Chapter 70: Ch:70 Dungeon (1)

Daniel brushed his fingers over the dusty note, and more letters slowly emerged.

——————

(Note)

:Kill the boss to exit the dungeon (0/1)

:Chests available (0/2)

——————

He glanced back at the spot where he had emerged from the wall. It was solid moss-covered stone, with no way out except the tunnel ahead.

“A dungeon boss? Kill? I must be dreaming, heh…” he murmured to himself.

*Pinch*

“Ouch… agh. Fuck It’s real,” his voice dropped. “Don’t tell me, I’m actually trapped in this dungeon… Which means I’ve to kill the—”

*Bzzz~ Bzzz~*

Daniel panicked for a moment and took a step back as he saw a blue light flickering at the end of the tunnel. He then approached carefully, moving in silence.

When he reached the end of the narrow tunnel, he saw blue energy orbs hovering in a silent circle, positioned opposite one another.

“Woah… what is this place?” he whispered under his breath.

*Bzzz~ Bzzz~ Bzzz~*

The stone chamber opened up, expanding far wider than the tunnel behind him. White, glowing gemstones were embedded in the walls, casting a soft, moonlight like glow along the outer edges.

It turned out the tunnel was only an entrance. Ahead of him was five energy spheres hovered in a circular formation, guarding another passage.

Two fire-lit lampposts burned in the far corners, their flames flickering against the stone.

’So… I’ve to reach that place? By defeating this energy balls?’ he thought, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

The moment he took a step, one of the energy orb ignited in red light and charged straight at him, gliding through the air.

*Dzzz~ Dzzz~*

Daniel sprinted back toward the tunnel, his heart pounding, as the crimson orb glided after him relentlessly.

“Oh shit! there’s no place to hide,” he gasped, panic rising in his voice.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as the red aura deepened while advancing from the dim tunnel.

Amid the chaos and panic, he grabbed the helmet from the armor lying beneath the torch and hurled it at the red energy orb the moment it appeared.

*Whoosh*

*BZZ~ KZZK~*

The orb exploded the moment the helmet struck its core. The bugs trapped inside the helmet were instantly incinerated, releasing a pungent, acrid stench that stung his nose.

Then, he lifted his tunic to his nose and stepped forward, gripping the helmet firmly. ’Heh… let’s pop some balloons.’

One by one, he used himself as bait, luring the energy orbs into the tunnel before flinging the helmet at them. They were about his size, so hitting their cores wasn’t as impossible as he’d feared.

…

*Whoosh*

*BZZ~ KZZK~ Clang~*

“finally, the last one,” he muttered, his heart racing from the close call.

Daniel walked toward the next tunnel. Cold air brushed against him as he passed, and silence enveloped the area, broken only by the echo of his footsteps.

Inside the next tunnel, he found the path split in two. He had no idea which one to take. Shrugging, he picked the left and moved forward.

Soon, he reached the end of the narrow tunnel and saw a wooden treasure chest lying in the center. Above it, glowing gemstones cast a soft light over the area.

’Let’s go, finally a reward,’ he thought, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

But the moment he reached to open it, the chest suddenly sprang to life and lunged at him.

“Aaa!” he shouted.

Daniel reacted at the last possible moment, barely dodging before sprawling onto the ground.

“What the… reward is this?” he muttered, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Gaa! Kach Kach Kach”

The chest snapped open, sharp, shark-like teeth flashing from its mouth and arms flailing from the corners, as it lunged at him with a sudden, spring-motion like a kangaroo.

*CRASH*

Daniel rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding its attack.

’What the fuck is that teeth,’ he muttered, as the chest slammed into the rock.

“Gaa!”

…

Every time it lunged at him, the chest let out a shrill cry. One after another, the attacks fell into a rhythm—a pattern he could follow.

’What is wrong with this chest?’ he thought, dodging its attacks. ’It’s like, it was destroying itself, smashing against the stones. But why?’

“GAA!”

*CRASH!-CRUNCH!*

The chest shattered from within, sending half its upper lid spinning into the corner. From its gaping mouth, another chest tumbled out, rolling directly to Daniel’s feet.

’Is this another jump scare?’ he wondered, hesitating as he carefully reached out to open it.

Inside lay a dagger with a cold, double-edged blade. A silver guard fanned out above a tightly wrapped leather grip, finished with a sturdy metal pommel.

“Now, that’s what I call a reward,” said Daniel, admiring the dagger’s shine in the glow of the stones.

He dropped the chest and headed down the left path. His footsteps were steady, his movements calm, but his eyes stayed sharp, alert for any danger.

Then he heard footsteps approaching. The shadows stretched and grew under the torchlight. A shiver ran down his spine, but he pressed himself into a gap in the tunnel, hidden in the shadows.

“Gek ge ge…”

’Huh? a goblin?’ he whispered.

Daniel watched the goblin as it patrolled the tunnel with empty hands.

It was green and shorter than him, its round body like a miniature snowman, with stubby arms and short legs.

He waited patiently, then slipped silently behind it, quickly snaking his left arm around its neck and plunging the dagger into its skull with full force.

*THUNK!*

“Gekkk!”

The sound turned into a pitiful whimper as it collapsed. Blue blood spurted from the wound, splattering up to Daniel’s jaw.

Daniel dragged the body to a corner, settling it into the shadows. The blue blood left a dark trail behind him, but he didn’t bother to hide it.

’Damn it, this smell is literally like dog-shit. Yuck!’ he muttered, wrinkling his nose as he moved deeper into the tunnel.

Soon, two more shadows emerged ahead.

Daniel tightened his grip on the dagger.

’Fuck… why does my gut feeling telling me it’s useless to hide now?’ he thought.

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