The door groaned open as metal hinges screeched like tortured spirits. Beyond it lay a massive, circular chamber shrouded in mist. The wooden floor was slick with seawater, glinting with scattered gold coins, bones, and broken weapons.
The old healer laughed, rubbing his hands together. "This sure gives me the creeps!"
At the center of the chamber stood a cracked, barnacle-covered treasure chest.
It pulsed once. Then it exploded.
"Brace yourselves," the Archer in Gold said, crouching slightly, eyes narrowing. "It's coming."
A tall, ghostly man figure rose from the treasure chest, dressed in a torn admiral's uniform. His skeletal body glowed with cursed energy, with seaweed caught between his ribs. His hollow eyes burned like lanterns, and a huge anchor trailed behind him, scraping deep lines across the floor.
Then a window appeared above his head:
[DUNGEON BOSS]: [BLACKBEARD THE CURSED PIRATE] — (LEVEL 45)
[HP]: [90/90]
"L-Level forty-five…" I froze in place, my chest tightening. "Are you kidding me?"
Blackbeard lifted his bony hand and used a skill: Reanimation. The water in the chamber rose and twisted, shaping itself into six level-twenty Spectral Sea Serpents and eight level-fifteen Ghost Pirates. They hovered in place like summoned minions, waiting for his command.
The monsters lunged at us as Black Beard shrieked.
"Go!" the old healer shouted, sprinting to the left, activating a skill: Lesser Binding, holding the monsters in place. "I'll take care of them, you guys try and damage Blackbeard!"
"Got it!" I responded, nodding.
Blackbeard activated a skill: Anchor Throw. A huge anchor materialized in his hand, and he slowly spun it through the air like helicopter blades ready to lift off. His eyes gleamed with a cruel grin—then he hurled it straight at us.
I sprinted to the right and slid across the wet wooden floor, water splashing around my hands as I barely avoided the massive anchor. As I pushed myself up to my knees, the anchor ricocheted off the walls.
"Shit!" I shouted, immediately pressing my back against the floor as the anchor spun dangerously close—almost hitting my face. Almost.
I took a shaky breath as I slowly stood up.
"That was close..." I muttered in my head, my hands trembling slightly from the near miss.
The Spectral Sea Serpents killed by the old healer let out shrill screams as a red mist crept out from their body, filling the air.
Then I noticed one Spectral Sea Serpent was running for its life, so I sprinted toward it and stabbed it from behind.
"Get away from that mist!" the old healer shouted at me, eyes wide with urgency. He pointed sharply at the red mist that slowly crawled out from the Spectral Sea Serpent's body. "The mist contains spectral toxins!"
But it was too late, I had already inhaled the red mist.
A system window appeared in front of me:
[STATUS: POISONED]
[HP]: [57/100] -> [56/100]
[MP]: [100/100]
"This is bad," I thought, staring at my depleting health points. My chest tightened. "Can we even make it outta here?"
The old healer sprinted to my side, his face twisted with worry, eyes darting around as if searching for a way out.
"I'll—" he started to say, but Blackbeard stomped the floor, making the entire room flip. Literally.
We were thrown upward as gravity reversed for three seconds. I flailed, grabbing at the air. Then we slammed back down as the floor snapped back into place, sending a jolt of pain through my spine.
I coughed, wheezing, and slowly pushed myself onto my knees, hands pressed against the wet floor for support.
"Fuck…" I muttered in my head. "That hurt my back…"
The old healer activated a skill: Cleanse. It removed the poison status that I had, restoring our mana and health points as well.
"NOW, WE CAN WIN THIS FIGHT!" he shouted.
"You're way too noisy, old man," the Archer in Gold muttered coldly, adjusting her stance.
Then, four Spectral Pirates slowly appeared in the air. They raised their cutlasses and attacked.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I shouted at the Archer in Gold, dodging a slash from a Spectral Pirate. "He literally helped us!"
