Chapter 3: Dungeon X

Chapter Three

Dungeon X was said to be an extremely deadly dungeon. Based on the information gathered through both rumors and confirmed reports, it was believed to be one of the oldest dungeons in the entire region.

But that wasn’t the only anomaly about it. Not even close. The most terrifying fact was that Dungeon X had existed for years... Yet it had never been cleared.

It wasn’t because people didn’t want to clear it. Quite the opposite. Many had entered the dungeon with the intention of conquering it. And the terrifying truth was that none of them had ever returned. Many people had tried. The weak. The strong. Wanderers. Guild members. Organized groups.

Even powerful teams that were confident in their abilities had entered the dungeon. But every single one of them had disappeared. No one had ever been seen coming back out. It was as though the dungeon itself were the enormous maw of some terrifying beast that swallowed everything whole.

But even that wasn’t the greatest anomaly of Dungeon X. The most bizarre thing about it was the fact that... It had never shown any sign of breaking. It was common knowledge that dungeons came in different forms.

There were recurring dungeons, which could be cleared repeatedly. There were also stable dungeons, which only needed to be cleared once before disappearing. But Dungeon X was different. Different in every possible way. It never showed any sign of collapsing.

Even when no one entered it for several months, the dungeon remained completely intact. It simply waited. Waiting for someone foolish enough to enter. It was truly an anomalous dungeon. And that was precisely why it had been given its name; Dungeon X.

"I have a bad feeling about this." A man dressed in red clothing muttered under his breath. His eyes remained fixed on the small green number displayed on the dungeon gate. "What is it now, Michael?" Another warrior standing nearby hissed impatiently.

The man was carrying a terrifying-looking warhammer casually over his shoulder. "We haven’t even stepped into the dungeon yet, and you’re already shivering." Michael shook his head. He wasn’t shivering. At least, not because he was afraid. Instead, he pointed toward the number he had been staring at.

"This dungeon has the number ten on it." His expression was serious. "That should mean the monsters we’re going to face will mostly be Level Ten monsters, or perhaps slightly stronger." He paused. "And the portal boss should only be around Level Eleven or Level Twelve... right?"

Michael turned toward the large man carrying the warhammer. The warrior, Hurld, nodded. "Yes." He then grinned. "But isn’t that more of a reason for you to have confidence in yourself?" He pointed toward Michael.

"You’re a Level Ten mage yourself." Hurld gestured toward the others. "And the rest of us are Level Ten or above." His grin became even more confident.

"With the boss being a Level Fifteen himself, doesn’t that mean we should relax our nerves and just stroll inside?" He swung the warhammer slightly onto his shoulder.

"We’ll clear everything in the blink of an eye." The way Hurld said it made it sound as though they could simply walk into the dungeon and slaughter everything inside. As if clearing Dungeon X were nothing more than a casual walk in the park.

Michael’s face twitched. He almost wanted to curse at the cocky smile plastered across Hurld’s face. "You don’t understand that something is wrong here, do you?" Michael’s gaze returned to the dungeon gate.

"This dungeon is only Level Ten." His voice became heavier. "So why hasn’t it been cleared yet?" He clenched his fists. "I don’t feel like this dungeon is as simple as you guys are making it seem." Michael took a step back. "I want to quit." Although Michael wasn’t a coward, he had never found it sensible to risk his life unnecessarily.

There was a difference between being brave... And being stupid. One might wonder why the hell he had accepted this mission in the first place if he was already considering backing out before entering. The answer was simple. He hadn’t done his research thoroughly enough before coming.

Michael had only seen the raiding application page and the staggering number of points they were willing to pay him. He had been too greedy.

The moment he saw the reward, he applied for the raid without giving it much thought. Only afterward did he go online to check exactly what this so-called Dungeon X was about. What he found was enough to make him flinch. No one could tell how long this dungeon had existed.

It had been discovered roughly twenty years ago, yet within all that time, not a single person who had entered the dungeon had ever managed to come back out. Not one. Absolutely no one. It was as if the dungeon wasn’t merely a dangerous place... It was a pathway to the afterlife.

Michael had managed to calm himself after learning that nineteen other people would be accompanying them into the dungeon. Most of them were even higher-leveled than him, and the group had two powerful healers on their side.

