After defeating the beast, they took a moment to catch their breath. Varrick and Edrim pulled out a 'healing potion' from their rings and chugged it down like it was a cold beer on a hot day.

They followed that with a 'mana regeneration' potion and a 'stamina regeneration' potion—because why not go for the full set?

Once they were feeling more or less human again, they made their way down the long corridor that opened up after the beast was slain.

As they walked, Edrim, unable to resist, asked, "So, how did you find out about this dungeon in the first place?"

Varrick narrowed his eyes, thinking back to the kid who had given him the tip. The encounter had felt… off. There was something about it that didn’t sit right with him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

After all, not everyone knew how to contact the Black Market. If they did, they could be a potential ally—or an even bigger threat. The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hey! I asked you something!" Edrim snapped, clearly getting annoyed with the silence.

"I just got the news from an informant," Varrick lied smoothly, offering a shrug.

He couldn't exactly tell him it was from a kid. That would just give him the information that they use children's as informant.

To change the subject, he tossed the question back at Edrim. "How about you? How did you get the news?"

Edrim gave a vague answer, "Someone had my guard deliver it for me."

Varrick raised an eyebrow. "A guard? Really? Must be nice to have that kind of personal service."

Edrim just shrugged, uninterested in explaining further.

"Guess we're both surrounded by mysterious informants," Varrick muttered, though his mind was still on the unsettling encounter with that kid.

While they were busy arguing, they reached the end of the narrow hallway. At the far end stood a door, an ancient structure that seemed to pulse with an almost otherworldly energy.

The door was carved from dark stone, its surface covered in intricate patterns that seemed to shimmer and change the longer you looked at them. It had an aura of mystery, a sense that it was more than just a simple entryway—it felt sacred, like something that hadn't been opened in centuries.

Both Varrick and Edrim stood still for a moment, staring at it in awe. It was clear they had never seen anything like it before.

After a few moments of quiet reverence, they exchanged a look, readied their weapons, and pushed the door open.

As it creaked open, a blinding white light poured out, as if some ancient force had been stirred from its slumber.

For a moment, they shielded their eyes from the brilliance. When the light faded, they stepped through into the room beyond.

What they saw inside left them speechless. There was no beast, no monster lurking in the shadows. Instead, they found themselves in a vast underground chamber, one so silent that it almost felt alive.

The air was thick with an ancient energy, carrying a faint metallic tang and the scent of damp stone. The room stretched out in front of them, its high vaulted ceiling lost in darkness.

The walls, made of dull gray rock, were covered in cryptic symbols and faded murals that seemed to shift if viewed from the corner of the eye.

A strange golden glow pulsed from somewhere deep within the room, illuminating dust motes that floated lazily in the air.

In the center of the chamber sat a golden chest, gleaming like a beacon in the shadows. Its surface was etched with detailed patterns—coiled serpents, soaring phoenixes, and constellations—each design seemingly alive with intricate beauty.

Gems—rubies, sapphires, and emeralds—adorned its edges, glowing faintly as though they were imbued with their own energy.

The chest’s lid was tightly sealed, with faint, fiery outlines around its edges, humming with a low, resonant vibration that seemed to echo through the very floor.

The chest's brilliance cast long, distorted shadows on the walls, making it seem as if figures were reaching out from the darkness.

The stone floor around it was smooth and circular, worn down over centuries, though no footprints led to or from it.

Strange symbols were carved into the floor in a ring around the chest, their faint blue light flickering like a heartbeat.

The room seemed to breathe, its atmosphere thick with anticipation. It was as though the chest was calling them, radiating a magnetic pull that promised unimaginable power—yet every instinct screamed that some things were better left untouched.

Edrim, still awestruck by the sight, finally spoke. "How about we open it first? You know we can’t exactly take THE RUNE from the chest and run. This isn’t the kind of thing you store in a dimensional ring."

Varrick considered it for a moment, his fingers instinctively curling around the hilt of his weapon. "Alright," he said, agreeing at last. "Let’s see what happens."

They both carefully made their way toward the center of the room, their eyes scanning the surroundings. It wasn’t every day they came across something so breathtakingly beautiful and otherworldly.

The entire chamber seemed like a living painting, each detail more mesmerizing than the last.

When they reached the middle of the room, they stood side by side, hands hovering over the golden chest.

The metallic surface felt cold and smooth to the touch, sending a slight shiver through their fingers.

For a moment, they both let their minds wander, caught up in the wonder of it all, until they shook themselves back to reality. With a mutual glance, they steeled themselves and opened the chest together.

