Huey stood at the yawning entrance of the Euribia Dungeon, his breath visible in the cool air. This wasn’t his first time here. In fact, he’d ventured into this dungeon three or four times already, each visit ingraining the eerie, otherworldly atmosphere deeper into his memory. Yet, today felt different. He couldn’t tell why exactly.

Not thinking too much of it, he proceeded into the dungeon, its familiar chill wrapping around him like an old cloak. As he moved deeper, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The layout was different. The last time he was here, barely two months ago, the dungeon had a maze-like structure with numerous branching paths. Now, it felt like an endless corridor.

“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered to himself, recalling his grandfather's teachings. The same grandfather who had initiated him into the art of dungeon delving in this very place had told him that dungeon layouts can change. So while the sight he was presented with was perplexing, it wasn’t exactly unheard of. In fact, short of one simple detail, he wouldn’t have found this sight at all perplexing. Yet it was for the single reason that while dungeons do change layouts, such shifts were rare. A dungeon layout change usually happens once in a human lifetime, and Huey, being a recurrent challenger of this dungeon, had with this current shift witnessed two layout changes—and he’d yet to live a full life, only a fifth of it.

“What happened here…” he mumbled in apprehension at the sight.

Faced with this sight, he wondered if his grandpa were there, he would have an explanation as to how this was possible. Huey knew that, knowledgeable as his grandfather was about so many random topics, he would most likely know. Compared to his grandpa, he was nowhere near as knowledgeable, so the best he could do was feel apprehensive about this strange phenomenon, wondering if he should just make a retreat, for that would be the safe thing to do.

“What do I do?” he wondered, looking behind him before turning to look where he’d been coming from.

After a while, he cast a glance at the glowing manacyte crystals adorning the walls, their bluish-white light casting eerie shadows while simultaneously illuminating the place. At that moment, he remembered the purpose of his journey. He had come here to do two things, and he had yet to do either of them. He couldn’t return empty-handed.

For the next half an hour, Huey continued forward, noting the dungeon's new corridor-like layout and being extra-cautious. Unlike the maze it once was, the paths were now straightforward, almost linear. He hadn’t encountered a single Spawn, which was unusual and frankly unnerving.

Dungeons are often reviled for very understandable reasons. The presence of a dungeon usually brings about monster problems, which can manifest in many different forms, both direct and indirect. As a result, people hate dungeons. And that's a shame, his grandfather always said, because people cannot understand the true merits of dungeons. To him, dungeons, with their ability to create spawns, are an almost bottomless resource for experience, valuable for people like them who needed that experience to level up and get stronger. This treasure's value was primarily reliant on not getting killed by the very dungeon you aimed to exploit. But as long as you could take advantage of the dungeon for what it's worth, you would be able to see the value in them.

Having been taught well by his grandfather, Huey was there for two reasons. The first was to take advantage of the dungeon spawns to rack up some easy level-ups. Well, relatively easy. He knew that at his current level, he would have to grind for a while to get the level-up he was looking for, but he was ready for that. He had made up his mind when he left home. However, there seemed to be no sign of the spawns that were supposed to be there.

Based on the previous layout of the dungeon, he should've gone deep enough to consider stopping, as going deeper would lead to stronger spawns, beyond his strength and level to handle. Yet, despite the distance he'd traveled, he hadn't met a single one. It was then, as he was growing increasingly perplexed and slowly getting worried, that he heard a loud thud from ahead.

Huey’s grip tightened on Soul-shredder, his weapon, as he moved forward, his senses on high alert. After the loud thud, there was an almost deafening silence, broken only by the occasional drip of water echoing through the corridors. He turned a corner because he finally found one and as he did he also spotted movement ahead.

A creature, lizard-like and about the height of a small adult horse and the length of a large ram, scurried down the corridor. It seemed to be running away from something or perhaps chasing it. The spawn was a Draklar, a monster very typical of this dungeon, the very creatures Huey came to harvest experience from. Naturally, at the sight of it scurrying, his first instinct was to chase, but he hesitated. A very wise decision, as something heavy fell from above, landing with a soft thud on the ground. Huey’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of another creature, similar to the first. Its scales glistened in the dim light as it quickly rushed ahead, disappearing into the shadows.

Huey looked up, trying to discern where the creature had come from. Amidst the clustered manacyte, he could roughly make out an opening in the ceiling, leading to what he could tell was another level above. “So, I’m on a lower floor,” he realized. “That’s where they came from.”

The realization hit him like a cold wave. It seemed that the dungeon's layout change had created multiple floors, and these creatures were likely moving between them. Huey looked back in the direction he came from, his eyes scanning the ceiling with renewed urgency.

Was there another opening behind him he had missed?

If there was one, these creatures could drop down unexpectedly, meaning they could flank him from all sides in this corridor-like passage. A shiver ran down his spine.

