Chapter 14 - First Dungeon Run
Driving down a desolate road, the atmosphere inside the car was heavy with silence after the confrontation at the gun store.
Monsters loomed along the roadsides, their glowing eyes visible through the shadows, but the trio paid them no mind, focused solely on reaching their destination.
“Say, Lucas. Is it alright for us to leave Ivan Hovicks alive?” Chloe broke the silence.
Hands steady on the wheel, Lucas replied with a rhetorical question, “Who’s Ivan Hovicks?”
Chloe fell quiet for a moment before softly saying, “I see. Thank you.”
The car lapsed into silence once more.
Eventually, the car veered off the main road and into a dense thicket of trees. Lucas brought it to a halt in a secluded area and stepped out.
“Have we arrived?” Chloe asked, her curiosity piqued as she surveyed the towering trees surrounding them. Her voice carried a lighter tone now, her earlier burdens seemingly lifted.
Clicking her tongue, Samantha added with mock suspicion, “Are you planning to sell us off? What’s with this shady place?”
Lucas ignored her jibe. After retrieving essential supplies from the car, he pulled out a green tarp that matched the forest’s hues. He draped it over the car and further camouflaged it using nearby bushes and branches.
“Further down, there’s a temple,” Lucas explained, gesturing deeper into the forest. “It’s pretty secluded. If I’m not mistaken, they worship some small deity but I forgot its name.”
“A temple? How do you even know that?” Samantha asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
Lucas shrugged nonchalantly. “Why even bother asking when you know the answer?”
“So, why the temple?” Chloe asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Just to test a theory of mine,” Lucas replied as he started walking, motioning for the girls to follow. “I want to see if there’s a dungeon.”
“A dungeon?” The girls exchanged puzzled glances before following close behind.
“You’ll see,” Lucas said with a smile as the trio ventured deeper into the woods. After a few minutes of walking, an unsettling feeling crept over them as they sensed something moving in the shadows.
The trio stopped in their tracks, eyes scanning their surroundings while their hands instinctively gripped their weapons. Lucas spoke quietly, “Don’t use your guns, otherwise it'll attract more monsters.”
Chloe and Samantha nodded, unsheathing their respective weapons, a sword and a spear. Lucas also drew his
Moments later, several grey wolves emerged from the bushes, growling menacingly and baring their fangs. Drool dripped from their mouths as they circled the group.
“Who let the dogs out?” Lucas chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the pack. He counted at least seven wolves, not including those still hidden in the shadows.
One of the wolves barked at the trio before launching itself at them. At the same moment, all the wolves around them lunged forward, teeth bared and snarling.
Facing the incoming wolves, Lucas easily sidestepped the attack and swung his
Chloe weaved gracefully between the wolves, delivering quick stabs to their vital points. Within moments, two more wolves fell to the ground, motionless.
Samantha, however, didn’t give the wolves a chance to get close. Accurate and deadly, she thrust her spear, taking down the remaining three wolves before they could reach her.
Both Chloe and Samantha’s combat skills had drastically improved compared to before, thanks to the new ability granted by the rewards from their previous quest.
Chloe had chosen the Uncommon Skill,
Samantha, on the other hand, opted for the Common Skill,
Lucas had specifically advised them to choose a suitable Passive Skill to lay a strong foundation for their future paths. Acquiring Active Skills wouldn’t be too difficult as once they received their class, there was a high chance they would gain at least one Class-related Active Skill.
However, the continuous effects of a Passive Skill would scale with their growth, making it crucial for long-term development.
“Still not there, huh?” Lucas muttered under his breath. He had been hoping to level up soon and finally unlock his Class, which he assumed would happen at Level 10.
As the remaining Forest Wolves witnessed their kin being effortlessly slain, they let out low growls before retreating into the dense thickets of the woods.
Fastening the spear back on her back, Samantha smirked confidently, “Well, that was almost too easy.”
“Yeah! With my new skill, everything felt so smooth!” Chloe exclaimed excitedly, swinging her sword in exaggerated arcs. “I’m probably going to hit Level 9 soon!”
“Same here! What about you, Lu-” Samantha’s words trailed off as she noticed Lucas crouched over a wolf’s corpse, meticulously working a knife into its flesh.
Meanwhile, Lucas was deeply engrossed in butchering the wolf. While he had read books on game processing and practiced simulations in his spare time, the reality of handling a fresh kill was still a little unnerving.
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Despite that, Lucas managed to dissect a couple more of the beasts, securing a decent haul of meat.
While he considered taking the hides as well, he quickly dismissed the idea. Tanning them properly using traditional methods was impractical, especially since they likely wouldn’t stay in one place for long.
Stuffing them into their bags wasn’t an option either, as it would take up far too much space.
However, Lucas did take the time to rip out the wolves’ claws, teeth, and sinews, figuring they might prove useful for crafting later on.
“Come on, let’s move,” Lucas called out after finishing the butchery. The entire process had only taken a few minutes.
The deeper they ventured, the more oppressive the woods seemed, the air thick with an eerie stillness. Fortunately, no more wolves came to challenge them.
After some time, they finally reached their destination. In the middle of an open clearing stood a structure, surrounded by twisted, gnarled trees whose leaves were withered and dying, casting long, haunting shadows across the ground.
Looking around, Chloe gasped, “I expected something like a holy sanctuary when you mentioned a temple, but this… I never imagined it would be like this.”
“This is something else,” Lucas muttered, equally taken aback.
