The cavern stretched endlessly before them, swallowing the light. Each step echoed hollowly, accompanied only by the clink of steel against bone. Skeletons rose from the ground, their glowing green eyes marked with [Level 1] above their heads.
Alex cut them down easily, his movements quick and precise. As they moved deeper, something changed. The skeletons' attacks grew more urgent, their movements clumsy but desperate.
Then, a new sigil appeared:
[Level 5]
A larger skeleton rose, moving faster. Alex felt uneasy.
"Level 5," he muttered. The skeletons were stronger now, but still predictable.
Amelia fought alongside him, her sword flashing with practiced skill. But worry flickered in her eyes.
"They seem different," she said quietly.
Alex wiped sweat from his brow. "They are. But we can handle it."
"Handle it?" Amelia scoffed. "These things keep coming, and this place feels wrong. The air is heavy."
Alex didn't argue. The oppressive atmosphere and strange level markers hinted at something darker ahead.
They pressed on, the air growing colder. More Level 5 skeletons appeared in groups, attacking relentlessly. Still, Alex and Amelia cut through them without much trouble.
But the numbers kept rising: [Level 7], [Level 8], [Level 10]. The skeletons became faster, stronger, harder to predict. Alex fought with grim determination, his dagger a blur. Amelia's sword moved with equal precision, though concern deepened in her expression.
"These things are getting stronger," she panted. "This isn't normal."
Alex hesitated. "We've faced worse… in training."
"In what?" Amelia demanded, suspicion sharp in her voice.
Before Alex could answer, the ground trembled. A massive skeleton emerged, its crimson eyes burning under a pulsing sigil: [Level 25].
The air froze. This wasn't just another fight—it was a predator, a guardian. It radiated power, a swirling darkness that chilled them.
Alex tightened his grip on the dagger. This wasn't going to be easy.
Amelia stepped forward, her stance steady. Without a word, she attacked, her sword slicing through the air. Her movements were fluid, almost graceful, each strike precise and powerful.
The Level 25 skeleton stumbled back, caught off guard. Its attacks, though strong, were no match for Amelia's speed and skill. She dodged and countered with ease, as if reading its every move.
Alex watched, hope sparking inside him. He'd seen Amelia fight before, but never like this. It was as if something within her had awakened, driven by the danger they faced.
He jumped into the fight, moving with purpose. The Level 25 skeleton roared in frustration as it was caught between their attacks. The cavern echoed with the sound of steel hitting bone, sparks flying in the heavy darkness.
Even with Amelia's skill, the battle wasn't easy. The skeleton's blows were crushing, each hit threatening to break through their defenses. But Amelia didn't give up. She fought like she had nothing left to lose, every swing of her sword fierce and defiant.
The fight dragged on, a chaotic clash of steel and bone in the middle of the dungeon. Victory felt far from certain, hanging by a thread.
Clang! Steel met bone again, the noise shaking the cavern. Enraged, the skeleton went all out. Its crimson eyes burned brighter, its movements faster and harder to predict.
Amelia struggled to keep up. What had been clumsy strikes before now felt like a relentless storm. She blocked blow after blow, her movements growing desperate as exhaustion set in.
Alex, his energy fading, pushed himself harder. He knew they couldn't hold out much longer. The skeleton felt unstoppable, its power overwhelming.
With a brutal strike, the creature knocked Amelia off her feet. Her sword slid across the ground, and she hit the floor hard, gasping for air.
Panic hit Alex, but seeing Amelia fall made him dig deeper. With a yell, he lunged at the skeleton, his dagger flashing as he struck.
The creature turned to him, its eyes glowing with hate. It raised its claws, ready to finish him off.
But just as it swung, Amelia forced herself forward. Summoning the last of her strength, she swung her sword, meeting the skeleton's claws with a burst of sparks. The impact sent them both stumbling back.
They collapsed in the middle of the wreckage, surrounded by broken bones. The air smelled of sweat and blood. Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing.
The Level 25 skeleton tried to stand, wounded but still dangerous. Its crimson eyes flared one last time—then dimmed. Its movements slowed, its dark aura flickering weakly.
With a final roar, the creature crumbled into dust, leaving nothing behind.
Exhausted, Alex and Amelia leaned against the cold stone wall, the weight of the battle pressing down on them. They had won, but it didn't feel like a victory.
"Hahh…" Alex panted, his chest heaving. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he looked around at the scattered bones. The floor was covered in the remains of the skeletons they'd fought.
