Chapter 3: Introductions, Introductions, Introductions…:

Stephan Lorren was a tall man in his forties, with short black hair, and similarly black eyes. Unlike many mages, he wore formal attire – an elegant, tailored coat made of dark velvet. His black trousers were tucked in sturdy boots, and a deep blue sash wrapped around his waist, holding the coat in place. In his hand, he carried an equally tall, polished staff made of some dark metal, with a purple crystal embedded at the top – the Aegis Staff.

Lady Mikaela’s voice followed his, clearly more charismatic, setting everyone to attention. “Listen here!”

“Thank you.” He nodded to her before he addressed the crowd. “Now that everyone is here, let me brief you shortly on how it’s gonna go.” He paused. “As you know, this expedition is sponsored by the Kingdom. Our primary objective is to retrieve the treasures King Edmund the Third foolishly offered Gaelith’s spirit as an offering of atonement. These treasures are invaluable, both historically and financially, and their retrieval is paramount to the kingdom’s interests.”

He glanced over the crowd before continuing. “Payment will be disbursed directly by the kingdom upon successful completion. All participants will receive compensation, with bonuses awarded based on individual contributions, as well as hazard pay. However, and I can’t stress this enough – payment will be issued only upon your safe return. We are not here for glory, so none of you should play the hero. We’d like every one of you to return alive and well, so your mission is to follow the orders given without fault.”

His voice grew firmer. “Remember, Lady Mikaela and I are leading this raid. We are both more than capable of handling any threats that may arise, no matter their severity - our levels are evidence of that. So, again, don’t play the hero. Just fall back when needed.”

Suddenly, that feeling hit me again. A feeling that something was wrong. It was almost like I had already been here, standing in this exact spot, listening to this exact speech. But how? And why would I feel that?

Stephan Lorren continued. “We’ll begin with the lower-level squads leading the way through the first levels of the tomb. Report back after each cleared chamber. Once you encounter high-level enemies, fall back and report to us. The tomb is ancient and dangerous, but with coordination and discipline, we can and will complete this mission safely. The first ones in the history of our kingdom to do so. Any questions?”

No one dared to speak, so he nodded. “Then, now, it’s time to begin. Squad leaders, please step forward and gather your team members by the squad number you were assigned. Time is of the essence.”

As he finished, my heart raced non-stop, and I couldn’t understand why.

***

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I snapped at Jax once the danger was behind us. He had once again unleashed his offensive spells at the group of Undead Warriors that attacked us, completely heedless of me and Waylan, our squad’s tank.

“Oh, c’mon.” Jax dismissed me with a wave of his hand, his expression the very definition of arrogance. “Worst case, our lovely healer here – Lena – would’ve taken care of you.”

“Are you stupid?” I asked, dumbfounded, ready to beat the living shit out of him, despite him being fifteen levels stronger than me.

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t want to hear that from a puny level 50 who stopped leveling up.”

Anger boiled within me, and I wanted to retaliate, but Waylan put a hand on my shoulder.

“He’s not worth it.” He whispered to me.

He was right, and I exhaled heavily, trying to calm myself.

“Look around their corpses. See if there’s any good loot.” Jax commanded us, thought none of us were eager to follow due to his rotten personality.

“Hey, what’s that skill called?” Waylan addressed me suddenly. “The one where your sword strikes twice at once?”

I glanced at him. Despite his menacing size and heavy armor, he seemed like a gentle person. He had a buzzcut, his head nearly shaved, and he wielded a massive war-hammer slung across his back, its head covered with some magical runes. He was level 55 Warden, with the Runehammer subclass.

“It’s called Time Delay Swing.” I replied, looking at Nightfall in my hand. “It’s the sword’s unique skill.”

“Nice.” Waylan smiled. “And very useful in one-on-ones.”

“Thanks.” I nodded. “You did good there as well.”

He thumped his chest proudly. “I’m here for our squad. Count on me to tank everything.”

I chuckled at his confidence. It was nice to see that at least someone here had motivation. I had seemingly lost mine when I realized Yana stayed behind with the higher-level adventurers, and I probably wouldn’t even see her until the end of the quest.

Our party, with the arrogant Jax at the helm, had been assigned this area of the first floor of the tomb – a chamber that split into three additional ones. We already cleared one of them.

Lena, our healer, walked over and joined me and Waylan. She had long brown hair that she wore in a ponytail, with sharp green eyes. Dressed in a simple grey robe, and holding a wooden staff, she looked every bit like the traditional healer even though she seemed pretty young. She was a level 58 Cleric, in the Lifeweaver subclass.

