<h4>Chapter 24: Tombs and Trials</h4>


    Checking his current Exp, Ss found he was Level 6 with (160/320) experience. Surprisingly, he not only got the experience from the scornyx he killed but also from the ones his friends killed too. With this, he might be able to level up a few more times before they got to the bottom.


    Curious, Ss searched one of the beasts for a mana core. He was pleasantly surprised to find one.


    The system informed him when it drained the remaining mana from the core. He watched as the yellow light in the core faded away.


    If he could drain the mana from these cores, he might be able to extract their essence as well. He activated his essence extraction skill and watched as a dull yellow liquid drained from the core.


    Something was strange about this. Wasn''t this a simtion? How could he interact with a simtion like this? Unless it wasn''t a simtion.


    "Hey, I don''t think this is a simtion. I think it''s real somehow," Ss said. "I was able to drain mana from this core. I wouldn''t be able to do that if it was a simtion."


    "Ok, but what does that mean?" Jace asked.


    "It means we can interact with everything. So if you see anything good, pick it up." Ss said. "Speaking of, let''s collect these cores." He gestured at the scornyx''sying on the ground.


    They all worked together to collect the mana cores. When they were done, they put them in Lyra''s pocket dimension.


    "Lyra, do you have any armor in your pocket dimension?" Ss said.


    "Actually, I do!" Lyra said. "I was holding on to some training sets for us to train in, but I forgot."


    Lyra opened her pocket dimension, pulling out sets of armor - helmets, chesttes, gauntlets, greaves, etc. They were simple in design, crafted from sturdy leather and reinforced with metal tes, but in their current situation, any protection was wee.


    Jace, Rowan, Lyra, and Nadia eagerly donned the armor, adjusting the straps and buckles to ensure a snug fit. While they were gearing up, Ss drank the small amount of essence he had extracted from the scornyx.


    As the essence slid down his throat, Ss felt a familiar tingling sensation spread through his body. His muscles twitched and spasmed as the foreign substance integrated with his physiology. A thin coat of ck fur, sprouted along his arms and legs.


    "I don''t like that," Ss said.


    "Eh, it''s not that bad," Nadia said.


    "I think its kind of cute. Makes you look like a cat," Lyra said.


    "Thanks, I guess?" Ss said. "I''ll try to shave it off when we get back."


    Ss checked his stats to see that his strength and agility had both gone up 2 points, with his strength at 20 and his agility at 22 without his armor.


    [New skill gained: Pounce]


    [Pounce: Increases the users horizontal leap by 100%]


    Ss was happy with all the new skills he was gaining, but the cost to his human appearance was bothersome. As they finished gearing up, Ss got an idea.


    "Lyra, can you put one of the scornyx in your pocket dimension? It could be usefulter if we need to make camp."


    "You want to eat it?" Jace asked.


    "It''s meat, isn''t it? Besides, do you see any cows and chickens around here?" Ss said.


    "Fine." Jace said.


    Lyra considered the request. "I''ve never tried storing anything thatrge before, but I can give it a shot." She approached one of the lifeless beasts, cing her hand on its fur.


    Her pocket dimension opened and she slowly tried shoving the body into the rift. "Help," she said.


    Everyone got on a different side of the body and pushed together. It slid easily into the opening, and the rift closed behind it.


    "There we go. That shouldst us long after we''vepleted the dungeon," she said.


    Ss led the group through the ancient temple, their footsteps echoing off the weathered stone walls. The air grew thicker with each step,den with the musty scent of centuries-old dust and decay.


    As they reached the stairs down to the second floor, their path was blocked by a massive cave in. They could potentially clear the rubble but that would take hours and tons of energy.


    "Well, that''s just great," Jace muttered. "Looks like we''ll have to find another way around."


    "There must be another way. The training room wouldn''t have given us an impossible task," Ss said, trying to convince himself as much as the others.


    Ss scanned the surroundings, searching for an alternative route. His gaze settled on a narrow passageway to their left, its entrance partially obscured by overgrown vines.


    "There," he said, pointing towards the opening. "That should lead us somewhere."


    The group walked down a long hallway, their armor nking softly with each step. The passage opened up into a vast chamber, its high ceilings supported by intricately carved pirs.


