Three figures stood before the dungeon's entrance. They have done this a hundred times before and probably a hundred more if their luck doesn't change for the better. Other teams only spared them a moment's glance before descending the stairs that led down into the darkness while most just ignored them. They were just adventurers, ones that flocked to the smell of an easy dive, and they were just like the rest of them.

While other teams planned and readied themselves for the dive, they stared at the massive structure with awe and anticipation. Made from some unknown material lost to time, the gate of the dungeon looked like it was etched into the mountainside by Giants and intricate runes lined its colossal frame.

It loomed over them like a shadow. A dark and foreboding shadow that swallowed everything that entered its gaping maw. No light came from within and a cold, damp wind blew out constantly from somewhere within its walls. Occasionally, a team of adventurers would stumble out of the darkness looking half-dead or very, very dead.

One of the three, a girl with pointed ears and green hair nudged the man beside her. He gave her a glance and he saw the troubled look in her azure eyes. She clutched the short bow at her side tightly while they watched a small group enter into the darkness, their forms being swallowed up by the void as they descended down the stairs.

"A-Are you sure we should continue? We could do-"

"No. We need to do this dive."

"Yeah, but they say the new section is more dangerous than-"

"Look, Semilia, this might be our only chance for a gig like this! If we don't go in now, those guys with the weird weapons and names would get first dibs on any artifacts that might be hidden there."

"Stefan, Semilia. They're starting the dive."

Another girl spoke up, this one wearing a grey robe and a pointy, grey hat. She carried a staff that is a head taller than her and weighed just as heavy. She raised a finger and pointed at another group of a dozen different adventurers as they marched into the darkness.

The three of them looked on, unsure of what to do next. But it was too late to turn back now. That, they were sure of.

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"Low-Elf."

Someone from the other group spoke the word under his breath. He made no effort to hide the disdain in his tone and he spat to the side after muttering the word.

Her hands squeezed the bow on her side, glancing at the other teams while they walked through the first floor of the dungeon. Most of the people gave her a small glance before ignoring her completely, but some cursed her silently while they shot unsavory glares at her.

"Ignore them, Semilia."

The mage by her side whispered softly, her words shot down any more murmurs from being whispered in the darkness.

"I-I know... I know. But-"

"Heads up. It's up ahead."

Stefan pulled out his shortsword and frowned. His brown eyes looked sharply at the outcrop along the walls. If it wasn't for the lights the mages constantly cast, everyone would've missed the small gap up ahead.

Months ago, a small team accidentally stumbled onto the hidden section after a nasty run-in with a Troll. The mage blew the hole wide open with a stray [Fireball] and revealed another section of the dungeon by accident. A handful of teams ventured into the new section only to return as Undead or be found days later as corpses, torn apart by things that lurked in the shadows.

"Look here. Part of the wall is still scorched."

Everyone looked at another mage as he ran his fingers along the hole's edges.

"Sylrius of the Steelhands Group did this, right?"

"Yeah. Guess the rumors about her bein' a powerful caster is right."

"If you could damage the walls like this, you have to be. Right?"

"Or... it was meant to be broken."

Everyone shuddered at the thought. Most just pushed it to the back of their minds, some uttered prayers but all of them just looked into the void.

Everyone except a group of three at the back of the small force. Semilia the Half-Elf was too busy checking if she's ready for the dive. Most of her armor is leather, high-quality ones but still leather. The only exception is the chainmail shirt she wore over her shirt but even that piece of equipment is old and due for a replacement. Her quiver was filled with arrows and resting comfortably over her shoulders, as it should be, and she had the special dagger she bought just for today.

"You finished limbering up, Sem?"

"Yeah. How about you, Stefan?"

"All good. Riel?"

"I am ready."

The tip of her staff glowed bright blue and the three of them nodded to each other.

"Guess we're doing this then. "

"Yes."

The two girls looked at their stoic leader as he watched everyone readied themselves.

"There's over 50 people here. Not much, but not few for a dive like this. I was hoping for at least some Gold rank adventurers but I guess this many Silver Ranks is good for an expeditionary dive."

Stefan noted the promising groups at the front as well as the scouting groups scattered around them. In terms of fighting power, they could probably take on most threats in the dungeon that's at least level 25 and below but most of the high-level monsters have been cleared out already in the past years.

"Attention everyone!"

All heads turned towards a large man at the head of the group. The adventurer assigned by the guild to lead the expedition and head of the adventuring party known simply as the Orc Slayers.

"We're about to start the exploration into the unknown and new section of the Arhues Dungeon. Parties and groups that are specialized in scouting and trap detection take front. Mage and archers stay at the back and the rest of you are to support them in case we have an encounter."

