The meeting had wrapped up before midday and by late afternoon Levi was on a small boat headed across the river to the dungeon. They had decided to go ahead with the dungeon conquering plan, and once it had been given the green light, it felt like the preparations had finished even before they had begun. The packs they had on with food, water, and other supplies made Levi’s first trip into a dungeon seem like a death wish, which, to be fair, it probably was. The trip was getting his blood boiling, and Levi couldn’t wait to start the exploration. He had spent too long doing nothing these past few days.
“You’re sure you can guide us to the dungeon, right?” Alex asked as they neared the far shore.
“I should be able to,” Levi said. “I can somehow feel where the dungeon is. It’s almost like a sixth sense. I can’t really explain it.”
“As long as you can get us there,” Sam said. “It’d be pretty shitty if we went through all that discussion and packing for there to not be a dungeon.”
“It’s there,” Levi said. “Don’t worry.”
“Oh, I believe it’s there,” Sam said, “I just kind of wish it weren’t. There’s still a part of me that thinks this is a terrible idea.”
“Well if we get into trouble you will just have to pull us out of it,” Mia said, patting Sam on the shoulder.
It had been decided that if the group got in over their heads Sam had veto power and could make everyone retreat. There was a chance that the dungeon would interfere with their thoughts, making them not want to leave, so Sam, who was resistant to mental influences of the System, could signal a retreat if things got too hot.
Levi wasn’t really worried about that though. If he was able to clear a dungeon by himself, than it should be easy enough for the five of them to do so. They were much better prepared and equipped than he was, not to mention more powerful. Even if the others couldn’t pull their weight he was confident he could pick up the slack. If the dungeon was impossible for him to destroy, it wasn’t meant to be destroyed. Unless it countered him in some way. While he was very good at punching things, if there were a bunch of puzzles to solve he might be in trouble.
Soon they reached the other side of the river and found a place to hide the boat. The boat was their only way across the river, so if something happened to it while they were gone they would have to find another way to cross the river. Swimming was always possible, but it wouldn’t be easy to keep their supplies dry while taking a dip.
“Okay,” Levi said, pointing out over the prairie. “It should be over there. I’m not sure how far, but it shouldn’t be more than a day or two.”
“Everyone, follow Levi,” Alex said. “But keep an eye out for any trouble. At this point in time we should consider ourselves on our own. It will take a few days for David and Kelly to organize everyone and move the outpost, but right now we can’t depend on them for assistance.”
Levi lead the way forward, and as he was walking he couldn’t help but whistle a jaunty tune. He may be headed into a murder dungeon, but he had been missing the feeling of growing stronger and surpassing his limits. He was confident in his strength, but he could still remember what it felt like to be helpless and alone. He didn’t want to feel like that ever again, and if that required blood sweat and tears it was a price he would pay willingly.
While they walked along Alex decided they were not using their time efficiently and should talk strategy. They had only briefly touched on it during the meeting, and he wanted to get a head start before they entered the dungeon.
“Alright people, listen up,” Alex said. “We should make sure we have at least some general strategy before entering the dungeon. Who here is familiar with role-playing games?”
Levi and Sam raised their hands, while Mia said, “Eh, I know a little.”
“Got it,” Alex said, nodding sagely. “Well the basic idea is to use the general optimal layout for a party in role-playing games. I will take the position of the tank, being the one to soak up the damage. Levi will be the close-ranged DPS, or the person actually killing things. Sam will take the position of the rogue or thief, doing things like scouting while also contributing to the DPS. Sam, you will also be responsible for lookout duty during the fight. You always need to keep an eye out for other threats. Mia and Duane, both of you will be the ranged DPS, with Mia shooting arrows and Duane using magic. The idea is that both of you should be protected at the back so you will be able to attack freely.”
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“DPS means damage, right?” Mia asked.
“Yeah. It stands for damage per second.”
“What about other stuff?” Sam asked, voicing what Levi had been thinking about earlier.
“What do you mean other stuff?” Alex said.
“I mean stuff other than combat. It sounded like Levi faced mostly combat in the dungeon he was in, but there is no guarantee that is the case for this one. You said I was the thief, but I have no clue how to disarm traps for instance.”
“I can take care of that part,” Levi said. “I don’t have anything specific for dealing with traps, but I do have some more generic skills that should help locate them. Or we can just send Alex in to tank everything.”
