100 Dungeons Raided

Athan teleported a few steps back outside of the demon's reach. The small black creature gnashed its teeth and swiped its claws at him. This low-level demon was no problem to deal with. The poor creatures only served as fillers in these small dungeons. Athan quickly pulled a talisman out of his hoodie pocket teleported behind the demon and stuck the paper onto its back. Within seconds the creature wailed as it turned into ash.

{1Low-level demon killed! Points acquired: 10}

{Current point total: 12,352}

Athan looked down the ominous hall in front of him. He couldn't see far down it, but he could hear the sounds of monsters wailing and screaming. That was definitely the direction he needed to head to. All those screams and wailing were probably flukes. In low-level dungeons like this, there wasn't anything too dangerous. Just a few demons and goblins. An inexperienced contestant would have a hard time fighting them, but any contestant with knowledge of runes or possession of a magic weapon could take them down in seconds.

These dungeons also didn't have any crazy loot in them. Athan found that this was the easiest way to obtain a health pack, so he raided these dungeons all the time leaving the money and magic items to the lower-level contestant who needed them.

It had been one year since the world ended. Well, it hadn't really ended. Eris had taken everyone they considered worthy to heaven with them and left everyone else on Earth to earn their spot. The god created monsters, and dungeons making everyone's lives a bit more interesting. Or troublesome in Athan's case. It was just his luck that god decided humanity was too boring while he was alive. He didn't want to deal with it, but in order to find out the ending to Zerokey he'd have to make it to heaven.

Eris was quite generous though. They let every human left on Earth choose one power to have that would help them with their now extremely dangerous lives. Athan chose the ability to teleport. He couldn't teleport too far, but it proved to come in handy multiple times when he was defeating monsters. Eris also left quite a bit of magical items and weapons for them. Athan's favorite item was his infinity hoodie pocket. He could put anything in it and it would fit and never run out of space. Even if this all was for the entertainment of Eris and the worthy ones in heaven at least Eris wasn't downright sadistic. Except the internet really had been destroyed.

Athan walked further down the dungeon hall with a quick stride. Snarls and scarping against the stone floors filled his ears, yet he didn't slow down. It was going to be a Cinderserpent. Weak creatures that could only thrive in the dark.  Seconds later, sure enough, the Cinderserpent came slithering down the hall hissing and scraping the ground as it went. Its gray armored body looked like rocks sliding together in formation. The only signs that it was a creature were its glowing green eyes and gaping maw showing off needles for teeth. Athan reached into his hoodie pocket and grabbed his Bloodvenom daggers. In one swift motion, he chopped the Cinderserpent's head off.

{Cinderserpent killed! Points acquired: 10}

{Current point total: 12,362}

{Bloodvenom daggers HP: +5}

Athan put his daggers away. Another good reason for him going into these low-level dungeons was that he could easily strengthen his Bloodvenom daggers. He had gotten them raiding another higher-tier dungeon. They weren't all that special, but with every attack, it did the HP went up. In this environment, he always needed a weapon, and having the weapon disappear mid-battle wasn't very convenient. It was also easier than having to collect charms and upgrades for the weapons. He didn't have to know the exact class or type of weapon he had anymore. If it made Athan's life easier he was going to take it.

Athan put his hand on the wall dragging it against the rough stone. He had to be at the center of the dungeon by now. The Dungeon Boss always hid in secret rooms and that was where the best dungeon loot was as well. He felt a hitch in the wall.

Here it was.

He pushed his hand into the wall and pushed the button. The stone walls started shaking and shifting a part opening up a hidden area. Torches circled around the room walls lighting up the dungeon. In the center, a pile of boulders sat unmoved. No, not boulders. It was a giant Cinderserpent.

That wasn't that interesting for a Dungeon Boss. They couldn't even use magic. Fortunately, this would be a quick fight. He once again pulled out his Bloddvenom daggers ready to be over with the dungeon.

Athan approached the Cinderserpent and tapped it with his Bloodvenom daggers.

Nothing.

He tapped it again but with the same results. Athan sighed deeply. He put the daggers away and pulled out his Dreamkiss wand. He didn't like using this dumb wand. It usually meant things were becoming difficult for him.

Athan tapped the wand against his leg a few times before it started to hum and glow with an orange light. He took a few steps back aimed the wand at the Cinderserpent and fired a bright blast of magical energy at it. 

The giant serpent hissed and started moving, the boulders shaking the room. The Cinderserpent opened its mouth and putrid warm breath filled Athan's nose. He furrowed his eyebrows and covered his nose. The Cinderserpent let out a great screech that left Athan's ears ringing for a second.

The monster focused its glowing eyes on Athan and immediately made a beeline for him.

Athan quickly teleported behind the Cinderserpent out of its field of vision. He lifted his wand again and fired another shot which broke off the Cinderserpent's tail. The Cinderserpent screeched out in pain ramming itself into a wall.

Athan sighed again. This stupid thing couldn't just die after one shot?

The Cinderserpent writhed about in pain slamming against the dungeon walls. Stone crumbled from the roof dropping in large chunks. From the void above low-level demons fell onto the ground. 

