CHAPTER 17: The alternate of an unstable youth

"Well then~, let's have fun, shall we? ya fucking lizards~” Yasu alternate personality sang as he readied himself to face the Komodo dragons. All of his broken bones healed at a rapid rate and in such a short moment, his body was as good as new. “What was that skill again? Ah, shaaaarpeeen~”

After singing his skill, he jumps onto the incoming horde ecstatic to face such a foe. He took a swing at the one in front and its body was sliced in half in an instant, killing it as the damage was beyond belief.

“BUWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Yasu’s alternate laughs like a maniac not caring about the rest that’s charging straight at him. “Nothing can stop me!”

He giggled like a little girl dodging all of their tails like it’s child’s play. He jumped towards another giant komodo dragon and it used its tongue to grab him by the waist and flinging his body across the cave.

“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee~" He enjoyed the ride as he went flying across the cave. Using his body weight, it flipped in midair landing on the wall vertically. The impact of his land caused a crater big enough to think a giant punched the wall with extreme force. The whole cave shook as stalactites and rocks fell to the ground shattering in pieces. Like an abnormal being, he jumped off the wall creating an explosion beneath it causing the whole wall to erupt. Like he was dancing in midair, he started flipping around spinning in all directions with ease and carefully carving all of the Giant Komodo Dragon as he passes them.

“Ahhhhh~ that felt refreshing~” He sang as he slowly stood up with a horde of komodo behind him frozen in place. All of a sudden, blood spurts everywhere from their bodies causing it to rain blood for a brief moment. “And...wait for it.....wait for it..."

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The Komodo dragons burst into pieces and its flesh rained everywhere along with its blood.

“Ahhhhhhhh, this feels refreshiiiiing~," He says as he held his hands outwards while looking above with his eyes closed. He felt the blood drop on his skin like he was standing under a rainfall. “Ok, now what type of message I should leave him?”

He looked around for a place to write his messages and with his enhanced sense of his surroundings, he felt that the fight wasn’t over.

*sigh

“You lizaaaaaards~ ya’ll about to know what genocide means~ kukukukukukuKUACK!” He started coughing as a small piece of komodo meat went into his mouth straight into his throat. “Ugh, a Komodo part got in my mouth…ew.”

Yasu’s alternate started humming as he skipped towards the dark room singing, “La-la-la-la-la-la~ iteeeem bag~”

His dimensional bag dropped in front of him and as soon as he picked it, he took out a dagger from inside while storing the blood covered sword.

“Heh? Sticks?..............pffft~ This reminds me, the old man in that cave with the naked girl. Bastard almost killed me. If I didn’t wake up on time he would have stomped on my head flat...kukukukukukuku good thing I cut his dick off and made him eat it raw...ehem...'Say, old man, why you sucking your own dick thooooo!!!! pffft!”

“Ah! I need to illuminate that dark room. Hmmm let me see...what can I use...” he says as he looks around the cave. He spots a Giant Stalactite that’s sitting on the corner of the room. “Bingo~”

He walked towards the huge stalactite and using it superhuman strength, he picked it up like nothing and carried it over the entrance of the dark room with one hand. Yasu’s alternate threw the huge stalactite towards the center of the room like a basketball. It went up briefly illuminating the ceiling of the dark room before it went plummeting down. Using his superhuman speed, he jumped towards the falling stalactite as he clenched its fist. The jump created another explosion and it left a dent on the ground.

“Superhero punch!!” he brought his fist towards the falling stalactite and upon impact, the stalactite burst into thousands of pieces as it flew everywhere making it look like a firework. The stalactite pieces flew in all directions illuminating the whole room including what’s attached on the walls. Giant Komodo dragons are all attached to the wall like spiders and there were so many of them which made him smile even more.

“Ummmmmm…Ding! Ding! Ding! The facts man is here!...ahem...Komodo Dragons….Komodo dragons are heavily built monitor lizard that uses its tongue like a snake to detect its surroundings.” He explains as paces back and forth in the middle of the cave. “You can find them in Komodo or its neighboring islands back at earth. Hence, where the name Komodo dragon come from."

