Chapter 75: The Dungeon

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: The Dungeon

[Name: Derrick Storm

Age: 16 (25)

Race: Human

Cultivation Base: Physical Strengthening Stage. Middle Level.

Requirements For Next Breakthrough: 57/400 PEDs]

[Does The New Panel Appease You?]

That night, lying in his bed, Derrick told the system to create a way to keep up with the number of pills he had consumed till now and it instantly added the line in the panel.

He could recall the number with his memory but it was too much work to do every time.

Satisfied with the updated status interface, Derrick dismissed the system panel with a mental thought.

The slight tension in his muscles reminded him of the grueling workout he had just put his body through, but excitement kept his mind sharp.

Rising from his bed, a practical question popped into his mind, prompting him to speak quietly into the empty room.

"System," Derrick murmured, "is there any time dilation between the dungeon and the real world?"

Ding.

[System Response: The dungeon exists within a static spacetime crack where the concept of time does not flow.

Time spent inside the dungeon does not affect the outside world.]

A faint smirk touched Derrick’s lips.

That meant he could grind as much as he needed, train until his muscles screamed, and fight for his life without worrying about losing precious hours or falling behind on sleep in reality.

He would probably not do that last one...

But, It was the ultimate cheat code for acceleration.

He quietly stepped out of his room, glancing over at Cassie peacefully sleeping on her bed, her chest rising and falling in slow, steady rhythms.

Careful not to make a sound, he padded down the hall and made his way straight into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Standing before the mirror, Derrick took his time to gather his thoughts. He remembered the key he had acquired for this very purpose.

"System, do I just need to install the key in the hole?" Derrick asked.

Ding.

[System Response: Affirmative. Insert the key into any locked boundary within a confined space to establish a permanent threshold.]

And he did just that.

Derrick turned to the closed door of the bathroom and took out the strange, rune-etched key from the system and placed it inside the keyhole.

He took a breath and twisted the key...

Clink.

He saw light flashing from the gaps of the door.

Curious, Derrick reached out for the door knob.

Whoosh!

He twisted it fully, felt a sharp snap of ambient energy ripple through the air, and then grasped the handle to open the bathroom door once more.

The moment the door swung open, everything around him changed.

Derrick was no longer standing in his bathroom but instead he was standing in the middle of a forest with tall trees that had red blue leaves.

It carried the heavy, pungent scent of damp earth, decaying leaves.

Derrick blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim, filtered light.

He looked around but there was no living beings as far as he could see.

But he did see something else.

Looming just a few yards ahead of him was the gaping, pitch-black entrance of a massive, horrifying cave.

It was not only the shape of the natural cave.

Even from a distance, a primal chill crawled up his spine, and his survival instincts screamed at him to stay away.

He could feel the dangerous creatures moving in the depths of cave.

Before he could even take a step back to evaluate his surroundings, a glowing blue system screen flashed aggressively across his field of vision.

[Dungeon Mission Triggered]

Objective: Kill 100 Monsters to unlock the exit.

Reward: 1–4 Physical Enhancement Drugs (PEDs) for every monster killed. A random loot box. Fragment of Tier 1 Alchemy Knowledge.

Penalty for Failure: Permanent Death.

Derrick let out a long, heavy sigh, his breath pluming into white mist in the freezing air.

"No backing out now," he muttered, accepting the task with a mental tap.

The mission description made it painfully clear: progress was the only way forward.

As much as he wanted to scream and get out of this dangerous place, Derrick knew it was pointless.

He came here out of his own volition and he knew the risks.

Now it’s time to man and face the consequences.

Not to mention, the reward.

With each kill, he would granted up to four PEDs, finishing this trial meant there would be a chance for him to shatter past his current bottlenecks and skyrocket his cultivation base.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out the pouch of throwing knives he had purchased earlier, securely fastening it to his normal belt.

I hope it does not fall during the fight. It would be a pain to collect it all.

The leather pouch was sturdy, designed for quick access during high-stress scenarios.

Inside rested ten precisely balanced steel knives, their edges gleaming faintly in the pale forest light.

Derrick unbuckled the pouch flap and pulled out four of the blades.

With swift fingers honed by hours of physical conditioning, he maneuvered them carefully, interlocking their pommels and guards to form a makeshift, sturdy short blade.

Woosh!

No matter how hard he jerked the blade, it did not come apart.

Satisfied with the improvised weapon’s balance, he slipped the newly assembled short blade back into his inventory for quick drawing, leaving the remaining six throwing knives easily accessible in the hip pouch.

Derrick did not need to practice before going inside.

Because of his Deadly Sniper Skill, Derrick was able to aim perfectly and use any long distance weapon like he had been using it for decades.

Taking one deep, stabilizing breath to steady his racing pulse and calm the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Derrick gripped a single throwing knife in his right hand.

Crunch!

He stepped past the protective perimeter of the trees, crunched the moss-covered twigs under his boots, and walked straight into the dark jaws of the cave.

As the cavern walls closed in around him, swallowing the pale ambient light of the forest, the temperature dropped even further.

Tap!

The silence inside was absolute, except for the soft crunch of his own footsteps echoing off the damp stone walls.

Every shadow cast by the jagged stalactites looked like a crouching beast waiting to pounce.

Derrick narrowed his eyes, channeling what little physical strength he had cultivated so far into his senses.

[All Seeing Eyes Activated]

He needed to find the first target, and he needed to survive.