Chapter Three: The Appearance of the Dungeon

World of Ingot

Year: 1479

Don’t worry about tripping up because failing is an inevitable part of life.

The World of Ingot was a strange place where even the heavens felt far from view. Countless metal structures of varying sizes and shapes covered almost everything in sight. The especially large towers sundered even the clouds, splitting the sky in smaller segments. It was to the point that even though Noa’s group was a hundred stories from the ground and on their own highrise building, their view was cut off in various directions.

Yet, even in such a foreign environment dominated by man’s creations the force of nature made its presence known. Or maybe it was the will of the dungeon. A surreal and unnatural wind seemed to coil around the buildings, and it made Noa think of the tales of dragons. To him it felt like those legendary creatures had given up their search of the sea and had made this metal labrinth their nest.

Noa was self-aware that he was indulging himself in fantasy as he gazed at his surroundings. He let the feelings simmer for a bit before he took a deep breath and focused. Whatever the state of the world was didn’t matter. The group would have to push forward and there was only one path.

A wooden bridge invited them further in, and beyond that various paths opened up in all directions and created a maze. There were countless bridges and skywalks, and even creatively placed cranes and scaffolding provided alternative footpaths.

Sorin raised his arms with exaggerated flair towards such a world. His smooth, crisp voice echoed out. “It’s a city of sin and here we are the sinful intruders that disturb the ruins of dried up dreams.”

“Fufufu. Well spoken comrade,” Sera laughed, “Even if I have no idea what you just said means.”

Noa opened up his arms and said, “Let me translate: I’m sad I can’t be lazy, but I still have enough energy to be melodramatic.”

“I mean,” Sorin turned his head back with an expression that was both serious and flippant, “Isn't it humorous? I just want to have a cute, romantic school life, and here I am.”

“I mean isn’t it that?” Sera said, ambiguously.

Somehow, probably intuitively, Noa understood. “Do you mean a test of courage?”

“Exactly!”

“Hmm. It would indeed be nice to get to know everyone better,” Sorin admitted.

Crina raised her brow at him, “Everyone?”

“Well everyone but you. Me and Noa might be bros but we haven’t been able to recount tales of love to each other yet.”

“Hmm.”

“You wouldn’t understand because you just like hitting things.’

“That’s not completely true.” Crina gave a devious smile but before she could elaborate on any meaning behind it, Gin stepped forward.

“I’m glad to see everyone having fun. But we should probably get moving. I feel like something is already watching us.”

Noa gave a dead-pan look and said, “You sure it isn’t Sorin’s carnal desires coming to the surface.”

“Hey! Rude, aren’t you the one who likes to steal glances at Sera.” Sorin pouted.

“Me and Sera are friends now.” Noa wagged his finger at Sorin.

“You can’t fool my expert eyes. I can see that you still keep a slight distance from Sera.”

Noa clicked his tongue but didn't reply.

Gin blushed slightly, “For the record, me and Sera both heard Sorin’s passionate speech on the ship before, but I don’t think you can judge all perverts the same.”

“Yes, Sorin is a harmless pervert that wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Sera added, “So the creepy stares we are getting aren’t from Sorin or Noa this time”

“See, they know I’m a good guy.” Despite saying this Sorin looked hurt. He wasn’t as thick-skinned as he appeared even if he was still quite unabashed most of the time. Of course, Noa was the same.

“So do you feel it too, Crina?” Noa asked.

“Of course. It’s coming from one of the taller buildings in the north. It’s quite the hostile stare it's giving. There are several others looking at us as well but they aren’t as threatening.”

“The same direction we are forced to go.” Noa frowned. “Well keep us updated, so we can respond accordingly. In the meantime, let's explore the area and get our bearings.”

“Got it boss.”

“Boss?”

“Yup!” Crina smirked, “I think it would be perfect to shove all responsibilities onto you. Furthermore, I don’t think the others would complain.”

Noa gave a look and saw no one object. “Whatever, do as you all please.”

