Chapter 501: Trial Dungeon - Demonic Apocalypse

Chapter 501: Chapter 501: Trial Dungeon - Demonic Apocalypse

As the mood grew somber.

"But—"

Matthew Dawson’s voice suddenly rose.

"We’re still alive! And we have a Shelter, a home! Things will only get better from here!"

"So with this toast—to life! To us! And to the future!"

Dexter Luther was the first to respond, raising his glass high. "To life!"

Crystal Lynn’s eyes were rimmed with red, but she smiled and raised her glass. "To us!"

Sean Chandler silently raised his glass and nodded firmly.

Flora Sullivan’s long hair swayed gently. She looked at the glass in her hand, then over at Seraphina Sullivan, a rare, genuine smile touching her lips.

Seraphina Sullivan raised her glass as well. Her gaze swept over everyone present, her voice soft yet firm.

"To us."

The glasses clinked together with a crisp sound.

The liquor burned as it went down, followed by a sweet aftertaste.

Everyone began to eat and chat. Their conversation drifted from life before the apocalypse to the mess they’d been in during their first dungeon. They talked about the friends they had lost and how they would build up the Shelter in the future.

Dexter Luther, his expression animated, laid out his plans. "When we have more slots later, we can bring in some reliable people and have them help us farm, tend the deer, and build houses!

"Then you, Sullivan, will be our Lady, and we’ll be the founding members!"

Crystal Lynn rolled her eyes at him. "Is that all you can think about?"

Dexter Luther chuckled. "It’s called planning for the future!"

Matthew Dawson chimed in, "I think we should build a few houses first. Sleeping on the ground isn’t a long-term solution. It’s nice and cool and safe under that big tree."

Sean Chandler, in a rare contribution, said, "I can help build the houses."

Paul Payne added quietly, "I... I can help out..."

Seraphina Sullivan watched their lively discussion, a smile fixed on her lips.

’This feels so good.’

’Like we’re a family.’

’No, we are a family.’

...

「The night deepened.」

Under the Redwood Tree, the group, full and content, lay and leaned about casually, making small talk as occasional bursts of laughter broke the quiet.

Seraphina Sullivan leaned against the tree trunk, looking up at the soft light filtering through the gaps in the canopy.

The light had no source, yet it was eternally bright, like a sky that belonged to the Shelter itself.

She remembered a long time ago, before the apocalypse began, when she would lean back just like this in the yard of her old home and watch the stars.

Back then, it had felt so ordinary.

Only now did she realize how precious those days had been.

Still—

She pulled her gaze away and looked at her teammates around her.

’This is good, too.’

’Very, very good.’

’If only it could stay this way forever.’

’If only...’

The System’s cold voice exploded in everyone’s mind without warning:

[DING—!]

[The Trial Dungeon is about to commence!]

[Countdown: 60 seconds]

[All Players, please prepare!]

...

Everyone froze.

The warmth, the ease, the laughter—it all vanished, frozen in an instant as if doused by a bucket of ice water.

Dexter Luther shot upright, the smile not yet gone from his face before being replaced by tension.

Crystal Lynn subconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes.

Matthew Dawson took a deep breath and slowly got to his feet.

Sean Chandler silently stretched his limbs, his gaze growing sharp.

Flora Sullivan’s long hair stirred without a breeze, a wary light appearing in her eyes.

Paul Payne’s face paled, but he fought to keep his composure.

Seraphina Sullivan stood up, her gaze sweeping over each of them.

Sixty seconds.

They only had sixty seconds.

In sixty seconds, they would be thrown into that unknown Trial Dungeon to face every other surviving Player, to face potential danger, betrayal, and slaughter.

She took a deep breath, her voice steady and powerful:

"Everyone."

All eyes turned to her.

Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze passed over each of their faces before finally resting on their eyes.

In them, she saw tension and fear, but also determination, defiance, and a burning desire to live.

"Fight to survive."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to each of them:

"No matter what happens in the dungeon, no matter where we get teleported—remember that we still have this. This Shelter. This home."

"When the dungeon is over, when we return—"

She paused, the corners of her lips turning up into a gentle yet resolute smile:

"I will host another feast for all of you, right here."

Dexter Luther’s eyes instantly reddened, but he blinked hard and forced a wide smile. "You got a deal, Sullivan! And next time, it has to be an even bigger feast than tonight’s!"

Crystal Lynn nodded hard, her voice choked with emotion. "I’ll be back. Freya is still waiting for me..."

Matthew Dawson clenched his fist. "I’ll definitely be back."

Sean Chandler’s deep voice rumbled, "Come back alive."

Flora Sullivan gave a soft hum of agreement as her long hair slowly settled.

Paul Payne took a deep breath and nodded forcefully. "I’ll do my best!"

—

[Countdown: 10, 9, 8...]

Seraphina Sullivan took one last look at them, as if to sear the moment into her memory.

[3, 2, 1—]

[Trial Dungeon: Open!]

A white light consumed everything.

「The next second.」

The blinding white light faded. For an instant, Seraphina Sullivan felt the ground vanish beneath her feet before she landed on soft, damp earth.

She quickly steadied herself, her gaze darting around—

Green.

An overwhelming sea of green.

Towering trees blotted out the sun. Thick vines, like giant pythons, coiled around their trunks. A heavy blanket of moss covered every inch of ground, and the air was thick with the scent of rotting vegetation and damp soil.

The air hummed with a chorus of insects, punctuated by the roars of unknown creatures in the distance.

’A tropical rainforest.’

Seraphina Sullivan’s brow furrowed slightly as the System’s notification chimed in her mind:

[Ding! Welcome to the Trial Dungeon: Demonic Apocalypse]

[Dungeon Type: Large-Scale Multiplayer Survival]

’Demonic Apocalypse?’

Seraphina Sullivan stood frozen, her mind racing.

’What does Demonization mean?’

’Do animals undergo Demonization and turn into terrifying Demon Beasts?’

’Like the mutated creatures in those apocalypse novels?’

’Or does it mean humans undergo Demonization, becoming mindless Demons that know only slaughter?’

’Or... both?’

Before she could work it out, a faint rustling came from behind her.

Seraphina Sullivan’s pupils shrank. Her body reacted on pure instinct—instead of turning, she threw herself into a roll to the side.

An instant later, right where she had been standing, several arm-thick vines erupted from the ground like vipers. They interwove into an airtight cage that snapped viciously shut!

If she had still been there, she would have been trussed up completely.

Seraphina Sullivan rolled back to her feet, her gaze icy as she stared at the vines.

They seemed to be alive.

The vines, which had been hanging placidly from the tree trunks, now all raised their "heads." Their tips flickered like a snake’s tongue, as if tasting the air.

Then, every "head" swiveled in unison toward Seraphina Sullivan.

The Aura of food.

The vines moved.

This time, it wasn’t just a few, but a veritable flood!

Dozens, hundreds of vines erupted from all directions at once, surging toward Seraphina Sullivan like a green tide. Above, below, front, back, left, and right—every escape route was sealed in an instant.