The Dungeon was a place where light came to die. Its chill seeped through the walls, creeping into every crevice and corridor like an unseen predator, the cold biting through their clothes and settling deep into their bones. Each step Erik took felt like walking into the jaws of something ancient and primal. The air was thick and suffocating, a pressure that threatened his instincts.

Legends claimed dungeons were trials crafted by the gods to challenge mortals, pushing them beyond their limits. But as Erik eyed the vines slithering across the damp walls and listened to the steady drip of water echoing in the darkness, it was hard to believe any god still cared for this forsaken place.

If the gods had made this dungeon, they had long since abandoned it.

Over twenty students moved cautiously through the passages, their formation a loose circle. At the front were the veterans, experienced upper-years, and their House Leader, Helen Drakemore. Her sharp gaze swept the shadows, scanning for traps. Professor George walked near them, his light element conjuring floating orbs that hovered near the ceiling, their glow dimly reflected in the pools of water scattered along the floor.

Erik adjusted the strap of his bag, feeling the weight of food, spare clothes, and basic supplies pressing against his back. The group was prepared for two days of exploration, though Erik had heard that many dungeons took over a week to be explored. This was simply a small one, hypothesized to be around 3 floors deep by the adventurers guild.

As they walked, Erik wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. His expectations of relentless waves of monsters had crumbled against the reality of this place. No enemies yet.

Lost in thought, Erik barely noticed when his boot shifted on something loose. His breath caught as he stepped back, half-expecting the ground the ceiling to come crashing down or the ground to disappear.

“Relax,” Kyle muttered, catching Erik’s shoulder before he stumbled. “Just a rock.” His sharp gaze lingered on Erik for a moment before sweeping the corridor ahead. “But keep your eyes open. This place doesn’t forgive mistakes.”

Erik nodded.

A sharp motion from the lead student silenced the group. Everyone halted, and the faint click of a triggered mechanism sent a ripple through the formation. Gears ground within the walls, a deep, metallic groan that made Erik’s stomach twist.

“Trap!” Kyle shouted.

Professor George lifted his hand, guiding one of the light orbs forward. Its pale glow revealed a thin wire stretched across the path. A panel slid open in the wall, and a volley of jagged darts shot out, slamming into the opposite side with a thunk.

The students near the front dove to the ground, hearts pounding. Erik stood frozen as he stared at the embedded darts. He hadn’t even noticed the wire.

Kyle crouched beside him. “Eyes sharp, Erik. I told you this isn’t a cake walk and the Dungeon doesn’t give second chances,” his tone was serious and upon a simple glance Erik could see his eyes were firm. Kyle had tried to give him kindness by telling him to wait a few years until joining a raid team.

Erik gulped and nodded, his fingers tightening inside his gauntlets.

Aria, walking a few steps ahead, glanced back with a grin that seemed out of place in the gloom. “It wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t dangerous, right?”

Erik looked at her before widening his eyes, startled by how easily she carried herself in this suffocating place. Her smile, bright and almost carefree, stood in stark contrast to the cold dread gnawing at his chest.

"How can you joke about this?" Erik asked.

Aria shrugged, her expression unbothered. “If I let it get to me, I’d be no better than the moss growing on these walls.”

Aria carried the blessing of a god, her connection to the light element amplified to heights incredible heights. Her confidence was not unwarranted. Yet, Erik couldn't help but feel an unshakable sense of inadequacy. It was as if something within him kept his confidence perpetually out of reach, it was like if he let his guard down and became cocky, it would be his demise.

Erik glanced to his side as they kept walking. Even Emilia, who was usually so sleepy she clutched her pillow with a half-asleep face, was now fully alert, her eyes darting to every corner. Colin, the one who always had something to say, was completely silent for once.

The air seemed to grow heavier as they entered a larger chamber. The room was vast, the ceiling disappearing into darkness, with walls carved in crude, unnatural shapes. Professor George’s light illuminated scattered piles of bones—until the bones moved.

A skull rolled into place atop a pile, snapping into a spine as skeletal arms clawed their way upright. More bones joined them, assembling into humanoid figures with hollow eye sockets glowing faintly green. Some carried rusted blades, others bow & arrow.

Amidst them, shambling figures emerged, their flesh rotted and clinging to their bones, mouths agape in silent groans. Zombies.

The smell of decay hit Erik like a punch. His stomach turned, and he gagged, stumbling back.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Barriers!” Helen commanded, and at her will several students raised a glowing barrier around the group, separating the monsters from the students.

Erik stood frozen as the older students moved with precision, launching spells into the enemies. Arrows of light streaked across the chamber, piercing skeletons and shattering their brittle frames. Jets of fire seared clusters of zombies, their flesh melting under the heat.

Erik clenched his fists inside his gauntlets, his breathing shallow and ragged. His heart pounded as his gaze locked onto a zombie shambling toward the barrier, its lifeless eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. Its exposed ribs oozed a foul liquid, dripping onto the stone floor with wet splats.

‘I can’t fight that. I’m not ready. What if I mess up? What if—’ despite not being in a combat role, the stress he felt was beyond anything he had expected. Kyle was correct about not wanting him at first, he was a few years too early.

