Arin took another step down the stairs.
One step. Two steps. The deeper he went, the more the air turned frigid.
The walls were different as well; the blue glowing crystals had stopped appearing, and instead, small red ones dotted the rocky surface, casting only a meager amount of light.
"New setting," Arin muttered, taking another cautious step.
Then he felt it.
Something was watching him. Something big. Something powerful.
Arin stiffened. He slowed his breathing. His fingers twitched at his side. Something was definitely there.
He took out his sword. Then he heard the growl.
ROAAAAAR!
"No," Arin said as he turned around, but there was nothing behind him. Then came another growl, closer this time.
ROAAAAAR!
Arin turned around again, this time looking at the stairs leading downwards. He looked up, and the next thing he saw made his heartbeat quicken. Something huge was walking along the walls, casting long shadows.
What the hell is that thing?!
Arin’s eyes finally landed on a pair of golden ones staring right at him. What came next nearly made his heart stop. Arin stared at the creature in disbelief.
"A dragon?" he whispered. The beast was colossal, its body covered in dark scales. Horns, two of them, came out of its head, curving at the ends. Its mouth opened wide, sending a wisp of smoke curling out of its maw.
[Warning! Extremely powerful monster sighted.]
"How powerful?!" Arin exclaimed. The words appeared again.
[Level difference: Extreme.]
"That’s not very helpful!" Arin said, glaring at the words. The dragon took another step forward, and Arin backed away, narrowly avoiding a blast of fire that scorched the ground where he stood.
BOOM!
Arin was knocked off his feet as he rolled away from another blast. He found himself on the ground, covered in dirt. Getting up, he shook the filth off his clothes.
"That was fire, wasn’t it?" Arin said. The dragon roared again.
ROOOOOAR!
Arin ran back as another blast of fire came his way.
BOOM!
Another explosion sent Arin tumbling to the side. He quickly got up and ran into a side tunnel. The dragon gave chase.
"Would you stop following me?!" Arin shouted. It rammed its head into the side of the tunnel, sending cracks up the rock. Arin ran faster. He soon found himself in a large chamber, and to his horror, he saw more creatures inside. They looked like giant lizards, and they immediately lunged at him when they saw him.
"Not now!" Arin said as he lifted his sword. The first monster jumped at him, only for Arin to sidestep at the last second. His sword came down on the creature’s neck, taking its head off. He turned and stabbed another one in the leg, knocking it to the ground.
[Monster Defeated.]
[Monster Defeated.]
The dragon entered the chamber, and the other creatures immediately stopped fighting Arin and ran off. Arin stared at the beast in shock.
"Even they are afraid of it?" he said. The dragon opened its maw to breathe fire.
Wait! Arin dove to the side as a stream of fire shot across the room. He quickly pulled himself behind a large boulder as the fire raced past him, burning his clothes. He looked at the rock he was behind.
"Nice. It’s going to crack eventually." Arin said. He quickly got up and went back to the tunnel as the dragon turned towards him. Its tail came down and slammed into his back, sending him rolling across the floor. He landed on his back and his sword skidded away from him. He tried to get up, but his legs gave out underneath him. The dragon was right in front of him.
Arin looked up and saw the creature’s claw coming down towards him. He closed his eyes. Instead, he found himself rolling to the side as the claw impacted the ground, cracking the floor. He quickly picked himself up and ran towards his sword. The dragon raised a claw, and Arin threw himself at the creature’s side and grabbed his weapon. As the claw came down, he rolled to the side, avoiding it. The ground cracked right where he had been.
"Come on then," Arin said. He charged at the dragon and brought his sword down on its leg. The weapon rebounded off, sending Arin sliding on his backside. He blinked in surprise as he stared at his sword. He then turned and looked at the dragon.
"Of course." Arin said. The dragon’s tail came crashing down, and Arin dove to the side. It slammed into the ground; the impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, and part of the ceiling crashed down. Arin looked up at the opening.
"I wonder..." He turned his back on the dragon and ran towards the opening. The creature gave chase, but Arin quickly jumped over a boulder and the dragon slammed its tail into the side of the chamber. Arin took advantage of the distraction and ran underneath the hole in the ceiling. The dragon’s tail came down where his head had been. Arin ran across the ground and over another boulder as the creature ran after him.
