Dungeons and Monsters
Darkness…..
It is said that in the beginning there was light, but why would there be light without darkness?
So what really was in the beginning? Light or darkness?
Thinking of this philosophical question, the clown surveyed his new surroundings with his eyes darting from left to right trying to find any clues
"Hey, you alright? It seems like that hand dragged us into its gate"
"However, why does this gate seem a bit different from what the master described?"
Stoll scanning the room, the clown asked the mysterious man beside him, but like usual there was no response as he still maintained his expressionless persona even in such a situation
Fortunately, the clown had already expected it and continued to talk to him even though there was no reply
"By the way, don't you think the name mysterious man is a bit long?"
"Why don't we try coat man since you like wearing a coat, or brooding man since your always brooding?"
"Hahah I know! Why don't we use scowl man? Representing that permanent scowl on your face"
Laughing as his partner, the clown began to move after confirming their surroundings
Thanks to that giant hand that pulled them, they were unexpectedly transported into some sort of tunnel or sorts
With an arched stone ceiling and a few dim torches on the sides bring slight illumination to the dark surroundings
Although he doesn't know why both of them were dragged in, considering his master was still waiting for him the clown knew he could waste too much time here
Fortunately, It looked like there was only one way to go as behind them was a dead end, while the front only one large passageway remained in their front
Obviously exiting wasn't an option
However, just as the clown was about to continue to strive forward, a cold voice came into his ears
"Hunter, call me Hunter"
"That was the initial name the master gave me before I used the alias 'mysterious man' for the last mission'
"And while we're at it let's hurry up, I can't wait to see who dares kidnap us and waste the master's time!" said the mysterious man
Hearing this the clown didn't say anything, rather his mouth couldn't help but find itself upturned in a wide smile, one that seemed to reach the tips of his ears
Feeling the anger in the mysterious man, or rather Hunter's tone, the clown was happy as this was the side of him he liked
"Haha, Hunter? As expected of the master, even his name sense is superb!"
"Well then hunter, let's go and kick that giant's hands ass or palm or whatever!"
Laughing creepy, with him in the lead both of them steadily made their way down into the deeper part of the gate
Unfortunately just a few minutes after they left, a cold robotic voice sounded in the place where they just stood
[Warning! Warning!]
[Ddddd…Detecting Intruders in Dungeon!]
[Activating! Extermination protocol!]
[Activation Denied!]
[Activating Expulsion protocol!]
[Activation Denied!]
[Permission to explore the dungeon has been granted by the dungeon overseer!]
[Activating all traps and monsters!]
[Activation success!]
Finally, after a series of prompts, the voice finally disappeared once again leaving the surroundings in empty silence
......…..
On the other side, time soon passed and what seemed to be hours went by in a flash as both hunter and the clown kept making their way deeper into the dungeon
No monsters, no traps, no music nothing, just walking for hour after hour in complete silence as they tried to find a way out of the dungeon
Even the clown had unknowingly stopped making jokes at some point as even he couldn't help but feel depressed in this sort of environment
"Damn it, hunter! I think I'm going to do insane if something interesting doesn't happen soon!"
"Could it be that giant hand just brought us in here to mess with us?"
"If so, then it is definitely working because I'm about to lose it!"
Pulling his green hair, the clown could help but curse out angrily at the current situation
Could he be that he is going to spend days like this just walking about in silence?
Impossible! The clown felt he would go crazy if he spent another minute like this
And as for forcibly breaking through the dungeon? It's not like bite he had Hunter hadn't tried
Unfortunately, even their combined full attacks couldn't leave a dent in the walls much less breakthrough
Thinking of this, the clown sighed in resignation
"....."
Silence...
Watching his already insane college about to become more insane, Hunter looked forward with a frown on his face
In fact, he too had long become tired of this seemingly endless walk,
Had it not been for his mental fortitude, Hunter was sure that he would have been in a similar state
Thankfully he wasn't, rather at this moment what took most of his thoughts was that hand that drew them in
At first, what was his mind was just to find the person, beat him up, and report back to his master
However, as the journey went on Hunter realised something serious
No traps, no monsters, no nothing, not even a word from the culprit that dragged them in. just he and the clown walking through a seemingly endless tunnel
At first, Hunter didn't think much about it, but after observing the change in both his and the clown's mental state
He realised the problem, the aim of this was most likely to wear them down mentally before they faced him
Although Hunter wasn't sure why, he felt that this was the truth
*However if my guess is true, then the next thing would be for the mastermind to somehow find a way to physically drain us"
Mummring under his lips, Hunter felt like he had solved the crux of the matter
And sure enough, as soon as he said this, along with a transparent property panel, a cold voice resounded in both his and the clown's ears
[Welcome to the dungeon of the end!]
[The dungeon overseer has set a test for you]
[survive three waves of monsters and then he will grant you an audience]
[Time till the first wave: one minute]
[1:00]
Not waiting for either of them to react, a red time above them suddenly started counting down
Obviously, like entering the dungeon, they didn't have a choice.