7 The Sentinel of Monolith (1/2)
The first thing I do is shut off agony before raising my hands and shouting, ”I didn't mean to fight. I surrender. Please don't hurt me.”
The Sentinel of Monolith slams his spear into the ground, quaking the entire cave. It says,
”I accept your surrender. I will not do so again.”
The violet prisms of energy wane then disapear from around it. It faces forward from the gate, ignoring my existence entirely. I pace up and say,
”So what are you exactly?”
”I am a sentinel of the monolith.”
I frowned before it continued,
”I guard the entrance and exit of the designated combat zone. The schema deems certain areas as highly dangerous, giving extra rewards for extra danger. Any who enter are 'gambling' as your species calls it. The closest human word to representing the schema's combat zones are 'dungeons.'”
I frowned before saying, ”Then can I leave?”
”No. The only way to leave this dungeon is either capturing the dungeon core or killing the guardian of the realm's existence. The guardian here is and has been Baldag-Ruhl, of Many.”
”How strong are you compared with him?”
”Stronger than it or you will ever be.” I heard a hint of disdain in his voice
I asked, ”Can you let me out if I never went through the tutorial?”
”That cannot happen. The schema automatically spawns all members of the dominant, sentient species of newly acquiesced planets to tutorial zones. You cannot spawn in a dungeon.”
”What if I did though?”
”If you did, you didn't, since it cannot be.”
I frowned as I said, ”But I'm here without ever entering the tutorial.”
”No you are not. You are here, meaning you passed the tutorial.”
”Alright then asshole, can you see my menu screens?”
”I am not the defecatory duct for releasing solid waste matter. And yes.”
”Good enough.”
I open my perk menu, showing the grayed out screen with the beginner perk unselected. The sentinel waited five minutes before answering,
”There is no known way of spawning outside of the schema's tutorial zone.”
”Obviously it happened though. Can you let me out now?”
”No. Despite your spawning incorrectly, I cannot let you leave.”
”Then can you tell me what the schema is and wants?”
”All fundamental knowledge of the schema is given out during the tutorial. I will not repeat it for you.”
”So in other words, you can't do shit but stand guard here?”
”I am capable of many other functions...but yes, all I do is guard this gate.”
I sighed harder than any other thing has ever sighed. I said, ”Then can you tell me what you think of the schema?”
”Hmm. I will tell you of what little I know. What you understand as the universe is a very...unstable thing. Within the infinity of it, there are cracks formed from its expansion. These cracks will rupture, letting things out. Horrors, things that should not be and are not, as long as they stay there instead of here.”
The guard glanced up as it said, ”The schema stabilizes these cracks. It prevents the fissures and allows assimilated worlds to fight against these things. Your world is lucky we found you before you were consumed.”
”What do you mean consumed?”
”I will only say this. Those things have no form when they are there. When here, they eat to take their form. Even I struggle against them. Your world is but an easy feast.”
”Then the schema's here to help.”
”Only if you survive the culling.”
I frowned as I said, ”What do you mean, culling?”
”I will answer no more questions.”
”Can you at least help me out of this damn hole then?”
”Gladly.”
The sentinel picked me up in a colossal palm. He slung me through the air as I flew with the grace of a bird, both its wings broken. I landed on my legs, snapping the bones in both. Even with 87% pain reduction, breaking both legs still hurts.
Within five minutes of waiting, my legs are back to normal. After the ordeal, I went about slaying bats while saying obscenities about the sentinel's mother. I know, I'm an excellent multi-tasker.
After an hour of travel, I reach another pool with another bear. The level 76 beast slumbers just like the last. I pump myself up with a couple slaps before charging straight into the bear. I smash my fist into the bear's nose, breaking it nicely. With my new gauntlets and my extra constitution, the bear no longer feels hard as iron. He's more like wood.
The difference may not sound substantial, but punching a rock versus a tree makes a huge difference. Stone bites back like a cobra against your fist. Wood's more like punching a forehead. Hard, but it gives quite a bit.
The bear tries another ground slam to blow me back. This time I jump up, dodging the shockwave before slamming my fist into its sides. This time, the bear never surprises me. I'm ready for its tricks.
The grueling battle lasts an hour, but I come out with only scrapes and bruises this time. The extra constitution doesn't just make me harder, it makes me heavier too. The bear headbutted me in my chest, yet I wasn't sent flying. Sliding, sure, but I wasn't sent tumbling.
I get a massive 52000 exp, giving me another level. When I wanted to see how much exp I had left for my next level, a little bar of yellow appeared under my hp bar. It was over 3/4's full. A few more bat's and I'm level 45.