The giant Komodo dragons slowly got off the wall one by one as they start surrounding him. There was nowhere to run and rather than being worried, Yasu’s alternate smiled even wider.

“Komodo Dragons are land lizards and are heavy enough to be generalized as an obese category within the weight class of the human perspective...” he paused then called out its item bag and took out a sword and held it on his free hand.

“So…tell me you overgrown lizards, why in the flying fuck you’re on the walls?!!! Stick to scientific facts you bastards!” his shouting made all of the giant Komodo dragons hisses at him as they prepared to attack him. He turned around and smiled walking towards the double doors and like bright intelligent beings, they didn’t rush him when he had his back turned. Using his superhuman strength, he forced the door closed breaking the lock mechanism that was put in place. As he slowly forced the door to close, his smile never left his face as he whispered the word, “Sharpen.”

He kept the smile on his face as the door close shut.

.

.

.

I slowly woke up to a metallic smell. The smell and the feeling of wet cloth are right beneath me. I’m sitting on something wet and when my vision clears, I’m facing directly at a door. Red crystal stalactites were scattered at the bottom shaped into a heart.

THIS IS THE EXIT!

P.s. You retard! Are you fucking retarded?!

“H-h-huh?...‘What the… ugh….my head…” I whisper as I touch my head and my hand feels sticky and reeks of metal. I also felt something sticky bellow me and when I look down, it almost looks like I was in a horror flick. “What the fuck…”

I tried to get up but there was too much blood I ended up slipping and falling down. I fell right on my ass as I reach the bottom of the mound. It wasn’t just any type of mound, it was made out of flesh and by the looks of it, and it’s from the Komodo dragons.

“The hell is all this…” I whisper to myself as I look over a throne made by using the Komodo dragon parts. Heads, tails, intestines, guts, flesh, all of them were thrown into a pile and a shape of a chair was formed from the top.

What the fuck, I whisper in my mind as I slowly stood up.

“Where the hell am I?” I look around and see a lot of stalactite crystal scattered on the ground illuminating the whole room. “Ugh, my head.”

My head feels drunk as if I was spinning non-stop disorienting myself. I felt like vomiting and I tried to hold it back but, the smell of blood didn't help. I vomit onto the ground and as I got a closer look, the whole floor was covered in blood.

“Ughhh.” I look back up the mound and the amount of flesh piled up into one place means one thing, my alternate killed everything in this room and decided to pile it up. I tried to recall my last memory and that's when I remembered, mole. I reluctantly walked towards the giant chicks room and as I pass the door, I noticed the hinges broke exposing the locking mechanism. The door itself that I couldn't close was now pushed the wrong way and one of the doors was ripped off the hinge as it lies in the ground close to the other side. As I got out of the dark room, I see myself clearly and I’m completely drenched in blood making my clothes skin tight.

Tears welled up in my eyes again as I see the only friend I made in this world laying motionless. I approach Mole corpse trying to hold back my tears but they ended up coming at as it traveled across my cheeks.

“Mole, I…Mole...I'm not going to let you rot in here," I say as I place my hand on his beak. It’s the only thing I can do for him. I can’t bury him here. I don’t have a shovel and my sword would take a long time digging the ground. Burning him doesn’t feel right and I don’t have a container to put his ashes in. If I can cook him, I can bring him with me. I will devour him so at least his soul would live within me. I cleaned myself first and decided to take out a dagger from my bag to use on Mole to skin him.

“Huh? Where’d my daggers go?” I say to myself. “The hell is these bloody swords?”

I looked around the room to see if my alternate has dropped it but nothing. It was nowhere to be found. I did notice a circular dent in a wall I wasn’t quite sure if it was there from the beginning or not. The same dent also is on the ground near the entrance and get a good look at the area, it was like a war zone. Slashes on the wall, ceiling, bloodstains, craters, it looked like a serious battle happened. I look at my body checking for any cuts but nothing, I was clean with only a few bruises. My legs, arms, and even my left fist did fees like it’s about to become jelly.

