Saphire paused for a moment in front of the dark, gaping cave entrance. Her feet were frozen as her eyes scanned her surroundings. On one side of the cave's outer wall, there were several torches planted firmly, apparently prepared for adventurers who needed light while exploring the dungeon.
"Hmm, maybe I should take one of those," she muttered as she turned her gaze into the darkness of the cave.
She grabbed one of the torches and inspected its quality. The torch was made of sturdy wood, with a thick cloth wrapped around the tip that had been doused in oil. Without much thought, Saphire lit the torch using one of the other torches that were already lit. The fire immediately blazed brightly, casting a warm glow around her.
"Alright, now I can see what's in there," she said as she adjusted her grip on the torch in her left hand. Her right hand remained ready on the hilt of her katana, in case something suddenly attacked her.
With the torch in hand, Saphire stepped into the cave. The sound of her footsteps echoed in the narrow passage, creating an eerie silence. The air inside the cave felt colder, mixed with the damp scent of wet earth and rocks.
Saphire shone her torch around. The walls of the cave were filled with hanging stalactites, some of which sparkled like crystals under the torchlight. The floor of the cave was fairly flat, although there were some parts filled with gravel.
"Not bad for the first floor," she thought as she continued to walk deeper.
The further she walked, the sound of a small stream of water could be heard in the distance, adding to the mysterious feel of the place. Suddenly, another small sound was heard, like small, hurried footsteps. Saphire stopped and focused her hearing. She squinted, trying to adjust her vision to the darkness beyond the reach of her torch.
"It seems we have guests," she whispered as she prepared to draw her katana from its sheath.
As the sound of small footsteps became clearer, from within the darkness emerged a group of skeletons with various weapons. The skeletons walked with stiff but creepy movements. Some held rusty swords, some carried bows with bone arrows, and in the middle of them stood a skeleton wizard wearing a tattered robe, holding a magic staff with a red crystal at the end.
Saphire immediately drew her katana, the light of the torch in her left hand reflecting the sharp glint on the blade. "This looks like it's going to be interesting," she muttered with a grin.
Without warning, the skeletons charged. The sword wielder attacked first, swinging their weapons in chaotic but powerful movements. Saphire stepped back quickly, dodging the first attack while twisting her body to avoid the next slash.
Suddenly, the skeleton wizard at the back of the group raised his staff. The ground beneath Saphire's feet suddenly rippled, forming stone hands that grabbed her ankles.
"Cunning," Saphire muttered with a blank expression before activating Light Reflex. In a flash, she leaped into the air, dodging the stone hands with perfect precision. She landed elegantly, instantly slashing at the two sword skulls that were charging at her.
The skeleton wizard did not give up. Quickly, she created a large fireball in front of her staff and combined it with water magic in the form of thorns. The fireball shot towards Saphire, followed by water thorns coming from different directions. When the fireball hit the floor, thick steam immediately covered the battlefield, limiting Saphire's vision.This is fun," Saphire said as she stepped back, trying to find an opening in the middle of the sudden attack. Suddenly, three bow skulls appeared from the left side, shooting bone arrows at her. With agile movements, Saphire turned her body, letting the arrows miss, then immediately charged forward.
Counterattacking with Instant Move, she utilized her katana. She threw her sword straight at the skull witch, who was busy preparing her next spell. In an instant, Saphire teleported to her katana position. Amidst the thick steam, the skull witch was surprised to see Saphire appear right in front of her.
"Game over," Saphire whispered. With one swift slash, the skull witch's head was separated from her body. His body collapsed to the ground, while all the other skeletons immediately stopped moving and crumbled into piles of bones.
Saphire stood amidst the pile of scattered bones, her breath slightly labored. "Pretty tough for the first floor," she said as she brushed the dust off her blade. In the corner of her vision, a system notification appeared:
[Level Up: Level 60]
[20 Stat Points Received]
Saphire smiled in satisfaction. "So, this is what the guild says, huh? Dungeons are interesting places, after all for a test of courage." She gripped her katana tightly, then stepped deeper into the cave with increasing enthusiasm.
Saphire stepped deeper into the cave, her steps steady but full of caution. The light of the torch in her left hand created moving shadows on the cave walls, adding to the mysterious atmosphere of the place. Along the way, various monsters began to appear, like guardians of the underground world who did not want humans to go any further.
