All I can say is "Oww." My vision was blurry, a kaleidoscope of pain and shifting light. My body throbbed from the raw sensation of being blasted, every nerve singing with protest. My face flushed with a pulsating ache, the feeling terrifyingly similar to a five-star firecracker exploding right beside my face. My ears were ringing with a high-pitched, insistent whine. I hadn't thought the explosion would be that strong.
I turned to the side, my world still a smeared canvas. The faint, amber glow from my amulet shifted lazily, painting my ragged clothing in transient yellow. I pushed myself up, holding my head, trying to keep the reeling room from spinning out of control. Apart from the slowly fading ring in my ears, an unnatural silence had settled over the grand hall.
As my vision finally sharpened, I struggled to my feet, nearly stumbling as strength slowly seeped back into protesting muscles. I looked around and saw that I was now right in front of the colossal front door, which looked less like it was buried and more like it had violently vomited its own insides – rubbles, soil, and detritus – then somehow been photographed mid-retch. I sagged onto one of the larger rocks, taking a moment to reclaim my bearings.
Finally, the ringing in my ears died down completely, leaving behind an eerie quiet. I looked in front of me and saw the golem lying prone on the ground, a defeated behemoth. Its robotic right arm was utterly missing, a jagged crater marking where it had once been, and half of its right upper body was shattered up to its left shoulder, revealing glimpses of twisted internal mechanisms. The Boapede looked no better, sprawled grotesquely to the side with its body still semi-curled, its neck a jagged stump spewing a sickly, glistening violet 'Ewww' onto the ground. Its scales were ripped, its hide scorched, bearing the cruel evidence of the explosion carved all over its enormous form. Around them lay scattered pieces of the golem's arm, chunks of fractured stone, and a horrifyingly gooey mess that was once the Boapede's head, splattered indiscriminately across the floor.
If I'd been even a meter closer, I'd be a goner now. Would I respawn or just be another nameless set of bones in this forgotten dungeon? "Growl?" My stomach grumbled, asking if we could eat. Then it hit me: where was my bag? Also, my sword? I frantically tapped my shoulders, back, and waist—nothing. A cold dread began to creep in.
I stood up and frantically scanned the desolate area. My eyes finally snagged on my sword, and it was... a glorious weapon in this forsaken place. The tip had pierced the shattered ground, standing slightly tilted, its blade shining with a faint, almost ethereal gleam in the distance. The dwindling light from ancient candelabras cast an otherworldly glow, illuminating a dramatic backdrop of disemboweled monsters, the colossal trunk of the giant tree, the pervasive desolation, and the aged, gigantic architecture. It was awesome! I couldn't help but clap in awe, admiring my overgrown kitchen knife like a fervent fan at a concert. I wiped away tears of admiration, my gamer heart racing fast, full of pure, unadulterated joy. I was exhausted, but such a sight needed to be appreciated, and if I could do a print screen, I would do it. My vision clicked, and below the words Snapshot Saved popped. "What!?" I can do that by thinking? I thought 'printscreen' again, and it flashed Snapshot Saved below. I hurriedly found the best angle for the sword, click. Took pictures of the bones on the ground, the shattered walls, the ruined staircase, the ancient tree, everything that looked remotely good I captured it. If there were a job that involved taking pictures of everything, that would be me, grinning and laughing maniacally. I'm now a deranged photographer.
After my impromptu photoshoot, I found my satchel lying on the ground where I initially fell. I checked inside, and miraculously, everything was where it should be. I took a picture of it, of course. If I could just selfie this, I'd do it, but sadly, it didn't work. I don't think the game creator wants some hero who's in love with his/her self-image, snapping himself/herself all day, every day. Makes sense, though; rather than exploring the world or adventuring, they'd just do pouty lips and finger hearts all day, putting #blessed, #wokeuplikethis, #medyobadboy to unrelated pictures.
I brought out my last golf berries and peach-mango, placed my zagboo canteen to my left, and ate peacefully. It's just a couple of days that went by of surviving, and this is my first time truly exploring something. At first, I was in a relentless game of tag with the unknown, but now I am slowly figuring this Isekai world out, and oddly, I am beginning to enjoy it.
After my snack break, I remembered the gold coins, so I went back to the broken staircase and meticulously picked up the coins.
General Awareness: Gold coin: 1 Description: yellow, shiny, my precious, miiiine, all miiiine, what else?
My secondary skill is beginning to sound disturbingly like me. It's scary. I picked up the glinting coins scattered on the ground. It was seventeen gold, thirty-five silver, and twenty-three bronze coins, which I carefully wrapped in cloth. Also, I found a pair of leather boots, which I swapped with my worn-out trainers. They were miraculously my size and felt incredibly comfortable for a leather-based shoe. They looked almost brand new but were covered in a fine layer of dust. I remembered my Tito Jun-jun, my father's older brother who lives in Baguio. When he came around, he always wore his pointed steel-toe boots with chains on them, paired with 501 blue jeans and a motorcycle leather jacket. I don't know how he did it, wearing such an outfit in hot Manila weather. He'd say, "Shine my shoes, I'll give you fifty pesos," then spit red stuff that he kept chewing like forever. I'd say, "Yes, Tito," my young, innocent eyes sparkling with the thought of computer shop money. Then he'd play chess with my pops while I made his killer boots nice and shiny.
"Hey, what about your loots from the two monstrosities?" my brain reminded me. "Yeah," I said. Forgetful Kiko, I thought.
I went to the giant first 'coz the yucky Boapede doesn't inspire confidence. As I drew closer to the giant, a faint but oddly familiar smell began to waft towards me, but I quickly pushed the thought aside because something began to float, shimmering, that had chipped away from the giant's chest. It levitated slowly as I drew closer. "Wow, this world really knows how to make things interesting," I thought. Then, testing a hypothesis, I backed away; the object gracefully went back to the giant's chest. I walked towards it; it began to levitate again. I walked away; it went back. That maniacal grin formed on my face again. Once satisfied, I took a snapshot and went back on track to the object on the golem's chest.
General Awareness: Ancient Skill Core: Description: ancient means really old, skill - something you can maybe learn, core is self-explanatory.
It was purple, it looked like a geode of some kind, and shiny like a diamond, which reflected light as it slowly spun. And somehow, it was smoldering because a thin wisp of purple smoke was rising slowly and mystically out of it.
"Wow," I said.