Unable to arrive at an answer to his dilemma, and feeling like time was not on his side at this moment, Ellis, put everything aside, for the moment, and tried to think of a solution.
In the end, as he analyzed his situation, and after checking if there really was no gate, he could go back with, and not finding any, he felt that the situation, of there being two option for him, now after the message window appeared become just one.
If before he had the option, to gamble and wait for someone else to enter the gate, in the hope, that they could help him, now, with possibility of losing his system, and possibility his gained power with it, he didn't have the choice anymore.
The only option for him now, was to clear the gate, himself.
But, how he should go around that, with no clue at all to some monster or anything around him at all?
Even more with nothing at all in his arsenal?
Ellis, who had been suddenly teleported didn't have anything on him, he just had what he was wearing, and two magic stones in his bucket, no food for possible long time, he could end up spending here, and more so, no weapon.
It was really the worst situation.
Knowing that despite everthing he still needs to make a choice… to move on.
Ellis, looked at his surrounding once again, before he started walking, while thinking.
With just the gray sun, or perhaps it was more accurate to call it a gray moon, as it emitted a faint, distant light that barely illuminated the horizon and everything around him, Ellis knew that he has knew that he has two option once again.
Either go, make the gray moon, his goal, or go in the opposite direction.
And if he wanted to clear this gate, Ellis, felt that the possibility of solution being on moon direction, was higher, so, he walked in this direction.
While walking, Ellis, decided to open his system window.
[Status]
Name: Ellis Miller
Race: Human
Title: (Unique Monster Killer)
Level: 13 (EXP: 11.500/40.000)
[Attributes]
Strength: 29 Agility: 27 Stamina: 26 Vitality: 27
Mana: 61 Charm: 25 Luck: 23
Unassigned Points: 65
[Blessings:] Subtle Soul Rebirth (☆☆☆)
[Innate Talent:] Evolutionary Pathways
[Skills:] Basic Spearmanship Lv.2, Basic knife mastery Lv.4
Ellis, stared at his status for a moment, and finally had his eyes land on his unassigned points.
Should he use his unassigned points, immediately, or should he wait and see how the situation unfolds before that?
What did he need the most at this moment?
Without knowing anything, Ellis, felt that he can't gamble on these points. Because at this moment, he felt he needed stamina the most, but if he find a monster more strong than him, some time later, then, his choice, will end up, being the reason he fail, to make it out.
So, while hoping that this "long period of time" the system message said, was a lot longer than he thought, he put back his status window.
Then, he set the distant gray light, as his goal… and walked.
…
An hour passed without him coming across anything along the way, not a single change in the barren landscape, and not even the faint light seemed to grow any closer. Still, he continued his walk.
Three hours went by, but once again, nothing changed. Seeing how the light didn't appear to move at all, Ellis became convinced that this place really wasn't just another world but really inside the gate. The light wasn't a sun or a moon; it was something unique to this dungeon, as it held the gray color… the same color of the gate he was now dragged into.
Six hours passed. After walking continuously for so long, and not being accustomed to this kind of physical strain, Ellis finally began to feel the exhaustion setting in. Realizing he had no idea how long he might end up staying here, he decided to take a rest.
Ten hours passed. Without anything to fill his stomach with, and realizing the light was still out of his reach. A creeping sense of panic began to settle in, but knowing there was no other way forward, Ellis gritted his teeth and pushed on.
Sixteen hours passed. Though it seemed like the distance had closed slightly and the light had grown a little brighter, Ellis still didn't feel reassured. Still, he didn't hurry, and decided to rest for some time, sleeping for a couple of hours.
…
Already awake, Ellis, was back on his feet walking. His state, was anything but good, especially with nothing to eat, or drink.
He hoped to at least find something wet his throat with, but, Ellis, didn't find anything to help with that inside this gate.
So, knowing he can't waste any second now… he walked.
He walked.
Walked.
And then, continued walking.
And so, after some time, when he was even unable to determine how much had passed, and he felt like he was on the verge of losing his mind from the eerie silence that enveloped the place, Ellis, finally sensed that he made some progress.
Still, he couldn't help but feel that the situation was too abnormal.
But, with the light getting closer, Ellis, tried to cling that the end, was nearing… he tried to cling into this hope.
And so, with renewed determination, he kept walking.
Some time passed once again, and Ellis began to feel a strange pressure emanating from the light, but instead of fear, it filled him with joy. To him, it was a sign that the journey was nearing its end, after all.
But, after some time passed once again, instead of joy as the light, the goal he had been striving toward, seemed to grow closer, Ellis felt despair.
His clothes were deteriorating, corroding, or more accurately, disintegrating slowly right before his eyes.
But worse than that was the pressure.
It weighed on him relentlessly, and he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that if this continued, he might never reach his goal.
So, feeling this was the moment, Ellis, opened his status window. Fortunately, the system was still working despite the warning when he entered the gate. So, while hoping nothing would go wrong, Ellis finally decided to invest his Unassigned Points.
[Stamina: 26 -> Stamina: 41]
[Vitality: 27 -> Vitality: 77]
As the changes took effect, he could feel his body strengthening, and for the first time in a while, he felt relieved. The oppressive pressure that had been eating on him now seemed almost negligible.