Upon entering, the color of the dungeon began to transform astonishingly: from green to blue, from blue to yellow, from yellow to orange, from orange to purple, and finally to red. Then, in seconds, it turned completely black, plunging everything into darkness before returning to its green hue.
"..."
The two workers from the hunters' association, who were in charge of guarding the entrance to the dungeon, were stunned.
They rubbed their eyes repeatedly, trying to determine if their eyes were playing tricks on them.
"Robert, was it an illusion? What happened to that dungeon, or am I going crazy?"
"Victor, I don't think we're crazy because I saw the same thing myself."
"But it's the first time I've witnessed something like this since I started working at the association."
Victor and Robert find it hard to believe much of what they see; it's as if they were playing a very poor-taste joke.
"What should we do now: report it or just keep quiet?"
"I think it would be better to keep quiet because, if we report this, they might think we're crazy, and they could cut our pay."
"Yes, we'd better keep quiet. I don't want my pay cut. I have two children and a beautiful wife to support."
Seeing that the dungeon had returned to normal, they chose not to inform headquarters because it was clear they would not be believed.
Besides, who's going to believe them that the dungeon suddenly changed color? No one, right? They'll say they're crazy or on drugs and more.
"It's true that your wife is very beautiful."
"It's true, my wife is... Wait!... What did you say?"
"Jajajaja. Volvamos al trabajo."
Victor walked away from the dungeon laughing. Robert sighed, shaking his head at his partner's insolence.
At least with that, I thought the atmosphere had calmed down a bit. They were still surprised, but they didn't want to dwell on it any further.
As they moved away from the place, the dungeon changed again, and this time, it did not take on any of the previous colors but became completely dark.
Seeing this again, Robert and Victor didn't know how to react. They exchanged glances for a few seconds, waiting for the dungeon to return to normal.
But a minute passed, and the dungeon did not return to normal.
"So, should we report this to the association?"
"Yes..."
Robert, looking tired, took out his smartphone to report what had happened.
...
"Let's prepare ourselves so we won't be taken by surprise. We'll adopt a defensive formation, as we don't know what this place has in store for us."
Adam declared in a firm voice, initiating the formation; the group quickly reorganized itself following his instructions.
Noah ran with the luggage, effortlessly carrying the weight of two heavy bags thanks to the muscles he had developed in his previous job.
This allowed him to carry the luggage without difficulty and without overburdening the group.
In the center of the formation, Noah looked around curiously to see how the others were assuming their assigned roles.
Adam, with his shield, was in the vanguard. Mark and Luna took up positions on the upper flanks, while Aldo, who had not yet uttered a word, guarded the rear.
Sophia, who had not yet taken up her position, joined Noah.
"Move forward!"
Adam's roar echoed throughout the group, clearly intended to boost the team's morale.
'Why is he shouting so loudly?'
Noah found Adam's shouting counterproductive in a place like this, which looked like an unexplored underground temple.
The others followed closely behind, advancing with determined steps along the path.
As they ventured deeper into the dungeon, they encountered some monstrous wolves. The group faced them with surprising ease, without even breaking a sweat.
"It seems we were on alert for nothing. After all, we're in an F-rank dungeon."
"I was a little nervous at first, too, but I didn't expect them to be so easy."
The group members relaxed, striking up conversations and laughing among themselves. Even Aldo started talking.
However, seeing everyone off guard and talking as if they were on an outing, Adam's expression hardened.
"Focus and don't forget we're in a dungeon!"
Adam shouted angrily and glared sternly. The party members had forgotten that they were inside an unexplored dungeon, which had changed ranks without them knowing.
Adam's furious shout made Noah visibly shudder. He hadn't expected Adam to shout so loudly.
'How can you suddenly relax because the monsters aren't strong enough?'
He understood Adam's anger, which was more than justified: how could they be so relaxed in an unexplored dungeon?
The group fell silent after Adam's loud cry.
"Come on, man, relax. Can't you see that all these monsters are too weak to be so tense?" Mark spoke with a certain arrogance, pointing to the monsters' corpses.
