I just stood there.
Panic and confusion rose across the city. People were shouting, asking what to do. My calm birthday party had come to an end, and all that was left was confusion and disarray.
People panicked; the penalty of death and entering a gate was too much. People didn't even know what a gate was. Only I knew what could be on the other side. I knew it was life or death on the outside and inside.
It was now or never; I would enter the dungeon and survive. Based on the chaos and screams, only I got the quest to kill the dungeon boss, others have quests like survive an hour in the dungeon or kill 20 demons.
Wait, demons? I just realised. Didn't the history of this world mention demons? Don't tell me this is some demon invasion.
Okay, I don't have time to worry about that. If I got 50 hours to complete the quest, then it must mean it takes a while to clear the dungeon. I got a guide skill and it isn't doing any guiding, useless ass skill.
"Menu."
[System Menu Opened]
[STRENGTH: 5]
[SPEED: 4]
[AGILITY: 4]
[MANA: 2]
[INTUTION: 7]
Oh my these stats seem shit. I'm screwed. I just gotta pray and hope that one of my skills saves me. Aight, now or never.
I walked towards the door, and the scene I saw was pure panic; compared to the calmness and order I'd seen, this was the polar opposite. People are scared of death. Just the possibility can cause someone to go mad.
Now I stood here, in front of the portal, and a menu popped up.
[Do you wish to enter the ☆ Gate (1 star)]
"Yes."
As I said that my vision warped, my vision was filled with a purple light, and then I stood there. What I saw didn't seem possible. I was in some sort of cave covered with glowing crystals. The atmosphere was eerie, cold and wet.
It's obvious what those crystals were. I've read far too many manga to know what they were. They were mana crystals. Besides that, the place was frozen and quiet, it felt like one sound would cause the entire place to come crashing down.
[Guide: Progress through the dungeon. This dungeon's difficulty increases the longer it takes the Player to progress.]
Phew. My guide skill is actually useful. I would've just stayed here for a bit, exploring, not jumping straight into battle. Wait, how do I even fight? I have no weapon, no martial arts skills, I'm screwed.
I got the hardest quest, and I have nothing to kill the boss with. Please tell me I'm the MC in this story, I need plot armour right now. Come on, Ester or that System Administrator.
[System Notfication: Nuh uh your ass ain't getting plot armour]
[Sent from System Administrator]
…
This isn't fair. Also turns out the System or the System Administrator can read my thoughts. Either I die here or I die here.
Then, at this second, I hear footsteps.
Oh shit I forgot I'm in a dungeon. I think the demons in here are coming for me, they must have a way to sense me. I've got to have something to fight with.
"Inventory."
[System Menu Opened]
[Inventory: Empty]
…
This ain't funny. I'm dead. I have no weapon, I have horrible stats, and no plot armour. If I'm the MC in some webnovel, then damn I got unlucky. Okay, I must have some sort of chance against whatever is running through this cave. Their footsteps are getting louder, this ain't good.
I gotta think, if I got no weapon, what might work? Maybe the mana crystals. I don't know if I can break it off, but it's worth a try.
I ran towards one of the cave walls and tugged at the mana crystal as hard as I could, but it was no use. It didn't even budge. Then I tried punching it, and again it was no use; I just left my knuckles red. As my last resort, I tried to bite it off, which worked, and a big chunk fell into my mouth.
Ugh, that's disgusting. I accidentally swallowed that. There goes my weapon. Um, why are my veins glowing blue? This ain't good.
[Mana Overload Induced]
[If mana isn't realised, then the Player will die in 40 seconds]
[WARNING: Player is in critical condition]
My heart is thumping outside of my chest, and I am sweating buckets. I am just frozen, I can't move, my muscles can't move, and my veins are on fire. It felt like I was in fire, I was being tortured and burned from the inside out.
Shit, my body is on fireee. Oh my god. I'm actually dead. Why did I eat that crystal? I've never used magic, I can't get rid of this mana. I have no spells to discharge the mana, I don't have skills to discharge mana, I'm just living dynamite at this point.
"Menu."
[System Menu Opened]
[STRENGTH: 5]
[SPEED: 4]
[AGILITY: 4]
[MANA: 17]
[INTUTION: 7]
No wonder I'm dying, my mana is 15 stat points higher than it was.
[WARNING: Player will die in 10 seconds if excess mana isn't released]
There I heard it. The creature I heard running my way is now in front of me. It was some red-skinned, horned midget. Even before I entered mana overload, I didn't think I stood a chance. This body of a ten-year-old hasn't even gone through puberty, and I've done no training.
The creature saw me on the ground with my veins neon blue, then saw the broken-off crystal and put two and two together. Then it just started laughing, nonstop, even dropping its weapon.
I was being mocked, it must've been wondering what idiot could've eaten a mana crystal. My last moments in this life will be horrible, being laughed at. This is how I'll be remembered…
[WARNING: Player will die in 3 seconds if excess mana isn't released]
It's the end for me…