Not the Hero Nor Villian

Chapter 4: Echos

I explored the cavern, my head constantly on a swivel. Although I had been underground for a while, I still didn't know what to expect down here.

The tunnels stretched endlessly, their walls closing in like the jaws of a beast. The Deadlands was the most infamous of all the other continents, yet there was practically no information on it regarding livestream documentation, so all of its secrets and knowledge would have to come from firsthand experience.

I'd seen the monsters that lurked in safer places via watching streams, but from the looks of the current streaming culture, no one was brave enough to step foot in the Deadlands voluntarily as of yet... Or at least, no one lived long enough to tell the tale. Now that I was somewhat healthy, I was on my own.

"All these walls look the fucking same," I grumbled, washing my hand over my face in frustration. I had been moving for hours. The glowing fungi were starting to give me a massive headache.

If I had a choice in the matter, I would've stayed in my hiding spot for at least another two weeks until I was at my prime, but I was all out of... sustenance. I had no other choice but to run headfirst through the abyss or risk starving to death. My intuition was my only guide.

Right as I was about to sit down to take a break, I was suddenly halted in my tracks as a woman's scream began echoing through the cavern. At first, I ignored it, thinking I was hearing things, but as time went on, it grew more intense the more I tried to ignore it.

"If this isn't a trap, I don't know what is," I muttered, shaking my head anxiously.

If it was a monster, I had weapons that I had been practicing using for such an occasion. I could now somewhat defend myself with my increase in stats. Since this was reality, I was more than likely going to have to be on the offensive rather than waiting for danger to come to my door. I couldn't afford to stay here any longer and needed to finish up this quest.

I gripped my scorpion chains tightly, ready for anything. I needed to get these 10 kills out of the way, one way or another.

Cautiously, I followed the voice through jagged, complex passageways. The damp, musty air carried a sour odor, and dim fungi light cast shadows, turning every corner into a potential hiding spot for horrors. As I turned the final corner where I heard the voice, I ran into a dead end.

"It's just a wall... Ha. Am I actually going crazy?"

"I just want someone to save me," the woman sobbed, combating my thoughts of insanity.

I pressed my ear to the cold stone. But as abruptly as it began, the crying stopped. Seconds after, I began to feel a sudden chill running down my spine.

Oddly enough, I began to feel a sudden presence that loomed behind me, as if there were a pair of eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. I spun around immediately.

Once I did, there she stood—a ghostly woman, the most beautiful person I had ever seen. She wore long, flowing white robes that fluttered as if caught in an invisible breeze. Her delicate, glowing skin, angelic features, and sorrowful eyes held an otherworldly allure.

"Did you come to save me?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

My heart hammered, but I wasn't stupid. She was see-through, shimmering like a mirage. As I backed up, a red number appeared above her head in the same font as the system notifications.

Lamia
[Level 9] (Mutated)

Distress washed over me. This creature was beyond my current level. On top of that, it said "mutated" next to her level, and from what I'd heard on live streams, mutants were several times stronger than regular members of their species.