"Screeches approaching from the east!" roared a voice. The large group of adventurers had entered the Dungeon at the same time, and their numbers were allowing them to pass through the first floor without any casualties.
Ash shot towards the oncoming monsters, unaware of who had given the warning.
"Julius! Cover me!" he yelled.
"R-Right!"
The red-haired adventurer closed his eyes. He pictured a small flame in his hand, the living terror known as fire eating away at his opponents.
"Ember," muttered Julius slowly.
The frolicking flame that had manifested in the boy's palm shot towards the flying monsters, honing in on the swarm of darkness. The beasts screeched much like their name suggested, their bat-like bodies paired with a viper's fangs and a minotaur's horns disintegrating instantly.
Ash managed to slice up the remaining pests, alerting the rest of the group that the threat had been eliminated. Julius noticed Ash's oblivious gaze at the stone walls, but he had come to accept his partner's bizarre tendency of looking at nothing.
[+6 Exp]
[+6 Exp]
[+6 Exp]
[+6 Exp]
[+6 Exp]
Ash noticed he was receiving experience for monsters that Julius took down. He was unsure as to why, but his instinct told him it had something to do with Draegan acknowledging his teammate.
He removed the map from his pouch once more, verifying his proximity to Draegan's misty-blue cross that had appeared on the parchment.
"We're taking the next left, Julius," he said, closing up the map before following the rest of the group alongside his companion.
"Sure," answered Julius. Ash had stated that he intended to visit a mysterious area beside the entrance to the second floor, and Julius had stated that he would follow him. "Do you still not have any idea why you want to go there?"
"Not really. My gut is telling me to go there. By the way, now that you've been using your magic, we've been killing Screeches without a problem. You're way stronger with magic."
"T-Thanks… I'm just not a fan of using it until I know I can control it."
"Be more confident in yourself, dude! If anything I think we're ready to venture down to the second floor," boasted Ash. His pride was justified, and Julius knew they could probably explore the areas close to the stairway before the first and second floors.
The further one explored a floor, the more dangerous the monsters became. Considering Screeches were monsters that lurked in the final areas of the first floor, the two boys could most likely survive the initial parts of the second floor.
"What about you? Are you still hesitant about using your shadow magic in public?"
"Hm, yeah. If any of the adventurers were to assume I was a threat, I'd be unable to defend myself. Maybe I'll start using it when I know I can defend myself."
The duo separated from the main convoy of adventurers heading North, heading down a dark path that led westward. Neither of them said a word as their footsteps echoed in the cave. Two gleaming swords shone from the reflected light at the end of the passageway, resembling sabers of light in the dark.
"There's… nothing here," whispered Ash as he emerged from the tunnel, coming face-to-face with a stone wall.
"You're right," replied Julius as he emerged behind.
Ash checked the system, verifying if this was the right place.
[Daily Quest Completed.]
[+20 Exp]
"What the fuck are you doing, Draegan?" whispered Ash in an inaudible voice.
[Welcome to the Center of Paths.]
"!"
A cyan mark that Ash recognized too well appeared within the stone. The wall began to shift around, slowly making way for the two visitors.
"What the fuck is happening?!" yelled Julius. He raised his sword, but it was obvious that it was pointless.
"I don't know…" muttered Ash in disbelief. A hidden passage had been lying out in the open for such a long time, and yet nobody had noticed. How had the Three not sensed any disturbance?
"Let's get out of here, Ash! We don't know what might happen to us!" cried Julius. His words were the right course of action, but a new screen appeared that halted Ash's movements.
[New Special Quest]
[Enter the Center of Paths and reclaim the Voidanium fragment.]
[Reward: 200 Experience + Artifact Function]
[Time Limit: 3 Hours]
"I'm going in," stated Ash with absolute confidence. "There's something I need to find in there."
"Are you crazy?! We have no idea what's in there, and the worst part is… that's man-made!"
Julius's observations were correct. An unnatural passageway lay ahead of them, small rifts of energy illuminating the corridor. Ash scowled at his impatience, but this was too good of a chance to ignore. He could gain two whole levels, a new function which he assumed was a way of constructing weaponry, as well as some fragment of an unknown metal that would be the basis for his construction.
"Where is the fragment?" asked Ash mentally, addressing himself to Draegan. He let out a sigh of relief as the dark panel appeared with his answer, but his joy was quickly replaced with dread.
[A Hidden Room on the 3rd Floor.]
"Julius, I'm going down this path to the t-third floor," stuttered Ash as he began to lose confidence in his chances of survival.
"Oh, yeah, that makes so much sense… At least we can comfortably beat the second floor, oh wait, we haven't even reached the second floor yet. Ingenious plan, Ash," grumbled Julius as he walked around in circles. The adrenaline that had spread throughout his body was slowly fading, but the boy was still panicking regarding their current situation.
He realized there was no convincing his partner. All he could do was choose whether or not to follow him. Even if he didn't, he could still support Ash by rushing to the Guild and calling for assistance.
"Fuck! Why are you doing this, Julius, this isn't why you signed up!" he cursed, readying himself before stepping forward. "Let's go."
"Thank you, Julius. Let's go see what lies in there."
The two adventurers entered the secret passage, leaving behind the Dungeon that they were familiar with. This was uncharted territory, and what they would discover would be a first for all of humanity.
"A hostile energy is preventing me from using my sight, Zane," echoed Remo inside the adventurer's head. The eagle continuously attempted to regain his vision of the pair but to no avail. "They've entered a passageway that even I do not recognize. It had the mark of Erebus."
Zane looked up the avenue he was currently on, his eyes falling on a small figure standing on a personal balcony atop the main palace.
"I'll send someone down. Can you give me a location?"
"I can only tell you they're headed to the third floor. I don't even know how they'll get there."
"Get down there yourself and see if they appear. I'll call in a favor from the Princess of Elyon."