The entrance to the dungeon is a cave, round but marked by numerous irregularities.
The entrance is dark, especially when I step inside. I light a torch, but it proves useless, as soon a bright light approaches me.
After taking another step, torches fixed to the walls suddenly illuminate, revealing a stone arch bathed in a golden glow. Behind it, the entrance to the dungeon appears.
As the bandits said, it is indeed a labyrinthine dungeon.
[Ding! Congratulations on discovering your first dungeon! You earn 30 reputation points with the adventurer system!]
[You gain 100 adventurer points!]
[You gain 100 experience points for your class system!]
I cautiously advance, but at first, only rats appear. I easily eliminate them, but I remember that one of the bandits was killed by a massive horde of these creatures.
As soon as they become too numerous, I use my Explosive Sword skill on the group.
Soon, I discover normal slimes, but barely had I encountered them than they spit out a lot of water and acid slime!
I jump back and start running. At the same time, I launch my Ice Sword skill; the ice envelops my sword in a fine sculpted layer.
I launch small ice spikes at the slimes. Since they are grouped together, I hit several at once. But when only a few remain, they start to dodge. Once in contact, the normal slimes attack by projecting slimy tentacles.
I dodge them and counterattack with my two swords, causing them to explode and freeze at the same time.
But soon, the acid and water slimes come into play.
The acid slimes launch corrosive jets at mid-range, eroding my weapons and quickly reducing their durability.
As for the water slimes, their Water Slice attack is relatively easy to parry. Thanks to Ice Sword, I can freeze their attack and slice it in two.
On my side, Explosive Sword literally makes the water evaporate.
At first, everything seems simple, but the further I go, the more critical the situation becomes with the appearance of guard slimes of the three types.
Worse still, their stomachs are large enough to contain other slimes or even other guard slimes, creating an infernal cycle where new enemies continuously emerge.
The groups become too dangerous. I make a decision.
I retreat.
Yes, I leave the dungeon, but I will return.
After three incursions, I decide to take a break and stay in town before heading back.
In town, I visit a blacksmith to have my swords repaired.
In the meantime, I go to an alchemy shop and buy several potions: healing, mana, explosive, and poisonous.
Yes, explosive. Even though I can make things explode with my sword using Explosive Sword, having potions as a backup allows me to save my mana.
Once equipped, I return to the dungeon.
After several back and forth and many battles, I come across my first chest!
Excited, I open it… but it explodes in my face!
If my reflexes hadn't allowed me to jump back in time, I would have been killed on the spot!
It's a reminder.
A reminder that the dungeon master is treacherous, despite being new.
But I also know one thing: some chests contain precious stones.
The bandits got some, which means that in addition to the trapped chests, there are indeed treasure chests.
Soon, while exploring a new passage, I find another chest.
This time, I open it slowly, and fortunately, it contains no traps.
Inside, there are precious stones.
Excellent news! With these gains, I will be able to buy better armor and better weapons.
I have discovered five potential locations for the chests, hidden in dead ends. Whether they are trapped or filled with precious stones is entirely random.
How did I manage to open the trapped chests safely?
I bought a shield during one of my trips to town. Hiding behind it, I use a stick to open the chests from a distance.
I had to buy several, which cost me the equivalent of two precious stones among all those I sold!
I continue to progress through the dungeon, alternating between exploration and returns to town.
I found the main hall, but… there is neither core nor boss.
The absence of the boss can be understood: after all, this dungeon is brand new.
But the crystal…?
That's not normal!
The crystal is the heart of the dungeon. Without it, a dungeon cannot exist.
Where is it hidden?
I don't know. But one thing is for sure: the dungeon master is clever.
They say that many dungeons have developed because explorers decided to keep the crystal, although some have escaped their control...
Eventually, I give up on this search.
Destroying the crystal would have given me nice rewards, but for now, I prefer to continue my exploration.
As I move forward, I discover a new chest.
Prepared for anything, I open it cautiously.
[Congratulations, you obtain the weapon: Ice Katana.]
[Weapon: Ice Katana.]
[Level: 3]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Attack: 18-26]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Skill]: [Ice Enhancement]: Your ice skills gain +50% power.
My eyes light up.
I immediately replace my Shortsword with the Ice Katana.
Then, I leave the dungeon to head to the Adventurer's Guild.
The guild is a large building made of spiritual wood, a rare and durable material.
On the sides, bulletin boards filled with quests. At the far end, the reception.
I approach the counter.
"Hello, I would like to provide some information."
"Yes?"
"I discovered a new dungeon and explored it."
The receptionist's eyes widen, clearly surprised.
"Follow me, please."
I nodded and followed her.
We entered a small room with two green-blue sofas facing each other and a coffee table between them.
"Please take a seat; one of our dungeon employees will come to you."
I waited ten minutes. In the meantime, I was served tea with orange and vanilla flavors.
A woman entered the room, dressed in her blue and white uniform, leaning slightly forward.
"Hello, I am Kaede."
"Nice to meet you, Kaede. I am Alicia."
We sit across from each other.
"Alicia, tell me about this dungeon."
I tell her everything: the labyrinthine structure, the monsters, the trapped chests…
Then, I drop the most troubling piece of information.
"But the most surprising thing… is that I did not find the dungeon's crystal."
Their reaction is immediate.
The two women were stunned, shifting from shock to horror.
"We must inform the guild master!"
"I'll inform her; continue speaking with Miss Alicia."
I can understand their horror. Without the crystal, it is impossible to control the dungeon in any way.
After explaining everything, Kaede furrows her brow.
"The dungeon master is very intelligent. Although the dungeon is new, the trapped chests and the monsters' tactics are very well thought out..."
"I classify the dungeon as level F."
I nod, agreeing with her. It took me a long time to explore it alone, and above all, it was very dangerous. I almost died several times!
"Thank you for the information, Miss Alicia."
"You're welcome."
Once said, I leave. The system notifications flash, informing me of new rewards.
[Congratulations! You earned 200 reputation points for revealing information about a new dungeon!]
[Congratulations! You earned 300 adventurer points for revealing information about a new dungeon!]
[You gain 300 XP!]
[You gain 200 class points!]
Thanks to that, I have progressed well in my level 8, which I earned by exploring the dungeon.
I decided to purchase two skills: one through my adventurer system and the other through my class system.
[You spend 500 adventurer points.]
[Reputation Enhancement]: Allows you to gain 1% power based on your reputation. Beware, if your reputation decreases, the bonus also reduces.
[You spend 430 class points.]
[Lightning Body]: Envelopes you in lightning, increasing your speed by 100%. The effect disappears as soon as you stop.
Not bad! I am satisfied!
It's time to continue becoming stronger by completing quests, gaining reputation, killing monsters, and exploring the labyrinthine dungeon as well as other dungeons!