Chapter 3- Mysterious Cave

As I gradually opened my eyes, I was greeting with a peculiar sight. Above me, a cavern ceiling stretched out, decorated with jagged rocks that formed intricate patterns, each one crowned with glistening stalactites. Clusters of blue crystals illuminated parts of the area, casting a mystical blue glow that accentuated the natural splendor of the cave. Behind us, a clump of formidable rocks loomed, their interlocking forms seemingly impenetrable without proper equipment. Our only viable path forward lay in the opposite direction, where the murky depths of the cave beckoned us onward. Even with my enhanced vision, peering into the abyss revealed little detail. Other than that, an unpleasant odor assailed my nostrils, assaulting my senses with a blend of dampness, excrement, and the musky scent of accumulated sweat, similar to a high school locker room after running a mile.

A sharp whistle from Isaac startled me. "We got good news and bad news. Which one do ya wanna hear first?"

"I want to hear some good news at this point. And please don't whistle like that ever again near me," I replied in an annoyed tone.

Ignoring my plea, Isaac started waving his hands in the air. After a couple of seconds, something materialized in his hand. What used to be nothing but air was a longsword.

"Woah! Be careful with that thing! You might impale yourself with it."

"I can handle this thing easily," he said. Isaac had a maniacal grin as he inspected the sword further. Under the pale blue light, the silver sword glinted and sparkled like a diamond.

"I got this baby from navigating the menu. That's what I call this entire system collectively. Makes it easier for me. It may or may not stick. Anyway, a new tab called Inventory showed up right next to the Status tab. I pressed this new function, and I saw the sword just sitting there. Tapping it made it materialize right into my hands."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Wow. It's times like these that make me grateful you play lots of video games. You're quick at adapting to this situation."

"I wouldn't have gotten into games if it weren't for you. After all, you wanted to keep me occupied while we were dealing with our past problems. It's like you always say, we must move forward."

I couldn't help but smile a little, hearing Isaacs' words.

"Status."

Sure enough, a new tab called Inventory opened. Upon entering, my eyes were drawn to five square boxes, one of which already contained a weapon - the same one Isaac held.

"There's only a limited amount of space in this thing," I murmured.

"That's the bad news I was referring to earlier. I wanted an unlimited bag, but we got the sword instead."

I watched Isaac Isaac carefully, a thought prickling at my mind. Weapons are being stored from god knows where and appear god knows how. Mulling over it won't make me understand it any better as it defies common sense, but it's hard not to notice these things.

With a tap of a button, a longsword materialized. The grip, crafted from fine leather, fit comfortably in my hand, providing a secure and balanced hold. The blade, straight and unyielding, stretched forth with a gleaming edge, reflecting the ambient light that danced upon its polished surface. I gripped the weapon tightly and lunged the sword upwards like I was poking holes into the ceiling.

"I expected this to be heavy even with our new powerful bodies, but it's extremely light. Unnaturally so."

Isaac nodded furiously. "It's kinda cool, not gonna lie. Is this what it feels like to be a swordsman in medieval times?"

After the remark Isaac made, he started swinging the sword with a big grin on his face.

"Didn't I just tell you a minute ago to be careful with yours-"

A peculiar sound echoed through the passageway, instantly grabbing our attention and setting our senses on high alert. Isaac and I swiftly turned our heads, our eyes widening with surprise. Putting my enhanced hearing to the test, I focused intently, directing all my attention towards deciphering the origin and nature of the sound. It was footsteps- light and almost delicate, yet accompanied by a deliberate slowness. The measured pace suggested an aura of caution, as if the entity approaching was keenly aware of potential threats, treading with utmost vigilance. I glanced at Isaac, who was armed and ready for what's to come. Leaning closer, I whispered softly into his ear.

"There are no places to hide and there is a dead-end behind us. We both know that this is a sort of Dungeon since we were alerted of this before being transported. With what we were presented so far- like these weapons, I think it's safe to say we were meant to fight here."

"Wasn't that already obvious?"

I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm. "I have to make sure we're on the same page, okay?"

The footsteps got noticeably louder with every passing second. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Isaac, I tightened my grip on the hilt of my weapon, readying myself for the impending encounter. We braced ourselves for the imminent arrival of the unknown presence. With bated breath, we watched as a faint shadow materialized near one of the luminous minerals, casting elongated silhouettes across the cave floor. Straining my eyes, I squinted to make out the figure, initially resembling that of a toddler. However, as it drew nearer, its unsettling features had shown itself.

