CHAPTER 5: INTO THE DUNGEON

Chapter 5: Into the Dungeon

The moment my boots touched the moss-carpeted ground of the hidden dungeon, I felt it.

A weight, heavy and unnatural, pressed against my skin. Not physical pressure but something else. The kind of weight that came from eyes watching from the dark.

The entrance shimmered shut behind me, sealing me off from the outside world. No turning back now.

The dungeon stretched before me as a vast cavern, its stone walls slick with moisture. Jagged crystals jutted from the ground, glowing faintly in hues of violet and teal. Their dim light reflected in underground pools, casting warped patterns across the ceiling. The air was damp, sharp with the smell of iron and moss.

And beneath it all... a heartbeat. A slow, steady thrum, like the dungeon itself was alive.

DING—

[Hidden Dungeon Entered]

[Difficulty: F Rank]

[Recommended Party Size: 4–6]

[Warning: You have entered alone.]

A humorless chuckle escaped me. Yeah, thanks for the reminder.

The system pulsed again.

[Quest Activated: Clear the Dungeon]

[Objective: Defeat the Dungeon Boss]

[Optional: Slay all monsters within]

[Reward: ???]

’ humm, New Quest ’

My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword. "Alright then... let’s grind."

---

The first encounter came sooner than expected.

From the corner of the cavern, I heard it , it’s sound of skittering claws against stone. The shadows rippled, and then they emerged.

Three Cave Crawlers.

[ Rank: F-]

[Appearance: grotesque, centipede-like insects the size of hounds, their bodies covered in obsidian chitin. Each segment pulsed faintly with bioluminescence, casting eerie blue light as they moved. Their mandibles clicked, dripping with venom. ]

The sight made my stomach tighten. In the game, these things were annoying trash mobs but are quick, poisonous, and relentless. In reality? They looked like something pulled straight out of a nightmare.

One hissed, its head jerking before it lunged.

My sword was already moving.

CLANG—! Sparks flew as blade met mandible. The force rattled up my arms.

The second crawler darted low, aiming for my leg. I twisted, letting instinct and hours of PvP practice guide me. Shadow Swap activated—the world blurred, and in a flash, I was behind it. My sword cut through its joint. The creature screeched, ichor spilling across the stone.

[Monster Slain: Cave Crawler]

[+50 SP]

The system message was crisp, efficient. My heart, on the other hand, hammered.

Two more.

I exhaled, channeling mana into Frost Edge. My blade shimmered white-blue, a thin sheet of ice crackling across its surface. The air itself grew cold.

When the next crawler lunged, I cut horizontally. The frost-coated steel bit through chitin like glass. The crawler’s body split in half with a wet crack.

The last one hesitated. For a heartbeat, it almost seemed to recognize me as a predator. Then hunger won.

It leapt.

I stepped forward, driving my blade straight through its open mandibles and into the soft tissue beneath. A sharp twist, a kick, and the body crumpled.

[Monster Slain: Cave Crawler]

[+50 SP]

---

I wiped my blade against the moss, breathing heavy but steady. "Three down."

My muscles ached from the tension, but adrenaline coursed stronger. This wasn’t a game. Every slip, every hesitation could mean my death. And yet...

A grin tugged at my lips. God, I missed this feeling.

---

Deeper Within

The dungeon sprawled like a labyrinth. Caverns split into narrow tunnels, each glowing faintly with crystal veins. Some passages were flooded waist-high, the water bitterly cold and crawling with blind fish. Others were choked with vines, whispering faintly as if alive.

More monsters waited.

Stoneback Bats (Rank F): winged beasts with rocky hides, swooping in swarms. A quick Frost Edge cleave tore through them mid-flight.

Ice Fang Wolves (Rank F+): wolves with White -furred bodies that blended into the cavern walls.

One ambushed me from a ledge, but Shadow Swap left it biting empty air before I drove my sword down its spine.

Crystal Sprites (Rank F+): floating shards of light that pelted me with mana bolts. Annoying, but fragile.

Each fight chipped at my stamina, drained my mana pool—but also sharpened me. I wasn’t just swinging a blade. I was adapting, learning to move with my body, adjusting to this world’s weight and rhythm.

