Emma emerged from the portal into a scene straight out of myth. She stood atop stone walls that stretched to the horizon, as far as the eye could see. A brilliant violet sky, not a cloud to be found, as the sun set in the west, plunging the distant forests below into darkness.. Emma had never left England before, but even she recognised the Great Wall of China, having seen it many times on TV and online. As it was, she got a full minute to appreciate the sights, before everything faded to grey.
[Time has stopped.
All traits and abilities disabled.
WARNING: This Dungeon is unstable, and will collapse if unbeaten in 13 hours.]
Then, to make things worse, a boulder appeared behind her in the distance, its girth taking the entire space on the wall as it rolled towards her.
"Whoever designed this dungeon played too much Temple Run," Emma huffed, as she took the hint and began to run; going forward, as it was her only choice.
It was easy going at first: the floor beneath her was surprisingly solid, showing none of the disrepair one might expect of a millennia old construct. The pursuing boulder followed at an olympic sprinter's pace, setting an absolute time limit, albeit a generous one given Emma's capabilities. Predictably, that was when the obstacles started appearing.
[Fragment of Will (Outer Disciple) - Level 5]
Ghosts appeared to bar her path; faint wispy figures that retained only an outline of the men and women they once were.
[20 EXP gained.]
Those that tried to contest Emma directly died immediately; even without her abilities, her physical strength was far beyond them; she didn't even need to fight back, the momentum from her run alone was enough to disperse them. The problematic ones were those smart enough to employ trickery. Emma ducked as one flew overhead, lunging at her from the side with the intent of throwing them both from the wall. She jumped right after, hopping over nets, caltrops and snares; none of them able to do much harm, but which would cost precious seconds to unravel.
That third hop nearly did her in, when the previously solid stone began to crumble, bricks falling to leave square voids leading to certain death far below. Now, Emma found herself moving diagonally more often than not, sacrificing speed for increased evasion as the traps, suicidal disciples and floor hazards combined into something far more dangerous than the sum of its parts; all the while, the boulder drew closer with every passing minute.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The System's clock had stopped with the first announcement, so even Emma couldn't be sure how long she spent running this gauntlet, all of it gradually blending into a single sequence as pure action tends to. When the end finally came, it was incredibly sudden,
Is the translator broken? Emma wondered, staring at the unfamiliar character in her chat log. I didn't even hear what he said, and I don't read Chinese.
[That's the character representing Heaven; applicable as either the celestial body, a name for the Sky God who rules over that domain, or synonymous with the Emperor. The meaning has changed drastically over the dynasties, and cannot be pinned down in a single translation. Nonetheless, you'll want to do as he says.]
"I'm new here," Emma deadpanned. "What's the going rate for a sacrifice these days?"
"One steer or lamb is preferred, a sow may also suffice if your means are insufficient."
Emma stared at him for a good long while, before deciding to make a counteroffer.
[50 Thrones withdrawn.]
"Would this be enough to buy such a sacrifice?"
The Disciple put his spear away, now hunched over and looking around with a shifty expression. Seeing nobody else present, he reached over without a word, and took his cut, before standing aside to let Emma pass.
[40 Thrones stored.]
That was cheaper than I expected, Emma admitted, as she passed through the outpost that doubled as a toll booth.
[10 Thrones was worth a lot more during the Song Dynasty. Inflation is inevitable, and on that note...
50 EXP gained for solving your problems with the power of money!
Level up!
Practitioner Emma Knight
True Form: Level 16 Damned Apostle]