Ark went towards the North of the city to check whether the dungeon was there or not. The notion was quickly discarded when the number of Dustbroods Ark discovered became considerably less. It was one of the indications that the dungeon was not supposed to be there. The dungeons themselves acted as honing beacons for the Dustbroods. As soon as Ark would get close to one, the number of those monsters would start rising exponentially in front of him.

The same thing happened in the West and South too. All that was left was the eastern part of the city. Ark was pretty sure what the dungeon was supposed to be. It was in the eastern part of the town that the subway was created. It was an ideal location for a dungeon. As Ark made his way towards the eastern part, as predicted, the number of Dustbroods started to rise. His once shining sword was nothing more than scrap metal now. Even System enhanced weapons couldn’t keep up with his pace.

The subway that Ark appeared in front of was in shambles. The once pristine white walls were covered in the crimson red of the fallen. The railings were torn down and the plants had already wilted. The corpses of people were strewn about as a bunch of Dustbroods scavenged on them. The more the Dustbroods were closer to the dungeon, the more intelligent they became. Perhaps this was the reason, they steered clear away from Ark’s path.

Ark looked at the status of the first scenario. It seemed that along with the difficulty, the timer had also been reset. The time for survival had increased too. Earlier it was just thirty minutes but now those poor people had to survive for an hour. Ark had to do his best and clear the dungeon as best as he could. The lives were not just numbers or statistics. They were living breathing people who led their own lives. As Ark stood in front of the gate of the subway, the notification he was waiting for finally came up

[You have discovered a hidden dungeon]

The platform of the abandoned subway station was dimly lit by flickering fluorescent lights casting long shadows on the dusty walls. The air was thick with the musty scent of decay and neglect. The tiles of the walls and floor were cracked and chipped off at some places as washed away colors of graffiti adorned the surfaces. The racks of the station once teeming with bustling crowds and screeching trains were now silent and rusted.

Weeds grew between the tracks. The only sound Ark could hear was the distant drip of water, echoing eerily through the tunnels. Ark had bought two Naikiri knives from the System shop as he clenched them in his two hands. He had a vague idea about the monster that lived in the subway. Ark walked cautiously as he continued to observe a solitary bench that sat at the far end of the platform. It was warped and weathered. Torn posters and fliers remained scattered on the ground, remnants of a long forgotten time. The ticket booth was empty now. Its windows boarded and its door shut.

Ark felt something foul. It was not the smell of rusted paint that the train tracks had, no it was a smell Ark was quite familiar with. Long honed instincts screamed at Ark to react to something and this time Ark followed his instincts. The place where he was standing was now cracked as three deep gashes of a sharp claw removed anything resembling a floor. The monster emerged slowly from the ticket booth, its body twisting at unnatural angles as it tried to exit out of the booth.

Ark saw the floating robe with a face and immediately thought of a Cambium. It was like a monster that radiated sorrow wherever it passed by. Cambium was the mother of all Dustbroods. It was a nightmare for anyone who witnessed it. Unfolding impossibly from beneath voluminous robes, its spindly arms ended in clusters of narrow sharp spikes. A large number of skinny hands were hugging its torso, fixing its robes in its place. The Cambium continued to float as no visible legs could be seen from beneath.

The Cambium moved with surprising speed as hands emerged out of itself screeching and clawing for attention. Each hand of the Cambium was a murder weapon for an ordinary human. It would tear through flesh like a knife through hot butter. Like with all things in the tower, Ark was pretty sure it was not unbeatable. In his current state, he could probably do it.

The sharp claws of the Cambium moved with surprising speed. The moment they were about to cut Ark though, he reacted faster, his two knives cutting its hands off before it could even retreat. That movement cost Ark dearly though as the moment that Ark had cut its arms off, it too had reacted in the same fast manner. In terms of speed, the Cambium would take the win. Perhaps in terms of strength too.

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There was no conventional way for Ark to win the fight. He was outclassed both in terms of speed as well as strength. The only thing he had was his mind and the memories of fighting a Cambium. The Cambium just like its child did not have much in terms of intelligence. It had the same basic attack patterns and a few trump cards up its sleeve. Ark would have to win before the time ran out. It had been a long time since he had left the men to their own devices.

