There was no falling or dizziness. One moment, Liam touched the strange mark on the well. The next, he found himself somewhere completely different.
He stood ankle-deep in still, cold water. The place around him looked like a dead swamp—twisted stone trees, crooked branches, and no sound at all. A soft glow came from ahead, like the faint light of a lantern deep in a cave.
A statue stood at the center of the basin. It showed a woman with a blindfold and both arms raised, holding a bowl that glowed faintly.
Liam didn't move at first. Something about this place felt wrong. The silence was heavy, like the world was holding its breath.
Then he heard it—the sound of water sloshing.
Shapes moved through the fog. Creatures began to appear—tall and thin with black, slick skin. Their arms were too long, their heads smooth with no faces. They didn't walk normally, just limped forward in awkward, jerking movements.
Liam froze. His eyes widened.
"What are those things?" he whispered.
One of the creatures tilted its head, then suddenly charged. Its limbs flailed wildly as it sprinted toward him.
But it didn't reach him.
Its foot slipped on a mossy rock, and it lost its balance. The creature fell headfirst onto a sharp stone hidden just beneath the water's surface. With a nasty crack, it stopped moving.
Liam blinked. He hadn't done anything.
Another one crept closer, moving around the fallen one. It passed under a dead tree. Just then, a branch snapped and fell on its back with a loud smack. The creature dropped without a sound.
"They're dying on their own," Liam muttered, eyes wide.
A third one crawled like a spider, low and fast. It jumped at Liam.
But right then, the ground beneath it collapsed—a hidden hole swallowed it. It landed on sharp rocks below, twisting its limbs the wrong way. It didn't move again.
More monsters appeared. One swung a chain in circles. It tried to throw it at Liam, but the chain got caught on a vine. It snapped back and wrapped around its own neck, yanking tight. The creature struggled, then dropped.
Liam's heart pounded.
"This is my skill," he realized. "[God-Given Luck]... it's protecting me."
Another creature sprinted forward. It looked more dangerous than the others—taller, heavier, its body covered in sharp bone plates. It let out a low growl and ran straight at Liam.
Then a large stone fell from above. A piece of the ceiling broke off at just the right moment and crushed the creature before it got close.
Liam didn't know whether to laugh or panic.
Even more monsters came. One tripped over an old skull and landed headfirst onto a sharp rock. Another got hit by a burst of steam from a crack in the ground and melted where it stood. One even jumped right into the path of a falling boulder triggered by loose stones above.
He looked at them all, horrified and amazed.
"They never had a chance. It's not me… it's the skill. It's doing all of this."
Eventually, the fog cleared, and the monsters stopped coming.
The statue now held something different in her hands. A chest had appeared where the glowing bowl once sat.
Liam stepped forward and opened it.
Inside was a glowing skill stone, changing colors as it pulsed softly. Next to it lay a wrapped sword.
Liam picked them both up, storing them in his pouch for later.
The chest faded into mist. A silver portal opened nearby.
He looked back at the battlefield of broken bodies.
"All I did was stand here…" he whispered.
Then he walked through the gate.
---
He reappeared beside the old well in Redfern Hollow. The sun was up, and the town was awake. Birds chirped. People chatted in the distance.
It was like nothing had happened.
He stood there for a while, quiet.
"I didn't fight. I didn't dodge. They just died. One after another."
He looked down at his hands.
"I'm still weak… but my skill doesn't care."
He touched the pouch where the stone and sword rested.
He'd figure out what they did later.
Right now, all he could think about was food.
He smiled faintly.
"Time to eat. I've had enough of monsters for one morning."
And he walked back toward the inn, the sound of daily life slowly replacing the echoes of what had just happened.