The dungeon’s third floor had a damp, eerie ambiance, with bioluminescent fungi casting a ghostly glow on the cracked stone walls. Allen, a young man with blonde hair and piercing green eyes, sat on the staircase leading to the fourth floor. He tapped his foot impatiently, his healer’s staff resting across his lap. Despite being a rookie in the Dungeon Emergency Response Team, or DERT, Allen was eager to prove his worth. The team’s strict adherence to protocol often left him sidelined, and he hated it.
From above, heavy footsteps echoed. Soon, Karl emerged, his broad frame filling the stairwell. He was topless, his long brown hair wild and unkempt. His camo pants were streaked with grime and blood, evidence of the fifth floor’s battle.
“Allen!” Karl called out with a booming voice, a wide grin plastered across his rugged face. “Hopefully, you’re not bored. We just cleaned up the fifth floor. Nasty critters up there.”
Allen stood, shouldering his staff. “Awfully hard at work, sir,” he said, a tinge of sarcasm in his tone. “I was hoping I could get in on the action, you know?”
Felicia followed close behind Karl, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun. Her bow was slung across her back, and her piercings glinted in the faint light. Rings adorned her nose, lip, and exposed belly button, adding to her edgy appearance. Like Karl, she wore camo gear, though hers was fitted for mobility.
Felicia smirked. “Can’t have that, rookie. What would we do if our precious healer got hurt?”
Daniel, the team captain, brought up the rear. He was in his late fifties, his grizzled features and sharp eyes exuding authority. His uniform was pristine compared to the others, though his demeanor carried the weight of countless battles.
“We can’t expose our healer to danger, can we?” Daniel said, his voice steady and calm.
Lea, the youngest of the group, stepped forward with a haughty expression. She was petite, with sharp features that hinted at her noble lineage. Her long auburn hair was tied in a neat braid, and her camo uniform was tailored to perfection. She carried herself with an air of superiority, which often rubbed Allen the wrong way.
“Moreover,” Lea began, her tone clipped, “you’re a Caster, Allen. Yet you insist on fighting in close combat. It’s reckless.”
Allen bristled but kept his tone light. “Just trying to be versatile, Lea. Can’t always rely on spells, can we?”
Lea crossed her arms, her emerald eyes narrowing. “The Seven States of Aura exist for a reason. Casters shouldn’t overstep their boundaries.”
Felicia rolled her eyes. “Oh, give it a rest, Lea. Not everyone’s stuck in the old ways like you.”
The tension between Lea and Felicia was palpable, but Daniel quickly stepped in. “Enough. We’ve got work to do.”
Karl clapped a hand on Allen’s shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. “Don’t worry, kid. You’ll get your chance soon enough. Just stick with us, and you’ll learn a thing or two.”
Lomar’s spontaneous dungeon, codenamed Metal Spider, had earned its name for good reason. Metallic spiders skittered through its labyrinthine corridors, their gleaming exoskeletons reflecting the dim glow of phosphorescent moss. The dungeon, according to Felicia’s analysis, was an anomaly in more ways than one.
“It’s weird,” Felicia said, her tone contemplative as she led the group to the next floor. “This dungeon is going upwards instead of downwards. Most spider-themed dungeons descend into the earth, not rise toward the sky.”
Karl scratched his head, his long brown hair falling into his eyes. “What’s the word on this dungeon, boss?” he asked, glancing at Daniel. “Are we going for a capture or are we killing it?”
By killing it, Karl referred to destroying the dungeon core, effectively collapsing the dungeon. A capture, on the other hand, involved mapping the dungeon, securing it, and strategizing for long-term resource farming.
Daniel adjusted his gear, his sharp eyes scanning the narrow passage ahead. “We’re going for a capture. The department’s predicting a dungeon boom.”
Felicia snorted, her skepticism clear. “Or more likely, they’re engineering it. The government’s been too hands-on with dungeons lately.”
“We’re DERT, and that makes us basically govbernment,” added Lea.
Lea sidled up to Allen, her braid swinging as she matched his pace. “So, old man,” she teased, a smirk tugging at her lips, “I heard you used to work in accounting?”