“Ughh..” I say as I enter back at the Komodo dragon room looking at the mess. I tried my best to see in the dark and I managed to find one yet, I wasn’t quite happy where it was. It was lodged on top of a Komodo dragon’s head that’s placed above the pile of flesh.

"Fuck," I Whisper to myself. “Dammit, I just cleaned myself.”

I climb the throne to grab my dagger. As soon as I got down, I’m covered with blood again. I head back towards the giant chick's room and wash one more time. After washing up, I started skinning Mole and my tears won’t stop coming out of my eyes making it harder to clearly see. The whole time I'm skinning him and up to the point I had to cut him up to cook, I was crying. I decided to keep Mole’s skin for its fur. It will be useful as a bed or a blanket.

“With this, even when he’s gone, I can still lean on him…” I say as I hug his soft fur burying my face in it. After cutting him up to pieces I ended up with Mole’s meat in front of me stacked up. Before I decided to cook it, I clapped my hands together and said a few prayers for Mole wishing he would rest in peace. I started frying the chicken meat and there was too much that some I grilled, and some I boiled. He had so much meat it would last me for weeks. His guts and innards I placed in my bag since it was able to fit through. I even took a bone that fit my bag so I can bury it once I get out the dungeon.

DING!

Congratulations! You leveled up to 20!

“Dammit, mole helped me again.” Tears fell out of my eyes as I looked at the notification. I decided to check it later on and focused on eating first. The first bite of Mole’s meat made me cry more tears. I felt bad for eating him but he tasted too good to be true. I ate and cried at the same time.

Not wanting to waste the pile of Komodo dragon meat, I decided to cook the big mount of flesh one by one onto the fire pit. It seemed like forever as I started taking chunks of meat off the pile and cooking them. I slept at least three times until I was able to finish the pile of Komodo dragons. Due to my resentment towards them, I threw the cooked komodo meat onto one are in the darkroom and didn't bother eating them. I didn't want to eat them. I rather watch their body rot in place.

After finishing the Komodo dragons, I decided to sleep one last time in this room. It had such a painful memory in here that I didn't even want to stay in it any longer. But, I had to sleep just in case there are more enemies on the other side of the door. Even though I slept a couple of times, my body still feels really worn out and if I decided to push through, I might collapse out of exhaustion. All my small cuts and bruises were restored after I ate but my energy hasn’t which was weird given the amount of time spent cooking the Komodo dragon meat. The minute I laid down on moles fur, sleep have succumbed me in a split second. Moles comfortable fur helped me sleep without tossing and turning for the night.

Once I was woken up, the emptiness of the room still lingered, Again, I’m alone.

My body felt worse than before. I feel energetic but every part of my muscle especially towards my legs and my left fist ached. I’m not quite sure why but, it’s probably because of my mind break skill taking a toll on my muscles and it takes a longer time to heal. But why is only on certain parts of my body baffles me.

I slowly got up and wash my face stored Mole’s fur in my bag, I quickly got up and left the cave heading towards the door across the Giant Komodo Dragon’s room. I didn’t want to stay here any longer. I just got out and saw sunlight but now, I’m starting to revert back to my nocturnal self. As I got to the door, I inspect the writing one more time.

“I thought I would subconsciously go on a rampage like a wild animal but I guess my theory is right. It’s me writing this while I’m unconscious.” I whisper to myself. The thought of having an alternate personality made me think of multiple personality disorder. "If people sleepwalk, I guess I sleep fight."

I wonder how he is, I say in my mind thinking about my alternate personality.

Once I set my mind, I pushed open the door and it leads to another dark hallway. But the familiarity of this hallway and the hallway in the first dungeon was making my heart ache as my worst memories resurface. A blue torch was placed near the door and as I walk through, it would light up illuminating my path.

“Fucking déjà vu. Mole, this place sucks.” I say to myself like I’m talking to Mole’s spirit. I kept on walking until I reached the end of the hallway and another wooden door blocked my path. This door is small enough to fit only one person at a given time.

