Hale was sleeping in a long long dream.
This was one of the perks that he just found out about. As a Dungeon Core, he could force himself to lay dormant for a long period of time.
The reason for this?
It was simply just boring. Forcing himself to stay awake, when he can sleep.
He didn't know how long he would sleep, but he knew that if he woke up. Things would get more interesting.
So his dreams were long, as he thought about countless things.
Did his parents and families miss him?
Would there be any version of himself in this world?
All extremely complex questions that he had no answers for.
The Dungeon of Noxious went under its first dormant state. Quietly biding its time for a new era to come. One that would be filled with chaos, misery, and players.
Time eventually progressed, as Hale lay asleep.
...
A group of dark-skinned figures clad in tight, revealing garments moved swiftly across the twisted branches of the trees. Their clothing did little to hide their striking forms—long, toned legs, bountiful curves, and faces of ethereal beauty.
Their purple eyes glimmered with a hint of worry, and their flowing silver hair danced in the wind as they pressed onward.
These women were a group of dark elves whose tribe was separated from the Kingdom of Night, a holy sanctuary for their kind.
They have lived and procreated in the Swamp of Darkness for countless years, cut off from the rest of their people.
They had lost their inheritance, only the elder of their tribe had inherited the dark elves' inheritance. Dark elves were a matriarchal society, which meant, that their women were the ones in power. While the men were delegated to the menial labor.
A very strict society to say the least.
Currently, this band of dark elves found themselves pursued by human slave traders.
It was an unthinkable predicament. But without their inheritance, they were no more than mortals with sharper reflexes and keener senses. While those who chased them were humans who were rogues, a class known for their stealth, lethality, and murderous abilities.
This left the dark elves in despair, as they were truly helpless to the situation at hand.
The group of slave traders chased and stared at the dark elves women with lascivious eyes.
The slave traders chased with unbridled greed, their lecherous gazes fixed on the fleeing women. These dark elves were unparalleled beauties, their allure capable of captivating any man.
The trader's greed had already been stirred, as they watched the helpless group of dark elves flee in panic. The dark elves they were pursuing had not mastered a single class an anomaly that only deepened their excitement.
If they could capture and sell them, they would become filthy rich. Dark elves were hot commodities in the slave market, not only were they beautiful, but their potential to become deadly assassins made them precious. Their value was astronomical, yet the supply was scarce, for the Dark Elf Empress herself ruthlessly protected her territory, killing any who weren't of their kind.
But now it seemed as if Lady Luck had spread her legs for them.
As long as they could capture this group of dark elves alive, they would be swimming in gold. With such a windfall, they could leave the dangerous, business of slave trading behind forever.
The group of dark elves were communicating with each other, as they constantly ran from their pursuers.
"Anastasia, are you sure we're heading to the right place?"
"I don't know, but... the dreams I've been having since two or three weeks ago kept mentioning this place. I think it was called the Realm of Noxious?"
"HUH! You're saying we're going to a place, that you don't even know if it exists?"
"Yes, but it's the only option we have. It's better to take this risk than to end up in the hands of those slave traders."
"Fine... luckily we haven't exposed the location of the tribe, or else we'd be great sinners."
The group of slave traders shot out countless daggers laced with poison that could immobilize their targets in seconds.
The daggers pierced through the air, as they accurately aimed for parts that weren't lethal.
The dark elves had keen senses so they were able to dodge the daggers in time, unfortunately, this allowed the group of slave traders to close the gap between them.
Seeing that they were getting closer they mocked and taunted the dark elves.
"Little beauties, stop your pointless escape. Or else you might be missing a few limbs, if I get too angry."
Anastasia and the other three dark elves ignored their taunts.
They had already decided that if they did get captured, they would rather kill themselves than end up in the hands of those disgusting humans.
Such were the ruthless natures of dark elves.
Countless clashes occurred as the chase continued, there were many close moments when the dark elves were nearly caught by the humans.
Fortunately for them, it seemed as if they were finally close to their goal.
"Anastasia, look! It's the place you're talking about."
"The place from my dreams... so it truly exists," she whispered to herself with a bewildered tone.
The slave traders, spotting the wooden gate in the distance, gritted their teeth and pushed themselves to their limits.
If they had realized sooner that the dark elves were heading for a realm's entrance, they wouldn't have toyed with them for so long. Now, regret gnawed at them, their hearts heavy with the weight of the unknown.
The dark elves, sensing the traders' desperate resolve, forced their exhausted bodies onward, fueled by sheer determination. The wooden gate loomed closer!
With heavy breaths and trembling hands, they pushed open the gate. Beyond it lay a swirling veil of black mist, thick and impenetrable, obscuring the secrets of the world within.
Hesitation gripped them for a moment as they stared into the ominous fog. Doubt flickered in their hearts. But a glance over their shoulders—at the relentless hunters closing in—doused those doubts.
Steeling themselves, they plunged into the dark mist.
The slave traders came to a harsh halt as they watched the dark elves disappear into the dark mist before their eyes. For a moment, disbelief and frustration twisted their faces. It was as if someone was dangling a great treasure before their very eyes, but when they reached out to grab it, they took it away at the last second.
But these were no ordinary men. They exchanged glances, a silent determination passing between them. They had faced danger countless times before—what was one more risk?
Without hesitation, they charged after the dark elves, following them into the dark mist. After all, they were slave traders, hardened by various challenges. To them, this was just another realm to conquer.
...
[Intruders detected, please defend your dungeon.]
[Failure to do so will result in loss and damage to the dungeon.]
[Success in defending the dungeon will result in reimbursement for all damages.]
Hale was awakened by a series of prompts. Awoken from his dreamless sleep. His mood was groggy as if adjusting himself to his wake.
If he could yawn, he would set a record for the world's longest yawn.
Trying to focus on the task at hand, Hale scanned through the dungeon, and what he saw surprised him.
The people inside his dungeons weren't players, but NPCs!
What were they doing here?
Not only that, it seemed as if one of them was chasing after the other. As a group of humans chased after the dark elves. Not only that the humans outnumbered the dark elves, as there was twice the amount of humans compared to the dark elves.
'Interesting, I wonder what they came here for?'
'Not only that, aren't dark elves able to take care of such trash?'
But when he saw the skills of the dark elves he came to a realization. The dark elves hadn't even mastered a class yet, while the ones chasing them were all rogues. Left speechless he could only wonder about the predicaments plaguing these dark elves.
Hale deciding to act, wanted to experiment. If it was successful, he could further his goals, while he wouldn't lose out on much, if it failed.
Let the show begin!