The trio of fighters rushed through the first two floors with ease, easily eclipsing their old records once again.

The first floor boss was taken out in less than a minute with overwhelming ranged attacks and trickery while the second floor boss was rushed with as much violence as the group could muster, leading them to where they now found themselves.

They stood before the third floors entrance and triple checked all of their gear and preparations. Their weapons were cleaned and oiled, the edges were recently sharpened, and their armor was in perfect condition.

It was go time for the excursions they had planned.

The next floor was the only way ahead for them now.

Drew took each step forward with waning trepidation. The stone stairs sat there, leading them further down into the pits of hell they became increasingly more familiar with.

The undead dungeon must have taken them miles into the cliff face and untold feet underground, yet the isolation he felt barely changed.

The world he was stuck in seemed devoid of any humanoid race willing to say a single word to him beyond those of anger and calls for death. All that was left for him now was to live and try to accomplish the nebulous goal the Goddess gave him.

‘Have fun? What a load of shit.” He mused quietly to himself as he stared into the dark stairs that laid before him and his friends.

“Master?” Sapphire tapped his side as he looked into the shadows.

“It's nothing. Let’s go.” The trio walked into the corridor and followed the steps for minutes when a bright light finally came to view at the end of the tunnel.

He walked towards in with trepidation in each step. The overwhelming brightness fought with his eyes as he got closer and closer.

He finally lost the fight and closed his eyes as he fell forward.

He nearly tripped when the steps ended and his foot met something softer than cold, hard stone.

He slowly opened his eyes to let it adjust and a whole hidden world came into view around him. The world was completely different than he was expecting.

The skies were a vibrant blue like he would have expected to wake up to on Earth. The glass was short and appeared manicured. The areas in the distance were filled with buildings and, as he turned around in circles, he saw a massive wall encompassing the entirety of the area.

“Holy shit this is crazy. Why is the sky blue now?” He looked around with unhidden confusion as he digested everything nearby.

“Really? That is what is so crazy to you? Master, there is possible civilization up ahead and you are stuck looking at the sky? Sorry but please, focus.” He looked to his side where she sat and then back to the structures in the distance.

He supposed she was right. The cyclops on his other shoulder scanned the world around him with the same wonder he had shown earlier while he walked to the buildings.

The green grass flattened under his foot as he walked ahead.

The buildings he saw appeared much more rustic than the skyscrapers he was welcomed with when he first arrived on the planet.

The plains he walked across were eerily silent. The noises wind, bugs, and bustle of a civilization were completely gone. It was a strange experience, even for the weird world he found himself on.

He walked within a few hundred feet of the buildings when he got a good look at what they actually were.

Rough stone cobble made up the bottom floors of the tightly packed buildings with light brown plaster walls making the faces of the upper floors. They looked like they belonged in a medieval city rather than a dungeon.

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The buildings towered over the streets below them. The roads were a mixture of rock and packed dirt. The quiet nature of the world all around them made the sprawling town all the more unnerving.

He walked into the town and walked up to the closest door he could see. The frame was too small for him to walk in without crouching down slightly and the rough wooden finish to it was course to the touch.

He grabbed the metal handle and pushed inwards only for the door to barely budge under his gentle persuasion. He used more force to try and free the door from its petty struggle only to be denied once again.

The frustration at the locked door caused him to throw his whole body into the door to try and force it open. The immense blow from his ring-enhanced strength blasted the door off the hinges and sent the trio tumbling into the room with reckless abandon.

Drew finally stopped himself as he landed on his hands and looked around the space they now found themselves in.

The room was some kind of shop that sold fabrics with different types of patterns and materials. They searched through the area and found a set of stairs in a back room that led to the upper floors. The rooms that welcomed them were nothing of note and beyond the random shrine or messy beds that showed signs of life, they appeared lifeless.

They found the final set of stairs and followed them to the attic space that held storage for random items drew failed to place.

“This is quite strange master. It feels as if the people who used to live here just up and disappeared one day.” He looked to the shoulder as they traveled down the stairs.

He completely agreed but was unsure of what to do now that they raided the place.

The wooden stairs moved with every step they took, bouncing slightly as they sagged under his considerable weight. The common squeaking of wooden old wooden stairs was notably absent

They made it to the bottom floor and to the left the series of back rooms that led to the shop front. He glanced at the door that hung open when he caught a glimpse of movement.

He froze as he got a closer look. The bright sun at their backs obfuscated his vision and all he could see were multiple smaller figures inspecting the door with strange and jerky motions.

He felt movement on his shoulders as his companions readied themselves for a fight.

A thick wad of spit slid down his throat as he swallowed heavily. The gulping sound echoed in the wooden room, bouncing off of the stone walls and wooden ceiling.

The figures at the entrance all slowly turned their heads over to where they stood in tandem. The bright light at their backs hid their features but the slightly crouched legs and claw-like hands gave them all the information they needed to know that they were enemies.

The silent standoff only lasted for a few seconds as the shadowy figures started to rush through the shop without a worry in the world as they bashed into the wooden counters to get to them faster. The three figures turned into five as a couple more rushed in behind them.

Drew backed up through the doorway and ran up the stairs to establish positioning and grab the high ground for whatever advantages they could get against the fast-moving enemy.

It was completely different from the average enemy they fought before most were slow-shambling skeletons or rotting zombies. These things appeared agile and desperate in their motions. After a few seconds of nothing, the first dark figure slammed into the wall near the stairs.

It looked up with a frantic head turn to search for the prey that had attempted to escape it. With the lack of the blinding sun and the torches acting as the only source of light, Drew was finally able to get a good look at what was waiting for him down below.

Cloudy eyes that glowed from deep within its skull stared at him with blatant hatred. Tight greenish-grey skin covered its body with cracks running along every inch of it. Fresh blood poured from the newly opened wounds as it stared up at him.

Before it could start rushing them, the remaining four monsters threw themselves straight into it, crushing it against the wall in their rush to find their prey.

They whipped their heads up to glare at them before dashing up the stairs in a disorganized scramble to reach the food first.

They climbed and pulled on each other in their frantic rush, slowing their approach down to a crawl due to their careless fervor.

Sapphire charged a blast and sent it flying down the stairs to hamper their progress even more and lessen the number of opponents they would need to face once the beasts reached them.

The blow was overly effective as it seemed to shatter two of the monsters’ bodies into pieces as it tore into them, leaving the final two untangling themselves from the mess they were in.

Another set of rapid shots ended the beasts before they could even reach them, finishing the fight before it truly began.

+300 xp for defeating Corrupted Citizens [Summon small monster] has inherited the xp in your place.

8770/9600 xp

“Well that makes me feel a little shitty.”