"Hah."
I snapped my eyes open.
"GRAAAHHH!!"
A single Bugbear loomed before me. It was a scene I knew all too well.
It seemed I was back at the starting line. All the grueling effort I’d spent reaching that treasure chest had been wiped away as if it had never happened.
Then again, was I even supposed to take that chest in the first place?
The moment I laid hands on its contents, I was forced into a life-or-death struggle against ten Bugbears at once. I assumed the only way out of that room was to slaughter every last one of them.
"Ah—"
I didn't even have time to finish the thought before the Bugbear's fist filled my vision. In the next instant, I was dead.
◆
"Even so, I have no other way to break this deadlock besides that chest."
Opening that treasure chest was my only chance to acquire a skill. For someone like me, who possessed nothing but <Save & Reset>, gaining even a single ability was a massive step forward.
But was it really possible to defeat ten Bugbears with just one new skill? I was currently struggling just to survive against the single monster standing right in front of me.
I couldn't recall every option on that list, but was there truly a skill among them capable of taking down ten Bugbears at once?
Well, there was no point in overthinking it now. I just had to reach that room again and figure it out from there.
"Gah!"
"Crap..."
My face was slammed into the stone wall, and the world went dark.
◆
"Alright."
Now that I had a plan, I needed to move.
First, I crouched low to evade the opening swing. Then, I rolled to the left. That sequence should have let me dodge the follow-up.
Crunch.
The sound of my own bones shattering echoed in my ears. I’d repeated these movements so many times that they had become fluid, but that efficiency had turned into a fatal flaw. I must have moved before the Bugbear had even fully committed to its stance. Because I moved too early, the monster was able to track my position and adjust its swing accordingly.
Moving too fast was just as bad as moving too slow. The timing was incredibly strict.
◆
"Dammit."
Every time I died, the agony of it seared through my entire body. The mental toll was becoming staggering.
But I couldn't afford to stop. If I hesitated for even a second, I would just be killed again.
"Alright!"
This time, I successfully dodged the Bugbear's entire attack chain and managed to put some distance between us. Next, I had to evade its reckless lunges and strike it in the eyes.
Thud.
My fist connected with its face, but I hit its nose instead of the eye. Aiming for such a small target while dodging for my life was nearly impossible.
I sprinted toward the trap at full speed, but the Bugbear overtook me before I could reach it. Another death.
At this rate, would I ever even make it back to that chest?
◆
Attempt number 220, approximately.
"Hah... I finally... made it back."
I had just survived the fall into the pit, successfully maneuvering around the iron spikes at the bottom. From this point until the moment I opened the treasure chest, no monsters would attack me.
It was time for a brief reprieve.
I lay back on the cold floor and closed my eyes. It felt like an eternity since I had last let my eyelids rest. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just stay here in this quiet space forever.
As the thought crossed my mind, I drifted into a deep sleep before I even realized it.
"Ah."
I woke up. How long had I been out? Without a clock or any sunlight, I had no way of knowing.
Grumble.
My stomach gave a sharp protest. It occurred to me then that I hadn't eaten a single scrap or had a drop of water since entering this dungeon. If I stayed in this room forever, I would eventually just starve to death.
Of course, as long as I remained obsessed with escaping this place to get my revenge, that wasn't an option I would ever consider.
My break was over. It was time to move forward.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
Please select 'one' skill you wish to acquire from the following list.
S-Rank <Item Box> <Enhanced Recovery> <Enhanced Mana Recovery> <Chant Shortening> <Acceleration> <Stealth>
A-Rank <Healing Magic> <Barrier Magic> <Fire Magic> <Water Magic> <Wind Magic> <Earth Magic> <Alchemy> <Taming Magic> <Enhanced Memory>
B-Rank <Swordsmanship> <Archery> <Axemanship> <Spearmanship> <Shieldmanship> <Martial Arts> <Status Camouflage>
C-Rank <Physical Enhancement> <Presence Detection> <Mana Generation> <Fire Resistance> <Water Resistance> <Wind Resistance> <Earth Resistance> <Poison Resistance> <Paralysis Resistance> <Curse Resistance>
D-Rank <Appraisal> <Provocation> <Strength Enhancement> <Endurance Enhancement> <Agility Enhancement> <Vitality Enhancement> <Vision Enhancement> <Hearing Enhancement>
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
I stood before the treasure chest once more, staring at the skill selection screen.
Which one should I pick?
<Stealth> had been a failure. In this enclosed space, the Bugbears could find me regardless of whether I was hidden or not. More importantly, since I had to kill them all to leave the room, a non-combat skill like <Stealth> was out of the question.
"Alright. This is the one."
The skill I chose was—<Acceleration>.
""GRAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!""
In the next heartbeat, ten Bugbears materialized within the room.
Whether this choice would lead to my salvation or just another gruesome death remained to be seen.
Either way, the battle was about to begin.