The bridge creaked and swayed as they moved across it. Noa got nervous when Sera leaned off the edge, but she quickly rejoined the group. There hadn’t been anything interesting to see because even though they got a glimpse of the ground only a sea of ghoulish-looking creatures was visible. Similar monsters could be seen through the windows of various buildings as well.

After the bridge if they wanted to continue they would have to go inside. Everyone seemed to intuitively understand what positions they should be taking, so Noa didn’t say anything and followed behind Crina as she opened the door and entered.

It was just a simple stairwell, but it was long and kept going into the darkness, presumably all the way to the ground level. However, figuring it would be best to take things slow, Noa just stopped the group after moving to a door that led to the top floor.

Crina creaked the door open, but there were no visible threats so the group pushed in. Because they came from one of the emergency exits of the building, they had a good view of the entire floor. It was some kind of VIP lounge.

Glass walls divided the floor into more than a dozen large rooms. Most of them appeared to be elaborate meeting rooms. Noa’s eyes were drawn to the electronics. There were televisions and electronic display boards, which apparently were used to display news and real-time data.

Noa only knew their purpose because information was transmitted to him by the world. It was a perk of being an otherworlder. However, it only painted a vague picture, so it didn’t satisfy his curiosity. He would have steal some later.

With these thoughts, Noa moved towards the reception area, which also served as the main entrance. There was a large counter that was equipped with a fully functional bar, and across from that were several elevators. They were inoperable and required executive permissions.

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The image of a coiled serpent was engraved onto the elevators, and painted below them was a caption that read: “Sleeping Serpent Dungeon Management Society.” The same words were written on a nameplate residing on the counter.

“That’s a mouthful.” Sorin yawned.

“What do you think dungeon management means?” Gin asked.

Sorin picked up something and shrugged. “Bureaucracy and business, probably.”

“Sounds boring and stuffy.” Crina gave the floor a once-over again and jumped on a couch. “I’m taking a nap. No need to wake me if something happens. I’ll respond before any of you.”

Noa moved towards the bar. All the perishables were nowhere to be seen, but in the cupboards there were glasses, cocktail shakers, a couple blenders, and more. He even recalled seeing stuff like piles of papers, clipboards, and other office utensils in the other rooms.

But everything was silent. It wasn’t just that there were no monsters, Noa felt like the soundless objects were strange. They just felt dead. There were lots of mysterious things to ponder, but any conclusions would just be guesses.

As such Noa decided it was time to start stashing some goods. He began grabbing a random assortment of objects when Sera walked over.

“What use do you have for those?” Sera asked.

“Who knows? I might find a use. They seem interesting at least.” Noa reached for one of the blenders when something flashed in front of his eyes.

Warning:

Undisciplined plunder will make the dungeon angry.

“Sigh. I guess I can’t just take everything.” Noa relented and instead placed his hand on the blender and began tracing a mental image of its interior using a basic analysis ability. Just as he finished, Crina shouted and the nameplate flew across the room and smacked him in the face.

“Umm.” Gin stuttered. “Did you all see that?”

Noa reached towards the floor and grabbed the plate. “If you mean this randomly flying across the room and hitting me in the head, yes.”

“Maybe it's because you made the dungeon angry?” Sera offered in her usual carefree demeanor, while everyone else seemed distrturbed in some kind of way. Crina in particular seemed to have some kind of itch. So much for her nap.

“I don’t like this…” Gin’s shaking voice came out.

“Worst comes to worst and I’ll trip Noa so that we can escape by leaving him behind,” Sorin said.

“That would make Sera sad, you can’t do that.” Gin answered seriously.

“Well. Let’s keep going before this talk develops into full blown mutiny.” Noa laughed with furrowed brows.

Using the stairwell from before, they gave each floor a light perusal but mostly came across nothing. Most floors were just partitioned off offices. Everything in the rooms were distinctly neat and orderly, but nothing else was worthy of note. They could only speculate on the lives of the previous inhabitants.

It took them a couple hours to comb through a dozen or so floors. During that time there were plenty of strange encounters from footsteps to whispers. There was even one time they had heard some angry shouting. Although every time they checked for the source of these events, they came up empty. Sorin did his best to defuse any tensions with jokes, but Gin and Crina were both on edge.