"Silence," she replied, activating a skill: Volley Shot. A stream of arrows hit Black Beard's chest, staggering him. She kept her grip steady on the bow, eyes focused.
"Just shut your mouth and deal with the Spectral Pirates," she added.
"Are you serious?!" I said, glancing at her, my hand still gripping the dagger I'd just slammed into the Spectral Pirate's chest.
"You guys fight later, let's kill these bastards first!" the old healer shouted as he held the Spectral Pirates in place using a skill: Lesser Binding.
The old healer looked at me and shouted, "Go, boy!"
I nodded, charging toward the immobilized Spectral Pirates with my rusted dagger. I slashed their chest, dealing a small amount of damage. Then, the Archer in Gold finished them by activating a skill: Double Shot, making a single arrow turn into two.
Blackbeard howled, shaking the room with cursed violet energy. He slammed both palms on the ground and activated a skill: Demise, summoning a purple vortex in the center of the chamber, dragging everything—including us toward it.
I activated my copied skill: Frenzy, boosting my speed to get away from it, as well as dodging a harpoon that fell from the ceiling.
The old healer activated a skill: Greater Protection, shielding himself and the Archer in Gold from the attack.
"I didn't need that, old man," the Archer in Gold said, brushing spectral water from her armor.
"We're a duo," the old healer replied with a soft chuckle, patting his staff. "No need to be stingy about it."
"Only in this dungeon," she shot back. "And it only happened because you insisted."
"So they're a duo…" I thought. My eye twitched. "Wait… did that old man just try to kill me by not protecting me using his skill? What the hell..."
All of a sudden, the room slowly filled with spectral water, dragging at our legs and slowing our movement as Blackbeard channeled an unknown attack.
The old healer activated a skill: Lesser Protection, blocking any potential damage for ten seconds.
"We must attack while he's still channeling something!" I shouted.
The old healer nodded.
The Archer in Gold activated a skill: Rapid Shot, firing consecutive arrows in a single second at Blackbeard with great damage.
I darted behind Blackbeard and stabbed him several times with my dagger, doing chip damage at best. But then—CRITICAL HIT!
Blackbeard shrieked, his body shaking violently.
A system window appeared above its head:
[DUNGEON BOSS]: [BLACKBEARD THE CURSED PIRATE] — (LEVEL 45)
[HP]: [79/90] -> [61/90]
My eyes widened as I realized that was his weak point—the glowing rune hidden behind his ribs. My hands shook a little with fear and excitement.
My fists clenched tightly. "Let's hit the glowing rune hidden behind his ribs altogether!" I shouted, my voice cracking with urgency. "It's his weak spot!"
"Just tell us when to attack, kiddo!" The old healer shouted back, raising a fist. "We got ya!" His eyes were bright, and a small smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
Blackbeard's eyes glowed a malevolent, violent light as he activated a skill: Spectral Slash, sending multiple crescent moon-shaped attacks toward us.
I rolled to the floor, barely avoiding the attacks. Bits of wood chunks flew up around me as I started to get up to my knees.
"NOW!" I shouted, pushing myself up, heart racing.
We charged at Blackbeard together, striking one final blow.
Blackbeard let out one last unholy screech before exploding into a blinding flash of cursed light.
Then came the system message in gold:
[DUNGEON CLEARED]: [TREASURE ROOM UNLOCKED!]
A system window appeared in front of me:
[+3 Levels gained]
An old wooden door that led to the treasure room emerged from beneath the wooden floor.
"So dramatic..." the old healer said.
We opened the door and stepped in.
Inside was a small chamber that contained three passageways that led to darkness.
"I'll take the left," the old healer said. "Something's drawing me that way."
The Archer in Gold stood before me, glare sharp as a blade. She stood very straight, shoulders tight, like she was ready for a fight.
"Next time you dare command me," she said, "I'll have your head."
Then she walked into the middle passageway.
I put my palm on my face and said, "She gotta manage her anger issues..."
