Chapter 9: The Shadow King's Cave

My body screamed at me to take a break, but the thought of Martin being a sacrifice kept me on my feet.

I'm tired. My legs trembled with the effort of standing upright, and my arms howled with the swings of my axe. Even so, I refused to give up, refused to take so much as a minute to sit down and breathe.

I couldn't. Not until I found more answers.

So, I did the only thing I knew how to at this point. I fought. And fought.

I fought until the sun rose for a brief period and the System told me "Sunlight pierces the eternal darkness." I slaughtered the impurities with no particular disdain, defeating them as I came across them.

There were small, rotund blobs of gelatinous shadow that tried to swallow my shoes. I shook them off and crushed them with a savage stomp. For whatever reason, the small ones were left as they were, splatters of viscous, ink-colored fluid that clung to my shoes, while the High Rank Impurity had turned into a storm of dust.

Long and sinuous serpents, Mid Rank Impurities, sought me in the onslaught. I destroyed them with little trouble. Shadesplitter turned them to ash the moment its golden metal penetrated their firm bodies.

I defeated an assortment of enemies, all before the first of my last three nights ended.

I didn't stop there, though. My level might've grown, but I hadn't learned anything new—nothing that related to Martin, at least. I did develop my understanding of the System's mystical powers, but it wasn't anything to gawk at.

Whenever I leveled up, my strength came back. It was marginal—so slight that I hardly noticed, as a matter of fact—but it was enough to keep me on my feet. The more impurities I felled, the less my stamina drained in the process of hunting them, and the less I felt like collapsing from exhaustion.

With every level, my stats increased, and defeating them became exceptionally easier.

By now, my constitution was a force to be reckoned with. Though my body was sluggish, and my movements weren't nearly as sharp as they should've been, it didn't matter when the damage dealt to me was negligible.

Of course, it wasn't as though there weren't any difficulties. There were downsides to my power leveling. The higher my level, the harder it became to reach the next.

You can probably guess how I dealt with that problem. Yeah, I fought. I fought until the System was overflowing with notifications of skills and level-ups.

Martin was out there, somewhere, trapped and in pain. I could only imagine the agony of his wound, the despair of being brought into this place at such an age and having to contend with the sudden changes.

I needed strength. I needed overwhelming power.

When I stumbled upon High Rank Impurities, I didn't hesitate to crush them.

They looked the same: tall, towering monstrosities with enormous, curling horns. Their behavior was identical, boasting poor eyesight coupled with a predisposition for frustration. Now that I knew more about them and their behavior, it was almost too easy to defeat them.

All it took was one swing.

Congratulations! You've unlocked a new hint.

Look for the Shadow King's dwelling in a field of ice and snow. Follow Yggdrasil's roots.

My eyes widened. Field of ice and snow?

The mountaintop.

Instantly, I sprung to action. I sprinted for the mountainside, clambering up its gently sloping incline.

It would be a long, arduous journey, but the fact that I had an estimate of where Martin could be was enough for me. I didn't let the obstacle, the fact that I had to climb a mountain—which, mind you, I had never done before—dissuade me. If I could save Martin, it didn't matter how dangerous it was.

With my night vision, I managed to make out the holes, rocks, and gnarled roots I came across. There were very few trees that grew on such uneven earth; the mountain's barren side was an endless assortment of steep hills and jutting rock.

Not long before I began the journey, it became a matter of climbing and clambering up protruding stone cliffs, digging my fingers into holes or cracks in the stone.

I was never good at rock climbing, so I took my time carefully observing my routes. I dared not rush and throw myself up the edges. I worked my fingers into the nooks and crannies of the stone, studying the cliffs with intensity.

If I grew too hasty and took the shorter, easier routes that eventually tapered off into nothingness, only failure—and possibly a long fall—awaited me.

I couldn't afford to waste valuable time and energy, but that wasn't an excuse to attempt the more daunting tasks because of my negligence.

Achievement Unlocked: Novice Climber

Reward: [Basic Climbing]

Title Unlocked: [Worrywart]

Reward: Perception increases

The System's notifications sent chills down my spine. Just how easy was it to grow stronger? Were there others taking Trials like mine, and was it truly this easy for everyone?

I found it hard to fathom that the System enabled me to learn something so easily that I never bothered to acquire knowledge of back home. But then, I never expected to fight shadowy monstrosities. I'd never seen an axe that could glow, either.

I kept climbing until I reached the top of a small overhang. There, I nestled myself atop the stone and leaned against the cliff for a moment's respite.

Part of me still thought everything about this was absurd. If my body wasn't so sore and greatly injured, I doubted I even would've found it within myself to believe any of this was really happening.

Sometimes pain was an indicator that something was real.

I just wished I was back home, sleeping in the warm, lumpy mattress I always took for granted. Five days wasn't nearly enough to warrant true adaptation, but by now I was too deeply enthralled in my circumstances to entertain doubts.

Too much happened in such little time.

It wasn't a game. It was a nightmare.

I sighed and closed my eyes. My mind drifted to thoughts of home, to the few friends I had left.

How are you doing, Miranda? I wondered. The System told me Earth was in danger, but I hoped she was safe. I hope you're well. Perhaps it's too much to ask for, but…I want to see you again soon.

My bitter laughter was lost to the wind. I looked out and saw the dull, mystical forest. I wasn't so high up that everything was unfathomably small—not yet, at least—but the woodland was beginning to appear akin to a field of gray grasses.

Empty patches interspaced among the forest made me wince. It seemed the damage I had done would be long-lasting, after all.

