The box drone stopped scanning, and a bright light erupted from it. In the next moment, the cube transformed into a sleek chest-like container. Its surface gleamed like polished white metal, reflecting their appearances like a mirror. It floated gently toward them before stopping an arm's length away. "Elvira, let me open it first." Ben stepped forward, his voice firm. He figured his body was tougher than hers, and if this was some kind of trap, he could tank it. Besides, he had a ton of biomass to regenerate—he was the best choice, no question.
But Elvira thought differently. A warm smile curled her lips. "Alright, my beloved." Her gaze lingered on him instead of the box, her heart pounding faster. A complicated warmth spread through her chest—fondness mixed with guilt.
Ben took a deep breath. His chitin armor began creeping over his skin, but before it could fully form, a mechanical voice interrupted. "Warning. Unauthorized interference detected. Countermeasure deployed."
A sharp pulse exploded from the chest. In the blink of an eye, Ben felt like he had reverted to his human body—just in time for an invisible force to slam into him like a sledgehammer. He was launched backward, crashing into the display glass with a loud BAM—but the glass didn't even crack. Ben, on the other hand, was heavily wounded. His vision blurred, his body a mess of pain—but before Elvira could even call his name, his regeneration kicked in, restoring him in seconds.
"My beloved!" Elvira called out, rushing toward him in panic.
He raised a hand, stopping her in her tracks. "I'm alright." He winced, rolling his shoulders before standing up. "Looks like using any kind of skill is forbidden here." He took a deep breath, refocusing on the chest, which still floated in place—no, following him even after he got thrown back. It was still waiting. He exhaled and reached out, placing his palm on its cool metallic surface.
The chest burst into specks of light and shot straight into him. This time, Ben didn't react. He had learned his lesson—don't fight back against the dungeon, unless really necessary.
[Ding! You have unlocked: Forge.]
A notification blinked in front of his eyes, followed by a surge of information. Compared to the last time the system dumped data into his brain, this was mild—like a single drop of water instead of a tsunami. Ben's lips curled into a grin.
The forge he had just unlocked was on a whole different level compared to the one Elvira had built. It could automatically adjust heat to melt any material with perfect temperature, ensuring there were no flaws in the process. Not only that, but it also had a built-in mechanism that allowed him to forge the melted materials into gear he needed.
Unlike the ones he made using his creation system, this gear wouldn't just be functional—it would have far superior performance and even a chance to be imbued with magic. The difference was staggering.
Of course, there were limitations. First, it required mana—a lot of mana, depending on the material he wanted to melt. Second, he couldn't just let it run on its own. The mechanism needed a worker to operate it, meaning he'd have to assign someone to handle the forging process. Right now, it had only two slots for melting materials and another two for forging items, but that was still more efficient than anything he had before.
The forge itself wasn't massive either, just four by four, making it compact enough to fit almost anywhere. It required one thousand materials of his choosing and one hundred thousand mana to build. But the biggest limitation was the strict requirements—he needed complete understanding of a material before he could use it, and the system had to approve the forging recipe.
As for the approval, based on the explanation, it would cost him mana to register a recipe, but only once. After that, he just needed the materials to craft it. That was a huge win compared to the creation system, which drained his mana every single time. Materials were abundant, but mana was a much rarer resource. Even after acquiring the white gemstone mine, that fact didn't change—it was still finite. If he didn't manage it carefully, he'd run out before he even realized it. Even so, Ben's grin widened. This forge was more than worth it. "My beloved, what did you get?" Elvira asked as she arrived by his side.
"A good thing. You'll see it later." Ben flashed a mysterious smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to explain, but it was just easier to show her directly. Knowing Elvira, she'd probably spend hours scrutinizing the furnace the moment she saw it. "Rather than that, try opening yours."
Elvira's cheeks puffed into a pout. She feel he was teasing her. That smug, cryptic attitude of his annoyed her more than anything. With a huff, she turned her attention to her own chest.
The moment she touched it, the same thing happened—the chest burst into specks of light and shot straight into her body. Watching this, Ben couldn't help but wonder, 'Does she gain some kind of skill or knowledge too?'
Elvira closed her eyes, immersing herself in whatever she had just received. Then, the projection spoke again. "The reward has been distributed. Now, please make your choice. Will you continue to the next trial or leave the dungeon?"
The projection's silhouette flickered, then dispersed. A mechanical rumble echoed through the chamber, and two doors appeared—one to the north, leading forward, and the other behind them, offering a way out. Ben narrowed his eyes. 'What the hell… isn't this just a tower dungeon?'
Based on what he had heard from Elvira, dungeons weren't supposed to be . They were supposed to be ancient ruins left behind by forgotten civilizations—half-collapsed, barely functioning, crawling with monsters. The ones that were still operational should have been swarming with security measures, all designed to eliminate intruders the moment they stepped inside. But this place… it didn't feel hostile. Instead, it felt like it was waiting for someone.