The group was excited as they stepped into their first real dungeon. The walls were made of damp stone, covered in strange moss that faintly glowed in the dark. The air was thick and cool, carrying an odd scent that none of them could quite place. Adrian and Lila could barely contain their excitement, rushing forward to take in their surroundings. "This is amazing!" Lila grinned, running her hand along the dungeon walls. "I've read about dungeons before, but actually being inside one is something else!"
Adrian nodded eagerly. "I know, right? The way dungeons form, the way monsters appear—it's all so fascinating!" Sera smiled softly, enjoying the enthusiasm of her friends. She wasn't as interested in the dungeon itself, but she was happy to experience this moment with everyone. Doran, on the other hand, looked bored. He leaned against a rock, picking his nose with a sigh. "I don't care about walls or whatever. When do we fight? This is a dungeon, right? Where are the monsters?" Drakar, the most alert among them, walked with a steady pace, his sharp eyes scanning every shadow, every corner. His dragon wings twitched slightly as he adjusted his stance. On his back, Fizzle sat comfortably, lazily nibbling on a cookie.
Despite the excitement, something felt… off. A strange smell filled the dungeon. It wasn't strong at first, but as they went deeper, it became harder to ignore. It clung to the air, thick and almost suffocating. After walking for what felt like an unusually long time, Drakar's expression grew tense. He glanced at Adrian, noticing the same serious look on his face. Adrian, usually the one to fill the silence with random dungeon facts, was uncharacteristically quiet. Lila frowned. "Adrian, why are you so serious all of a sudden? You were bouncing around just a while ago." Adrian furrowed his brows. "I don't get it." Lila tilted her head. "Don't get what?"
Adrian shook his head slightly, his mind racing. "We've been walking for a while, but we haven't encountered a single monster. That's not normal. Even in low-level dungeons, there should at least be weak creatures. But this place is… empty." Drakar crossed his arms. "Not only that, but the smell in the air… something about it feels wrong." Lila hesitated. Now that she thought about it, the silence of the dungeon was unsettling. Usually, even if there weren't any monsters attacking, there would be distant sounds—growls, movements, something. But here, there was nothing.
"Maybe the monsters are just hiding?" Lila suggested. "Or maybe they're scared of us?" Adrian shook his head. "That's not how dungeons work. Monsters are bound to the dungeon. They don't just run away. And even if they're scared, the question is—what are they scared of?" Lila bit her lip. "Maybe… maybe they're recovering? They do regenerate, right?" Adrian nodded. "Yes, as long as the dungeon core exists, monsters will keep coming back. But if the core were destroyed, this whole place would collapse. We'd be thrown out, and the dungeon would cease to exist. But that's not happening."
Drakar's voice was calm but firm. "We should leave. This isn't normal, and we don't have enough information to risk going further. Reporting this to the guild is the smartest choice." Lila didn't want to back down so easily, but she trusted her team. If Adrian and Drakar were this concerned, then something was definitely wrong. "Alright," she sighed. "Let's head back."
Just as they turned to leave, the ground beneath them trembled. A low rumbling filled the air. Before anyone could react, cracks spread beneath their feet. "Move!" Drakar shouted, but it was too late. The floor gave way. The group fell downward as chunks of stone and debris fell with them.
Sera reacted fast, summoning massive flowers from the ground below. Their soft petals cushioned their fall. Drakar flapped his wings, landing smoothly as he grabbed Fizzle to keep him from rolling off. The others hit the flowers gently, bouncing slightly before landing on solid ground. For a moment, everything was still. Drakar was the first to look up. His eyes widened in shock. "No way…"The ceiling above them was completely intact. There was no hole, no sign that they had just fallen through. It was as if the ground had never collapsed. Lila stared in disbelief. "What… what just happened?" Adrian slowly got to his feet, his face grim. The smell from earlier had become unbearable, thick and suffocating.
Lila coughed, waving a hand in front of her nose. "Ugh! What is this smell? It's even worse down here!" Adrian's voice was low and serious. "It's the smell of blood." Sera's face turned pale. Before she could stop herself, she bent over and vomited. Lila quickly moved to her side, rubbing her back, but her own stomach twisted in discomfort. Drakar's eyes scanned their surroundings. The space they had fallen into was darker than the rest of the dungeon. The walls were damp and stained. Something felt deeply wrong. Then, in the silence, they heard it. Soft, whisper-like noises. Then… movement. From the shadows, dozens of glowing eyes flickered to life. They were surrounded.