"Alright, peeps," Erin's voice rang out across the cave, light-hearted and careless too carefree for the situation at hand. "We've made it through Round One. Congrats to the lucky fifteen. But now… we're getting to the real reason we're here."
He turned toward the black maw of the tunnel ahead, the yawning mouth of the dungeon's second layer. The shadows beyond it seemed to breathe, alive with the unknown.
"No more warm-up acts. This is dungeon territory now. Traps, monsters, and maybe if we're lucky more ways to die creatively. I, for one, have no intention of sitting around waiting for the Shadow People to get bored and blow my head off."
He tapped the shadow mark that is on his right hand, the symbol of the cruel contract every hunter wore the kill-switch activated remotely if they failed to complete the mission.
"So…" Erin smirked and started walking. "I'll be going ahead. Try not to die, yeah?"
Without waiting for a reply, he strode into the darkness, his steps echoing faintly. Arrogant. Confident. Alone.
But not for long.
One by one, the other hunters followed, their footsteps hesitant, weapons drawn, eyes darting in every direction. Their silence spoke volumes none of them trusted Erin, but none wanted to stay behind either.
The cave beckoned them all.
---
Devin turned to Lolicia, who had finally risen to her feet. Though her leg had been mostly healed, her movements were still stiff, her breathing uneven. Yet her gaze was steady.
"You good to move?" Devin asked, his tone gentle.
Lolicia nodded, brushing dirt off her tattered pants. "Yeah… I think so. I'll keep up. I just… I don't want to slow anyone down."
Her voice faltered slightly, laced with guilt.
Devin gave a small, reassuring smile. "You're not a burden, Lolicia. You survived what most didn't. That already makes you stronger than you think."
She blinked, surprised by his words, and then nodded more firmly.
"Thanks," she murmured. "Let's go."
---
Together, they moved deeper into the cave, falling in line just behind Daelan, who walked with heavy, deliberate steps, his greatsword resting on one shoulder and his face set in a grim scowl.
Devin noticed the tension still clinging to Daelan's shoulders the aftershock of his earlier clash with Erin. That wound, though unseen, hadn't closed.
But now wasn't the time to pick at it.
They had entered the belly of the dungeon.
The light from the surface grew fainter behind them, swallowed by the cave's crooked walls and endless black veins. The air was colder here, damper. Every drop of water from the jagged ceiling sounded like a countdown. The walls pulsed faintly with bioluminescent moss, just enough to see by but not enough to feel safe.
The hunters pressed forward.
No one spoke.
Every sound felt louder every breath, every heartbeat, every scrape of a boot against stone.
They had survived the jungle…
But now they were in the dungeon proper.
And the true nightmare had only just begun.
The moment the last of the hunters crossed the threshold into the dungeon's second layer, the darkness that had swallowed them whole began to change.
It started subtly like the slow shimmer of starlight breaking through a cloudy night. Then, all at once, the walls of the cave came alive.
Colors.
Brilliant, otherworldly hues violet, emerald, azure, gold pulsed through the cavern like veins of living light. The jagged stone walls glowed with radiant energy, each breath of illumination revealing more of the natural wonder hidden beneath the gloom.
Gasps escaped from more than a few hunters.
The oppressive dread they had carried through the jungle was momentarily forgotten, replaced by awe. It was like stepping into a sacred sanctuary buried beneath the world untouched, surreal, and painfully beautiful.
"Are those… mana crystals?" one hunter whispered, eyes wide.
They were.
Dozens of them no, hundreds embedded into the cave walls like gemstones in a titan's crown. Some were small, no larger than a fingertip. Others jutted out in jagged formations taller than a man. And they weren't ordinary by any means.
These were high-tier.
The kind of mana crystals that could fund entire guilds… or fuel a small city's energy grid for a year.
A few hunters reached out, mesmerized, brushing their fingers along the crystalline structures. Even through gloves, they could feel it the pure, condensed mana thrumming inside like a heartbeat.
"Unreal…" someone muttered. "This place… it's a goldmine."
Daelan's eyes narrowed, caution pushing aside wonder. He raised a hand, signaling the others to gather. His voice, when it came, was calm but resolute.
"We need to move carefully," he said. "We're not here to mine mana crystals we're here to survive. That gate over there…"
He pointed toward the far end of the chamber.
Set deep into the wall was a massive arched gate ancient, weathered, and sealed tight. Strange runes pulsed along its edges, and the energy radiating from it was nothing short of ominous.
"That's likely where the dungeon boss resides," Daelan continued. "No one is to approach it. We're not ready to deal with whatever lies beyond that door. Our priority is reconnaissance. We split into small groups, cover more ground, and regroup at the entrance in an hour."
There were murmurs of agreement, though some looked longingly at the crystals, their greed thinly veiled.
"What about that Erin guy?" someone asked.
Daelan glanced around and frowned. Erin was nowhere to be seen.
