After the guards’ far-too-abrupt departure, I refocused on the task at hand. They must’ve been the guardians of the dungeon, I reasoned, brushing off their hasty exit. Turning my attention back to the ruined path ahead, I walked toward the city.
I’d never been here myself—Yarriw was a spot the other testers favored. One time it was the talk of the breakroom for its exploits and bugs.
See, Riker? This world can’t be real. We found exploits in test servers!
I grinned faintly at the memory, but it didn’t last. The grin vanished as something more troubling crossed my mind.
Wait! How could I forget?
The queen of Yarriw, Irwen''s—and according to the lore also mine?—ancestor, was famous for her petrification magic, turning anything and everything into stone. As a result, all the monsters in her domain were… well, stone-based creatures.
Meaning my whip is useless here.
“Whyyyy!” I groaned, throwing my hands into the air in despair as I passed through the last gate. The city of Yarriw stretched out before me, a sprawling metropolis of decay and destruction.
The once-majestic stone walls, now rugged and crumbling, had deep scars touched by time and conquest. Tattered imperial banners clung desperately to weathered arches, their insignias faded to near oblivion.
What a waste. I’d collect them; a fellow sergeant used to pay for them after every battle.
Not these old ones.
Shattered rubble and scorched earth lined the streets, a sign of a brutal campaign that had reduced the elven luxury to desolate remnants of defiance.
The elven spires now sagged, covered in moss and ivy, their rebellion eroded by decades of neglect.
Well, they deserved it. If I believed the imperial books—which I shouldn’t—the old elven Kingdom was brutal to any non-elf, that was a fact. Humans weren’t kind to them, they retaliated with also not being kind, and the rest is history.
History now scattered at my feet.
Hah, I’m funny.
***
Ian’s journey
The sharp ti-ting of Ian’s daggers finishing the last burrower echoed through the cavern, the sound fading into the damp silence.
It hadn’t been easy, cutting through the waves of mobs in these twisting tunnels, but it was necessary. He stood over the twitching body for a moment, his self-satisfied smile hidden in the shadows of his hood. Done.
Coastal caverns were a maze of tunnels, carved over generations of burrowers that seemed to burst from the earth at random. The air was heavy with salt and damp, every sound distorted by echoes, making Ian just sick.
He nodded curtly at the passing elven warriors, his posture straight and commanding, as though he were their superior. They nodded back, most out of habit, but Ian wasn’t their leader.
No, he was meeting one.
He stopped outside a grander tent; the canvas polished with elven symbols stitched into the edges. Without hesitation, he swept the flap aside and stepped in.
A man sat at a sturdy wooden table, his silver armor polished, every inch inscribed with glowing runes. Beside him, a black-and-gold sword hovered in the air, its blade shimmering, looking for enemies.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Prince Don Lv.15]
Type: 5-epic | HP: 350/350</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Donovan’s eyes lifted from the documents spread across the table, his face as sharp as his sword. “Ah, Ian,” he said, his loud voice commanding. “The job is done, I presume?”
Ian immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head in a show of deference. “Yes, my lord. All that remains is the main nest.”
“Splendid,” Donovan replied, setting the documents aside with an air of finality. His gaze lingered on Ian, calculating. “You have proven yourself the perfect servant. As such, I have decided to grant you the mission.”
Ian tensed slightly, his heart picking up its pace even as he stayed perfectly still.
“You,” Donovan continued, “will be our last resort. You will infiltrate Princess Charlie’s inner circle and become the instrument of our victory.”
Advance in nobility and hurt John? Perfect.
A faint chime rang in Ian’s ears, accompanied by the unmistakable flicker of the system notification.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[You are offered an Epic Quest: Empire shall fall - spy]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Ian allowed himself a slow, measured breath, his lips curling into an almost imperceptible smile. The perfect servant, huh?
***
Inside Yarriw dungeon…
Something moved—faster than I expected—and a sharp, searing pain shot through my left side.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Soldier Of Stone Lv.12]
Type: 2-uncommon | HP: 216/216</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
My gaze snapped to the mugger—a golem, its towering form carved entirely from weathered stone. It stood tall and threatening, its design mimicking a standard infantry soldier, complete with a chipped but deadly sword and a cracked shield held in its hands. The faint glow of runes inscribed into its surface pulsed like a heartbeat.