Get back to climbing, Isaac. Sighing, I begrudgingly obliged. My fingers gripped the stones with newfound dexterity. With this new skill, my body felt much easier to support.

I blinked. It wasn't just that my body felt lighter. My fingers found cracks and rock clusters as if they'd done it a thousand times and knew where they were without me needing to guide them.

I scaled the mountain with fluid ease, working my way up to the zenith undisturbed.

It didn't take me very long to reach the sharp top of the cliff. That was where I found it: An enormous, foul-smelling root so pungent it nearly made me lose my grip on the stone. Tears slid down my cheeks as my eyes endured the repugnant scent that churned in the wind.

Desperately, I grabbed at it, using its solidity to hoist myself up as though it were a rope. I planted my elbows atop the cliff, using the root as if it were a bar, and threw myself up over it onto the flat surface.

Title [Mountain Climber] unlocked.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

The rocky, uneven ground around me bled into a mound of icy gravel and a thin layer of snow. I leaned against the thick root, carefully rising to my feet and dusting my torn, ragged clothes.

Sunlight pierces the eternal darkness.

Amused, I turned around.

What a wretched mistake that was.

I could hardly see anything. I was so high up that the whole forest was one patch of interwoven color indiscernible from a field. My stomach churned at the thought of tripping and sliding off, fated to plummet thousands of feet to an unfortunate death.

Sweat slid down my face. Carefully, and slowly, I spun around and clambered up the slope. I used the long, thick root as a guidepost. Smaller, web-like offshoots branched into the snow and gravel.

One wrong move on this unstable surface was all it would take.

My footfalls sent bits and pieces of gravel sliding off the mountain. I trudged onwards until snow and stone were all I felt. With a solid surface under my feet, I took a moment to breathe, leaning on my knees.

The air was thinner here. I didn't bother looking down; there would be no more of that, not while my body already trembled from exertion.

Status window.

The System sprang to life.

Isaac

Level: 26

With a dissatisfied groan, I turned to look up at the peak. It was a lonesome thing, a white blade piercing the skies. Was there even a guarantee that the cave I found was even the right one?

Your body has grown accustomed to the frigid temperatures. You have unlocked [Cold Resistance]

My eyes widened. Resistances?

Wait.

Show me [Cold Resistance].

Cold Resistance

Passive Skill

Acquisition Grade: Common

I gave a small smile. Resistances, eh? So those were a possibility as well…

My stomach gave a sharp, sudden twist. I winced, but shoved it off and kept ascending the cold, frozen stones. I tried to avoid twisting an ankle or slipping and falling backward. If I fell, well…

I glanced behind myself and took a sharp, shaky breath. The air was very thin this high up. The longer I stayed here, the more likely I was to faint from lack of oxygen. I doubted the System could do anything about that.

I had to stomp through the snow. It was up to my legs by now, and crystalline flakes, swept by the wild winds, danced around me. I wondered if there were any animals up here, and then laughed at the absurd notion.

I drew Shadesplitter from my inventory, letting it light up the darkness around me. Whenever I held the axe, I felt a strange, soothing comfort as if I wasn't alone in facing the obstacles presented to me.

With the light, I was able to notice the eyes, though. They didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular—some were even above me in the sky—but they all glowed with a ruby-red fury identical to the High Rank Impurities.

Try as I may to ignore them, the nagging fear in the back of my head kept me glancing over my shoulder. Unfortunately, my fear of heights never subsided no matter how many times I watched my back, so each glance was kept short.

My body grew colder and colder. The heat from my feet melted the snow that fell inside my shoes. That water was kept cold by layers upon layers of snow, and soon my toes stung and throbbed. My hands were practically frozen to Shadesplitter.

With reluctance, I decided to place Shadesplitter inside my inventory.

Please…, I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. Please let the cave be nearby.

I came up another small ridge, stumbling haphazardly, and tripped on something long and hard.

I didn't notice the long, thick roots climbing out from the hole in the ground until I was inside of it, falling.

I plummeted into the enormous tunnel with a shrill scream, floundering and flapping my arms desperately as I slammed against the rotting wood.

With my axe gone, the world sank back into unnerving darkness as I slid into the bowels of the earth, screaming and shouting. I bounced. I hit my head. I rolled and tumbled until, after what felt like a hundred years—and twice as many bruises—I crashed and slowed to a stop, skidding across the cold stone.

Wearily, with bumps and sores all over my body, I drew Shadesplitter out.

The axe lit up at my touch. I winced, eyes rolling into the back of my head at the sight that awaited me.

Mushrooms, tall grasses, and roots that sprang from seemingly nowhere at all made the cave look more like a forest than anything. A chittering screech resounded from deeper within. I rubbed my face, soberly taking note of everything I saw.

Vines dangled from the roof. Even a blanket of moss formed a verdant green road that led deeper into the void. I made out the distinct roaring of water crashing against stones.

Slowly, with plenty of grunts and groans, I stood, dusting myself off with an annoyed grunt for the second time that day. Bruises lined my body; no two were in the same place, and yet not even one ached any less than the others. They throbbed as if begging me to sit down and rest a moment, but I stubbornly refused to give myself any leeway.

No. No more breaks. Not while Martin was in danger and I was this close to saving him.

I'd grown tired of sitting around and doing nothing whilst others got hurt. I didn't want to see others hurting because of my own actions, either. I didn't want to endure this helpless, sinking feeling of despair in my stomach. No more would I put others in danger and let myself be weak.

Whoever sent us here, whether it be a mystical god or some horrible science-fiction amalgamation, would get their wish.

I would fight for Adeseria.

And I would save it.

But first, I was going to save Martin.