Chapter 34 - Unexpectedness

‘Engineering Lab.’

Lucas and Chloe were standing in front of the entrance of the ‘Engineering Lab’. Upon entering, it was a similar scene to before, with rows of apparatus lined up before their eyes. This time, however, there was an array of robotic arms scattered across the room.

Some were hanging limply from their bases, while others remained frozen in mid-action.

“I’ll check out the room, so you do what you want,” Chloe waved her hand as she vanished into the deeper part of the lab.

Seeing her disappearing back, Lucas turned his attention to the available computers. However, all of them were damaged in one way or another and couldn’t be booted properly. But this wasn’t an issue for him.

He found the least damaged-looking computer and sent a streak of his energy into it. Under his energy’s influence, the monitor of the computer lit up. Sitting in the chair, he began navigating through the files.

Most of them were schematics, some for prosthetic limbs, some for drones, and some for weapons. To his surprise, there were even a couple of schematics for exoskeleton suits.

Lucas’s eyes brightened at these schematics, but eventually, he frowned. “Some of these designs are just plain bad. What kind of genius comes up with this? Obviously, it’s not going to work if you use such a convoluted method,” he clicked his tongue as he went through more and more schematics.

Eventually, he leaned back in the chair, resting his eyes as he let the knowledge he had gathered marinate in his mind.

All of a sudden, Chloe called out to him. “Hey, Lucas. You might wanna take a look at this.”

“Hmm?” Lucas hopped out of his seat and walked over to Chloe’s location

He approached Chloe, who was standing in front of a giant glass container. Inside, there was a white robot, remarkably similar to the one they had faced in the dungeon, but this one was on a smaller scale.

It appeared unfinished, with parts of its body incomplete, exposing wires and skeletal frames beneath a thin layer of white plating.

“Looks similar to the golem, right?” Chloe said, studying the robot.

Lucas’s eyes narrowed as he examined it. “Yeah, but this one’s a prototype. Or more accurately, ‘unmagical,’ if that’s even a word. It’s just pure science and technology, none of the magical components we saw before.”

“So, do we keep it?” Chloe asked as she watched Lucas studying the control panel next to the robot’s container.

Shaking his head, Lucas answered while fidgeting with the control panel, “Nah, I’ve got its blueprint in my mind. Besides, Jager and Manuel’s design is more reliable than this prototype.”

“Come on,” Lucas said, dusting himself off. “Let’s head to the main course.” He smiled as he exited the Engineering Lab and headed toward the elevator.

“Where are we going now?” Chloe asked, following close behind.

“Obviously, the real ‘real’ secret lab,” he explained. “We’ve checked the entire fifth floor, which was supposed to be the R&D Department. There’s a virology lab, an engineering lab, and a bunch of others, but where’s Mophalite? Where’s the ‘Magitechnology’?”

As they reached the elevator, Lucas took a peek into the shaft and continued, “I looked at this building’s blueprint earlier. Apparently, the hidden magical lab isn’t on any of these floors.”

Firing five wires from his , he latched them securely to the top of the elevator shaft. Extending his free arm, he signaled Chloe to hop on.

“So, where’s this secret magic lab?” Chloe asked, grabbing his arm and clinging tightly to his body.

Lucas smirked as he extended the wires, lowering them both down the elevator shaft toward the ground floor. “Just follow me,” he said with a confident grin, releasing Chloe once they landed.

Both of them now stood in front of an inconspicuous white wall in the lobby. Chloe stared at it and hesitated. “Don’t tell me it’s behind the wall.”

Grinning, Lucas sent a streak of his Psionical Energy into the wall. All of a sudden, some kind of mechanism began humming and whirring as faint bluish lines appeared on the surface, splitting it open to reveal a hidden elevator.

“Ta-da! A hidden elevator just for you,” Lucas joked.

Chloe froze in surprise, staring at the unexpected revelation. Lucas patted her shoulder and grinned. “Let’s go and have a look.”

As if sensing their presence, the elevator doors automatically opened. Both of them stepped inside. Before they could descend, a mechanical voice rang out.

“Detected unverified personnel.”

“Scanning for access tags.”

“Failed to detect access tags.”

“Please present access tags for visual verification.”

Hearing the announcement, Chloe glanced at Lucas, who merely shrugged before releasing another streak of Psionic Energy into the elevator.

“Access tags verified.”

“Identity confirmed.”

“Welcome Mr. King of the Eurobeats, Miss Matcha’s Empress.”

With that, the elevator began its descent.

“Hah?!” Chloe blurted out at the names. “What are these lame names? What the hell is Matcha’s Empress?!”

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Shrugging, Lucas replied nonchalantly, “We can’t possibly use our real names, right? Miss Matcha’s Empress.”

Before Chloe could retort, the elevator suddenly trembled violently. Both of them were caught off guard, nearly losing their balance.

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Seeker

Rank: Uncommon

Your acute senses and unique insight enable the discovery of secrets hidden in plain sight.

Enhances overall eyesight and amplifies sensory perception, allowing the detection of hidden objects.

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Dungeon Entry Confirmation

Dungeon: Sector 14

Difficulty: Hard+

Requirement(s): Level 30+

Party Member(s)

* Lucas Kun

* Chloe Helens

Total Party Member(s) Entering: 2

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Dungeon - Sector 14

A hidden facility buried beneath the Hexxen Building. A catastrophic biochemical outbreak in Sector 13 caused personnel to mutate into hostile creatures. However, the true ground zero of the outbreak is Sector 14, where forbidden experiments related to ‘Magitechnology’ and Mophalite were conducted.