“Hey now, don’t get too carried away,” Alex said. “I might be the tank, but we don’t have a healer so I still need to preserve my well-being.”
“About that,” Levi said. “Does no one in the outpost have a healing skill? I would think it would be one of the main things people would try to get, what with being in a group and all.”
“It’s not that no one tried,” Alex said, “but no one succeeded. There might have been people with more luck in the main settlement, but… Well, none were with us at least.”
It was a stark reminder, bringing up what happened to the main settlement. It really put their situation into perspective. It wasn’t just about them. While increasing personal strength was important, the general idea was to gain more power so they could safely protect their settlement. Even Levi who had just joined felt a sense of connection, even if it was only to a few people. There was also safety in numbers, and the more people the more they could spread the jobs around. Levi would much rather punch monsters than dig sewage pits.
“Speaking of our lack of healing,” Sam said. “How much risk do we want to take?”
“What do you mean?” Alex said.
“You said we should be in a regular party formation, but that doesn’t give us any idea of what the overall strategy will be. Like if we run into a group of monsters are we going to try and ambush them? Fight them directly? Kite them into a trap?”
“I think safety should be our primary goal,” Alex said after thinking it over. “If there is time, we can make a detailed plan of how to go about tackling obstacles, but if something is sprung on us, safety comes first. Don’t abandon the team though. We need to make sure to stick together.”
“What about obstacles in the terrain?” Mia asked. “Didn’t Levi’s dungeon have some of that?”
“It did,” Levi said. “In particular, the room where I needed to jump over lava. Not only was the temperature exceedingly high, but there was a strange effect on my mind. I was lucky to survive it.”
“What happens if we encounter something like that?” Mia said, frowning. “I’m not sure I will be able to jump across lava.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Alex said. “As long as there isn’t a time crunch we can take our time figuring out how to defeat each obstacle. With five people putting their heads together we should be able to figure something out.”
The rest of their travel passed uneventfully, and it was early the next morning when they finally arrived at the dungeon. Unlike the one Levi had seen before, the entrance to this one couldn’t be more different. Whereas the other one was secluded and set into the side of a giant tree, this one was a standalone gate, lording over the plains surrounding it. It was huge, and must have been at least three stories tall. It was ostentatious too, with the sides made of tall ornate columns and the top featuring detailed frescoes. It looked like something out of a Greek temple rather than a dungeon entrance. But the swirling misty gray almost see-through but not space in the middle confirmed that it was indeed a dungeon.
The gate had been visible from quite a long way away, but the trip up to it couldn’t convey its majesty. When the group of five finally arrived at its feet they stood there in silence, soaking up the sight of the gate. Alex slowly walked over to it, gently touching the columns, almost as if he was afraid it was nothing but an illusion and would evaporate into motes of light at any moment.
“Ha-ha, a dungeon!” Alex said. “A real dungeon! I feel like my life is complete and I can die peacefully.”
Levi smiled to himself. Alex’s reaction was similar to the reaction he had when he first encountered a dungeon. But as he thought about it more, Levi’s smile slowly went away, the reality of what was going on slowly dawning on him.
“Do you guys know how Alex is feeling?” Levi said, probing the others. He was almost dreading their answer, but he had to ask the question.
Mia and Duane nodded, it felt like almost unconsciously. Seeing their reactions, Levi knew his guess was correct.
“What about you Sam?” he said. “Do you feel the same way as Alex?”
“Why should I?” she said. “It’s just a dungeon.”
“We might have a slight problem then,” Levi said. “As soon as we got here, Alex, Mia, and Duane all are enamored with the dungeon to one degree or another. Sam on the other hand, is not. That spells trouble.”
Sam was the first one to realize what he was saying.
“The dungeon is fucking with them. I’m not affected, but all three of them are somehow now ardent dungeon believers and want to throw their lives away and waltz right into a death trap.”
“Surely it can’t be that bad, right?” Alex said. “I was only happy that we finally found the dungeon.”
Levi shook his head. “The response you had just now was almost exactly the same as the one I first had upon finding a dungeon.”
Everyone quieted down, each lost in their own thoughts. Levi struggled not to let out a large sigh. This dungeon wouldn’t be as simple as he was hoping it would be, he could already tell. They hadn’t even entered and it was already causing problems. And what made it worse was the whole time they had been standing in front of the dungeon Levi could feel a little voice in the back of his head urging him to enter the dungeon and destroy it.