It didn't take long to discover why it was called "Descent." It had nothing to do with monstrous spiders, but rather that in this dungeon the only path was downward. No matter what it looked like, the only true path was to find a way to keep going down. He wasn't too thrilled about that in a cave like this. He was starting to feel, not exactly claustrophobic, but a certain uneasiness.

  He didn't like this place, but he had to face it. He'd started all this on the right foot, this wasn't the time to screw up.

  He hid behind a wall and peeked around the corner, since he'd sensed a presence. There was a giant in armor, standing guard. He was sure it was a creature and not just placed armor. For starters, he could hear its breathing, see the rise and fall of its broad shoulders. When he said giant, in this case he meant very tall, taller than any human could be, maybe eight feet, but not as big as the spider or the stone giant.

  A bit intimidating, but if everything went well, he wouldn't have to kill it. James crouched down, making as little noise as possible, praying it wouldn't turn around. It started to turn around, not because James had screwed up, but because the damn thing clearly wasn't deaf. However, it was already too late. James jumped on it, giving it a double kick in the back. It was right on the edge of a cliff, so that was enough. It fell silently a great distance, but the impact was heard loud and clear when the monster burst like a grotesque pi?ata.

  [Enemy Defeated: +50 XP]

  The notification of its defeat and the experience points gained felt more satisfying. He'd always been drawn to efficiency, the idea of seeking the best possible result with minimum effort.

  Put like that it sounded macabre, but hey, it was just a fucking monster. He shook his head, laughing at himself, and continued on his way. He had to pass through a very narrow gap, lying down, of course. He'd never been claustrophobic, but that wouldn't be a pleasant experience for anyone sane.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  As soon as he came out, standing up, he saw five enemies: rotting zombies, with armor, sword and shield, and eyes glowing violet from their empty sockets. But he didn't just see danger, he also saw a good opportunity. The enemies noticed him right away and, like scavengers, they lunged.

  James started running, stopping at a particular point in the hallway, where the floor was obviously cracked. His only ability had already recharged; sixty seconds passed in the blink of an eye. He used it and kicked the floor at just the right moment, one second before they got their hands on him. The floor collapsed beneath their feet. James jumped to solid ground, but the zombies' hands and their weapons only touched air. All five died down there, in the darkness, bursting like pi?atas.

  [Enemy Defeated x5: +250 XP]

  Ah, how satisfying this was! More notifications. James smiled. And that was even more so.

  A very loud crack was heard.

  What the fuck?

  He ducked his head and the answer became very clear. The floor beneath his feet was about to collapse, and it seemed he'd been the straw that broke the camel's back. He felt numb as he tried to step back in time. Everything was slow, sticky. And it wasn't enough, of course not.

  He fell. Another path downward. Maybe it was the right path, because he hadn't seen a way to continue. It had seemed like a dead end to him.

  Maybe I should just let myself fall.

  He'd die if he hit the ground at this speed, especially with the armor on. He could almost hear and see his chest bursting.

  Oh, I'm a fucking idiot.

  He really was an idiot. He'd overlooked such an easy solution. James took a deep breath and didn't even try to stop the fall. He prepared himself, eyes wide open, not closing them for even a moment. A couple of seconds before hitting, he activated his ability. His only ability. With a thought.

  His skin turned to stone, instantly. And that was it. It didn't crack like a real stone statue would have. It just bounced off the ground, as good as ever.

  It did make him wonder how a normal explorer was supposed to survive that fall. He had this ability from having chosen to go to that dungeon first, but it had only been by chance. He could have chosen this one and ended up as paste.

  The effect disappeared. James stood up. Well, he supposed there would be a wide variety of abilities that could allow him to survive. Besides, their bodies must be much more resistant than his, since they were higher-level explorers. He didn't have to think about what luck others might have. The only thing that mattered was how he managed. And everything had worked out perfectly.