Later that night, the Safe Zone settled into an uneasy quiet.
Most survivors had sought rest, but Elias sat near a dim fire, staring at his updated stats.
He had distributed his bonus points carefully, raising his Agility to 10 and Strength to 8. It wasn't much, but it felt like progress.
Player Stats
User: Elias (Player 223)
Race: Human (Potential Unknown)
Level: 1
Class: Undefined
Patron: None (Unknown)
Core Alignment: Aether Core (Origin: Unknown)
Attribute Stats
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Endurance: 6
Luck: 4
Mana: 5
Health Points (HP): 20/20
Mana Points (MP): 30/30
Experience Points (XP): 28/200
Skills Tab
Skill: Instinctive Dodge
Equipment
Weapon: Short Blade
Armor: Reinforced Fur Armor (+5 Defense, +2 Agility)
"I guess that'll have to do," Elias muttered under his breath.
Lyra approached from the shadows, tossing him a small pouch. "Here. Supplies for tomorrow.
Markus is organizing an expedition into a nearby dungeon."
Elias frowned. "A dungeon? Already? We just got here."
Lyra smirked, through her eyes held a hard edge.
"Welcome to survival. Safe Zones don't last forever, rookie.
The barrier weakens by the hour. We clear the dungeon, or we die when the monsters overwhelm us."
Elias opened the pouch, revealing scraps of dried meat and a single vial labeled Minor Healing Potion.
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"Get some sleep," Lyra said, her tone softening slightly. "You're going to need it."
Elias lay down on the cold ground, his thoughts racing.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the Safe Zone's barrier was failing faster than it should.
The glowing runes around the clearing flickered occasionally, their light weak and unsteady.
Just as sleep began to claim him, a faint whisper reached his ears.
"Help me…"
Elias bolted upright, scanning the clearing.
The survivors were either asleep or preoccupied.
The whisper came again, soft yet insistent.
"Find me…before it's too late."
It was coming from beyond the barrier.
Elias's blood ran cold. He had no idea who...or what... was calling to him.
The Next Day
Elias woke with a start, the haunting whispers still fresh in his mind.
Around him, the survivors stirred, their movements slow and weary.
Lyra was already up, leaning against a tree as she inspected her blade. "Finally awake, rookie? You're about to regret it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Elias asked, rubbing his eyes.
Lyra stretched, her smirk returning. "Did you forget? We're heading into a dungeon."
"A dungeon? Already?" Elias groaned, the weight of exhaustion still clinging to him.
"The monsters won't wait for you," Lyra said, rolling her eyes. "The Safe Zone's barrier is barely holding.
We clear the dungeon, or we're all dead. Simple as that."
Elias muttered a curse under his breath. He didn't like the sound of this.
.....
An Hour Later
The survivors gathered near the edge of the Safe Zone, where the forest loomed dark and oppressive.
Markus stood at the front, his massive sword resting on his shoulder. His sharp blue eyes scanned the group, exuding an air of authority.
"Listen up," Markus began, his voice firm.
"The dungeon ahead is a Tier-One raid. Manageable if we work together, but a death trap if we don't.
Stick to your roles, follow my lead, and no heroics. We survive together, or we die separately. Understood?"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group, though tension hung heavy in the air.
The system chimed in Elias's ear.
[Quest Alert: Enter the Tier-One Dungeon..."Echoing Depths."]
[Objectives:]
1. Enter the dungeon.
2. Survive.
3. Clear the dungeon core room and stabilize the Safe Zone barrier.
[Reward:] XP, loot, and Safe Zone stabilization.
[Penalty for failure:] Safe Zone collapse. Immediate relocation required.
Elias swallowed hard. The stakes couldn't be clearer.
The entrance to the dungeon was a massive stone archway, draped in vines and etched with glowing runes.
As the group approached, the air grew colder, and an unnatural silence fell over the forest.
"Stay sharp," Markus ordered, unsheathing his sword.
The group stepped through the archway, and the world shifted.
Inside the Dungeon
The cavern was vast, its walls slick with moisture. Bioluminescent fungi cast an eerie glow, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed endlessly.
"First room's ahead," Markus announced, gesturing toward a wide corridor. "Scouts, move up. Everyone else, form up."
The group moved cautiously, the veterans taking the lead. Elias stuck close to Lyra, his dagger drawn and his heart pounding.
The first room was a wide chamber dominated by a grotesque statue of a winged beast. Its glowing red eyes seemed to follow them.
"Trap?" someone whispered.
"Definitely," Markus said grimly.
The statue's eyes flared, and the ground split open.
From the fissure crawled a swarm of shadowy creatures, their forms flickering like living smoke.
[Enemy Encounter: Lesser Wraithlings. Difficulty: Low.]
"Low difficulty, my ass," Elias muttered as the creatures swarmed toward them.
"Fight now, complain later!" Lyra shouted, stepping forward.
Her blade sliced through a wraithling, dispersing its smoky form, but more surged forward to take its place.
Elias activated Instinctive Dodge just in time to avoid a clawed swipe.
He countered with a slash, his blade finding the creature's core and dispersing it.