"Is that some kind of Imp?" I wondered.

Its small, gray stomach stood out amidst its distorted form, contrasting sharply with its red skin. Two pronounced fangs glimmered menacingly as its mouth opened. The elongated claws, akin to kitchen knives, protruded from its bony fingers. Gazing upon its face, I was met with a mix of goblin-like features and an infant's visage.

"Psst. Isaac. We need to kill that thing quickly before it sees us. I have a feeling that there might be more of them up ahead, and I don't want to wait to see if it's friendly."

From what I know, creatures of this size and nature often formed groups or troops to ensure their survival against larger predators. They relied on teamwork, harnessing their collective strength and cunning to overcome adversaries or secure their place in the natural order. Considering the creature's physical attributes, there's a high chance it falls into that category.

"I agree. Let's attack it together so it doesn't escape. It is highly likely that its hearing is like an animal."

Cautiously, Isaac and I advanced towards the creature, our movements synchronized and deliberate. Surprisingly, it remained oblivious to our presence even in this open space. Unfortunately, when we took another step, the creature abruptly ceased its sniffing and tilted its head, its beady eyes fixated in our direction. A flicker of confusion crossed its grotesque features, as if it struggled to comprehend the scent that had caught its attention.

"Laila, I think it's on to us. On three, we spread out and make a beeline towards it."

"Yea good idea."

"One-two..."

The creature got close enough to hear Isaac counting down. Its eyes bulged in surprise, and a shrill sound like an alarm bell rang out of its spiky mouth.

"Three!"

We lunged our swords at the imp, hoping it would be enough to disperse it, but all we saw was the dust that it left behind. Looking around bewildered, we saw it holding onto a stalactite up above.

Isaac cursed under his breath and said, "That thing is exceptionally agile. If we let it escape, we might not catch up to it."

"There's only one thing we can do. Isaac, let's try attacking on opposite sides."

Isaac nodded at my suggestion. We both got into positions, with my back to where the creature came from. The Imp was still hanging from the stalactite, snarling at us. Its eyes bulged out of its head, and it let out a low growl as drool ran down its chin.

"If it doesn't want to hop down, we'll make it hop down with force," Isaac said. After that comment, Isaac leaped upward and sliced off a stalactite from the ceiling.

"Hey Laila, distract it so I can get a clear shot and throw this stalactite at it. With how fast it is, dodging it will be easy if its focus is directed at me."

That's easy to say and all, but how am I going to distract it? I could do the same thing with Isaac and start chucking them like an MLB baseball pitcher, but it might start adapting. Shouting at it may also work, but it might alert other unknown creatures in the vicinity and that is not a future I want to experience. There's only one thing that comes into mind to guarantee our chances of success- charging forward while it inches slowly toward Isaac, while also grabbing its attention.

I ventured closer to the Imp, my eyes never leaving its presence. After being satisfied with the distance, I leaped with all my strength and cut a wide arc in front of me at the Imp. As expected, it leaped backward and grabbed the stalactite behind the previous one. After landing, I leaped again and slashed. The process repeats itself with the Imp grabbing onto fresh stalactites. The scenario happening right in front of me makes the Imp look like Tarzan himself.

"Any second now Isaac!"

The longsword cut into another stalactite like it was tofu. At least ten of them have fallen from my hands. I'm sorry, poor minerals, your sacrifice will not be in vain. While I was holding a funeral for them in my mind, Isaac raised his free hand and gave me the thumbs up, warning me to back away. Nodding, I cut one last stalactite, falling- and the Imp, who has been dodging this whole time, went to grab another one until...

"Skreeee!"

It bellowed out in pain at the same time a hole appeared in its chest. After a hard tumble, it thrashes on the ground, screeching in pain from its fresh wound until a horrid stillness fills the area after it takes its last breath. A wave of relief washed over me as I released a deep breath.

"Dude. Couldn't you have aimed for its head instead? It made a lot of noise with a gaping hole in its chest."

Isaac scowled at me and said, "That's hard to do when something as small and agile as that keeps moving around like a monkey in the jungle. Cut me some slack, okay?"

"Yea... it's dead now, so everything is okay. For now."

"It's weird though. Shouldn't we get some sort of prize for killing one of these things? Like, loot magically appearing like some sort of RPG."