He didn't need to ask if there are still unanswered questions. Everyone knew the reason why they're here and everyone knows what to expect in this kind of work. The only question left on everyone's tongue is if they're moving already but none dared to ask that.

There were no words, no specific signals, or gestures. Just movement and a few verbal jabs at each other while everyone moved into formation, not neatly as the leader hoped but passable. He raised his battleaxe and moved forward into the darkness, followed by everyone else.

And in the darkness, they sensed the light of the intruders' approach.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The new section was massive. No, vast would be the right word for it. Vast and confusing to the untrained adventurer and those unlucky to find themselves lost in this dungeon. Trained Scouts made maps as the large group moved through the twisting corridors while some made markings on the forks and bends that suddenly sprang up in front of them. After the first hour of walking, it became clear to all that this was more of a maze than a new section.

Some of the corridors led to dead ends, some lead small groups of people in circles, and a handful led people to their near-deaths at the hands of Giant Spiders or Giant Rats. Rooms rarely turn up but when they do, they are either filled with dust and skeletons or monster nests. Sometimes, the darkness would play tricks on them and it would look like the path they came from disappeared or a new path would appear after they retraced their steps from a dead end.

"This is hell. The lower levels didn't do this to people. This just feels like torture."

A Scout grumbled loudly as they followed a route that took them down to a lower level.

"Yeah. It feels weird. There's no traps here and the monsters are all low-level ones that even a Bronze rank team can take out."

"I've heard of dungeons like this. Makes people feel complacent at first then it turns nasty and nastier the deeper they go."

It was the only way to fight off the heavy silence that plagued them since the start. Talking. Lots and lots of talking. The dungeon was dark and silent. Silent. No dripping sounds, no mysterious gusts of wind, and no monster noises for hours on end. The silence was so deafening that even the sound of their own heartbeat faded into it. It was something that none of them ever experienced before, and some even wished to never experience it again.

"Strange."

Everyone stopped in their tracks at the sound of their leader's voice. He stared into the darkness in front of him, his grip tightening around the handle of his axe as he looked at his surroundings.

"What's the matter, Jun?"

"Place looks familiar. I couldn't tell where... but..."

The bald man touched the dusty wall beside him and frowned.

"I couldn't-"

"Chief!"

Eyes darted towards the source of the voice and the leader snapped at the man who broke the silence of the dungeon with his loud and distracting voice.

"Fool! Quiet! Monsters could've-"

His eyes narrowed on the young man as he pointed a trembling finger at him. No, something above him. Everyone followed and heads turned towards the ceiling above them.

"There's something there."

"It's a... a-"

"A sign. A warning sign."

A mage flicked his wand and a ball of faint light floated up towards the wooden sign that hung above them. Eyes widened, some cursed, and all of them saw the blood-stained letters on the sign. The words were simple, written in the Common Tongue for all to see and read.

"It is the trap. Do not go into the hallways. Team Green Scars made that mistake."

Jun grimaced, then cussed softly. He knew the Green Scars and he knew of their disappearance a week ago. He turned towards the adventurers behind him and met their concerned gaze. He turned towards the rags that lay near a stained spot on the wall and he felt a knot in his stomach at the sight of a bloody, skeletal finger.

He was calling it off and everyone knew it.

"We're going ba-"

Something in the darkness swiped at him. Whatever it was, it was swift and clean. His mouth was still half-open, it looked like it was about to finish a sentence but to no avail. Everyone stared in shock for a moment. And then there was a thud, a wet thud. It rolled forward, eyes still open and blood trailing behind it.

And screams began to fill the empty corridors of the dungeon. Screams and the sound of something heavy chasing after the retreating adventurers.

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"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

His voice bounced off the stone walls and it echoed throughout that section of the maze.

"We never should've gone here!"

"I know! I know! Shut up!"

Semilia's voice was frantic as she fumbled for an arrow.

An hour ago, they saw Jun the Greenbane fall to the floor headless. They saw the thing that did that to him and it saw them. Semilia loosed an arrow into the shadows behind them, and she heard it snap on something. She loosed another arrow, this time she heard a thunk and flesh being pierced.

"W-What was that?!"

"S-Something that should be reported to the guild! [Light]!"

"T-That's something that shouldn't even supposed to-"

"Shut up! Shut up! I-I don't want to think about it! I-I'm gonna throw up again!"

Stefan bit his lip and glanced at Semilia. Her sleeve was dirty with the remains of her lunch and he grimaced.

"W-We need to lose it! There!"

Stefan pointed at the end of the hallway.

It was a sharp turn. An unfamiliar sharp turn. Like many others, they were lost in the blinding darkness of the maze and they have stumbled into a part that led them deeper and more isolated from the sounds of adventurers shouting and screaming at each other and at the shadows on the walls. Stefan must've made a wrong turn earlier, that was the simple explanation for it. But maybe it was the fault of the adventurers ahead of them.

