--One week later--
"*sigh* Another dud..." A sigh slipped out as my shoulders slumped in defeat.
It's been more than a week since I first ventured out in search of a settlement.
Who would've thought finding civilization in an RPG game would be this hard?
I mean, sure, getting lost is one thing but seven days of wandering aimlessly?
That takes a special kind of talent. Or curse.
Even after clocking in over 12 hours a day just roaming the caverns, I hadn't met a single player or NPC.
Just me, my spells, and a rapidly declining sense of direction.
Seriously, where is everyone?
At this point, I've memorized every nook and cranny of these identical-looking cavern walls. Or at least I think I have.
It's hard to say, considering everything looks the same. Endless grey stone, faintly glowing moss, occasional stalagmites rinse and repeat.
Yeah, I tried marking my path. Scratched some walls with spells. Arranged rocks in peculiar patterns. Left behind very obvious signs like a trailblazer trying to survive a fantasy horror movie.
But nope, none of it helped. It's too dark to see my own markings, and even if I do stumble across them again, I forget which direction they were meant to guide me.
So I resorted to my final, desperate tactic.
Dropping gold coins.
Yes, actual currency.
With every clink of metal against stone, a piece of my soul dies.
But hey, at least now I might have a way to backtrack.
Assuming rats don't steal the coins, or they don't despawn like everything else in this cursed place.
With a heavy heart, I dropped another coin behind me.
One gold. Just one.
That's my breadcrumb, my precious shiny breadcrumb.
"Alright, no more doom and gloom," I mumbled to myself.
"Gotta stay positive, think bright thoughts." I said as I stood my body straight
On the bright side at least I haven't died, and I've gotten better at grinding mobs, even if the loot gods have a twisted sense of humor.
Occasionally, monsters drop equipment. Not good equipment, mind you.
Mostly junk. But hey, junk is better than nothing, right?
Inventory Check:
{Dusty Robe} — Rarity: Low
{Old Cracked Wooden Staff} — Rarity: Low
{Torn Rat Cloak} — Rarity: Depressingly Low
These are the kinds of treasures I've been blessed with.
Now, to be fair, I did manage to scavenge some halfway decent gear.
Not from kills though, it actually came from random spots on the ground. Like someone rage quit and tossed their gear before logging off.
Currently Equipped:
{Old Wooden Staff} — Rarity: Low
{Leather Robe} — Rarity: Middle
See? Progress. Slight. But progress nonetheless.
Though, it is kind of funny how the best items I've found weren't dropped by monsters.
They were just lying around, like forgotten trinkets from a failed adventurer.
Makes me wonder are these even real drops, or is the game just pitying me at this point?
Then it happened.
A whisper. Faint. Like a breeze brushing past my nonexistent ears.
"Where is this?"
I froze, eyes scanning the darkness.
Did I imagine that? Probably. Hallucinations after spending a week alone in game seem par for the course.
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if my character developed a beard.
"I feel you, buddy," I muttered, staring up at the jagged cavern ceiling. "I'm just as lost as you are."
A chuckle escaped me, thin and tired.
Was I talking to myself? Yep.
Was I okay with it? Honestly, at this point? Sure.
But then a sudden noise alerted me
*creak* *whoosh*
My instincts screamed.
I dove to the side just in time as something massive slammed into the spot I was just standing in.
BOOM.
"Holy!" I didn't finish the thought.
Adrenaline surged through me like lightning, my hands flew to my controller.
My brain went into overdrive, My nonexistent heart pounded like war drums.
A gigantic fist, easily the size of a barrel, had cratered into the ground where I'd stood a moment ago.
"Where the hell did that come from?!" I shouted, scrambling backwards.
Then I saw it.
Standing tall, made entirely of stone and moss, its head brushing the cavern ceiling.
{Golem}
Oh. A golem?
I'd never encountered anything like it in this zone before.
Either I wandered into a higher level area or this was a special spawn.
Either way, I didn't have time to think I had to move.
Alright, let's test the waters.
{Cast Tier 1 Magic Arrow}
A familiar glow surged through me. My hand flicked, the spell fired. A clean, fast projectile a classic mana arrow cut through the air toward the golem's head.
WHOOOSH CRACK.
The golem raised its arm to block but shockingly, the impact didn't just hit it shattered the limb.
Stone chunks went flying, the golem's arm crumbled like stale bread.
Then the whole thing collapsed.
{Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!}
"...What?"
I blinked.
"Why is it so fragile?!" I questioned out loud
"A GOLEM IN ONE HIT?!" A shout echoed from the shadows.
I whipped my head toward the sound.
And there emerging from the darkness was a short, stocky figure with a long braided beard, eyes wide behind a set of silver-rimmed goggles.
A dwarf.
An actual NPC. Or maybe a player? At this point, I didn't even care.
After an entire week of complete solitude, I'd finally stumbled upon someone.
No, not stumbled. I blasted a golem to death, and that somehow acted as my flare signal.
Talk about dramatic timing.
There he was stubby legs, sturdy armor, and a face twisted into equal parts awe and excitement.
And me?
Still standing in tattered leather robe, holding a stick like a wizard who'd wandered out of the beginner's zone by accident.
Was this it?
Was my isolation arc finally over?
Was this finally my route out of the cave?
Wait.
Wait!
My screen glitched. A lag spike.
The dwarf froze mid-step, his voice cut off like someone hit mute.
Then just like that I was disconnected.
"No... no no no," I muttered.
"Don't you dare crash on me now" I shouted, clenching my teeth feeling rage boiling up inside of me
But it wasn't the server.
It was me.
I blinked at the screen.
{You have been playing for 12 hours. Would you like to logout?}
The adrenaline faded, and everything went dark.
My body reminded me, yes.
Yes, I would like to log off and rest.
{ Initiating Forced Logout }
And so, I calmed myself down letting out a sigh escape from my mouth.
With one last glance at the notification, I stretched my stiff limbs, and logged off still lost, and still wondering if that dwarf had even been real.
But hey at least I could one shot a golem now.
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Not gonna lie I am just as lost in life as Kendra right now
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