Allen sighed, adjusting his grip on his staff. “Yep. And I’m not that old—I’m in my mid-thirties.”
Lea’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Sure, grandpa. So, are you really a Caster? A healing-type Caster is practically unheard of. It’d make more sense if you were a Dealer.”
Allen’s expression tightened, but he forced a casual tone. “A Caster’s a Caster. Let’s leave it at that.”
The truth was more complicated. Allen was a Dealer-class, but he had his reasons for keeping it a secret. Dealer abilities came with costs—often steep and unpleasant. Sometimes ignorable costs. In Allen’s case, his ability’s cost was so grotesque that he’d been forced to hide his, choosing accounting over the glory of hunting. And then the Gift Registry Department exposed his aura. Now, he was here, far from the desk job he’d once enjoyed.
The ground beneath them trembled. A low rumble grew into a deafening quake, and suddenly, the ceiling above tore open.
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From the gaping hole descended a massive metallic spider, its body gleaming like polished steel. Its center-mass had a radius of at least four meters, and the sharp, grinding sound of its limbs moving sent painful vibrations through the air.
The creature’s glowing red eyes locked onto Allen, and with terrifying speed, it lunged.
Allen’s body dissolved into mist a split second before the spider’s razor-sharp limb struck. Frost spread across the limb, freezing it solid as the real Allen appeared several meters away, his staff glowing faintly.
Lea stepped forward without hesitation, placing herself between Allen and the spider. Her movements were fluid, almost dance-like, as she summoned an array of illusory webs to distract the creature. As a hybrid Caster/Trickster, Lea specialized in deception and misdirection, and her aura was a perfect counter to the spider’s mechanical precision.
“FORMATION C!” Daniel barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The team moved like a well-oiled machine. Karl charged forward, his massive frame a blur as he swung his conjured battle axe with brutal efficiency. Felicia nocked an arrow, her keen eyes targeting the creature’s vulnerable joints. Daniel ran to the opposite end, hiding to one corner.
Allen steadied himself, suppressing the chill of his ability’s cost. His role was clear: provide support and ensure no one fell in battle. Lea was besides him, raising her aura as of the moment.
The metallic spider screeched, its frozen limb shattering under Karl’s devastating blow.
“KKKZZZZZT~*KZZT~~*!”
The creature wasn’t just big—it was fast, calculated, and unrelenting.
Karl recklessly charged like a berseker, his massive battle axe swinging in arcs that could split most cryptids in two. But the spider’s movements were almost surgical, its limbs parrying Karl’s blows with metallic precision.
“This guy is parrying me,” Karl grunted, his voice tinged with frustration as he stepped back to reset his stance.
Meanwhile, Felicia stood a few meters away, her bowstring taut as she unleashed arrow after arrow. As a Seeker, her precision was unparalleled, her aura allowing her to pierce through anything within her line of sight. Yet, the spider dodged her shots with unnatural agility, each arrow missing its mark by mere inches.
“And it’s dodging my arrows!” Felicia exclaimed, her tone sharp with disbelief.
Lea stepped in next, raising her hands and summoning a dozen frost lances. They materialized in midair, their icy edges glinting in the dim dungeon light. With a flick of her wrists, she sent them hurtling toward the spider. But the creature moved like a blur, evading or deflecting every single lance.
The spider flickered, its body momentarily glitching like a distorted hologram. Then, it lunged straight for Felicia recognizing her threat.
“Watch out!” Daniel shouted.
Felicia barely managed to dodge, her reflexes saving her from a direct hit. Even so, several of the spider’s limbs grazed her, leaving deep lacerations across her arms and side. She staggered back, blood staining her camo gear.
“She’s poisoned!” Daniel barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.
“I can handle that!” Allen responded.
Allen raised his staff, an artifact that glowed faintly with a golden hue. His aura flared, latching onto Felicia like a tether. The wounds on her body began to close, the poison visibly dissipating as her skin healed at a rate that was almost unnatural.
Felicia gave a shaky nod, her grip on her bow steadying. “Thanks.”
