A shaky breath escaped me in a burst of bubbles, but I just stared at the weeping wound, numb. This was what I deserved for trusting a stranger, for opening up to a girl. I bit down, frowning, but found nothing—no ache in my heart, no sadness for what had happened, not even anger.
[Status Effect: Bleeding (Moderate)]
[Lose 7 HP per minute]
A quick check of my health made my stomach clench: [Health: 21]. I pressed a hand against the wound at my side, cursing myself for pulling out the blade. Right now, I'd give anything for a technique, mask, or elixir to heal these wounds. My heart pounded as fear finally pierced the numbness. I was bleeding out. If I didn't do something soon, I would die.
A blur rushed past, making me turn… A small, silver fish stared me in the eye. I blinked, looking past the creature. I'd drifted into a vast underwater cavern, its walls draped with luminous seaweed. Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of tiny glowing fish darted through the water like living stars.
Something appeared at my left side. I spun, heart skipping, only to find the sandcrawler floating beside me, its many legs paddling to keep it steady. It drifted toward my leg and opened its reptilian mouth, spraying blue slime onto my wound.
I flinched as the substance sizzled and stung my open gash, but then it began to glow, and slowly, the bleeding stopped. The creature crawled along my leg toward another bladed feather jutting from my ankle. I watched in stunned silence, jaw slack, noting the familiar crack along its carapace.
It had followed me down here? I remembered how it had launched itself at the Skyborn’s face, buying me precious moments. Without that intervention, I might have ended up with a dozen more blades in my torso.
The sandcrawler yanked out the ankle blade, making me suck in sharply, swallowing salt water. I coughed, but it wasn't a problem—any liquid in my lungs simply bubbled and evaporated, converting to whatever oxygen could be found. More blue slime sealed the new wound as tiny, bioluminescent fish hovered nearby like curious minnows, their azure glow shimmering in the dim cavern.
So…here I was, floating in an underwater grotto, surrounded by gawking fish while a crab-thing tended my wounds. And no people around. Not even Rosamae had dove after me. I refused to let that hurt, biting down hard on the feeling. If she had friends like that Skyborn, was she really who she seemed? Birds of a feather flock together—and if she associated with that feathered jerk, she was probably just hiding her true nature, masking it like so many others in this world…and my world.
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People who took advantage of my family. People who stepped on those they deemed lesser. People I could never stop, all because I was so damned weak. No social influence. No money. Injustice after injustice I couldn’t set right.
My interface had been blinking for a while, but I'd only now started to notice. As if sensing my awareness, it expanded before me:
[+30 XP gained from fight with (Flint)]
I stared at the notification. The only points I'd ever earned came from masketeering—it was all I'd focused on. Despite jerks like those Tidewalkers back in Wavehaven, I'd never really fought before.
[XP: 30/100]
Power. Quantifiable power. Results I could see and measure. Something sparked in my chest, burning warm at my core and flooding through my veins. My heart raced with an excitement I rarely felt.
Kelp tickled my back, making me flinch and look down. I'd been slowly drifting to the seafloor without noticing. But I didn't care. I let the glowing fronds embrace me as the sandcrawler pulled out the last blade. I gritted my teeth but accepted the pain. It drove me. It lit a fire in me to improve, to get better.
For a moment, I wished I could take this system back to Earth. Quantify my power there, increase my influence, my income, my strength. But who was to say I couldn't? What if I retained this body, this interface, when I returned? I'd never know unless I made it into that spiraling conch of a shrine.
To hell with Rosamae and her stupid team. I was down here because I'd trusted her, allowed myself to be vulnerable. But could I win the competition alone?
I absently stroked the sandcrawler's carapace as it curled up on my chest, purring. I looked down at the creature, trying to stifle the warmth I felt growing for it. But why should I? It had saved my life, unlike Rosamae or anyone else here. Sure, it could leave at any moment—it was just an animal. An intelligent, helpful one, but still. If it left, it left. For now, though, it was here, and I would accept that.
But what now? How could I win?
As I pondered this, still stroking the creature's back, I noticed something drifting down from above—past the clouds of blood and scraps of clothing. A folded piece of paper. My heart skipped. I waited until it floated closer before snatching it from the water.
Tempest Mask (Rare)
- Effect: Increases movement speed by 50%, grants immunity to slow effects, but drains stamina and MP continuously.
- Stamina Drain: -5 stamina every 2 seconds.
- MP Drain: -10 MP every 2 seconds.
- Durability: 60 / 60
My hands trembled slightly as a grin spread across my face. A new plan formed—one that didn't involve risking a competition win. All I needed was to wait for the perfect moment, for the door to open, for the winner to step through. Then I would sprint over and shove them aside, entering the shrine myself.
And that preparation started now. I had eight days before the festival. Eight days to gather ingredients and carve a mask. If I devoted every waking hour to it, I could finish just in time.
I quickly scanned the list of necessary ingredients. Some I could gather right here in this underwater chasm—surely these glowing minnows held useful essences. With a thought, I stored the recipe in my inventory, then sat up, skin stretching painfully around my sealed wounds.
The sandcrawler glanced up at me with vertical-slit pupils, cocking its head questioningly. Forget the guild. Forget the competition. Forget everyone. I was getting into that shrine no matter the cost. I was getting back to my world to set things right for the ones I loved.
And I was starting now.
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