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[You cleared the first wave! The next wave will arrive in 22 : 02 : 10]
[Task #1 : Find the 4 keys to open the gate leading to the exit, located in the safe zone (0/4). 79 days left.]
They did it… So I was right. They were more than strong enough to handle the wolves. The tension on my shoulder alleviated somewhat as I breathed out a sigh of relief.
I’m happy that they have made progress in defending the gate. Now, If only I can say the same about myself…
Well, it turned out that rushing your way into a labyrinth of a dungeon might pose some problems if you wanted to find your way back out. I made zero tracks or any markings anywhere to guide me, and when compounded with the fact that every room looking almost exactly the same, getting the hell out became a near impossibility.
While the poison no longer posed a problem, I was still worried about the latter waves of the defense. I never expected to be inflicted with such a powerful poison here and then be stuck inside right after that.
If I knew ahead, I would’ve waited for the waves to finish before attempting to clear this dunge-
No, I’m just being greedy. I was confident I could manage both.
My previous successes had blurred my sense of responsibility. At the end of the day, I failed to do both; The dungeon remained uncleared, and the waves are still ongoing.
Was following the smell the wrong idea?
It never dawned on me that the reason I was so drawn to the scent of death was more than just my innate senses. Both Ezekiel and Yael pretty much confirmed that I possessed something which allowed me to touch and survive the stone’s effects, but again, they were never clear on what the hell it actually was.
Is that also the reason that I felt my instincts urging me to choose the Coveted Shadow over Sky lancer?
The more I think about it, there were good odds that the scent I followed leading to Yael wasn’t the true, actual purpose of this dungeon. If a party entered this dungeon and none of them were attracted by the smell, would they have taken the same path that I did? Can they even kill the walking deads that patrolled around the dungeon?
It was possible that this dungeon was designed in a way that players were incentivized to avoid fighting those things. They’re not that tough to deal with once you understood their strategy, and cutting their limbs are more than enough to turn them completely harmless.
With that logic, Yael’s tomb felt like a side-area inside of a dungeon that contained another, significantly tougher boss. A side area that could only be accessed if a player contained a specific set of talents and skills.
I encountered a few other Walking deads as I skimmed through the dungeon rooms. Frankly, they were trivial without their immortality. With the use of my Death siphon, all of them simply perished as the system recognized them as corpses, allowing me to simply suck them off to refill my health.
Naturally, because of the simplicity of the fights, the system never gave me any levels beyond that. It was to be expected, since I was sure that the system only rewarded levels where the fights posed at least a semblance of a threat.
Venturing ahead, I thoroughly inspected each one of the rooms that I passed. Some of them were filled with a variety of types of furniture, tables, closets, and cupboards, which posed a question in my head: Do they live here? This dungeon could’ve been a remnant of an ancient civilization. I skipped these details when I rushed through the rooms prior to meeting Yael.
I thought back to the layout of the dungeon once more. At the entrance, there was barely any form of interesting architecture and decorations. Then, as I pushed deeper, the walls and floors became more elaborate and extravagant, eventually ending in the room where Yael resided.
His ‘room’ was different than the others and the tomb guardians made one thing clear; that part of the dungeon was specifically designed as Yael’s encounter location. But then, why did meeting him, or beating the tomb guardians, made no progress towards clearing this dungeon?
More importantly, Why did Yael appear in a dungeon that was named after Tzatch?
Past the living quarters, I entered a large, open area that was significantly spacious than all the previous rooms. The floor was separated into 3 parts by a short circular lining made of marbles, and in the middle of the area lies a dilapidated fountain.
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Several walking dead were seen mulling about. They didn’t seem to hold any sort of weaponry, and their clothes were that of a typical civilian’s, unlike the armors that the other zombies wore outside. The system didn’t show any information when I focused on them, silently telling me they were not enemies.
Testing my theory, I cautiously approached one of the walking dead. He didn’t seem to mind my presence as he just kept sauntering about.
So… they’re just mindless zombies with no will to fight? Why did the system generate them if that’s the case?
Confusion spread in my eyes. I felt that there was more to the shit the system threw at me than what it originally looked like. The ant thing was almost certainly a scenario that the system generated, but this? This was something else.
Everything about what I am looking at screamed that there is more to it than what’s on the surface.
The area contained another path at the opposite end. The passage was significantly larger than the one I came in from, and as I approached, I saw a wide stairway made of stone that led even deeper into the dungeon. With no other options, I followed the stairs, descending into the ever-increasing darkness.