Arin turned around and the dragon’s head came crashing into the ceiling, sending more rocks falling. Arin ran behind the boulder and waited. When the dragon lifted its head up, he ran past it and underneath the ceiling. The dragon’s head came down again just barely missing Arin. Arin looked up at the crack and took a deep breath. He ran underneath it, and the dragon tried to follow, but it was too big and its tail got stuck. He ran alongside the creature, sliding under the crack a second time. Finally, he stopped and looked up. The dragon was too far away to do anything. Arin quickly turned around. His heart was hammering in his chest.
"Did that work?"
A low growl answered his question. Arin groaned.
"Of course not." He said. The dragon came out of the crack with a murderous look on its face. Arin turned and ran again. He passed through the tunnel and more creatures came out to meet him. He quickly defeated them, dodging most of their attacks.
[Monster Defeated.]
[Monster Defeated.]
[Monster Defeated.]
His notifications continued to pop up as he ran.
[Level Up!]
[Level: 6]
Arin didn’t stop. The dragon was still there. He ran into another chamber and more monsters appeared. He quickly fought them off and ran into another.
[Level Up!]
[Level: 7]
Arin breathed heavily. He ran into another monster that was waiting for him. He cut it down and another one came after him. He blocked the thing’s strike, only for his sword to nearly snap in half. He kicked the creature away and finished it off.
[Monster Defeated.]
Then,
[Level Up!]
[Level:8 ]
Arin smiled. He kept running. He ran into a chamber where the dragon was waiting for him. He stopped.
"No." He took a step back as the beast opened its maw. He turned around, only to find another monster blocking his path. The creature’s eyes glowed.
"Stupid," Arin muttered. He had no choice but fight the thing. He took out his sword and slashed at the monster. It blocked and growled at him. Arin kept attacking, and the creature kept blocking. Finally, he got a good hit in and took the creature’s head off. Arin rolled to the side as fire filled up the room. The other creature disappeared in the flames. He got up then ran as fast as he could. The dragon’s claw came down where he had been. He jumped over it and rolled under the creature’s side. He looked up and saw a small space between two rocks. He quickly squeezed in. The dragon wasn’t big enough to follow.
Arin crawled through the passage, his breathing heavy. He was exhausted. His System suddenly pinged.
Level Up!: Experience gained.
Arin blinked, then another message appeared.
[Level Up!]
[Level: 9]
Arin looked at the text. "Level 9..." he murmured. A smile crept onto his face. He was almost there.
"Just one more," he said under his breath. He crawled out of the passage and ran into the next chamber. The dragon was there. Arin turned around and ran. It gave chase.
"You’ve had enough fun," Arin said quickly. He turned around again and the dragon was right in front of him, flames coming out of its mouth. He jumped to the side in time and the fire blasted a hole in the wall. The dragon turned and growled furiously. Arin turned around and ran. The dragon took a swipe at him, but Arin jumped out of the way. He took advantage of the opening and slid underneath the creature. He saw a small opening in the ground and he quickly rolled in. The dragon was too big to follow. Arin was on the other side in no time.
He took a breather. "I think I’ve had enough fun for today."
He ran back into the chamber. The dragon was right in front of him, and this time, it didn’t run away. Its tail came down and Arin ducked underneath it. He looked up and saw the beast’s eyes. Something was wrong. The creature was afraid. Then he heard another noise. It was deeper than any growl he had ever heard. The dragon’s eyes went wide in horror as it turned its head. The next thing Arin knew was a big explosion.
BOOM!
A new sound came from deeper inside the dungeon. Arin stopped dead in his tracks. Something was wrong. He turned his head towards where the dragon was looking and his blood ran cold. The creature’s head turned towards him, its eyes wide with terror. The ground shook as the dragon ran away from the unknown entity. Arin watched in disbelief. The sound was getting louder and louder. It was coming straight for him.
BOOM! BOOM!
Arin held on to his sword. He was level 9. Only one more level and he would be ten. Right now, though, it wasn’t as important as surviving whatever was about to come.
The dark figure was drawing closer, and it suddenly revealed itself under the dim, red glow.
The figure that stepped forward caused Arin’s eyes to widen in shock. "What is that?"