Chapter 8 - Blackened Crypt

After giving the blacksmith Norian the only money he had, Willow walked happily to the north-east of Pavagar. Contrary to what Norian had said, the spear's balance wasn't bad at all, because the weapon was of a good standard even though it had cost very little.

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[Item: Unfinished Iron Spear.]

Description: This spear has a crooked tip and, according to the blacksmith who made it, it has no balance.

Rating: Uncommon

Attack: 10

Defense: 8

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 0

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Obviously, it wasn't a perfect weapon, and Willow had to hit the tip of the spear with a heavy rock to try and disentangle it a little, but in his circumstances, it was the best he could do.

The forest that surrounded Pavagar was, at least on the surface, identical to any other kind of quiet woodland. The grass was slightly short and no longer than ankle-high, and the trees were tall enough that a two-meter man could pass under them without touching a branch with his head.

At first, Willow followed a common trail, which was well worn and had several stones scattered here and there, but soon he had to leave the conventional path because the crypt he was looking for wasn't supposed to be famous yet.

As he walked, he stopped for a moment, looked at the spear and thought aloud:

"Do I have an inventory?"

A part of him believed that, since he was stuck in Ether Online and everything was extremely similar to the game so far, he should also have an inventory. Determined to test this theory, he said:

"Open inventory."

The next instant, a floating, semi-transparent window appeared before his eyes, containing a series of small empty squares, organized in a similar way to the slots in a game inventory. Willow opened his eyes wider and laughed softly.

"Ha! I knew this wouldn't be any different!"

It was a basic inventory, completely empty. He briefly considered storing the spear there - it would be more convenient, after all. But there was no way to guarantee that the path would be safe. Willow shook his head and mentally closed the inventory.

"I'd better leave the spear here with me. Maybe some monster will appear in the middle of the path..."

He continued his walk until finally, after about half an hour of walking, he reached a more open area. In front of him, a large boulder rose up, forming an immense natural rock wall. He looked up, assessing the height of that natural formation, then glanced sideways as if looking for something and then sighed.

"It looks like I really was the first to arrive here. Maybe I really am the only player."

Willow walked towards the rock, studying it with his eyes. According to what he remembered, the Blackened Crypt had a hidden entrance, which was why it had taken so long to find it. It had been some time since he had last been to that place in Ether Online, but it was identical to what he remembered. Still, it would be impossible for Willow to remember exactly where the entrance was. 

It was almost comical the way he began to touch the surface of the stone, lightly tapping it with his fingers and looking for any irregularities.

"I wonder where that button is. There must be some kind of lever or something around here..."

For about five minutes, he searched the wall, pressing it with the palms of his hands and leaning over to take a closer look. 

"Who had the bright idea of hiding a crypt behind a huge stone? If this were a real game, I'd have given up by now!"

However, after a few more minutes of searching, his fingers finally slid over a small depression in the rock, as if he had found an almost imperceptible crack. Curious, he pressed the area.

Immediately, a part of the rock began to move slowly, sliding aside and revealing a hidden entrance. 

"I knew there was a trick here!" Willow smiled triumphantly.

The smell of mildew and pure dust escaped from the crypt as soon as the opening became large enough for someone to pass through. It was a mixture of rot and emptiness that clearly didn't promise a pleasant environment.

"Even here the smell is a dozen times worse than it used to be..." Willow frowned.

With the spear in one hand and the other touching a wall, Willow entered the darkness of the crypt. The interior was cold and extremely quiet, as if this place had been forgotten for hundreds of years. He didn't get very far before he realized that the near-zero visibility was going to be a problem. Darkness reigned supreme, and he couldn't see more than a few meters ahead.

"It's a real black hole here..." he commented as he groped around the walls, trying to find something he could use to light the way.

When his hands touched what looked like a metal bracket on the wall, as if by magic several torches along the wall lit up, burning with a purple, ethereal fire. The flames, although glowing brightly, gave off no heat, but provided an eerie illumination to the room.

"Well, that was unexpected... but very useful."

