Chapter 28
The mont Zen and the others crossed the shimring threshold, a wave of cold air slamd into them, unnatural, biting, and thick with rot.
The stone corridor ahead stretched forward in silence, dimly lit by eerie green crystals embedded in the jagged walls, pulsing slowly like a heartbeat that belonged to sothing unseen.
The ground beneath their boots was cracked and uneven, a mixture of wet moss, bloodstains, and dried claw marks that told countless stories of violence.
Strange whispers echoed faintly, though no source could be seen, as if the dungeon itself was alive and murmuring secrets to anyone foolish enough to enter.
Rusted chains dangled from above. So clattered softly against the walls with each gust of wind, while others swayed slowly, skeletal remains still shackled to their ends as if frozen in eternal tornt.
Every few steps, the group would pass twisted statues—grotesque faces carved into the walls, their mouths agape like they had died screaming, their stone eyes following intruders with unsettling precision.
Deeper in, the corridor widened into a vast chamber, with four arched paths branching out in different directions.
At the center stood a crumbled pillar carved with faded runes, perhaps a dungeon marking system or maybe a long-forgotten warning that ti had eroded into near-aninglessness.
"Huh?" Zarin whispered, confusion etched across his face as he stared at the four arched paths, unsure which to take. "Where do we head to now?"
"Why are there four paths? How do we even know which one leads to the right place?" Rina asked, her head twisting as she glanced nervously at each shadowy corridor.
’If I had played the damn ga longer, I might have been able to guide them safely. Wait... the ga description never ntioned a setup like this. Could this be the work of the developers, or the hand of the ga lord itself?’ Zen thought as he carefully examined the four paths.
’Unless soone here has X-ray vision or has played further than I did, then we’ll have to randomly choose a di—’
"Let’s go there." Aria’s voice cut through the silence as she pointed to the fourth path on the far right. "That one leads to where the beasts that rule this dungeon stay."
Then she pointed to the far left path. "That one leads to where the precious gems and stones are hidden."
Her finger shifted toward the corridor directly in front of them. "That path leads to the boss room. And finally, the last path..." she said, pointing back to the one closest to the group, "is our way out of here."
As she finished, a stunned hush befell the group. Their eyes widened, their jaws slack, as if they had just been told the answer to a riddle none of them even knew existed.
"Huhhhh?!" they all exclaid at once.
"What? Why are you looking at like that?" Aria asked, frowning slightly as she glanced around at the group.
"H...how do you know all that?" Rina asked, her voice trembling sowhere between curiosity and suspicion.
"I don’t know." Aria shrugged casually. "Just guesswork. Or maybe you could say it’s my sixth sense."
’That is no freaking sixth sense. That’s the sense of a hardcore gar who has spent far too many nights raiding until dawn.’ Zen thought with a loud gulp, staring at Aria suspiciously. ’Or... is she also a transmigrated player? Damn it, this system has ssed with my mind so badly I can’t even tell who is who anymore.’
{Or maybe she just participated in countless raids, you fool. Are people from your world really this dense?}
’You know, I was really starting to appreciate the silence when you didn’t open your damn mouth. Keep your notifications to yourself and spare the headache.’ Zen snapped inwardly.
{You’ll miss when I’m gone... la la la la la.}
’Like hell I will.’ Zen huffed, clenching his fists tightly as the group exchanged uncertain glances.
"I an, we don’t really have any other option but to trust Aria’s so-called sixth sense," Ryker said as he lazily pulled the longsword from his back.
He stretched his arms wide, yawned loudly, and dragged his blade across the ground as though the weight of it matched the weight of his exhaustion.
"And I would really appreciate it if we quickly got this over and done with so I can finally go to sleep," he added, already trudging toward the fourth path, the rest reluctantly following.
"As if he would actually sleep," Zarin scoffed, shaking his head. "Be like instead. Rather than wasting your life sleeping, try to hoard girls. Trust , you’d see how much better life can be."
"Remind again, how many girls have you managed to hoard?" Rina asked with a chuckle, her eyes narrowed in playful disbelief as she kept walking.
"Uhm... you for one." Zarin puffed out his chest with confidence, his grin smug.
"And once again, I’ve got a boyfriend," Aria replied flatly, not even bothering to glance at him.
"Not like you’ll marry that over-bulky guy. He looks like he’d flatten you in your sleep. When he finally leaves, I’ll still be here waiting for you." Zarin’s teeth flashed in a wide, mischievous smile.
"So basically, that ans you’ve got no girls hoarded. At all." Zen muttered, his voice low as he dragged his feet. The heavy bag pressing on his back almost bent him forward.
"You know, no one asked for your opinion, you porter!" Zarin snapped, spinning around to glare daggers at Zen.
"We are here now, so I need silence from you loudmouths." Ryker finally shouted, turning on his heels to glare at them.
His finger pointed toward the entrance ahead, a dark opening that looked less like a passage and more like a hungry mouth waiting to swallow whoever dared enter.
With slow, steady steps, they all walked inside one at a ti. The narrow corridor forced them into pairs at most, their shoulders brushing against jagged stone walls as water dripped from above.
Small puddles splashed under their boots, breaking the silence only when Ryker’s yawns rumbled out again.
"And he wants us silent when he keeps yawning like a farm pig," Zarin scoffed under his breath, but Ryker ignored him completely, yawning even louder this ti, which only made Zarin’s eye twitch in frustration.
Finally, the path widened and opened into a cavernous room. The air was damp and carried the musky scent of beasts.
Stalagmites jutted from the ground like jagged teeth, and a faint mist clung near the floor. At the far back of the cavern, another passage lood, partially concealed by shadows.
Several beasts prowled the cavern floor, not fighting but moving about with surprising calm, as though the space belonged entirely to them.
"If those beasts can walk in harmony without tearing each other apart, doesn’t that make them more civilized than you, Zarin?" Ryker muttered, his voice laced with dry sarcasm before another yawn slipped out.
"Tch!" Zarin scoffed and rose from his crouched position, tightening his grip on his sword. "Whatever. Shall we go hunt now?"
"Yeah. You guys go ahead. I’m too lazy and tired to bother," Ryker said with a dismissive wave before sitting down at the cavern’s edge, balancing his sword across his lap.
"I will—" Zarin began.
"Shush." Aria cut him off sharply, raising her hand before pointing into the cavern. "We can handle this ourselves. Let’s move."
"Whatever!" Zarin roared before leaping forward, sword gleaming in the dim green glow. "Ti to hunt so motherfucking beasts!"
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