Open House
The walk through the tunnels was uneventful until they arrived at the dungeon’s noted location. The group clustered around an engraved length of wood; the engravings were metal, and a small handle extended from them about halfway from the top.
“Is that… a door?” asked Janus.
“Yeah. That’s a door,” replied Dario.
Pella walked up to it, fiddling with the iron handle. “Are you sure this is the dungeon?”
“Dungeons follow themes. Most of the dungeons down here are just caves and caverns, but I’ve seen a few like this.” Dario said, motioning for Pella to step aside. “Although most of those were on the surface.”
Janus jumped when Dario pulled the door open. The sound of the metal mechanism holding it shut echoed through the tunnel.
Inside was what appeared to be the interior of a wooden building. Light from their [Torchstone]s revealed shattered wooden furniture scattered around the room, and another doorway opposite to the entrance.
Janus swallowed his fear and stepped through the threshold.
[Your Bravery skill has gained 1 level]
[You have entered the Asgini Manor dungeon]
The group pressed forward, their footsteps echoing eerily in the dimly lit corridors. They passed through the first chamber and into the next. The room exuded an unsettling atmosphere, intensified by the creaking of the wooden floorboards underfoot. However, unlike the previous room, this one presented multiple exits, branching off to the left and right.
At the head of the group, Dario gestured towards the left door. The group followed, their anticipation mingling with a creeping sense of unease. They stepped into yet another square chamber. Suddenly, Dario's fist tightened, his expression tensing. Flames flickered to life, tracing up his arm like serpents as he cautiously made his way to a distant corner of the room. With a slow, deliberate motion, he extended his hand towards the empty air, then swiftly lunged forward, seizing at something unseen.
His finger clenched, and the others watched in astonishment as the form of a faintly glowing woman clothed in tattered rags materialized within his grasp. Her figure seemed almost translucent, ethereal in nature. The apparition struggled briefly against Dario's grip before erupting into flames, engulfed in a sudden and intense conflagration.
[Your party has defeated a dangerous enemy: Ghost Witch]
Janus hadn't even considered identifying the entity before it was swiftly defeated.
“Something’s off.” Dario said, thrusting forward at another hidden enemy.
[Your party has defeated a dangerous enemy: Ghost Witch]
Dario scanned the room, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings, when a luminous glow emerged above Janus' outstretched palm. Before anyone could react, Devon's shout pierced the air, his voice laden with urgency as the light reflected off half a dozen more spectral apparitions, materializing from the shadows.
Janus swiftly dropped to the floor, narrowly dodging the swinging arms of an approaching apparition. With a sense of urgency, he maintained the revealing light spell he had learned from Tsula, casting its glow to illuminate their spectral foes. Without a moment's hesitation, he began constructing an array for his replica arrow point, his focus solely on the task at hand. Ignoring any concerns about mana cost, he launched projectile after projectile, determined to fend off the encroaching threats.
Dario, displaying the same technique he had employed earlier, seized another apparition with a firm grip, combusting them. However, there was a discernible restraint in his actions, as if he were deliberately holding back his full strength.
He must be worried about hitting us or catching the dungeon on fire.
Devon faced down three of the apparitions, cornered on the other side of the room. Janus used [Strength Enhancement] on him. Meanwhile, Pella darted around the chamber with remarkable agility, delivering precise strikes to any apparition that dared to come within her reach, her movements fluid and calculated.
Janus felt like the fight was happening in slow motion. Adrenaline still pumped through his body as the last apparition dissipated. After seeing that everything appeared safe, he let his replica arrow point disperse, it had been uselessly firing mana projectiles into the wall.
[Your party has defeated a dangerous enemy: Ghost Witch] x6
[You have gained a level]
[Your Strength Enhancement skill has gained 1 level]
[Your Mana Reinforcement skill has gained 3 levels]
Janus ignored the notification appearing his mind and focused his attention on the revealing light spell.
"Huh, that was unexpected," remarked Dario, a hint of surprise coloring his tone. "I have a skill that usually alerts me to threats, but it wasn't registering properly on these guys."
Pella's expression soured at Dario's apparent nonchalance. "One of those things grabbed me right at the start," she interjected, her tone edged with frustration. "It didn't cause any pain, but I lost almost a third of my HP. We were dangerously close to dying back there."
"I wouldn't have let that happen," Dario asserted firmly. "The delver's writ did mention ghosts, but it didn't specify that they could conceal their presence. It caught us off guard, but considering the highest level was only 30 and Janus is able to reveal them — We press on."
Dario forged ahead into the next room, his determination unwavering. Pella hesitated briefly, her gaze lingering behind her, before hastening to catch up.