The stairs led to another massive area, almost feeling like a giant cave instead of another opening. There was nothing else of interest here other than the castle-looking structure that spanned more than a few hundred meters, standing ominously beneath the cavern.
[Tzatch’s forgotten castle]
“What?”, A demoralized expression appeared on my face. How big is this dungeon? Am I supposed to clear the castle too?
Looking around the cavern once more, I saw a hole in the ceiling that appeared to lead to the outside world. A ray of gentle sunlight seeped through the hole, illuminating parts of the cavern. I thought I could try to climb my way up there, but the ceiling was more than a few hundred meters high.
The exterior of the castle was atypical of the castles that were built back on the earth. If I had to describe it in a single word, It would be be functional. Unlike the more decorative and elaborate engravings and decorations before, the castle looked like it had withstood a lot of damage.
Giant cracks and holes were stamped onto the walls, and the same could be said about the gate too, although it had received so much damage that half of the door was simply ripped apart, revealing tiny glimpses of what was inside.
For what purpose a castle was built beneath a giant cavern, I don’t know. It seemed strange and illogical.
Groaning inside, I stepped closer to the half-destroyed gate. There was enough of a space for me to slip past the gate, so no climbing was necessary. Right at the moment my feet stepped on the floor inside the castle, the system blasted me with a line of text.
[You have entered : Tzatch’s forgotten castle]
Inside the walls, there were rows and rows of uninhabited buildings that were lined up, reaching towards a courtyard in the middle. I walked and searched around the abandoned stone buildings, hoping to find some sort of secret chest or treasure, only to be rewarded with… absolutely nothing.
Venturing towards the courtyard, I observed the humanoid statue that held a lengthy spear with the tip pointing towards the ceiling right where the ray of light came from.
There wasn’t anything else of interest in the courtyard, so I walked past the statue, eventually reaching another massive structure. A glance was enough to determine that it wasn’t just a simple house or storage, but a palace that was ever so slightly more extravagant that the other structures before.
The door to this palace was shut tight and it only budged slightly when I used my entire strength to peer it open. It took more than a few tries before the hinges of the door creaked as I felt my arms beginning to push the door apart. A grinding screech emanated from the castle, and then the door opened fully, revealing a quiet hall housing a throne at the other end.
On the throne sat a limp, mummified body carrying a glimmering spear, illuminated directly by the sunlight that came from above, as if the crack on the ceiling was specifically made for this exact purpose. But that wasn’t the only figure that was present in this hall. A set of fully armored individuals knelt in a line before the throne, unmoving.
Eight… ten. Ten knights.
Each of the knights carried the same set of armors and weaponry. A large, 2-handed weathered sword was holstered on their backs, ready to slice anyone that dared to approach the throne. Well, obviously, all of them would come to life if I stepped near the throne, right?
As much as I would like to, I couldn’t see their faces underneath their helmets. Their white-ish armor reflected the tiny glimpse of light, free from any sort of rust. They reminded me of the armors that were worn by the tomb guardians with similar decorations and engravings too, the only difference being their state of attrition.
Yet, when I was only but a few steps away from the mummified body, nothing happened. None of the knights moved, and so was the body that slumped on the throne. The system displayed the name of the person when I focused on him.
[The final stand - Tzatch]
Finally… I found you. Elation filled my chest as I smiled.
I inspected the weapon Tzatch held. Unlike the initial spear that I was given, the grip on this one wasn’t made of wood. Instead, it appeared to be made of some kind of dark metal. The tip of the spear was quite elaborate, sporting a curved edge that was lined with decorations that shined periodically when light bounced off its surface.
My examination was then rewarded by a prompt from the system.
[Spear of Tzatch - unique item. A heavy spear that was wielded by the warrior, Tzatch. It was told that he defended his sector from the incursion using this spear and the gifts of Uriel, the Deity of Light. Ever since then, Tzatch continued serving the Deity, with an undying loyalty. Unfortunately, the spear had lost its luster with time. Now, it is merely a decoration, serving as a reminder of his valor.]
Shit… Disappointing. Despite how it looked, this spear wasn’t a weapon, at least, that’s not how the system had labeled it. I’d reckon that I’ll be able to deal good damage if I struck something with it, though… But with no self-repair enchantment, this spear will just break after a few uses.
Should I grab his spear? Is that the trigger?
Biting my lips, I grabbed the spear with both my hands and pulled it off the body. Tzatch never reacted, nor did he show any sign of life.
[You acquired the Spear of Tzatch. Restore the spear to its rightful state.]
[New task #3 - Restore the spear of Tzatch to its rightful state.]