Adam’s senses were on high alert. He had been collecting herbs for hours, focusing on the task, but now… something felt different. He felt it deep within his core—the sharp pang of danger calling to him. It wasn’t just a vague discomfort; it was an overwhelming instinct that was hard to ignore.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Battle Instincts Activated: Danger detected nearby. A nearby cave presents a threat.
Adam’s muscles tensed. The cave he passed by earlier now pulled at him with an almost magnetic pull. His Battle Instincts screamed at him to run to get away before it was too late—but something in him resisted. Another quieter voice seemed to call him closer, urging him to enter.
His instincts battled each other. He tried to step back, but the ground beneath him seemed to shift.
Suddenly, a suction force gripped him, pulling him toward the cave entrance with an unnatural speed. His feet left the ground, and before he could react, the force yanked him inside.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
You have entered a dungeon.
Drop rates and XP increase as this is your first time in a dungeon.
As you are a legendary-class holder, the difficulty has been upgraded.
Drops are more likely to be useful for your class.
Easy > Legendary
Warning: Unknown dangers ahead. Good luck.
The words blinked before Adam’s eyes, and he barely had time to process the message before the world around him shifted. He turned around to leave, only to run into a wall. The only way out was through, it seemed. Pulling out his dagger, look at his status. He sighed. Hopefully, leaving would be easy, but talk of drops and XP made him think otherwise.
Current Status:
HP: 250/250 (3.3/min)
MP: 190/190 (3.6/min)
Stamina: 140/140 (4.7/min)
As Adam ventured into the dungeon, the air was thick and damp, with the faint scent of moss and earth clinging to the walls. His footsteps echoed in the silence, amplifying the feeling that something was watching him from the shadows. His Battle Instincts were on high alert, the familiar warning signals making his heart race. A faint, flickering light up ahead caught his attention. It looked like a fire or perhaps some sort of glowing fungus. Adam paused for only a second, then continued forward. He approached the light slowly, keeping his dagger ready. As he drew closer, the tunnel opened up into a large chamber. The ground was uneven, with jagged rocks protruding from the floor, and a large, pulsating crystal stood in the center of the chamber. Its eerie glow bathed the room in an unsettling light, casting long shadows across the walls. Adam instinctively stepped back, his grip tightening on the dagger as he realized something was off.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Dungeon Event Triggered: "Crystal Guardian" has appeared. Level: 14 HP: 180/180 Special: Crystal Beam (Energy-based attack)
A deep rumble echoed from the crystal, and before Adam could react, a figure materialized in front of it. The Crystal Guardian was a towering monster made of jagged crystal and stone, its glowing eyes locked onto Adam. It moved with an unnatural speed for its size, its massive fists swinging in a mighty arc toward him.
Instincts kicked in, and Adam ducked under the first swing just in time, the force of the blow leaving a crack in the stone where it landed. His heart pounded in his chest, and he quickly assessed the situation. The Crystal Guardian was slow but incredibly powerful, and he could already see the energy building up in the crystal in the center of the room. It was charging some kind of attack.
Adam didn’t hesitate. His Battle Instincts flared, and he felt time slow down just enough to avoid the deadly energy beam that shot toward him from the crystal. He darted to the side, barely missing the beam, which scorched the floor where he had been standing. The Guardian let out a low growl, its body crackling with energy. It was preparing another attack, but this time, Adam knew he had to act. His eyes darted to the glowing crystal again. If he could take out the source of the energy, maybe he could weaken the Guardia because he was honest with himself; there was no way his daggers would get through the Guardian's crystal skin. He bolted forward, using his speed and the terrain to his advantage. He weaved between the jagged rocks, avoiding another swing from the Guardian's fist. Reaching the crystal, Adam raised his dagger and plunged it into the core of the glowing gem.
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[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Critical hit! Crystal weak point struck. Dungeon Guardian’s power is weakening.
The crystal cracked under the force of his strike, and the Guardian’s movements faltered. Its rocks started falling to the ground, leaving an opening. Adam saw his opportunity. With the Guardian's attack patterns slowing, he launched himself forward, slashing at its legs to destabilize it. The Guardian let out a roar, stumbling backward as cracks began to form across its body.
With one last burst of energy, Adam leaped up, driving his dagger into the heart of the Guardian's chest. The crystal guardian let out a final roar of frustration before shattering into pieces, the remnants falling to the floor in a pile of broken stone and glowing fragments.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Crystal Guardian was defeated. XP Gained: 200
Loot Dropped:
1x Dungeon Key (Common)
1x Healing potion
1x Crystal Cup
Class ability shard.
Adam took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. The adrenaline was still coursing through him, but as he looked over the drops from the defeated Crystal Guardian, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. This dungeon was proving to be far more dangerous than he had anticipated, but it was also full of rewards.
He crouched down, scrutinizing each of the items:
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Dungeon Key (Common): Used to open Common locked chests.
Healing Potion: Heals 100HP and gives 5hp/Second for 30 seconds.
Crystal Cup: A cup made from a Foe's flesh (or lack thereof).
Class Ability Shard: A powerful shard capable of enhancing or unlocking class abilities 1/10
Adam carefully put everything into his inventory before checking his status.
Current Status:
HP: 250/250 (3.3/min)
MP: 190/190 (3.6/min)
Stamina: 72/140 (4.7/min)
Chewing on Dullroot to help his stamina, he decided to push forward. As Adam ventured deeper into the dungeon, the corridors seemed to grow more oppressive, the walls pressing in around him. The eerie stillness was broken only by the occasional distant rumble or faint whisper in the air—sounds that set his nerves on edge. The further he walked, the more it felt like something was watching him.
Finally, he came upon a large cavern-like room. The floor was uneven, littered with strange glowing mushrooms and plants he’d never seen. When a rumble took his attention, he bent down to harvest a mushroom he thought might be useful. On instinct, he used to inspect and took off running down a tunnel he hadn’t been in yet the reason.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Hostile Entity: Lava Behemoth
Level: 25
HP: 500/500
MP: 150/150
After what seemed like a good few minutes of running, he decided right then that he hated Dungeons and couldn’t be bribed with loot anyone to think otherwise.
He ran into two more Crystal Guardians, luckily one at a time. Already knowing how to take them out quickly made for some easier fights. He took out the glowing crystal thing that powers them, pushed them to the ground until enough of the rock armor fell off, and finished them by stabbing them a few dozen times. The strategy rewarded him with some decent loot.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
2x Crystal Guardians was defeated. XP Gained: 400
Loot Dropped:
1x Healing potion
1x Stamina potion
1x Silver coin
Class Ability Shard
Adam was kind of sad that only one Class ability shard dropped this time, but that was fine. Silver was a nice addition, as were the potions.
Inspecting the stamina potion was no real surprise
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
It gives 100 stamina and 5SR/Second for 30 seconds.
After all his fights and running away from the scary lava monster, Adam was exhausted. He decided to look for an out-of-the-way place and try to get some sleep. He wouldn’t pull out his bed but sleep on the ground just in case something found him while he was resting. Finding a large crack in the wall, he decided that would have to do. He climbed in, wrapped himself in the blanket he got at the general goods store, and went to bed.
