Chapter 10 Dungeon (1)

It looked like an endless abyss from where I was now due to how dark it was inside.

I debated with myself whether I should check it or not but eventually came to the conclusion that going in there was pure stupidity, and walking along the cliff face would hopefully help me find civilization.

So, I made my way down the hill, onto the first flat piece of land I had found in a while, and walked along the wall, in the direction I thought the city was in.

But, as soon as I got close to the wall, I felt a chill get sent down my spine.

A drop of sweat ran down the back of my neck.

I turned around very slowly and saw the cave from before.

Nothing was there…

I began my sprint along the wall, but I felt something weird.

I sprinted for a couple of seconds, then paused.

I sprinted for another few seconds, then paused.

I glanced down at my feet and stacked a couple of rocks on top of each other before sprinting past it.

Tup

I accidentally tripped over something, and when I looked back, I saw my stacked pile of rocks, now toppled over.

"What…"

I didn't know how to react but decided to approach this carefully.

First, I confirmed it by stacking the rocks again and then walking forward… I tripped on the rocks.

Upon confirming that I was going in "circles," I then tried a different approach.

I stacked the rocks once again but walked in the opposite direction, towards the cave.

And… nothing ended up happening.

I continued to walk forward but never ended up tripping on the stacked rocks, which gradually grew farther from me.

Though I didn't want to believe it, I kept walking towards the cave with no signs of interruption.

My heartbeat gradually grew faster.

My sweat dripped into my eyes, stinging them before I wiped them away.

I felt so much tension in the air that I thought I would be able to cut with a small butter knife.

I soon arrived in front of the cave as it was in the direction I was walking in.

It was pitch black inside, but I could see that it went down into the ground rather more into the cliff face.

My eyes darted back and forth from the pile of stones to the pitch-black cave.

"Ugh… Are you kidding me," I mutter before trying one more detour, which was still running along the wall, but now away from the city.

I walked past the cave... But, the same thing happened.

I piled up a new stack of rocks and then ran along the wall… then tripping, slamming my nose against the dirt.

Thankfully, nothing broke, but my eyes teared up a bit.

I didn't know if I was tripping balls or what, but I did know one thing… That I had to enter the cave.

I tried every direction, but I kept appearing next to the dark cave.

And so, eventually, I gave up and stood before the entrance.

Swallowing a large drop of saliva, I felt my nerves calm down just a bit before I entered.

I lifted my foot and stepped into the cave.

Nothing happened.

I lifted my other foot and stepped farther into the cave.

Nothing happened.

A bone-chilling sensation wafted through the air with the slight breeze that came from down within the darkness.

I walked farther and farther until I couldn't see the light of the entrance anymore.

Silence.

Darkness.

Sweat dripped from the back of my neck, and I managed to squeeze out a quiet,

"Hello?"

[You have entered The Dungeon: Iron Ants Nest]

[Recommended Level: 25]

[Warning: It is recommended to bring a party]

.

[The Dungeon: Iron Ants Nest takes pity on you upon seeing your stats]

[The Boss of the Dungeon is disappointed by your weak stats]

[The Boss of the Dungeon has decided to let you go]

.

"AH!" I shout upon seeing the panels appear in the darkness, causing me to fall back onto my already bruised tail bone.

Shit… That hurts…

I read the panels intently but couldn't quite comprehend what the panels were about.

What is a boss?

Like maybe the king of this cave?

It was a stretch, but I had a good feeling about my guess.

But also, what is an iron ant anyway? A new species?

And as if the gods wanted to answer my question, a large 3-foot tall ant, bigger than any wolf I had ever seen, came out of the darkness.

Its metal exoskeleton glimmered slightly in the darkness of the cave, allowing me to see the hundreds of other ants behind it.

[The Boss of the Dungeon has given you a few escorts]

,m It seemed like the dungeon's boss was being nice… but I had this feeling…

"That you just want me to come back with stronger stats so you can eat me," I mutter with a weary smile, sweat dripping down my back.

The ant in front of me clicked its mandibles once, creating a spark that flew through the room, revealing even more ants than before.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave," I give in, raising my hands and retracing my steps into the darkness.

The metal ants followed behind me, their iron-plated feet clacking against the stone floor.

A few minutes later, I arrived at the entrance, and upon stepping out of the cave and into the forest, I felt something go through my body.

It felt as if I had walked into a lake.

When I turned my head around to check it out, I saw a thin, wavy piece of glass covering the entire entrance.

And then, the ants were right behind it, watching me intently.

"Can you not… leave?" I ask them, not expecting an answer.

It was more of me talking to myself rather than the ants… but somehow, I got an answer.

[The Boss of the Dungeon orders for you to leave]

A familiar smile crept onto my face as I saw the ants leave from the entrance and saw them click their mandibles once more, creating a spark.

Fuck going to New York City… I can get so much XP without even doing much…

…

I lay on a bed made of leaves, snacking on the last bluish berry that made me pucker my lips a bit due to its sour feature.

"XP, huh? I heard about it from Leo,"

It was the blood of the world.

But, humans residing in this world could also obtain this "blood" by killing monsters created across the globe.

I only learned about monsters, but I now began to connect the pieces of information.

Dungeons lead to monsters. Monsters lead to XP. XP leads to leveling up. Leveling up leads to new evolutions and classes…

"Is this earth?" I questioned for the first time since being reborn.

I always thought it was different due to how many new things there were, but I had this feeling that this was still earth.

There were so many changes, yet I still believed this was earth.

"I must be going insane," I mutter before looking through the small hole in the canopy, staring at the stars.

Tomorrow… I'll level up. I'll definitely level up.

And just before I fell asleep, I glanced over at the crunchy and dead leaves beside me.