[XP Gained: 5.]
Elias barely had time to breathe before another wraithling lunged at him.
He sidestepped, driving his blade upward.
The system chimed again.
[XP Gained: 5.]
The battle was chaotic.
The wraithlings moved in erratic patterns, their smoky forms difficult to predict.
One of the rookies...a young man named Dan....cried out as a wraithling's claws tore into his leg, sending him sprawling.
"I can't...." Dan gasped, clutching his wound as blood seeped through his fingers. "I can't do this!"
"Hold on!" Lyra shouted, tossing him a potion.
Dan fumbled with the vial, his hands trembling. "I don't want to die!"
Elias felt a surge of anger. "Get up! You're not dying here!"
Dan managed to drink the potion, the wound closing partially, but his face was pale, and his movements sluggish.
Markus cut through the swarm with brutal efficiency, his massive sword cleaving through multiple wraithlings at once. "Focus! Keep moving!"
Elias took down another wraithling, the system rewarding him with another burst of XP.
[XP Gained: 5.]
The system's voice filled his head.
Elias barely had time to register the notification as the last wraithling fell.
The statue crumbled, revealing a small chest at its base.
Markus approached it cautiously. "Stay alert. Traps are common in dungeons like this."
Elias sheathed his blade, his heart still pounding.
The room was quiet now, but the weight of the dungeon pressed heavily on him.
This was only the first room, and already, they'd barely made it through unscathed.
"Loot time," someone muttered, though the words lacked the enthusiasm they might have carried under different circumstances.
Their voice was low, hesitant, as if they feared the dungeon itself would take offense.
Markus immediately raised a hand, his expression sharp. "Not yet. Traps don't always end with the fight. Stay vigilant."
The group remained frozen in uneasy silence, their collective breaths mingling with the cold, damp air of the chamber.
One of the scouts stepped forward, their movements slow and deliberate, eyes scanning every inch of the chest as if expecting it to explode at any moment.
"It's clear," the scout finally said, their voice trembling just enough to betray their lingering doubts.
Markus approached, his boots echoing heavily against the stone floor.
He opened the chest with deliberate care, and the faint glow of its contents reflected in his stern gaze....a few potions, a faintly pulsing gem, and a small, unassuming dagger.
"That's it?" someone whispered, disappointment dripping from their tone.
Markus ignored the comment, his expression unreadable as he pocketed the items.
"We'll divide it later," he said curtly, closing the chest with a dull thud. "Keep moving. This isn't over."
The murmurs that followed weren't loud, but they carried weight.
Frustration simmered just below the surface of the group.
Most of them kept their eyes down, unwilling to challenge Markus openly.
After all, no one wanted to be the one to spark conflict in a place that already seemed to thirst for their lives.
Whatever their complaints, they swallowed them. At least, for now, they were still breathing.
But the air grew heavier with every step.
The deeper they went, the more the oppressive atmosphere of the dungeon pressed against them.
Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls, twisting and writhing in the faint glow of the bioluminescent fungi.
The echoes of their footsteps seemed to mock them, doubling back on themselves in strange, discordant patterns.
Every room felt like a trial.
Each trap was a cruel joke, each wave of enemies another reminder that this place wanted them dead.
Elias moved through the chaos with a growing sense of purpose, his strikes becoming sharper, his dodges more instinctive.
But confidence was a fragile thing in a place like this, and the cost of every battle was beginning to show.
A misstep earlier had cost him dearly...a shadowy claw raking across his side before he'd managed to dispatch the creature responsible.
His reinforced fur armor had absorbed some of the impact, but the burning pain lingered, a reminder of his own mortality.
He glanced at his stats, the red warning for his health flashing in the corner of his vision.
[Health: 7/20]
[Exp gained!!]
[Exp gained!!]
His breathing was labored, his stamina flagging.
Around him, others weren't faring much better.
Blood stained weapons and armor, and their faces were pale, lined with exhaustion and fear.
"We need to rest," someone called out, their voice barely above a whisper. It wasn't a suggestion...it was a plea.
Markus hesitated, his sharp gaze scanning the group.
He must have seen what Elias felt...the growing fragility in their movements, the way they clung to their weapons more for comfort than readiness.
"Five minutes," Markus finally said, his tone grudging. "No more."
The group collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut, falling against walls and onto the cold, uneven floor.
Elias slid down a damp section of stone, his body aching in ways he hadn't thought possible.
Lyra handed him a bottle without a word, and he gulped down the stale, metallic-tasting water greedily.
"You're holding up better than I thought you would," Lyra said, breaking the silence.
Her tone was light, but her eyes carried a weight that matched the dungeon's air.
"Thanks, I guess," Elias muttered, his voice rasping.
Lyra's lips quirked in a small, fleeting smile before she turned her attention back to her blade, inspecting it for damage.
The silence that followed wasn't peaceful...it was the kind of quiet that let your thoughts fester, a breeding ground for doubts and fears.
The system's cold, mechanical voice shattered the moment.
[Warning: Dungeon Core Room detected ahead. Prepare for a major encounter.]