Ad Infinitum

A bizarre world flashes into existence around me. I am a man, but I sense that I have been here before in various other incarnations. A powerful presence watches me, its motives self-serving, seeking vicarious gratification.
A sword appears in my hand. Then, from head to toe, I am instantly accoutered in helmet, armor, gauntlet and boots. Something is missing. A shield. Both sword and shield vanish, replaced by an enormous battleaxe requiring two hands to wield.
With a vague sense of purpose, I descend stone stairs leading to a dark cavern. Torches flicker in sconces, beckoning me to explore.
Spotting an oaken chest in a corner, I smash the lock with a hefty blow from my battleaxe. Eagerly I flip open the hinged lid and am greeted by a pile of gold coins. But before I can fill my. . .pack? . . .I am swarmed by angry trolls, who emerge from the surrounding shadows. I dispatch them with bloody efficiency. When cloven with my vorpal blade, my attackers simply vanish, their agonized wails lingering in my ears. Then silence.
I have neither pack nor sack to carry the 500 gold coins; somehow I just absorb them. Suddenly impatience, along with greed, is projected upon me.
I make my precarious way from chamber to chamber, without rest or pause. I find fortune, slay adversaries, gain power, and nearly perish several times. A million gold coins have I now collected, absorbed, rather, yet they don’t encumber me. My chain mail has morphed into plate mail, my battleaxe into a huge sword. Sighting yet another set of stone stairs, I descend.
Then it happens. They hit me from all sides, every sort of monster imaginable. Zombies, goblins, werewolves, demons, ogres, ghouls and a few I don’t even recognize. They increase exponentially. I slice and dice. Lop and chop. Smash and bash. But it’s no use. There is a long red line somewhere, quickly getting shorter. And shorter. And shorter. I should have taken that elixir. Summoned my guardian spirit. Increased my defense abilities.
With a loud pop, the red line disappears. I scream. I am facedown and faceless.
A bizarre world flashes into existence around me. I am an elf, but I sense that I have been here before in various other incarnations. . .