"This dungeon is weird. Usually, dungeons focus on killing people, but this one feels like it wants to capture us and keep us here. Ugh, it feels so creepy."
Lee Minho complained as he walked around the dungeon. His sensitive ears picked up on a soft melody not too far away.
He recognized the melody as one of his favourite Lee Hara songs, and suddenly, he found that he did not like the melody as much as before.
"You are right. This dungeon is trying to play with our mentality. Have you noticed that the voices we are hearing seem familiar? Make sure you don't fall for them and stay close to each other."
Rhiner spoke softly and his party tensed.
They looked around the dungeon for the core but nothing was found. Just when they thought they should give up, Rhiner heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"R-Rhiner, where are you-"
The voice sounded too much like Kara's and he ignored it. After all, there was no reason for Kara to come in here when he had instructed her to look after Kyle.
"Hey, isn't your female teammate calling for you? Did she enter the dungeon as well?"
Lee Minho asked and that was when Rhiner realized that he was not the only one to hear Kara.
'Shit! So this is not an illusion? Did Kara enter the dungeon? What about Kyle-? I need to find her.'
Rhiner felt his heart skip a beat as he quickly issued an order.
"Lee Minho, look after my team for now. I will go and catch up with Kara to see what she's doing here."
Before be could be stopped, Rhiner moved toward the place where he heard Kara's voice from and he had no time to react before a trap pierced his foot.
Lee Minho and his team who was watching from the side lines could only gasp as they watched this happen.
"No way-! This is a B-class dungeon, right? Nothing in here should be able to harm an A-class hunter. Just what is going on here?"
Someone questioned but Lee Minho had no answers for it.
After all, this was the first time he had seen a trap like this in a dungeon and it did not feel as if it was made by the system.
"There is seriously something wrong with this dungeon. But for now, we should go and help Rhiner out. He won't be able to get out of the trap himself."
Thankfully, they were able to free Rhiner, but his injury could not be healed with the low-level potions they had with them.
______
The more time that passed quietly, the more i felt my headache worsen.
All i wanted to do was go to sleep, but my body felt too awake to do that. Plus, the danger of the dungeon in front of me kept my instincts sharp.
'What a hassle. Should i just go inside and deal with things myself? All this waiting is torture.'
Perhaps, things would gave been different if i truly was a powerless person who could not do anything about this situation.
But because i had the power to change things and i still sat ideally, my conscious was killing me.
In the end, i did decide to enter the dungeon and come back before anyone realize what was happening.
The dungeon entry led me to a small clearing with a lake in front of it. The moonlight reflecting on the water's surface gave the lake a beautiful silver color and it even made the grass around me shine.
It felt like i had exited into a painting in a fairytale. However, i knew that this place must be dangerous.
You could never take things as you see them in a dungeon. The more beautiful a place was in a dungeon, the more dangerous it would often be.
Unfortunately, i had learned this lesson the hard way after losing more than a few friends to such schemes.
The smell of power was clear in the air and the i could feel something inside the dungeon observing me. That something had not been there the first time I entered the dungeon.
Being observed like this was also not a new feeling.
I had often felt some kind of eyes on me even 10 years ago. Whatever was looking at me stood beyond this world and perhaps even the system. But they had never interfered…
'Except that final dungeon that threw me 10 years in the future. Ugh, all this thinking is giving me a headache. I was never one to think about stuff. It used to be Erin's job-'
Just thinking of that name brought a pang of longing through me. Not because we had been close, but because that person was the last person to accompany me before i came back.
"What a hassle."
I muttered as my body relaxed. But the very next second, i felt myself tense as a pair of hands snuck inside my hair and massaged my scalp.
My body wanted to relax and melt as those hands rubbed my scalp. But my mind jumped in alert, causing me to reach out and grab the offending hand.
I twisted the hand in my grip before pushing the arm behind the person's back, but a family painful yelp stopped me.
"Ouch! Hey wait-! Why are you using your full strength against me? Tsk, why is an omega like you so strong."
I immediately turned around, only to see Erin's annoyed face looking back at me.
My heart soared and fell at the same time as I took in those familiar features.
'What a nightmare. Should i blow up the dungeon? No wait-! That will kill innocent people trapped in here as well. Then, should i just destroy this place? Maybe i should-!'
"W-Woah, calm down. I know what you are thinking, but i'm not here to trick you and tell you that i'm, or rather, this person is back. I am just borrowing a form of someone from your memory so that i can talk with you. After all, don't you want to find out what's going on in this dungeon?"
That stopped me in my tracks and my thought process got cut in half.
Whatever i was about to say got stuck in my throat when i saw the familiar eyes looking back at me.
"Fine, i understand. I will calm down now. So, tell me what is going on with this dungeon."
I asked, keeping my temper in check.
The being borrowing Erin's face looked relieved for a moment before he became serious once more.
"About that…i am not sure either. Hey wait-! Don't get angry. I am telling you more."
Erin's look alike stopped me before i could do something and then he continued.
"I am one of the beings that belonged to this dungeon. I am here on behalf of our high priest. He told me that someone who would aid our god's return would arrive soon and we need to guide him. After all, we should be thankful for the gift our god gave us. He gave you all all a gift as well, right?"
The being asked and i felt a little confused at that.
"A gift-?"
The being borrowing Erin's form smiled back at me.
"Ah yes, the gift. I believe you humans call it as the 'system'. It is something our God, the one beyond the skies gave you people as a way to indicate his favor. And soon he shall reawaken. As for you…come with me. Our high priest wants to meet you."