Seeing the sky turn a shade of orange from the setting sun, the two decided to head back home, retracing their steps towards where their coachman presumably awaiting them.
The street's calm silence brought with it a sense of tranquility as they walked down the road, sparing glances at the people around them either returning to their abodes or preparing to close their shops for the day. Zeke couldn’t help but smile when he saw a teenager tripping on his own feet while his two friends choked on their own laughter, refusing to help the fallen boy. “…They remind me of my teammates. I wonder how they’re doing now? They’re probably still training for the quarterfinals…or getting scolded by Coach for goofing around.”
“Zeke?” Circe turned around when she realized that Zeke had halted his steps, eyes fixated on the boys from across the road. Turning to see what had caught his attention, she felt a tinge of pity tightening her chest. “Oh…of course he still knows some people back home.”
After a moment, Zeke’s attention returned to the front, his gaze meeting with Circe’s eyes as she turned towards him. He gave her a sheepish look. “Whoops, sorry. I got distracted for a bit there.”
“Oh god, that’s a silly thing to be embarrassed about.” Circe’s chuckle mirrored her inner thoughts. “For a moment there I thought you needed to use the bathroom.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?” Despite his words, Zeke’s lips broke into a grin.
Circe crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. “Of course, I’m the funniest person alive. Unlike you—“
The two of them both went quiet as something else caught their attention. A system panel abruptly manifested in front of them, cutting their conversation short. Although, when they gave the message a read, their eyes would turn wide in surprise.
[You sense a familiar energy nearby.]
“Wait, then this means…Zeke,” Circe began to frantically look around, excitement pouring from her poise. “This is what I think it is, right?”
“Definitely,” while he may be the most composed out of the two, Zeke couldn’t hide the delight shimmering within his eyes as he joined Circe in the search for the mentioned energy. “There’s a
As the name suggested,
Since Hidden Dungeons’ locations randomize each run, it prevents the players from simply returning to the same spot over and over to challenge them.
Zeke felt the strings of mana twirling in the air, becoming more prominent with each passing second. Beckoning for Circe to follow him, the two quietly made their way into a nearby alley. Immediately, the mana grew heavier, pricking at every inch of his skin. “…It’s at the end of the alley.” He spoke with a confident smirk.
At his words, Circe strode deeper into the backstreet. The looming shadows from the buildings around them veiled what little light remained of the evening sun, adding a sense of mystique to the heavy anticipation hanging in the air.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
When they reached the end of the path, Zeke shuddered at the sudden shift of mana as blue sparks flared to life before their eyes, growing larger until they formed into a portal.
[Achievement Unlocked: 'The Masked Spark' - Discover a
[You’ve earned some EXP!]
[‘Ruelle Peregrine’ has leveled up! LVL: 14]
[‘Silas Salvador’ has leveled up! LVL: 12]
“Woah,” Circe’s voice brimmed with satisfaction as she cleared away her notifications, grinning widely. “We must’ve been really close to leveling up for a few dozen points to do the trick. Alright, I’ll invest my skill points now.”
“I’ll put mine into more magic then.” Zeke spoke while summoning the Sapphire Staff.
“Now then,” Circe swapped out her dress for her training attire and draped the Darkwing Mantle around her shoulders. After calling a sword into her hand, she marched forward with confidence. “We have a dungeon to clear.”
“Of course,” Zeke followed suit as he watched Circe disappear into the portal. “What is a better way to end a date?”
[You have entered the
.
.
.
[TIPS! Two heads are better than one! Think about bringing your friends with you when dungeon-diving! Who knows, an extra pair of hands may save your life one day.]
.
.
.
Stepping through the otherside, they instantly squint their eyes shut at the bright light. Their skin prickled against the sun’s warmth, reminding them of the fact that time behaved differently within dungeons.
Zeke opened his eyes to take note of his surroundings. Sturdy, black steel weaved together to create a lattice-like pattern that formed the shape of a dome, its curved walls rising to the vast, empty sky like a giant bubble made of glass and metal. The distinct scent of earth and greenery reminded him of Esmeralda’s greenhouse.
“So this is an aviary,” Circe whistled in awe as she looked around. “It isn’t hard to guess that we’re going to fight birds here. Thank god we have someone with a Gravity spell in our party, right Zeke?”
“Yeah, what a blessing,” Zeke rolled his eyes as Circe chuckled at his sarcastic tone. Striding towards the tube-like tunnel in front of them, he turned to Circe, stopping after walking only a few steps inside. “Well, thank god we have a trap master in our party, right Circe?”
Circe rolled her eyes with a wide grin. “Oh definitely, but this path isn’t trapped, so we’re good to move on.”
Their bodies subconsciously tensed up the moment they set foot inside the first room, ridding their expressions of the leisure that once lit up their faces. Now Circe stood in front of Zeke with her blade out and ready to strike at anything that moves, while the Sapphire Staff gleamed dangerously, enveloped in power.
‘Silence…’
‘Rustle.’
“!!!” Circe swung her sword the moment she saw something rushed towards her from the corner of her eyes. A pair of talons grazed against the surface of her blade, though they swiftly retreated as the creature let out a frustrated screech. Her face scrunched up the moment she registered the monster’s appearance. “Woah, it’s ugly.”
[
“At least the developers didn’t actually give them human faces,” Zeke commented as he fired a magic missile into the first harpy, striking it out of the sky for Circe to swiftly end its life with a single stab through the chest. “But you’re right, they’re still ugly.”
[Killed x1
Seeing its comrade die, the other harpies emerged from the bushes and trees, screaming from their crooked beaks. With their aerial mobility, they didn’t need to worry about running into each other while they attacked their targets, unlike when they fought against the bulky spiders.
“CAWW!!”
Nine harpies drove towards them all at once, their talons spread wide and ready to strike, Circe dispatched the nearest enemy with a horizontal cut before her sword weaved towards the other, cleaving through the large talons with ease.
[Killed x1
[Killed x1
Zeke had moved away from Circe, giving her a wider area to swing her sword. After activating the
Three harpies went down to three magic missiles.
[Killed x3
Circe remained focused on the remaining enemies, though she just happened to be within earshot of Zeke’s words. A smile spread across her face as a harpy evaded her sword. “Seriously? ‘Too handsome to kill’? I mean, you have a point, but c’mon.”
While her attention briefly shifted to Zeke, the birds quickly took advantage of her moment of blunder and drove in at the same time, screeching at the top of their lungs.
Just as their talons were inches away from her face, the harpies suddenly got knocked to the ground by a mysterious force. Zeke frustratingly picked at his ear as he watched the rippling mana traces pressed down against the birds. “Damn, these chickens almost broke my ear drums.”
”Heh, not even close. I planned that.” Circe grinned as she went around stabbing each harpy one by one while Zeke continued keeping the intense gravity field active. Soon enough, only the two of them remained standing.
[‘Ruelle Peregrine’ has leveled up! LVL: 15]
[‘Silas Salvador’ has leveled up! LVL: 13]
[
[