"You need any help carrying those?" Aria asked as Zen could be seen lagging behind the group. They were climbing a tall hill of some kind, and he was far at the back while the others were at least six metres ahead.
"No... no... I will be fine," Zen replied through ragged breaths as the tall bag pressed against his back, Zarin’s sword still gripped in his hand.
His shoulders ached, his knees felt heavier with each step, and sweat trailed down his face. "I wonder what is in this bag though," he mumbled beneath his breath, though Aria managed to hear.
"I’m sure there are tools to help in the dungeon," Aria replied, keeping her gaze ahead while walking side by side with him.
"Tools? What tools?" Zen asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to distract himself from the ache in his legs. This content belongs to N0velFire.ɴet
"To excavate the precious stones in the dungeon, duh," Aria replied with a small smirk.
"Precious ston... ohh! That," Zen muttered beneath his breath as he remembered a particular anime where they always went on dungeon raids and, before killing the boss, they would mine precious mana crystals or strange glowing ores.
’I think the foolish MC had wanted to slay the boss that time but was stopped just in time. Yeah, he had disguised as a miner,’ Zen thought before shaking his head with a sigh and continuing forward.
’Sometimes I feel like I’m in an anime or novel. But I’m wrong. This is real. Too real. And any slight hiccup from me would cost me m...’
"So tell me," Aria said suddenly, snapping Zen out of his thoughts.
"Why did you join the Silverfall Clan? And why does it feel like you know nothing about this world?" Aria asked, still keeping her gaze fixed forward.
"That is because I know nothing of this world," Zen mumbled beneath his breath with a sigh. "I joined the clan because I was approached and recruited by a B-ranked Reaver.
Also, I suffer from amnesia after encountering a portal break, so that’s why it feels like I know nothing of this world." He replied with surprising ease, no hint of hesitation in his voice.
{Woah! What a smooth liar. I guess it was this sharp tongue of yours that really brought you to this hell. Lol!}
’Stupid ah system!’ Zen thought inwardly.
"Hmm... that explains that," Aria mumbled as she glanced briefly at the sky, her eyes holding a distant, almost nostalgic look.
"So tell me, Aria, what rank are you?" Zen asked as he glanced sideways at her, partly to keep the conversation going and partly to study her more.
"Nothing much, just a D rank. So I need a lot of MP to rank up. And even with that, it’s not like I would get any essence veil," Aria replied with a soft sigh. "You know, sometimes I envy those that are able to awaken an essence after the assessment, therefore gaining the C rank instantly."
"Same here. It feels... I don’t know... unfair?" Zen sighed along, his expression turning pensive.
"Yeah. Unfair. But what can we do? We just have to keep surviving, honing our skills, and becoming stronger with or without an essence," Aria said, forcing a small smile onto her face even though her eyes told another story.
"Yeah. That’s my motto too," Zen replied with a small smile.
"Hey! Keep up, slackers! At this rate, we’ll be done with the quest in two days," Zarin shouted as he turned around to face the duo.
"And if you don’t stop yelling, I will be forced to put an arrow in your shoulder. It seems the dagger you received yesterday wasn’t enough for you," Aria clapped back, her tone sharp. Zarin immediately quieted down, scoffing under his breath before turning around to continue walking.
"Guess we found someone who knows exactly which button to press to shut you up," Rina commented, chuckling loudly.
"We are almost there," Ryker mumbled, still staring at the map in his hand. The worn parchment was marked with faint red lines, showing the winding path that led them to their destination.
"How far are we, Ryker?" Zarin asked. The sleepy young man turned his head to glare at him, the dark bags under his eyes making his expression even more annoyed.
"Just a little bit more," Ryker replied with a sigh.
"Yeah, I’m getting tired," Rina mumbled as she continued trudging along. Slowly, they finished climbing the hill, and before them stretched a wide clearing.
It looked as though a forest had once stood here, its trees long gone, leaving only scattered stumps and the jagged edges of torn roots.
"I guess we’re here, huh," Ryker announced. Zarin and Rina soon joined him, gazing ahead. Moments later, Aria and Zen caught up, and the group decided to push forward.
Minutes passed before they reached the edge of the dungeon which was a foreboding structure nestled deep within a rocky valley, concealed behind thick, gnarled trees that clawed toward the sky like skeletal fingers.
The air seemed to change instantly. The moment they stepped into the clearing, it grew heavier, colder, and strangely still, as though the world itself held its breath. Even the sunlight felt weaker here, reluctant to touch the cursed ground.
Jagged stones jutted from the earth like the ribs of some long-dead giant, forming a crude wall around the yawning dungeon entrance. Vines wound themselves tightly over shattered statues of forgotten warriors, their eroded faces barely visible beneath the choking moss.
At the center stood a blackened archway, tall and imposing, its weathered stone carved with ancient runes. The markings pulsed faintly with a sickly green glow, like the heartbeat of something best left undisturbed.
From deep within came a chilling wind, carrying the damp, rotting stench of decay and something else... something that felt alive, watching.
Cracked torches lined the path to the entrance, long unlit and brittle with age. Strange claw marks scarred the stone near the doorway — some deep and fresh, others so old they were nearly worn smooth.
The dungeon had clearly been a battlefield for generations, its walls bearing silent witness to countless fights between Reavers and horrors beyond imagination.
The clearing was silent. Too silent. Not even the faintest birdsong dared to break the stillness. Only the rustle of dry leaves and the groan of twisted branches swaying overhead gave any sign the world still moved.
"So this is the dungeon, huh," Zarin muttered, glancing at Zen with his hand held out expectantly.
With a reluctant frown, Zen pulled Zarin’s sword from his bag and handed it over. Aria adjusted her grip on her bow, fingers tightening on the string.
Ryker didn’t waste a second. He strode to the front where a heavy door loomed, its warped wood and iron frame clinging stubbornly to the stone. Without hesitation, he shoved it open, the hinges crying out with a long, drawn creak.
A cold gust slammed into them, swirling around their legs and biting into their skin. Each of them swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the shadowed passage ahead.
’So it’s beginning, huh? I just hope we don’t run into something beyond our limits... otherwise, we’re dead,’ Zen thought grimly as they stepped forward into the darkness.