The demons looked at Athan and charged at him quickly howling loudly. Athan pulled a talisman out of his pocket teleported behind the first demon and slapped it on its head. The second demon slashed its arm out at him narrowly missing Athan as he quickly stepped out of its reach. The demon charged forward, but Athan stopped it in its tracks with a talisman to the forehead.

{Low-level demon killed! Points acquired: 10}

{Low-level demon killed! Points acquired: 10}

{Current point total: 12,382}

The Cinderserpent swung what was left of its tail at Athan and he quickly teleported to safety. He raised his wand again aiming for the head this time and shot a magic blast. 

The Cinderserpent's head exploded into tiny pebbles. Athan teleported over to finish off the last demon swiftly before more showed up.

{Low-level demon killed! Points acquired: 10}

{Dungeon Boss Cinderserpent killed! Points acquired: 15}

...

{Current point total: 12,407}

Low-level dungeons seriously sucked. Defeating a boss was no different than defeating the weak creatures that filled its halls.

{Low-level dungeon cleared! Mission complete! Points acquired: 20}

{Current point total: 12,427}

{Congratulations! You've successfully raided 100 dungeons!}

{Special reward: 100 points}

(Current point total: 12,527}

{Special reward: Dungeon chest}

A small chest appeared at Athan's feet and he kneeled down to open it up. He picked the first item up. It was a small purple rock with runes engraved into it. Probably something useless.

{Power stone: Use this stone to upgrade normal-type magic swords!}

Useless.

He dropped it and picked up another item. This time it was a pair of black daggers with golden hilts.

{Soul-Reaper daggers: Attack with these daggers once and it will take the HP from the victim! Curse-type. HP: 50}

These could actually be useful. He already had a pair of daggers, but it couldn't hurt to have another. Athan put the daggers inside of his hoodie pocket. He reached back into the chest. A health pack would be nice.

He pulled out another rock.

{Fire stone: Use this stone to upgrade fire-type magic items!}

Athan threw the stone back into the chest. He never used swords or fire-type weapons. His Bloodvenom daggers were dark-type and you couldn't find upgrades for them in a low-level dungeon. He rummaged through the chest some more before finding what he was looking for. 

Athan pulled out a small green capsule.

{Health pack: Consume with water and all major and minor wounds will be healed in three hours!}

The health pack wasn't really a health pack. It was more like a pill. It was overpowered as hell, but essential for survival in this world. Even though Eris had left them in a death trap they didn't like it when humans died. In fact, one of the rules stated that they were strictly prohibited from killing one another or they'd face extremely harsh consequences.

Athan closed the chest satisfied with his finds. He brushed himself off and made his way to the exit of the dungeon.

It was nighttime when he left the dungeon. He entered at sundown, but he still didn't expect it to take so long to complete the dungeon. A forest of trees stood before him the roots growing through the pavement. This area had once been a parking lot for a shopping mall, but it was destroyed and without humans to keep the trees in check they grew how they wanted. Magic supported their rapid growth as well. Contestants used any open field of space to practice their abilities and test their magic weapons.

It was honestly quite surprising how quickly society collapsed after the apocalypse started. Athan realized he had a lot more faith in humanity than he thought he did. Once the demons and monsters showed up cities and neighborhoods were completely destroyed. He was hoping he could ride out the apocalypse without having to do anything crazy, but then Eris wiped out the internet. 

That's when he knew he really had to make it to heaven. There was no other way to find out what happened next in Zerokey.

What should he do next? He needed 10,000,000 points if he wanted to make it to heaven and he was nowhere near that. The best way to earn points was to join events, but at a mere rank 376, he wasn't invited to them often. He could do quests, but it was hard to find available quests when he wasn't a part of a guild.

Athan sighed and closed his eyes. This world was quite frustrating. He hated that.

Athan opened his eyes and in front of him stood an angel. The angel wore a white rose crown that covered its eyes. Four pure white wings protruded from its back, each one taller than Athan himself. The angel wore a white robe and held a tablet in its hand.

"Contestant Frost," It said. "Congratulations on raising a total of 100 dungeons. Your hard work is admirable!"

The angels were moderators of the new game world. They oversaw events, kept the progress of contestants' journeys, and made sure everyone followed the rules. The first time Athan had saw one was when the game started. The angel had asked him what his game name would be. Athan wasn't really one for dramatics so he just used his last name. He hadn't really seen angels that often, but he remained unfazed as the creature talked to him.

"You have now become eligible for an event! The Master of Dungeons! Whoever reaches the center of the dungeon and defeats the boss first will win and receive 100,000 points. Would you like to join?"

100,000 points? Is this what he was missing out on with these events?

"I'll join."

He would be crazy not to.

"Excellent!" the Angel said. "In three days' time take this Firestorm Beacon to Killonmon Grove where the match will be held!"

{You've received a gift! Would you like to accept?}

"Yes."

{You've received: Firestorm Beacon!}

The beacon materialized in the air in front of him. It looked like a lantern with a raging fire inside of the glass.

{Firestorm Beacon: A magic item that lets you travel to a preset location! Use it wisely as you only have one chance to use it!}

Athan grabbed the beacon out of the air. This was a rare item. Getting his hands on one was almost exciting.

"We look forward to having you at this event contestant Frost! Be sure to make it on time and have fun!"

The angel disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.

Have fun? Well that was a word for it...