In an effort to go back to the surface, many of the adventurers from earlier rushed in each and every direction to lose whatever it was that killed their leader. The panic and chaos made the surroundings more confusing and disorientating. It made it more dangerous in a way. The light cast by the Mages disappeared in a moment of panic, and all of them were suddenly engulfed by darkness. That was when it started.

Stefan didn't hear it, but Semilia did. Traps began to activate from somewhere and she heard the dying screams of people a few corridors away from them. Inhuman sounds filled the air ahead of them and lights would flicker on then off again in the distance. Inhuman sounds filled the air ahead of them and lights would flicker on then off again in the distance. Figures being torn apart by shadows could be seen in those short moments, and it was horrifying. Just the thought of it made her want to gag again, but it was close behind them. If they were-

A crashing noise rang out ahead of them. Semilia looked forwards and stopped immediately. A steep flight of stairs was in front of them and at the bottom was Stefan. He groaned in pain as he struggled to get himself up from the ground, his right shoulder was clearly dislocated and his face a bloody mess.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Riel shouted to Semilia, her voice snapped out the Half-Elf from her daze. The two of them were now rushing down the stairs, Riel nearly fell herself after spraining her ankle but Semilia managed to grab her by the shoulder.

"L-Leave-"

"Shut the fuck up, Stefan! Get up!"

Semilia put his arm over her shoulder and she dragged Stefan forward. Riel was limping beside her, shining a light with her staff as they ran as fast as they could through the hallway.

The rounded another sharp turn and descended a small flight of stairs. A door opened behind them, guttural moaning echoed from beyond its threshold and the smell of rot and decay wafted through the air outwards and towards the adventurers. None of them dared to look back after Riel glanced over her shoulder and refused to speak after something screamed at her.

They ran down the long hallway, Semilia and Stefan arguing with each other frantically while looking around them. Their voices echoed down the length of the hallway, stopping only for a moment whenever something suddenly appeared beside them.

"W-Wait!"

The three of them skidded to an abrupt halt. The two at the front looked back at the panting Riel while she looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?! D-Do you want to get carried-"

"No! A door! There's a door there!"

Semilia and Stefan blinked at her while she pointed towards a shadowy part of the wall with her staff.

"It might be the light playing tricks on you!"

"Or a trap!"

Riel pouted and shook her head. The moans behind them are still pretty far, but the two of them didn't want to risk any chances. They wanted to keep running forward, away from where they came from.

"No! It feels different! I... I think it's safe."

Semilia and Stefan glanced at each other, then back to Riel.

Or where she was supposed to be.

"Gods damn it, Riel!"

The two of them turned and chased after her as she ran. They caught up to her quickly and Semilia was about to smack her head when all three of them looked at the glowing runes on the door.

"See?! There's a door here!"

She looked at Semilia and Stefan. The Half-Elf stared in disbelief for a moment, then she pointed at the door.

"Open it then!"

"I-I'm trying! It won't budge! I think it's enchanted!"

She banged on the door with both of her hands in frustration.

At the end of the hallway, they could see the shadowy figures of things moving in the dark towards them. They began to panic, and all three of them were now knocking and banging on the door like madmen. Stefan reached for the handle and he tried to violently twist the door open a few times while the groans grew closer.

"P-Please! Open! Open! For the love of-"

Semilia kicked the door once more, but to no avail. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clawed at the wooden door with her fingers. Her fingers drew blood and she winced in pain from her pitiful attempt and she began to cry.

"P-Please... If anyone's there... Help us!"

"Shit! It's here! It's here!"

Stefan drew his sword with his left arm and pointed it at the shapes in the darkness. Whatever they were, they finally noticed the three of them and are running towards them.

"Please... someone... save us."

Riel slammed her small body into the door while she cried. A pool of warm liquid soaked her robe and pooled below her as she watched the shapes take on a more humanoid form.

She was about to shoot a [Fireball] at them when something unexpected happened. There was a creak, then light flooded into the hallway. They were blinded for a moment, the bright light stung their eyes and made it hard to see what was in front of them.

But then they heard it.

"Get in! Get in!"

They didn't hesitate, and they all charged forward into the light and the blurry, green shape in front of them. Then they tripped over something or someone in their confusion and there was shouting as they lay on the floor. Someone shouted for the door, and Stefan kicked it closed with all of his might behind it. It slammed loudly, and they all held their breaths in anticipation.

There was the sound of movement from behind the door. Stefan kept his boot firmly on the door's surface as the sounds of footsteps passed them by. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief in unison as the sound of footsteps vanished. Semilia turned towards the person under her, the person who opened the door for them and saved their sorry lives...

And she began to scream.