The instant the lid creaked open, a blinding white light erupted from the chest, flooding the room with such intensity that it nearly blinded them. They staggered back, shielding their eyes.

The air around them crackled with energy. The entire dungeon seemed to groan, vibrating as if something ancient had been awakened, or a long-buried mechanism had been triggered.

The ground beneath them trembled, and debris began to fall from the high ceilings, clattering to the floor like distant thunder.

The vibrations grew more intense, the air charged with a sudden, oppressive force.

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BUZZZZZZ—BUZZZZZZ—BUUUZZZZZZ

The sound was deafening, like the earth itself was protesting their intrusion. The room shook harder now, and the light from the chest flickered, casting shadows that twisted unnaturally on the walls.

***

OUSTIDE THE DUNGEON

Although both Edrim and Varrick had instructed their subordinates to guard the entrance of the dungeon, ensuring no one ventured too close, the animosity between the two groups was growing by the minute.

Tension simmered in the air, thick and palpable, each side eyeing the other, hands twitching near weapons. It felt like a powder keg about to explode into violence—but before either side could make a move, the ground beneath their feet began to quake violently.

A deep, resonating hum filled the air, vibrating through the earth as though something colossal was stirring below. The forest floor trembled, the ancient trees groaning as if they too sensed the disturbance.

Then, with a sudden, deafening crack, the ground split open. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, radiating from the base of the towering, ancient tree that stood like a silent sentinel in the clearing.

The earth itself seemed to respond to whatever had been triggered inside the dungeon, and the tension between the groups faded into the background as they all turned their attention to the shaking ground beneath them.

The tree, which had stood like a sentinel of time, began to wither. Its glowing fissure flickered like a dying flame, and the eerie luminescence dimmed.

Leaves crumbled to ash, branches disintegrated into dust, and, finally, the trunk itself collapsed inward, vanishing in an instant.

The clearing was silent but for the sound of crumbling debris, and then even that faded. The tree was gone, leaving no trace of its presence.

A murmur of unease rippled through the group. Then, the vibrations intensified. The ground beneath us trembled as if alive, forcing us to stagger backward.

Without warning, the earth heaved, and the forest floor began to split open. Slowly, impossibly, an enormous structure began to rise from the ground—a monolithic, ancient building enshrouded in an aura of power.

It wasn’t just the building. Mountains themselves seemed to claw their way out of the earth, jagged peaks reaching skyward as if emerging from centuries of slumber.

The ground buckled and shifted beneath us, yet when the quakes subsided, the terrain was eerily pristine. No dust cloud lingered, no debris scattered—everything looked as though it had always been this way, as if nature itself had shaped the scene over millennia.

At the center of the newly formed mountain, a dark cave loomed, its mouth gaping like the maw of a slumbering beast. A faint glow pulsed within, a promise—or a warning—of what lay inside.

We stood frozen, the weight of what we had witnessed pressing heavily on our chests. None of us dared to move. The forest, now dominated by the towering mountain, had become deathly silent, save for the faint echo of the quakes retreating into the distance.

No one spoke. No one had to. We all felt it: the immense, unyielding presence emanating from the cave—a force older and more powerful than any of us could comprehend.

It wasn’t fear that kept us rooted; it was the primal, bone-deep instinct to respect something far beyond our understanding.

We watched in reverent silence, the enormity of the moment etching itself indelibly into our minds.

***

IN THE CITY

Ash sat in the library, engrossed in the "Beast Encyclopedia", his eyes scanning the endless pages of information.

The encyclopedia was filled with a staggering variety of creatures, each more fascinating than the last. But there were so many beasts, and Ash knew he couldn’t learn them all in one sitting. He needed a better way.

As his thoughts wandered, an idea sparked in his mind—a way to learn everything in one go. His mind raced with possibilities. But before he could dive deeper into his plans, the entire library began to shake.

At first, it was subtle—just a slight tremor—but soon, the shaking intensified, rattling the shelves and causing books to fall from their places. People in the library began to panic, screams echoing through the building as they scrambled to find safety.

Yet, Ash remained completely calm. He sat there, unfazed, as if he knew exactly what was happening. It was almost as if this quake was a regular occurrence.

He glanced out the window, watching the people run in chaos. "They’ll never understand," he muttered to himself. "This shaking is just the dungeon merging itself with the world. Nothing to worry about. No buildings will fall."

His lips curled into a grin. "It’s good for me. Less than a week to complete the process. Perfect timing," he said, thinking of the unfolding events.

Then his thoughts turned to the S-rankers. "Damn, I wish I could see the looks on their faces when they open that box."

