The chaotic energy pulsated with the same fervour as when Warden reached the dungeon. As the sun kissed the horizon, it bathed the surroundings in a warm glow. Warden had dedicated some time to confirm the absence of any wolves in the nearby areas, determined to prevent any tragedies from befalling the village during his absence.
With everything in order, he ventured into the cavern, heading towards the source of the chaotic energy. Darkness engulfed the interior, pierced only by an eerie silence. Life seemed absent; no insects buzzed, no signs of life appeared, no matter how deep he ventured. Minutes into his exploration, Warden encountered the dungeon core—a massive, pulsating energy mass, throbbing unevenly like a restless heart. Its colours shifted between black, red, and azure, with darkness prevailing.
Approaching with caution, Warden extended his palm towards the sphere, almost large enough to encase an elephant. Yet, the space within held much more than it appeared, concealing an entire subspace with an environment unlike the forest outside.
Without hesitation, Warden touched the dungeon sphere. A chill cascaded down his spine, prompting an instinctual withdrawal. However, before he could react, his surroundings morphed into something entirely new.
[You have entered a Grade-8 Dungeon: Wolf's Nest]
He found himself not in a cavern, nor underground, but beneath an open, star-filled sky. The absence of a sun did not dim the countless stars twinkling in the vast expanse above.
The energy flow around him stilled. Void energy pulsated nearby, seemingly trying to communicate, yet its message was lost in its wild, rapid movement, far surpassing any normal condition.
A cold wind reminded Warden of his mission. He stood on rocky terrain, surrounded by enormous trees that demanded he tilt his head back to see their tops reaching for the sky, as if he had stepped into a giant's world.
[The Divider] at the ready, Warden moved stealthily along the rugged path, vigilant for dire wolves. Given that the dungeon had only produced dire wolves thus far, he had no reason to expect other threats. Yet, the possibility of their presence lingered, albeit less menacing than the wolves.
At that very instance, a clamour of howls reverberated ahead of him as more than a dozen glowing azure eyes turned their attention to him. At the very moment of noticing him, they dashed toward him, outrunning one another to take a bite of him. There was a hunger in them, an unquenchable one.
Just looking at their ferocity, he could imagine they wouldn't stop until they were fed full, or to their demise. Putting the little things into perspective, Warden took a stance, bracing himself for the latter.
Warden flew—only for a couple of seconds—but that was enough to break through the incoming assault of the wolf pack. The ferocious beast lunged at him, but he reacted timely, as if he saw through their attack in slow motion. His sword flashed, emitting dark purple tendrils.
One move after another found purchase in the tainted creatures, sometimes beheading them, sometimes screwing through their skulls, other times simply puckering their windpipe.
These lots didn't possess the super-regenerative abilities of the Cursed ranked humongous wolf, so they would be dead before they could heal the wound in their windpipe.
The familiar system notifications came, but Warden put no mind to them, running on the rugged terrain skilfully as he battled.
[Copper grade energy harvested.]
[+ 0.1 Strength]
[+ 0.08 Strength]
. . .
[+ 0.04 Strength]
[+ 0.09 Strength]
As his numbers grew, the benefit he was getting from the slaying of low-ranked creatures reduced as well. Only by slaying iron-grade creatures would he be able to solve the imbalance in his attributes. He still had no answer for Mind, but Warden didn't feel particularly stupid or anything other than his amnesia, so he could wait on that.
His plan was the same for the humongous pack leaders. The dungeon was a vast expanse, he couldn't even glimpse the full scope of it. He could wait for them to turn up on their time.
The battle continued for about two minutes, and with that, he confirmed the demise of thirteen copper-rank dire wolves.
As he would be in the dungeon for some hours, Warden didn't become impatient with collecting loots. They could wait until he took care of the big guns. It wasn't like there was someone else to steal his rewards.
However, Warden soon found out he should be wary of others taking his rewards in his next battle. There was, of course, no second person in the dungeon, but it was the dire wolves he should be wary of.
As Warden left tens of tainted wolves dead on the ground in his wake on his way to claim more, he found a Cursed Wolf devouring through the mass of corpses he left behind in great pleasure. It was especially aimed for the beast cores and the tainted hearts—the two of the most precious parts.
"Cannibalism?" Warden mumbled as he approached. "Why am I not even surprised?"
Humans couldn't grow stronger devouring beast cores, but that didn't mean cursed creatures could not. Even a Little Cupcake could do it.
The cursed creature already devoured half a dozen wolves by the time Warden found it pulsating with dark, volatile power. Its eyes glowed in icy glee. Madness had taken it over, as the wolf continued to devour its kin, uncaring of his presence.
"Oi," Warden shouted, feeling a sense of battle thrill and annoyance. "Those aren't yours."
Then he flew towards the beast, sword rising in a high arch to end it.