Chapter 26 : The true dungeon! (2)

*slash*

*crack*

*slash*

*crack*

"... Huff... Huff... Huff... They never... End... Huff... Do they?", Bittu said out loud as his whole being was slowly being drained of the last of its energy as he killed the grey skeletons that were everywhere.

Fighting against an unknown number of enemies was not something Bittu ever thought he would do. But, thanks to his speed and his dagger, he was fine. If not, he would have already been drowned by their numbers.

But now, before him, were enemies that had the potential to kill him if he made any slip ups, so he had to be even more careful.

Bittu took off as he arrived before a grey skeleton and thrust his knife right in its forehead. Not sparing it any glance, he slashed the skull of the skeleton next to it and the one next to this one.

He then side-kicked to his right, pushing the skeleton coming from his rear and once again separated the skulls of three skeletons that were before him.

He then did a back flip and dodged the attacks from his left and once again proceed to do the same as before.

This was a pattern he had made from his earlier fight off against Lv. 1 skeletons. In this way, he could save himself and kill the zombies effectively.

His only shortcoming was his stamina, which was threatening to end soon. But unknown to Bittu, the more his stamina is drained, the more his aura was getting dark. Like the surrounding light, which was already at bare minimum, was getting sucked into his body, making it dark.

Alongside, with each passing moment, his aura had something sinister combine with it, replacing his stamina. His very being was being filled with it.

If an intelligent being was looking at him, currently they would find that his body or more particularly his zombified hand and shoulder were the center of this dark and sinister energy and behind him slowly the same sinister aura was taking the form of something dreadful, something ethereal.

Unaware, Bittu jumped as he dodged the attacks of the grey skeletons and delivered his own, right on their spine and their skull.

[You have killed a Lv. 2 skeleton.]

[You have killed a Lv. 2 skeleton.]

[You have killed a Lv. 2 skeleton.]

....

[Warning! ]

*heavy panting*

'Is this the end?', He thought as he looked at the endless stream of skeletons still around him.

[Warning!]

*Drip*

Small drops of blood were flowing out of his buries that he has accumulated over time, all around his body, in this battle against these skeletons. Most accumulated from trying to protect his weakness; his left chest and arm, from suffering any attack.

[Warning! Stamina has reached critical limits.]

'Is this how I die?', he thought, still unable to accept the fact that all his determination to find himself in this ruined world was being consumed by the endless darkness of this place, making him hopeless once again.

*slash*

*crack*

*slash*

*crack*

He didn't know how much time has passed, but he did know that all he had done after entering this dungeon was kill! Kill! And kill!

There wasn't anything else he could remember that he had done in here.

[You have killed a Lv. 2 skeleton.]

This notification was something he felt like was the only thing that kept him sane, giving him hope that he could turn powerful enough to destroy this place and free himself of this life, which was doing nothing but monotonous work like a machine.

*heavy panting*

Though he didn't think he could last more than five minutes now. He has over exhausted himself. His body can't handle anymore of this. He was already pushing his limits to fight and kill until this moment.

*crack*

*slash*

'So be it!' he shouted in his mind.

'I will die trying than be like a coward that I was.', he thought in defiance as he thrust his dagger into the skeleton's forehead that was about to punch him and then he slashed to his right to finish a skeleton.

[You have killed a Lv. 2 skeleton.]

[You have killed a Lv. 2 skeleton.]

The sinister form behind him has almost been completed, with only its head being left, which was also gradually forming. Its black and green appearance was both deadly and calming, as if it was signifying the calm before the storm that will soon storm this world. While the surrounding area has turned much darker than the room itself, which was already dark enough.

Bittu killed another twenty skeletons before he was out of breath. He did a last back flip but stumbled on his landing as he fell.

'No!'

'I can't fall.', He thought with determination.

With sheer will, slowly he got back on his feet even when his body was resisting him, but he didn't let it break his spirit.

Unknown to Bittu, the sinister form behind him has been completed. It had the body of a human; a masked human. Its black and green aura that made it up covered all its body, with only its mask being different. Its white mask without a shed of imperfection would give chills to any being that land their gaze upon it.

It folded its hand and then looked at Bittu as if waiting for something.

With both his feet from on the ground, one of his hand clutching on the dagger and the other freely in the air, with his head high, and his eyes that were filled with defiance and resistance he looked at the incoming skeletons and said, "..... Not... Even in.... Death... Shall... I GIVE UP!!!"

"... Haha.....hahahaha.....hahahahahahaha..... "

The moment he shouted this. A laugh echoed in the dungeon that gave chills even to the skeletons that were coming towards him. The chill stopped them in their track, for a brief moment, but as if remembering they were undead they continued their march towards him.

But Bittu was not capable of seeing this because currently he was before a path. The path that the heaves were forced to provide him. The path he had forcefully snatched from the hands of fate.

Just like before, when he entered the place, his soul felt as if it has entered an ethereal realm, that was isolated from the world, yet a part of it. A place that existed yet didn't. Before him was the same cloudy path that did not let him see what was ahead. He could only walk in the direction he thought was the right one or he could go against it and choose another.

With his soul on the path, Bittu didn't say anything as his soul was urging him to move! move and truly walk on the path to freedom from now on and not just be its candidate.

Sucking in a deep breath to calm his mind and his unsteady heart, he said, "Let's do this!"

"Good..."

Watching all this a voice echoed in the dungeon once again, but unlike last time, this time its tone was filled with bloodlust and madness!

"You have taken your first step. Now, let me fulfill my promise and...."

"..... Help you out..."

....

*panting*

[Warning! Warning! Stamina has gone over critical limits.]

[Your body is forced into unconsciousness.]

[Error!... Error... found interference from your skill: Sufferance synergy]

[Your latent dark stamina has awakened.]

[Your stamina is being replaced by your latent dark stamina.]

[Warning! Warning! Some characteristics of your race have turned dominant.]

[Race: Half-human (partial zombie)] -> [Race: Half- human (half-zombie)]

Notifications after notifications flashed before Bittu but he was in no condition to read them, not because his body was thoroughly exhausted from the battle, but because the dark and sinister energy has taken over him the moment he had his guard down from being thoroughly exhausted.

He would have resisted, but the notification about him falling unconscious buried his will before it could even manifest. The only reason he was still himself was because of his skill; Sufferance synergy which acted as a cocoon, saving him from this dark stream of power.

....

*silence*

In the absolute silence and the darkness, only the sound of the skeletons coming his way were echoing in Bittu's ears.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. The moment he did so, his eyes that were once brown now had already turned black! If one looked in his eyes right now, they would be startled to see that it was darker and lonelier than the darkest of night and loneliest of souls and it was gazing straight at the endless grey skeletons with utter calmness. His serene eyes, almost like it were the eyes of the dead! were gazing at the incoming skeletons.