Humans are remarkably easy to manipulate when you learn to control their emotions. Among all emotions, Greed is the most insidious and potent tool of influence.

It blinds reason, overrides morality, and turns even the cautious into reckless gamblers. A whisper of opportunity, the promise of wealth, power, or status—these can shackle the mind as effectively as any chain.

Greed makes people see what they desire, not what is real. It fuels ambition, but also desperation, pushing them to betray their values, forsake their allies, and plunge headfirst into traps of their own making.

When greed takes root, it consumes, distorts, and enslaves, leaving its victims chasing illusions while their strings are pulled by unseen hands.

A menacing chuckle escaped his lips. "Hehehehe… Heheheheh…" His eyes gleamed with a knowing amusement, watching as the seeds of greed took root in their minds.

It was always the same—dangle the right temptation, and they would scramble, blind to the strings he had woven around them. They thought they were making choices, but in truth, they were merely puppets dancing to his tune even after knowing its a trap.

That's how powerful Greed is.

***

INSIDE THE DUNGEON

As the shaking finally subsided, the two men stood in stunned silence, coughing as they waved away the dust and debris that hung thick in the air. The once-gleaming, majestic chest now looked entirely mundane—its luster gone, reduced to a plain, weathered box of dull metal.

The suffocating energy that had filled the room moments ago was gone, leaving the atmosphere strangely empty, almost hollow.

Edrim and Varrick exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions shifting from awe to confusion and finally to something darker—disappointment.

When the last of the light receded, they cautiously peered into the chest. Resting on a simple cloth was...

Both men froze, their initial tension giving way to incredulity. Varrick’ s sharp, calculating expression twisted into a frown, and Edrim rubbed his temples, as though trying to stave off a growing headache.

“A skill book and a dagger?” Edrim muttered, his voice thick with disbelief. “All this... for a healer's skill book and a weapon?”

The air between them thickened with disdain. Each grabbed an item from the chest, their actions cold and deliberate, neither offering words of courtesy.

The distrust and rivalry between them were palpable in every glance.

Varrick, ever the opportunist, flipped through the pages of the Blessings of the Healer book with a scoff. “A healer’s book. How quaint. Probably as useful as a broken sword in battle. But fine, I’ll take it. Maybe it’ll fetch a decent price from the right fool.”

Edrim sneered, his lip curling with contempt as he snatched up the dagger. “A pathetic little blade. Do you think I’m impressed by this trinket?” He ran his fingers over its strange energy, sensing a subtle hum beneath the surface.

“If this is a test, it’s a poor one. We both know neither of us will benefit from this.”

They stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of their words lingering in the heavy air. The room, once alive with strange energy, now felt eerily still—almost suffocating. It was as if the walls themselves were waiting, watching... but for what? They didn’t know.

Both of them began scanning the room, their eyes narrowing as they searched for the rune or any clue to the forces behind the dungeon’s collapse. But the more they looked, the more the surroundings seemed to mock their efforts.

The walls remained bare, untouched. The air was still, thick with the remnants of fading energy, but there was no sign of the rune. No indication of any greater power at play.

“Damned place,” Varrick muttered under his breath, his gaze flicking toward the silent chest. “No rune. No power. Nothing. Whoever set this up clearly has something else in mind. But what?”

Edrim shot a glance at Varrick, his frustration simmering beneath the surface. “You’re asking me? I don’t have answers for you, thief. We came here for the same reason, and now we’re left with... whatever this is. If you’re so clever, why don’t you figure it out?”

Varrick sneered but said nothing. His focus shifted back to the room, the silence thickening around them.

He wasn’t in the mood for Edrim’s taunts. Instead, his mind raced, calculating possibilities. Whoever had led them here had a purpose—something they wanted. But neither of them had figured it out yet.

After a long, tense moment, they both arrived at the same decision.

With no rune to uncover, no answers in sight, it was time to leave.

Without another word between them, they turned and made their way toward the exit. The heavy silence between them was punctuated only by the sound of their footsteps echoing through the now-deserted hall.

Varrick couldn’t resist one final jab, his eyes flicking to Edrim. “Don’t think this is over. I’ll find out what this was really about. I always do.”

Edrim’s eyes narrowed, and he quickened his pace, clearly annoyed but unwilling to engage further, “You do that, Varrick. But don’t think for a second I’ll let you get the better of me.”

And with that, they exited the room, both consumed by their own thoughts. The chest, its contents, and its mystery already fading into the past as they moved toward the unknown awaiting them outside. Neither could shake the feeling that this encounter was far from over—and that the real test lay ahead.

***