Chapter 15: A Plan For The Future

The smile on his face wasn’t that of happiness, but the realization that he had almost died by sheer stupid luck. It came and went like a twitch, no humor in it.

’There are fucking zombies in this damn tower…’ he realized, he couldn’t help but stifle a repressed laugh.

It came out as a thin breath through his nose. The stakes were growing higher and higher, and he was nowhere strong enough physically or mentally to handle them. He could feel the edges of his calm fray, then knit again, a stitched cloth pulled too tight.

’If it’s inactive, then that means they’ll probably become active later. I shouldn’t be here when that happens. Screw this basilisk hunt, I’m out.’ He turned the thought like a key.

Just as he was turning to leave, his torchlight hit what looked to be a torn-down wall. A large enough tear in it for the basilisk to move through instead of continuing on the metro’s way. The edges of the breach were ragged and bowed, with stone chewed inward, and rebar peeled like roots. The beam of his light ran along it and vanished into open dark.

Kael hesitated in going away or moving up again. If the creature moved through there, it’ll be brand new territory. It would be utterly risky and stupid to go through that place with the door to a literal zombie apocalypse right behind him.

His throat clicked as he swallowed. Yet the line between cowardice and caution felt thin here, and curiosity leaned heavily on it. “Just a quick look,” he muttered, and hesitantly hurried toward the opening in the wall. Looking through it, he heard the loud hiss of the basilisk. It rolled up from the depths and pressed against the skin of the air.

From where he stood, there was a large crater underneath him with a sliding path down. This looked far too natural that it’s unnatural. This wasn’t human-made, the metro system, yes, but this cavern was too big for it. It should have pierced through the ceiling and outward toward the surface. But he couldn’t see the surface of the city from here. The rock arched like the inside of a beast’s ribcage, and damp hung in long threads from broken stone as if something had breathed here for years.

***

[You have discovered the Open Dungeon Dark Basilisk’s Nest]

[As the first to have discovered the Dungeon, you are guaranteed to obtain the best loot possible from killing the dungeon monsters: Lasts for 30 days]

***

“So the dungeon fused with the real world. And this is an Open Dungeon, the monsters can enter and leave at will… shit, I can’t stay here long…” He whispered it to make it smaller, but the words refused to shrink. The guarantee read like a taunt, a bright ribbon tied to a guillotine.

Finally, Kael decided that he had had enough heart-stressing events and he should head out. His only way out was the path the basilisk came from, and he needed to hurry; it wouldn’t be fun if the Basilisk decided that it needed more food.

Otherwise, he’ll just be a snack on the road. He stepped back from the breach, pulse steady again through force of will, turned off the torch to let the dark close around him, and felt for the ledge with careful feet. He pictured the door he had come through, the count of his steps, the cold of the handle, and began to retrace every measured number as if they were beads on a string leading him safely away.

Walking away as fast as possible, Kael was thinking of the gravity of the situation.

Events usually happen on floors, from random invasions of monsters, to dungeon breaks, and even increased loot or aggressiveness of monsters. Most events are designed in a way that stops passive climbers from simply huddling up together on a floor that isn’t a community floor and pushes them to go further ahead.

“If this Zombie Event is currently inactive, then its probably going to be a full-on zombie attack once we hit the twenty-day time period. Not only that, now I think I figured out why the basilisk is a hidden piece.” Kael thought.

After all, the Zombie hideout is right next to the Basilisk dungeon; no one in their right mind would ever go into a zombie horde’s spawn place to see what’s beyond it. And that’s what makes this more dangerous.

“The problem is, the Zombie being there jeopardizes the value of the information about the Basilisk…” he went past the first couple of stations as he thought.

If he were to sell this information, he would need to make sure that this part is omitted; otherwise, they’ll simply tell him to fuck off, even if they are interested in the hidden piece.

“Should I just let it rot in there…” he thought? But then again, it would be a huge waste; a hidden piece has great value. The boss itself could drop a powerful weapon or have a good loot material to make armor… or might even have something special.

Kael couldn’t help but feel frustrated, as many other climbers, more experienced and more powerful, could simply fight it themselves with their own power.

“But me, with this hammer, I’d be lucky to even dent one of its scales before I’m turned to lizard shit.”

He stopped and took a deep breath. Only then did he notice that right next to him, there seemed to be a lever of sorts that was ripped out of the wall.

Going toward the lever, he frowned, “Looks like a powerline lever,” he pulled up the piece and shoved it back into tis socket. Pushing up with all his force, for a moment, light lit up the ceiling from the basilisk’s dungeon direction all the way to the other side of the metro system.

“Shit, the powerline’s source is here…” he yanked the lever down immediately, cutting off the power that had just surged. Hoping that the basilisk didn’t notice.

After a few moments, nothing seemed to change: no crawling, no howling, and no monster chasing after him.

He took another breath and realized that he’s been doing a lot of risky foolishness, and he should stop soon else it’ll cost him his life.

However, despite that feeling of self-deprication, a thought came to his mind… an electrifying thought at that.

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