Vol.01: Ch.23: Chambers of the Forsaken Draathil - The First Floor
Darell, Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel stood before the grand entrance of the dunge
It's name was boldly displayed in vibrant hues giving the impression of an opulent palace to the ignorant.
However, those well-versed in its history knew better than to be deceived by its façade.
Guarding the entrance was a colossal metal door, measuring an impressive 5 meters in width and towering 10 meters in height.
Intricately engraved upon its surface was a captivating depiction—a creepy demonic idol with piercing ruby eyes, perched upon a raised platform within an alcove.
Darell looked at his friends and asked, "Ready?"
Seeing them nod, he turned back to the metal door and said, "Let's go!"
All of them exerted their strength and tried to open the metal door.
When it opened, a fleeting glimmer illuminated the idol's ruby eyes, as if acknowledging their presence, before vanishing.
As soon as they stepped through the door, they felt their surroundings shifting.
In the blink of an eye, they found themselves transported to the first floor of the dungeon.
They looked around and felt that it was completely different from the harrowing the Abyss Of The Scorched Ravens they had previously fought into.
Beneath their feet was a vibrant carpet of lush grass that stretched out in every direction.
It was swaying gracefully in sync with the direction in which the wind was blowing.
There were towering trees that had different kinds of fruits on each branch.
These trees, too, swayed as they cast huge shadows on the ground.
This peaceful and beautiful environment was different from the desolation and fiery hues of the abyss.
When they looked upward, they were mesmerized.
Because the sky glowed with an otherworldly radiance.
It was a pure white expanse that stretched endlessly.
This was different from the blood-red sky in the Abyss Of The Scorched Ravens.
They were mesmerized by their surroundings.
However, they quickly shook their heads and broke out of their trance.
They shared a knowing look since they knew the truth of the dungeon.
The beautiful and mesmerizing environment around them was nothing but fake.
It hid the dark secrets and the horrifying past of the dungeon.
Long ago, a murderous Elder Dark Elf had constructed the dungeon.
He had made it his death trap.
Countless people had attempted to conquer it but, they couldn't.
Because every time they killed a beast, hundreds of undead would appear to fight them.
No matter how many times they killed the undead, the dungeon would resurrect them to fight the people again.
But, despite the dangers, it's allure was irresistible for the brave and the foolhardy alike.
Whoever cleared a floor was given exciting rewards.
This was an incentive for the adventurers who were driven by the lure of riches.
The Chambers Of The Forsaken Draathil was located in the southernmost part of the kingdom.
The dungeon was enveloped by a sprawling forest.
This forest was teeming with numerous types of beasts.
Among these beasts, existed a Draathil.
This, Draathil, was a being of Light ability.
It always lived in complete harmony with the other beasts.
It ate only plants, seeds, or fruits.
Light ability beasts were known to typically blind intruders before quickly retreating or avoiding direct conflict.
But, something, changed... one day.
The Draathil's behavior changed.
It wasn't a peaceful beast anymore.
It, suddenly, grew mad and attacked any beast it laid it's eyes upon.
It, also, mercilessly ate the flesh of the beasts it killed.
But, it wasn't satisfied.
So, it turned it's attention to the nearby towns.
It brutally murdered every single person in the towns.
It didn't matter whether it was a male or a female, young or old.
It left a trail of death and destruction.
The King, of that time, and his most trusted allies hunted the unhinged Draathil since they wanted to protect the people.
They chased it through the dense forest until...
By a twist of fate, the Draathil entered the dungeon it had stumbled upon and sought refuge in it.
The King and his allies, overconfidently, believed that it would die in the dungeon.
So, they left, thinking that the problem was solved.
But, years passed and the Draathil, somehow, became the master of the dungeon.
It's Light mana intertwined with the Darkness mana of the dungeon and it was transformed into it's domain.
But, the Draathil also suffered a loss.
It was trapped inside the dungeon.
It couldn't get out.
Since it intertwined it's own mana with the dungeon, it became a part of the dungeon.
But, the Draathil found a way to continue it's murderous ways.
It sent it's minions and lured unsuspecting adventurers into the dungeon where it would feast upon them.
The dungeon was formerly, a rank 08 dungeon.
But, due to the Draathil, it was reduced to rank 06 since it was a rank 06 Light ability beast.
It had a total of twenty floors and on the last floor laid the greatest threat - the Draathil itself.
Darell and his friends saw a group of twenty Light Goblins around a huge tree.
They were trying to cut it down.
Suddenly, one of them, turned and stared at Darell.
