"Ugh..."
I slowly opened my eyes.
Cold stone pressed against my face.
And a foul smell filled the air — which makes me feel sick.
My vision blurred slightly as I forced my eyes opened..
"Cough...!"
A dry cough escaped my mouth while dizziness assaulted my head.
Massive stone walls surrounded me from every direction, covered in cracks, moss, and strange glowing symbols that emitted a faint blue glow.
"Before losing consciousness, I remembered Silvia grabbing my hand..." I thought as I weakly look around.
"Hey... you finally woke up."
I heard a rough voice from the side and slowly turned my head.
Three people sat nearby.
Two men and one woman.
All three are covered in dirt and dust, their wrists chained tightly while leaning weakly against the stone wall.
Their faces looked pale and exhausted.
"Where... am I?" I asked weakly, only to notice how rough and dry my own voice sounded.
My throat burned painfully.
"Ahh... I’m thirsty..."
"And hungry..."
The words escaped my mouth almost unconsciously.
The others gave bitter smiles after hearing me.
Because they looked exactly the same.
Weak and Starving.
Then—
TAP... TAP... TAP...
The sound of footsteps suddenly echoed throughout the corridor.
The chained prisoners beside me visibly trembled.
The woman lowered her head instantly while one of the men clenched his fists tightly in fear.
My brows furrowed slightly.
Confused, I looked toward the source of the sound.
Soon, five figures emerged from the darkness.
Two men.
Three women.
All of them wore armor and robes like something straight out of fantasy movies or comics.
The moment they appeared, the atmosphere changed completely.
"Done sleeping?"
The muscular man at the front spoke in a loud mocking voice.
His heavy boots echoed sharply against the stone floor.
THUD!
THUD!
The chained prisoners flinched instinctively every time he stepped closer.
Then—
His gaze landed on me.
And unfortunately...
I have accidentally looked directly into his eyes.
A dangerous glint appeared on his face.
"How dare you look me in the eye?"
My heart skipped a beat.
BAM!!
Before I could even react, his kick slammed directly into my stomach.
"GAAAHH—!"
The impact sent my body flying backward.
CRASH!
My back smashed violently against the stone wall as pain exploded throughout my entire body.
For a moment—
I couldn’t breathe.
My stomach twisted violently while tears formed uncontrollably in my eyes.
"Cough...! Ack...!"
I collapsed onto the cold floor while clutching my stomach tightly.
The muscular man looked down at me with cold amusement.
Meanwhile, the others remained completely silent.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed the chained prisoners staring at me with pity.
But even they quickly lowered their heads again.
Like they already knew what would happen to anyone who resisted here.
"Enough, Baldric."
One of the women wearing leather armor spoke in a cold, commanding voice.
"Tch..."
The muscular man clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he still stepped back obediently.
"All of you. Move to the front."
Another man stepped forward.
He carried dual swords at his waist, and unlike Baldric, his eyes are completely emotionless.
The three chained prisoners immediately stood up in panic.
The sound of chains rattling echoed softly throughout the corridor.
CLINK... CLINK...
I slowly pushed myself upward as well while clutching my stomach tightly.
"Ugh..."
A sharp pain spread through my body the moment I stood.
It hurt like hell.
Soon, we began walking deeper into the dark corridor while the armed group followed behind us like guards escorting livestock.
The dungeon felt eerily silent.
Cold air brushed against my skin while faint drops of water echoed from somewhere far away.
"Krrrk..."
Suddenly, I heard a strange sound ahead.
Like an animal growling quietly in the darkness.
The woman carrying the bow instantly raised her hand.
"Stick to the walls."
Her voice became sharp and serious.
We quickly pressed ourselves against the cold stone walls.
A few moments later—
Three small green creatures crawled out from the darkness ahead.
Their skin looked dirty and rotten.
Long ears, Sharp teeth and ugly twisted bodies.
"Goblins..."
They looked exactly like the monsters from fantasy stories.
The creatures hissed while gripping rusty knives.
Then—
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
The archer instantly released three arrows.
SCHKK!
Two goblins died immediately as arrows pierced straight through their skulls.
But the third arrow missed slightly.
"SCREEEECH!!"
The remaining goblin let out a shrill scream before turning and running deeper into the corridor.
"Damn it, Suzan."
