Chapter 36 – First Dungeon Exploration

This time, the Guild handed them a completely different kind of mission: their first official dungeon run.

> **Mission: Explore the Ancient Dungeon.**

> *Objective: Clear the first floor and retrieve the crystal artifact.*

> *Requirement: Minimum party size – 4 members.*

Zareen stood in front of the massive stone door carved with faded runes. Moss and vines clung to the edges, and the air around it felt damp and unnervingly cold. A faint, hollow breeze whistled through the cracks, as if the dungeon itself was breathing.

“Our first dungeon, huh…” Zareen murmured, almost to himself.

Doni’s eyes gleamed. “Perfect! Time to show off my Meteor Rain Shot! Get ready to be amazed.”

Sari lightly smacked the back of his head. “Just don’t bring the ceiling down on us, Don.”

Yuna stepped forward, drawing her sword with a soft metallic scrape. “Focus. Dungeons are more dangerous than open fields—lots of traps, limited space, and enemies you can’t predict.”

Zareen nodded, gripping his staff tightly. “I’ll set up barrier wards and buffs as soon as we’re inside.”

---

### The First Floor

The door groaned as they pushed it open, and a blast of stale air greeted them. Inside, the dungeon was pitch-black except for eerie purple crystals glowing faintly along the walls. The smell of damp earth mixed with the metallic scent of rust and dried blood.

“Creepy…” Doni muttered, drawing an arrow.

Before anyone could reply, the ground rumbled. Heavy footsteps echoed in the darkness, followed by the sight of hulking silhouettes. From the shadows emerged humanoid figures made of stone, their cracked bodies glowing faintly with blue light.

“Golems!” Sari shouted, instantly leaping back into a fighting stance.

There were six of them, their movements slow but powerful. Each step made the ground shake.

Yuna charged forward without hesitation, intercepting the first golem. Sparks flew as her sword met its stone arm. Sari darted to the side, circling another golem in search of its weak points.

“I’ll take three targets at once!” Doni called out, already pulling his bowstring.

“Multi Arrow!”

Three arrows shot through the air, striking three golems squarely in the chest. The impacts left visible cracks, but not enough to bring them down.

Zareen raised his staff, heart pounding. “Barrier for Yuna! Speed Boost for Sari! Power Buff for Doni!”

Lavender light spread across the party, giving Yuna a faint glow as she pushed the golem back, while Sari became a blur of motion. Doni’s next volley of arrows hit harder, driving deeper into the stone.

Slowly but surely, the golems began to crumble, their glowing cores shattering under the combined effort of the team.

---

### The Dungeon’s Traps

After dealing with the last golem, they ventured deeper into the narrow corridor. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the sound of their footsteps and the occasional drip of water.

Then came the faint click of stone beneath Yuna’s boot.

“Trap!” she barked.

The ceiling rumbled, and chunks of stone began to fall toward them.

Zareen reacted instinctively, slamming his staff into the ground. “Barrier Dome!”

A shimmering dome of lavender light appeared just in time, shielding them from the barrage of falling rocks. The sound of stones smashing against the barrier was deafening, but the shield held until the last rock fell.

When the dust settled, the dome dissipated.

Doni whistled low. “Whoa… if not for you, Zareen, we’d all be pancake mix right now.”

Zareen wiped sweat from his brow. “Yeah… and this is just the first floor.”

---

### The Mini-Boss – Guardian Armor

Eventually, they reached a wide chamber. In the center stood a lone suit of armor, rusted but upright, holding a massive sword point-down.

“That’s… not suspicious at all,” Sari muttered.

As they approached, the helmet’s eyes glowed a sinister red. The armor creaked to life, pulling its sword from the ground.

“Guardian Armor,” Yuna said quietly, lowering her stance.

The creature moved faster than expected for something made of steel. Its first swing was powerful enough to send shockwaves through the room. Yuna blocked it, her boots skidding across the stone floor from the sheer force.

“Hold it down!” she ordered.

“On it!” Sari shouted, leaping forward. “Chain Bind!”

Black chains of magic shot from her hands, wrapping around the armor’s limbs and holding it still for a precious few seconds.

“Now, Doni!”

“Right! Meteor Rain Shot!”

Magic flared at Doni’s bow, and suddenly dozens of flaming arrows materialized in midair, raining down like a storm. The entire room lit up as explosions rocked the chamber. Dust and shards of metal flew everywhere.

When the smoke cleared, the Guardian Armor had collapsed into a pile of broken pieces, its red glow gone.

Zareen exhaled shakily. “That was… insane. Doni, that’s practically a real meteor shower.”

Doni puffed his chest out proudly. “Told you! So, are you ready to call me Hero Doni yet?”

Zareen groaned and facepalmed. “Not happening.”

Sari doubled over laughing. “You two are ridiculous. I swear, watching you bicker is half the entertainment.”

Yuna simply sheathed her sword with a small sigh, but Zareen caught her giving him a quick glance—just to make sure he was unharmed.

---

### Clearing the Dungeon

They pressed on, checking every corner of the chamber for traps before finding the crystal artifact they had been sent to retrieve. The object floated slightly above a pedestal, glowing with a faint purple light.

“This must be it,” Zareen said, gently taking it with both hands. The crystal pulsed softly, warm against his palms.

“Good,” Yuna said, scanning the room one last time. “We’ve cleared the floor. Let’s get out before the dungeon decides to throw us another surprise.”

---

### Outside the Dungeon

When they finally stepped back into the sunlight, it felt like stepping into a different world. The air was warm, fresh, and alive—so different from the cold and damp of the dungeon.

Zareen sat down on a nearby rock, still holding the crystal artifact. “Our first dungeon mission… a success.”

Sari stretched her arms with a grin. “Not bad at all. But something tells me the next mission is going to be even tougher.”

Yuna looked out toward the distant road. “I heard the Magic Academy is sending their students into the field. There have been problems near the border.”

Zareen froze, his heart skipping a beat. *The academy?*

Memories of his old teammates—Gino, Rina, Arven, Dario—flashed through his mind. *Could they be among the students being sent out?*

He looked up at the sky, feeling a strange mix of anticipation and anxiety. “If that’s true… we might be seeing some familiar faces soon.”

The thought lingered as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows over the road ahead. The next step in Zareen’s journey was coming—and this time, it wouldn’t just be about clearing dungeons, but about confronting the past he had left behind.