Rimelion: The Exploiter

24. Into the Mist

As I entered the cave's shadowed maw, a flicker of movement caught my eye. Suddenly, ten armored knights surged forward from the depths. The dim light revealed their faces—grim, determined, unyielding. I flashed them a wide, cocky smile.

"Stop, stranger! You have no business here," barked one of them, his voice echoing through the cavern. The man stepped forward, his chain-mail clinking with every movement. He was the leader, no doubt about it. "My name is Ry Baradeer, and I command this order. Leave while you still can."

His men flanked me in a practiced formation, their weapons drawn and glinting faintly in the cave's dim light. I lowered my sword, pretending to size him up while I noted the state of his gear. His chain-mail was practically falling apart, a patchwork of metal barely holding together.

"Ry, if you bite the dust now, your family will be crushed," I said, my voice calm but cutting. "Don't waste your life guarding that old, stupid beast. You don't owe it anything."

Despite my confident words, my grip tightened on my shield. Ten knights were no joke, not even for me. Sweat beaded on my forehead as Ry furrowed his brows and hefted his massive Warhammer of Storms, its enchanted head crackling faintly with energy.

"My master is the mighty dragon protecting our people! Your insults will not go unpunished!" he roared. Raising his weapon high, he commanded, "Dragon knights! Kill him!"

The first strike came fast. Ry's war hammer crashed into my shield with a force that vibrated through my entire arm, nearly tearing the shield from my grasp. Damn, that's stronger than I expected. Staggering back a few steps, I barely had time to recover before the rest of the knights closed in. They moved with incredible coordination, their attacks synchronized.

"And here I thought I found a bug..." I muttered, my voice dry with resignation as I prepared for the inevitable. Their strikes rained down like an unrelenting storm. My armor absorbed some blows, but not enough. The pain wasn't unbearable—it was swift. In a flash, everything went black.

"Princess!" Don's voice shook me awake. "What happened? Why are you sleeping?"

He kept firing questions, one after the other, but my brain felt like molasses—hazy and sluggish. What the hell? Why was I asleep? And dreaming about a random test run, of all things? With a single thought, I summoned the interface, its familiar glow snapping into view.

Ah. I've been playing for an entire day, that's why. My eyes flicked to the clock. No way it glitched, right? It revealed I'd slept for two hours, though it felt like seconds.

While I was busy reliving old test runs, Don had been hard at work, rowing us closer to the island. The sight that greeted me was stark—a white beach that shimmered like bone in the eerie light, a massive mountain rising behind it, casting craggy shadows that merged with the ever-present fog. The island seemed to shiver with mystery, veiled and unreachable beyond the mist. Only the faintest outline of the peak broke through the dense, smoky gray.

"So, how are you enjoying our trip so far, Don?" I asked.

No response.

I shrugged, watching as he dragged our little boat onto the beach with a grunt, tying it to a nearby rock with a practiced hand. He then flopped down onto the sand, muttering, "Princess... not funny," before closing his eyes as if the world had defeated him.

Leaving him to his well-deserved rest, I plopped down next to him and opened my minimap. That's strange. The map showed nothing—just an expanse of blue. According to it, we were still in the middle of the sea. No island. No beach. Just water. What the hell?

What's a seasoned gamer to do when things turn strange? Keep going, of course! "Don, stop wasting time. Let's go. Somewhere on this island is an army of undead soldiers. Let's find it."

He groaned but rose to his feet, casting a tired glance around. "Where? With this damn fog, I can't even see your butt."

Slap. My hand connected with his face, the sharp sound echoing through the mist. Ignoring his shocked expression, I stomped toward the mountain, kicking sand up with every step.

Did I mention the heat? It was unbearable. My clothes clung to me like a drunk to their dignity—barely hanging on and completely unflattering. The heat, the malfunctioning minimap, the relentless fog—it was all so damn annoying. But I was a veteran gamer. These were minor inconveniences.

Or so I told myself.

The reality was far less noble. My frustration boiled over, and I kicked the sand hard enough to send it flying in every direction. "What the hell is wrong with me?" I muttered under my breath, shaking out my hands as if I could cast off my irritation with the motion.

The mountain loomed ahead, its uneven peaks hidden by swirling mist. Somewhere up there, undead soldiers awaited. Just another day, right?

Maybe I'd overestimated myself. There wasn't a dungeon entrance in sight—no trees, no plants, nothing but barren, rocky land stretching endlessly before us. Alright, maybe it's time to stop thinking like a gamer. Main quests, after all, don't follow the usual rules.

If I were an entrance, where I would be? Likely at the base of the mountain, where players could grind their way upward, battling their way through to the peak. Desperation gnawed at me. I even tried bashing the rock wall with my sword. Predictably, nothing happened.

No way.

"Don, how good are you at climbing?" I asked, fixing my gaze on the steep, almost vertical mountain.

He blinked a few times, following my stare. His face turned ghostly pale. "Bad? Look!" Without warning, he sprinted toward the rocky surface and hurled himself at it. Naturally, he failed, crashing down in a heap at the bottom.

I gaped at him in disbelief. "Did I slap you that hard, or are you just trying to impress me with how stupid you are?"

"You're the stupid one!" he snapped, brushing himself off. "You can't climb that. I just wanted to show you. Now, let's go back to the ship." He turned confidently, already making his way down the path.

And then it happened. The ground beneath us trembled, the low rumble reverberating through my feet. It reminded me of the time I'd stumbled onto an active volcano. The mountain's rock wall groaned and cracked open, shards of stone scraping and shifting as they revealed a hidden passage.

That easy, huh? In a few blinks, the entrance stood before us. How could I forget? This was a low-level main quest, not some end-game epic side optional puzzle.

Don stopped mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder with his mouth hanging open.

"Look at that, knight Don!" I teased, stepping toward him. "Your heroic blood must've sliced open the rock and cleared a path for us!" I winked and caressed his cheek mockingly. "Good job. I mean it—you opened it."

Snapping out of his stupor, Don straightened up and rushed to stand between me and the entrance. "Perhaps I did something. Perhaps not. Either way, my promise stands: I'll protect you."

His confidence lasted about two seconds. As we drew closer, we realized what lay ahead. A pitch-black barrier blocked the passage, swallowing every trace of light as if it were a black hole. The surrounding air was heavy, oppressive, making our skin crawl. The thought of monsters lurking beyond it sent shivers racing down my spine.

"Let's go," I said, my voice steady despite the chill biting at my resolve.