Nightfang Stronghold (Part 1)

After the guards had inspected Morgana's red card with bewildered expressions, she asked how many other parties were inside. To her surprise, the guards said that nobody had been inside the dungeon for five years and that their duty was to guard the entrance in case monsters tried to surface.

In the world of Aegis, if dungeons stayed unchallenged for too long, they would start to spawn monsters at an increased rate until they overflowed, which would endanger any settlement or cities around said dungeon.

The Nightfang Stronghold hadn't been challenged by anyone for half a decade, meaning the number of monsters inside would be greater than usual. Morgana gave them a perverse smile and thanked the guards for the information before walking in with her party behind her.

The dungeon's hallway was dark and humid, with only a small light mote that hung on top of Morgana's head to light their way into the first room.

As they exited the hallway, the party found themselves in a large, expansive circular platform surrounded by water. However, before they stepped inside, Morgana asked the party to halt for a moment.

She wanted to know all of the skills that the party could do, but the Appraisal skill wasn't detailed enough to give someone that much information. On the other hand, Morgana knew a skill called "High Appraisal," which only worked if she made contact with her target.

She started with Angie and held her hand. "High Appraisal," she muttered, opening a virtual-like interface in front of her that was not visible to the rest.

Under the skills tab, Morgana noticed that Angie only knew how to cast "Fireball," which wasn't terrible, but she expected them to have a broader range of abilities.

She continued with Kaede, seeing that she also had only one skill under her tab called "Slice," which made her next blade swing sharper and stronger than her usual attacks.

Next was Ray, the boy tasked with protecting the party at all costs and only had one skill called "Endure," which simply allowed him to endure more pain.

And last but not least was Conrad, the boy that was meant to be the healer but only had one skill called "Push," which produced a strong current that could push away weak enemies.

Morgana asked Conrad how many times he had healed someone using the staff, but he answered by saying that he had never actually healed anyone, even though that was supposed to be his role.

"I thought once I leveled up more, I would learn more healing skills…" he said, but Morgana reminded him that the best skills didn't come from leveling up but from monsters and dungeons.

However, there was a peculiarity with the staff that she had bought Conrad.

Morgana quickly remembered the times she was leveling up as a healer, back when Aegis felt like a game to her.

She had been given the "Rookie Healing Staff" by an NPC in the starter zone, a staff that allowed the user to use the skill "Lesser Heal" without spending mana.

The staff was meant to be used during the tutorial and then discarded. After casting Lesser Heal with it ten times, the user would learn the skill and be able to do it without the weapon.

However, Conrad hadn't healed anyone with it, meaning that he didn't know he could learn the skill that way.

'Is this not a well-known thing anymore?' she pondered as her thoughts trailed back to reality and explained to Conrad how his staff truly worked.

"B-but that would mean that my friends need to get hurt for me to learn this skill…" said the teenager, looking down in frustration.

Morgana gave Conrad a serene smile and patted his head. "You really are good kids…" she said before pulling out a hunting knife from her item box. With a swift motion, she cut her palm, allowing a stream of blood to flow out.

"Now heal it, Conrad!" she commanded. The boy pointed his staff at Morgana and chanted, "Lesser Heal!" with all his might, covering her hand with a green hue of light that slowly closed the wound.

Conrad closed his eyes briefly and let out a relieved sigh before hearing the sound of the knife slashing flesh.

"Again!" commanded Morgana, her hand showing a new bloody cut.

"Lesser Heal!" yelled Conrad nervously once again with all his might, followed by Morgana slashing her hand once more.

After the 10th time that Conrad healed Morgana, he heard a woman's voice in his head telling him that he had now learned the skill "Lesser Heal," which surprised him.

Now that she had a rough idea of the teenagers' abilities, Morgana decided to prepare herself as well. She opened her Admin interface and selected the tab labeled "Set 3", triggering a transformation of her attire into what she referred to as her "warrior set."

Her corset and black leather jacket were replaced with a black leather crop top, revealing her toned midriff, while a sizeable dark shoulder pad adorned her right side.

Her ornate pants were replaced with fully armored black-clad leggings and sturdy boots that perfectly matched the ensemble. Completing the look, she equipped herself with armored gauntlets that gave the appearance of sharp, claw-like extensions on her hands.

The teenagers stared at Morgana with growing anticipation as she opened her item box, eager to see what weapon she would choose. She knew that she couldn't rely on her main weapon this time, so she scrolled through her extensive collection, searching for an alternative.

After a few moments, Morgana's eyes settled on a massive two-handed axe. Its dark-grey color and intricate skull patterns at the head gave it a foreboding appearance. She gripped the weapon and waved it through the air, testing its weight and balance.

"Now, listen carefully," Morgana spoke with authority, commanding their attention. "Do not move unless I give you the signal. Understand?"

The teenagers responded with resolute nods, their bodies tensed and ready as if they were a disciplined unit of soldiers awaiting their commander's orders.

She took a few steps towards the center of the room, and just as she stepped over an invisible line on the ground, the room's exit was sealed shut, and water began to pour out from small openings in the walls, cascading down into the surrounding pond.

The teenagers became wary as they raised their weapons and tightened their grips, their eyes fixed on Morgana, who confidently slung her massive axe over her shoulder, anticipation gleaming in her eyes.

The room came alive as the doors lining the platform swung open. Seconds later, packs of gnolls began to flood the platform as they rushed through the open doors straight toward Morgana, who stood in the center of the room with calm and composure.

Gnolls were monsters with humanoid bodies mixed with hyenas. A thick layer of hair covered their entire bodies, and their animal faces showed no emotions other than bloodlust. They could not speak, and their intelligence was enough to let them know when to eat and sleep.

"You see, kids…" yelled Morgana, changing her stance into one more fitting for battle.

"This dungeon works with monster waves!" she continued as she hacked her axe to the side with incredible speed and force, cleaving in half the first four gnolls that got in range of her weapon and sending a shockwave that pushed the ones behind them.