A woman dressed entirely in black clicked her tongue irritably.
"You couldn’t even kill three tiny goblins?"
Several daggers hung around her waist while a cold expression remained on her face.
"I was just unlucky," Suzan replied half-heartedly.
"Let’s keep moving."
The leader spoke calmly once more.
Mirelle.
That seemed to be her name.
Nobody argued with her.
Soon, we continued deeper into the dungeon.
The deeper we walked, the colder the air became.
My heartbeat slowly sped up.
Then—
PUCHI!
Something suddenly shot out from the wall.
Before anyone could react—
SCHKK!
A hidden dagger pierced directly into the stomach of the young prisoner beside me.
His eyes widened instantly.
"AAAGHHHH!!"
Blood splattered across the floor as he collapsed to his knees while clutching the dagger lodged inside his stomach.
SLASH!
The dual-sword user reacted immediately.
His blades flashed through the air and shattered a hidden clay jar nearby.
CRAAACK!
"Screech!!"
A goblin’s shriek echoed out from inside before suddenly stopping.
Dead silence followed.
The remaining prisoners and I stumbled backward in terror.
The young prisoner trembled violently on the ground.
"P-Please..."
"Save me..."
His voice sounded weak and desperate.
Blood slowly spread beneath his body.
Mirelle glanced at him briefly.
Then turned away without hesitation.
"Move to the front again."
Her cold voice sent chills through my spine.
My face turned pale.
But I still obeyed while trembling violently.
Because I understood something clearly now.
To them—
We aren’t people.
We are bait.
Behind us, the young man’s desperate cries echoed endlessly throughout the corridor.
"No... please..."
"Don’t leave me behind...!"
"I beg you...!"
His screams shook my entire body.
Each cry sounded more desperate than the last.
And yet—
Nobody looked back.
"Will I also die like that...?"
The thought appeared in my mind as cold fear slowly crept into my chest.
Soon, we arrived at a split pathway.
Two dark corridors stretched in opposite directions like the jaws of some giant beast.
Fortunately—
Nothing attacked us this time.
Everyone unconsciously released a sigh of relief.
"Haa..."
Even I felt some tension leave my body.
"The boss room is on the left."
Suzan suddenly spoke while her eyes emitted a faint glow for a brief second.
The strange light disappeared almost immediately.
"So we’ll go right."
"Okay."
Mirelle nodded calmly without questioning her.
Soon, we continued moving deeper into the dungeon.
After another five minutes of walking, we reached a narrow corridor.
The walls here looked far older than before.
Cracks covered the stones, while countless tiny holes lined both sides of the passage.
"This is a trap tunnel," Suzan warned seriously.
Without hesitation, she immediately raised her bow and fired several arrows forward.
WHOOSH!
Click-click!
The moment the arrows landed—
BAM!!
BANG!!
CRAAAASH!!
The entire corridor exploded into chaos.
Spears shot out from the walls.
Massive axes swung violently across the tunnel.
The floor suddenly collapsed in several places.
Dust and broken stone filled the air everywhere.
RUMBLE...!
I instinctively covered my head while staring in horror.
A few moments later, the dust slowly settled.
What remained made my scalp tingle.
Several destroyed stone tiles littered the ground.
Deep pits filled with countless sharp spears had opened beneath the corridor.
Some traps were still slowly moving.
CREEEAK...
"Gulp..."
I swallowed nervously.
Cold sweat trickled down my back after seeing the terrifying scene.
"Move."
Baldric’s cold voice echoed from behind us again.
Nobody dared to complain.
Carefully, we began stepping through the ruined trap tunnel.
Every single step felt terrifying.
CRRK...
Even the slightest sound made my heart tense.
The entire corridor became silent except for our breathing and footsteps.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
But after barely two minutes—
Click.
A soft mechanical sound echoed beneath us.
My eyes widened instantly.
The middle-aged prisoner walking ahead had accidentally stepped onto a stone tile.
The tile slowly sank downward.
His face immediately lost all color.
Fear filled his eyes.
"Save me pl—"
SWOOOOOSH!!
SCHKKKK!!
A gigantic axe suddenly swung across the corridor at terrifying speed.
For a split second—
Everything became silent.
Then—
SPLAAAT!!
Blood exploded across the walls.