I had only a split second to react.
Gritting my teeth, I raised my shield and barely intercepted its next strike.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 7]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“The hell you were dopping?!” I shouted, my voice a mix of pain and panic as I staggered back. The impact had left my arm trembling, the force of the blow sending numbness down to my bones.
Runes for healing were ez by now. With a flick of my fingers and a sharp breath, I chanted, “Heal!”
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[You healed yourself for 18 HP]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
As I thought, it was all made of stone, modeled after standard infantry, wearing a spear and shield.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Moving fast.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 6]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The golem advanced again, its stone joints grinding as it moved with frightening speed. Its sword carving an arc through the air that sent a gust of wind rushing past me.
“You’re all stone anyway,” I muttered bitterly, eyeing its rocky armor. Thick to most attacks—but also redundant, considering its entire body was just as solid. “Useless.”
It lunged again, and I barely sidestepped in time, the blade slicing through the space where I’d just been standing. Dust and fragments of debris kicked up around me, stinging my face.
I started casting my new spell.
Goolems were the stupid, small, natural things—annoying pests at best. Golems, though? They were the real deal made by mages. And I felt that—every crushing blow driving home just how outclassed I was.
“I’m a priest, not a tank!” I yelled at the construct, half in frustration, half in desperation. The words, of course, were for my enjoyment only. Its glowing eyes locked onto me as it shifted its stance, readying another attack.
How do you fight something like that? “Same as mud wolves!” I muttered, retreating a few paces to buy time. My grin spread as I finished tracing the runes in the air. “Chain lightning!”
Conventional wisdom might argue that stone counters electricity.
Conventional wisdom would be stupid.
The arc of lightning crackled to life, leaping from my fingertips and striking the golem square in the head. The flash illuminated its broken features as electricity danced over its head, seeking weaknesses in the solid stone.
It found some.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Critical hit! Target lost 32HP (16x2)]</td>
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That did the trick! My intelligence stat may not have been sky high, but it was high enough to let me moonlight as a budget mage. The golem recoiled, its glowing runes flickering erratically as the energy disrupted its movements.
But there was just one problem.
The spell had a long cooldown.
The golem recovered quicker than I expected, pivoting with an unsettling speed. Its blade whistled through the air, aimed directly at my unguarded side. My heart leapt into my throat as I realized my mistake—I’d left myself wide open in my glee over the successful hit.
Move! Now!
My reflexes kicked in just in time. I swung my shield into place, bracing for the impact. The blade connected with a deafening clang that rattled my entire body.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 7]</td>
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</table>
The force of the strike sent me sliding back, my heels skidding against the cracked cobblestones. My arm screamed in protest, but I didn’t dare lower my shield. The golem’s glowing eyes locked onto me, unrelenting.
It pressed on with another swing, capitalizing on my imbalance with a relentless force.
“You’re twenty years early,” I muttered, drawing on years of grueling imperial footwork drills. My stance shifted instinctively, weight distributed to my back foot as I readied myself. This wasn’t just any dodge—it was precision.
I darted to the side, placing my foot on an uneven stone that jutted out from the broken road. The move was risky—balancing on it required more finesse than strength.
Exactly what I need!
My body twisted fluidly, the golem’s massive blade slicing harmlessly through the air where I’d just been.
The moment its momentum carried it forward, I planted my weight on the stone and sprang into action. Launching myself sideways with a sharp pivot, I found my footing and delivered a swift, calculated kick to the golem’s knee. The impact echoed with a satisfying crack as it lost its balance, its massive body toppling to the ground like a drunken German.
“Down!” I laughed triumphantly, a grin spreading across my face—until the weight of reality hit me. My laughter turned into a bitter smile. I had no sword to capitalize on its vulnerable position, no way to strike a decisive blow.
Using my whip, I at least made it to know who was the boss here.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Armor not pierced. Target lost 3HP (6/2 normal)]</td>
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All I could do was watch as it stirred, its heavy limbs grinding against the ground as it rose again.
