'A ring...?' Yuichi was puzzled while holding the ring in his hand.
As he glows a faint light green, one of his passives begins to activate, slowly but surely healing all of the wounds and scratches from the intense battle he had earlier engaged in. After overcoming the Shadow Wolves pack leader, Yuichi gave some thought to why he had given a ring. It's probably because he beat the dungeon room's apparent boss, but even though he did, the boss doesn't feel like the boss because he couldn't have defeated it with ease given his level gap from the beginning.
After a long stare at the ring, the system was triggered, and a screen appeared in front of his vision.
[Seraphina's Ring [???]
["...Imbibing the essence of the poison vine bestows divine grace when adorned..."]
Yuichi was unable to comprehend the system's description of the ring. Nevertheless, he dismisses the ambiguous puzzles and gathers his thoughts again. Raising his feet off the ground, he glanced around before clenching the ring in his hand and heading into the dim hallway, whose route has not yet been discovered.
Shocked by the enormity of the dungeon room he stumbled into, he steps cautiously into the broad, well-organized corridor. He questions whether this subterranean dungeon room actually counts as a "room" at all, considering the hundreds of interconnected rooms that can be found in one location, such as libraries and quarter rooms. He'd considered calling it a "compartment" instead, but it took some time to come to that conclusion.
With a steadfast will to succeed propelling him ahead, he never wavers in his understanding of the only reason he is in the dungeon room: to find Lumiella and make it out of the dangerous chamber alongside her.
But Yuichi is still thinking about something. Would he and Lumiella make it farther into the dungeon without getting lost if he hadn't followed the mysterious firefly into this situation? Would he not be having difficulties in the first place if he hadn't been obstinate lately?
'I'm fully healed and my energy has been recharged, thanks to this reliable passive ability. But something got me wondering lately...' Yuichi pondered while he was walking in the hallway.
'I don't know why, but I feel like I'm getting tired of this... I feel like I wanna...'
