"Oh no... why am I so unlucky?"
There was nothing here but darkness.
I stared down into the endless cliff below.
I was too exhausted to think. I slumped against the cold stone wall and rested.
Blag... Blag... Blag...
Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the ravine.
I looked back.
A familiar figure emerged from the darkness.
Cavetroll.
A deafening roar shook the entire ravine.
The Cavetroll stood before me, while behind me stretched a bottomless cliff whose depth I couldn't even guess.
Strangely, I didn't panic.
Maybe I'd survived too many times already.
My mind was calm.
If I'm going to die... I'll die fighting.
As the Cavetroll approached, a purple glow shone from its hand. A massive stone club materialized out of thin air.
"So... you're a Storage Rune user as well."
"I'm going to take that rune from you."
Without wasting another second, I began storing everything around me—large boulders, broken rocks, anything I could fit into my storage.
The Cavetroll raised its club high above its head and swung it down with enough force to shatter the ground.
But it was slow.
I dodged.
I jumped aside.
I kept moving.
If only I could throw these boulders with enough force...
Unfortunately, the Storage Rune could only store objects.
Unless...
Unless I learned the trick the Stonecrawler used.
How did they do it again?
I forced myself to focus on the monster before me.
Every swing.
Every step.
Every movement.
I dodged them all.
The Cavetroll suddenly waved its hand.
A massive boulder shot straight toward me.
I ducked behind a rock.
Run.
Dodge.
Hide.
Repeat.
That was all I could do.
I had no way to hurt it.
Smash after smash.
Boulders flew through the air, shattering the stone around me.
Thankfully, I was much faster now.
Because I knew...
One direct hit would be the end of me.
"GRAAAAHHH!"
The Cavetroll let out another furious roar.
Then I noticed movement.
Something was approaching.
A horde of Mine Moles.
Too many.
Far too many.
There was no way I could survive this.
Behind me was the cliff wall.
In front of me stood the Cavetroll.
To my left gathered the Mine Moles. They weren't attacking yet, but they weren't leaving either.
The only path left...
...was to my right.
The dark cliff.
As I moved closer to the edge, the Cavetroll charged again.
Then I saw it.
A narrow stone ledge several meters below.
I didn't have time to measure the distance.
I jumped.
The impact was brutal.
Pain exploded through my body.
Another broken leg.
Gritting my teeth, I dragged myself toward the wall.
Using my rune, I dug deeper into the rock, carving out just enough space to hide.
For now...
I was safe.
Above me, the Cavetroll roared in frustration after losing its prey.
But I knew this wasn't over.