Dungeon Hallow

Dungeon Monsters

Erix and Lucius broke through the dark vortex. There, Haruka was already waiting for them.

An abnormality that defied human comprehension occurred as they entered the gate. They were supposed to enter a temple, the ruins of an ancient relic from the past. But instead, they were inside a cave, a dimly lit tunnel underground. The two seemed quite confused.

Despite being in a cave, it wasn’t too dark inside. The tunnel’s walls were lined with torches.

The trio began to explore the cave tunnel. Walking in the dim light, hoping to find the person they were looking for soon. Erix and Lucius were ready with their weapons, in case a monster appeared and attacked.

A little while later, a sudden, thick black liquid spilled from the cave ceiling in front of them. Many of these liquids dropped, blocking their path.

They were not ordinary liquids. The liquids were alive and moving. They stood up and then revealed their two hands. Two spot red lights shone, indicating the position of their eyes.

“Monster!” Erix quickly drew his sword. “Black Slime?!”

“Mugs! They’re Mud Monsters!” Haruka shouted. “Strike their heads!”

Erix slashed the head one of the monsters, right between its eyes. The monster slowly melted, then burst into black powder and disappeared. Erix swung his katana again at several remaining monsters with enthusiasm. In an instant, he managed to defeat them all.

Lucius had not acted yet. In addition to the weight of the backpack he was carrying, he deliberately let his master have fun first. But, he found something from the remaining monsters earlier. “What’s this?” asked Lucius, picking up a dark purple stone from the ground.

“That’s a Dungeon Stone. Every monster we defeat will drop that stone. You can sell it at the Guild later,” explained Haruka.

“This can be sold?! Great!” Lucius started to pick up all the Dungeon Stones scattered on the cave floor. He could use them to cover their living expenses later.

“Oh, yeah, Haruka. What is Shensin?” He asked while helping to pick up the stones.

“Shensin are brave people who enter the dungeon and purify it. This is their mark,” Haruka showed an unfinished black star on her left hand’s back. “But, purifying the dungeon is not easy. Their task is to defeat strong dungeon bosses. Many Shensin don’t make it out alive.”

Her expression changed. She looked very sad. She seemed to be thinking about her brother.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find your brother.” He tried to comfort her, but she remained silent. “Oh, yeah. Your elf friend gave me this.” He took out the scroll he got from Tias. It turned out to be a map of the dungeon.

“The other elf gave me this,” Lucius meant Nella, he took out a small glass bottle containing a red potion. “What’s this?”

“That’s a healing potion for physical injuries,” she went on to explain.

With all of the information she had just told them, they weren’t wrong to conclude this world was like a game world. The rules were exactly the same. But they’d recognized that this was the real world, not a game.

They continued their journey. The dim light didn’t scare them even a bit. Their feet kept moving along the cave corridor. As they went deeper, they encountered the Mud Monster, Mug, more frequently and in greater numbers. But for Erix, they were just annoying slime that needed to be eliminated. One monster, one swing – it was easy for them to take down the thirty Mud Monsters that were attacking them. Meanwhile, Lucius continued to diligently collect the scattered Dungeon Stones.

Suddenly, he stopped what he’s doing. He walked slowly, gazing at the wall in front of him. Anyone could tell it was just an ordinary wall, but Lucius perceived it differently. He felt the wall as if there was something behind it. Erix and Haruka, curious, stopped collecting the stones.

“What’s the matter?” Erix questioned.

“I sense something behind this wall,” he replied, his gaze still fixed on the wall, with a serious expression in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Haruka asked, also curious.

They didn’t feel anything, but Lucius was certain of his instinct. To prove his conviction, he took off his large backpack and stepped back from the suspicious wall. He then charged forward and shattered the wall. The cave wall collapsed in an instant. The two were stunned to see the wall crumble, revealing a very dark room behind it.

Given the thickness of the wall, he was taken aback by Lucius’ kick. He hadn’t expected his servant to have such strength. Having Lucius as his servant wasn’t a mistake.

“This room isn’t on the map!” cried Erix, pointing to the map’s contents and confirming it multiple times. “Maybe it’s a hidden room!”

Lucius took one of the torches on the cave wall and used it to illuminate the dark room. He walked slowly, step by step, to avoid anything that might hit his feet. Of course, he had the black dagger ready in his left hand. Till he came across a sight that was so horrifying, a scene he’d only seen on TV or in horror movies. He immediately called his master. Haruka, who was curious, tried to enter the room, but he told her not to.

Erix was shocked to witness the horror in front of him; he’s trembling in terror. Human bones and skulls were scattered on the floor, and some were bound to the wall. It was truly frightening.

The skulls were separated from the body. Erix imagined how terrifying those skulls must have been while they were still fresh. He then went out to meet Haruka, leaving Lucius still observing the situation in the terrifying room.

“What’s inside?” She asked, trying to find a gap to peek through.

Erix shook his head and prevented her from going inside. He didn’t want her to imagine if one of those skeletons belonged to her brother.

Lucius appeared not long after. “Master, there’s another path inside this room. What do you think?”

“Hmm… Her brother couldn’t have passed through this room. Let’s split into two groups. You investigate the path inside. Perhaps you’ll find something. Haruka and I will continue this way” Erix explained his plan.

“Excuse me? Are you not mistaken, Master? No, no, it’s too dangerous.”

“That’s not the issue, Lucius. There’s a possibility that the monster took Haruka’s brother to that secret passage,” He persuasively explained.

“But this place is too dangerous; you could get hurt. And what’s the point of me being here if that happens?”

“I won’t get hurt. I’m not that weak. You know my athletic background yourself.”

Lucius fell silent while contemplating, before finally agreeing with a heavy sigh. “Alright.”

“Yes!”

“No, wait! Are you serious? This place is dangerous. You can’t explore this dungeon alone,” Haruka exclaimed, overhearing their conversation.

“Haruka, there’s no need to be afraid. I’m not an ordinary weak person. Lucius is also much stronger than me. You saw for yourself earlier how effortlessly he destroyed the wall, right?” Erix stated matter-of-factly.

She stayed silent, taking in his words. Lucius was indeed strong.

“And you’re a reckless person, Master. It’s a little difficult to let you go like that,” Lucius added.

“Lucius…” Erix growled angrily.

“I’ll go first, Master.” Lucius turned around and entered the room, equipped with a torch and ready to carry out his master’s command.

Erix and Haruka continued their journey together. She had to leave with her curiosity unfulfilled.

They split up, each taking their own path. Erix and Haruka travelled together, hoping to find Yura, Haruka’s brother, while Lucius explored the terrifying place alone, following his master’s instructions.

Were Erix and Lucius truly strong enough to split up in the dangerous dungeon, especially since they knew dozens of monsters were watching them? However, staying alive was the only way they could keep their promise to Haruka.