“The fuck, does someone live here? Item bag.” I whisper to myself as I took out a sword. I can see a light from underneath the door. I grab the handle and slowly turn until I hear a click on the other side. Without hesitation, I opened the door as wide as I can ready to meet anyone. “Huh, no one is here.”

The inside had a few torches surrounding the room illuminating the whole area. The room wasn’t that big since it was the same size as a single bedroom. There is a bed located towards the right wall near another door and the other side of the wall had a prehistoric looking stove from the Stone Age. It had one hole on top and a giant space in the bottom where blackened wood rest. Hanging around the left wall are cooking utensils like pots, spatulas, frying pans, and knives. Which are right over a counter that has a couple of large and small glass containers that have water in it. Bottles of spices were placed right next to water containers.

Towards the left corner of a room is a small hole that has water coming out of it landing on a tiny pond at the ground. But what caught my attention is a table pushed against a wall across me and its in between the pond and the bed. There were a couple of books stacked up on top of the table and papers scattered around even on the floor near the table. The whole place was kept neatly organized like someone was living here. Yet, I can see a dust layer over the counters and table meaning that who ever lived here, was gone a long time ago. But the most important out of the room is Another item which caught my eyes the minute I opened the door.

"Whoa…," I say as I took a step forward looking at a large chest at the foot of the bed. The minute I enter the room a message popped open in front of me.

You are now entering a 'Safe Zone'.

Seeing the message pop open brought happiness to my face and I quickly inspect everything in the room like a child in a museum.

“Inspect!” I shout looking at the stove.

Stone Stove

Type

Uses

Family

Appliance

Cooking

none

This is a stone stove meant to be used for cooking.

“Inspect!” I scream as I look at the glass bottle.

Glass Container

Type

Uses

Family

Item

Container

None

This is a glass container that can hold any type of liquid.

“Finally! This will solve my water issue.” I say happily picking up the containers and inspecting them. “Since I can't carry a helmet, I can't store water. At least now I have containers to store water in! …Oh and these…Inspect.”

Cooking Knives

Type

Uses

Family

Item

Cooking

Knives

These are knives meant ONLY for cooking. Using this to fight will cause it to break instantly.

“Oh? So there are blades only for cooking. Inspect.” I say holding everything else I can find inside the room. After inspecting most of the item's in the room, I approached the table near the wall to grab one of the books. The minute I touched it, a notification appeared in front of me that made my eyes go wide.

Heaven's Slice Skill Book (Mythic)

Learn it?

Accept

Decline

“what?!" I stare dumbfounded at the notification. I have been trying to level up to get new skills thinking that how I get skill in this world. “Ha……ha ha……….Hahahaha!!! Accept!”

As soon as I say the word, the book started glowing and it floated off my hand. Then it opened the cover and flipped through the pages at such speed that the book closed before I even know it as it dropped to the table. After a few seconds, the book turned into dust as a pile of ashes spread itself on top of the table.

Congratulations! You have learned 'Heaven Slice' skill!

I grabbed another book and another notification opened up.

Overdrive Skill Book (Legendary)

Learn it?

Accept

Decline

“Accept!” I shout happily looking at a new skill.

Congratulations! You have learned 'Overdrive' skill!

I picked up another book. Nothing came up on this one. As I read the first page, it’s a journal of some wanderer. I decided to read it later so I placed it back down the table. I picked up the last book on the corner and a bigger smile was on my face.

Seismic Step Skill Book (Rare)

Learn it?

Accept

Decline

“Accept!” I shout happily watching the book turn into dust.

Congratulations! You have just learned 'Seismic Step' skill!

“Ha!! This is awesome!!! Status window!” I looked at my skills and I’m at awe seeing how much I got in just a single moment. If I can find more books like these, I can get stronger and stronger. "Cooking all those Komodo only leveled me up eight times. Meh, better than nothing."

Status Window

Name

Yasu

Class

BLADE

Level

28

Guild

Diamond

Skills

Skill Level

grill

45

fry

36

boil

13

steam

1

bake

1

Bartender

1

Sharpen

49

Inspect

1

Overdrive

1

Heaven's Slice

1

Seismic Step

1

Passive skills

Passive skill description

Chef's Soul

Gives you a chef's natural abilities.