Noa could tell that Gin was bad at handling this type of situation. Given that the zombie-like creatures and overall environment of the dungeon didn’t cause her any noticeable anxiety, she didn’t seem easily scared. Perhaps then magicians and the supernatural didn’t go well together.

As for Crina, it was a complete surprise. With multiple reasons for her behavior, there wasn’t a way to come to an answer. Noa’s best guess was that it was her animalistic instincts, which didn’t bode well for them. As the group appointed leader, he realized he wouldn’t be able to satisfy his curiosity for the developing mystery and decided it was time to move on and make some distance from this place.

They descended to a floor that had a skywalk that connected to another building. The floor happened to be unique in that it was some kind of residential zone. Most likely it was temporary housing for long term or overnight work. Despite the restlessness and exhaustion expressed, the thought to rest up here had not crossed their minds.

“So...now that we are about to finally leave….” Noa paused, “Do you think…”

Gin hissed. “Don’t say it please….” She held onto Sera’s hand as she had been doing so for the last two hours.

“I don’t think we should ignore it. I mean Sorin and I had felt something on our necks.” Crina seemed irritable, “If it's like that. Well, I can’t punch it!”

“Ugh.” Noa gave a light gasp and everyone looked at Sorin.

“What...why is everyone looking at me...:” Sorin said.

“I mean...maybe you made a new friend. I mean a ghost girl would be quite interesting, no?” Noa managed.

Sorin tried to smile but instead his mouth just sort of twitched as he made eye contact with some transparent office worker that tightly hugged his back. He tried to shake it off but it was no use.

“Nice older lady, would you kindly step down.... We are moving kinda fast… don’t you think?!”

Sera clapped her hands to get Sorins attention. “Ghosts are without life and soul. They are merely manifestations of memories. If you leave it be, it will be fine.” Noa thought her explanation and desire to help was cute.

“Plus, I got hit in the head by a flying object and you get a cute office girl hugging you. Let’s not be rude.” Noa laughed, while Crina tried to punch it only to hit Sorin and knock him off his feet. The ghost-like office worker just tilted her head and sat on him.

“This might not be too bad…” Sorin tried to convince himself.

As if in response, the fluorescent lights above them dimmed. All the doors flung open, and a chilly wind picked up. Pillows were flung into the hall as orbs of light danced about. Shreds of pillows were sent wildy about as Gin sent a barrage of icicles everywhere.

Sera went to calm down Gin, but a loud roar sounded out as a large, dark figure crashed into a wall. It happened on the other side of the skywalk.

Just like in the hall that the group was in, orbs of light danced about but these ones seemed to be antagonizing the monster. The monster continued to roar and shake in response. Its head nearly touched the ceiling, and a large club the size of its body was colliding with the walls as it swatted at the ghostly figures encircling it.

Its skin was like obsidian, but various white markings were carved into its body. Silver tusks curled out of its mouth. It was unmistakably an oni of some kind. Troll, ogre, and demon were also words that could be used.

It made eye contact with the group and muttered drunkenly, “I’m home my Annabel, where are you?” All the ghosts disappeared into the walls when it spoke.

“Well, you got something to punch now,” Noa said, “It just happened to be a named monster capable of speech.”

“You wouldn’t believe what happened today?” It staggered toward them.

Crina stepped forward and Sorin brushed off his clothes. Both extended their weapons out. Noa, Gin, and Sera began firing at it but everything just bounced off it.

“Honey, we will have enough money soon,” its eyes focused a little, “You won’t leave now, right?”

Crina charged and swung with all her strength and only managed to cause the ogre’s leg to move slightly. Sorin followed behind her and aimed for one of its eyes, but it finally responded by simply swatting away Sorin’s weapon.

“Oii. Do you know where my Annabel is?” It asked.

“I think she is upstairs.” Noa replied.

“Ah, thanks.” It lumbered past them, but as soon as Noa released a sigh of relief it kicked him.

“You think I’m stupid don’t you. Just like those loan sharks. Hehe.”

