While the death knight relentlessly slammed its fists against the gate, Jake’s eyes remained fixated on the Skeleton Key gleaming from the huge monster’s hip. This was the key he needed to unlock the dungeon door hidden in the sewers. He had been wondering where he could find it for a while, and now he finally had the answer. However, there was a possibility that dungeons were designed for survivors, not mutants like him. As a mutant, he had never been fortunate enough to stumble upon such a key. He remembered thinking that perhaps survivors received Skeleton Keys as rewards for completing special missions. This attack on the bandit base could very well be one of those missions. If the bandits managed to defend their territory, they would earn the Skeleton Key as a reward.
Jake remembered that the Maze of Torment, a dungeon located in the sewers, was intended for Levels 15-20. He was well above the recommended level range, raising doubts about whether he would gain anything from exploring it. As a mutant, he had never come across a Skeleton Key and had never been offered one as a reward for completing quests or challenges. This made him wonder if dungeons were exclusively designed for humans. Maybe he wouldn’t gain anything by entering at all. Still, he didn’t know that for sure. He really wanted to gain access to the dungeon. If nothing else, it would let him know whether dungeons were designed only for survivors or if mutants like him could also benefit from them.
He returned his gaze to the battle below. It was still in full swing, but now that no new rift gates were ripping open, no additional voidspawn creatures were emerging. One by one, the monsters were being picked off, and while the bandits sustained casualties, it was clear that the defenders would win the battle. The machine gun turrets and Miller, clad in his power suit, had no trouble dealing with the monsters. Judging by the rate at which the voidspawn creatures were being killed, all the regular monsters would be eliminated in just a few minutes. Jake had to act fast. The death knight was still pounding its large fists against the gate, and at that moment, no one was paying attention to the massive creature. The machine gun turrets continued to fire at the remaining void spiders that tried to scale the perimeter walls while Miller fought the fiends and the sky raptors inside the base. If Jake wanted to snatch the Skeleton Key, he had to do it now, before the death knight rammed its way into the base. The monster was currently alone, with no one watching, and standing in the same spot—this was the perfect moment to steal the Skeleton Key.
Jake sprang into action. Rather than crawling down the wall, he unclung himself and plummeted several floors to the street below. Upon landing, he immediately broke into a run toward the gate, skillfully maneuvering through the void spiders that roamed the area. Even with his Cloak active, a few of the monsters spotted him, their attention drawn by the visible air distortions created by his swift movements. One void spider even lunged at him with its claws, but he swiftly dodged the attack just in time.
Suddenly, one of the machine gun turrets pivoted in his direction and unleashed a barrage of fire. A line of asphalt dust sprays erupted across the road as bullets whizzed through the air, cutting sharply into the pavement like angry hornets. Each impact unleashed a small explosion of dark particles that billowed upward, momentarily hanging in the air before settling back down onto the scarred asphalt. The machine gun fire traveled across the road toward him and the void spider he was racing past at that moment. The torrent of heavy-caliber rounds tore the monster in half. Jake couldn’t tell whether the turret was targeting him or the monster. He was difficult to see with the naked eye, but those turrets could potentially have specialized scanners designed to detect hidden targets. Most of the rounds drilled into the monster’s body, but some of them hit him as well.
The power they punched him with surprised Jake a great deal. The Adaptive Armor skill he had recently unlocked protected him somewhat, instantly forming additional armor plates over the points of impact, causing some of the rounds to ricochet off his body in different directions. However, not all of the heavy-caliber rounds had been deflected. Some of them managed to puncture holes in his hardened body, and pretty large at that. There was no doubt that the machine gun turrets guarding the bandit base were incredibly powerful.
Jake could feel mana oozing from the deep wounds in his body. It was not good. Not good at all. He didn’t have much mana left and couldn’t afford to lose any more of that precious magical energy. To make matters worse, the turret continued to fire at him. With the void spider now dead, it was clear that the turret had locked onto him, which made it obvious that it could indeed see him through his Cloak. Jake sprinted across the road, doing his best to dodge the torrents of bullets pouring down on him. Heavy-caliber rounds ripped through the asphalt around him, leaving massive craters in the road.
Now that Jake knew how powerful those turrets were and how much damage they could inflict on him, he realized he would need to postpone his attack on the bandit base for a while. Just by hitting him a few times, one turret had done a number on him. If multiple turrets fired at him simultaneously, he would be turned into Swiss cheese in no time flat. These turrets were not only extremely powerful but also had nearly perfect aim, the ability to detect even concealed targets, and a remarkably high fire rate. Therefore, before launching an attack on the base, he would definitely need to level up several more times.
For the time being, however, he needed to concentrate on the task at hand. The turret that had been firing at him suddenly went silent, having run out of ammo. No longer having to dodge torrents of bullets, Jake was able to run in a straight line, accelerating once more. The wounds inflicted by the turret had already closed, stopping the mana from bleeding out. While this was a relief, he realized he didn’t have much mana left. After snatching the Skeleton Key, he would need to retreat to safety immediately. He was definitely not in any state to fight at the moment.
Jake finally reached the death knight, which was hammering away at the gates of the bandit base. The towering creature remained oblivious to Jake as he crept toward its hip, where the Skeleton Key hung. It was fastened to a bony loop jutting out from the death knight’s body. Jake seized the key and yanked it, but to his dismay, nothing happened. The bony loop and the metal ring to which the key was attached were much sturdier than they appeared.
He pulled harder this time, but even with his inhuman strength, he couldn’t rip the key free. Gripping it tightly, he yanked with all his might, exerting every ounce of strength he had. Despite his efforts, the key remained stubbornly secured to the bony loop. Just then, the massive creature suddenly became aware of him. The death knight halted its assault on the gate and turned its head to look down at the spot where Jake stood.
He was fairly certain the massive creature couldn’t see him, but that didn’t stop it from swinging its fist in his direction. The colossal blow struck him like a freight train, sending him hurtling backward. The Skeleton Key slipped from his grasp as he soared several meters back before crashing onto the road.
He quickly sprang to his feet to see the death knight lose interest in the gates. The massive creature wheeled around, scanning the area in search of him. However, since Jake was invisible, the monster couldn’t spot him. It was a relief. He was definitely in no shape to fight anyone, especially not such a formidable opponent as the death knight.
At that moment, Cloak automatically deactivated to conserve what little mana he had left in his body. As soon as he became visible, the death knight immediately saw him, fixing its glaring eyes on him. The colossal monster let out a thunderous roar before charging toward him.
Oh, crap, Jake thought.