Only one passage left. And unlike the other two passageways, this one felt like a dead end. But I didn't have the luxury of choice, so I stepped in.
The passageway brought me into a small, circular room. It was silent, with dust hanging in the air like still mist. At the far end stood a stone altar, and on it rested a plain wooden chest. No gold, no runes—just old wood and a centuries-old lock. Beside it lay a single bronze key.
I walked toward it with my heart pounding.
"Let's see what we got here…" I muttered in my head as I looked at the chest.
I grabbed the wooden key, and then I used it to open the lock.
Click.
The chest opened slowly.
Inside it was a treasure. Real treasure. A dagger, gray and black, carved with runes that shimmered like oil on water. The air around it vibrated faintly.
I picked it up, and a system window appeared.
[ITEM ACQUIRED]: [SPIRIT DAGGER] — (UNIQUE WEAPON)
—Grants 5 seconds of intangibility. Cooldown: 15 seconds. Mana Cost: 25
—Grants Ownership skill. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Mana Cost: 10
Beneath the weapon was an attack and dexterity attribute potion, a scroll that was sealed in hard coral wax, and ten ether.
I removed the seal on the scroll and opened it with care. "Hmm... What do we have here?"
The scroll detailed a secret mechanic: A hint on how to hatch an easter egg.
"This is what I just needed," I thought, gripping the scroll. "And that ownership is great because I can rematerialize myself back to my weapon if I lose it. Or was it the weapon that rematerializes? Damn, I forgot..."
A system window appeared in front of me:
[OWNERSHIP SKILL]: [ALLOWS BOTH THE USER AND THE WEAPON TO REMATERIALIZE]
"There goes my answer," I said.
I exhaled, the weight of it sinking in. This wasn't just a weapon drop. This was something bigger. I knew the moment I stepped outside, I would no longer be walking in as just another player.
I opened the dexterity and attack attribute potions' lids and drank them one by one.
"The dexterity potion tastes like orange juice..." I said, staring at its empty container. "I hate orange juice...'
A system window appeared in front of me:
[CHARACTER ATTRIBUTE STATUS]:
[HP]: [46/100]
[MP]: [100/100]
[ATTACK]: [1/50] -> [2/50]
[RESISTANCE]: [0/40]
[SPEED]: [0/75]
[DEXTERITY]: [0/85] -> [1/85]
[VITALITY]: [0/40]
[INTELLIGENCE]: [0/45]
Suddenly, everything exploded into blinding white.
When my vision cleared, I found myself high in the sky, standing atop a floating obsidian platform suspended by nothing but light and magic. To my left stood the old healer, holding a dark tome that emitted ominous energy. On my right was the Archer in Gold with no signs of what she looted.
"Hey, Goldie," I said, half-grinning. "What did you get?"
Her eyes flicked to me, distant. "None of your business," she said, voice sharp as a blade.
The old healer patted my shoulder. "Let her be, boy," he said, smiling tiredly. "She's probably exhausted."
"Yeah... You're right. Or maybe she's just an asshole," I muttered.
Below us, the city of Arkanos stretched wide and gleaming.
"W-WOAH!" I shouted in awe.
NPCs and players looked up, their mouths hanging open in shock. Some stood on rooftops, others leaned from balconies, and crowds filled the streets, all staring skyward with wide-eyed disbelief and excitement.
Then the sky itself opened as a massive system window shimmered into view, letters burning like fire across the heavens:
[CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST DUNGEON CLEARERS!!!]
The moment it flashed into existence, the crowd below erupted. Confetti spells burst into the air like fireworks, and enchanted banners unfurled across rooftops, bearing our names in glowing letters.
"LET'S GOOOO!!!"
"CONGRATULATIONS, HEROES!!!"
"THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THE FIRST DUNGEON!!!"
"WOOOO!!!"
"HOORAYYYYYY!!!"
The sound was deafening.
Cheers, whistles, applause. It all blended into a storm of celebration.
And I loved it.