The chamber erupted into chaos the moment the mysterious figure vanished beside the statue.
“Who the hell was that?!” the man with the jagged scar roared, his face flushed with fury as he slammed his axe into the ground, cracking the stone beneath him.
A slender crossbowman spat on the ground, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Some nobody who thinks he can outsmart all of us. Idiot doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
Nearby, the leader of one of the main factions clenched his fists, his cold, piercing gaze sweeping over the crowd as he snarled, “How did we let this happen? We had every entrance covered!”
One of his underlings, a nervous-looking young lad, stammered, “He came out of nowhere, sir. One moment everything was clear, and then—bam!—he was right there.”
The leader’s eyes flashed with rage.
“Excuses won’t get us anything! Didn’t you hear that bastard’s parting shot before he was transported to the reward room? He was mocking us!”
Across the chamber, the woman in gleaming silver armor stood calm amidst the uproar, her icy blue eyes tracking the commotion with mild interest.
Her sword, still glowing faintly, rested easily in her hand as she addressed her group.
“Let them rant and rave all they want.” she said coolly, a smirk playing on her lips. “He may have gotten in there, but eventually, he’ll have to come out.”
One of her subordinates, a petite woman with fiery red hair, nodded in agreement. “And when he does, we’ll be ready to take what’s rightfully ours.”
The scarred man from earlier shoved his way through the crowd, his face twisted with anger as he pointed an accusatory finger at the silver-armored woman.
“This is your fault! If you hadn’t been running your damn mouth, we would’ve caught him before he reached the statue!”
She raised an eyebrow, completely unbothered. “Blaming others for your failures? How typical.”
He took a menacing step towards her, his hand gripping the handle of his jagged axe. “Watch it, wench. You’re not as untouchable as you think.”
Before things could escalate further, another faction leader, a sly grin creeping across his face, interjected. “Let him think he’s safe for now. How long could it take? An hour? Maybe two? Patience will win us the prize in the end.”
A collective understanding settled over the gathered adventurers. Eyes hardened with resolve, weapons were readied, and a deadly silence fell over the chamber as they prepared for the inevitable confrontation.
All they had to do was wait. Soon enough, the mysterious figure would retrieve his reward and be transported right back in front of them.
.... is what they thought.
----------------------------------------
I found myself enveloped in darkness, the chaotic noise of the chamber outside fading into nothingness.
As my eyes adjusted, a soft light began to glow in the distance, illuminating a specific area and drawing my attention like a beacon.
Gently, I lowered Lila onto the smooth floor.
She looked around, her tiny eyes wide with wonder and a hint of lingering fear. “Is... is this the reward room?” she asked, her voice a soft echo in the vast void.
I nodded, pulling the slime off my head and letting it slither down to rest by my feet.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Yeah, this is it. So make yourself comfortable—we’re going to be here for a while. Days, maybe even weeks.”
Lila blinked up at me, surprise flickering across her face. “Weeks?”
I shrugged, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“Oh, yeah. Those looters outside are probably thinking I’ll be back out in a couple of hours. Let’s just say they’re in for a bit of a wait.”
Lila looked up at me, confusion and concern mingling in her eyes. “How can we stay in this room for that long? And why would we want to stay so long?”
I chuckled softly, hoping to ease her worries. “It’s simple, really. As long as we don’t pick up the reward,” I pointed to the area where the soft light illuminated a chest, “we can stay in this room for as long as we want. Technically, forever. Of course, as humans, that’s not really an option—eventually, we’ll get hungry, thirsty, and start craving some social interaction. The last part doesn’t matter much when life and death are at stake, but the first does.”
She tilted her head, still looking puzzled. “So, how do we manage that?”
I swung my backpack off my shoulder and set it down in front of her. “That’s where this comes in.” I unzipped the pack and opened it wide, revealing a stash of food and rations I’d collected through my scavaging sprees. “I came prepared. As long as we eat slowly and ration what we have, we can stretch this out for at least one to two weeks.”
Lila’s eyes widened as she peered into the bag. “Two weeks?”
“Exactly. And here’s why that’s important: the longer we stay in here, the fewer people outside will be willing to wait us out. After a week, most of them will give up—especially with only a few days left before the dungeon exit closes for good. How many of them do you think actually know where the exit is? Most will be too worried about getting trapped inside to hang around.”
“And those veterans,” I continued, “they’ve got quotas to meet and exclusive quests to complete.”
I saw the realization begin to dawn on her face as I spoke.
“You heard that silver-armored woman outside, right? She mentioned she’s on an exclusive quest. That means her group, at least, will have to leave within a day or two to finish it, wherever it is. The longer we stay in here, the better our chances of survival.”
Lila nodded slowly, understanding settling in. “So... the longer we wait, the fewer enemies we’ll have to face when we finally leave.”
“Exactly,” I said with a grin. “But there’s one more thing that’s even more important...”
She looked up at me, curiosity piqued. “What’s that?”
I leaned in slightly, a mysterious smile on my face.
“You’ll see. Let’s just say that by the time we reach the last day, things will get... interesting.”
After a moment to have her gather her thought, I decided to change the subject.
“Even though we can’t pick up the item now, we can still see what reward is up for grabs.”
Lila’s eyes lit up with curiosity as she nodded.
Together, we walked towards the golden chest resting in the light.
The chest itself was ornate, its shimmering surface signaling that whatever was inside was bound to be something special.
“This looks promising,” I said, glancing down at Lila.
“I’m going to open the box just to see what rewards are being offered, but I have no intention of looting it until it’s time to leave. Depending on what’s inside, we might be able to adjust our strategy.”
Lila nodded again, her eyes fixed on the chest.
I took a deep breath and reached out, carefully lifting the lid.
As the chest slowly opened, a soft, golden light spilled out, bathing the room in its warm glow.
But before I could even peer inside, a sudden system notification flashed before my eyes, something unlike anything I’d ever encountered. The words hovered in midair, crisp and unmistakable:
Congratulations! Due to your remarkable achievement of defeating the boss alone and at Level 1, you have been granted a special privilege: Instead of receiving a single reward, you may now select one item from three distinct options.
I blinked, completely stunned.
In all my years of playing this game, I had never seen or even heard of anything like this.
This wasn’t just rare—it was unheard of.
My heart began to race as the chest fully opened, revealing not one, but three distinct items inside, each radiating its own unique aura.
Lila looked up at me, her eyes wide with awe. “Three items... You get to choose?”
I nodded slowly, still wrapping my mind around what was happening.
“Yeah... I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
The three items lay before us, each more tempting than the last, their potential practically humming in the air.
My thoughts raced as I examined them.
As I studied the items, a sense of awe washed over me.
The information displayed with each item was nothing short of incredible, and I could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on me.
This wasn’t just about picking a reward—it was about choosing the key to our survival.
https://i.imgur.com/kiYhU6d.png [https://i.imgur.com/kiYhU6d.png] _ https://i.imgur.com/Arj00EZ.png [https://i.imgur.com/Arj00EZ.png] _ https://i.imgur.com/azNBDAr.png [https://i.imgur.com/azNBDAr.png]
Choose wisely.