There was a loud thud and everything went black. When he opened his eyes, he was on the opposite side of the hall and knew that he had died. His insides had been completely pulverized in a single instant. The dungeon had restored him, but the pain lingered and crawled under his skin causing him to cough. Meanwhile, everyone resumed the offensive.

Sorin tried to hold it down as Gin and Sera sought to gain distance while firing various projectiles. Gin focused only on the creature’s lower half; in particular, she fired icicles at its knee and foot at regular intervals. Her precision to aim at the same spot over and over again was noteworthy. On the other hand, Sera focused on trying to get a shot at its weak spots like its eyes.

In the middle of that chaos, Crina bounced across the ceilings and walls striking the oni all across the body as she leaped in and out. She did all this while dodging the various projectiles and the creature’s swatting motions, but the thing took little damage. Furthermore, despite everyone’s effort, its size, and the tight space the oni was erratic and agile.

A sense of madness made its movements unpredictable. It roared and sent Sorin flying much like it did to Noa. He landed in the opposite direction though. It followed up with a leap and finally managed to grab Crina. It threw her to the ground and used its foot to pin her.

Noa dusted off his clothes and sighed, having come to a decision to use his trump cards. “Oii. Listen here bitch. You think you understand money?” Noa taunted, causing the thing to look at him and ignore everyone else. Seeing it didn’t step forward though, Noa clicked his tongue. “Your wife left you because I had more to offer. You understand!” He flipped one of his fingers up at it.

The reaction was instant and the oni charged faster than one was able to respond, but Noa had expected the reaction and managed to narrowly avoid it. While dodging, Noa shouted. “Gin freeze the floor. Crina use Sorin and knock it over.”

Although they didn’t know what crazy idea Noa had come up with they followed through. The tile floor was covered with a layer of smooth ice, and Sorin without being able to complain was sent flying across the floor like a puck in hockey. His screams were distorted by the wind his body made. He went full speed into the brute as it was leaning in to strike Noa, knocking it over.

Noa kicked Sorin away to safety and then placed his foot on the oni. He pulled out his gun and smirked. “Some say deus ex machina, but I say money, bitch.” Noa sacrificed all the ‘loot’ he had gotten from the Island of Dreams into one very expensive bullet.

An ear-splitting ring erupted out as the world was colored with a bright light. It was like an earthquake. The building shuddered but held firm, but the floor was a different issue. A massive

hole appeared and extended dozens of floors down.

Meanwhile, Noa had been launched towards the ceiling by the recoil and had been caught by Crina. His arm was completely limp and broken, while his gun had been destroyed. Crina set Noa down, who with the other hand began sipping tea.

“Where did you get that?” Crina rolled her shoulders not in a good condition herself, “Also, you’re really drinking tea, now.”

Noa frowned in confusion and then laughed, “Ah I never told you guys. Here look.”

A fist-sized portal appeared that showed Noa’s soul dimension. It was easy enough to peer inside.

“Like I said, I'm like Sera. This is my real body!” They followed Noa’s gaze to a massive metal object.

“You’re a tea kettle then?” Soin asked, undamaged.

“More or less. I at least have all the functional capabilities of one. As for what I’m drinking…well it’s the tears of a Holy Water Python that I encountered while I was maturing on the Island of Dream. I could save it but I already blasted through my funds, so might as well experience luxury.” Noa’s injuries healed and he poured a diluted sample for everyone.

Perhaps because the situation was too surreal they just accepted it and drank the tea.

“So what happened to the oni?” Noa asked.

“It’s dead. Its entire lower half was severed from its upper.” Crina said, “The power of money is scary.”

“And don’t forget it. But now I’m poor.”

“Ah, I’ll reimburse you for the tea.” Sera muttered, seeming ashamed of herself.

“Just smile.”

“Oii. Using cheesy lines, guess you are learning.” Sorin waved his hand, “Just so you know, we are even. I’ll forgive you for using me as a pinball.”

Noa waved his hand back and forth, “Whatever.” As he said this the ghostly orbs of light reappeared.