The next room sprawled out larger than the others, stretching narrowly towards an exit on the far side. It resembled a kitchen, with a countertop running along one wall. Utensils, pots, pans, knives, and cutting boards lay strewn about in disarray, cluttering every available surface.
A few [Ghost Witches] lazily drifted through the air. They didn’t seem to recognize that Janus’ spell was revealing them.
“Right, Devon in front. You guys should be able to handle this.” Said Dario, shuffling back towards the entrance to the room.
As Devon started to advance, it seemed as though he had triggered an invisible alarm. In unison, the [Ghost Witches] pivoted their attention towards him, their spectral gazes fixating on him.
For a tense moment, silence engulfed the room, tension thick in the air. Then, without warning, the apparitions surged forward with startling speed. Despite Devon's attempts to fend them off, one of the [Ghost Witches] managed to latch onto his shoulder. Swift as an arrow, Pella sprang into action, moving to intercept the spectral assailant, her blade flashing as she aimed precise strikes at its ethereal form.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
Janus had already empowered the both of them with [Strength Enhancement] and was slowly compressing mana to create an explosive marble.
“Back up!” Janus shouted.
Pella dashed backwards, and Devon reluctantly followed. There wasn’t much room to work with between the apparitions and the doorway behind them.
Observing their retreat, Janus seized the opportunity to act. He tossed the mana marble towards a point just behind the advancing apparitions. The mana decompressed, and a powerful explosion erupted. The edge of the blast caught Devon and Pella, sending them sprawling to the ground.
[Your party has defeated a dangerous enemy: Ghost Witch] x3
The explosion surprised Janus. He had never used the mana marbles in an enclosed space and the force from the explosion had fewer directions to travel. The others pushed themselves up from the ground and the group continued onward.
Dario let them handle most of the fights, but would occasionally step in if they were getting overwhelmed. Their latest bout had just ended when they heard a roar resound from the doorway ahead of them.
"That doesn't sound good. What do you think, Dario?" Janus inquired, his gaze shifting towards the doorway they had entered from, a note of concern evident in his voice.
He froze in place. Dario was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did he go?” Pella shouted. “Dario! You bastard!”
"Where did he go?" Pella's voice echoed with frustration and anger. "Dario! You bastard!" she shouted, her words reverberating through the tense silence of the room.
As the ground began to rumble, Janus was jolted from his indecision. With a sense of urgency, he turned towards the others and braced himself for whatever was to come. The shock of Dario going missing had shattered his concentration, disrupting the revealing light spell he had been maintaining.
Before Janus could regain his focus and reform the spell, a giant horned serpent slithered through the opposing doorway. Janus quickly identified the monster.
[Uktena - Level 40]
Capitalizing on the confined space of the room, Janus swiftly began constructing multiple replica arrow points. As the serpent advanced, he unleashed a barrage of projectiles aimed at the creature. However, the serpent proved to be formidable, effortlessly plowing through the array of attacks, causing the replicas to dissipate.
With Devon already closing in on the monstrous serpent, Janus wasted no time. He channeled mana into the swordsman's blade. In quick succession, he cast [Strength Enhancement], bolstering both Pella and Devon for the imminent confrontation.
The serpent's relentless assault was gradually driving Devon backward, the redheaded swordsman struggling to land a decisive blow against the nimble and elusive monster. In a pivotal moment, it was one of Pella's throwing knives that found its mark, slicing through the serpent's left eye and drawing first blood.
The monster reared back, and another roar erupted from its maw. With feral speed, it lunged down on Devon, catching him in the shoulder with a vicious bite. It latched on and Devon struggled to shake it off.
Thinking quickly, Janus improvised, conjuring compressed mana within the monster's maw. With a surge of power, he released the compressed mana, forcing the serpent's mouth open wide. Seizing the opportunity, Devon stepped back, but the attack had clearly taken its toll, evident from the pain etched across his features.
I hope that hurt the serpent more than him.
Pella pushed past and took his place in the front. She drew the second sword from her waist and squared off against the massive serpent.
Pushing past the injured Devon, Pella surged forward, taking his place at the front. With a determined expression, she swiftly drew the second sword from her waist, wielding both blades as she squared off against the massive serpent.
With remarkable agility, Pella utilized every available surface in the room, propelling herself off walls and furniture alike in a whirlwind of motion. Her golden hair streamed behind her like a golden streak as she did her best to evade the serpent's savage onslaught of attacks. Janus strained to maintain his enhancement magic on her, channeling his mana to bolster her abilities as much as possible. However, the continued use of [Mana Manipulation] was beginning to take its toll, draining his mana reserves at an alarming rate.
Surprisingly, Pella was driving the monstrous creature back, inch by hard-fought inch, gradually gaining ground in the fierce battle.
