Chapter 26 — First Blood Without Blood

Chapter 26 — First Blood Without Blood

As soon as Alisar took a step forward, he immediately felt the difference.

"It's so dark," he thought, adjusting to the sudden contrast after the bright street. He took another step. Then another. But instead of the darkness receding, it only deepened. After three or four more steps, he could no longer see his own hands or the floor beneath his feet.

— Damn... — he muttered. — I can’t see anything.

He carefully felt for the next step, then another. A thought flashed in his mind:

"Should I turn back...?"

But as soon as he took one more step forward—someone might as well have flipped a switch. The world around him was suddenly filled with a soft, diffused light. Alisar squinted from the surprise.

"Am I back outside?" he thought. But no.

Just a few steps ahead stood Rem and Sherial, as if they had been waiting for him.

He slowly turned around. Behind him was still the same dark passage—the dungeon entrance. It looked exactly like it had from the outside… but something was different. No guards. No tents. No old stone buildings nearby. Just bare rock surrounded by grass.

He looked up.

The sky was overcast. Bright and even… but completely covered in gray layers. Not a single break. And yet, outside the entrance, there hadn’t been a single cloud.

Around them stretched a grassy meadow. Soft grass blanketed the earth. Trees stood here and there—not many, but enough to cast shade. Among them were massive boulders, as if scattered by the hand of a giant. The place was… beautiful. Unnaturally beautiful.

Nothing like how he had imagined a dungeon.

— Doesn’t look like a dungeon, does it? — Rem asked with a faint smile.

— Yeah, — Alisar replied, glancing around again.

He took a few more steps forward, letting his eyes glide over the surroundings.

"Is this really a dungeon?" he thought.

In his mind—shaped by novels and games—a dungeon should have looked completely different. Damp stone tunnels, dripping water, dim lighting from moss or mushrooms, perhaps mold-covered walls. Dark passageways where monsters appeared at every turn. You’d fight, gain experience, and keep going deeper.

But here… green grass, trees, boulders, open space, steady light.

It was more like a park. Or a forgotten, peaceful corner of the world.

"Yeah… I’ve read about this. Sometimes dungeons in novels have inner forests… But this bright, this open, this beautiful..."

He shook his head in disbelief. This wasn’t what he had expected at all.

— Most beginners imagine dungeons as caves, — Rem said calmly. — In some ways, they're right. But that’s mostly how new dungeons look.

— New ones? — he asked, surprised.

— Yes. Recently formed. Or low-activity ones. But this one... — she gestured ahead. — This dungeon is very old. Even though it’s only ranked fourth, it was discovered by adventurers nearly two hundred years ago.

— Nearly two hundred... — Alisar echoed in awe.

— And even back then, it looked like this. It's hard to say how long it existed before the Guild found it. Maybe hundreds of years. Maybe more than a thousand. No one knows. No expedition, no scholar has ever been able to confirm its true age. Only guesses.

He glanced around again. Soft grass, trees, boulders, and a cloud-covered sky. Everything felt alive, yet… timeless. As if this place had always been like this.

— Dungeons like this have a stable structure, — Rem continued. — They evolve. Rules form within them—ecosystems, even climates. That’s why they’re often called “little worlds.”

— Little worlds... — he repeated with a hint of reverence. — And the Guild really calls them that?

— Unofficially, yes. But it’s a common term among those who’ve been inside. Old dungeons rarely look alike. Each one has its own shape. Its own laws.

He looked up. The sky, bright but gray, stretched above him like a real world.

— That sky... is it real?

— No, — Rem shook her head. — It’s an illusion. A feature of old dungeons. The light, the clouds, the atmosphere—it all creates the sensation of open space. But if you try flying upward with a skill or spell, you’ll hit solid rock. All this “nature” is inside a massive cavern.

— So we’re actually inside a cave… just a really big one?

— Exactly, — she nodded. — But a cave that holds an entire world.

Alisar walked alongside Rem and Sherial as they moved deeper into the dungeon. Around them—green hills, sparse trees, towering rocks. But no monsters. No sounds. No movement. Only a gentle breeze swaying the grass underfoot.