"Hahh…" Amelia echoed weakly, her voice almost gone. She slumped against the wall, her sword clattering to the ground. Her armor was scratched and dented, proof of how hard the fight had been.
"I'm still stage one though…" Alex muttered, wiping his brow with a shaky hand. He glanced at where the skeleton's sigil had hovered earlier.
Amelia chuckled weakly, the sound hollow and humorless in the cavern. "Really? This is a long dungeon… no wonder it's an A-Class."
They sat in silence for a while, the weight of the battle pressing down on them. The oppressive magic that had filled the air earlier seemed to have faded, replaced by a heavy, suffocating quiet.
Alex pushed himself off the cold stone wall, his chest still heaving with each breath. As he stood, a strange sensation washed over him—a prickling feeling like pins and needles racing down his spine.
"What happened?" Amelia rasped, her voice barely audible in the echoing cavern.
Alex frowned, the feeling growing stronger. He took a step forward, then another, scanning the ground. The sensation was coming from a specific spot, like a distortion in the air.
Without warning, the ground beneath him gave way. He fell into the darkness with a startled yell.
"Alex!" Amelia shouted, scrambling to the edge of the hole. She peered into the blackness below, her heart pounding. It felt like a trap, sprung after their grueling fight. "Sh*t, what do I do now?"
Thinking quickly, she grabbed a vial from her pouch—something she'd picked up earlier but hadn't used yet—and hurled it down after him, hoping it might help somehow.
The fall was long and disorienting, the wind rushing past Alex in a chilling blur. Finally, he hit the ground hard, landing on cold granite.
"Ackkk! My ass!" he groaned, the impact knocking the breath out of him.
When he opened his eyes, he froze. Before him stretched a chamber unlike anything he'd seen in the dungeon so far. Golden tapestries hung on the walls, opulent furniture gleamed under magical lights, and piles of gold coins glittered in the center of the room. It was a scene of staggering wealth.
"Master Acomalaka, where have you been? Are you still grinding?" a familiar voice called out behind him.
Alex spun around, his jaw dropping. Standing there in a pristine maid uniform was Frey, his loyal companion from The Old Quest .
"Frey?" Alex stammered, confusion thick in his voice. "What… how… where are we?"
Frey tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled. "What do you mean? This is your dungeon, Master Acomalaka. I've always been here."
A chill ran through Alex's stomach. Two possibilities raced through his mind, both unsettling. Either Frey had no idea they'd crossed over into another world, or—worse—this was still The Old Quest , and Alex himself had somehow been transported into the game, bringing his real soul with him.
His thoughts were interrupted as Frey returned, holding a polished wooden tray. "Master, here's your console. You left it in your room."
She set the sleek metallic box on the table with a soft thud. Alex stared at it, morbid curiosity pulling him closer. This device, once just a tool for managing his digital realm, now felt like the key to unraveling everything.
With trembling hands, he switched it on. The screen flickered to life, showing a familiar interface: a map of his dungeon sprawled across the display. But one new feature caught his eye—a blinking icon in the corner labeled "Active Camera Feed."
He clicked it. The screen shifted, revealing a live image of the cavern entrance. And there, emerging from the shadows, was Amelia.
She looked exhausted, her movements slow and stiff, but she was alive. Relief washed over Alex, drowning out some of his anxiety—for a moment. Then reality hit him again.
This wasn't just any dungeon. It was his creation, designed to grind money by luring adventurers into deadly traps. Now, it had become real, and Amelia was walking straight into its depths.
He had to stop it.
His fingers flew across the console, navigating the controls with practiced ease. The opulent chamber began to shimmer and dissolve, the lavish furnishings breaking apart into motes of light.
"Why are you turning off the monster spawns, Master?" Frey asked, concern in her voice. "What are you doing?"
Alex didn't look up, his face tense with determination. "I have to shut this down, Frey. It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous? But why? This is your dungeon, your source of—"
"It's different now," Alex cut her off, his voice tight. "I don't want anyone to die."
Frey fell silent, unease settling in her expression. She remembered the first time this dungeon opened—the flood of wealth, the manic glee in Alex's eyes as he manipulated the monsters and coins from the console.
But now, looking at him, something felt wrong. His eyes, once filled with cold calculation, now held anguish and guilt.
"Are you really the Master I knew…?" she whispered finally.
The chamber dissolved completely, leaving only the cold, harsh stone of the cavern. The air crackled with raw magic, the walls groaning under the strain.
Alex, pale and shaken, looked at Frey with a haunted expression. He had pulled the plug, but the consequences were far from certain.
< Chapter 7 > Fin.