Chapter 5: A Narrow Escape
"Dammit!" Ryan cursed as he ran, darting and weaving through the dungeon, with numerous lizards hot on his heels like a mad stampede of bulls.
"Where the hell did that entrance go?" Ryan searched frantically for the entrance he had come from, but it had vanished.
He was surrounded on all sides, and the only way out seemed to be a sheer cliff face. There was no way he could climb it in time, and he was out of options.
Ryan was starting to feel a sense of hopelessness when he suddenly spotted a narrow crevice on the cliff face.
He could barely make out the crevice; it was so small, but it seemed to be his only chance of escape.
But before he could do anything, the lizards were already upon him. Ryan could see their red eyes in the darkness, and he knew he had to act quickly.
"Dammit, you wanna go? All right then, let's see if you can keep up!" Having no other options, Ryan lunged at some of the side lizards, trying to clear his path.
He slashed at them with his sword, dodging and weaving through their attacks as he ran towards the crevice. He felt the lizards closing in on him, their claws just inches away from his back.
"RAAAAAHHHHH..."
Suddenly, one of the lizards spat out a large fireball towards him. He had no time to dodge and instinctively raised his sword, gathering the dark purple mana in the blade and slashed it down with all his might.
SWUNG!
BOOM!
BAAAM!
The purple arc of mana quickly nullified the attack, but it didn't stop there.
"RAAAAAHHHHH...!"
The lizard cried out in pain as the dark purple arc slashed across its skin.
As the lizard was cut open, the sword in Ryan's hand also disintegrated, and he lost a significant amount of his mana.
The dark purple mana was surely very powerful, but the consumption of mana to use it is really absurd. It took just one slash to almost drain all of the mana from his mana pool.
"RAAAAAHHHHH..."
"RAAAAAHHHHH..."
"RAAAAAHHHHH..."
The cries of the wounded lizard only seemed to enrage the other lizards, and soon, they were all roaring and charging at him.
With a burst of speed, Ryan sprinted towards the crevice, the lizards hot on his heels. He threw himself into the narrow gap, barely squeezing through before the lizards could catch him. He scrabbled for purchase on the rocks, pulling himself further into the crevice. He could hear the roars of the lizards echoing off the walls as they clawed at the rock, trying to get to him.
"Tch*" Ryan gritted his teeth as he felt scratches all over his body from the sharp rocks.
He took a deep breath and slowly crawled further into the crevice, the lizards still clawing at the walls. He kept his head down, focusing on the task at hand as he inched his way to the other side. He could feel the hot breath of the lizards on his neck as he moved, but eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he made it to the other side. He emerged from the crevice, panting and covered in scratches, feeling a mixture of relief and shock at what had happened.
Ryan leaned against the wall, taking shallow breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he looked back at the crevice, thankful he had made it out alive. He closed his eyes, letting out a small chuckle as he slowly regained his breath.
"Hah-hah... I can't believe that actually worked," he thought to himself in amazement.
He paused for a moment, taking in his current surroundings. He was standing in a large cavern, illuminated by many small flying mana bubbles.
"How do I get out of here?" Ryan thought to himself, feeling a wave of regret wash over him. He looked around, desperately searching for any signs of a way out.
He wanted to explore the cavern more, but he felt a strange sense of trepidation. He was still drawn towards the unknown depths of the cavern, but something was holding him back.
He had no idea what could be lurking in the depths of the cavern. It could be more of the lizards, or something even more dangerous.
But seeing no other way around, he sighed, "I need to go and see. I have to find a way out of here."
With a determined stride, he started walking towards the dark depths of the cavern, materializing another ethereal sword and gripping it firmly in his grasp.
With every step he took, the darkness around him started to give way to a faint light. He could see the mana bubbles getting brighter and brighter with each step, giving him just enough light to make out the walls and the path ahead of him. He kept his head down as he inched his way towards the unknown depths of the cavern.
Soon, he was standing on a beautifully scenic platform, looking out over a breathtaking view of the cavern. The walls were covered in colorful crystals that seemed to reflect the light of the mana bubbles, creating a dazzling display of colors.
Ryan gasped in amazement, feeling a wave of awe wash over him.
"This is incredible," he whispered in awe, taking in the beauty of the cavern.
He eventually reached a platform, and the mana bubbles seemed to shine brighter, illuminating the walls and the path ahead. Ryan looked around in awe, taking in the beauty of the colorful crystals that adorned the walls and reflected the light of the mana bubbles.
He could feel a presence in the air, like something was watching him from the shadows. He had a feeling that whatever had been calling him here was here somewhere, waiting for him.
He scanned the area, looking for anything that might give him a clue as to what was drawing him to this place.
On the platform, he noticed a cubic crystal sitting on a pedestal. It was glowing with a faint light, pulsing in time with the mana bubbles.
"Huh?"
His heart raced as he felt an invisible pressure pushing against him, threatening to overwhelm him. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the pressure. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and stepped forward.
But before he could approach the crystal, his eyes started to blur, and he felt a wave of dizziness. He stumbled back, trying to keep his balance, but it was no use.
The last thing he saw before losing his consciousness was what seemed like a majestic pair of red eyes, staring at him from the darkness.
[Finally...]
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