— We’re still in the starting zone, — Rem replied. — The monsters here are mostly zero-rank. Occasionally first-rank.

— So it’s not even the “real” dungeon yet?

— Ha, you could say that, — she chuckled. — If you leave this road and go straight—left or right—after a couple kilometers you’ll hit the boundary of the zone.

— A couple kilometers… on each side?

— Yes. More or less. We're on the edge. Beginners usually hunt here. They’re not allowed farther in.

He nodded, still surveying his surroundings. Every few dozen or hundred meters, narrow paths branched off from the main road—some to the left, others to the right. They wound through rocks and trees like silent invitations to explore.

— This feels like a labyrinth, — he noted.

— That’s because it is, — Rem confirmed. — But in this area, it’s hard to get lost. See the road beneath your feet?

He looked down. The ground was well-trodden, as if deliberately leveled and packed. Even the grass at the edges grew differently.

— It’s built to guide you forward. It’s hard to lose your way here.

— But why haven’t we seen a single monster yet? — he asked. — I thought they’d show up every few meters.

— Not that often, — Rem laughed. — Usually once every few hundred meters. And on the main road, there are hardly any at all. If you want monsters, step off the path.

— So if I take one of these side trails…

— You can try, — she shrugged. — But they’re too weak for you. It’d be a waste of time.

— Even for training?

— Even for a warm-up, — she said with a wry smile.

— Hey, maybe we should let him fight a few monsters? — Sherial spoke up suddenly, narrowing her eyes slightly. — I’ve kept quiet until now… but he doesn’t have any real combat experience.

She turned to Rem and added with a hint of irony:

— Remember how we first saw him? He was running from a couple of weak rabbits. These monsters are a bit stronger—just a bit, but still.

Alisar involuntarily clenched his fists.

She wasn’t wrong. That memory flashed through his mind—the running, the panic, the helplessness. He had truly been scared then. Terrified. Even now, just recalling it, a chill crept inside him.

"They really were weak... and I... I just ran. Didn't resist. Didn't even try. Like a coward."

He lowered his gaze slightly, stifling a sigh.

Rem paused in thought for a second, then nodded:

— Yeah… you’re right. He needs to start at the beginning. With weak monsters. Otherwise, it won’t be a fight—it’ll be a panic.

— Exactly, — Sherial said softly. — Let him learn to stand before he starts running into battle.

Inside, Alisar had already begun preparing for the first fight of his life.

They turned off the main road onto the nearest trail. Their pace immediately slowed, footsteps growing cautious. Within fifty meters, they were moving almost silently, each watching the path ahead carefully.

— You should get ready, — Rem said calmly without turning.

"Damn," he thought. He hadn’t even drawn his weapon.

With a shaky breath, Alisar pulled the sword from his belt and gripped it in both hands. Unsteady, but determined. He squeezed his fingers until they hurt, just to keep them from trembling. Inhale. Exhale.

And as if that were a signal—a low growl came from ahead, beyond the trees.

Heavy footsteps. The rustle of leaves. And from the shadows emerged… something.

Alisar froze.

"Horrifying," was his first thought.

The creature was short and stocky. Almost like a goblin—a weak, pathetic monster from games, novels, anime. But this… this one looked like a twisted, nightmarish version.

Reddish skin, as if inflamed. Eyes glowing crimson, filled with malice. Crooked teeth protruding from its mouth, claws like knives. Its gait was threatening, confident. It didn’t walk—it stalked, like a predator.

Alisar instinctively stepped back. The sword in his hands suddenly felt heavy as stone.

— Don’t worry. Despite how it looks, it’s only a level nine monster, — Rem said calmly.

— You should be able to defeat it easily with your level and stats, — she added confidently.

Those words gave Alisar a little peace of mind.

He was level 87. Level nine? That almost sounded silly.

He stepped forward… then another.

Rem and Sherial remained behind, not interfering.

As he got closer, the goblin snarled and suddenly leapt.

Alisar flinched in surprise, but his instincts kicked in: the sword rose high and sliced through the enemy’s body with force.

The goblin was nearly cleaved in two.

Alisar exhaled.

He had expected worse.

"I thought... blood, guts, all of it falling on me…" he thought.

But no.

