I Am A Table [LitRPG Isekai Progression Fantasy]

The cobblestones grew slick with the kind of grime that Blorbo hadn't seen anywhere in this town. The colorful market stalls were replaced by grim, windowless buildings with sagging eaves and peeling paint. Shadows clung to every corner, even in the midday sun.

What the heck is she up to…

Blorbo'sperception strained. He was used to the occasional, glinting armor of the city's ubiquitous knights, who seemed to patrol every main thoroughfare. And the knights who were supposed to be everywhere were… not here.

"Okay, Blorbo," Lena whispered, her voice losing its previous glee and taking on something slightly more serious. It was an almost conspiratorial version of cheeriness. "We're almost there. Time to get to work."

Work? Here? What kind of work requires... this? I don't want to work. I'm an inanimate object!

As Lena delved deeper into the unnerving district, a tall, gaunt shadow detached itself from the crumbling walls and began to trail her. Like, literally. At least, Blorbo thought so. He could've sworn that man appeared from within the dark walls.

He strained his perception, but the gloom clung to the figure stubbornly like snake skin.

[Unable to Identify Shadow—PER not enough]

She turned the corner. The shadow also turned the corner.

She turned another corner. The shadow also turned another corner.

The already oppressive atmosphere grew heavier. That person is definitely malevolent.

He desperately tried to warn Lena, to make her aware of the creeping threat behind them. He vibrated with all his might, but of course, Lena paid him no mind.

"Whoa, Blorbo! What's with the shaky-shakes?" She giggled, and kept walking without looking back.

There wasn't much else he could do. He was an inaminate object.

Lena kept skipping, and the space kept getting darker. A thick, sooty pall hung overhead, a stagnant canopy of what looked like congealed smoke, blotting out any hint of sunlight.

[Umbral Cloak—??? Skill—Level ???]

Wait. That smoke is magic?

Now that Blorbo had noticed it, it seemed as though this pocket of the town was being severed from the outside world.

He braced himself for the worst.

But then a voice cut through the silence. "Cabbage mongressss, so good to see you again. Zis a nice place for a meeting, don't you think?"

That accent is familiar…

"Yes, Teach!" Lena spun back gleefully. The shadow turned out to be the robed mage. He was still wearing four gloves on one hand.

Why is he here? He's supposed to be, like, somewhere else, like a normal person with normal business does.

Then the robed mage opened a portal and walked into it. He opened another portal, three steps ahead, and walked out of it. The entire maneuever took more time than the time it took to walk three steps forward.

Right. I forgot this guy can travel through space.

"Do you want to walk through this portal and travel to the wilderness outside of this city alone with an ominous man?" The robed mage extended his non-gloved hand to Lena.

I don't know about this, Lena. The first lesson a lady must learn is to never follow shady strangers—

"Yes!" Lena clapped. "I love an adventure."

"Zen…" He waved the gloved hand, and the purplish-black portal opened behind him again. "Walk right in."

[Endurance Check—Survive]

Reward: 1 END

What do you mean 'survive'? And the reward for surviving is ONE END?

Lena, with an eager 'Whee!', launched herself headfirst into the purplish-black swirling maw of the portal.

Blorbo's world imploded into a chaotic maelstrom of non-sensory data. It wasn't the sensation of falling, or flying, or even instantaneous movement. Instead, it was an utterly disorienting cacophony of impossible feelings. His internal structure felt as if it were being simultaneously stretched thin and compressed into an infinitesimal point. He couldn't see anything, feel anything, hear anything. The only sound he could hear was a 'woohoo!' from a woman.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

[Error: Unknown Error]

[-(((23+7)−3)×2−sqr(16)​)÷(5×4) HP, rounded up]

What? What are these symbols?

Blorbo wanted to check the status screen to see how many HP he had lost, but his head swirled too much for him to focus on anything.

Just as Blorbo thought his very existence was unraveling, the sensation snapped. The purplish-black swirl vanished, replaced by the mundane, earthy smell of damp soil and the distant, familiar murmur of tavern patrons. Lena landed lightly on her feet, Blorbo jostling slightly on her back.

[Endurance Check: Success]

[+1 END]

He found himself... at the back of the tavern. Not the grim, shadowy alleys. Not some foreboding wilderness. They were squarely behind the familiar establishment, nestled in a small, overgrown patch of earth, thick with unkempt bushes and tall weeds. It was a corner just private enough that no one would easily stumble upon them from the main street or the tavern's back entrance.

You came up with a stupid excuse, went all that way into the most dangerous corner of town, jumped through a hecking portal, just to end up at the back of the TAVERN? What is wrong with you?

"Now I'll zhall cast a cloaking spell so no one bothers us," the robed mage said as he waved a finger around. Then the same blackened smoke gathered around them again.

You could've just done whatever business BACK THERE! Without jumping through a PORTAL!

"So fun! Let's do it again!" Lena said.

"I only opened the portal so you would get the feel for the powerful unlighted magic you have agreed to learn. We are not opening ze portal again." The robed mage shook his head. Blorbo was sure it was the first time ever he had seen the mage shaking his head.

Unlighted magic? That surely doesn't sound like Dark Magic at all.