"Hmmm... I'm beginning to like you more and more, Clark. Then let's do it as you wish." Steven Price was visibly beaming with our bored gamer's attitude.
"Luis." He called in the next moment.
"Here, boss." A goon answered its master's summons. He was not big at all and even not menacing in any way. Luis was more a normal man with an almost likable face.
If Steven did not hinted beforehand, no one would have known that this kindly uncle was a thug for hire in any sense of the word.
'A prime candidate to die. Saves me the worry of killing an innocent one.' Clark noted as he looked at the bright eerie red tag over the head of his soon to be opponent.
"Why don't you entertain my little friend here. Be light on your punches. We do not want to spoil this special occasion at all. Remember that this is only a friendly match."
Steven instructed and his loyal soldier also got the point. Usually, it was the opposite that was true in cases like this one.
'Kill this motherfucker and make him suffer. I hear you, boss.' Luis nodded as he visualized how he should end this big boy's life.
He paused for a moment or two before he concluded that the best way to end a pretty face was to totally obliterate the guy's pride.
'I will smash that handsome head of yours open! Your hot bitch of a girlfriend would not even recognize you after I'm done crushing you like minced meat.' Luis determined in the end.
"Only one person? I am openly disappointed by this lack of challenge.
If there's anyone else out here who's ready to volunteer for a match after this, please raise your hand now so that I can put you on queue already. I bet that the line wouldn't be too long.
After all, no one is stupid enough to..." Our bored gamer stopped at this point.
It would have been good if there were only 2 or 5 raised hands but when he saw 20 pairs of hands in the air, it had absolutely caught him off guard.
'I guess I'm not that famous amongst boys after all.' Clark could only accept this statement as truth.
"I'll take you on anytime, you arrogant prick!" Someone was even brave enough to taunt from the collection of wealthy rich kids.
These were the group who still hadn't given up their hopes on catching the interest of our very own Amber.
"Hehehe. I guess i won't run out of playmates anytime soon tonight. Let's begin." Clark announced in a brave tone and went to the center of this luxurious event.
This would have been the place where the people in attendance here would all dance under the symphony of both sweet and upbeat music later.
But it was quite sad to mark this scene with gore and death. Our bored gamer was of course very well aware of this eventuality.
It was at this moment that he introduced an alternative of sorts.
"Luis, right?" Clark addressed the 30 year old something crook under the direction of Mr. Steven Price.
"That is my name. Yes?" Luis asked in his usual comely appearance. He had shown no malice at all but retained his innocent and harmless guise.
This was indeed a true psychopath in the flesh. Alas, Luis could not hide from the op eyes of our bored gamer's system.
"May i suggest that we change the venue of our fight? I don't want to create a disturbance in this place that was well prepared by the diligent hands of the many." Our avid gamer said.
"Sure. Anywhere is fine by me." Luis replied in nonchalance.
"Let's do a dungeon battle then. Is that okay?" Clark asked once more.
"Of course." Luis merely nodded in reply.
"Great. May we have a good and fair fight. Good luck!" Our bored gamer finally said his last words to a man who did not know that death was already near his doorsteps.
Luckily for Luis, our avid gamer was merciless enough to let him feel the bliss of innocence in the last few breaths of his life.
Both tinkered with the unseen diamond watches on their wrists and on a blink of an eye, the contestants at the center stage vanished without a trace.
"Welcome back to the North Polar Territory, Player Clark Colter! Please enjoy your stay in the dungeon." The same cold voice welcomed the entrance of our bored gamer.
Different from before, the place was no longer a world of pure white. The emptiness was already filled by many different shops and facilities. There were weapons and armors shops.
Alchemy, archery, occult pavilions, and many others. All classes and expertise that were possible to learn were present in here. A whole city of shops and lively NPCs!
Alas, this particular dungeon was devoid of any other soul save only our bored gamer since he was the only one who has ever gained access into this dungeon.
Unlike the other usual dungeons that were usually filled with activity and people in the millions, the North Polar Territory seemed empty in comparison.
"DING!"
"Dungeon Battle Invitation from Player The Tyrant Sadist!"
"Do you want to accept or decline?" The dungeon Spirit notified.
"Ohhh... A level 50 player? Interesting." Clark spoke out loud as he was surprised by the level of Luis.
One should know that only a level 50 player and above can use nicknames inside these magical temples.
Luis was indeed a high level expert since the top players of the world were only at level 80 or so.
"Accept." Our bored gamer smiled after the initial wonder.
"DING!" A confirmation chime rang and the process of teleportation has befallen unto the body of our good gamer.
"Welcome back to the Pillars of Freedom, Player Clark Colter! Please enjoy your stay in the dungeon." A voice announced the successful entry of our bored gamer.
This place called Pillars of Freedom was one of the more popular dungeons that accepted any human applicants en masse.
