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Inside the boss dungeon room, the noise was overwhelming.
It was caused by the clash of swords, arrows, and spells being cast by the extermination team. The glow of skills and magic could also be seen through the cracks in the boss dungeon door. My team and I, the cleanup crew, waited outside for quite a while, even having a quick meal to satisfy our hunger.
After some time, a notification sounded, indicating that the boss had been defeated. This meant that we would soon be leaving after collecting some materials dropped by the boss. The extermination team emerged safely, and it seemed their group had performed remarkably well since none of them were seriously injured. The leader of the player team began giving instructions to us, the cleanup crew.
"Okay, since we've defeated the boss, your job is just to gather the materials in this room," the leader of the players said.
"Yes, sir!" we responded in unison.
We then entered the dungeon room and quickly got to work collecting the materials, as the dungeon would disappear soon. The materials we collected were placed into dimensional bags, bags created using materials from the "other world." As the name suggests, these bags can store hundreds of kilograms of items.
Finally, we managed to gather all the materials and started heading back to the dungeon door.
"Phew, it's finally done," said Lathan, exhausted.
"Hahaha, what's the matter, Than? Tired? You're so weak," teased Rio, a fellow cleanup crew member. We weren't really close, and he often mocked me during my internship as part of the cleanup team.
"Well, you know, I haven't awakened yet… so my physical strength is still on par with an ordinary human," Lathan replied, irritated.
"Oh right, I forgot you haven't awakened yet, HAHAHA," Rio said, laughing mockingly.
I remained silent, holding back my anger. I knew it was pointless to respond to someone like him.
Rio continued to babble, but I didn't want to hear any of it.
We continued walking, and eventually, we reached the midway point. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but I felt that the atmosphere of the dungeon had shifted compared to when we first entered. I ignored it, thinking it was just fatigue setting in.
We kept moving forward, and finally, just a few hundred meters away, we reached the dungeon's exit gate. That uneasy feeling I had earlier resurfaced, but this time it felt even more intense. It felt as if the aura pressing down on me was getting heavier. I glanced around and noticed that I wasn't the only one feeling it—some of the players guarding us also sensed the unsettling aura.
The leader of the player group began issuing orders.
"Get out of here quickly! I sense the dungeon is starting to change!" the team leader shouted to everyone.
Sure enough, right after the team leader gave the command, an unknown monster appeared behind us. The creature looked terrifying, with seven eyes of different colors, four arms, and ten legs. Its appearance alone almost made us faint from sheer horror. We, the cleanup crew, were trembling in fear—perhaps a result of the monster's "Fear" skill.
The monstrous creature began its attack, launching sharp spikes from its back, aimed directly at us. Some members of the cleanup crew tried to flee in terror… but sadly, their actions resulted in their immediate death, pierced by the spikes.
I thought that would be the end of me, but thankfully, the player team cast a "Shield" spell that protected those of us who hadn't fled. The swordsmen from the player team then launched their attacks. One of them shouted to us, "Run!! We'll hold off the monster!"
We started sprinting towards the dungeon door. The monster we were facing had to be at least rank B. No, given its strength and durability, it was probably rank A. Defeating this creature seemed almost impossible. The players fought back while moving towards the dungeon exit.
I kept running and running, terrified by the unexpected turn of events. I saw bodies lying on the ground, heads detached from their bodies, and people torn in half. Just thinking about it made me dizzy. I continued running until I was only a few meters away from the dungeon door. I thought I had escaped the monster. But when I looked back, there wasn't a single person still alive.
I was stunned, closing my eyes for a moment. My emotions were in turmoil. I was scared, nauseous, and dizzy. When I opened my eyes again, the monster was right in front of me. I couldn't do anything. Moments later, I felt a sharp pain in my throat.
.
.
.
.
.
I awoke from a death that seemed to have taken my life. But wait, is this really reality? I still felt like I was in some kind of dream.
[|YOU HAVE DIED|]
The word "You Have a Died" echoed in my mind, as if they were dragging me into another world.
°DING
•DING
°DING
•DING
But then, the sound of ding-ding-ding from the system shattered the silence that enveloped the room. Something wasn't right with the system—it kept glitching, and I became more and more confused.
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||SKILLS HAVE BEEN GIVEN||
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[OVER LIMIT SKILL has been added to the skill slot permanently]
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[#$&#$2$237$52728#]
[&$836$5276&2€363#]
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~~~~~~~~
|ERROR|
|ERROR|
~~~~~~~~
The ding sound continued repeatedly, followed by strange messages saying things like "Skill Granted," "Over Limit," and more system errors.
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[Sorry for the mistake that happened]
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[As compensation for the system error, You will be Regression a week before your death]
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Amidst all the chaos, there was one message that shocked me. "As compensation, you will be resurrected one day before your death." Does this mean I have a second chance at life? However, that thought couldn't erase my fear.
I reflected for a moment, thinking about what I should do after being revived. Maybe this is my chance to fix the mistakes I made in the past, or perhaps I need to be more careful and better prepare myself in case death comes for me again.
Ding-ding-ding. The sound continued, but this time I felt a newfound calmness and confidence. I was ready to face the world that had given me a second chance at life, and I would fight with all my strength not to waste it.
~~To be continued~~