We continued traveling for another week before we reached our destination.

“We’re here,” Lydia said.

I looked around and saw nothing but a rock face, trees and bushes. “And where exactly is here…”

“There is a cave up ahead; inside is a teleportation circle that the church used to use.”

“Used to?”

“Well… it was overrun by monsters a generation ago, near the beginning of the invasion. It probably still works.”

I looked at her incredulously. “We’ve been traveling all this time for probably?”

“I know, it's less than ideal, but teleportation circles last for hundreds of years and are the fastest way back to civilization. So, it’s either this or spend the next 6 months wandering through the wilderness.”

“We’re really that far out in the middle of nowhere?”

“Yes.”

“It is what it is,” I sighed. “If it's been out of commission for that long, how do you even know about it?”

“When the convent moved to the area, we sought to reclaim it. However, since the beast infestation was still rampant, it wasn’t an option.”

“Oh good, it's not just infested, but rampantly infested. One thing I don’t understand. If it’s a teleportation circle, couldn’t the other side just send people?”

“The mechanism can only be restarted from the side that shut it down. This one was shut down on this side to prevent the beasts from pouring into the city on the other end. Since the region has been completely depopulated, it was decided it wasn’t worth the resources to send troops by land.”

“Okay, but how are we going to clea-” ‘Oh right, I have superpowers.’ I coughed. “I mean, do you think the two of us will be enough to clear the area."

“You may not be from the gods, but you're still rather extraordinary, so I don’t think it should be a problem.” Her eyes gleamed with confidence.

“Let me think for a moment,” I stalled.

‘Oh good, we are relying on me. What could possibly go wrong... Is this something I can really do? Me, clear a dungeon? Wow, that’s a surreal sentence. There are dungeons… to clear… of monsters. I know Lydia said beasts, but let's be honest, they're monsters. This is exactly the type of thing I avoided in my past life… Well, no, it's nothing like what I avoided, but risk is what I avoided… and what exactly did that get me? An unremarkable life, but was that really that bad? I was mostly comfortable and content. I enjoyed my hobbies. I only died young because of a freak accident. Am I ready to face death for a chance at something different?’

I glanced back at Lydia, looking so sure that I was up for the challenge.

‘She’s only known me for weeks, why does she have such confidence in me? Fuck it. Fortune favors the bold, right?’

“Okay, let’s do it.”

“Yes!” she shouted.

I heard a howl and saw monsters charge out of the cave. She may have said that last part too loud.

**************

10 beasts ran at us. They resembled wolves but were twice the proper size, covered in yellow fur, and had teeth so large they protruded out of their mouths. The wolves’ fangs dripped with green saliva.

‘Gross.’

I materialized two spears into my hands and tossed one to Lydia. She caught it, but looked hesitant. I understood. Hell, I was terrified, but something inside me was itching, eager even. Hungry.

“Game time Lydia. Just rely on your training and don’t let them separate us.”

She looked at me, composed herself, and nodded. The wolves snarled as they approached. My adrenaline coursed as the one in the lead leapt toward me… in slow motion. I saw my opening and drove the tip of the spear into its eye. My Spear Mastery combined with Total Body Control let me use just enough force to push the tip into its brain, but yank the spear out before it hit the bone. Unfortunately, as I pulled the spear back, I realized my mistake. The strike had been so clean that the beast's momentum was uninterrupted, so the monster was still flying right at me.

‘Can’t drop to the ground because then the other wolves will get me. Can’t dodge left without hitting Lydia, and can’t dodge right without letting the pack separate us… over the top it is.’

I leapt hard, propelling myself two yards into the air, aiming to vault the wolf. While my body moved exactly as I wanted it, I misjudged the wolf’s angle. Rather than sailing under me, the wolf was on a collision course with my legs. I flailed out and kicked the top of its head. The force drove the wolf down, but sent me even higher, tilting my body backwards as I went. I leaned into the movement and turned it into an incredibly awkward backflip. While turning, I saw Lydia, slightly trembling, feign one way but drive her spear in the other direction, catching the wolf in its throat, killing it.

I landed on one foot and one knee. “Hell Yes!”

Trembling gone, she laughed. “Try to keep up.”

I returned a smile.

Congratulations, You have unlocked the Skill: Acrobatics.

Acrobatics: Skill governing the ability to flip, tumble, dodge, climb, and jump. Current Rank (1/10).

Skill detected, “Autodidact,” would you like to transfer 100 experience points to level Acrobatics? Y/N.

I maxed it immediately.

Another wolf dove at me. This time, I had more options. I dropped to my back and kicked up with both feet. CRACK. The wolf’s jaw shattered, and its body flew up into the air. I flipped to a standing position, then stabbed up with my spear to impale the wolf on its descent.

When the ones further back saw what happened, they changed plans and began to circle us. “Lydia, back to back and make sure not to hit me with the butt of your spear.”

Congratulations, You have unlocked the Skill: Battle Tactics.

Battle Tactics: Skill governing the ability to analyze, plan, and lead small scale combat. Current Rank (1/10).

Skill detected, “Autodidact,” would you like to transfer 100 experience points to level Battle Tactics? Y/N.

‘Seriously, that’s all that took. The interface wasn’t lying when it said the requirements dropped to almost nothing.’

As we moved into position, I maxed out the new skill. My view of the battle shifted entirely. Where I once only knew how to control my weapon and body, I now knew how to control the enemy. There were flaws in their formation and tactics, ripe for exploiting. Two wolves darted towards me, and I could hear the wolves coming from the other side. “Lydia, I need you to follow my orders exactly.”

“Understood.”

I unleashed hell: an altered trajectory exposing a weakness, a feign taking a foe’s balance, a sidestep causing a pile up. Lydia and I danced around each other slaughtering our enemies. Perfectly in sync, we set up each other's attacks and blocked ones we shouldn't have been able to see coming. Lydia’s skill exceeded expectations. Under my orders, she racked up kills as quickly as I did. The soil beneath our feet softened as more and more blood soaked into it. Finally, the last creature tried to run back into the cave.

“Uh uh uh. I don’t think so.”

I gave chase. Easily surpassing the wolf, I leapt on top of it and stabbed through the back of its neck, severing the beast’s spinal column. It dropped to the ground, paralyzed. A thrust into its heart finished the wolf off. It was done. A prompt to loot the bodies appeared.

10x Magic Cores (Rank D) have been added to your inventory.

I turned to congratulate Lydia, then panicked. White light was pouring out of her eyes and mouth, encompassing her body.