NOVPUB
Chapter 98: Worm Beasts (I)!!
Tobias looked up from the parchment. "We’ll head out in an hour. Make sure your gear’s ready everyone."
"Already packed," Elisse said, adjusting the strap of her satchel. "And I made snacks."
"What are in these snacks? Mushrooms?" Bran asked nervously.
"No."
"Good."
"They involve fermented root vegetables."
Bran visibly paled. "I’m fasting."
Zayn stifled a laugh as the group turned to leave the guild hall.
He looked back once more at the counter — only to see the receptionist staring again. This time, she didn’t look away fast enough.
There was something unreadable in her gaze. Not quite hostile, but definitely more than just casual curiosity.
He raised an eyebrow and gave a polite nod before stepping outside.
Everyone began talking as they walked.
Tobias didn’t even comment.
He was already scanning the parchment again, likely calculating travel time and terrain advantages.
As they exited the guild and walked into the cool morning air, Kara glanced at Zayn. "So. Think you’re ready for another raid?"
Zayn rolled his shoulders. "Compared to the sky dungeon? A D-rank gate should be a walk in the park."
...
The morning sun filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming foliage as Zayn and his companions — Tobias, Kara, Bran, and Elisse — navigated the overgrown path.
Bran wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "I wonder why this dungeon is so deep into the forest, it’s almost like it doesn’t want anybody to raid it."
Kara sighed. "This is more draining than the actual raid."
"We still have to get there," Zayn added, unsheathing his sword.
The blade gleamed in the filtered sunlight. "Stand back."
With a swift, fluid motion, Zayn slashed through a thick tree blocking their path.
The tree groaned before toppling over, crashing to the ground and sending a flock of startled birds into the sky.
Kara raised an eyebrow. "Overkill, much?"
Zayn shrugged. "Efficient."
Tobias consulted the map. "We’re close. The gate should be just ahead."
As they pressed forward, the underbrush became denser, the trees more entwined. It was as if the forest itself sought to guard the dungeon gate.
"Nature’s really not on our side today," Bran muttered, stepping over a tangle of roots.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of battling branches and brambles, they emerged into a small clearing.
At its center stood the dungeon gate — a shimmering blue portal that pulsed with an otherworldly light.
"There it is," Tobias said, a hint of relief in his voice.
Bran whistled. "Always a sight to behold."
Tobias approached the gate, reaching into his inventory to retrieve a compact, metallic device adorned with intricate engravings and a small, flickering crystal at its center.
Zayn tilted his head. "What’s that?"
Tobias pressed a button on the device, and it emitted a soft hum. "An energy calibrator. It measures the gate’s energy signature to confirm its rank."
Zayn nodded slowly. "Right. And that means...?"
Kara chuckled. "It tells us how dead we might end up."
Zayn shot her a look. "Comforting."
Tobias continued. "Sometimes even though the GUILD calculates it, Dungeons are erratic and it could have probably grown even more powerful before we arrived."
The device beeped, and Tobias examined the readings. "D-rank. As the GUILD had said."
Bran grinned. "Manageable."
Without further ado, Tobias stepped into the portal, his form dissolving into the blue light. One by one, the others followed suit.
As Zayn approached the gate, he felt a familiar twinge of apprehension.
This was the second dungeon he was entering and he was sure no matter how many dungeons he went through... he would always hate this feeling — the brief hesitation before plunging into the unknown.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.
The world shifted.
...
The transition was instantaneous.
One moment, Zayn was surrounded by the vibrant greens of the forest; the next, he stood in a dimly lit corridor of stone.
Torches flickered along the walls, casting elongated shadows that danced with each movement.
The air was cooler here, carrying the faint scent of dampness and rust.
"Everyone here?" Tobias’s voice echoed softly.
"Present," Kara responded, already surveying their surroundings.
Bran stretched. "Feels good to be back in the thick of it."
Elisse adjusted her grip on her staff. "Let’s not get complacent."
Kara nodded. "D-rank or not, Dungeons are unpredictable, I don’t want to see Zayn eaten by a goblin so soon."
"Hey!"
Tobias nodded. "Agreed. Get into formation and stay alert."
They moved forward, their footsteps muffled by the layer of dust that coated the floor.
The corridor opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadows.
Pillars lined the walls, some crumbled with age, others standing defiantly against time. Zayn didn’t know how every dungeon managed to effortlessly look like it had been around for hundreds of years.
There weren’t any monsters yet, but Zayn had a bad feeling about it.
Like that unsettling calm before a storm.
The group had been walking for a while, Tobias leading the way, his palms igniting to serve as makeshift torches.
The flames flickered against the damp dungeon walls, casting long, twitchy shadows that made Zayn’s nerves itch.
Dungeons were never this quiet. Never this... wet?
"Anyone else noticing the water?" Zayn asked, stepping forward and squatting beside one of the many puddles littering the stone floor.
Huge, glistening puddles of water stretched out in strange, deliberate patterns.
The kind of puddles that didn’t just appear from moisture in the air.
The kind of puddles that were clean. Suspiciously clean.
Tobias furrowed his brows. "What is water... doing here?"
"Uh, existing?" Bran muttered, poking one of the puddles with a stick he’d picked up earlier and immediately regretting it.
The tip sizzled and cracked like someone poured acid on it.
He dropped the stick like it bit him.
Zayn narrowed his eyes. "That’s not normal."
"No shit," Kara said, drawing her staff out. "Nothing about this place is."
There weren’t any monsters yet, but Zayn had a bad feeling about it.
Like that unsettling calm before a storm.
The group had been walking for a while, Tobias leading the way, his palms igniting to serve as makeshift torches.
The flames flickered against the damp dungeon walls, casting long, twitchy shadows that made Zayn’s nerves itch.
Dungeons were never this quiet. Never this... wet?
"Anyone else noticing the water?" Zayn asked, stepping forward and squatting beside one of the many puddles littering the stone floor.
Huge, glistening puddles of water stretched out in strange, deliberate patterns.
The kind of puddles that didn’t just appear from moisture in the air.
The kind of puddles that were clean. Suspiciously clean.
Tobias furrowed his brows. "What is water... doing here?"
"Uh, existing?" Bran muttered, poking one of the puddles with a stick he’d picked up earlier and immediately regretting it.
The tip sizzled and cracked like someone poured acid on it.
He dropped the stick like it bit him.
Zayn narrowed his eyes. "That’s not normal."
"No shit," Kara said, drawing her staff out. "Nothing about this place is."
