The deepest part of the dungeon that, from the knowledge of the players, was the home of the green goblins and one of the simplest humanoid creatures to deal with, was dark and damp, with rough, uneven walls.
A musty odor born from the unhygienic and dirty diet of the goblins hung in the air, mingling with the scent of wet earth and stone.
The dungeon was deep like a cave or a natural structure created over hundreds of years of natural process.
The goblins dominated this place, but this was not their home.
-Shrr. Shrr. Shrr.
The green Gobs were creatures that though dirty and repulsive, were still one of the simplest and easiest creatures that the players could deal with a little bit of experience.
They lived in big communities and were guided by the higher authority figures like the Red Gobs, or other kinds of unique goblins.
But the ones that lived in this dungeon were trapped here like the field bosses and were doomed to rise anew every time they died.
They were merely here for the player's to farm them and get stronger.
They could not take their bodies out but, when they kill the creatures, if they take some parts of the goblins and save them in their inventories, they could take them with them.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish…
Generally, that was how the dungeon worked.
[{ "Looks like we all made it." }]
Green torches lined the walls of the inside, their eerie light casting flickering shadows.
[{ "Good work until now, everyone." }]
They had somehow made it inside from the secret gateway that some player had once found while playing around this dungeon and was relatively unknown to the general public.
Only a handful of people knew about this secret passageway and Alex was one of them– though, to obtain this information, she had to spend twelve silver coins.
Something she was going to get back as soon as she got her hands on the bastard information seller.
[{ "We will recuperate first." }]
Even though they used some unique tactic to get to the secret entrance, the disturbances that they made sure to keep to the minimum had caught the attention of the creatures.
They avoided them and somehow reached their destination, but they knew they had alerted the new owner of this dungeon.
[{ "No, we will keep moving." }]
In the center of the cave was a large, dark magic circle etched into the ground, filled with glowing symbols and arcane words. The circle pulsed with a sinister energy, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
Standing in the middle of the circle was a figure in a dark hooded cloak, surrounded by a swirling black aura. The hood hid the person's face, adding to the mystery and fear they exuded. The aura seemed to absorb the torchlight, making the figure appear even more menacing.
The cave was silent except for the occasional drip of water and the low hum of the magic circle. The air was thick with tension, hinting at dark and powerful magic at work. This was a place of shadows and dark secrets, with the hooded figure at its center radiating an ominous presence, and not far from them were the group which had just entered the territory of this being.
[{ "We have to keep moving. We can rest all we want when we get out of here." }]
They were a recon team, not a great advanced party that was planning to deal with the creatures of this dungeon.
There might just be innumerable creatures present in this cave and she certainly did not want to engage in a battle that she could not win.
The reason she had gathered so much information and formulated this complete strategy was to get the highest contribution in this whole thing, and it was not going to work if they messed up and started fighting a being as strong as a Dark magician with just a few of them.
Elio wasn't even going to fight so his presence made things even more complicated for her.
[{ "Alright… we shall move." }]
The guard captain had decided to follow them and he was going to see it through. Her suggestion this time made sense to him this time as well.
[{ "Let us divide in triangle formation. Gather back here in exactly twelve minutes." }]
[{ "Yes." }]
If she was here to actually see what they were going to face, the guard captain was here to fulfill his duties as the head of the guards- the protectors of the normal citizens of the town.
However, different from both of them, Elio was here for a completely unique reason.
"Muuuu…"
"Miu…"
From what they understood, the only possible habitat for the crystal geckos around this town was this dungeon.
There was no other place where these creatures could be from except some unknown area that was not discovered in nearly the decade the players had been coming to this world.
But chances of that were small, and the dungeon was the prime location so… Elio was here to find his new little friend's parents.
That was one of the reasons he had asked her to divide everyone in a triangle formation. Since by doing only this, could he go on along with her and the guard captain to the place where the little creature used to live.
[{ "I swear I'm going to break up with you if you keep doing these crazy things. This guard captain will kill us before we find the gecko's house if he finds out we are playing him, ughh." }]
All things on one side, since the little gecko could also tell this place was somewhat familiar, it seemed like they were in the right place.
[{ "I'm always thankful for everything you do for me. It's always cute." }]
She wanted to beat him up for being so stubborn and so crazy with the things that did not need to be anything complicated.
The little Gecko was young and it must also have parents somewhere in this dungeon.
Their kinds lived in families and groups so it was always strange how a single creature was inside the cave where a strong creature like the Hob lived.
[{ "For fuck's sake at least… don't call it cute." }]
They managed to get this far even with the dislike of the other higher leveled players in this group since she showed how dignified and capable she was– and here he was, calling her cute.
The only reason the players did not complain and just continued following what she was saying was because the guard captain was following it.
He was doing what she suggested throughout the way here and even right now, he was with the two of them as they walked towards the path that the little gecko was showing…
If he was gambling on the two of them, the two of them were gambling their life here just so Elio could help the little creature get back with his family.
They did not know where they were going or if they would find anything there either… but somehow, their gamble succeeded.
[{ "Oh… lord." }]
By following the lead of the gecko and passing through strange small tunnels in the cave, they reached a place that was somehow pretty high up in the ceiling. A small opening that was just as big as a window.
[{ "The dark mage…" }]
According to the gecko, this should have been the house where it used to live… or at least some palace its instincts were taking it.
They did not know what they were going to find at the end, but they had not thought they would see the main villain that they had to defeat.
[{ "What… is that?" }]
And they most certainly did not expect to see a dark magic circle so sinister both Elio and Az who were sensitive to Magic and Mana, would freeze just by witnessing the scene before them.