Daniel, meanwhile, had been watching the spider with an intensity that only he could muster. As a Reader-class, his abilities went beyond observation; he could analyze patterns, predict movements, and even replicate techniques.
“I’m done with my pattern analysis!” Daniel declared, his voice resolute.
He stepped forward, drawing his rapier in a fluid motion. The weapon glinted as he performed a series of intricate maneuvers, each step calculated to perfection. The spider’s limbs lashed out at him, but he danced around them with an elegance that seemed almost rehearsed.
Round and round he went, his movements like a choreographed routine. Then, in a flash, he darted under the spider’s massive body.
With a precise thrust and a follow-up slash, Daniel struck at the creature’s core. The sound of grinding metal filled the air as the spider convulsed, its limbs flailing wildly before collapsing in a heap. Sparks flew from its joints as its internal mechanisms shut down.
The dungeon fell silent, save for the team’s heavy breathing.
“Nice work,” Karl said, resting his axe on his shoulder.
Felicia nodded, her eyes still wary. “That thing was smarter than it had any right to be.”
Lea smirked, lowering her hands. “Guess the rookie’s healing isn’t half bad either.”
Allen shrugged, his expression neutral. “Just doing my job.”
Daniel wiped his blade clean and turned to the rest of his team. “Let’s move. If this was just one of the guardians, the core won’t go down without a fight.”
The sound of slow clapping echoed through the chamber, a deliberate and mocking rhythm that drew everyone’s attention. From the jagged hole in the ceiling descended a figure dressed in a pristine white uniform. His silver hair shimmered in the dim light of the dungeon, and purple flames danced along the edges of his clothes, giving him an otherworldly aura.
Karl tightened his grip on his axe, his teeth bared in a feral snarl. “Who the hell are you?”
Lea’s expression darkened, fear flickering in her usually composed features. Her voice was a near whisper, but the weight of her words struck everyone like a hammer. “It’s… the Yaksha.”
Felicia raised an eyebrow, confusion laced in her tone. “Yaksha what now? Who’s that supposed to be?”
Daniel stepped forward, his rapier at the ready. His usual calm demeanor was strained, his jaw set in grim determination. “Retreat now. I’ll hold him back.”
Karl scoffed, his booming voice cutting through the tension. “No way we’re running off. I’m not about to back down from a good fight!”
Felicia glanced between Daniel and the figure descending from above, her bow half-drawn. “What’s gotten into you, Daniel? Is this guy supposed to be a big deal?”
The man in white touched down lightly, his movements fluid and unnervingly precise. His gaze swept over the group, his violet eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and menace.
“Lea Saleh. Gift: Frost Walker.” His voice was smooth, almost conversational, as if he were reading from a list.
“Karl Coreman. Gift: Axe Master. Felicia Alvarez. Gift: Pierce Through. Daniel Reeds. Gift: Perfect Pattern.”
He turned his gaze to the final member of the group, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“And you… Allen More. Gift: Life Bridge.”
Allen stiffened under the man’s scrutiny, gripping his staff tightly.
The Yaksha spread his arms, his tone deceptively calm. “No one here needs to die. Give me Allen More, and the rest of you may live.”
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint crackle of the purple flames that danced around Yaksha’s form.
Daniel’s voice was firm as he stepped in front of Allen, his rapier raised defensively. “You’ll have to go through me first.”
Yaksha tilted his head, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face. “Brave words, Captain Reeds. But bravery won’t save you.”
Lea stepped forward, frost forming at her fingertips as her aura flared. “If you think we’re handing over one of our own, you’re dead wrong.”
Karl grinned, the tension in the air fueling his combat instincts. “Finally, a real fight. Let’s see what you’ve got!”
Felicia’s bow was drawn now, her arrow trained on Yaksha’s chest. “I don’t know who you are, but you’ve made a mistake coming here.”
The Yaksha chuckled, the sound low and unnerving. “So be it. Let’s see how long your resolve lasts.”
In an instant, the purple flames surged, and the room was bathed in their eerie glow. The battle had begun.