A hand gripped his shoulder, jolting him back to reality. He gasped, turning to see Kyle beside him, his expression calm but firm.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Kyle said, his voice low enough to avoid drawing attention. “I want you to use this opportunity to surpass that fear in a safe way, alright?”

Erik swallowed hard, nodding, though his hands still trembled.

The barrier ahead of him flickered as a skeleton slammed into it, its rusted blade scraping against the glowing surface. The monster shattered moments later under a blast of water magic, the skeleton collapsing into a pile of broken bones.

Erik’s breath caught as he saw the remains—jagged fragments of bone, still twitching slightly as if some dark magic lingered within them. His stomach twisted at the thought.

‘These things were human once... weren’t they?’

The last zombie crumbled under a coordinated volley of fire and light, its body collapsing into a smoldering heap. Silence followed, broken only by the faint crackle of dissipating spells and the labored breathing of the students.

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After several hours of walking through the Dungeon’s corridors, the group finally stopped to rest in a small, open chamber. The walls here were smoother, but the ever-present vines still twisted their way across the stone-like veins. Pockets of luminous fungi cast a greenish glow that gave in the chamber. A faint dripping sound from somewhere in the distance was the only noise besides the occasional shuffle of feet or murmur of students unpacking supplies.

Erik collapsed onto a smooth rock near the center of the room, dropping his bag with a sigh. He rubbed his clammy palms over his forehead, feeling exhausted. Not because of fighting, no. Just lots of walking, lots of traps, and stress. Whenever there was a fight, someone more competent took care of it. Honestly, he was just tagging along so it almost made him feel bad to be so tired.

He looked over to find Aria, Colin, and Emilia settling nearby, each of them moving with the sluggishness of people already feeling the hours of tension in their legs.

“Finally,” Aria muttered, flopping onto the ground beside Erik. She pulled a piece of bread from her bag and took a huge bite, crumbs scattering across her lap. “I thought we’d never stop.”

“Speak for yourself,” Colin grumbled, sliding down to sit cross-legged on the floor. “I didn’t sign up to walk for hours in silence. Where are the fun parts of this Dungeon, huh? You know, the treasure and glory?” that was the kind of view Erik had as well. He guessed his father only talked about the cool parts.

Emilia, sitting on another rock—with her ever-present pillow cushioning her—gave him a dull look. “You just watched a pack of zombies and skeletons get turned into bone soup. Wasn’t that exciting enough for you?”

Colin shuddered and waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, it was gross. But you know what I mean.”

Erik unwrapped a sandwich from his bag, his appetite not quite as strong as usual. He nibbled on the bread, letting their banter wash over him, trying to push aside the lingering memory of hollow eyes and rotting flesh.

“You looked like you were going to pass out back there,” Aria teased, elbowing him lightly.

“Thanks for pointing it out,” Erik muttered, forcing a smile.

“Don’t worry, we try our best,” Colin said in a mocking tone.

Erik widened his eyes, ready to give him some harsh words with a threatening tone but he felt too tired to be bothered with that. Instead, he just shook his head.

“It’s normal,” Kyle said as he walked past. He crouched by their small group. “Everyone feels it at first. The fear doesn’t go away, but you get used to managing it,” he spoke with a small smile, encouraging them.

“Not sure I want to get used to that,” Erik replied, grimacing at the thought of the undead they’d seen earlier.

Kyle chuckled. “I get it. The first time I saw a zombie, I couldn’t even fight. Once it was dead, I threw up. Thought I was done with Dungeon raids for good.”

Colin stopped eating and looked at his senior. “You? The powerful Kyle? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Kyle replied, his smile faint but genuine. “You’re doing fine, Erik. Just keep your head steady, and don’t let it get to you too much. There’s nothing wrong with fear—it’s what keeps you alive in places like this.”

Erik nodded, swallowing a bite of his sandwich as the tight knot in his chest loosened slightly.

Emilia leaned forward, resting her chin on her pillow. Her eyes were half-lidded like usual but the sudden twitches and moves told anyone with a few brain cells that this place had gotten to her. “You think we’ll run into something worse? Like... whatever’s deeper in the Dungeon?”

Kyle pushed himself upright with a sigh. He brushed some dust off his armor before replying. “This is only the first floor,” he said matter-of-factly. “So, yeah. Once we head to the second, we’ll see stronger versions of the monsters we’ve already faced—maybe some new ones. And more of them.”

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, muting the small group. It wasn’t a revelation anyone wanted to hear, even if they already suspected it.

“Well...” Aria’s voice broke the silence, her faint smile reappearing despite the atmosphere. “Any chance I’ll get to fight them?”

Kyle laughed, holding his chest. “No, sorry…” he said, still chuckling. “I’d rather none of you fight. If worse comes to worst, I swear I’ll fight for each one of you!” he gave a double thumbs-up.

Despite the childish nature, it had an almost instantaneous effect as the group couldn’t help but relax. Even Erik felt a small, genuine smile creep onto his face.

As much as Erik hated the idea of depending on others, he knew they’d need every bit of strength and experience to make it through. For now, he’d trust the veterans. They were his best chance of leaving this place without a single scratch.