Steps continued to resound through the dark cavern, the urgency of Yuichi's pursuit growing with every one. A pale light streamed through the secret passage, illuminating his determined face with beads of sweat. He continued despite panting and puffing, the rhythmic pattern of his breathing blending with the eerie sounds to create a tense and resolute atmosphere.
'How long is this passage way? I've been running for minutes now.'
Just then, Yuichi's attention was drawn to a faint flicker of torchlight in the distance. Without pausing, he picked up the pace and moved in the direction of the bright beacon that was calling out into the night.
He picked up speed and soon arrived at a place of great caution—a historic library with tall shelves filled with old books. The storehouse of knowledge was lit by a warm glow from a chandelier of torches above.
'What is this place?' Yuichi was perplexed and looked around the place.
Ancient libraries were common places to find themselves in dungeons, adding to the sense of vigilance that cautious adventurers felt heightened when venturing into dangerous areas.
Yuichi, having at last caught his breath, strolled idly through the old library he had discovered. Confused by its hidden location behind an ordinary bookshelf, he wondered what mysteries required him to travel a great distance in order to discover this secret literary haven.
During his exploration of this place, Yuichi, trapped here, has yet to discover any dungeon rooms or the allure of ancient libraries. His hopes for such finds increased as he made his way down to the deeper floors, but he was continually let down by the fact that he has not yet come across any evidence of these enigmatic areas.
Secrets are frequently kept in dungeon rooms, tempting adventurers with the prospect of priceless loot or enigmatic knowledge. For those who embrace a "high risk, high reward" mindset, the excitement of discovery is a satisfying reward. But getting around these dangerous areas takes skill, and it's dangerous for those who don't have it to face the obstacles inside.
Dungeon rooms are categorized into different difficulty levels: F-Rank, D-Rank, C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank, and S-Rank. From F-Rank to S-Rank, each level reflects a distinct challenge and increases in difficulty. The current dungeon room's difficulty level is indicated by the system, and rewards are allocated to each difficulty tier in accordance with that information.
[Dungeon Room Difficulty: D-Rank]
[Warning: Considering your level gap against the difficulty, please proceed with caution.]
'Dungeon room... I guess I have no choice but to roam around this place.' Yuichi pondered.
Yuichi approached a worn bookshelf with style, its shelves heavy with an assortment of antiquated books. He reached into the dusty stacks and gingerly picked out one book at a time. He carefully opened the cover and read the words, sifting through the wisdom of the old writing.
"Koan Enlightenment." Yuichi talk as he read the content.
"The idea of koan enlightenment has its roots in Zen Buddhism. As a meditation technique, koans are paradoxical or confusing statements or questions that assist practitioners in going beyond reason to a more profound comprehension of reality. Koans are intended to elicit deep reflection and challenge people's usual logical thinking in order to guide them towards a clear-cut, intuitive understanding. In Zen practice, solving a koan and seeing past its seeming contradictions is considered the route to enlightenment."
'These books are really old and dusty. Yuichi examined, thinking, 'Given how old this place is, they must have been here for centuries.
'These locations, which they dubbed the "Dungeon Room," might have a more complicated history than we initially believed. We simply don't know what caused these places to break down and fall apart, even though it's possible that people once lived there.'
A wave of disappointment washed over Yuichi when he realised he'd let himself get easily sidetracked. He realised that he had lost his way and forgotten his main goal, which was to figure out how to save his lone companion.
'What am I doing here? My goal is to save Lumiella, not to explore and take my time with these things!'
Yuichi put the book back on the shelf and began looking around the library in an attempt to find Lumiella. With determination, he followed several paths, ignoring the normal bustle of the library and concentrating only on his search for her.
He ran nonstop, desperation to find a way to free Lumiella from the mysterious black tentacle that had ensnared her and carried her off into a dark, undefined area.
'I am not sure why, but this place seems familiar...' Yuichi has been thinking about that lately.
The need to get out of there was driving him crazy as he ran in pursuit of one. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he happened to glance at the book he had grabbed so quickly earlier.
'What's that book doing here?' He pondered.
A flash of insight flashed across his face, and a slow, greyness took hold of him. The reality set in: he had unintentionally become trapped in an endless cycle, running in circles with no way out.
'What is happening? Have I spent the entire time scurrying around in a complete maze? Even so, is this even a D-Rank?' Yuichi panicked on his thoughts.
'This is bad! At this point, I'm going nowhere around this place. I have to find a way out, but how can I do that?'
Yuichi paused in thought, giving it some thought before firmly shaking his head.
'I should calm down a bit, panicking will not help me.' He pondered.
'To get out of here, I need to retrace where I came from. If I remember correctly, I went left from here...'
While Yuichi was looking for a way out, he was drawn to an unexpected sight. On his right, a dark trail opened up, and a ghostly woman emerged from the shadows. Her pale body gave off a soft light, and her eyes were staring at Yuichi with a dreamlike focus.
Yuichi didn't realize the mysterious woman was there until he heard a low hum, which made him turn around and stare at her. He locked eyes with the mysterious figure, a palpable sense of paranoia showing on his face.
The woman's monochromatic appearance made her almost ethereal, with no recognisable features on her face. She turned slowly, showing off her expressionless face, and began to back away, vanishing from Yuichi's perspective.
'What was that all about? Who was that?'
Yuichi felt a sense of apprehension as he was caught off guard by the unexpected entrance of a mysterious lady who fixed her gaze upon him. Initially hesitant about the situation, he took a moment to collect his thoughts. Eventually, overcoming his initial uncertainty, Yuichi decided to follow the enigmatic lady, tracing the path she left in her wake.q