be more challenges ahead, and he would have to get stronger if he wanted to survive.

Beom Seok looked around the room, wondering what other dangers awaited him in this place. But he also felt a sense of excitement and adventure. He had been given a new chance at life, and he was determined to make the most of it.