"You have arrived." Luis stated the obvious.
"Indeed I have." Clark replied but his attention was elsewhere at this time. He looked around him and appreciated the beauty of the place.
They were in a green healthy meadow that showcased the vibrant aspects of life.
The sun was up but the gentle winds counterbalanced the effect to give a most refreshing experience of how good it was to exist in this world.
The leagues of mountains towering in the horizon presented a faraway marvel that brought about the will of adventure inside the heart of every traveler.
Truly, this place was a piece of heaven in this chaotic world.
"Shall we start?" Luis was calmly waiting throughout the ordeal. He was a patient killer if need be, most especially when there was a need for this particular useful trait.
One cannot freely attack anybody at this particular stage in the dungeon. Each player was protected by the Dungeon Spirit with absolute certainty.
"Okay." Clark said after a time. He looked at the living corpse before him and issued a grant towards this ignorant dead.
"Do you have any particular place in mind?" Our bored gamer asked.
"As i said before, anywhere will do. You can pick the setting. It doesn't matter for me one bit." Luis shrugged to show that he could not care less about this topic.
"I see." Clark smiled and hesitated no more. He did his best to give the man a chance at a longer life and yet he did not cherish it.
'I did everything i could. My conscience is clean and my hands pure as snow.' Our bored gamer thought and began conversing with the Dungeon Spirit.
"Dungeon Battle Location, Twisted Crypt." Clark said his choice.
"Dungeon Battle Location noted." The emotionless voice of the Dungeon Spirit replied promptly.
This was most probably the same woman and voice in the North Pole Territory and unto every other known dungeon in existence here on Earth.
"Do you want the battle to stream live or offline?" The Dungeon Spirit asked.
"Live." It was Luis who answered at this time. Clark merely grinned after the man's decision.
"Dungeon Battle Initializing in...
5
4
3
2
1..." The Dungeon Spirit issued a countdown and then it was finally starting.
"FLASH!" A change of scenery happened once more. Clark and Luis were transported in a large stone chamber.
Around them was perhaps thousands if not tens of thousands sarcophagi on top of one another.
The place was creepy and the deafening silence only colored the scene even more sinister than these strange multitude of coffins in the backdrop.
"Player Clark Colter (lvl 10) vs Player The Tyrant Sadist (level 53)"
* * *
"LOOK!"
"The fight is already live!"
"Kick that boy's ass, Luis!"
"We're cheering for you!"
"Don't let us down, man!" The fans of Amber could not help but exclaim in excitement.
They were looking at their phones and could not wait to see our bored gamer kiss the ground in disgrace.
"BOOOOO! It's a given that Clark is going to win!"
"How could our fantasy prince be defeated in the hands of an ugly washed up uncle!"
"Win this Dungeon Battle for us!"
"We believe in you, Clark!" The girlfriends of Amber also did their job to counter the angst of the young boys.
Alas, almost everyone of them could never believe how fast and deadly things turned out to be in just a few breaths from now.
* * *
"Make your move." Clark invited his opponent who was no less than 10 meters from where he stood. After that, he got a candle and a matchstick from his inventory.
He set the candle on the floor and lit the thing using that single matchstick. Our bored gamer then sat on the ground and closed his eyes as if in meditation.
"..." Luis was not one to play with words and so began walking calmly into one direction. Towards our bored gamer of course.
He clenched his fist and it turned into a bleached bone that was harder than steel. This professional thug did not even question why Clark did these strange rituals.
'A stupid rich kid!' Luis mused in silence. Alas, he only walked five steps before he overstepped his bounds into unknown territory.
"BANG!" A left leg was seen flying in the air. It defied gravity for a few seconds before it went back home into the earth's embrace.
"FUCK!" Luis was stunned. He would have wanted to rage and shout but then a spooky voice rocked his brain inside his skull.
"Where is your tribute, mortal?" The scary voice asked in a deep resonant male timbre.
"..." A breath elapsed with no answer.
"PUCHI!" At this time, a left arm was stolen second from Luis' fallen form.
"Please... take everything from me. This is all i have!" Luis finally learned that not talking was not a good option at this moment. And so he took all the items inside his inventory.
"THUD!" Miscellaneous items from booklets to weapons and wines scattered on the floor. Luis was quite the hoarder indeed. It was just unfortunate that he had no candle in his possession.
"We don't accept anything but The Tribute. Since you are blind like us, it would be best for you to join our cause, mortal. Become one with us." The eerie voice announced.
It was then that Luis saw them at last. A legion of blindfolded monsters in every form imaginable. And without ado, the feast of souls began.
"CRACK!" A single bite took bone and flesh from Luis' right thigh. A second later, the apparition was joined by his brethren.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" A lone man's voice roared in agony as he was slowly being devoured piece by piece by piece.