As Adam reached the hilltop, a cave stretched before him, framed by shattered stone pillars and patches of dried grass.
"A ruin?" he muttered.
Monsters weren't the only thing in dungeon. If one was lucky, he might stumble upon a Ruins of an ancient civilization.
Near the entrance, a dagger caught his eye, half-buried and crusted with blood.
His eyes followed a faint trail of dried drops behind a fallen pillar.
"That…"
Eyes wide in shock, Adam rushed toward the pillar and found Max and Elly, his classmates who had entered the dungeon with him. They were now statues, their faces frozen in fear and despair.
Adam's expression hardened as he approached them.
'What the hell happened!'
Even though the two of them were weaker than him, they were still classmates who trained for 5 years together and were far stronger than the average Adept.
Yet to be reduced to such a state… what kind of monster did they encounter?
Adam saw the fear and despair on their stony faces. It was clear that they were hopeless against it.
His eyes lingering on their faces with mixed feelings. He had trained with them for five years, and though he wasn't close to them, they were still friends.
"I'll try to return these to your families!"
He took the fallen metal plaques with their names off the ground. As for their pouches, they were nowhere to be found.
'The ruin must be hiding something incredibly dangerous.'
He ducked beneath the fallen pillar and peered into the passage. The slope led downward, faint light filtering through cracks above.
'Should I go in?' Adam hesitated, weighing his options.
Ruins were filled with opportunities, but they were equally treacherous. And judging by Max and Elly's state, it was clear they had encountered something deadly.
Without information about the monster, the risk was too high. But he couldn't just leave without investigating further.
After a moment's deliberation, Adam steeled himself. 'I didn't come this far to give up now. This is a ruin, for fuck's sake. How many times would I be lucky to stumble upon something like this again?'
As for how to deal with the special monsters inside, he would wait until seeing it.
'I can create a specific skill to counter it with my Gift.'
Just as he was about to move, a low growl rumbled behind him. Three cheetah-like monsters with metal jaws slowly approached, their eyes fixed on him with a gleam.
[Iron fang lycan lvl 8]
[Ironfang lycan lvl 9]
[Ironfang lycan lvl 9]
His eyes narrowed when he sensed their energy was far higher than his own.
The sheer amount of mana didn't necessarily mean they were stronger, but it indicated them as special ones with unique skills.
'Fight them head‑on?'
But three at once, each radiating the mana of Adept peak… that's reckless.
Even though he was confident to win, it would drain him of a lot of mana to deal with them. Besides, he wasn't sure if more monsters would follow after them.
His gaze flicked to the cave. The broken pillar narrowed the entrance. Only one monster could pass through at a time.
'It's better to let the monsters inside deal with them while I pick the rewards.'
Monsters of different types weren't friendly to each other and would actively fight to the death once met.
Adam ducked under the broken pillar and slid down the sloped floor. He hit some pointy rocks, but his shoes protected him.
The monsters hissed and followed, but only two could fit at a time in the narrow passage.
The level 8 one lunged, and Adam reacted instinctively. He fired [Mana bolt] inside its open maw and shoved his sword right in the eye.
Its claws scraped his shoulder, but Adam ignored it as he was in big trouble. The monster's impact caused him to slip.
Before going down, he used the monster's body to cushion his fall and spiraled downward.
His descent was chaotic. Some pointy rocks managed to scratch him. They rolled down until they hit the base, with the impact partially absorbed by the corpse.
Dizzy, he scrambled to his feet. His head darted around as he surveyed his surroundings.
He found himself in a wide passage that ran in a straight line. The walls were made of hard stone, and the ceiling was studded with stones that emitted light. He could only see about ten meters ahead.
He turned his attention to the remaining two approaching monsters and lowered his stance as they split to flank him.
'Dammit, is this an abandoned ruin with no monsters?'
Their entrance was loud, yet no monster came their way, which could only mean that they had already left.
'So be it then; I'll just get rid of these dogs myself.'
But before he could cast a spell, his senses tinged with impending danger from behind.
Out of nowhere, an arrow shot through the darkness.
He instinctively sidestepped just as the arrow brushed past his forearm, tearing his clothes.
Adam frowned as he stared at the arrow lodged deep in the ground. If it had hit his head or abdomen, it would've been fatal.
'Where did it come from?'
Distracted, Adam didn't notice the monster creeping up on him. It pounced, and he barely dodged its claws with a desperate jump back.
As he landed, another arrow whizzed through the air. A shimmering [Mana Shield] formed around him, but the arrow pierced it like paper.
Adam's pupils contracted, and he ducked just in time as the arrow flew over his head.
"Shit!" His heart pounded in his chest. A second's delay, and he'd be a goner.
'How the hell did it pierce my shield?'
He had no time to analyze the arrow's properties, though. Several howls echoed through the passage as the two monsters charged at him from both sides.
"Can't you read the room!"
The monsters were fast, but Adam could keep up. However, they weren't the only threat. Whistling sounds came from the darkness, and arrows flew at him from multiple directions.
It was impossible to track them with the naked eye.
"Damnit…" Adam muttered, his eyes darting wildly.
In a split-second decision, he abandoned his hesitation and created a new skill: [Visionary: Danger Senses].
A surge of awareness flooded through him, and he could pinpoint the direction of every incoming threat.