Purify

Whatever you cook is automatically purified making it safe to eat.

Midas touch

All food and beverages you create taste better.

Mind break

Upon immediate extreme danger mentally and physically, you will lose all sanity and limits.

Chef's knife

Gives you the ability to wield blades of all type.

Leather

Gives you the ability to wear leather equipment.

“Leather! Damn! I don’t have leather armor.” I say to myself as I look at the bottom of the page. “Overdrive skill description!”

Skill Name:

Skill Level

Skill Type:

Skill Experience:

Overdrive

1

Survival

0%

This legendary skill will put you in a superhuman state. Be wary, after this skill is used, your body will go in hibernation mode and moving will be impossible for a couple of hours. This must be used only for last resort if you have no choice.

"Like a berserk skill? Wow, what an effect. Heaven's Slice skill description!" I say with excitement. The name of the skill gave me goosebumps and made me smile bigger and bigger. The minute I saw its description, I screamed and jumped up and down the bed like a kid. “Yes! A combat skill!!!”

I must’ve looked stupid being happy to get one combat skill but as a non-combat class, this is a game changer.

Skill Name:

Skill Level:

Skill type:

Skill Experience:

Heaven's Slice

1

Fighting

0%

This mythic skill can only be used in mid-air. You will bring down heaven's towards your target. this skill can stack with another skill.

As soon as I calm down, I decided to lie on my back on the bed. “Seismic Step skill description!”

Skill Name:

Skill Level:

Skill Type:

Skill Experience:

Seismic Step

1

Mobility

0%

This rare skill will give you a boost in agility for a split second. Creating vibration on the ground will help you move at a lightning speed towards your target direction. the higher the skill level gets, the longer the duration it remains active.

“I can’t wait to try these out~” I laugh with joy as my whole situation in this world is slowly changing. But, my happiness slowly fades as soon as I remember my friend that died earlier. He is the reason I leveled up to twenty. He’s the reason I got this far without being hungry. He is the reason I got a good night sleep.

*Sigh

“Don’t worry Mole, I will avenge you by destroying the sky king and making this a memorial site. Just watch me, Mole...” I say while reaching for the ceiling and clamping my hand to form a fist. “Just watch me.”

I just lay there thinking about my next move. I decided to close my eyes for a minute but it turned into a deep sleep. I woke up feeling refreshed but my fist and legs still feel a bit sore.

“Ugh…the hell…” I whisper as I remove myself from the bed and waddle towards the water pond in the corner of the room. I splashed the cold water onto my face jolting me awake. As I yawn in place, I felt my stomach rumble. Since I still have some of uncooked Mole’s meat, I decided to use the stone stove in the room to cook food. Even some of the basic spices I can use to enhance the taste. As I walked towards the stove, I didn’t notice it in the beginning but there was a small sliding door on the wall above it. When I slid it open, I saw more spices inside including cooking oil.

“Whoa...” I say as I grab the cooking oil and placed the pan over the hole, which is a perfect fit. It was big enough that the pan the pan won’t fall through. I grab one of the torches and lit the wood inside the furnace. I watch the fire get bigger as it encased the charred wood but it stopped before it reached the bottom of the pan. I grab a sliced uncooked meat and I started cooking it. Since I don’t feel good cooking and eating my only friend in this world, my morning contained a quiet ambiance.

After I ate, I decided to open the chest located near the bed but it was locked with a key. “huh? The hell….”

I tried using my sword to cut it open with my skill but it didn’t break. No matter how many times I tried, it wouldn’t cut. I look around the place and I couldn’t find the key. I looked under the bed, inside the book, every corner of the room. No key. So I decided to give up and not waste energy. Rather than pushing through to get to the other side, I decided to rest in the room until I fully recovered. Parts of my body ached so I waited and lazed around the room relaxing.

It's not like this place has a time limit.I say in my mind as I look at the journal. If I keep going at this pace my body will soon breakdown from being overused.

