Azrael fell off the first seesaw.
As he dropped, the chasm seemed to spread wider, like a monster's mouth. He quickly twisted around and looked back at the starting point, the safest spot in this dungeon. A brief memory of himself standing there flashed through his mind.
A second later, Azrael blinked to that location and rolled, feeling solid ground beneath him.
Still in range… lucky me.
His innate skill's range was short, so he'd been ready to use it before he even jumped onto the first seesaw. Thinking ahead was one of the crucial things his military school drilled into him.
The other was to obey his superiors without question, but that wasn't so easy to learn, especially when it felt like the school never gave him much room to develop.
Okay, okay… I need to find a proper balance and get the hang of these seesaws and their different gravity pulls. My Blink's range is an issue. After the first seesaw, I won't be able to blink back to the starting point, only to the first seesaw. Which means I have to tame each seesaw so I can land on it in any stance.
Azrael locked in and stared the first seesaw down. "I'd still rather fight monsters, Frank!"
He leaped onto it and immediately shifted his weight to the side he'd fallen from. He began swaying left and right, legs shaking and hands flailing. Still, on his second attempt, Azrael did much better, earning a few more seconds on the seesaw before he dropped.
Blink!
The usual, huh. Not being a genius is so annoying.
At least he had the perseverance and passion to keep going. Azrael spat to the side and went at the seesaw again, over and over, as long as his mana allowed.
Thankfully, his average Intelligence stat meant his mana pool wasn't shallow.
An hour later, he could stand calmly on the first seesaw, still as a statue despite all the hurdles weighing him down.
[You have completed your first quest!]
[Your mana and stamina have been replenished.]
[You have received a new title available only in the Death Seesaws Dungeon: Seesaw Rider(Common)]
[Seesaw Rider: After mastering each seesaw in the Death Seesaws Dungeon, your mana and stamina will be replenished.]
[You have received your second quest: Reach the first safe zone, a tile of the bronze chest.]
Standing there with his hand on his chin, Azrael read the system messages. The exhaustion had been wiped clean, leaving him feeling like he'd just woken up from a good nap. He processed each line easily.
Each seesaw he conquered would now refill his mana and stamina, letting him keep moving. Reaching the first safe zone would allow him to take a proper break, maybe even set a checkpoint here. He'd also get a reward, probably.
So it's not only those chests that give me good stuff. I still want the big golden one, though.
He studied the second seesaw.
I have a feeling it'll pull me forward.
The seesaws looked like they could only tilt up and down, but the shifting gravity could pull off nasty tricks that would catch even seasoned adventurers off guard.
Trusting his gut, Azrael leaped onto the next seesaw. Sure enough, the gravity threatened to push him forward from behind.
Knowing the trick and reacting in time were two different things, though. The force was so much stronger that Azrael immediately thought of the first seesaw he'd conquered and blinked back onto it.
Here we go again, man.
5 more seesaws until the first safe zone!
—
Azrael tapped the first protruding tile in the wall that held the bronze chest. Then he crumpled to his knees and embraced it like it was the last thing he'd ever touch. He panted and sweated bullets, eyes shut, cheek pressed against the chest's cold surface
Cold… tough… but as pleasant as tits… probably.
The sixth seesaw had been way too dangerous and demanding, pushing his stamina and endurance to the limit.
He didn't have much room for mistakes or blinks, so he squeezed his brain for everything it had and leaned on luck as hard as he could, somehow mastering it.
Then he leaped onto the safe zone. The mental strain had been so brutal that even replenished stats couldn't clear it, and Azrael needed a real break.
[You have completed your second quest!]
[You have received a new skill available only in the Death Seesaws Dungeon: Checkpoint(Common)]
[Checkpoint(Common): You can open a door to leave the Death Seesaws Dungeon from any checkpoint you've marked.]
Oh, hell yeah. Just gimme my bed. I don't care that I'm sweating like a pig.
[You've conquered the first safe zone on which the bronze chest rests.]
[You can open the bronze chest to receive a reward.]
[Opening the bronze chest, however, will lower the value of the subsequent chests in the Death Seesaws Dungeon.]
Fuck no. I can still get the big chest.
A vortex crackled beside Azrael. He touched it and was sucked in again.
This time, he was thrown back into his room. He crawled to his bed and closed his eyes, drifting off into a long, well-earned nap.
In the meantime, North America and the rest of the world received news from the Third Lord's representative.
His words shocked the world and left many citizens uneasy.
"My Liege doesn't have much time left. Therefore, 10 candidates to inherit her domain and the title of the Third Lord have been selected personally by her. We believe the right successor will be chosen from them to carry on the Third Lord's legacy."
"Please, tell us who the candidates are, and whether we'll be able to see their progress! North America is looking forward to their development!"
"Only my Liege knows how far each candidate has progressed."
The reporters lowered their heads in disappointment.
Back in Azrael's partial domain, he woke to loud banging on the door.
Monsters! At last, something easier to manage!
He leaped out of bed and ran to his PC, turning on his security feed.
What he saw on the camera, however, drained all the blood from his face. He rushed downstairs to open the door.