“This isn’t good.”

He imagined the Draklars descending from above, surrounding him with no room to maneuver. The thought was chilling. If they attacked from every direction, it would be the end of him. Huey took a deep breath, considering retreat more than he ever had before.

Suddenly, the faint sounds of battle reached his ears. Someone was fighting down the passage, likely caught in the very scenario Huey had just imagined for himself. For a moment, he considered what to do next, ultimately thinking that it was their problem, not his. He decided to turn a deaf ear to the sounds and began retreating toward the dungeon entrance, his gaze fixated on the ceiling, on the lookout for passages monsters could unexpectedly drop from.

As he neared the entrance, he noted that there seemed to be no holes he had missed. The one he had seen earlier must have been the first one.

He heaved a loud sigh, thinking to himself that those people were most likely dead by now; there was no helping them at this point.

What he should do now is give this a rest and go back home. The thought of returning empty-handed made him sigh again.

As a thought burgeoned in his mind, "I'm going to regret this," he muttered to himself, but nonetheless, he turned around and made his way deeper into the dungeon, running at full speed. He had already familiarized himself with the dungeon's layout, so there was no need to worry too much about what lay ahead. It took him only about five minutes to reach the spot where the creature had dropped from earlier. There, he decelerated his pace, on the lookout for more creatures to drop down.

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Even though he had made up his mind to lend a hand, he didn't want to put himself in the same situation as the others likely were. His idea of helping was limited to taking down any Draklar falling off this passage, so that he could make a run to safety should he have to. However, after a few minutes, no Draklars seemed to be falling from above.

He listened to the sounds of the battle ahead, which while still present, he could discern was fainter, allowing him to guess that it wasn't looking good for whoever was trapped in there. He went through the same train of thought as earlier, only to eventually settle on the same resolution: the one to make his way deeper into the dungeon.

Steeling himself, Huey pushed forward, determined to see what he could do. He might be an asshole, but he wasn’t heartless. If there was a chance he could help, he would. And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t regret it after all.

As Huey moved deeper into the dungeon, the sounds of battle grew louder and fainter in turns, disorienting him. Rounding one corner after another, he found himself in a labyrinthine corridor, its twists and turns reminiscent of what the dungeon used to be. As he rounded yet another corner, he saw them—a group of Draklar crowding a corridor leading to what he could only imagine was a chamber. None of the Draklar noticed him; their backs were turned. A smile crept onto his face as he activated two skills and an ability—[Temporary Enhanced Physiology], [Temporary Enhanced Weaponry], and [Adrenaline Surge]. He readied Soul Shredder, then boldly charged forward, the weapon roaring to life.

The nearest Draklars barely had time to turn before Huey was upon them, Soul Shredder slicing through them like butter as he waved the weapon around. The dungeon’s layers might have changed, but the creatures were exactly as Huey expected—spawn meant for slaughter, perfect for an easy level-up. After cutting down a dozen Draklars, Huey roared, "Orrrya!" and swung Soul Shredder like an axe as it ran out of juice. The swing bisected five Draklars, sending their upper halves into the air, disintegrating before they could crash on the floor, among the five bisected Dracklas one dropped out a long sword that fell tinkling on the ground.

As he fought his way into the chamber, he finally got to notice the miserable state of the corpses littering the floor. Then, in a corner of the room, surrounded by several Draklar, he saw a slumped figure—a woman in a black robe. She was grievously injured, her black dress stained red with blood. Urged by this sight, Huey dispatched the remaining Draklars with a blur of motion, each swing of Soul Shredder precise and deadly, one more Draklars upon defeat dropped an item but in that moment it was of no interest to Huey, his full focus on slaying them all.

Already very familiar with how to handle Draklar, it took him a bullet and less than a minute to dispatch all Draklars inside the room. Understanding that being put in a cornered situation like this woman was the worst thing that could happen, his focus, once he finished taking care of all the creatures, went to the corridor leading to this chamber—the only way in and out. He was on the lookout for more Draklar, but once again, like before, there seemed to be none.

Satisfied, he turned to the woman and rushed over, ignoring the loot left behind by the spawns. Up close, he saw her face—pale, delicate, with dark hair framing her features. She was dressed in an ornate black dress, with intricate patterns and a high collar, now stained with blood. Looking at her hand clutching her injury, he noticed three different rings. One was a heavy silver ring with intricate engravings and a polished black stone, another featured a large blue gemstone held by a twisted, serpent-like band of silver and bronze, and the last was a golden masterpiece with a blue diamond set in a filigree of intertwined branches. Her long black hair framed a pale face that, despite her injuries, retained a striking beauty. But while he did think that she was beautiful, she wasn't really his type. His type was more lively girls, which, let's be honest, she wasn’t so much; like at all.