I decided to sit up and leaning my back against the wall. As I read the title of the book, “The Journal of a Wandering Adventurer.”

I was hoping it has information about this dungeon and how to face the sky king so I slowly opened to the first page.

“Sky king huh…I wonder what he’s like….” I say as I flip the cover of the journal.

The journal of the Foolish Wanderer

Journal Entry #1

In the ancient times, a baby was born to be one of the greatest enemies this world will face. But what was once a powerful being has become a forgotten lingering myth that is told to kids forcing them to sleep on time. We laughed about his existence, mocked our ancestors of their hardships, we didn't take it seriously as we should have. The sky king is still alive to this day. He is a threat that can wipe out villages, burn down the forest, and take our loved ones right from our grasp. I would know, he took mine. Oh, Stella, I will find you and return you home. And if I don't succeed, I will die and wait for your passing. But for anyone to know my travel and my journey to save you, my love, I will put in on paper and show everyone how real the sky king is.

Journal Entry #2

The sky king is not a mythical creature that can shapeshift into a human form. The sky king is not a demonic existence that hides on the dark side under the bed. He is far more dangerous than that. I heard he ruled the sky with his mighty power and terrorized living creatures that are below him. He would drop down and kidnap those who weren't fast enough to make it in their house. But due to his nature of swiftness, no one knows what he looks like. That's why we imprinted on our minds that he is a devilish figure that even the most sinister demon will tremble upon meeting. We called him the only race of the hidden mist. He is like a smoke that will form through our breath in the winter's cold wind. We must be wary; he will sweep down anytime he can to devour those who are weak with a fragile existence. My Stella, she was taken away from me. By that demon in the mist. I went to sleep with and woke up without her. That's when the villagers told me, she was taken by the demon in the mist. Oddly enough, my uncle also went missing.

Journal Entry #3

There were stories where the sky king has lived all his life. It was on top of a rock in the northern forest of Agumbla. I searched around for this rock but every time I seem to get close, a mist will envelop the area and I will lose my way. Without the perception of direction, I decided to use the trees as my guidance. Once I have found this rock from the wandering stories that have reached my ear, I will come for you Stella. I won't stop till I find you.

Journal Entry #4

After a week inside the northern forest, I have finally found the rock. But one issue will lead me to another. I need to climb the rock to get above the sky. Within my collected notes and stories of the location, a portal should be in the tip of the rock. It's the portal to his lair. His dungeon is a place also where his followers reside to devour anyone who is foolish enough to enter. It is true to what they say. Love can make you foolish and I love you, Stella. I will never stop searching for you. I will never forget your beautiful face that drives me day by day. I will find you Stella, and we will go home. I will bring you home.

Journal Entry #5

I have managed to climb the rock and it is what they say. A portal is located near the tip of the rock. As I enter it, I was welcomed to a red like crystal formations on the roof of the cave. I see some have fallen on the ground and its red transparency made it look more valuable than a gemstone. I decided to take some with me and made a vow to myself. Once I have rescued you, I will propose to you so we will never be apart ever again. A mere mist cannot contain my love and I will devour anything that stands in my way to get to you, my love. When we get out of here, I will make our love eternal.

Journal Entry #6

I have come across a roadblock. When I have entered the dungeon, I was greeted by a horde of what it seems to be leaping crocodiles. A mere wanderer like me cannot take on all of them by myself. I don’t know what to do.

Journal Entry #7

My long wait has finally paid off. I decided to wait at the entrance of the room for a lone crocodile to get close to me. Once it does, I will pounce on it and using all of my energy, I will attack it till its dead. I am not as strong as your regular adventurer but my family heirloom has done me quite well. That's when I have noticed. Once I have waited long enough, on a certain time all the crocodiles will fall into a deep slumber. Using this opportunity, I sneaked passed them and reached the other door without harm. I was brought to another room that had giant yellow creatures called Chick inside. They were harmless and have quite a comfortable fur. Since this area seems a lot safer, I decided to sleep for the night and continue my journey once I have woken up. Good night my love.