By the time I reached the dungeon’s mid-layer, I was drenched in sweat. My arms burned from the sword swings, and my breathing came ragged. But the glow of the system notifications pushed me forward.

I used the Strategy of Attacking and Retreat Tactic where I attack first which give the monster damage and then I retreat from the zone where the monster will attack.

[SP Accumulated: 450]

’Not bad for a warm-up.’

"My Given Gaming experience never Betray "

After that I take some rest to regenerate my mana.

---

20 minutes Later

I walk Forward and then I finally me the monster that give me quite trouble when I was new to this Dungeon.

The Mid-Boss: Crystalback Ogre

The cavern opened into a chamber the size of a cathedral. Crystals jutted from the walls in jagged spires, their glow bathing the room in violet light. At the center stood a hulking figure.

A Crystalback Ogre.

[Rank: E]

[Height: nearly four meters. Its body was stone-grey muscle, and jagged crystal shards grew from its back and shoulders like armor. In its hand, it gripped a massive club formed from fused crystal.]

The beast bellowed, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling.

My throat went dry.

"Well... this’ll be fun."

The ogre moved faster than it had any right to. The club came down in a blur.

BOOM—!

The ground shattered, sending shards flying. I barely rolled aside, the shockwave rattling my teeth.

Shhhh~

Too close.

I darted in, Frost Edge igniting across my blade. My sword bit into its thigh—only for sparks to spray. The crystal plating had absorbed the blow.

The ogre swung again. I swapped shadows with a crystal spire, blinking across the chamber just as the club obliterated where I’d been. Stone chunks flew like shrapnel.

Chuk~

I grimaced. "Alright... weak points it is."

The stomach. The joints. The eyes.

The ogre roared and charged. Each step shook the cavern.

I sprinted forward too, closing the gap at the last second. The club came down—Shadow Swap. I blinked past its swing, landing beside its exposed ribs. My blade drove upward, piercing flesh between the crystals.

Slash~

" Roohhhhh"

The ogre howled in pain, swiping at me with its massive hand. I ducked, rolled, felt the rush of air tear past my head. Blood sprayed from the wound I’d carved, thick and steaming.

Again.

Slussh~

I pushed forward, weaving between swings, cutting at the soft gaps in its armor. Every strike was calculated, desperate, burning through my stamina.

Finally, with a bellow that rattled the cavern, the ogre fell to one knee. Its chest heaved, blood pooling beneath it.

I raised my sword, channeled everything into Frost Edge, and leapt. The blade sank into its neck, ice spreading like veins. One last twist and the beast collapsed.

[Monster Slain: Crystalback Ogre]

[+300 SP]

I slid off its corpse, gasping for breath. My arms trembled, my lungs burned, but I was alive.

And my grin was wider than ever.

---

Beyond the ogre’s chamber stretched a spiral staircase of stone, leading down into darkness. The crystals thinned, their glow fading, until the only light was the pale flicker of my sword’s mana.

The air grew colder. Heavier.

Each step echoed like a drumbeat, leading me toward the heartbeat I’d felt since entering.

At the bottom lay the final chamber.

A vast cavern, its ceiling lost in shadows. Pools of black water reflected faint pinpricks of light. And at its center, curled upon a stone dais, was the boss.

A Shadowfang Dire Wolf.

[Rank: E+]

Its fur was pitch black, blending seamlessly into the dark. Its eyes glowed molten gold, watching me with intelligence far sharper than the crawlers or ogre. Shadows pooled around its paws, writhing like living smoke.

The wolf rose, muscles rippling beneath its pelt. Fangs like daggers gleamed in the dim light.

The chamber fell silent.

Then the system chimed.

[Boss Encounter: Shadowfang Dire Wolf]

I raised my blade, every nerve alight

.

"Alright, big guy," I muttered. "Let’s see what you’ve got."

I take a deep breath and look at the Boss Monster.

The wolf snarled, and the shadows surged.

And the battle began.

---

TO BE CONTINUED...

DING—

[Dungeon Boss Defeated – Pending]

[Hidden Dungeon Clear Reward Available: ???]

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