NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 7: The first descent.
Kopii slowly and deliberately descended to the first floor, observing the adventurers bustling back and forth, like living river currents flowing past him. Some were undoubtedly returning from the gloomy dungeon, while others were rushing headlong into its dark, danger-filled depths. Passing through the human flow, Kopii suddenly realized he was at the "beginning of the path" – a wide corridor on the first floor that was familiar to him, but not the path he needed. He turned into the first available passage, instinctively trusting his intuition.
As the old man, the ancient sage, had said, the dungeon walls here shone with an ethereal light-blue color, creating an atmosphere of mystery and magic. A torch might not be necessary, but Kopii didn't know if such bright light sources would be everywhere in the dungeon. He walked forward slowly and cautiously, peering warily into the darkness, which seemed permeated with secrets. Where are the monsters? he thought, preparing for their unexpected appearance. He was ready to meet them, but the corridor remained surprisingly empty. Still, Kopii didn't relax, maintaining extreme concentration, tension, and alertness in every movement.
A sudden sound behind him made him turn sharply and, one might say, instinctively. A goblin was emerging from the wall, as if born from the darkness itself. A disgusting sight, truly! Kopii had read about them: humanoid monsters, considered the weakest inhabitants of the dungeon and not particularly frightening.
"Lucky," Kopii thought. Just one goblin. But his fleeting relief was suddenly interrupted by a swift attack. The goblin, barely appearing in the world, had already lunged at him with insatiable fury. Kopii had been waiting for this moment, letting the monster get as close as possible. The goblin jumped. And Kopii was lucky again – the monster chose the clumsiest attack, impossible to dodge in mid-air. With agility and experience, he drew his short sword and made a sharp thrust. The blade sank into the goblin's soft body with a dull sound. Without stopping, Kopii twisted the sword, slicing through the creature's abdomen. The goblin collapsed, and something fell from its body, as if it were something valuable. Kopii approached and picked it up – it was a magic stone! Without wasting time, he put the trophy in his bag. Joy filled his chest – the first monster defeated, the first magic stone in his pocket! Kopii noticed that the blood on his sword wasn't being absorbed, which raised some questions.
Kopii wiped his sword on his pants, not particularly caring about cleanliness and order. Blood, of course, was unpleasant, but in the dungeon, it seemed hardly worth worrying about such trifles. The main thing was the result: the first monster defeated, the first trophy in his pocket. The magic stone felt pleasantly cool in his hand and aroused a slight curiosity. Kopii wondered what to do with it, besides exchanging it for money, but for now, he decided to simply put it in his bag. Everything in its time, he would figure it out later.
Kopii slowly and cautiously strode forward, continuing his path through the light-blue corridor, which now seemed more mysterious than ever. He tried not to lose his vigilance, listening to every rustle, every slightest sound, but nothing was heard except silence. The tension gradually increased, the anticipation of the unknown pressed harder than a potential fight.
Suddenly he heard a sound – Kopii looked at the source of the sound and saw goblins, and this time, there were three of them! Kopii rushed forward without hesitation, deciding to attack before the goblins were fully born. He managed to cut off one's head, but immediately retreated, instantly realizing that it had been reckless. The magic stone fell to the ground, but now was not the time for it – two goblins had already fully formed and rushed to attack, like a whirlwind, on him. Kopii ran, hearing the footsteps of his pursuers behind him. This was what he had been waiting for, and now the chance had come. Stopping abruptly, Kopii turned around and lunged, aiming at the nearest goblin. His attack hit its target! Dodging the second's blow, he brought his sword down from above, and this attack was also successful. Magic stones again rolled across the floor like precious sparks, but Kopii didn't have time to rejoice – a sharp pain pierced his back, and at that moment, a goblin pounced on him, knocking the sword out of his hand. Kopii felt helpless and instantly disoriented. He couldn't reach the sword, and the pain from the bite on his shoulder sobered him up – he could die! A desperate struggle for survival began. Kopii managed to throw the goblin off with fury and, without losing a second, rushed for the sword. Grabbing his weapon, he jumped to his feet and immediately attacked again. Dodging the goblin's clumsy blows, he first chopped off its hand, and then its head.
After defeating the three goblins, despite his bravery, Kopii did not feel joy. If he had hesitated for even a moment, everything could have ended tragically, and the thought of this filled him with fear. But there was no time to dwell on it. Kopii opens his bag and looks at the potions that Naaza gave him. One turned out to be broken, and its contents spilled all over the bag. Kopii took out the surviving potion and drank it, feeling the pain in his back and shoulder gradually subside, and the bleeding stops, as if the world becomes a little brighter.
After taking a breather, Kopii collected the magic stones, which seemed to him a serious achievement. He didn't know how much they would give for them, but he decided that today's adventures were enough. He resolutely moved back. Luck, it seemed, had not yet abandoned him – the dungeon had not had time to change. On the way, he met several more goblins, which he quickly dealt with. Soon he realized that he was approaching the exit – adventurers started to come across him, again bustling back and forth. With relief, Kopii got out onto the first floor, feeling the weight of the dark corridors and hostile goblins left behind slowly disappear. He tried to walk confidently and boldly, so as not to betray his fear and fatigue to other adventurers, scurrying in different directions. Kopii headed for the exit, dreaming of a hot lunch and a soft bed. He needed time to recover and think about what had happened. The dungeon turned out to be not such an easy and simple place as he had initially imagined it.
He counted his magic stones – there turned out to be seven of them. From all the information he had received in the library, magic stones are the core of monsters, and they are always located in the chest area of the monster. "I definitely need to go to the guild to exchange them for money (valis). Magic stones have magical power that can be used for all sorts of things, such as lighting, water purification, kitchen stoves, refrigerators and many other useful items. If you break the Magic Stone located in the Monster, the latter will immediately die. But I didn't find any more information, I didn't know if the monster's core would explode if I hit it during a fight."
But Kopii dismissed these thoughts, leaving new guesses and questions for later. Some time later, having changed clothes and feeling refreshed, he came to the guild to exchange stones for valis. On the way, he met Rosa.
"How was your first descent into the dungeon?" she asked with lively interest, and he, remembering what he had told her about his plans, replied.
"Everything went well," Kopii replied with confidence.
"That's good," Rosa said, smiling at him.
After saying goodbye to her, Kopii exchanged magic stones for valis. The amount turned out to be small, but he was happy about it too, because this was his first earned money. Kopii left the guild, counting the received valis in his pocket. The amount, of course, was not impressive, but for the first time it was quite good. Now it was necessary to figure out how to dispose of this money. Food, of course, was the first thing to take care of. A hot lunch after experiencing the dungeon seemed like a real feast.
Going into the nearest tavern, Kopii ordered a hearty stew and a piece of roast meat. Enjoying the delicious food, he reflected on further plans and strategies. The dungeon turned out to be more dangerous than he expected, but the excitement was also incredibly strong. It was necessary to better prepare for the next descent: study more information about monsters, acquire better equipment and, possibly, find a reliable partner.
But he left this in the background. He ate, stretched contentedly, went out and went to the Syria pharmacy. When Kopii arrived, it was already dark, and the evening air was filled with freshness. Naaza and Miyaha asked him how his first adventure went, and he kindly said that everything went well, even better than he thought. And he went to sleep, wishing everyone good night. Undressing and touching the soft mattress, he immediately fell asleep, plunging into a dream full of new adventures and prospects.