He was about to return to his contemplation when he noticed a unique door far off. It had two massive iron lanterns positioned on either side of it. He walked slowly in the direction of the door and stopped right in front of it.
Yuichi has been considering this lately; during his time in this dungeon room, he did not come across any doors that could have led to a proper chamber. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he stood in front of the door and quickly inserted his hand into the door handle. However, just as he was ready to open the door all the way, as though it had a screen on it, a mysterious, glitchy black screen materialized in front of him.
[̶͚͚̜͍̪̒͊͐͛R̸̢̜̘̭̠͍͓̬̥̣̍̓̐́̃̀͊͋̈͠e̴d̸̨̧̡̨̥͉̣͕͍̏̍̈́̊̾̉̃̚͝'ũ̵̖͓ņ̵͍̠̲̟͍͗ͅd̸͚͓̏̔̃͑̊͊̀̚͝͝a̴̢͖̳͖͇̓̀̏̈̐̎̾̔̔͝n̸̬̟͕̉͂̐̄̋̋̃ẗ̸͔̯̗̯̖͎̹̝͑̒͐̉͜ ̷̥̳͗̉̊̄̂̈̏̕L̴͉͎̘͈͖̫͍̭̋͗̃̔̄͒̚͜ȏ̵̡̙̤̘̰͇̠̮̺̬̇̋̓c̵̺̼̫̱̩̰̹̹͓̲͌̊̒̉a̶̹͙̜͠ţ̸͍̳̳̞̗̔̔́̆̀̆̉̈́̋̕i̷͉̍ö̷̝̬́͂͒̎̈͝ṇ̵̓̀̎̑́͂̿͝͝.̸̨͍͙̦̩͔̇̐̎̀͋̔͑͜ ̸̘͓̋̈́̈́͐I̶̧͚̤͖̮͇̜͙͚̝̋t̵͓͙̠̽̊͌̋̂̆͜'̵̡̛̲̰͉̪͖̙̞͕̠͒̈́͠ś̴̛̱̦̟̠͇̓̆̆͒̎͝ ̷̠̻̯̤̞̫̉͂̕u̷̮̍̎̈́̂͐͌͂̃͘ņ̸̲̟͓̄ñ̴̨̻̠̾̇͊͗͝ẻ̶̛̦̣̩̲͍͕̤̰̹̆̄́͝c̴̜̜̤̟̭̲̤̳̮͆͆͒̈ͅḙ̵̢͎͓̥̖͗̽ș̶̨̥̣̇͋́̈́̇̌̒̈́͜s̵͕͓͗̉̄͂͗̈̇̅̊͝ȧ̴̧̘̰̹̯̫̘͍͇̱̒͋̔̈́̏͂r̴̨̢͖̜̟̘͓̠͓̮͂̌͆͊́̀͗̑̂̚y̴̧̖̮̓̔́͊̓̈̿̽͂̀ ̸̮̻̟̱̝̗́̈̃f̴̧͈̞̬̱̮̄̈̃̿́̀̀̋̚o̸̧̩̮̬̜̘͓̼͑̂̓̓͊͗͌r̸͓͗ ̶̜͙͒ÿ̷̙̣̤͍͔̪̘̪͎́̿͗̈͝ͅǫ̷͓̫̠͈̺̪͗͝ů̶̠̖́̎̉͛ ̸̢̢̯̖̯̟͖̲̈́t̷̨̳̲͚̱̊o̷̧̬͆̉̽͊̍̚ ̴̤͛d̸͙̤͔͖̥͓̪̫̟͐̑́̀̈́̊͜į̷͚̤̦̠̦̗̱͓͋̾̿̀s̸̢̖̜̠̟̰̱͌͌͋̌͋̏̕͜c̴͖̝͎̱̋̾̓̎͌̿̄̾͝͠ő̷̘̹̦̭̙̥̗̙̺͋́̉́̈͐̊v̸͈̻̂̒̓̑̾̾̌͘͠e̵̳͓̅́̅͋̑̄͐͐r̴͚̝̼̼̹͕̍͊̌͗́̈̿̾̊͝ ̴̢̢͚̗̹͚̮͎̌̍̇́̉̕͝ẉ̴͍̪̟̝͍̼̻͛̎̚ḩ̵̛̛̫̯̫̬̪̖͍͊͗́̌̌͌͠ͅá̴̙̟͇̞̫͓̹͉́̊͝t̵̨̞͖͔͇͖͙͓̱̞͗͊̓̆͛͑'̵̫̤̳͙̰̪͍̅s̵̙͇̎̂̂̀̀̽̈́̌͑ ̴̫̟̟͎̯͔̼̠̄͜ͅh̴̛̺͈̹̙̼̄́̽͋̚͝ȋ̴̺͕͇̫͖̭͕͒͊̅̍͝d̶͍̦͐͘ḑ̷̤̙̗̹͙̳̟̓̈́̍e̸̹̗͖̞͓͊̾͛͠ņ̵̨̝͉͙̰̩̄ ̵͈̫͎̜̲́͗̄̓̑̃́̎̐̇i̴͓͓̲̋̊͝͝ṇ̵̞́͗̄̽͝ ̷͎̩̱̣͖̱̱͓̮̒́t̴̫̟́̂̀̀̅̔̚̚̕h̵̨̹̫̹̙̥͛͋͒̈͛̀͒̓̈́̈́i̶̺̍s̷̢̺͍̞̬͗ ̸̨̼͙̩̼͕̳͇͋̑̎̆̎́͋̊͐͝ẁ̷͖̠̝̭͓̝͓̩o̷̻̗͍͕̦͙̲̠̓ř̷̞̘̰̼̭̒̂̕͜l̸̤͊̿͗̈́̐̅͛ḋ̴̞͇̭͈̭̺̫̓͐͋̄̎̆̆͜͜͝.̸͓̪͈̫̳͙͈̼͚͎̈́͂̍͛͘.̷̛͙̇͗͊̕͝.̷̛̳̯̻̺͍̉͒̾͒̒̚]̷̝͈̹̪̦͕́̇͑̌̈́
The sudden appearance of a glitchy screen, something completely unfamiliar to Yuichi, startled him. A single bead of sweat formed on his forehead, indicating that his confusion had turned into a mix of curiosity and paranoia.
An uncomfortable feeling began to creep over Yuichi as he kept his hand on the door handle, signalling that he was about to become uneasy. The enigmatic atmosphere piqued his interest; he had no idea what was waiting for him behind the door, but the only way to find out was to muster the guts to go into the unknown.
