16 The Dungeon

A few weeks after Unni helped stabilize my vampiric urges, she ordered me to "clear a dungeon or two – and don't come back until you're done" – is what she said, word per word.

I kicked up some dirt with my feet. What an unreasonable request! It's been roughly 25 years since the world changed but no one has managed to complete a dungeon capture yet!

Dungeons have stood the test of time and remain to be a mysterious presence here on Earth.

Father once told me that Dungeons are a good source of income for prana-users and the guild spends a lot of money into nurturing these warriors and supporters so that they could kill monsters and earn some money from their scavenged body parts.

When I was a young girl, my father had me tested which is how we found out what my traits were. I was classified as a warrior with a lot of potential and at the time, plenty of people were comparing me with an up and comer – Sir Arthur Almasy.

He was affectionally referred to as "The man who would be king" by the media and true to his potential, he did eventually reach the top of the world – only to suffer a tragedy and he, unfortunately, fell from grace.

Supporters, on the other hand, are well-protected by the guild and the Twelve Sword Families. They are not as strong as warriors but they were important because of their impactful traits.

Some supporters are able to craft prana equipment such as Unni's special gun while other supporters are able to heal other people with their abilities. The possibilities are endless but such people are classified as supporters and are generally exempt from taking part in active combat.

Dungeons are a different kind of beast, though, you know? They are filled to the brim with strong monsters and most of them are codenamed according to their physical attributes.

No one knows how monsters came to be but some of them do resemble mythological creatures and other fictional nonsense so people were quickly able to adapt to their presence on Earth.

I sat in place, doodling on the ground with my pointer finger. How am I going to clear such a place on my own?

Full Knight-rated squadrons struggled to make it past the first few floors and even if they do make it through, they would still have to regroup and retreat in order to get supplied. They would then attempt to retake the dungeon and the silly dance continues ad infinitum.

Clutching the handle of my sword, I furrowed my brows in displeasure. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE, UNNI!?"

Unni forced me to drink bottles upon bottles of prana wine while I usually attended to her in the bath so my overall traits leveled up a bunch but going through the dungeons alone is such a hard task, you know?!

"I'LL DEFINITELY DO IT SO YOU BETTER ACKNOWLEDGE ME UNNI!!!!"

After surprising a few unfortunate pedestrians and guild members who were lazing around the entrance, I stomped my feet in frustration and marched inside, UID at the ready.

The entrance of the dungeon was more organized than I thought. There were a bunch of pretty stalls set up around the make-shift reception area.

I do say reception area but it was pretty much just a mobile guild command center with a receptionist tending to the various sections behind their own counters.

I walked up to the counter that said "admissions" and scanned my UID. I glanced at the receptionist and gave her a light bow. "My first time in the dungeon. I'll be going in alone."

The receptionist raised an eyebrow at my statement but maintained a cool façade. "I see. I have noted your emergency contacts. Should we lose your signal inside the guild, a 24-hour hazard period will occur."

She aimed a scanner at my face and pulled the trigger twice. A laser started scanning my face while a small hint of prana entered my body. This seems to be the tracker they use to monitor our vitals.

The receptionist holstered her scanner and continued speaking, "After 24 hours have passed, the guild will declare you missing and after another 24 hours have passed, you will be declared missing-in-action."

She crossed her arms on her chest and looked at me with an appraising stare. "Should your guardian request for a distress mission, a knight-commander-rated squadron will be sent in to search for your last known location."

I listened to her attentively as she continued her spiel, "Do you understand?"

I nodded at her as she gave me a slight bow. "Very well. Stay safe."

Finished with the entry procedures, I dragged my feet to the entrance proper of the dungeon. It was a tad bit emptier compared to the reception area. There were a few parties resting on the sides.

As I casually scanned the people around me, I felt a piercing gaze directed toward me. It felt as if it was appraising me but it was somewhat gentle yet uncertain.

I turned my head and spotted a man who was dressed in a black suit. He was leaning against a wall and he was conveniently covered by a shadow but I could still feel his gaze.

