13 Chapter 13: Stuck (1/2)

Once the hideous monster was finally buried, Wilhelm fell to his buttocks and gasped for breath. The air within the dungeon was rather faint and small particles of dust invaded into his mouth every time he breathed. The air was musky and Wilhelm felt as though even the rabbit infested forest was better than this cave.

A groan escaped from his thin lips as he begrudgingly stood up and scratched his head. His stomach rumbled fiercer than ever and his wounds stung. He had no clue if the creature that injured him was poisonous or not, however, he was in dire need of cleaning his injuries.

The musky air assaulted his nose as he continued walking. The humidity was proof of a water source, not to mention the life that persisted inside the dungeon. All living creatures required food and water. The main predicament that Wilhelm faced was where the water source was located, and what was guarding it.

The thing he had just killed was a mere infant. Its skills were amateurish and Wilhelm used a simple technique to eradicate it. However, the same couldn't be said for whatever gave birth to it. Whether it was the father or mother, just the thought of them struck fear into Wilhelm's heart.

With these troubling thoughts in mind, Wilhelm soon made it to another forked road. There were four passages present, all of them looking nearly identical. ”It's going to take me a while to finish this dungeon” Wilhelm groaned, ”based on the assumption I even live, what exactly was the point of placing this nearly impossible dungeon in plain sight?”

A handful of curses escaped from Wilhelm's mouth as he randomly picked one of the entrances. Knowing his luck, he was going to pick the most dangerous path anyway. Thus, he cautiously traveled across the pitch black cave, not a single light in sight.

The walls were coarse and seemed to nearly crumble with the slightest touch. The base of the cave appeared to be thick, but the outer walls were made out of something rather strange. Wilhelm could hypothesize what it was based on the dungeon title, however, he hoped that he was wrong.

This strange and quiet journey lasted for another 15 minutes until he reached the ending of his current path. The ground suddenly vibrated and a few grunts could be heard from afar. In a moment of shock, Wilhelm quickly threw himself to the side and covered his body in the dirt on the ground.

The vibrations grew stronger and stronger until Wilhelm could vaguely perceive a few dozen feet walking through the cave. He couldn't make out their appearance, but they were certainly large. The loud vibrations were a testament to that fact.

The creatures continued walking through the cave, unaware that a measly human had clung to the side. It took a few minutes for the huge line of monsters to pass by him. Nonetheless, he patiently waited under the dirt, not at all afraid of idling. Once the vibrations became faint, Wilhelm finally decided to stand up.

His figure was soaked with sweat and the aura of those beasts caused his body to instinctively retreat. Such monsters were completely different in comparison to the rabbits and grottenburg he had already slain. His hunger and thirst were momentarily forgotten as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

He could already be considered a monster to human standards. His strength, speed, stamina, and even intelligence were higher than normal. However, even that was nothing before the monsters he had just bared witness to. Just a simple glance caused him to realize how minuscule he really was.

Wilhelm clenched his fists and ground his teeth in irritation. He wasn't used to this feeling of powerlessness. Even though he was always cautious, he still felt as though nothing could really threaten his existence. Even the goblins were viewed as insignificant life-forms in front of Wilhelm's eyes.

Suddenly, an indiscernible smile appeared on his face as he chuckled. ”How fun… I was just getting bored too!” he whispered crazily and turned around. A faint luminescence shone down from a hole located on the roof of the cave. It barely irradiated a beautiful, sparkling lake.

The waters were tranquil and it appeared to be even more concentrated than the other lake he had come across. Wilhelm was well-aware of what awaited him if he drank from the lake, alas, he didn't have much of a choice. Without hesitation, he ran toward the lake and guzzled the water.

His clothes, hair, and body became soaked as he drank like a dog. He temporarily ignored the burning sensation as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. It felt as though he were drinking acid and he finally stopped after two more gulps.

His body convulsed and saliva escaped from his mouth. His eyes rolled back and his body remained stationary for five entire minutes. Finally, he got ahold of himself and sat back up. Fear filled his eyes as he observed the so-called firewater.

An abrupt curiosity struck Wilhelm as he wondered what was beneath the water. In a state of such oddity, he couldn't help himself from diving deep within the lake. The water didn't even burn his eyes but it felt abnormally warm.