Clear Requirement(s):

* Locate the source of the outbreak and neutralize it.

* Defeat the Boss monster.

* Procure the cure of mutation (Optional)

* Defeat the Hidden Boss monster. (Optional)

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Chloe was stunned by the sudden appearance of the system notifications. She turned to Lucas, only to see him giving her a baffled look as well.

Lucas clicked his tongue, pushing his surprise aside. “I can’t believe this turned out to be a Hidden Dungeon.”

“Can’t we just leave? Like, push the up button and go back to the surface?” Chloe asked, her grip tightening on her sword’s hilt.

Smirking wryly, he replied, “I tried, but I can’t. Something’s forcing the elevator to keep going down.”

A splitting headache began to form. Right now, the only weapons he had were his , which was integrated into his armor, and the two he always carried. The rest of his gear and ammunition were outside, in Phillip’s storage, with Samantha, and his two mechanical soldiers.

What he thought would be a simple exploration had turned into something far more dangerous, something he hadn’t anticipated.

“Who would’ve thought a secret elevator could lead to a hidden dungeon?” he muttered, berating his carelessness. “Sorry for not realizing sooner.”

Suddenly, he felt Chloe’s hand on his face. Turning to her, he met her gentle gaze. “It’s fine, Lucas. It’s not your fault. We can clear this dungeon, just like before.”

Staring into Chloe’s eyes, Lucas felt the warmth of her touch easing his chaotic thoughts. ‘Yeah, it’ll be fine. Why am I so rattled by the fact that I don’t have a weapon? I’m a Mechanic, I can just build one. Besides, I have a Hero by my side.’

Taking a deep breath, he held her hand and smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s clear this dungeon. No big deal. Thanks.”

Seeing Lucas gain his calm, she chuckled. “Well, it’s a shame Samantha can’t join us with this one.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’ll freak out when she realizes we’ve been missing for this long,” Lucas added with a smile.

After a few moments, the elevator shuddered as its door slid open.

Entering their sight was a corridor that stretched endlessly into the darkness, lit sporadically by flickering emergency lights. Each fluorescent light bulb buzzed faintly before blinking out, plunging sections of the hallway into brief moments of blackness.

The dying light revealed the devastation, walls marred by deep gashes, claw marks, and dry stains. Shattered objects lay scattered across the floor.

The air was heavy with the smell of chemicals. Some areas of the floor were pooled with a dark liquid. In the distance, faint moans and groans could be heard occasionally.

“Lucas, on second thought, maybe you should try making the elevator go back. Yeah?” Chloe forced a smile, but her voice was jittery.

Speechless at her sudden change of heart, Lucas facepalmed. “All that pep talk, and now you’re scared out of your pants?”

“Just look at it! Look at it! Look!” she screamed as she pointed to the hallway. “The moment we step out, there’s going to be a jumpscare for sure! Zombies will pop out and bite our necks!”

“We already fought zombies before. Why didn’t I hear you scream then?” Lucas scratched his face, baffled.

Grabbing Lucas’s neck, Chloe shook it violently. “Because I can just kill them with my sword!”

Being shaken violently, Lucas squeezed out his sentence. “You can… still kill them… with your sword…”

“But!”

“It’s dark!”

“It’s scary!”

“It’s terrifying!”

“It’s haunting!”

“I WANT MY MOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!” Chloe shrieked out loud.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from further down the corridor, followed by an eerie, low growl. Lucas’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the darkened hallway.

Chloe’s grip on his neck loosened as she shifted to grip her sword instead. A completely different demeanor from before overtook her. “What the hell was that?” she hissed, drawing her weapon.

Before Lucas could respond, another crash sounded. This time, much closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas noticed the cover of a duct vent in the ceiling twitch. Then, without warning, the vent cover exploded outward with a loud bang.

From the opening, several grotesque, fleshy creatures lunged out. Their pale skin was streaked with dark veins, and their twisted bodies were a grotesque mix of exposed muscle and bone, with several extra appendages jutting out at odd angles. Their mouths hung open in snarls, revealing rows of jagged teeth. Their limbs bent unnaturally, defying logic, yet they crawled with terrifying speed.

The creatures released ear-splitting growls as they charged toward Lucas and Chloe.

“Oh, hell no!” Chloe roared, dashing forward with her sword, instantly cleaving one of the creatures in half.

Pulling out his twin , Lucas aimed at the creatures crawling on the walls and ceiling. He pulled the triggers rapidly, each shot finding its mark. Several creatures’ heads burst apart, their twitching bodies collapsing to the ground.

With Chloe at the front, slashing and hacking at the creatures, Lucas stood behind her, continuously firing his pistols.

“Out of bullets,” Lucas grumbled when his pistols started clicking instead of banging. “Let’s try this instead.” A smirk tugged at his lips.

“Energy Strike.”

Energy beams began firing from his pistols despite the lack of ammunition. Each beam seared through the creatures, bursting their bodies like overripe watermelons.

Within a minute, all the creatures lay dead, their remains scattered across the corridor, some cleaved apart by Chloe’s , others charred by Lucas’s .

“Now, that wasn’t so tough. Right, Lucas?” Chloe sneered, flicking the blood from her sword. “I don’t understand why you were freaking out about these horrendous monsters. Hoh hoh!”

Hearing Chloe’s words, Lucas’s eye twitched, but he chose to ignore the comment.