The Cursed Cave

Overwhelmed by fear, Alex wasn't as cautious of the bear as he should have been and was sprinting at full speed. The wolf was also running right beside him.

Once he was certain he had run far enough, Alex took a heavy breath, trying to steady his racing heart. He turned his head towards the wolf, which had finally caught up, but unlike him, the wolf didn't seem exhausted at all.

Making sure they had left the spider far behind, Alex finally began to calm down. "I have to survive, no matter what. I can't die yet," he thought to himself as he lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

After taking a short rest, they looked around at the new scene before them. A cliff stood nearby, and an old bridge stretched across, connecting one side to the other. The bridge appeared worned, its planks creaking in the wind.

Beyond the other side, there were healthy trees, their leaves fresh and green, with tall grasses and wildflowers blooming in every direction. The scene looked peaceful and untouched, a wide contrast to the messy path they had just traveled.

Alex wasted no time and crossed the bridge. Below, in the water about 70 meters down, was a huge, mysterious creature. It looked like a whale, its massive shape barely visible beneath the surface. Both amazed and shocked at the sight of the creature, Alex quickly moved across the bridge, eager to get to the other side.

The Whale had such a heavy presence, Alex couldn't help but feel cautious every second he spent time on that bridge.

Soon, a vulture could be seen flying in the sky. At first, it didn't look huge, but as it got closer, it became clear that it was extremely large. A 12-foot giant vulture was flying around and around in the sky, circling right near Alex.

"They say, where a vulture goes, death follows." 

'I have to be careful from here on out, this must be Level 3 of the Heart of the Abyss each and every monster is 10 times stronger than the Lich'

"Level 3 has the largest land area in the entirety of the Abyss. Be careful on your way" Alex remembers the message of Kairo. Even if the monsters aren't as dangerous compared to the top levels, this was still extremely deadly, Alex was well aware of the fact and kept going, keeping his senses at all time high.

Wherever Alex went, the vulture followed, circling round and round in the sky. The forest was full of fresh leaves, and although it was thick with trees and grasses, it still gave a refreshing feeling. The soil beneath his feet was also perfectly moist, adding to the sense of life in the area.

Soon, a group of wild foxes began glaring at Alex and the wolf. They were larger than normal foxes, and there were more than twelve of them, almost like a gang, lounging around near the trees, watching their every move.

One of the foxes charged at him, and Alex, quick on his feet, drew his sword and cleaved it in two. The remaining foxes froze for a moment, taken aback by his speed and skill.

[You have slain a Red Fox!]

[You have gained 7 exp]

It was the sword given by Kairo. Shocked by the sharpness of the blade, Alex raised it toward the foxes to scare them.

The foxes were rather angry instead, all of them started heading towards Alex. 

"Stand back, I'll handle them myself," Alex said firmly. Although the foxes were in large numbers, his agility and combat skills were a force to be reckoned with. He steadied his grip on the sword, ready to attack them at any given moment.

"Quick Dash!" Alex dashed straight toward the closest fox, stabbing it in the chest. He immediately kicked another one that was jumping at him, then quickly moved from his initial position and slashed at two more, who were dumbfounded by how fast he had closed the distance.

The foxes were fast too. One of the quickest among them went straight for Alex's leg, but Alex, barely noticing it in time, managed to kick it away at the last second. The fight continued fiercely, but within the next two minutes, all of the foxes were lying on the ground, lifeless. Alex stood there, catching his breath, his sword dripping with blood.

Alex picked up one of the foxes, intending to use it to fill their stomachs later on. As they continued their journey, Alex didn't encounter any new enemies. Instead, they came across harmless snakes slithering by, small foxes scurrying into the bushes, and playful monkeys swinging from the trees, rabbits jumping from one bush to another at unprecedented speed, none of which posed any threat.

'There aren't many animals here' Alex muttered, as he expected a lot more.

Soon they found a cave, the entrance was deep underground just like a dungeon. "Don't tell me"

Alex remembered what Kairo had said: "Remember, if you ever see dungeons in Stage 3 and Stage 4, be careful. There could be some strong enemies lurking inside."

"And just how strong are you implying?" Alex asked Kairo with a sharp gaze, as if he were ready to fight them if they were doable.

"I don't know, but definitely stronger than the Lich"

Alex slowly walked through the cave. It was downhill, so he had to be careful with every step, avoiding the spiky rocks scattered along the path. He also made sure not to make any noise, aware that even the slightest sound could alert something nearby.

However, Alex accidentally stepped on a weak stone, and before he could react, he began falling downward. He rolled through the narrow passage, the rough terrain rolling his body down the hill, until he finally landed hard on a stone. Thanks to his impenetrable armor, though, nothing much happened, and he quickly pushed himself up, shaken but unharmed.

"You don't have to come, keep watch at the entrance. If you see any wild monsters, only then should you jump in," Alex said. Concerned, the wolf was about to follow him in until he remembered Alex's words and stopped, waiting at the entrance as instructed.

Inside the cave, there was no light at all. Alex's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could see deeper into the cave. Since the path was narrow, he was confident there wouldn't be any big monsters inside.

But the moment he reached the end, the cave opened up into a surprisingly large space. The place was silent, not a single soul could be heard.

Soon, a snake lunged at Alex's neck. It wasn't a normal snake, it was a Black Mamba. But Alex didn't feel any pain and casually threw the snake aside, continuing to walk normally.

Soon, he could see a small light in the distance and sensed a human presence coming from there. But as he went deeper into the cave, he noticed thousands of snakes scattered around. "What's this?" he muttered.

Towards the opposite end, there was a group of five people. They were advanced adventurers who had come on a mission but ended up getting trapped among the snakes.

One of the members was lying on the ground, her face extremely pale, showing signs of exhaustion or injury. Another member, a purple-haired girl, was igniting a flame near the entrance, using it to block the snakes from getting any closer. The fire flickered, creating a barrier between them and the deadly creatures.

"I think I just heard footsteps from outside the hall," a green-haired girl with glasses said, looking confused upon hearing the sound.

"Don't be ridiculous. No matter how strong a person is, they wouldn't be foolish enough to come here the moment they see this many snakes," a tall man with yellow hair said, speaking in disbelief as he glanced around at the snakes surrounding them.

She continued speaking, "More than a hundred snakes have attacked him from all directions."

"What?" The yellow-haired man widened his eyes in shock. All the others looked at her, waiting for her to interpret the situation.

"Did he die?" the man continued, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Her expression looked even more perplexed. "No, He is actually slaughtering them all!"

"What nonsense, Maria this isn't time to be joking" 

"I'm not joking, look for yourself." She insisted, her irritation clear.

As soon as they slightly lowered the fire, they could see Alex cutting through all of them, even though he was being bitten by hundreds of snakes.

"Is he a demon?" The brown haired from behind speaks.

"Possibly not, I don't sense any demonic energy from him"

Meanwhile -

[You have slain a green snake]

[You have slain a coral snake]

[You have slain a ball python]

[You have slain a Kingsnake]

[You have gained 0.8 exp]

[You have gained 0.6 exp]

[You have gained 0.7 exp]

.....

"These snakes are almost endless"

With venom all over his face, Alex kept on purging them all, one by one.