The beast was gigantic—much larger and broader than the General—and its wings were so huge they tore everything in their path. The last thing Mike saw as the tunnel collapsed in front of him was the General being sliced in two.
Mike recoiled as stones rained down and blocked the tunnel. "What the…? Why did the beast kill the General — was it trying to make a point?" Mike watched the wall of rocks. Suddenly they broke through. Stones flew in every direction; it felt like the whole tunnel was crumbling.
Mike felt himself grabbed—he was caught in the claws of the Queen. She hoisted him upward. "Shit—let go!" Mike slammed into the Queen's hard carapace. The sunlight hit his face. They were standing in a field of flowers—a beautiful sight, but a terrible situation. Mike had to think fast. They were rising higher and higher into the air. "If she lets go now, I'm done for—shit!"
Mike swung his sword and, with a clean cut, hacked off the Queen's right wing. She screamed; black, nasty blood sprayed and splattered below, staining the flowers. The detached wing despawned just before it hit the ground. The Queen loosened her grip, but that wasn't enough—she couldn't fly anymore. Mike took the chance while she still held him and cut off the other wing. They began to fall.
The impact was brutal, but Mike scrambled to his feet quickly. The gigantic creature rose again; Mike felt how small he was. He hurled his sword toward the Queen, but it had no effect. She roared and lunged, baring her fangs at him.
She struck so fast it made a small shockwave—no chance to dodge. Mike raised his sword and held it vertically; the fangs hit it with a clang and the blade shattered. Mike was blasted backward by the force. The ant-queen moved with the momentum and struck again—impossible for Mike to do anything.
She hit him square in the stomach. Mike hung on the Queen's teeth, pierced through. He spat blood and looked far from well.
The Queen tossed Mike into the flowers. His body slammed down; blood spurted everywhere—this time red, not black. Mike was now a short distance from the Queen.
—Poisoned—
HP: 36
-4 poison per second
Mike smiled as blood ran down his lips. "Unfair! That thing's way too powerful for a first boss. Maybe it was a mistake? And the General was supposed to be the boss I fought…" Mike watched his HP drop.
HP fell to 30. Mike spat some blood. "Y-yeah… that… m-must be it."
The Queen stood over Mike, ready to finish him. She lowered her neck to strike. Time seemed to slow. "Is this it?"
Mike tried to close his eyes—everything was red now—but then, maybe, a glimmer of hope: the broken sword lay beside him. He waited for the Queen's attack. "One chance. Just one!" Then it came: in the nick of time, Mike rolled toward the sword and snatched it up. The Queen bit into the dirt.
"She's vulnerable now!" Mike gripped the sword and drove it straight into the Queen's neck. Already wounded from her lost wings, the blow seemed to be enough.
After a scream from both Mike and the Queen, it was over. The Queen bled out and tried to gain distance, but after a few steps she collapsed. Mike had no strength left and fell into the flowers. He watched as the wound turned green—this didn't look good for him.
A menu floated above Mike:
HP: 16
Poisoning stopped -
Mike looked at the Queen and couldn't help but grin. "D-done it." The Queen's body began to fade, and a sound like a bell chimed.
-Tutorial complete-
Well done.
Reward:
Open world
Start in: Dasum Village
Level up to 2!
HP: 110
Sword: 0
Strength: 0
Magic: 0
Attacks:
Standard Attack: Shadow Strike
Locked: level 100
Locked: level 200
Locked: level 300
Locked: level 400
Locked: level 100
Teleported in
3…2…1…
Mike watched the flower field vanish around him.
Mike opened his eyes and found himself in a bed made of cloth. Looking around, it seemed like a healing room—you usually woke up here if you'd died in the game. But he hadn't died.
Mike sat on the edge of the bed and tried to stand, only to fall to the floor with a loud thud. Later, opening his eyes again, he found himself before a large black castle. The sky was a shadowy black and lightning raged. Mike turned and saw black figures behind him; they seemed to be suffering, screaming horribly yet unable to move. He quickly looked away and read the text above him.
—Chosen of the Shadows, welcome!—
In this quest you will be tested to see if you are worthy.
Suddenly something stabbed Mike from behind. He didn't have time to turn—an inky black spear of energy pierced him. "Argh!" Mike dropped to his knees; his vision blurred and turned red. Blood poured from the wound and, shortly after, the floor around him was stained crimson. Mike saw a shadow behind him holding a sword in its hand. "I… didn't pay attention." The shadow vanished. Mike watched his HP plummet.
His life bar blinked red.
HP: 5
...
"W-why… why so fast?"
Blood poured from Mike's wound, and his vision turned completely red. He couldn't see anything anymore, but he could still hear the faint beeping of his HP warning. Mike knew it would soon hit zero.
"T-this isn't fair… where even am I?"
A strange, heavy feeling washed over him — as if a massive aura had suddenly appeared. Mike froze.
"H-hello?"
[Child of Shadows — the Shadow Mark has been successfully engraved]
Shadow Quest will unlock at Level 25!
"H-huh?" Mike wiped the blood from his eyes and tried to focus on the text floating above him — but he couldn't for long.
…
HP: 1 —
A flash of white light—
and Mike opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was his HP bar floating above him.
HP: 110
"F-full again?"
Mike gave a strange grin, relieved that he'd somehow made it out alive.
"W-where am I now?"