The yellow door groaned open, metal hinges screeching like tortured spirits. Beyond it lay a massive, circular chamber shrouded in mist. The floor was slick with seawater, glinting with scattered gold coins, bones, and broken weapons.
The old healer laughed, rubbing his hands together. "This sure gives me the creeps!"
At the center stood a cracked, barnacle-covered treasure chest. It pulsed once. Then it exploded.
"Brace yourselves," the archer said, crouching slightly, eyes narrowing. "It's coming."
From the shards rose a towering, ghostly figure clad in tattered admiral's garb. His skeletal frame shimmered with cursed energy, seaweed entangled in his ribs, and his hollow eyes glowed like twin lanterns.
A massive anchor dragged behind him, scraping grooves in the floor.
Then a window popped into visibility over his head:
[DUNGEON BOSS]: BLACK BEARD THE PIRATE - (LEVEL 45)
"Holy shit…" I froze, my chest tightening. "Level forty-five… are you kidding me?"
He raised a bony hand, and activated a skill: Reanimation. The chamber's water surged, forming level twenty spectral sea serpents and level fifteen ghost pirates, floating like summoned minions awaiting a command.
The battle started.
"Scatter!" the old healer shouted, springing to the left. We split instinctively.
I stayed on the left, ducking behind jagged coral as Black Beard threw his anchor. It bounced off the walls, and I barely dodged.
I took a shaky breath. "That was close!"
Then, all of a sudden, a red mist filled the air as Black Beard followed up with a stomp on the floor, making the entire room flip. Literally.
We were thrown upward as gravity reversed for three seconds, then slammed back down as the floor reasserted itself.
"FOCUS!" shouted the old priest from across the room, activating a skill: Advanced Healing. It restored our MP and HP. "WE CAN WIN THIS FIGHT!"
"Way too noisy, old man," the archer muttered coldly, adjusting her stance.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I said, dodging a slash from a spectral pirate. "He literally helped us!"
"Silence," she said sharply, activating a skill: Volley Shot. It unleashed a barrage of arrows into Black Beard's chest, staggering him.
I lunged with my rusted dagger, striking at his knees. He howled, shaking the room with cursed energy.
Black Beard slammed both palms on the ground and activated a skill: Demise. A purple vortex appeared in the center of the chamber, dragging everything, including us, toward it.
I activated my copied frenzy skill, boosting my speed just enough to dodge a falling harpoon.
The old healer activated a skill: Greater Protection. It shielded them from the attack.
"I didn't need that, old man," she said, brushing water from her armor.
"We're a duo," he said, chuckling. "No need to be stingy bout it."
"Only in this dungeon," she replied. "And it only happened because you insisted."
"So they're a duo…" I thought. "Wait… did that old man just try to kill me by not protecting me using his skill? What the hell... He must be a loot freak."
The room slowly filled with spectral water, dragging at our legs and slowing our movement.
The old healer activated a skill: Shield Bash. It blocked any potential damage for thirty seconds.
The archer activated a skill: Materialization. She fired golden swords that came out of thin air, hitting the boss with great damage.
I darted and ducked behind Black Beard and stabbed him several times with my dagger, doing chip damage at best. But then—CRITICAL HIT!
My blade pierced a glowing rune hidden behind his ribs.
Black Beard shrieked, his body shaking violently.
My eyes widened, realizing that it was his weak point. "Let's hit the glowing rune hidden behind his ribs altogether! it's his weak spot!"
"Just say the word, kiddo!" The old healer responded. "We got ya!"
Black Beard activated a skill: Spectral Slash, sending multiple crescent moon-shaped attacks toward us.
I dodged. The other two dodged.
"NOW!" I shouted.
We charged together, striking one final blow.
Black Beard let out one last unholy screech before exploding into a blinding flash of cursed light.
Then came the system message in gold:
[DUNGEON CLEARED: TREASURE ROOM UNLOCKED]
A system window appeared in front of me:
[+3 Levels gained]
Black beard's remains melted into coins and faded curses, revealing a door to the treasure room. We stepped inside cautiously. Three passageways lay ahead.
"I'll take the left," the old healer said, smiling. "Something's drawing me that way."
The archer stood before me, glare sharp as a blade. "Next time you dare command me," she warned, "I'll have your head." Then she walked into the middle passageway.
I put my palm on my face. "She gotta manage her anger issues..."
Only one passage left. Narrow. Unlit. It felt like a dead end, but I didn't have the luxury of choice.
I stepped in.
The room was small, circular, and silent. Dust hung in the air like frozen mist. At the far end, a stone altar waited beneath a single shaft of light breaking through the ceiling.
Resting on the altar was a chest. Plain. No gold trim. No glowing runes. Just old wood and a lock that looked like it hadn't moved in centuries.
I approached, heart pounding. "Let's see what we got here…" I murmured.
The chest opened with a soft click.
Inside was treasure. Real treasure. A dagger. Gray and black, carved with runes that shimmered like oil on water. The air around it vibrated, faintly. I picked it up, and a system window flashed:
[ITEM ACQUIRED]: SPIRIT DAGGER (UNIQUE WEAPON)
—Grants 5 seconds of intangibility. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
—Grants Ownership skill. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Beneath it was a scroll, sealed in hard coral wax. Ancient. Faded. I cracked it open with care. It detailed a secret mechanic: A hint on how to hatch an easter egg.
"This is what I just needed," I thought, gripping the scroll. "And that ownership is great because I can rematerialize myself back to my weapon if I lose it. Or was it the weapon that rematerializes? Damn, I forgot..."
A system window clarified.
[Ownership skill: Allows both the user and the weapon to rematerialize.]
"There goes my answer..." I said.
I exhaled, the weight of it sinking in. This wasn't just a weapon drop. This was something bigger. I knew that the moment I stepped outside, I would no longer be walking in as just another player. I'm a top player now.
Suddenly, everything exploded into blinding white.
When my vision cleared, I found myself high in the sky, standing atop a floating obsidian platform suspended by nothing but light and magic.
The air was thin and charged with power, the clouds swirling beneath our feet like an ocean of mist.
To my left stood the old healer, holding a dark tome that emitted ominous energy he probably got from the treasure room. On my right was the archer. Her golden armor shone as bright as the sun. I had no signs of what she got, though.
"Hey, Goldie," I said, half-grinning. "What did you get?"
Her eyes flicked to me, distant. "None of your business," she said, voice sharp as a blade.
The old healer patted my shoulder. "Let her be, boy," he said, smiling tiredly. "She's probably exhausted."
I nodded. "Yeah... You're right. Or maybe she's just an asshole," I muttered.
Below us, the city of Arkanos stretched wide and gleaming.
My eyes widened. "W-Woah..."
Its towers shimmered in the morning sun, domes of gold and sapphire reflecting pure light. The plazas were packed. Citizens' and players' heads tilted skyward, mouths open in shock. People stood on rooftops, leaned from balconies, gathered in the streets with wide eyes and disbelief and excitement.
Then the sky itself opened. A massive system window shimmered into view, letters burning like fire across the heavens:
[CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST DUNGEON CLEARERS!!!]
[DUNGEON STATUS]: [COMPLETE]
The moment it flashed into existence, the crowd below erupted.
The sound was deafening.
Cheers, whistles, applause. It all blended into a storm of celebration.
Confetti spells burst into the air like fireworks, and enchanted banners unfurled across rooftops, bearing our names in glowing letters.