No blood. No gruesome mess.

The monster simply vanished in a burst of bright light, disappearing as if it had never existed.

Only a faintly glowing magic stone dropped to the ground. It slowly dimmed.

[Red Goblin (Level 9) defeated. Gained: 9 experience points.]

A system message appeared before Alisar’s eyes, disappearing just as quickly as the monster had.

"Only nine...?"

He blinked, glancing at the softly glowing stone lying on the grass.

"After the ninety million I got in the training room… this isn’t even a drop. But I guess that makes sense. It’s a weak monster. They wouldn’t give much for it," he thought and slowly exhaled.

Alisar relaxed a little. Not so scary. Much easier than he expected.

— Not bad for your first time, — Sherial said with a crooked smile.

— Yes, not bad at all, — Rem nodded, watching him closely.

They continued onward.

The road stretched ahead, and more goblins appeared from time to time.

Lone ones. Almost identical—level seven, eight, sometimes nine.

Each time, Alisar stepped forward first, and each time the battle ended instantly.

It felt like a warm-up.

He even started to feel his body move on its own—the sword lifted, the fight ended—before his mind could process the motion.

But after a while, things began to change.

— Two, — Rem noted as two goblins emerged from the trail.

Then three.

And then—eight.

Eight goblins appeared nearly simultaneously, forming a half-circle around them.

Rem looked at Alisar.

— Try it. Use your strength. We won’t step in.

He nodded.

No fear. He felt confident.

He wasn’t the same boy who ran from rabbits.

The goblins growled and charged.

The first fell to a downward slash.

The second—to a thrust.

The third—to a wide horizontal strike.

But the fourth was faster.

Claws raked across his left arm—sharp, sudden, tearing fabric with a rip.

— Shit! — he cursed, jumping back and turning.

The sword swung again. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Eighth.

And silence.

The bodies vanished, leaving only brief flashes of light and fading magic stones.

[Red Goblin (Level 6) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 7) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 7) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 8) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 6) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 9) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 9) defeated.
Red Goblin (Level 7) defeated.
Gained: 59 experience points.]

Alisar breathed heavily.

He looked down at his left arm.

— Am I… hurt? — he whispered.

But, to his surprise, it wasn’t that bad.

He’d expected the goblin’s claws to tear him down to the bone.

To see blood pouring like in some grim fantasy scene.

To feel sharp, burning, searing pain.

Instead, he saw thin, slightly red scratches.

The skin was torn, but not deeply.

"Like a cat scratch during play..." he thought, bewildered.

He ran his fingers over the wound—light stinging, but nothing serious.

— Though they look frightening, — Rem said in a calm, almost soothing voice, — for someone at your level, they’re not a serious threat.

She glanced briefly at the fading traces of the goblins.

— They’re dangerous for beginners, those just starting out as adventurers. Zero or first rank—for them, monsters like these can be deadly. But you… you’re much stronger now.

Alisar exhaled, staring at the shallow cuts on his skin.

"If they can’t even injure me properly, then there’s nothing to fear," he thought, feeling the tension in his body slowly fade.

"It’s just a scratch," he thought again.

But then he caught himself:

"No, don’t get complacent, idiot," he scolded himself mentally. "Soon we’ll go deeper, and the monsters there will be much stronger. If I lower my guard, they really could hurt me. Or... even kill me."

He gripped the sword handle tighter.

"This is training. I need to learn. I need to get used to fighting. Seriously," he resolved.

Several more skirmishes followed. The same goblins. The same easy victories. Yet each battle was a step forward.

— I think a few more fights like this against groups of weak monsters, and you’ll be done with this beginner zone, — Rem said, without turning, though her eyes stayed sharp.

— Yeah, you’re right, — Alisar thought.

"This really is too easy… If I get used to fights like these, things will only get worse later. Better not to relax," flashed through his mind.

— A few more fights — and we’ll move on to the next zone of the dungeon, where stronger monsters live, — Rem added.

— Okay, — he replied calmly.

They moved forward again along the winding path. The grass beneath their feet bounced softly, the air carried a faint scent of dampness and stone, and up ahead they could already hear muffled growls — another group of red goblins was approaching.