“Ugh, I can’t stand that guy.” She said quietly, pointing her head toward Jax. She rolled her eyes. “I thought we’d be working with Lady Mikaela or Lorren, and not...this! He’s so obnoxious!”

Waylan nodded. “I wish they’d compensate us for having to follow him.”

I glanced at Jax. Next to him, clearly trying to get in his good graces, were his apprentice, Henry, a level 52 Magus, and Dina, a level 55 Enchanteress. They were following him around, constantly asking him questions, feeding his ego, as if he were the most experienced mage they’d ever met. I mean, hello? He’s just level 65! You literally just met Stephan Lorren – a level 100 mage!

The last member of our squad was Goren, a level 57 Rogue, who specialized in the Shadowstalker subclass. He was dressed in dark, lightweight armor, blending it with the shadows of the tomb’s walls. His short, messy black hair and blue eyes gave him a unique presence. He was intimidating, but at the same time there was something charming about him as well. Two daggers hung from his belt. He kept to himself and didn’t talk much. Even now, he found a secluded spot and sat silently, his eyes scanning the area and us.

“Chop, chop, fellas. Move faster.” Jax called out to us as we searched through the remains of the undead we had slain. “We still have two more chambers to clear.”

“Oh, shut it already, you twat!” Lena couldn’t take it any longer.

“Excuse me?” Jax raised an eyebrow, sounding offended.

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His apprentice, Henry, quickly jumped forward to defend his mentor’s honor. “Don’t you dare speak to Master Jax that way, you filthy casual!”

“Filthy casual?!” Lena spat, her face growing red. “Listen here, kiddo - does your mom know you’re skipping school to be here?”

“You bitch, my mom’s dead!” Henry spat back, and Lena’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“That one time I try to insult someone through their parents...” she muttered under her breath, loud enough for only me and Waylan to hear.

For some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had already heard her say that, even though we’d just met this morning.

“You better keep your tongue in check, miss healer.” Jax addressed her. “It’s only thanks to me we’re progressing so smoothly. You should be thankful.”

“Thankful?!” Lena rolled her eyes. “How much more annoying can you be?”

“Can we all try to get along?” Dina intervened quietly, but her voice was ignored by all.

Surprisingly, it was Goren who brought everyone to attention, his voice as chilling as his demeanor, fitting for a Rogue. “You’re all annoying. Shut the hell up already and let’s continue to the next chamber.”

He stood up and began making his way to the second chamber we needed to explore.

“Wait.” Jax called after him, running to catch up before turning to us. “C’mon, follow me, your leader.”

Waylan, Lena, and I exchanged glances and rolled our eyes almost in unison before reluctantly following everyone to the next area.

***

The third, and last, chamber provided us with very little resistance as well – more Undead Warriors and Undead Archers, the highest being level 40. It was lower than all of us, but the fact that a simple Undead Warrior on the first level of the dungeon was level 40 felt ominous. What did that mean for the dangers waiting deeper inside?

Perhaps some of the earlier criticism had made Jax more considerate, as this time he hadn’t endangered any of us and only fired at the enemy when we were clear of his area-of-effect spells.

The remains of the undead held no valuable loot. I picked up some Bandages and stuffed them into my inventory, wondering why a skeleton even had bandages in the first place.

[Item Acquired: Bandages (Consumable) – Added to Inventory #1]

Inventory #1? Since when was my inventory followed by a number?

“No treasures here either, huh?” Jax said, sounding disappointed, but then immediately shifting his tone as if he had expected this all along. “Well, that’s to be expected.”

“Doesn’t the undead’s attire worry any of you?” Lena asked suddenly.

“Hmm?” Jax questioned out loud.

“Look at them.” Lena pointed at the remains. “There are some clear changes to what we’re used to seeing, but those are clearly Tepan soldier’s uniforms. These were Tepan soldiers.”

Henry rolled his eyes, clearly still holding a grudge against Lena. “Of course they’re Tepan soldiers. Don’t you know the history of the place? Those are probably the soldiers King Edmund sent here to deliver the treasures.”

Lena raised her hands. “That much is clear, idiot. I was referring to the fact that they’re undead now.”

Jax shrugged. “It only means that Gaelith, the very obvious boss of this dungeon, is a necromancer. But that’s nothing we low-level folk need to worry about. I assume Master Lorren and Lady Mikaela will handle it either way.”

“True.” Waylan agreed before asking Jax. “Do we head back now?”

Jax nodded. “Seems so. We’ve finished this part of the exploration. Let’s see what the leaders have to say.”

We turned to leave, but then Goren called out to me. “Hey, Spellsword.”

At first, I wasn’t sure he was talking to me, but I was the only Spellsword in our party. “What?”

