"Ugh, where am I?" I asked as soon as I regained consciousness. I was at the center of a hall that had multiple passages branching off from it. My HP was critically low, and I could barely make out my surroundings. Is this the end for me? I began to wonder with a self-deprecating smile on my face. All I wanted was to be able to find a chest, pick it, steal all the items inside, and use it to store the eggs, but for my pn to fail so miserably...
"Why didn't I just destroy the eggs?" I asked myself, but I knew the answer better than anybody. Back then, when I remembered the person I used to be, I wanted to prove to myself that I'd changed. I wanted to prove that in this new world, I had become a new person by taking up the challenge, but instead, I proved that I was still the same old forgetful fool that I used to be. I knew that if I continued along the same line, my mind would wander into some dangerous territory, so I quickly got up and started scouring the area for chests. An hour or maybe even two went by, and I found nothing. Stranger still, there were no monsters here. That may have sounded great, but I knew it was nothing but bad news.
The monsters in Everst Dynasty adhered to a strict hierarchy. Higher csses of monsters could command weaker monsters and coordinate attacks with them, but weaker monsters generally avoided pces like these, where strong monsters could be found. I really, really hope I'm wrong, I thought, but it was wishful thinking at best.
Hearing a noise, I hid behind a rge rock. I could tell what was coming was massive, so I calmed my breathing to the best of my ability and stood completely still. I only caught a glimpse of it, but what I saw shook me to the core. A Queen Spider! These spiders, Giant races like Cyclopses and Dragons, were among the strongest monster csses in the game. Not even a General, with their extremely high defense stat, could walk away from a fight with the Queen Spider unscathed! For their massive size, they were also surprisingly swift and could afflict pyers with the Deadly Poison status. I shuddered when I thought about it. In all respects, they were boss-level threats. I'm doomed, I thought to myself, but it didn't notice me and disappeared into one of the many passages.
At once, I felt like I could breathe again, and that was when it occurred to me. Why don't I follow it to see where it's going? What?! That has to be an intrusive thought! I thought to myself as I dismissed it, but it may not have been as unreasonable as I thought it was. I didn't know where I was and how to get anywhere, and if I started going through all the passages one by one, I could very well end up encountering another threat I had no hope of defeating. I stared into the passage the Queen Spider followed as if I were asking it for answers, and then I made my decision. I will follow it at a distance! If it looks like it'll turn back, I'll either hide or run away! I gripped my bow firmly and went into the passage.
The passage was dark and moist. With no mushrooms, it was really hard to make out anything, so I followed the sound of its walking, which had become somewhat faint. It has probably gotten far. That's good. I marched on silently, practically holding my breath the entire time till I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The exit! But wait. Is that a Death Knight? It wasn't the strongest undead css out there, but it was guarding the exit for some strange reason, and it looked like the Queen Spider had some business outside, so they were squaring off. Monster fight! Monster fight! I cheered on mentally, but it was over in a fsh. The Death Knight threw the spear it was holding, but it didn't even leave a scratch as it bounced off the Queen Spider's skin. What was its skin made of? Then, it drew its sword and adopted a stance, but before it could do anything, the Queen Spider raised one of its massive legs and crushed it.
R.I.P, Death Knight-kun, your efforts will be remembered. The outcome of the battle did not surprise me one bit. There was an undeniable gap between higher-css monsters, so it had no chance of winning from the beginning. The Queen Spider crawled out of the cave exit, leaving me alone in the room with the defeated Death Knight. I wonder what it wants to do outside, I thought. Even more than that, I wondered why the Death Knight was guarding the exit. Could it be... that Necromancers actually exist? But before I could further pursue that thought, something at the corner of my eye caught my attention.
"A chest!" I excimed and then quickly covered my mouth. I looked to my right and to my left before dashing towards the chest, thinking, It was not a complete failure, after all! I grabbed Lockpick-kun and started picking the lock until I heard a satisfying click sound. I quickly opened the chest and found four items inside. "Three potions and... a silver bow!" I quickly gulped down two of the potions to replenish my HP, put the remaining one in my pocket, and carried the silver bow along. I wouldn't be able to use it, as my weapon rank was probably F-tier at the moment, and one had to be at least B-tier to wield silver bows, but I could sell it for a good price.
After I was sure that the Queen Spider had left, I tentatively stepped outside to a cliff where I finally had a bird's-eye-view of the surrounding area. I could see the forests, the mountains, and a town nearby. At st, a town! Of course, I had my regrets. It would have been great to bring the Gorgon eggs along with me, but one had to look at the positives, right? Right, I have to keep looking at the positives. I must keep on believing that I can change. With newfound determination, I carefully made my way down to the forest.
