Chapter 29: Dungeon (3)
"…Matchmaking?" Blake murmured, stunned.
It was almost comical how, after defeating the stone troll, he'd ended up as stiff as stone himself. A matchmaking system was completely new to him, so naturally, he froze like a statue. Recalling that Joel had mentioned teamwork and how the game had become more cooperative, Blake snapped out of his daze and checked the system messages.
He had no idea what The Eternal Winter Dungeon was. There was no information about it or its difficulty—only the key in his hand displayed its name, which he could research later.
'No info on the scabbard either. It'd be foolish to tamper with it just to match my katana, so I'll treat it as a key to the dungeon… There's no mention of limited uses, but I won't assume it's infinite.'
Blake sighed. "Search the cave. We might find something else; if not, we'll call it a day."
Knowing they'd soon be forced to log out, Beatrix and Sol teamed up to explore the cave. Blake also helped, planning to investigate the malleable stone tomorrow. Unfortunately, the cave held no other secrets or hidden loot. The trio left the chamber and mining node with their new experiences and treasure, which they'd review the next day. Blake said his goodbyes to his companions and logged out.
–
Back in the real world, Blake fumbled under his pillow for his phone. He grabbed it and, holding it close to his face, typed [The Eternal Winter Dungeon Matchmaking] into a search engine. Instantly, numerous websites appeared.
He clicked on a popular gaming site and skimmed its contents. "A rare dungeon connected to the Eternal Winter Graveyard? Players can access it by finding keys—various items in abandoned settlements?" he read aloud.
He recalled Joel mentioning an abandoned village in his tutorial zone where players teamed up to fight undead. Yet the Blake of today found no appeal in such places; cooperating with others made old wounds ache. Some people he'd once considered friends—friends he'd treated well—had still turned on him. Was he really that awful? Aware of the scathing words he'd hurled at his family, he concluded he probably was. Even those he'd thought of as closest had abandoned him. Could he ever trust anyone again?
These questions and memories weighed him down. He didn't feel like following his usual evening routine; instead, he closed his eyes, letting fatigue take over. Still, he knew he'd have to decide soon. Would he go to the dungeon or keep venturing deeper into the mining node, hoping for some alternative? Could he afford to miss this chance?
Time passed, and his expression grew more strained as he wrestled with these thoughts. Eventually, he buried his face in his pillow and gritted his teeth.
"…I hate… being alone…" he whispered, the truth finally slipping out.
–
The next day, Blake went to work as usual. He spent the whole day in silence, not speaking to Joel. Normally, Blake was quiet, and Joel carried the conversation, but this time, he didn't say a single word. Joel scratched his head as he watched Blake leave with slumped shoulders. "What's up with him?" Joel wondered.
After work, Blake followed his same routine at home: shower, dinner, then a long look at the gaming capsule. At last, he climbed in, settled, and logged into Ashen World Online.
Sol and Beatrix awoke from their rest, sensing their master's changed mood. Blake greeted them briefly, then looked around the smithy as though expecting something dramatic to appear—nothing did.
After a moment, he began equipping each piece of gear. He was now level eight, but his items remained suitable for at least five more levels before he'd need to enhance or forge new ones.
Before donning his helmet, he glanced at his familiar and elemental. They perked up, sensing he was about to speak.
"I know you can't talk… but from now on, in this damn dungeon, call me Superbia—no one else," he said.
Sol and Beatrix nodded firmly.
Taking on his dark demon form, Blake pulled out The Winter Scabbard and triggered the system notification.
<0… 1…>
Blake and his two companions vanished from the smithy.