“Take this.” He said, extending his hand, holding an item.

I accepted it and added it to my inventory.

[Item Acquired: Blackberries (Consumable) – Added to Inventory #1]

“Blackberries?” I asked, confused.

He nodded. “Might be useful to you.”

I chuckled. “It that a joke? I wasn’t expecting a rogue of all people to joke like this.”

“Just take it and shut up.” He replied coldly, walking past me. “You might need them later.”

Might need them later? What does that even mean? They’re just blackberries.

And again, the #1 next to my inventory? Since when were inventories numbered?

I decided to open my inventory to check.

[Inventory #1]

* Lesser Health Potion x1

* Lesser Stamina Elixir x1

* Lesser Mana Elixir x1

* Bandages (Consumable) x1

* Blackberries (Consumable) x1

* Torch x1

* Trap Detection Kit x2

* Weapon Repair Kit x1

* Water Flask x1

* Gold Coins x10

Here it is again. The #1. Do I have a second inventory all of a sudden? I tried to inspect it further, but nothing came up. I kept looking through the menu, trying to figure out what was going on. Until I finally noticed it. When I managed to navigate to another screen in the system, it showed:

[I@ve$%^ry #2]

*

*

The letters in the title looked weird, but then, as I focused more, the title itself looked familiar enough to understand. I could swear it said Inventory #2, but I couldn’t access it or store anything inside. Either way, it seemed empty.

It was weird...I’d never had a second inventory before, and as far as I knew, no one did.

Before I could contemplate it any further, Waylan called out to me. “Hey Aidan, are you coming?”

His voice startled me, but I nodded. “Yeah...yeah.”

***

We returned to the entrance of the tomb where the high-leveled adventurers were waiting.

Yana noticed me and rushed to my side. “How was it?” she sounded nervous.

I smiled weakly. “That Jax is a pain in the ass.”

She laughed, and I continued. “But other than that, it wasn’t too challenging.”

“Good.” Yana sighed in relief.

“Hey.” I called out to her, my mind still bothered by the inventory issue. “Is your inventory numbered?”

“What?” she asked, visibly confused by the question.

I sighed, realizing how it must have sounded, but I had to know. This unsettling feeling that something bad was going to happen had followed me since morning, and now this weird second inventory? It felt a bit overwhelming...

“Is it numbered?” I asked again, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Like, does it just say ‘Inventory’, or is it followed by a number?”

“That’s a weird question to ask...” Yana replied, eyeing me curiously.

“I know how it sounds.” I replied, running a hand through my hair. “But can you check quickly? Please?”

She nodded. I couldn’t see her system, since it wasn’t possible to view anyone else’s, but she responded fairly quickly. “It just says ‘Inventory’, like it usually does.” She said, and a shiver ran down my spine. “Are you feeling alright?”

I ran my hand across my face, realizing that even if I told her I had a second inventory, I’d just sound crazy. Since I couldn’t even access it, and showing it to her - or anyone else - was impossible.

“Yeah, yeah.” I replied. “Forget I asked anything.”

Meanwhile, I could hear Jax finishing his report to Stephan Lorren and Lady Mikaela.

“The chamber we explored branched into three others. We explored them all under my esteemed guidance. We only encountered undead, all of them level 40, and we dealt with them efficiently. Unfortunately, no treasures were found.” Jax spoke in a formal tone, clearly trying to impress the higher-ups.

“Level 40 unndead...” Lorren rubbed his chin before turning to Lady Mikaela. “When you explored these levels, didn’t you say you were attacked by level 20 Crypt Spiders and Dust Wraiths? Level 40 undead sounds quite different than what you encountered.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” Lady Mikaela asked, seemingly offended.

Stephan Lorren raised his hands in an apologizing manner. “I wouldn’t dare. What I meant is that the dungeon seems to have changed its adversaries since your exploration. I can’t recall that happening in my entire career.”

Lady Mikaela exhaled. “True.” She turned to Jax. “Are you sure about their level?”

“Yes.” I stepped in. “They were all level 40.”

Jax looked at me, his expression dismissive, clearly irritated by my interruption.

Lady Mikaela nodded. “Peculiar indeed. An adjusting dungeon...that’s a first.”

Stephan Lorren seemed deep in thought before speaking. “Should we call it off?”

But before Lady Mikaela could answer, a low-leveled adventurer from one of the other parties came running from inside the dungeon, calling out for help.

“Help us!”

It was a male healer I’ve seen at the entrance. He was bleeding heavily and barely managed to make his way to us.

“Help!” he cried out before collapsing, and suddenly the entrance to the tomb closed, locking us all inside.