"Mark, don't get cocky just because you killed a few monsters. We're in an unexplored dungeon, so we don't know what we'll find further on," Adam said seriously.
"Tranquilo, viejo, ¿no ves que estamos todos tranquilos? Y todos están de acuerdo conmigo."
Mark pointed to the members of the group. Everyone nodded, except Noah, who did not share Mark's opinion.
"Tsk!" Adam frowned in annoyance as he observed the reaction of the group members.
He began walking again angrily, muttering words inaudible to others.
Seeing Adam leave, Noah turned his gaze to the group and smiled victoriously.
The group split into two: Adam advanced furiously, while the others chatted among themselves and eliminated the monsters that appeared in their path.
Meanwhile, in the center, Noah remained silent as he collected mana stones from the monsters' corpses.
After several hours of walking, they finally reached the end of the trail. There was a massive stone gate with a symbol of a roaring dragon's head.
With all the members of the group standing before the imposing door, they gathered to deliberate and formulate a strategy. They were all aware that they were standing before the entrance to the dungeon's boss monster.
"How should we deal with the boss of this dungeon?" Luna asked, seeking the group's opinion.
"Given our observations so far, it's clear that the central theme of this dungeon revolves around wolves," Adam explained with conviction. He put aside all other considerations and focused entirely on the current situation.
The others nodded in agreement at Adam's explanation.
"So, what will our strategy be for facing the boss monster?" asked Sophia, seeking concrete and practical details.
"We'll use the same training we did when we entered the dungeon," Adam said with determination.
After discussing and agreeing on a strategy, they returned to their original positions.
It was clear that Noah was nervous; cold sweat drenched his back, revealing his unease.
This time, he chose not to position himself in the center of the formation, but at a safe distance, so as not to hinder the impending battle.
With the door just inches away, Adam pushed it hard and took a defensive stance, ready to face any attack that crossed the threshold.
The door swung open completely, and the group moved forward, now wearing tense and serious expressions, in stark contrast to the tone of voice they had used moments earlier when discussing strategy.
Once all the members had passed through the door.
BAM!
The heavy doors slammed shut. The resulting sound was so shocking that the entire group visibly shuddered.
"And now, how are we going to get out of here...?"
"Adam, what should we do to get out of this place?"
The rest of the group also began to panic, and the carefully maintained formation broke down out of fear of being trapped there.
Although they had explored many dungeons before, they had never been in one as unknown as this one.
Adam was also afraid, but his 10 years of experience as a hunter had prepared him for situations like this, so he wasn't as affected. Besides, it was his first time facing a dungeon like this.
'If the door has closed, it means that to get out of here, we must defeat the boss. However, given the current state of the group, it will be difficult.'
Adam calmly assessed the situation. His survival as a hunter was due not only to his strength, but also to his good judgment.
"Calm down and return to your positions! Don't let fear cloud your judgment."
Adam shouted in an attempt to reason with the group members. He was just as nervous and scared as the rest of them.
The group nodded and continued to take their positions, their expressions stiff with nervousness.
Noah, on the other hand, was very scared. He felt stomach pain and nausea from nerves.
'Will I get out of here unscathed? Will I even survive?'
His mind was filled with questions, and his nerves were becoming increasingly frayed.
As the group advanced, the torches on the walls lit up, completely illuminating the room and revealing its appearance.
The image of a giant dragon, now illuminated, eating the roots of an endless tree, was visible on the walls as figures plummeted from above.
At the back of the room was an altar, and behind it, a statue of a dragon feeding on roots.
Guarding the altar lay a large wolf with long, white fur, magnificent, stretching two or three meters.
The sight left everyone breathless, their throats suddenly dry. Noah, overcome by nerves, could no longer contain himself and...
"Buahhh..."
A guttural sound escaped his lips as he vomited everything he had eaten before entering the dungeon.
This unpleasant noise attracted the attention of the colossal wolf.
"Get ready!"
Adam shouted firmly as he felt the monster's gaze fixed on them, while sweat began to run down his face and back.
The group members tensed and relaxed as the imposing being stood completely upright.
"Attack!"
Adam roared with determination, instantly sending everyone at full speed toward the giant creature.
And so the battle began...