The yellow door groaned open, the metal hinges screeching like tortured spirits. Beyond it was a massive, circular chamber shrouded in mist. The floor was slick with seawater and glinted with gold coins, bones, and broken weapons scattered across the room.
The old healer laughed and said, "This sure gives me the creeps!"
At the center stood a cracked, barnacle-covered treasure chest. It pulsed once. Then it exploded.
"Brace yourselves," The archer said. "It's coming."
From the shards rose a towering, ghostly figure clad in tattered admiral's garb. His skeletal frame shimmered with cursed energy, seaweed entangled in his ribs, and his hollow eyes glowed like twin lanterns.
A massive anchor dragged behind him, scraping grooves in the floor.
Then a window popped into visibility over his head:
[DUNGEON BOSS]: BLACK BEARD THE PIRATE - (LEVEL 45)
"Holy shit…" I froze. "Level forty-five… are you fucking kidding me?"
He raised a single bony hand. The chamber's water surged, forming spectral sea serpents and ghost pirates who floated in place like summoned minions awaiting a command.
Then all hell broke loose.
"Scatter!" the old healer shouted, and immediately we split.
I took the left flank, ducking behind coral formations as Black Beard hurled a spinning anchor across the room like a chakram. It ricocheted off the walls, and fortunately, we managed to dodge in a split second.
I took a deep breath and said, "That was close!"
Then, all of a sudden, a red mist filled the air as Black Beard followed up with a stomp on the floor, making the entire room flip. Literally.
We were thrown upward as gravity reversed for three seconds, then slammed back down as the floor reasserted itself.
"FOCUS!" shouted the old priest from across the room, activating a skill: Advanced Healing. It restored our MP and HP. "WE CAN WIN THIS FIGHT!"
"You're way too noisy, old man." The archer said in a cold voice, leaving the old man in silence.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I said. "He literally helped us."
"Silence," She replied, activating a skill: Volley Shot. It unleashed a barrage of arrows into Black Beard's chest, staggering him.
I charged in with my rusted dagger, still pathetic, but fast. Then, I went for the knees, making it howl.
Black Beard slammed both palms on the ground and activated a skill: Demise. A purple vortex appeared in the center of the chamber, dragging everything, including us, toward it.
I activated my copied frenzy skill, boosting my speed just enough to dodge a falling harpoon.
The old healer activated a skill: Greater Protection. It shielded himself and the archer from the attack.
"I didn't need that old man," She said.
"We're a duo, no need to be so stingy about it," He replied, chuckling.
"Only in this dungeon," She replied. "And it only happened because you insisted."
"So they're a duo…" I thought. "Wait… did that old man just try to kill me by not protecting me using his skill? What the hell... He must be a loot freak."
Suddenly, the room was slowly filled with spectral water. Our movement slowed as the water dragged at our limbs.
The old healer activated a skill: Shield Bash. It blocked any potential damage for thirty seconds.
The archer activated a skill: Materialization. She fired golden swords that came out of thin air, hitting the boss with great damage.
I ran and ducked behind Black Beard and stabbed him several times with my dagger, doing chip damage at best. But then—CRITICAL HIT!
My blade pierced a glowing rune hidden behind his ribs.
Black Beard screamed, his entire body beginning to shake.
My eyes widened, realizing that it was his weak point. "Let's hit him together, everyone!"
"Just say the word, kiddo!" The old healer responded. "We got ya!"
"NOW!" I shouted.
All three of us moved forward, dealing one final blow.
Black Beard 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]
Black beard's remains melted into coins and faded curses, revealing a door to the treasure room. We stepped through cautiously. Inside had three passageways.
The old healer chuckled. "I'll be taking the left passageway. I feel like it's drawing me towards it."
The archer stood in front of me. "The next time you dare command me," She said, glaring at me. "I'll have your head." Then she entered the passageway in the middle, walking a path of ambition.
Only one passage left. Narrow. Unlit.
It felt like a dead end, but I didn't have the luxury of choice. I stepped in.
The room was small, circular, and silent. Dust hung in the air like frozen mist.
At the far end, a stone altar waited beneath a single shaft of light breaking through the ceiling.
Resting on the altar was a chest. Plain. No gold trim. No glowing runes. Just old wood and a lock that looked like it hadn't moved in centuries.
I approached, heart thudding.
"Now let's see what we got here…" I said.
It opened with a soft click.
Inside was 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 flashed:
[ITEM ACQUIRED]: SPIRIT DAGGER (UNIQUE WEAPON)
—Grants 5 seconds of intangibility. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
—Grants Ownership skill. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
And beneath it was a scroll, sealed in hard coral wax. Ancient. Faded. I cracked it open with care. It 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 that the moment I step outside, I'm no longer walking in as just another player. I'm a top player now.
In an instant, the world around me exploded into blinding white.
Before I could even process the transition, I found myself high in the sky, standing atop a floating obsidian platform suspended by nothing but light and magic.
The air was thin and charged with power, the clouds swirling beneath our feet like an ocean of mist.
To my left stood the old healer, holding a dark tome that emitted ominous energy he probably got from the treasure room.
On my right was the archer. Her golden armor shone as bright as the sun. I had no signs of what she got, though.
I glanced over at her. "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 touched my shoulder gently. "Let her be, boy," He said with a tired smile. "She's probably exhausted."
I nodded. "Yeah... You're right. Or maybe she's just an asshole…" I muttered.
Below us, the city of Arkanos stretched wide and gleaming.
Its towers shimmered in the morning sun, domes of gold and sapphire reflecting pure light.
The plazas were packed. Citizens' and players' heads tilted skyward, mouths open in shock.
People stood on rooftops, leaned from balconies, gathered in the streets with wide eyes and disbelief.
Then the sky itself opened. A massive system window shimmered into view, letters burning like fire across the heavens:
[CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST DUNGEON CLEARERS!!!]
[DUNGEON STATUS]: [COMPLETE]
The moment it flashed into existence, the crowd below erupted.
The sound was deafening.
Cheers, whistles, applause. It all blended into a storm of celebration.
Confetti spells burst into the air like fireworks, and enchanted banners unfurled across rooftops, bearing our names in glowing letters.