At that moment, he came back to his senses.

What am I saying, making jokes about this? She'd curse if she could hear what I’m saying. And to be fair, she did look like the type to cast a curse.

Oh god, here I go again.

Come on, be serious, Huey. This is your fault for not intervening earlier. Have a little compassion.He cast a glance at the corpses, guessing that they were her comrades.

While Huey felt pity, he didn't feel it was his fault that this happened. After all, he only valued what was valuable to him—his life—and in no way was he responsible for theirs. If anything, they should've valued theirs better.

Kneeling beside the woman, he inspected her wound and winced. "That’s a nasty wound you have there," he said, realizing too late how insensitive it sounded. He adopted a more considerate expression and asked, "Do you have any healing spells? Can you do healing magic?"

The woman tried to speak, but struggled to, then settled on shaking her head. "I see..." he murmured. "I'm sorry. I don't have any healing skills either." Her fate seemed sealed, and she appeared to understand that. "Is there something you'd like me to do for you?" he asked, hoping to offer some comfort.

The woman struggled to speak, but the noise was an indecipherable mess, painful to hear. "Don’t... Don’t push yourself," he said gently. She seemed to give up, only to try once more. "K...R...U...L..."

Huey's initial reaction was confusion. He'd expected the woman to be trying to tell him something, yet she seemed to stop on these words that didn't seem to make any sense, as if it were exactly what she wanted to tell him.

Going over the words, letter by letter, then putting them together, he ultimately came to understand that it was not the beginning of a sentence as he'd been expecting or a failed attempt at saying something, but exactly what she wanted to say—a name: K.R.U.L. As if hit with lightning, he exclaimed, "You know about K.R.U.L?!"

She nodded, and Huey's mind raced. "Ma'am, are you from that place too? Terra? My Grandpa was too," he said, excitement mixing with urgency. "He used to tell me all about it. The technology, the machines... I’ve gotten to thinking that at times he was just making stuff up. But you... you know about K.R.U.L. You're from there too, aren't you? Do you have a name? What am I saying, of course you do. Can you tell me more about where you came from? My Grandpa always talked about how things were so different there."

Huey was ecstatic; he had so many questions, but with how progressively pale the woman was getting, he understood he didn't have much time for that. In that moment, he finally regretted his earlier decision of making a retreat. Now, one of his grandfather's people was dying because of it. He felt so bad he wanted to pluck his hair out, but knowing that would only make him uglier and not better the situation, he asked, "What do we do?" hoping she had a better idea than he, who had none.

At this point, it didn't seem like his words reached her, but in that moment, he saw her reach out, only for her hand to fall midway. He gently caught it. As he did, she said in a surprisingly clear voice, "I'll entrust this to you. Make better use of it than I did."

As she finished speaking these words, she sank into an eerie silence, her body progressively limping, he understood she was gone.

Crouching there to her level, Huey wondered what she meant, what it was she was entrusting him with. It was then that suddenly, he felt a coldness engulf him, drawing his attention to a wall. It felt like something was beckoning him, urging him deeper into the dungeon. The sensation was eerie, tempting him to move forward, but just as he was about to give in, the feel of the woman's hand which he was holding snapped him out of the trance he found himself in.

"What the hell was that?!" He wondered. He then remembered her words about entrusting something to him. For a moment, he wondered if she had cursed him, but it didn't feel like a curse. As he pondered, he noticed something alarming that made him instinctively reach onto Soul Shredder: smoke began to boil from the ground like boiling water, engulfing the corpses scattered around the chamber. He realized the dungeon was claiming its prize. Though the sight was unfamiliar, he'd heard about it and knew it was a harmless, natural occurrence.

He heaved a sigh of relief. Words of wisdom from his grandfather lecturing in his mind, "Dungeons can be viewed as living beings. They eat, and as they do, they grow stronger and smarter. Sometimes they give just like they take, which is why sometimes spawns will leave something behind defeat and also why always the Dungeon will claim anything that dies in its domain."

Regardless of how harmless this process, Huey took this as his cue to leave. He came here to grind his level up and to harvest high-grade manacyte, which could be found deep in the dungeon. But today, too many things were going awry with the dungeon, and he wasn't going to risk his life to find out what caused it.

"Charlie is going to kill me for this," he sighed, sheathing Soul Shredder on his back. "Well, if he wanted these high-grade manacyte so much, he should have come to pick them up himself. I’m off this place. For now!" He proceeded to pick up the woman, knowing that if he left her here, she would be engulfed by the dungeon like her comrades.

He didn't know much about her, but he was willing to bet she'd prefer not to be digested by the dungeon that caused her comrades' demise.

As he lifted her, he noticed something where she'd been lying. It was a crystal, similar to the ones around the room, but this one gave off a reddish color along with the blue. "This is..."