The dungeon's stale air gave way to the crisp breeze of the outside world as we emerged from its cursed depths. The late afternoon sun painted the horizon a soft orange, which would've been relaxing if not for my still-racing heart.
"That," I announced, collapsing onto a rock, "was officially the worst dungeon ever."
"Worst?" Leah scoffed, casually twirling her dagger. "It wasn't that bad."
I glared at her, incredulous. "Not that bad? Leah, I was almost eaten, crushed, and swarmed by bats! Meanwhile, you walked around triggering everything like it was your personal playground."
"It's called being proactive," she shot back, smirking.
"It's called being reckless!" I snapped.
Titan let out a low hum, the magical equivalent of a sigh. He then gestured something that I know just meant that the both of us were triggering traps equally.
Geh...I can't deny that..
He sat down across from me, holding the glowing Dungeon Core in his massive hands. The pulsing blue light reflected off his armor, making him look even more mysterious.
"Alright," I said, pointing at him. "You're the only one here who seems to know what this thing does. Care to share?"
Titan tilted his head and gave a small shrug.
"Unbelievable," I muttered, throwing my hands up. "We risked our lives for this thing, and you don't even know if it's useful?"
Leah plopped down beside me, leaning over to inspect the crystal. "Maybe it's magical. Or valuable. Or cursed."
I shot her a look. "Let's hope it's not the last one."
---
After some much-needed rest, we set up camp a short distance from the dungeon entrance. Titan built a fire with mechanical efficiency, Leah sharpened her dagger, and I took it upon myself to examine the Dungeon Core.
"What do you even want to do with it?" Leah asked, watching me turn the crystal over in my hands.
"Sell it," I said immediately.
[System Response:
Not a good idea.]
Hm?
And why? System, should that be? I thought with an eyebrow raised.
[System Response:
Look at the core with the system inspection, dumb ass.]
....I want the previous system back. This new updated one seems to always like calling me names..
[System Response: .....]
Welp, let's just inspect this again.
[System inspection....
Name: Dungeon Core
Type: Artifact
Function: Creation of a dungeon
Warning: To use this Artifact you must answer this riddle. ]
System. You were serious?! I thought that was just a joke?!
[System Response:
Yes. Now answer this riddle.
"I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"
Time limit: 2 days
Penalty: The Dungeon Core disintegrates ]
....what the fuck?
I stared at the words. My brain sputtered, trying to process what I had just read. "You're joking."
[System Response:
No.]
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. Of course, the shiny new artifact came with a catch. Why wouldn't it?
Y'know what? Nobody said I can't ask for outside help.
I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. "Hey, uh, are you guys good with riddles?"
Leah looked up from her dagger-sharpening with a suspicious squint. "Why are you acting weird?"
"I'm not acting weird," I said, my voice pitching slightly higher. "Just... curious. About riddles. For fun."
"For fun," Leah repeated, deadpan. "Since when do you do anything for fun?"
Titan tilted his head at me, his glowing eyes narrowing slightly. He said nothing, but his expression screamed 'Explain'.
I sighed in defeat. "Fine. The Dungeon Core wants me to answer a riddle before it'll work, okay?" Let's just make them think the dungeon can talk, I don't think they'll be suspicious about it. I'm a genius! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ
Leah burst out laughing. "You're kidding. A magical crystal wants you to solve puzzles? That's hilarious."
"It's not hilarious!" I snapped. "If I get it wrong, it disintegrates!"
Leah's laughter died instantly. "Wait, what?"
Titan hummed, his equivalent of a raised eyebrow.
"I'm serious!" I said, holding up the core. "We only have two days to figure this out!"
"Alright," Leah said, sitting up straighter. "What's the riddle?"
I repeated it: "I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"
Leah frowned. "That... sounds familiar."
"Well, then you solve it," I said, waving the core at her.
Leah leaned back, tapping her chin. "Something alive with wind... What about a bird?"
"Birds have mouths," I pointed out. "And ears. And bodies."
"Right. Okay, not a bird," she said, shrugging. "What about a ghost?"
"Ghosts don't hear or speak!" I snapped. "And they don't come alive with wind!"
Leah scowled. "Okay, fine, Miss Know-It-All. What's your answer?"
"If I knew," I snapped back, "we wouldn't be having this conversation!"
Titan, ever the patient one, finally started gesturing wildly.
"What are you doing?" I asked, frowning.
He pointed emphatically at the core, then tapped the side of his helmet.
"Wait," Leah said, catching on before I did. "You know the answer?"
Titan nodded.
"Then say it!" I demanded.
For some reason he looked at me like I said something stupid then he shook his head, tapping his throat to indicate he couldn't speak ( -_-)
Fuck, my bad.
"Oh, for crying out loud," I muttered. "You're going to mime it out?"
Titan nodded again, and then he started gesturing wildly.
---
What followed was the most ridiculous game of charades I'd ever witnessed.
Titan pointed to his mouth, shook his head, then cupped his hands around his ears and shook his head again.
"Uh… something that doesn't talk or listen?" I guessed.
He nodded furiously, then pointed upward, moving his hand like waves.
"Wind?" Leah asked.
Titan paused, then nodded half-heartedly, like we were getting close. He tapped his helmet again, then made an exaggerated gesture of his voice bouncing back at him.
Leah gasped. "Oh! It's an echo!"
I blinked. "Wait, really?"
Titan let out a relieved hum and nodded.
"Well," I said, gripping the core. "Here goes nothing."
I leaned in, speaking clearly. "An echo. The answer is an echo."
The core pulsed once, twice, then glowed brighter. A soothing chime echoed through the air.
[System Response:
Correct. You have unlocked the Dungeon Core's functions.]
"Yes!" I shouted, leaping to my feet. "We did it!"
"We did it," Leah corrected, smirking.
Titan let out a soft hum that somehow felt smug.
---
With the riddle solved, the Dungeon Core began to emit soft beams of light, casting glowing runes across the ground.
"What's happening?" Leah asked, shielding her eyes.
"It's activating," I said, trying to sound confident. "Totally normal. Probably."
Within moments, the light faded, and a sleek, futuristic doorway appeared where the core had been. Above it, glowing letters read: "Aria's Dungeon of Awesomeness."
I blinked. "I didn't name it that."
Leah burst out laughing. "Sure you didn't."
Titan hummed softly, clearly amused.
"Well," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Let's see what we've got."
---
Inside, the dungeon was surprisingly polished. The walls gleamed with a faint glow, and the air buzzed with magical energy. Training dummies lined one side, platforms hovered in the center, and a glowing console waited at the far end.
[System Notification:
Welcome to the Dungeon of Awesomeness!
Some parts of the dungeon is currently under investigation by the system, please wait....
Loading...Loading...Successful!
Perks Found!:
- A dungeon floor can be created and imprinted in the dungeon core's memory using the host's imagination.
- The first time the user customizes the dungeon is free, the customization afterwards will need immense mana please proceed with caution.
Other functions will open after host finishes customizing the dungeon. ]
"This... is actually kind of cool," Leah admitted, poking a dummy.
"Told you," I said smugly. "Totally worth it."
Leah raised an eyebrow. "Even though you wanted to sell it?"
"But I didn't," I said, grinning. "So, technically, I'm the hero."
Titan hummed again, his glowing eyes narrowing slightly, as if to say, Sure, let's go with that.
As I looked around the dungeon, a spark of excitement flared in my chest. For once, something had gone right.
Knowing my luck, it wouldn't last—but for now, I'd take the win.