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Chapter 17 – Keys and Clues
The moment Silvia and I stumbled through the dripping threshold, coughing out what felt like half the ocean, the room shifted. The ground beneath our feet solidified into smooth white tiles, walls gleamed like polished marble, and a soft golden light pulsed from above. For half a second, I thought we'd found paradise.
That was until the voice returned.
"> COOONGRATULATIONS, CONTESTANTS! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SURVIVED DROWNING, HURRAH! <" it boomed, overly cheerful, almost giddy with mockery. "> BUT DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE. WELCOME TO… ESCAPE ROOM!™ <"
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "I swear, if this dungeon had a face, I'd punch it."
Silvia huffed beside me, wringing water out of her hair. "At this point, I'd freeze it solid first."
The floor suddenly rearranged itself, tilting tiles upward into platforms and lowering others like shifting puzzles. A pedestal appeared at the center of the chamber, with three glowing inscriptions hovering above it. They weren't long, but the handwriting — if you could call glowing letters handwriting — was jagged and messy, like someone had scribbled with lightning.
The voice purred:
"> THREE CLUES TO FIND ONE KEY. FAIL, AND YOU MAY REMAIN HERE FOREVER. SUCCEED… AND PERHAPS YOU'LL CONTINUE YOUR DELIGHTFUL VACATION IN THIS CHARMING DUNGEON. <"
"Oh, wow, how generous," I muttered. "A vacation with drowning, starvation, and lava pits. Where can I leave my five-star review?"
"Focus, Kel." Silvia nudged me and pointed at the clues.
The inscriptions read:
1. It has no lock, yet opens all things.
2. It is light as air, but can weigh more than mountains.
3. It hides in plain sight, yet is never truly seen.
I stared. "Uh. Riddles again?"
Silvia crossed her arms. "Not exactly. They're… clues pointing to the location of the actual key. We need to piece it together."
"Great," I said flatly. "Because almost drowning was too easy."
The first clue nagged at me. No lock, yet opens all things. "Sounds like… knowledge? Maybe words? Or fire?"
"Or ice," Silvia said automatically, smirking.
"Of course you'd say that." I sighed, scratching my chin. "Okay, second one. Light as air, but can weigh more than mountains. That's… guilt? Pressure? Maybe mana?"
"Or qi," Silvia offered.
"Or both."
The third clue was even trickier. Hides in plain sight, yet never truly seen.
"That's… time?" Silvia whispered.
The pedestal rumbled at her words, making us both jump back. The voice cackled like a Saturday morning cartoon villain.
"> OOOOH, SO CLOSE! <"
"Close?" I barked at the ceiling. "Close to what?! At least give us a decent hint instead of pretending you're hosting a game show."
"> WHAT FUN WOULD THAT BE? <" the voice replied smugly.
Silvia rolled her eyes and tapped the inscriptions again. "Let's think. The first clue… if it opens everything but has no lock, maybe it's not literal. Could it be… imagination?"
"That's a stretch," I muttered. "But you're good at stretches, Sil."
She ignored me. "The second one—air yet heavier than mountains. That has to be responsibility or maybe destiny. And the third one…" Her eyes lit up. "Wait. What if it's not philosophical at all? What if it's something basic, like breath?"
My jaw dropped. "Breath?"
"Yes! Breath opens all things—speech, song, spells. It's light, but try holding it too long and it weighs on you more than mountains. And it hides in plain sight—we all breathe, but never see it."
I blinked. "Okay… I'm both impressed and terrified that you thought of that so fast."
She grinned. "So the answer is… breath."
"Let's test it before the room decides to flood again."
We both leaned toward the pedestal. I inhaled deeply, feeling qi swirl in my lungs, while Silvia gathered icy mana in hers. At the same time, we exhaled, blowing across the glowing inscriptions.
The letters flared, dissolving into golden mist that swirled together and condensed into a shimmering silver key.
"Ha!" I shouted, pumping my fist. "Take that, stupid voice!"
"> IMPRESSIVE… THOUGH I WAS HOPING YOU'D SUFFOCATE FIRST. <"
Silvia scowled upward. "Do you enjoy being insufferable?"
"> TREMENDOUSLY. <"
The pedestal slid back into the floor, revealing a locked archway on the far side of the room. I picked up the key, tossing it once in my hand.
"Moment of truth," I muttered, sliding it into the keyhole. It clicked, the arch glowing blue before groaning open. Beyond, a spiral staircase wound upward into darkness.
Silvia and I exchanged a glance.
"Want to bet this staircase doesn't lead to anything good?" I asked.
"No bet," she replied flatly. "I already know."
We started climbing, our steps echoing. After everything—the lava pits, the invisible bridges, the flooding room—I couldn't shake the feeling that the dungeon was laughing at us. Every trap, every puzzle, it was like it was daring us to give up.
But when Silvia slipped her hand into mine halfway up, squeezing lightly, the weight in my chest lifted a little.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
I forced a smile. "I'd be better if the voice would shut up for five minutes."
"> I HEARD THAT! <"
We both groaned.
Finally, the staircase ended at another door. Strange markings shimmered across its surface, like a puzzle waiting to be solved. I braced myself.
"Ready for round two?" I asked.
Silvia smirked faintly. "With you? Always."
The door swung open with a low creak, and we stepped into the next challenge—already dreading what kind of nightmare "fun" the dungeon had prepared for us.
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^_^
A.N:Hi everyone! 👋 Thanks for checking out My Supreme Summoning System.
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