"He already went ahead," another hunter replied. "Didn't say a word. Just walked off on his own."
Daelan exhaled sharply. "Let him do what he wants. He made his choice."
No one objected.
In truth, some were relieved not to have to deal with Erin's presence. His earlier comments still hung in the air like a bad smell.
One by one, the groups began to form and split off, some taking the left passage, others heading right or scaling narrow ledges to scout the upper tunnels. The glowing crystals offered enough visibility to navigate without artificial light but also reminded them that this place was no ordinary dungeon.
Devin turned to Lolicia. "You okay walking with us?"
She gave a quick nod, still limping slightly but moving with determination. "Yeah. I'm not sitting this one out."
Daelan motioned to them. "Stay close. And eyes open. If this dungeon looks this beautiful… the traps are probably just as deadly."
The three of them Daelan, Devin, and Lolicia headed into a central passage, the crystals casting multicolored shadows across their faces as they disappeared deeper into the dungeon's glowing heart.
Behind them, the entrance grew smaller.
Ahead of them, the unknown stretched endlessly.
...
Meanwhile, on the far end of the radiant cavern, far away from the cautious and organized teams of hunters, Erin walked alone.
His pace was unhurried, almost leisurely, as if he were out for an evening stroll rather than walking through one of the deadliest dungeons known to mankind. The glow of the mana crystals danced across his face, casting shifting light over the sly grin that never seemed to leave his lips.
Then he saw them.
Lining the walls in thick clusters were dozens of glimmering high-purity mana crystals so vibrant and potent that even a layman could feel the raw magical energy thrumming from them. These weren't just rare… they were priceless. The kind of treasures hunters dreamed of but rarely ever touched.
Erin's eyes widened, and his breath caught for a moment. Then his grin widened into something feral.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" he murmured, stepping forward like a starving man approaching a banquet.
He plucked one of the crystals from the wall. It slid free easily, humming with warmth in his palm. He turned it over thoughtfully.
"I wonder if the Shadow People would mind me borrowing a few of these…" he said aloud with a mocking chuckle.
But his eyes flicked quickly to the mark etched on the back of his hand the strange sigil every hunter bore since their forced contract with the Shadow People. The mark that served as both tracker… and bomb trigger.
He waited.
A minute passed. Then two.
Nothing happened.
The mark remained inert, the crystal pulsing gently in his hand.
Erin's grin turned victorious.
"I guess they don't mind," he said, before turning and grabbing another. And another. And another.
Like a man possessed, he moved with greedy delight, stuffing as many as he could into his satchel. Mana crystals of this purity could buy a fortress, a fleet of hovercraft, maybe even a private island. With enough of them, he could vanish from the system entirely, live like a king in the Outlands.
He barely noticed how deep he was wandering.
Then, ahead something else caught his eye.
Bodies.
Scattered across the tunnel floor like fallen statues, their armor gleaming faintly under the crystal light.
Erin slowed, stepping closer. The insignia carved onto one of the chestplates made his eyebrows rise in recognition.
"Peerless Guild…" he whispered.
He recognized them from a recent podcast the guild had sent an elite recon team into this very dungeon weeks ago, led by high-ranking B- and even rumored SSS-rankers. No one had heard from them since.
Until now.
Their corpses told the rest of the story.
"Guess the dungeon didn't like their attitude," Erin said, nudging a helmet with his foot.
Then his eyes landed on something even more valuable.
A space ring.
His heart skipped.
"Jackpot."
The ring shimmered faintly as he pried it from a dead man's hand. Space rings were rare and expensive magic-infused artifacts capable of storing physical items in a private dimensional pocket. Their capacity was limited by quality, but this one looked like high grade.
Erin slipped it onto his finger, and with a thought, began transferring his loot into the pocket dimension. Mana crystals. Spare weapons. Potions. Anything that looked remotely valuable.
All the while, his greed drowned out the creeping dread that coiled at the edge of his senses.
He barely heard it.
The footsteps.
Distant at first, then closer. Echoing through the crystalline halls. Others were coming.
Hunters.
He turned, annoyed. "Tch. Party crashers."
But before he could call out or hide the air shifted.
A low, bone-chilling groan rumbled from the enormous gate at the tunnel's end.
Without warning, it began to open.
The stone trembled beneath his feet. Dust rained from above. Ancient gears hidden within the rock groaned with unnatural life as the gate slowly parted, revealing an abyss darker than shadow itself.
From the void beyond came a presence an aura so monstrous, so thick with malice and hunger that it crushed the breath from Erin's lungs.
He staggered back.
And in the darkness… a smile emerged.
A wide, jagged grin formed of glistening white teeth too sharp to be human.
Erin's arrogance died in an instant.
Behind him, the arriving hunters stopped in their tracks.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Terror bound them in place.
It was the kind of fear that didn't come from instinct… but from something older. Something primordial.
The gate was open.
And whatever was behind it… was awake.