It was a temple, or at least, it had been. Now, it stood as little more than a crumbling shell. The once-grand entrance was cracked and weathered, with vines creeping over the ornate stonework. Symbols of the temple's deity were defaced, some faintly glowing with an eerie red hue.
The very sight of the structure sent a chill through the air, evoking a sense of decay and malevolent energy.
Slowly, Lucas advanced toward the temple's entrance. As he approached a certain distance from the entrance, a translucent system notification appeared before him.
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Dungeon Entry Confirmation
Dungeon: The Hallowed Grounds
Difficulty: Beginner
Party Member(s)
* Lucas Kun
Total Party Member(s) Entering: 1
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“Hey, Chloe, Samantha! Over here!” Lucas called, his voice breaking through the eerie silence of the clearing. The girls, still distracted by the sinister surroundings, turned and hurried toward him.
As soon as they joined him near the temple’s entrance, the system notification blinked and updated with new information.
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Dungeon Entry Confirmation
Dungeon: The Hallowed Grounds
Difficulty: Beginner
Party Member(s)
* Lucas Kun
* Chloe Helens
* Samantha Moon
Total Party Member(s) Entering: 3
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Startled by the revelation of a dungeon, Chloe asked, “Are we really going to enter it?”
Samantha frowned, pressing her hand against an unseen barrier. “Looks like we can’t just stroll in. There’s some kind of restriction.”
Lucas smirked, excitement flickering in his eyes. “We’ve found what we came for. Let’s see what this place has in store.”
With a mental command to confirm the party members, his vision blurred, and the world around him began to distort.
The next moment, Lucas found himself standing in a vast, decrepit hall.
Chunks of fallen masonry and shattered stone tiles were scattered across the floor. Decorative ornaments lay in ruin. Overgrown vines snaked along the walls, veiling faded murals and carvings.
The hall was dimly illuminated by faint beams of light filtering through cracks in the fractured ceiling, casting an eerie shadow.
“Wow… This is incredible,” Chloe muttered in awe, her wide eyes scanning the desolate hall.
Samantha, equally mesmerized, traced her fingers over the cold, cracked wall, her gaze moving from the broken floor tiles to the vine-covered carvings. “Just how old is this place?” she murmured rhetorically, her tone a mix of curiosity and wonder.
Just as they were taking in the sight, another system notification appeared before them.
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Dungeon - The Hallowed Grounds
Once a revered sanctuary dedicated to the worship of an ancient deity, this temple now lies defiled and abandoned, corrupted by an ominous energy. Its sacred halls are overrun with malevolence, a shadow of its former glory.
Clear Requirement(s)
* Defeat the Boss monster.
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“Just defeat the boss? Nothing else?" Chloe wondered aloud, still scanning their surroundings.
Lucas, keeping his eyes on the dimly lit hall, replied, "Well, there's probably more to it, but who knows?”
Although the hall was dimly lit, the trio had no trouble adjusting to the low visibility, thanks to the enhancements granted by the system.
They could make out three corridors branching off in different directions, right, left, and center. Each appeared equally dark, their depths shrouded in shadow, preventing the trio from peeking any deeper.
“Which way should we go?” Samantha asked, glancing between her companions.
Lucas shrugged nonchalantly, his expression suggesting he didn’t have a preference.
“Eenie meenie miney mo,” Chloe chirped playfully, pointing toward the left corridor. “This way!” she declared with a grin.
Speechless at Chloe’s method of decision-making, Samantha sighed deeply, shaking her head, while Lucas chuckled softly before stepping forward to take the lead.
Entering the corridor, Lucas instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, advancing cautiously.
The narrow passage was dimly illuminated by a series of torches mounted on the walls. Some of the torches were unlit, while the others burned with an eerie blue flame. Lucas guessed it was a magical fire, designed to burn perpetually, which only made the already unsettling passage even more unsettling.
Following closely behind him, Chloe muttered softly, “This place feels creepy.” She drew her sword, gripping it tightly as her eyes darted around the corridor.
“You’re the one who chose it,” Samantha retorted. Despite her words, the nervous way she clutched her spear betrayed her own apprehension.
Taking a few cautious steps forward, Lucas abruptly stopped and whispered to the girls, “Enemies ahead. I count five.”
Chloe and Samantha immediately tensed, their grips tightening on their weapons as their eyes focused on the corridor ahead.
Emerging from the shadows were several humanoid figures, their faces obscured by tattered black acolyte robes that once seemed fitting for a church.
Their movements were unnatural, jerky, and disjointed, like puppets controlled by unseen strings. Each of them held a weapon. Axes, swords, and daggers. All glinting faintly in the eerie blue light.
Upon closer inspection, the humanoid creatures bore no facial features. Just blank, pale faces that seemed almost waxen-like.
Without warning, the acolytes lunged forward at an inhuman speed with their ominously gleaming weapons.
Stepping forward, Lucas intercepted one of the acolytes. With a swift parry, he deflected its sword strike and followed up with a slash across its chest, sending it falling to the ground.
Another acolyte charged at him with an axe raised high. He pivoted smoothly, evading the attack, and retaliated with a clean strike to its neck, severing its head.
Glancing back, he saw Chloe standing amidst her defeated foes, her sword dripping with blackened ichor. Meanwhile, Samantha yanked her spear free from the chest of the final acolyte as its lifeless body collapsed in a heap.
But before they could savor their small victory, more faceless acolytes emerged from the shadows with their ominously glinting weapons.