Yet Yuichi has the guts to face this. Leaning his head inside, he opened the door and entered fully.
The mysterious room that was revealed beyond the door as soon as Yuichi stepped through the entrance astounded him. There was a wooden wall that gave off an air of modesty and simplicity that set the area apart from the rest of the dungeon. This room had windows covered in curtains, obscuring the view of the outside world, in contrast to the usual mossy cobblestone and torch-lit pillars. The otherwise serene scene was made more intriguing by the enigmatic black fluid wall, which blocked out the outside world.
He was walking along when he heard an enigmatic whisper engulf both of his ears. The faint murmurs combined to create a bewildering chorus of voices speaking in different languages. Even though he couldn't understand the words, Yuichi was uneasy about the ghostly presence of these unseen speakers.
Yuichi looked over the room carefully, figuring it was probably from the Middle Ages and that it was used as an infirmary.
The lobby-style entrance held a receptionist's station where housekeeping tasks were performed. A large room to his right held a number of beds. The interior of the room was poorly illuminated, with only the bare minimum of light visible. But Yuichi was able to easily navigate the dark surroundings thanks to his [Mystical Eye], which temporarily improved his night vision.
Curiosity pushing him to the right, he heard the faint sound of faint murmurs becoming louder as he approached the room with the beds. This sound mystery gave him paranoia, which showed up as a visible discomfort around his mouth.
Just as Yuichi was about to approach the quarter room entrance, he noticed a sudden glimmer that cast a bright radiance across the floor beneath him. His eyes darted down, curious, and he saw a strange square with a clear blue border surrounding a black centre.
[̶̯͇̳͆̈Ĩ̵̧̛̗̄̃̑͗̾̈́̕̕n̴̨̡̬̫͍̫̟̱̯̄ẗ̸̨̖̟͔̲́̎͠r̴̪͙̤̐͑̇̀̏ŭ̸̡͚͓̻̀̽̎̐͒̌̌͜͝d̵̛̺͍͇̱̙̪͖̞̺̦̃͗͆̔͝e̶̛̯̰͇̳̩̻̠͈͓̋r̶̛͓͈̜̠͈͒̅̀ ̴̧̼̹̖̀͂͂D̴̡̡̪̜͓̣̫̑̚͜e̵͈̪̳̩͆̈́ţ̶̳̳͍͖̳̯̜̅́͆̌͝ę̷̛̪̞̮̲̭̣̦̱͙͛͊c̸̜̤̮̫͇̯̀̈̃̇̄̿̽͌̐͠t̶̛̳̻̗͈̬͖͌̆́̈́̃̈͂͗͜ę̴̨̛̭̼͎̞̅͊̅̓͋̂͝d̷̢̧̤͎̫͆̾̇͗͘!̶̤͊͑̓̓͠]̴̖̻̗̘̦̻̑̊͠ͅ
Even though he was used to seeing a lot of strange things, Yuichi couldn't help but be spellbound by this sudden event, observing that it had a special quality that was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Yuichi felt a strange black square enfold him and spread quickly over every part of his body. He instinctively covered both of his eyes with his hands as a brighter light came from the approaching shadows, temporarily blinding him.
When Yuichi took both hands out of his eyes, he noticed a significant change in his surroundings. Rather than the anticipated infirmary, he found himself in an enormous room with imposing stone walls encircling him. A spooky green glow was cast across what appeared to be an arena rather than a familiar location as the dim green torchlight flickered.
He had been taken to a mysterious and unidentified place by the strange black square.
'What the hell is going on? Where am I?'
Where is he? That is something he needs to find out for himself.
This is starting to worry Yuichi. It happened too quickly for him to process what was happening when he was about to step into what appeared to be a quarter-sized room and a mysterious black square materialized beneath his feet.
And now he finds himself in this enormous chamber that appears to be an arena. Thanks to the dim green torchlight surrounding the enormous doom arena, he was able to discern.
He surveyed his surroundings in an attempt to find any information that would help him assess the situation. Ancient stone bricks are used to construct the wall and the scene was illuminated above by green fire torches. It has the appearance of an underground colosseum. Glancing around, he saw a set of stairs leading to what appeared to be a throne and a podium.