“I don’t want to rely on Ice Dance again… I’m not a one-trick pony,” I muttered under my breath, watching the golem limp toward me. Its movements were sluggish now, its damaged knee grinding audibly with every step. At least that kick had done something.
I finally put down the annoying enemy after a few grueling minutes. My arms ached and my mana reserves were embarrassingly low. I overestimated myself.
This place wasn’t for players like me—not at measly level seven with no class upgrade. No, this dungeon was a playground for level 10s and their shiny new skills. Skills I didn’t have.
And I couldn’t just exploit the heck out of it like the testers used to. The admins and especially AIs were watching and staying low key was important.
That’s why I was creeping around the rubble now, moving as if I were trying to slip out of a bar without paying my tab. The parallel wasn’t far off. As in the bar, stealth was useless. I was a priest—no presence of any hiding skills in sight.
My heart pounded as I tiptoed over the uneven stones, each step painstakingly measured. Please don’t notice me, please don’t notice me… But, of course, Nathan had other plans.
My foot landed on a precariously balanced chunk of rubble, and the inevitable happened. A rain of loose stones cascaded noisily down the slope, tumbling toward the feet of two patrolling golems.
Oh boy.
Both constructs stopped mid-step, their glowing eyes snapping toward the source of the noise.
“Uhmm, oupsie?” I squeaked, a weak grin plastered on my face before bolting toward the gate, while starting runes for my spell.
Behind me, the golems reacted with alarming speed, their movements precise. One hurled a spear with imperial accuracy, the weapon embedding itself into the ground right where I’d been standing a split second earlier.
The echo of the spear’s impact rang out, and I didn’t dare look back. The pounding of my heels against the ground mixed with the grinding of stone as they gave chase.
Why am I like this? I’m not weak!
I can do these runes in my sleep now. As the pounding of stone feet closed in behind me, I skidded to a halt, pivoting sharply. “Chain lightning!” I shouted, channeling my mana into the spell.
The air crackled with energy, and a blinding arc of lightning surged from my fingertips, striking the first golem square in the chest. The force of the hit sent cracks spider webbing across its stone surface, but the energy didn’t stop there. It leapt with ferocious precision to the second golem, coiling around its craggy body as if alive, seeking every weak point.
The spell didn’t end with one round—it was…persistent.
The arc snapped back to the first golem, surging through its body once more before returning to the second.
Over and over, the energy bounced between them, each strike carving deeper into their stone forms, exploiting every fracture it found.
The battlefield lit up with every hit, the golems jerking like broken marionettes under the spell, before its power waned.
The last arcs fizzled out with a soft crack, leaving only scorched marks on their bodies.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Critical hit! Target lost 32HP (16x2)]
[Critical hit! Target lost 24HP (12x2)]
[Critical hit! Target lost 18HP (9x2)]
[Critical hit! Target lost 12HP (6x2)]
[Critical hit! Target lost 6HP (3x2)]</td>
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</table>
“Holy Nathan!” The words spilled out before I could stop myself, my eyes widening at the devastation before me. Both golems had frozen mid-stride, their glowing runes flickering weakly, as if stunned by the sheer force of the attack.
“I chose this spell because it was recommended as OP,” I muttered, unable to tear my gaze away from the smoking Golems as they started moving. “But… it really is. No wonder they agreed it’s one of the most useful inherent spells.”
The faint hum of their runes reminded me… I forgot my plan, plan to run.
“Oupsie,” I muttered under my breath, raising my shield just in time.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 3, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 7]</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
Their coordination was flawless, each strike flowing with the other, covering weaknesses. If I were their instructor, I’d be handing out praise right now. But I wasn’t. I was the target. Kind of dying here! Ice Dance to the rescue!
Desperation surged in me as I staggered back, angling myself toward a crumbling wall, starting the runes for Ice Dance. If nothing else, it would limit their flanking. But as I pressed my back to the cold stone, a sound of scraping earth filled the air.
I froze as another figure emerged from the shadows.
A third golem.
I might die here.