The man’s body was cleaved cleanly into two halves.
His upper body crashed onto the ground while his lower half remained standing for a brief moment before collapsing.
THUD.
"Ugh...!"
The girl in front of me instantly dropped to her knees and vomited.
But nothing came out except bitter gastric fluid.
"Blegh...! Cough...!"
I nearly vomited as well.
My face turned deathly pale while my entire body trembled uncontrollably.
The smell of blood filled the corridor instantly.
Warm blood slowly spread across the stone floor.
Drip... Drip...
Trembling, I slowly looked back toward the armed group behind us.
But all I saw in their eyes was indifference.
Almost as if this scene is completely normal to them.
"Move."
That single cold word echoed throughout the corridor once more.
My fists clenched tightly.
But I still lowered my head.
Because I knew...
Refusing meant death.
I helped the trembling girl stand up carefully.
Her legs could barely support her anymore.
Her eyes had completely lost focus.
She looked broken.
Sighing weakly, I forced myself to continue walking forward.
And silently—
She followed behind me.
"HOWWWLLLLL!!"
A wolf’s howl suddenly echoed throughout the dungeon corridor.
The sound is distant... yet terrifyingly close at the same time.
Both the girl and I froze instantly.
Cold fear crawled up my spine.
We couldn’t see the wolves anywhere.
Only darkness surrounded us.
Then—
WHOOSH!!
Something suddenly shot past my face at terrifying speed.
THUD!
A wolf abruptly appeared right in front of me before collapsing lifelessly onto the floor.
Its skull has been pierced completely by an arrow.
Blood slowly spread beneath its body.
For a moment, my mind went blank.
"Y-YEAAHH—!"
Startled out of my senses, I jumped backward so hard that I nearly fell onto the ground.
"Idiot!"
"Watch your surroundings properly!"
Baldric roared furiously while charging forward.
CLANG!
He drew out his massive sword and swung it violently.
SLAAASH!!
The first wolf is cleaved cleanly into two halves midair.
Blood splattered across the corridor walls.
At the same time—
WHOOSH!
Suzan calmly released another arrow.
SCHKK!
The second wolf dropped dead instantly after the arrow pierced through its eye.
Another wolf suddenly leaped out from the darkness toward the group.
But before it could even land—
SHING!
A black dagger flashed through the air.
PUCHI!
Vespera’s dagger pierced directly through the wolf’s heart.
The creature let out a weak whimper before collapsing lifelessly.
Turning toward the right side, I saw Kaine moving through the battlefield almost effortlessly.
SLASH!
SHHK!
SCHKK!
His dual swords danced through the air with terrifying precision as the remaining wolves were slaughtered one after another.
Within seconds—
The corridor became silent again.
Only the smell of blood remained.
"Haa..."
A weak laugh escaped my mouth as relief flooded through me.
I survived.
Again.
For a brief moment, I felt genuinely relieved.
But when I turned toward the girl beside me, hoping to share that relief—
I froze.
Her eyes had widened completely.
Fear filled her pale face.
And she isn’t looking at the dead wolves.
She is staring directly behind me.
My heartbeat nearly stopped.
A cold chill ran through my entire body.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
I turned my head.
GRAAAAHHH!!
CHOMP!!
"AAAAAAARGHHHH!!"
A horrifying scream burst from my mouth as sharp fangs suddenly sank deep into my leg.
CRUNCH!
I could actually feel the wolf’s teeth piercing through flesh and muscle.
The pain is unbearable.
The girl stumbled backward in terror.
"N-No...!"
Using every bit of strength I had left, I desperately tried to throw the wolf away.
But instead—
BAM!!
My body slammed violently against the stone wall behind me.
Pain exploded through my back.
Then—
Click.
The moment that mechanical sound echoed beneath me...
Despair filled my heart.
My eyes widened instantly.
"No..."
GRRRRRKKKKK!!
The stone tiles beneath my feet suddenly split apart.
CRACK!
RUMBLE!
The floor opened like the jaws of a monster.
"NO! PLEASE—!!"
I desperately reached outward.
But there is nothing to grab.
The last thing I saw is the terrified expression on the girl’s face above me.
Then—
My body fell into complete darkness.
AAAAAAAHHH—!!
THUD!!
[Chapter End]