There, a cloaked man seated on the throne, holding an exquisite staff with an emerald at its center and a platinized appearance. For the last few minutes it had just been sitting there that it looks like it had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to move.
But after Yuichi has teleported in front of this mysterious being, is it not too strange that a cloaked figure is just sitting on the throne and silently staring at Yuichi without taking any action yet?
Yuichi's gaze remains fixed on the cloaked figure, veiled in mystery as they sit on the regal throne. The mysterious cloaked figure meets the gaze again, silently intense, their features hidden under the hood. There's something unsettling about the cloaked figure, and Yuichi feels a bead of sweat form on his brow. He feels a surge of paranoia that intensifies the atmosphere of dread that permeates the encounter.
'This is creeping me out...'
Just as he thought he would get creeped out, it got even worse.
Clutching a platinum staff, the cloaked figure rises leisurely from the throne and casts a sinister glance at Yuichi. The figure rises, and from a fiery, sharp eye hidden beneath its hollow cloak, an unsettling green glow spills out, illuminating its skeletal face, revealing a starkly exposed skull. It turns out that Yuichi is facing a skeletal entity, which is the mysterious entity. A glimpse of the skeletal figure beneath the gloomy hood was visible to Yuichi. A faint memory stirred in him, reminding him of a terrifying creature he had once faced: a necromancer. The staff-wielding, cloaked figure added to his suspicions, but he could find no concrete proof to support them.
But he's hesitant to draw any conclusions because he's not sure if this monster is comparable to a necromancer or not.
With a sudden upward thrust of its staff, the skeletal figure emits a vivid green light from the embedded emerald. A single magic circle appears and shoots a sharp, dark green fluid in Yuichi's direction. Yuichi got alerted and quickly reacted, rolling across the ground and crouching in a defensive position.
He stared at the dark green fluid, menacing and rapidly approaching. The dark liquid that the skeleton used to strike Yuichi in an unexpected manner behaved strangely when it hit the stone wall. It was a dark green fluid that, like a sizzling reaction, released a volatile smoke that looked as though it was actively eroding the wall's sturdy surface. The almost melting appearance of the solid stone wall, as an observable effect, leads one to speculate that this dark green fluid has properties consistent with a type of poison magic.
Since this is Yuichi's first experience with poison magic, he is a little concerned and becomes more aware.
'The wall... it's melting... Could it be poison magic?' Yuichi speculates the fluid while being alert for potential attacks.
Poison element magic is frequently used in fantasy settings, and it entails using poisons for a variety of purposes. This magic allows users to cast poisonous spells, erect poisonous barriers, and even call forth venomous creatures.
The consequences can be anything from slow, incapacitating conditions to direct injury. Poison magic is frequently used strategically in combat to gain control of the battlefield, gradually weaken opponents, and take advantage of weaknesses. It can be a double-edged sword, shoot it on bows, cast it with grimoire, or use it in staff, though, since practitioners must exercise caution to avoid becoming victims of their own lethal abilities.
Yuichi thought for a time and moved his eyes around to search for any retaliation as he remained in his defensive crouch and watched the unidentified skeletal figure closely for the next move. Since he didn't know the skeletal being's level, he naturally exercised caution because getting hit by poison magic could be extremely deadly for him.
At first, he was hesitant because, despite the fact that he has been facing many monsters with levels greater than his own, facing a lone unidentified monster with an unknown level can still be deadly. Yuichi, who vividly remember some popular anime, manga, and manhwa he had seen when he was still in Japan, seemed to recognize this kind of situation very well.
There was a tangible air of expectation as he turned to face the skeletal figure. He concentrated on its skeletal appearance, hoping to get the system to identify and determine the unidentified entity. He was shocked to see that, in contrast to the customary quick information transfer, the system displayed an unexpected loading screen instead of responding right away.
Moments passed into seconds, and the loading screen remained visible, causing anxiety to creep in. The specifics about the skeletal figure were finally revealed after the screen finished loading, capping a short but suspenseful moment. But Yuichi was so terrified of what he saw on the computer that he became immobilized and lost all color in his complexion.
This familiar feeling returned to him, and Yuichi's horrified countenance changed as he fixed his terrified gaze on the skeletal creature.
'N-No way...!'