Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

One thing was for sure, they were under the ground. When they rolled and fell on the Ax bridge, they were teleported to the sixth floor, which was an underground floor.

The players looked around themselves and found they were standing in a deserted, barren land. The ground was draught and barely any tree stood straight in front of them.

The ground was covered with cracks in the dried mud, brown dust all over the floor, and dried grass lying on the barren land.

"Duergars?" Kamiya muttered after the notification flashed.

"Hitori-san…" Reon looked at Hitori with a worried expression.

"Hm." Hitori looked straight ahead and nodded, "probably the same creatures we met outside the dungeon but… these will probably be stronger."

"You have met these creatures." The floor rumbled, "When? What outside the dungeon?"

"Uh… it was probably Kuzu who left those monsters behind us." Hitori declared.

"W- were they strong? H- how do you defeat them?" Kamiya asked in a hurry.

Although the Duergars were not visible yet, Kamiya wanted to know about them as soon as possible.

Hitori looked at Kamiya. Reon glanced at him too but she did not bother answering his question.

"W- what are Duergars, Hitori?" The rumbling ground started to shake harder. As if a giant was running towards them.

"I think we will need to split. One Duergar for each."

"That would not help, Hitori-san." Hitori glanced at Reon.

"Just try to hold on, I will come up with a way to kill them. There must be one,"

"No, guys, seriously." Kamiya waved his wand, "w- what is a Duergar?"

Both Hitori and Reon looked at Kamiya, "Dwarf." Hitori told him, "Spells do not work on them. Nor do the bullets."

Bang!

Hurriedly, they all turned their heads ahead. Only Hitori saw three dwarves carrying a heavy hammer, clad in armor and charging toward the three players.

"Quick, now!" Hitori bolted in the left direction, "split, split, split!" he shouted as he ran deep into the left.

Reon could not see the Duergar but still, she decided to follow Hitori's advice and run to the right.

Two Duergars changed their paths as well. "H- hey!" Kamiya was left alone with a Duergar, "oh no…" he glanced around. They both had already disappeared.

Kamiya clicked his tongue, jerked his body, and ran in the opposite direction, away from the Duergar. The Duergar started chasing Kamiya.

"What do you mean spells do not work?" Kamiya looked at his wand, "I am a mage for god's sake!" what could a mage do without magic spells? Kamiya continued to run.

Splash, splash, splash.

As Kamiya advanced onto the floor, he entered an area that had a low level of water lying on the ground under the pile of dead leaves.

Kamiya made the splashing sound with every step he took forward. Water sprung everywhere as Kamiya run deeper into the swamp.

Kamiya glanced behind, no one was there but he could feel something chasing him. Then he turned his head back and his body stopped right on the spot.

Kamiya felt as if he was hit by a baseball bat right in the middle of his stomach, but just harder. He spilled saliva from his mouth, his arms flew forward, and his legs too.

Bang!

With a jerk, Kamiya was thrown away backward. For a second, Kamiya thought he spotted someone… or something that carried a hammer with two horn-like spikes on the top of another side of the hammer's head.

Kamiya fell to the ground and rolled back due to the force. Immediately, the health notification popped up. He lost more than twenty-five health points.

Kamiya quickly pulled out his wand, while he lay in the water, he jerked his wand, "Fireball!" The balls went straight and disappeared into the dark forest.

"Damn it, Hitori." Kamiya got up from the blob of dirty water piled up with leaves, "Spells do not work?" Kamiya grunted, "Heck, I- I, I can not even see- see it properly!"

The floor they were on was again dark. The ax bridge at least had fire torches, this floor had nothing. So everyone was running into the dark without knowing where they were headed.

Reon had run deep into the floor that she found a withered forest. Reon glanced behind from time to time. She did not see anyone behind her.

Reon turned her head back once again and felt a tight slap on her face. Her lips were cut when she crashed with a rod- or so she thought cause suddenly the rod snapped and fell forward due to her weight.

Reon fell upside down on the dry land. Reon quickly rolled up and tried to calm herself down. She lifted her head and saw dry, withered trees covering her.

Rustle.

She heard something behind her. To check, she turned but got smashed with a hammer in her back.

Reon shrieked and flew forward. She pushed up quickly. No one. No one was visible but she doubted that she had caught a glance of a hammer…

Hitori had run in the left direction. While running, he felt the unevenness of the ground. He constantly stepped on big pointed pebbles while running that he almost tripped on them.

But he still ran somehow till he hit his leg against a big rock and stumbled on it. He let out a small shriek before he got down behind the rock.

"Oh, crap." He held his foot's thumb and groaned in pain, "what is wrong with this game?" Hitori grunted and turned to take a look behind.

The muscular dwarf was running towards Hitori as it held the hammer in its hands. It had slowed down though.

Hitori saw something off about the Duergar. It did not look as it did before. The Duergar's body was translucent.

Hitori frowned. He took cover behind the rock. The pain left Hitori's foot and he tried to get up.

The Duergar's body did not look as bold as before. Hitori knew something was wrong. Why did the Duergar look like a body made out of fluid? Why were its features not clear to him?

Hitori took a glance again. He did not spot the Duergar. Hitori glanced around and found the Duergar above his head.

"Crap–" Hitori unsheathed his katana but stopped.

The Duergar took a small step forward. It took another little step as if it tried to hide its presence.

"Is it… dumb? Or an idiot?"

The Duergar raised its hammer, it turned the war hammer and brought the horn side of the hammer forward.

Hitori swung his katana forward and clashed with the hammer first, the Duergar pressed down before schedule and pinned Hitori with its strength.

Thankfully, the horns were straight so they did not pierce through Hitori's chest but the blunt side sure did crush his ribs.

Hitori grunted and looked up at the Duergar.

"Hah?" Hitori relaxed his muscles quickly but continued to push the hammer back.

It was clear. The Duergar was visible. Its muscles, its grey hair, and beard, its metal armor… everything was visible.

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