Probably realizing his rude behavior, he slightly bowed his head in apology. I nodded back at him politely and watched as he searched his pocket.

After a short while, he grinned and took out a small stone. He passed it to me as he turned while waving his hand. I could hear him muttering as he walked away, "Crush it if you're in danger."

I thanked him in my heart and entered the dungeon.

This dungeon is considered a 'safe' dungeon and is used by low-ranked guild members for training purposes. The danger is still real and a handful of squadrons used this dungeon to slowly gather resources to trade in for money or gear.

In short, this was the perfect starting point for idiots like me. It has never been completely cleared in the past, though but unni asked me to so I have no choice.

"Fuck. Let's just go all out!"

I raised my spirits and walked deeper into the dungeon. Every dungeon was shaped differently but they all resembled labyrinths. As you got deeper and deeper inside a dungeon, the floors start to become bigger and the paths become more convoluted.

It was super easy to get lost inside these things but I had a good sense of direction, so I should be fine right?

I nodded to nobody in particular as I walked at a moderate pace.

I kept my hand on my sword and my senses on full alert. It would probably be very entertaining for 'that person' if I were to get taken out by a mob on the very first floor, yes?

I didn't have to wait for my first experience of 'real' combat as when I took my first turn, I immediately spotted it.

I recoiled in disgust, "What the fuck?!" 'It' was there, and 'it' was staring right at me!

I heard that there was a time when 'it' was a small household pest that made husbands and wives shout out in panic whenever 'it' appeared.

When the new order came to be, these household pests were now as big as Tibetan Mastiffs!

Noticing my presence, 'it' hissed at me. It had disgusting claw-like appendages as its wings fluttered menacingly behind its back.

'It' hissed at me and spat out corrosive saliva as it slowly crept up menacingly.

I readied my stance and patiently waited for 'it' to make its move – NOT!

I drew my sword and I shortened the distance in a flash.

[SLICE]

I bisected the creature from hell with a quick cut from my jikdo and while the creature's exoskeleton was tough, I was able to cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

'It' barely even made a noise as its body caught up to its death as it simply came apart from the head down to its bottom.

I heard a disconcerting sound as its innards fell out of its carcass and its blood and other liquids slowly spilled on the floor.

I deftly shook off the blood from my jikdo before placing it back in its scabbard. "Gross".

It was a successful first kill! I pumped my fist in the air. "NICE!"

I barely even looked back at the carcass of the giant cockroach. Despite having harvestable parts such as its acid sac and fragments of its exoskeleton, it was common knowledge to simply ignore these detestable creatures.

There was also no need to clean them up as the dungeon naturally swallowed up whatever was left at the end of the day so I walked past 'it' and continued to kill my way through the dungeon until I reached the first checkpoint – the entrance to the second floor.

I scanned my UID as I took a break on the side. I killed more than a few monsters on the way so my bag was pretty much filled by now. Each checkpoint had a receptacle where you could deposit the contents of your bag and the guild will keep it on hand or have it delivered to a secure locker outside of the dungeon.

Before I could deposit my items, I heard a party of three warriors who passed by me.

"Do you think she did all of that?"

"All those dead monsters from the entrance up to here." The second man hit the first man in the head. "She's the only one here. She has to be the who did it."

The third man laughed, "She's very strong then."

The first man nodded. "Yes but that means we can only start farming on the second floor." He hurried his pace as he greeted me with a polite nod. "Let's hunt while she's resting and let's have some soju after work."

All three of them chimed in, "YES!" as they hurried to the second floor.

Funny. I was in a life-or-death situation in their eyes but I simply passed by those monsters and occasionally stopped to pick up a few items every now and then.

In reality, however, the real life-or-death scenario for me is if I could even clear this dungeon on my own…otherwise, Unni…

I shuddered to even think about what kind of hellish training she'd put me through if I even failed this simple task.

I kept these problems at the back of my mind as I closed my eyes to take a half-hour break.

I smiled as I relished in my victory.

The Dungeon - End