Journal Entry #8

I decided to proceed, and I have come across another roadblock. The door was too hard for me to open. I will find a way to open it. This door can’t hold me back. I know your waiting for me my love. And I will reach you one way or another.

Final Journal Entry

Through the information I have obtained before coming here, I believe I am close to reaching the sky king lair by reaching a place called safe zone. It had a bed and necessities for me to recoup my diminishing energy. To get here was a task itself. Once I manage to open the heavy door on the giant chick’s room, I was welcomed by darkness. Using the crystal, I plan to use for our marriage, I light my way through the dark. I heard the door shut behind me and everything was complete darkness all around except for our love stone. My foot moved a faster pace than normal and once I have reached the other side, a wooden door was standing before me. That is when I heard sounds around me. I don’t know what it was, but it managed to produce a feeling of being terrified that shook the very core of my body. Without looking back, I quickly opened the door and in the nick of time, I was saved. A giant lizard-like creature tried to bite me but the entrance of the door was too small for it to fit. I was saved, my love. Now it is my turn to save you. I plan to rest here for the night. I decided to leave all of my personal belongings inside the chest and bring the key with me. Tomorrow I will venture out this safe room to face the sky king. Tomorrow, I will win, and save you, Stella.

I'm coming for you, my love.

Your one and only,

Drakun Tarabay

“A love story huh, Tragic. Knowing that this damn dungeon still stands, he probably didn’t win. I wonder if Stella is still alive.” I say as I look at the door next to the table. “This is probably the door that leads to the lair of the sky king.”

All day long as I rest I imagine what he looks like. I went from a giant to a dwarf, to a human, to even a mist like what the journal said. I even imagined Luro greeting me. I look back at the journal with amazement. To know about stories such as these, makes me feel alive more than ever.

“Yes Yasu, you’re alive. Don’t lose hope. You still have a chance of getting home. You’re alive.” I whisper as I close my eyes while I lean on the wall still sitting on my bed. I probably stayed in that room for a week straight till I felt like my body was a hundred percent. Before I go on a full sprint, I decided to check out the enemy first. If the final boss ever comes after me, I’ll run back here to the safe zone so it wouldn’t be able to hurt me. But I need to get close to use inspect skill.

"Ok, Yasu, just go there and check it out. Then come back here. Yea, that's what we will do. Besides, we need to get a grasp of our new skills." I whisper as I push the door open on the other side of the room. Another dark hallway greeted me and I took a deep breath trying to calm myself. I wanted to train so badly using the new skills but I wanted to see who my enemy is first. I'm this close so, taking a quick peek won't hurt. I walked out of the room and all of the torches in the wall lit up as I pass them. I noticed that the roof, the wall, and the ceiling get further apart as I walk more down the hallway. To me, this meant only one thing. If the hallway is getting bigger, the enemy on the end will be huge.

“Fuck… I hope he’s not another gatekeeper.” I whisper to myself. Once I reached the end of the hallway my theory was proven wrong. There is a gigantic wall in front of me, no doubt, but the door itself is my size. This can only mean one thing; the enemy might be another person or another race.

"At least it isn't as big as a gatekeeper," I whisper to myself as I open the door. What's on the other side paused me on my tracks. This time it wasn't excitement. It wasn’t because I was paralyzed with a skill. No, it’s far something worse. For the first time in a while, I felt fear.

“That’s a lot worse than a gatekeeper," I whisper as I stared at it sleeping. What the book said was right. It is the same. This creature was only in the myths and stories. But that’s back home on earth. Here in this world, it’s real, as real as me. I watched its stomach expand and contract watching it breathe.

"Ok Yasu, slowly back the fuck up and don't wake it u--" I stopped talking as it opened its eyes and stared at me. My body froze in place and I didn’t move an inch thinking it might detect my movement. But I can see its look right in my eyes as I looked at his. His eyes are bigger than my whole body and the sheer size as it stood up made the gatekeeper look like a child in comparison. I stayed in place as my instincts telling me if I look away, I'm dead.

So I stared at it. And it stared at me. I could see its yellow vertical slit iris. And is looking right at me.

.

.

.

A dragon is looking right at me.