A large spider with black horns appeared from the ceiling of the cave, dropping itself in front of Saphire. It was almost twice the size of an adult human, with eight sparkling eyes staring at its prey. With incredible speed, the spider jumped towards Saphire, its fangs aiming for her neck.
"My attack is even faster than that," Saphire said as she jumped to the side, avoiding the attack. With a single swing of her katana, she cut off one of the spider's legs. The spider groaned in a shrill voice, trying to attack again, but Saphire slid under its body and stabbed her katana right into its stomach. The spider collapsed instantly.
A few steps forward, a group of transparent slimes slithered towards her. They glowed a poisonous green, indicating danger if touched. Saphire carefully kept her distance and cut the slimes from a distance, making sure none of them touched her skin.
A moment later, a horde of goblins appeared, wielding makeshift weapons such as wooden clubs and rusty daggers. "Ah, goblins again. You guys never get tired, huh?" With incredible speed, Saphire broke through the ranks of goblins, dodging every single one of their attacks, and finishing them off one by one.
Just as she was starting to relax a little, a large orc appeared, followed by an even larger ogre. Both of them carried giant hammers that looked like they could shatter stone with a single blow. The orc attacked first, swinging his hammer with great force.
Saphire ducked nimbly, letting the hammer slam into the cave floor, creating a large crater. Before the orc could pull his hammer back, Saphire jumped onto his shoulder and slashed his neck. The orc fell with a loud thud.
The ogre, enraged by his fallen comrade, swung his hammer brutally. Saphire used her speed to dodge and attack the weak points on the ogre's body, such as the knees and the sides of the stomach. In no time, the ogre collapsed.
When the atmosphere calmed down, Saphire sat for a moment near the cave wall, trying to catch her breath. She opened her status screen, looking at the remaining stat points. "Hmm, all to AGI. Speed has always been my advantage." With a single decision, all 20 of her points went to AGI.
Suddenly, a notification appeared in her mind:
[New Skill Available]
Hypersonic Speed (Passive): Grants incredible speed above the average human, allowing movement close to the speed of sound.
Instant Move Upgrade: Phase 2: Teleports to an imagined location within a 100-meter radius without the need for a physical object.
Saphire paused for a moment, considering her options. "Hypersonic Speed is interesting, but... Instant Move Upgrade gives more flexibility in battle."
After much thought, she decided to take the Instant Move Upgrade: Phase 2.
"This seems like it might come in handy," she muttered with a smile. With renewed vigor, she got up and continued her journey into the dungeon, ready to face the next challenge.
Saphire continued to advance, passing through a winding maze, and many stairs leading deep underground, filled with traps and monsters. The cave walls around her began to be covered in strange carvings that emitted a faint glow, hinting that she was approaching something significant. The air in the dungeon grew colder, and the atmosphere became quieter, as if all living things had fled the area.
Along the way, Saphire encountered various monsters—from groups of giant slimes to hordes of goblins that tried to attack all at once. She managed to overcome all of them with her extraordinary agility and speed. Her newly upgraded Instinct Move made it easier for her to dodge and launch deadly attacks.
After passing through the final maze, Saphire finally arrived at a large room filled with large, half-collapsed pillars. At the end of the room, stood a large door that towered about three meters high. The door was made of dark metal, decorated with skull carvings and mysterious symbols that seemed to have magical meanings.
Saphire stopped in front of the large door, taking a deep breath. "So, this is the boss room on the 1st floor?" she muttered softly, looking at the door with a wary gaze.
Before entering, she made sure everything was ready. She pulled the katana at her waist out of its sheath slightly to check its sharpness the blade. "Still good," she said, returning it to its sheath. She's also checked the torch she had brought, making sure the flame was still bright enough.
After making sure he and his equipment were in good condition, Saphire looked at the large door once more. She grabbed one of the metal handles and tried to open the door. "So heavy!" She thought, feeling like the door weighed 300 kilograms. With all her strength, she pushed the door slowly, producing a sound of metal scraping that echoed throughout the room.
As the door opened, the cold air from inside the room brushed against her face, bringing with it the increasingly strong scent of the dungeon. "Alright," Saphire said quietly, preparing herself mentally. "Whatever is behind this door, I'm ready."