Godlike Player in a Game-Like World

After going through the door, Raydon found himself back in the room he had been in previously. The room, which had a total of four doors before, now only has two of them.

''On the whole, I have about two more hours. 1 hour for each stage,'' Raydon said, and without wasting any time, he headed towards one of the doors to proceed to the next stage.

As he walked through the door, a heavy smell of mud greeted him, its earthy scent filling his nostrils. When he looked up ahead, he saw that the walls and floor of the long corridor that lay before him were covered in a thick layer of mud. It was difficult to see very far ahead due to the dim lighting and the thick air that smelled musty and had a feeling of being damp.

"This place seems very gloomy," Raydon said as he peered down the murky, low-lit passageway. Even if there hadn't been an unpleasant odor present, the feeling of the breeze on his skin would have been sufficient to induce a normal person to tremble.

He took a few cautious steps into the muck, feeling the squelch of the mud beneath his boots. As he made his way down the silent corridor, the only sound that could be heard was the squelching of the mud under his feet.

The ceiling was so low that it was only a few centimeters above his head, and the walls were uneven and rough, giving the impression that they had been carved directly out of the earth.

"This mud seems like it will be a problem," Raydon was moving slowly and carefully because his steps were getting stuck in the mud. Moreover, as he made some headway, he observed that the mud was becoming heavier and stickier, thereby increasing the difficulty of movement.

"I think now is the right time to turn my disadvantage into an advantage. I hope it works. ''

He chuckled to himself, and the mud at his feet started to dry as it darkened and smoke rose.

Due to the fact that it followed the same logic as a skill, the heat that emanated from Raydon's body did not cause the boots on his feet to become damaged. After all, if the skill used by the item holders caused damage to the item to which the skill was attached, then the majority of items would be destroyed after only a single use of the skill. Therefore, Raydon's use of his skills did not cause him any harm, nor did it cause any harm to the items that were bound to him.

After the mud had dried and turned to sand, Raydon was able to easily pull his foot out.

''If I don't count the smoke, my movement will be easier,'' Raydon said, inhaling the foul-smelling smoke that had filled the narrow corridor. However, he had little difficulty with this smoke.

If he wanted to, he could continue to hold his breath; in addition, it wasn't thick enough to obstruct his vision.

He was making his way down the corridor much more easily at this point when he started to notice movement in the mud in front of him.

At first, he thought it was just the occasional ripple of the bubbling mud, but then he saw the mud slowly rise and take a shape.

After only a short period of time, the mud in front of Raydon underwent a dramatic transformation, transforming into monstrous mud creatures that stood approximately one meter in height each. They were short and stocky, with lumpy bodies and beady eyes, and they moved through the mud at an extremely sluggish pace.

Even though Raydon's Death Sense skill was always active, he was unable to see the HP bars until the mud monsters had fully formed. Obviously, there was indeed a strong barrier blocking Raydon's investigative-type skill.

But that didn't really matter to him, and nothing could bring him down from the high mode he was currently in.

''Finally, something that will allow me to gain experience. '' He said in a cheery manner and used his skill.

''Flame Burst. ''

In an instant, black flames engulfed the corridor ahead of Raydon, setting fire to the mud monsters.

[Lv.1 Claycreeper(F-Rank) has been killed.]

[You gained 20 experience.]

…

[Lv.1 Claycreeper(F-Rank) has been killed.]

[You gained 20 experience.]

..

[Lv.1 Claycreeper(F-Rank) has been killed.]

.

[You gained 20 experience.]

''This is perfect. ''

When Raydon saw the system messages after his 30-second flames had gone out, he let out a shout of joy. In that short amount of time, he had eliminated 40 Claycreepers.

''There must be more where these come from, right? ''

He observed in the corridor that the mud had been completely transformed into black sand as a result of the fire. His flames were so powerful that they obliterated several meters of mud in front of him and even killed the Claycreepers before they had even formed.

Raydon had to hold his breath this time as a result of the smoke, and the smoke's increasing density further hampered his already limited vision. Despite this, he kept moving forward in the same direction.

He began to engulf the corridor in black flames once more after a minute had passed and his Flame Burst skill had turned on.

''Flame Burst. ''

[Lv.1 Claycreeper(F-Rank) has been killed.]

[You gained 20 experience.]

…

[Lv.1 Claycreeper(F-Rank) has been killed.]

[You gained 20 experience.]

..

[Lv.1 Claycreeper(F-Rank) has been killed.]

.

[You gained 20 experience.]

''Now this is farming in the truest sense, hahaha. '' As he observed the 52 overlapping system messages, Raydon exclaimed with delight.

''Cough…Cough… ''

'Perhaps it's best if I express my joy silently.'  He began coughing from inhaling the thick cloud of smoke that filled the entire hallway. Thankfully, he had the stamina to run for hours without stopping for breaths of oxygen.

And right now, all he wanted was for this stage to go on as long as it could.