It shouted what seemed to be a war cry and the rest of the goblins abandoned their task and charged towards Darell and his friends.
Darell, quickly, drew his new sword which he obtained from the weapons hall.
The previous one was broken apart during his fight with the Scorched Raven General.
Suddenly, he heard a notification chime in his mind, jolting his focus.
[ Quest- Defeat the Goblins ]
[ Reward - 50 XP ]
A smile formed on his face when he read the notification.
Seeing that it was a quest, he was even more determined.
He closed the notification and glanced at the goblins charging toward his group.
Goblins typically bore the unmistakable dark green skin.
However, the Light Goblins standing before Darell and his friends were a twisted creation of the Draathil.
They were different.
Their once-vibrant complexions were now as pure and pale as freshly fallen snow.
They had vacant white-yellow eyes which indicated their hollow nature.
As rank 02 beasts, these Light Goblins were a rare sight indeed, existing solely through the creation of a wielder of Light ability.
As the first goblin arrived at Darell, he cleanly cleaved through it.
* SPLURT *
The goblin's head flew off it's body whereas the rest of it's body fell on the ground around a pool of yellowish blood.
Darell spun his sword around his hand and sliced off two more Light Goblins.
He used the combat technique [Earth-Shattering Slash] and cleaved through them ruthlessly.
Lilith activated her skill.
"Ice Chains!"
In an instant, chains made of ice materialized out from the ground and shot toward the goblins.
The chains trapped the goblins and didn't budge no matter how much they tried to get out of it.
Lilith drew her sword and severed the heads of the trapped goblins.
* SPLURT *
* SPLURT *
A shower of yellowish blood rained down on the ground.
Eric didn't want to use his skills for beasts as lowly as goblins.
He had honed himself in against the beasts of the forbidding Forbidden Forest and his basic attributes rivaled those of a rank 04 beast.
He knew he could use his physical superiority over that of mere rank 02 goblins and smash them into smithereens.
And, that's exactly what he did.
He simply punched the goblins and like a balloon, their bodies blew apart.
Ariel, on the other hand, had a disgusted expression on her face.
She noticed a hand coming toward her and quickly dodged it.
She covered her mouth with her hand and controlled herself from throwing up.
When she did so, she spat on the ground while thinking, 'Disgusting! Fucking disgusting! I hate goblins! Why did it have to be goblins?! Ugh..'
She took a step back and activated her skill.
"Death's Scream!"
A sonic blast came out from her mouth and shot toward the goblins.
* BOOM *
* BOOM *
* SPLURT *
* SPLAT *
Their heads burst apart as brains and flesh flew everywhere.
Ariel closed her mouth and quickly jumped back.
She thought, 'I won't have their disgusting blood on me! Not a chance!'
Meanwhile, Emma observed the battle calmly with her arms crossed.
As a wielder of Light ability, she could sense the mana in the dungeon.
She felt her own mana being compressed and augmented under the pressure of the Draathil.
This meant that she was improving without doing anything.
She also, realized that not every battle required everybody to participate in.
She stood and watched as her friends killed the goblins.
When the final goblin was killed by Darell, he received a notification from the system.
[ Quest - Defeat the Goblins - COMPLETED!! ]
[ Reward - 50 XP ]
Darell smiled and closed the notification.
He looked at the rest of the group who had finished killing the rest of the goblins.
After killing every goblin, they looked around for a portal.
But, they couldn't find it around them.
Eric scratched the back of his head and said, "Umm.. guys? I can't find the portal."
"That's because I think we have to search the whole floor for it.", Ariel replied.
Darell exclaimed, "The whole floor?!"
"We have no other choice, brother.", Lilith patted him on the back with a sympathetic expression on her face.
Emma asked him, "What are you sad about?"
She looked around and said, "At least we would have to look for it in such a beautiful environment."
Darell nodded and said, "Let's go!"
So, they wandered around the floor and took in the breathtaking scenery.
A few minutes later, they found themselves in front of a mesmerizing crystal-clear lake.
They happily ran toward it and took off their armor and weapons and jumped into it.
* SPLASH *
* SPLASH *
* SPLASH *
They played in the lake for a few minutes and cleaned their clothes, weapons, and armor off of blood and body parts.
Also, they bathed in it and the soothing water revitalized their bodies.
As the sun gradually painted the sky with hues of golden twilight, they resumed their journey to find the portal.
A few minutes later they saw an emerald-hued portal materialize ahead.
They nodded at each other and entered the portal.
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