The forest had gone silent. Moments ago, yellow-grade hounds had lunged, and unfortunate souls had staggered through the mist, but now the clearing was empty.
The flickering shadows of the bonfire danced across the campsite, giving the place a false sense of safety.
Ming Sulin lowered her dagger, her eyes sweeping the perimeter before finally allowing herself to breathe.
Nancy followed her lead, settling beside her.
"Nothing…?" she asked, still trembling.
"The dungeon's glitchy," Ming Sulin said, tone flat but measured.
"Threats don't always behave. Some vanish, some linger. You learn to expect it."
She glanced at Nancy with a small, sharp smile.
"Stay close, watch, and move when I say move."
The rest of the children were gathered around the fire, still recounting stories, laughing, and eating. Their voices carried, drifting lightly in the night air. The unfortunate souls' names echoed in her mind as she remembered their struggles.
Ming Sulin and Nancy slipped back into the clearing and watched, noting the subtle tremors in the firelight.
"See? No harm in a little story," Ming Sulin said. "Keep your mind steady. We've done what needed to be done outside. The rest is observation—for now."
The evening continued. S'mores were made, jokes exchanged. The children laughed and debated which horror story in the dungeon was most believable. Ming Sulin watched quietly, letting Nancy soak in the warmth, the temporary peace.
After a while, the group migrated toward the Lakeside cabin they had rented—a two-story wooden structure with the smell of pine and smoke lingering in its walls.
All the kids settled downstairs, spreading out on couches and floor cushions to watch a movie. Most of them dozed off eventually, lulled by warmth and fatigue.
Only Ming Sulin, Nancy, and Nancy's brother Drew remained awake. Drew whined continuously, his small voice rising over the quiet hum of the movie. "I wanna go back to my cabin with Mom and Dad," he muttered, tugging at his blanket.
Ming Sulin's eyes narrowed, but she remained calm. "You'll stay here. No wandering alone. The dungeon isn't forgiving."
Drew, however, was persistent. When Ming Sulin's attention flicked elsewhere, he quietly slipped out, leaving the cabin. Nancy noticed immediately. "Drew!" she whispered, panicked, but Ming Sulin only gave a sharp nod. "Follow, quietly."
They trailed him through the shadows. Soon, the unmistakable yellow glow of a hound's eyes appeared, and Drew had wandered straight into its path. Ming Sulin acted immediately, cutting down the yellow-grade zombie hound as it lunged:
[You have killed x1 Yellow-Grade Zombie (unfortunate soul player Drew) | 5 kill points | 90 EXP]
[Loot: x4 yellow grade breathing slugs{2 hours -20 mins cool-off}, x1 yellow-grade lantern, x2 yellow-grade healing roots, 1 gold, 3 silver, 495 copper coins]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 12 / 30 You receive 25 points]
Drew stumbled, frightened, and ran back toward his parents' cabin. The bite had already done its damage. By the time he reached them, he had succumbed, attacking his parents and turning them into yellow-grade character zombies:
[You have killed x1 yellow-grade character zombie (James) and (James's wife) | Kill Points +6 | 190 EXP | Loot auto-added: x1 blue-grade tent, x1 propane stove, x1 picnic cooler, x1 set of cutlery, x1 enamel pot, x1 sleeping bag, 2x coal grill, x2 propane gas tanks, x1 large ice chest, 12-pack beer, x8 chocolate bars, x2 camping tents, x4 folding chairs, x1 steel pot, x1 cast-iron skillet pan]
Ming Sulin motioned for Nancy to wait by the cabin door while she cleaned her dagger and finished the necessary work. The eight remaining yellow- and blue-grade unfortunate souls in the surrounding area were swiftly dispatched:
[You have killed x3 Yellow-Grade Zombie (unfortunate soul player Amara, Leon , Tao Ren) | 15 kill points | 270 EXP]
[Loot: x1 yellow-grade cloak, x4 yellow-grade herbs, x1 yellow-grade club, x2 yellow-grade bandages, x1 jade bracelet, x1 copper ring, x1 silver necklace, 2 gold, 8 silver, 1,065 copper coins]
The release of the unfortunate souls tightened something in her chest, but she pushed the feeling down. Only one last character remained to be located.
Ming Sulin felt a sense of duty as a blue world citizen to stop the suffering of the terminated souls stuck in the path of undead and never given a proper send off or goodbye.
sigh
She cleared out the others left wondering in the area.
[You have killed x5 unfortunate souls (players Hana, Rajiv, Sophie, Markus, Yuna) | 25 kill points | 450 EXP]
[Loot: x5 yellow-grade bone knives, x2 blue-grade armor plates, 65 copper coins]
The tally reflected her progress:
[Locate characters and unfortunate souls, and freedom! 5/6 | 19/30]
With the cabin quiet again, Ming Sulin cleaned her blade in the flickering firelight. Nancy returned to her side, still wide-eyed from the night's events.
"You okay?" Ming Sulin asked softly.
"I… I think so," Nancy whispered, her grip tightening on the blanket around her shoulders.
Ming Sulin only nodded once, her eyes scanning the shadows outside the cabin window. The dungeon had been chaotic and dangerous, but they were making progress.
Only one character remained, and dozens of unfortunate souls still needed freedom.
Ming Sulin's pulse was steady, her focus unyielding, as she prepared for the next step.
She was ready to leave this dungeon.