Warrior's Dream

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was a faint chill brushing against my nose. I had been walking through an inorganic metal-paneled corridor, but at some point, I found myself inside a profoundly natural cave. The flashlight in my hand illuminated only the rock wall ahead—a dead end. I couldn't go any further.

"......"

Looking around, it wasn't much different from before. Still a sealed passageway. The only change was the complete absence of artificial texture; instead, only jagged natural rock formations were visible. Stalactites and stalagmites dotted the walls here and there. It was a quintessential cave.

—Whooo.

Something like a wind sound came from behind me.

'That's where I came in.'

A wind sound in a cave meant it connected to the outside. With my senses on high alert, I walked into the darkness. The passage wasn't long. After pushing through the lightless gloom for about a minute, an intense white light blinded me.

"......!"

The moment I stepped out of the cave, I drew in a sharp breath.

—Whooooosh!

Before me stretched an endless snowy landscape. Everything in sight was completely buried in snow. A flesh-cutting wind howled fiercely.

"Pretty damn cold. Is this inside the dungeon?"

My Demonic Body seemed resistant to the cold, holding up well enough. Good thing. It was summer in the real world, so my light clothing nearly turned me into a popsicle.

Looking up at the sky, fist-sized snowflakes poured down. Too big for ordinary snow. To figure out where I was, I shifted my gaze farther out.

'...The ridgelines are almost identical? This is that place?'

The terrain itself wasn't much different from the real world's mountains. The tree placements and ridge curves resembled those of the Helm Mountains. Not exactly the same, but very similar in many ways.

I looked down at my feet. Below the high cliff lay only a white vista. It was certain. This was that exact spot in reality—the place where I'd entered the dungeon. The cave I'd emerged from was in the same position as the dungeon's cave.

The world inside the dungeon mirrored the real terrain, just blanketed in snow.

"Warrior's Dream......"

Just before my vision went completely dark, a fleeting system notification had appeared. The system called this dungeon Warrior's Dream.

'...Doesn't look anything like the name suggests on the surface.'

I pulled three energy bars from my backpack and shoved them into my mouth. After that quick meal, I got moving right away. I hadn't come here to sightsee.

"Let's head out first."

—Crunch, crunch.

The sound of snow crunching underfoot echoed unusually loudly with every step. The snow was so deep it reached my knees, my feet sinking in with each stride.

"Just a different season? Summer out there, winter in here."

I moved cautiously along the ridgeline, scanning the surroundings. I followed the same path I'd taken up in reality. Comparing as I went, there were differences, but plenty of similar or spot-on matches too. Especially certain rocks and large trees—they were nearly identical to the real ones.

This place might be the Helm Mountains from the past or future. Or maybe a parallel world. Whatever it was, my goal was singular: experience points, i.e., demon beasts.

As I wandered the snowy peaks, senses sharpened, it happened.

—Sniff, sniff.

'Blood?'

My Super Senses-enhanced smell picked up a faint metallic tang. So subtle it would've slipped by without focus. I quickly headed toward it. The scent grew thicker the closer I got—meaning I was closing in.

Speeding up, something appeared between the trees ahead. The edge of the forest. Bursting through, a vast snowy plain opened before me.

"......What the hell is that?"

In the center of the plain, several somethings were gathered.

—Crunch, crunch crunch, crack.

They crouched, greedily tearing into something. That must've been the source of the blood smell. Creeping closer, their forms came into view. Hulking brutes over two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meters tall, bursting with muscle under thick green skin, hideous tusks jutting from their mouths.

"Orcs?"

I couldn't help but be stunned. In the past year in this world, I'd encountered all sorts of info on, but nothing like these. I'd even met elves and beastkin. But orcs straight out of fantasy novels? Never heard of them.

At first, I'd thought it odd that a fantasy game's world lacked goblins or orcs, but I'd brushed it off. Whatever, it's unique. Dungeons contained unknown to the real world. These must be it.

One orc sniffed the air and whipped its head toward me.

—Chreeek! Chreeeek!!

With a blood-spewing roar, the orc locked eyes on me. The orcs charged, kicking up snow. Incredible speed for their bulk.

"Gotcha."

Total of four. Two wielded axes, one a spear, one dual axes. Up close, they looked off. Eyes rolled back unfocused, yellow drool cascading from their maws. Notably, strange purple slime coated their shoulders, chests, and bodies—writhing like living things on their skin. Suspicious color.

—Chreeek!!

The first orc swung its massive axe. I dodged by tilting my head and closed in, slamming a tentacle-wrapped fist into its jaw. The crunch of shattering bone thrilled up my arm. The orc flew back.

The second, right behind, lunged. A powerful diagonal overhead axe swing. Big motion. I ducked low, exposing its body. Twisting my tentacles tight, I thrust hard.

—Krunch!!

—Guhrk!

My fist pulverized its heart and burst through its chest. The orc dropped dead. Yanking my arm free, a spear tip flashed toward me. It grazed my cheek, drawing blood. I snatched the shaft, shot a tentacle from my shoulder to wrap its neck, and squeezed.

—Crack!

Neck bones crumbled; it convulsed briefly before slumping lifeless to the snow.

That instant, a menacing whoosh from behind. I leaned back immediately, retreated, and faced it. The dual-axe orc barreled in. Wild swing from one axe. Before it dropped, I surged in, grabbed its wrist, and bound the hand with tentacles. One arm sealed, it swung the other down. I pressed close.

—Whoosh!

The axe missed over my back. Circling behind fast, I hooked under its armpit, lifted, and slammed.

"Hup—!"

—Boom!!

The orc's body rose then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cratered headfirst. A sickening crack, red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blood spraying to stain the snow. Releasing the tentacles, I stood, wiped blood from my cheek with snow. The cut had already healed.

Glancing down at the corpses, the purple slime covering them evaporated, fading away. The color, the feel—like demon beast goo. Time to check my hunch.

'Hope this works.'

I opened my status window.

"Holy shit."

As expected—no, beyond expectations. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Demonic Body's progress had jumped to the 45% range.

'What was it before? 11%? Something like that.'

That meant each orc gave over 8% experience. About ten times the demon beasts outside. Insane efficiency.

Whatever that purple slime was, the system clearly classified these orcs as demon beasts.

"Just seven more and I level up."

Euphoria made my body tremble, lips curling into a grin. Confusion? Long gone. Orcs, aliens—didn't matter. Those green lumps were perfect fodder for my growth.

At this rate, I might hit lv.4 by the time I left, not just 3.

I looked out across the plain. Massive footprints stamped the snow. Probably the now-dead orcs'. Chasing prey here, maybe. I headed toward what they'd been eating. On the way, and curiosity nagged—what was it?

"What? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Another orc?"

Mangled and half-eaten beyond recognition, but the green skin and swollen muscles remained. Cannibalism. Don't orcs usually have some intelligence? Their feral behavior, that purple slime—it all connected.

I followed their footprints across the plain.