I narrowed my eyes at Isaac, my annoyance clear. "Haven't you thought that maybe-just maybe, not everything may transfer from games to real life? Also, the prize is right there."

I pointed my finger at the carcass. Isaac raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the carcass. He wasn't sure what I meant until it finally dawned on him.

"Ah... I see what you mean now. Good ol' deconstruction. Let me handle this. I always wanted to do something like this before."

Isaac dragged the longsword towards the lifeless body and squatted. He raised the sword and hacked each claw off. "We can use this thing as darts. It seems more durable and sharper than stalactites."

"Oooh… how smart. Good thinking."

I patted him on the back. He gave me a quick grin and continued what he was doing. During his dissecting, I opened the Status screen. I was about to enter the Inventory to confirm whether we were given a prize, as Isaac mentioned, when a number catches my eye.

Name: Laila

Rank: Undecided

Strength:1 Agility:2

Durability:0 Mana:0

Masteries: N/A

My agility increased by two whole points and my strength by one point. It must've increased while I was jumping around. That means in order to increase our stats, we just must actively train in ways related to each section. So basically, nothing other than that, there's a noticeable difference in how fast we achieve results in this new body. The Status screen is just a means to showcase the fruits of our labor. Speaking of Status screens, I wonder if I could see Isaac's with my own eyes?

I hopped over to where Isaac was located. All the claws were gone, and the imp was missing some teeth.

"Hey Isaac, I'm going to test something out real quick on you. Just keep doing what you're doing."

Isaac scooted away just a tiny bit. "When you say it like that, I want to refuse whatever you are about to do."

"Just shut up and stay still."

I put my hand on Isaac's back and muttered the word Status. Not even a second has passed before a red message screen appears before my eyes.

[Waiting on recipient to accept]

"So, it is possible to peek at someone else's stats but with their approval. I just threw out a random guess, and it worked. Now then, hurry up and accept the proposal."

"Okay, sheesh. So bossy today..."

Isaac moved his right hand from the sword and towards the empty air. A second screen appeared right next to mine.

Name: Isaac

Rank: Undecided

Strength:0 Agility:1

Durability:0 Mana:0

Masteries: Marksmanship 1/10

This time, Isaac had one point in agility only. I'm guessing his agility and strength is less than mine because all he did was throw something while standing still.

"Hm? What's this now..."

I haven't bothered to check on masteries since it said we had none of them. Now, it said that Isaac has a mastery of [Marksmanship]. It showed up now after we kill the imp? Not only that, but it's also a numerical value. I think I know how this whole thing works now…

"Hey. Looks like you may get yourself a new skill soon."

Isaac, who had just completed his examination of the body, slowly swiveled and fixed me with a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Take a look at your Status screen."

"Alright..."

Isaac navigated toward his Status screen to see what the fuss was about. After a minute of staring, he notices his mastery and laughs.

"Heh, this is great news!"

Oh god. I know that look. He looks like that whenever he starts one of his long gaming grinding sessions. Just listening to the repeated hack-and-slash noises and the dying screams of characters through the walls irked me…

"If I can find nine more of those things and kill them the same way, I'll be able to gain a mastery! I'll also gain more Stats! It's killing two birds with one stone!"

Yep. He has gone crazy. When he gets worked up like this, almost no one can get in his way.

While Isaac was having his moment, I heard footsteps coming our way. A lot of them.

"Isaac, we got more of them coming this way. Your maniacal laugh attracted them."

"Perfect! I was about to head out and hunt. I'm getting pumped up just thinking about it!"

"I just want to remind you we could die any moment now. One mishap and we're toast."

The boy waved me off. "Don't worry. With both of us here, there's nothing to worry about. And besides, we need to hunt whatever is in this Dungeon to get stronger. If we aren't strong, then how will we survive?"

I smiled at my brother's words. "You don't have to tell me something so obvious."

We both took out our swords and got ready to face whatever was coming this way. True to our expectations, they appeared one by one, their twisted forms snarling as they laid their eyes upon the sight of spilled blood.

"Is it me, or do they seem more aggressive, Laila?"

"You wouldn't be aggressive when you see one of your allies' corpses on the ground behind two creatures you don't recognize?"

"Fair point."

We steeled ourselves for the Imps, their fierce cries ringing in our ears as they charged.