Construction Mage - Chapter 13: Unforgivable False Hope

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Clay didn’t realize what happened as he was suddenly engulfed in darkness. One moment he was opening and chest and the next, he felt himself free-falling in the darkness. Thankfully, it only lasted a second, but a sharp pain coursed through his right wrist when he abruptly made contact with the ground.

He knew from experience that his wrist was at best sprained. However, what he was more worried about was how he couldn’t see anything. He panicked for a few seconds before the pulsing pain kept him focused. The first thing he did was to sit down instead of staying on all fours. He nursed his right hand as he got into a more comfortable position. The sense of touch comforted him, reminding him that he still had control of his body. His mind quickly calmed down as he realized he needed to act if he wanted to live.

He reached his hands out in search of the tent around him, but instead felt the same cold dirt of the ground.

Wait, was I brought somewhere else? Was that chest a teleport trap? Why did they have to have rigged chests in this world? They’re unforgivable existences that play with the hearts of innocent people! I’m sure they gave countless people PTSD or at least stressed them out!

Taking in deep breaths to stay composed, Clay felt around for the pouches strapped to his belt. It not only contained his skinning knife, but several pouches of survival equipment and rations. One of the most basic items of a survival kit was some flint to start a fire. Strapped on his back beside his shovel was a torch he had kept in case he had overstayed in the dungeon.

He had heard about how the first layer followed the same day and night cycle, so he always kept a torch around. It was mostly for helping him find his way around town in case of delays, but it proved to be useful right now.

Struggling for a minute to get everything in position, he was soon able to light the torch by smashing the flint against his shovel. The tip was wrapped in oil-soaked cloth, catching fire with just a small spark.

Grasping onto his light source with his injured hand, he was able to get a grasp of his surroundings while ready to respond to any threats. As he had feared, he was in a completely unfamiliar place. Worst yet, it was some sort of underground cave.

The tunnels were spacious enough for three of him to walk side by side, but the paths split seven ways from where he was. The place was literally a maze. He prayed that the place was at least still in the first layer, otherwise, he wouldn’t live for long.

This is exactly the type of shit I didn’t want to encounter! How are there teleport traps on the first layer? Shit!

Thinking it through, Clay knew that regardless of what layer he was at, he would have to get a move on it in order to survive. He had the foresight to pack a few days’ rations with him, but water was going to be a problem.

Having thought of his resources, he glanced at his status screen to find his health had come down to 79%, and a message beside it showed, ‘Right wrist damaged’. His stamina and mana were still around two-thirds full, but not knowing where he was, he quickly activated his Meditate skill.

He simply had to focus on his mind on using the skill, and he could feel his body absorbing something in the air. He wasn’t sure if it was just a feeling, but it confirmed the skill was active.

Taking the time to recollect himself, time passed by blissfully—at least it would if it weren’t for the pain in his wrist. It also didn’t help when he began hearing sounds of something getting louder by the second. The twists and turns of the tunnel didn’t make it easy to tell where it came from, but the chances were, someone or something was drawing closer.

Taking no chances, Clay quickly stood up and ensured he had everything before picking a path that was furthest away from the sound.

He tightly gripped his shovel with his good hand, proceeding cautiously. He constantly scanned the ground ahead of him, wary of any traps. Once bitten, twice shy. Now that he was deeply aware of the possibility of traps, even on the first layer, Clay was hyper-conscious about it.

It didn’t take long before his tunnel presented him with another set of choices, where the path split off into two opposing directions. Instead of choosing randomly, he placed a hand out at the intersection and held it there for a few seconds.

As a result, he resolutely selected the right path. Walking for another ten minutes, the tunnels began to widen the further he went. It went from being the width of three of him to four, then five. It sharply increased after turning the corner, emerging into a wide chamber.

What he saw there made him both grimace and smile. He grimaced because monsters were up ahead. He smiled because they were his old friends, the Kobolds. There were a total of five of them, with none being the variants he had encountered. They were similar to the Kobold Workers he recently slain, but their equipment was much better.

They still wore rags, but instead of a makeshift hatchet, they had proper metal weapons. Two of the five wielded spears that were double their height. In a regular human’s hands, it was a shortspear; in theirs, it was a pike.

However, they were the least of his worries, because one of them standing in the corner had an actual bow. It didn’t look like anything fancy, but it was a genuine ranged weapon that could end Clay with one lucky shot.

To make matters worse, standing in the middle of the group was a taller specimen who was wearing proper chainmail and a helmet. There was a sword tied to its hip, and from the demeanor of the other four kobolds, it was their leader. Clay felt that meant it was the strongest one.

The final kobold didn’t worry Clay as much, as it only seemed to have a pair of daggers. Sure, it normally meant it was something akin to a rogue archetype, but in these narrow tunnels, Clay wasn’t too worried. As wide as the chamber was, it wasn’t enough for him to get flanked.

Upon assessing the enemy group, Clay almost wanted to head back and select another path, but there were two reasons he didn’t.

Firstly, whatever was headed his way, could still be on his tail. There was no guarantee it wasn’t, and if it was truly there, he wouldn’t have the element of surprise, then. Secondly, he felt a breeze coming from this way, and even now, he could feel it getting stronger. He wasn’t completely sure before, but seeing these kobolds, he knew he was still on the first layer. That meant it was highly likely the way back to the surface was on the other side of the chamber.

Still, even with a reason to press forth, charging headfirst against five enemies was something only a fool would do. Perhaps those who were trained in combat for years could handle such a fight, but Clay definitely wasn’t one of them. All he had experience with was retail jobs and lifting weights to blow off steam. He knew he wasn’t a fighter.

That was why he needed to play it smart.

Hmm, as game-like as the dungeon is, I don’t think I can only aggro them one at a time. That’s a big problem, considering it is the basis of being able to clear dungeons.

He thought about it some more and slapped himself on the forehead.

How stupid. We’re in an underground tunnel. Just lure them back towards the more narrow sections, and I’ll get my one-on-ones. But can I win with a bad wrist?

Taking a moment to plan while he took a sip from his waterskin, Clay sighed. He had come to the conclusion that he would have to rely on his magic more to whittle them down. He could only hope the recent level-up with the skill would make a difference.

Having confirmed the way back was clear for now, Clay soon took action before that could change.

He stood at the bend near the entrance of the chamber and pointed his hand slightly higher than usual. Steadying his arm, he began chanting.

“Spirits, hear my call,

By Lestionora’s name, rise from your thrall.

Awaken from slumber, heed my plea,

Shape to my will, come forth as I decree—Earth Blast!”

The ball of earth was launched into the air and swiftly reached its zenith. It dropped back down and crumbled against the stone floor, splashing the five kobolds with dirt. They had been a bit too far for Clay to aim properly, but it did catch their attention as he desired.

Seeing that they were on the chase, Clay cast one more spell before sprinting down the other way. There was no way he would stay there, where their archer had a clear shot.

He went back until the tunnels were only enough for three humans to stand side by side and waited by another bend. The twists and turns turned out to be a huge boon for him. 

He waited and waited, with his palm pointed down the tunnel. When the sound of metal armor brushing up against itself grew louder, he began chanting before he even laid eyes on the target.

I’m really glad I made the choice to go with casting speed instead of power right now. Every second is going to count.

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