    Sarcophagi lined the walls, their lids adorned with the likenesses of long-dead rulers and heroes.


    "A tomb," Lyra whispered. "This must be where they keep their honored dead."


    Looking around, Ss noticed an area of the floor that didn''t have any dust on it. It was at the back of the room. The dust trail was in the shape of an opening door, but there was just a stone wall.


    "It looks like there''s a secret passage here. Look around for something to open it," Ss said. Ss looked around the room for anything he could interact with. In the center of the room was a statue with a que in front of it.


    The que read, "Here lies Lord Aleron, ruler of Cdorn and friend to all."


    The statue''s hand was held out in a gesture of friendship. Ss wondered what would happen if he shook its hand. As soon as Ss gripped the statue''s hand, a click was heard, and the door opened.


    "Nice!" Jace said.


    "It could be a trap," Rowan said.


    "We don''t have much of a choice," Ss said. "We just have to be careful."


    Ss led the group down a long, dimly lit hallway. The walls were lined withrge ss tubes, each containing a creature suspended in green liquid.


    As they neared the end of the hall, a figure emerged from around the corner. At first nce, it appeared to be a person, but as it got closer, they could see the rotting flesh. It was a zombie.


    Without hesitating, Ss stepped forward, swinging his war hammer down. The blow crushed the zombie''s head. He expected it to crumple lifelessly to the ground, but instead, a green slimed oozed from the crushed skull, slowly making its way down the handle of Ss''s hammer.


    Instinctively, Ss dropped the hammer. He tried to squash the slime with his foot, but it attached itself to his boot, undeterred by his actions.


    The slime continued its ascent, creeping up Ss''s body with rming speed. Within moments, the slime had enveloped his head, obscuring his vision and starting to suffocate him.


    Thinking quickly, Lyra shouted, "Take off your helmet!"


    Ss frantically removed his helmet, and the slime came with it, freeing him from its grasp. Jace seized the opportunity to throw a flurry of duplicated knives at the writhing mass.


    The knives found their mark, and the slime stopped moving. As Ss caught his breath, he considered collecting the mana core from the slime, but the thought of potentially transforming into part slime convinced him not to.


    As Ss picked up his hammer, more zombies shuffled around the corner. Ss attached the hammer to his back and released the ws on his gauntlets. The zombie slimes seemed to be immune to bludgeoning damage, but not stabbing and likely not shing.


    Ss lunged forward, stabbing one of the zombies in the head with the ws of his gauntlet. Lifeless green slime oozed out of it''s ears.


    Jace and Rowan followed suit, their des slicing through skulls and piercing eye sockets. Five zombies hit the ground, slimeing out of their heads.


    Nadia and Lyra stood back-to-back, their weapons ready. Nadia''s bow sang as she loosed arrow after arrow, each one a head shot. Lyra''s rapier darted in and out, piercing the zombies heads.


    Despite their efforts, the horde of zombies seemed endless. For every one they cut down, two more took its ce. The narrow hallway worked to their advantage, funneling the creatures into a manageable stream, but Ss knew they couldn''t keep this up forever.


    "We need to find a way out of here!" Ss shouted over the noise of battle.


    "There''s a door at the end of the hall!" Lyra called back, her rapier shing as she dispatched another zombie.


    Ss nodded, his mind racing. They needed to clear a path. He activated berserker rage skill. Ss felt a surge of primal energy course through his veins. His muscles bulged beneath his armor, and a guttural roar tore from his throat.


    Ss became a whirlwind of ws and fury, his berserker rage propelling him through the horde of zombies. He shed and tore at the undead creatures, their putrid flesh giving way to his relentless onught.


    Green slime sttered across his armor as he carved a path through the sea of rotting bodies.


    "Follow me!" Ss roared, his voice barely audible over the groans of the zombies and the sh of weapons.


    Nadia, Rowan, Lyra, and Jace fell in behind him, fending off the zombies that threatened to nk them. They moved as a unit, their backs to each other, trusting in theirpanions to guard their blind spots.


    Step by step, they fought their way towards the door at the end of the hall. Ss reached it first, his ws making short work of the zombies that barred their path.


    He wrenched the door open, ushering his friends through before mming it shut behind them, cutting off the horde''s advance.


    "Please. I need your help," said a voice behind them.