The Cambium did not give Ark any time to form a plan as it continued to glide towards Ark and claw at him with its three sharp hands. Every time, they connected with the floor, it was chipped away. Ark had to do something unconventional to win the match. Suddenly he had an idea. He just had to know whether it would work or not. Ark continued to evade the claws of the Cambium. That was not everything he did. Anytime, he got the chance, his Naikiri knives would cut through his hands. Every single time, Ark cut off one of its arms, another one would come up and take its place.

Ark continued to evade. He moved around in circles now. Slowly but surely, the Cambium was also starting to follow him. Ark had almost reduced his stamina to half. He didn’t know how long he would be able to evade the monster. Something unexpected happened. Just as Ark was about to get used to the repeated evading and stabbing, the Cambium changed its attack pattern. This was its second stage.

Even though Ark had not reduced half of its health, he still had managed to trigger its second phase. Ark could think of only one reason…and that was probably going to earn him quite a bountiful reward. The change in the mindless Cambium’s attack pattern had the distinct advantage of giving Ark an edge in the fight for the first time. Ark did not intend to miss the chance. As soon as the Cambium tried to perform his second stage of attacks, Ark lashed out. He continued to slash at the Cambium. All the Cambium could do was endure.

The way Ark was slashing and cutting off the arms of the Cambium was quite simple. Every time a new arm would emerge, he would cut them off and since the Cambium had previously been going around a circle, a pattern had been established. Even if the Cambium wanted to, it could not go straight or left. All it could do was move in a circular path. That was the fate of a mindless creature. Each time, his Naikiri knives would get a little bit dull, Ark would switch them out. There was no room for error. Slowly, ever so slowly, the once pristine voluminous robes of the Cambium were torn to shreds.

All that was left of the Cambium was a bunch of floating ribs and some hands which covered a gaping hole. The only weakness of the Cambium. It was the very same hole that allowed the Cambium to produce Dustbroods in bulk. This was the real second stage of the Cambium. Unlike other creatures who became stronger in their second halves, the Cambium instead got weaker. That was the reason it was a first-scenario boss monster anyway. The fact that the Cambium got weaker did not change anything though. It still was a boss monster. Ark still had to be wary about its surprise attack.

It happened at an opportune moment when the Cambium thought Ark was not paying attention. It was only for a split second that Ark’s Naikiri knives did not cut all the way through. It could retaliate now. Its arms grew back in an instant and the Cambium was ready to unleash its second stage. The hands that were covering the gaping hole of the Cambium lashed out towards Ark. This was the most powerful trick in the Cambium’s arsenal.

Ark was ready for it though. He had intentionally not cut the arms all the way through. He had thought that the health of the Cambium was reasonably depleted and if it got the chance it would probably unleash its ultimate attack. Ark’s prediction was spot on because as soon as Ark gave the Cambium any leeway, it did not waste any time. The five sickly hands on either side of the ribs of the Cambium lashed out at Ark. Each of those would probably deal a ton of damage. Ark could only find out.

Ark was pretty sure his body would not be able to endure more than three of the two claws. Earlier, each arm of the Cambium was deadly sharp, but the protecting arms had only one function which was protection. They were bad at dealing damage individually but if all ten of those attacked someone simultaneously, it was going to be hell. Ark was ready to endure though. This was the decisive moment that would tell who won or who lost. Ark had no intention of losing.

The price of losing was always Death after all. Ark moved the instant the claws stopped their job. One of the claws grazed his shoulder and his robes tore. Another of the claws was on his way but that was cut by one of his knives. The knife was lost. Only one knife remained. Everything happened in slow motion for Ark. All the actions would take only a second but for Ark, each moment was an eternity. Another claw was deflected and the last knife was lost. A claw penetrated Ark’s stomach but Ark needed but a moment.

He got that moment as a sword from the System shop penetrated the Cambium’s stomach at the same time. Ark grunted in pain and the Cambium let out an ear-piercing scream as it slowly turned into ash and dust. And with that, the hell that was the First Scenario was over.

[You have killed a Cambium]

[The First Scenario is over]