Surely, with twenty people together, they should be able to clear a dungeon designated as Level Ten. Right? That was what Michael had forced himself to believe. That was what he had repeated to himself over and over again.

At least, it was what he had believed until he found himself standing face-to-face with the dungeon gate. Now, his instincts were screaming only one thing at him; Run. Every fiber of his being was telling him to turn around and leave immediately.

"Hey, you two. Stop your bickering and check your gear. We’ll be moving in soon." The voice came from a man dressed in rather expensive battle armor. He was none other than the leader of the group... Aiden Scurge. The leader of this dungeon raid. "Boss, he’s trying to bail out." Hurld scoffed, casting a mocking glance toward Michael.

"Scaredy-cat." Aiden turned his gaze toward Michael. "You want to bail out before the battle has even started?" His voice was calm, but there was a clear edge to it. "Can you even still call yourself a man?"

Under the gaze of the higher-leveled warrior, Michael felt a slight pressure weighing down on him. He lowered his head for a moment. But after a short while, he finally spoke. "This dungeon is giving me a bad feeling."

Michael clenched his fists. "I want to bail out. I’m not joining the raid anymore." Aiden’s gaze darkened. Michael instinctively looked downward, avoiding the man’s eyes. "Do you even hear what you’re saying?"

Aiden’s voice became colder. "Bailing out of the raid before it has even started." There was a brief pause. Then Aiden continued. "Fine. If that’s what you want..." His expression remained indifferent. "You should have read the rules before applying for the raid."

Michael’s expression changed slightly. "If you try to break the contract before the raid is completed, you’ll have to pay five times the number of points that were sent to your account."

Aiden stared directly at him. "Can you afford to pay that?" Michael’s face slowly drained of color. Five times? The amount of points he had been paid was already ridiculously high.

That was precisely why he had applied for the raid in the first place. But five times that amount? There was no way he could pay it back. Not even if he sold everything he owned. "But I didn’t read that on the page."

Michael gritted his teeth. The uneasy feeling inside him was growing stronger and stronger. He didn’t care about the points anymore. He simply wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Aiden scoffed, his gaze turning cold. "What you didn’t see doesn’t mean it wasn’t there." He pointed toward Michael’s system screen. "Open the page and triple-click on the raid once more." Michael didn’t want to believe him.

But he did as he was told. He opened the application page again and triple-clicked on the raid. And there it was. The hidden clause appeared. Michael’s expression became ugly. "This isn’t fair." He spoke through gritted teeth.

He had been tricked. No... They had been tricked by the Scurge Guild. Something this important was supposed to be listed directly beneath the mission details. Instead, they had hidden it away where most people would never notice.

Before Michael could continue lamenting, Aiden cut him off. "We’re all in the same boat." His voice remained calm. "This is just a Level Ten dungeon. Even if it’s a little scary, there are twenty of us here. Surely, we should be able to clear it." Aiden paused.

"And if you’re still not willing to go..." He gestured toward the way they had come. "You can leave." His eyes narrowed. "Just remember to pay the price."

With that, Aiden beckoned for the others. The people who had been watching Michael began moving. Some looked at him with disdain. Others looked at him as though he were nothing more than a weak-minded coward. Then they followed Aiden into the dungeon.

Michael remained behind for a moment. His teeth were clenched tightly, and his fists were balled up so hard that his nails dug into his palms. He desperately tried to think of a way out. There were only two prices for canceling the raid.

He could pay with his points... Or he could pay with his life. And there was no way in hell he was willing to give away the latter. As for the former... There was no way he could possibly produce five times the amount of points he had been paid.

Michael let out a deep sigh.

He closed his eyes for a moment and muttered a small prayer under his breath. Then, with a reluctant expression, he finally stepped into the dungeon. "Ding!" The familiar chime of the system echoed inside his ears:

[You have entered a dungeon.]

Michael turned toward his system screen. The message appeared clearly before him:

[You have entered a dungeon.]

[Dungeon Name: -]

Michael’s expression remained unchanged. He simply sighed once more. "I guess I’ve made my decision, then."

His gaze hardened. "The next thing I should be worried about right now is surviving." His eyes moved back toward the system notification:

[Dungeon Name: -]

Michael stared at those two symbols. A dash. Nothing else. His expression became more solemn. This... Was another massive red flag. This dungeon didn’t even have a name.