Devon had taken the reprieve to lash his wounded arm to his torso and began moving forward, blade at the ready. Pella dove back and Devon took her place, his blade emitting a green light this time.
Behind Janus, Devon swiftly lashed his wounded arm to his torso, his expression set with grim determination as he readied his blade once more. With Pella momentarily retreating, Devon surged forward to take her place, his sword now emitting a faint green light, indicating a renewed determination and focus in his attack.
Devon's blade sliced into the flesh of the serpent, shattering through its tough scales with a resounding impact. A wicked gash was left in its wake, the forceful blow causing the creature to emit a piercing hiss of pain as it recoiled. From the wound, a viscous purple fluid oozed forth.
Janus resorted to using [Mana Burn] to forge another marble. The strain was palpable as his mana dipped into the negatives. With determination etched on his face, he reached out to grasp the emerging form of the marble.
“Pella! Use this!” Janus shouted and tossed the marble forward
Pella glanced back toward him and snatched the marble out of the air. Without hesitation, she immediately darted back towards the serpent.
Devon was forced back on the defensive. The wound inflicted by the swordsman had sent the monster into a frenzy of rage, causing it to thrash about wildly while snapping viciously at him with its formidable fangs. He was barely holding on when Pella leapt over his head, landing on the back of the serpent. Clutching onto one of the serpent's horns, Pella gritted her teeth as the creature violently slammed its own body into a nearby wall, desperately trying to shake her loose. She managed to keep her grip, sliding to the right and shoving Janus’ mana marble into the open gash on the monster’s side.
Pella was abruptly hurled from the monster’s back and Janus took his opportunity to activate the marble. In a blinding explosion of energy, the blast of mana erupted, violently rending the serpent's massive form asunder.
The creature had been gruesomely cleaved into two separate, writhing halves.
[Your party has defeated a dangerous enemy: Uktena]
[You have gained 4 levels]
[Your Strength Enhancement skill has gained 3 level]
[Your Mana Reinforcement skill has gained 4 levels]
[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 5 levels]
[Your Mana Manipulation skill can evolve into Spell Weaving]
[Your Strength Enhancement skill can evolve into Power Enhancement]
The flood of notifications only served to exacerbate Janus' already throbbing headache. As he struggled to cope with the overwhelming sensation, he watched with concern as Pella made her way back towards him, with Devon leaning heavily on her shoulder.
"We need to get out of here," Pella urged, her voice tinged with urgency.
Before Janus could respond, the sound of clapping echoed through the chamber, abruptly cutting off any further conversation.
Emerging from the doorway, Dario's figure came into view, his expression betraying a mixture of satisfaction and approval. "Now there we go," he exclaimed, his voice resonating with a sense of triumph. "That's what I'm talking about."
"You absolute bastard!" Pella's voice reverberated through the chamber, laced with fury and betrayal. "You did this on purpose!" she accused, her words seething with anger.
Devon slid to the ground with a grunt.
"Of course I did it on purpose," Dario retorted, his tone unapologetic. "Look at you guys. Even Devon gained two levels from that. If I were here watching your every move, the System would have given you a fraction of the reward," he explained.
“What good do levels do us if we’re all dead?! You have no idea what you’re doing! We wail on each other for weeks and then nearly die in some hole, hours from civilization!” Pella fumed, “You’ve barely taught us anything!”
Pella pushed past Dario. With a resigned sigh, their teacher helped Devon to his feet before trailing after Pella. Janus followed closely behind, the tension in the air palpable as they made their way towards the exit.
I could have died back there. Like, really died.
As they made their way towards the dungeon exit, the weight of realization began to settle heavily upon Janus. A wave of nausea washed over him as he grappled with the implications of their ordeal.
Once they were back in the tunnel, Dario tossed Pella a small flask. “Pour this on Devon’s shoulder.”
She let the potion fall to the floor in front of her before slowly reaching towards it. Uncapping the top, she upended the potion over Devon's wound, the liquid cascading over the mangled armor. It was difficult to discern if the potion was sealing the wound beneath the damaged armor.
"Woah, not too much, that stuff is expensive," Dario cautioned as Pella continued to pour the potion.
"Do you think I give a shit about your potion?" Pella retorted angrily. With a swift motion, she hurled the flask to the ground, the fluid spilling out from the still-open top.
Dario swiftly retrieved the container and sealed it, his expression unreadable as he tucked it away. Without a word, he turned and began to walk back towards Crow station, his steps measured and purposeful.
With weariness weighing heavily upon him, Janus summoned his strength and pulled himself to his feet. Steadying himself, he moved to assist Pella in supporting Devon, their steps slow and deliberate as they followed behind Dario.
The trip back was in silence.