The other times he had been in the Blackened Crypt, Willow had used a skill from his class that allowed him to see in the dark, so he had never noticed how useful those torches were.

Willow took one of the torches that was closest to the entrance, and the purple flames illuminated the corridor in front of him, revealing stone walls covered in markings and symbols that Willow neither recognized nor was able to read.

Slowly, Willow made his way through the crypt, walking along the dusty, black-walled corridors. All the while, he was attentive and slightly bent over, for this was not a place he should be. One mistake here, and his journey could be over before it had even begun. The faint buzzing that the purple flames made was the only sound that accompanied him. 

After two minutes of careful walking down the main corridor, he noticed a slight tremor under his feet. The stone floor vibrated subtly, and he frowned, stopping to analyze it. Willow crouched down and placed one hand on the floor, feeling the vibration grow stronger. He stood up suddenly, spear at the ready, eyes fixed ahead.

"That's not a good sign..." he muttered to himself.

From the darkness ahead in the corridor, something began to move. He barely had time to react before he saw a gigantic shadow detach itself from the walls, rushing out of the darkness. The creature that emerged was almost the size of a pig, a huge black beetle whose body reflected faintly in the torchlight. 

"A... Giant Beetle!" Willow said and immediately dropped the torch to hold the spear with both hands.

Giant Beetles were unique beings from ancient, forgotten crypts like the Blackened Crypt and were known for their enormous physical strength, precisely because this creature's carapace was practically impenetrable. 

The beetle advanced with surprising speed, its thick legs making the horrible noise of metal hitting stone. 

Willow retreated quickly, but the narrow corridor limited his movement options. For this very reason, he hadn't tried to buy a sword, as a sword couldn't be wielded in such a short space. Willow used the tip of his spear to keep his distance and attacked, only to hear a *Clang!* at that very second. This indicated that his attack had been useless.

"That thing is tougher than I remembered..." Willow cursed internally. 

Of course, after all, the last time Willow was in the Blackened Crypt, it was already much stronger than mere level 10 monsters.

The beetle continued to advance, its gigantic jaws trying to catch up with Willow, who leapt to the side to narrowly escape being smashed against the crypt wall by the monster. With his mind racing, he remembered something crucial: the weak point of these monsters. Despite its impenetrable carapace, its underside was soft and unprotected. But turning over a creature of this size would be no easy task.

Willow moved as far away as he could, keeping his spear pointed directly at the beetle, trying to calculate the creature's next move. He took a deep breath and forced his body to relax. Panic would only make the situation more difficult.

"I need to be quick... and I need an opening."

The beetle advanced once more, and Willow saw his chance. He lowered his body and, with one swift movement, landed a sideways blow with the tip of his spear, hitting one of the monster's forelegs. The impact didn't do much damage, but enough to destabilize the creature for a moment. The beetle turned sharply in response, briefly exposing its underside.

"Now!" Willow shouted to himself.

With all the strength he could muster, Willow swung his spear and drove it straight into the beetle's soft belly. 

The tip of the weapon pierced the monster's flesh with a sound like the shell of a lobster, and the creature let out a high-pitched squeal. 

The beetle tried to struggle, but the spear had penetrated deep, hitting a vital spot. Willow pulled the spear back with a tremendous effort. The beetle squirmed once more before finally stopping in agony in the same place. Its legs trembled slightly before becoming completely immobile.

Gasping, Willow looked down at the body of the monster lying at his feet.

[You have killed 1 Giant Beetle. You have gained +500 EXP!]

[Leveled Up!]

Willow wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, trying to catch his breath, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"That... was close. Ha... This shouldn't be a level 10, because I only got 500 XP. Well, I can't complain. I even leveled up."

He approached the beetle's body because he knew that, in Ether Online, monsters often dropped some kind of loot. With a hesitant touch, he began to rummage through the monster's body until he found what looked like a small black crystal hidden between the folds of the carapace. It was an irregular fragment, similar to an ordinary rock, which emitted a faint black light

[Giant Beetle Fragment obtained!]