"The monster allocation in the dungeon can be set automatically… convenient," Yami murmured, watching the display before him.
As the adventurers entered one by one, he saw the monster count shift in real time. At present, the first floor's formula was simple — the number of ordinary monsters equaled five times the number of entrants.
When the sixth person crossed the threshold, the counter locked at thirty — thirty zombie-class monsters now roamed the first floor.
"Master, why are you letting them into the dungeon?" Ella asked, tilting her head. Her growing intelligence still hadn't caught up to his thinking.
"Not entirely sure myself," Yami admitted with a faint smile. "I just want to see what kind of returns an Adventurer's Dungeon will give me."
The projection in front of him shifted to their perspective.
"So eerie…" Mitsuri whispered.
The moment they stepped through the portal, the world changed.
A cold breath clung to their skin, sinking through to the bone. The cityscape above was gone — replaced by a long, shadowy corridor built from blue stone bricks. The air was heavy, the dim light casting deep shadows along the walls.
At least the passage wasn't narrow; six people could easily walk side-by-side with arms outstretched.
"The door's gone!" Rei Miyamoto turned quickly, eyes wide. The portal they'd entered through had vanished.
"How are we supposed to get out if it's gone?"
[Ding! Clear the first floor of the dungeon to leave the underground.]
The answer flashed across their personal panels before the panic could grow.
Shinobu's eyes narrowed as she opened her own status display.
[Name]: Shinobu Kocho
[Rank]: Level 1
[Title]: None
[Race]: Human
[Magic Stones]: 0
[Meme]:
F-rank: Breath of Insects (Lv.1)
Her gaze lingered. In addition to the unfamiliar setting, she could see her own abilities quantified, like a game's character sheet.
Chapter 9 (continued)
"We can only explore forward," Shinobu Kocho said, her eyes scanning the dim corridor.
"Everyone, the path ahead is unknown. We should try to cooperate — honestly."
The group exchanged glances. Trust was still fragile, but the logic was sound.
Shinobu took the initiative to speak first. "Shinobu Kocho. My rank is Level 1. I specialize in Insect Breathing and poisons."
Mitsuri Kanroji stepped forward eagerly. "Mitsuri Kanroji, Level 1. Very strong! My specialty is the Breath of Love."
"Busujima Saeko. Busujima-style swordsmanship. Rank: Level 0," Saeko said calmly.
It was clear to Saeko that Shinobu and Mitsuri's ranks — both Level 1 — put them above her on paper. Coupled with their unusual weapons, neither was an opponent to underestimate.
"Miyamoto Rei. I don't have much fighting power… Level 0," Rei admitted.
"Viper. I'm good at stealing — Level 0," Viper said politely, then gestured toward the younger girl beside her. "This is Jade Chan, a cousin of a friend."
"I can speak for myself! Jade Chan, good at kung fu, haha!" Jade grinned, throwing a few playful punches and kicks before adding, "Level 0."
After everyone had introduced themselves, Shinobu gave a decisive nod. "If rank reflects strength, then Mitsuri and I will take the front."
"Leave the rear to me," Saeko offered, drawing her katana with a quiet hiss of steel.
Viper crouched slightly to speak to Jade. "Jade, stick close to me and don't run off."
"What? You sound just like Uncle Jackie, treating me like a kid!" Jade puffed her cheeks and shot her an annoyed glance.
"Hehe…" Viper could only give a wry smile.
She knew Jade was sharp for her age — but also restless, impulsive, and far too eager to show off. What worried Viper most was her tendency to wander into trouble.
Jade shoved one hand into her pocket and muttered under her breath, "Just wait, I'll surprise them later…"
With their cooperation decided, the group moved down the dim passage for several minutes, their footsteps echoing softly against the cold stone.
Then, the three leading the way slowed to a halt.
"There's something ahead," Shinobu said, her tone tightening.
They peered down at the floor ahead, faint shadows sprawled across the stone. As they drew closer, the details came into focus.
"…Corpses," Viper muttered, frowning.
There were seven, maybe eight of them — all unnervingly well-preserved for bodies in a place like this.
"How are there even bodies here…?" Mitsuri whispered.
Viper reached out and gently covered Jade's eyes. "Just keep moving."
One by one, they stepped over the corpses.
Click.
The sound was small, lost in the quiet, and no one paid it any mind.
But as they passed, the corpses began to stir. Limbs twitched. Heads lifted.
Empty sockets glowed with crimson light.
"Roar!!!"
The withered jaws gaped wide, unleashing a guttural snarl.
"Ah! It's a dead body!" Rei screamed, whirling around to see the things lurching toward her. They looked enough like the zombies from her own world that her mind instantly made the connection.
Clang!
A flash of steel split the air as Saeko Busujima's katana cut between Rei and the nearest monster.
"Rei, back off!" Saeko barked, forcing the first zombie away with a sharp shove of her blade.
The katana in Saeko Busujima's hands trembled under the weight of the zombie's claws.
What strength…!
She could cut down a dead body from her own world with a single stroke but this thing's raw power was something else entirely. Cold sweat began to bead at her temple.
"First Form—The Trembling of First Love!"
Beside her, Mitsuri Kanroji's whip-like blade lashed out in a dazzling arc. In an instant, the zombie's arm, the one straining against Saeko's blade was severed cleanly.
Mitsuri snapped her arm back, the flexible Nichirin blade coiling neatly at her side.
"It's a zombie — be careful! It looks like it's infected with some kind of virus!" Shinobu Kocho warned sharply, reading the message that had appeared on her panel when the creatures revived.
"Tch!"
Viper darted backward, her movements quick and precise, dodging the swipes of three more zombies that had suddenly lunged at her.
But these monsters were fast — far faster than any corpse had a right to be and they pressed in with terrifying agility, surrounding her in seconds.
"Let me help you!!!"
BOOM!!!
The passage shook with a deafening crash, dust billowing in all directions.
Everyone's heads snapped toward the sound and what they saw made their eyes widen.
Jade Chan, who had seemed like nothing more than a cheeky kid moments ago, stood in the settling smoke… and at her feet lay the shattered remains of a zombie, its body pulverized in a single punch.
PS: 𝘔𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘐𝘴 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘭! 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘐𝘵 𝘖𝘶𝘵!!
(𝘛𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸: Fairy Tail: Voyage Through One Piece)
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