The streets and buildings seemed endless, copied and pasted. But finally he saw something that stood out from the pattern: a building in ruins. Still, there was a piece near the roof, open, as if attracting his attention.

  He decided it was fine to take a look. He was a damn explorer now. Time to explore, then.

  The door was stuck. He could try to climb to the hole, but he didn't think himself capable, not in these circumstances. The facade of a house had fewer natural openings than stone, fewer grip points to take advantage of. He was no expert, so he simply broke the door down with sword strikes. It was perhaps more effective than an axe.

  Inside it wasn't much easier for him. The building was a fucking ruin. He did have to climb anyway, or slide, for example, under a couch lying there to be able to continue. It was as if a hurricane had passed through here. The layout of the building was a bit confusing, but with a bit of persistence he found his way to the top. Or well, almost.

  James smiled as soon as he stepped into the attic. He wasn't looking through the hole, but at the center of the room. Without a doubt, there was armor.

  I suppose this is it, he thought. I got it right. It's the last piece of equipment. But, how the hell do I put it on?

  He had no idea how to fight with a sword; he'd never practiced fencing. Fuck, he'd lived month to month, even on his best days. He'd never been rich enough to waste time on that kind of hobby. But he could improvise. This, however, was too much to improvise on the fly. Didn't squires help knights put on and take off armor? Could he even do this alone?

  He immediately felt like an idiot. He grabbed the armor putting both hands on top. He lifted it. And then it disappeared. The next instant, it was placed perfectly over his clothes.

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  [EQUIPMENT OBTAINED: Steel Plate Armor][Defense: +25][Durability: 150/150][Weight: Heavy]

  "Wow, so it auto-equipped. Okay, that makes things easier," he murmured.

  Not too easy, unfortunately. When the ground shook, James thought it was an earthquake. A few streets later he discovered that, okay, it was an earthquake, but caused by a stone giant.

  [BOSS ENCOUNTER: Stone Colossus][Level: 8][Warning: Enemy Level Significantly Exceeds Recommended]

  This must be the dungeon boss.

  At least, he wasn't alone. Other explorers were in the middle of combat against that thing. It was the first time he'd seen them live and in person. They didn't just have a sword, shield and crappy armor. It was obvious they were supernatural beings, above the common man. They made incredible jumps, did somersaults in the air, summoned fire and wind. It was quite a show.

  James stood watching, as if his life wasn't in danger just because there were a mere ten meters of distance. The explorers were doing well, but they weren't accomplishing much.

  "It's too strong," one protested.

  "Don't start throwing in the towel yet."

  If one couldn't even believe in winning, mental defeat made physical defeat inevitable. James wouldn't back down. He had no idea what a monster like this was doing in a supposedly level two quest. He had no idea what he could do about it, with ordinary equipment and no special skills. But at least he'd try. He wasn't going to let anyone say he hadn't tried.

  He clenched his fists, gathering all his courage, and as if he'd heard his thoughts:

  "Hey, newbie," said a third, waving a hand at him. "Help us out, will you?"

  "No," said another, after giving him a quick glance and then returning to the fight.

  Okay, it was natural for him to doubt. He knew it. But it irritated him anyway.

  "I'm capable of anything you're capable of."

  "Seeing how we're doing," said the first, "that's not very encouraging."

  James almost blushed. Good point, but it was time to stop the chatter. He took a step forward, preparing to face that damn monster. He had the feeling his sword would shatter as soon as it made contact with it. His shield wouldn't last long either. But, so what? He was going to try anyway. He hadn't come this far to be a passive observer. He wouldn't back down, no matter what happened.