Within the Dungeon from the Void

Two and a half years later

Jake never really thought much about his lot in life. All he really cared about was protecting her. But she’s gone, leaving him to pick up the pieces.

That is, until he was invited to join the City Lord’s Mercenary party. Then it felt like his life was turned upside down.

At first it felt strange. Especially when he learned that the City Lord – who he now calls by his first name, Leon – was the half brother of his old party leader. But over time, the others no longer looked at him with suspicion. He became one of them. One of the group.

And now he questions why he decided to join a group with someone whose luck is so… questionable.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Jake hears Pallus shouting as they all stare at the side of the room they’re all in. The room is one of the mystery rooms on the fourteenth floor of the dungeon.

And this one in particular is based on a random roll of luck.

I’m going to punch that damned wolf of a dungeon avatar in the face the next time I see him for making this floor!!!

Jake can’t help but shout that in his own head without – of course – saying it out loud. Because he’d never risk making that thing angry. Even as he’s staring down his bow at a massive, black slime creature seemingly covered in void energy that had just plopped down from the ceiling after Rose – who was picked at random to make a draw – drew the worst possible peg from the table.

“Rose! Did you forget?!” Pallus continues shouting as the team sends over a barrage of attacks towards the slime, only for most of them – the magical attacks in particular – to be absorbed by the void energy making up the creature’s body, whereas the physical ones pass straight through. “In situations like this, pick one and then grab another one! You do not ever go with your first choice!!”

Out of the corner of Jake’s eye, he sees Rose rolling her eyes and muttering something that almost has him stumbling in his shot at the slime. But he holds firm and aims at the creature’s core, sending a charged bolt straight at it. The arrow flies true, but the mana within the shot dissipates the moment it strikes the goo of the slime. That doesn’t stop the arrow itself, which is laden with World Ore, when it manages to pass through and straight into the core, shattering it in the process.

Every member of the party then watches as the slime slowly dissipates, leaving void energy filled gas to fill up the room.

“Hold your breath!” Leon shouts, and everyone does as he says. Then the door on the side of the room opens when the gas is already halfway towards them, and they all make a break for it, only letting out their breath the moment they pass through, and the door shuts behind them.

Jake along with all of the other party members collapse on the ground, exhausted from the events of the last floor, only for everyone to glare at Rose. Who just conveniently finds the ceiling incredibly interesting to look at.

After a few seconds of this, Leon sighs and gets back to his feet.

“I can just imagine him laughing at us right now…” Jake hears him mutter, to which he can’t help but nod his head in agreement.

I really can see that dungeon core laughing. Well, if he ever laughed, that is.

Over the past couple of years, things have been rather peaceful. And since the dungeon’s avatar created his above-ground tower, immigration into the neutral nation has drastically increased. Which has led to just as large an increase in the size of the capital, Wolfdenn.

There’ve been no wars, no real conflicts, and not even very much political drama. The most that’s happened – if Leon’s muttered complaints during their dungeon runs were anything to go by – were the occasional Human causing trouble for the Demonic Races.

Which is rather ironic considering that they’re the ones considered Demonic Races, and not us.

Right as Jake is about to get up from the floor, the entire dungeon begins to shake rather violently. Which looks and feels incredibly strangely when the dungeon itself is located inside of the void, making small black particles of void energy float through the air and making it difficult to see even a dozen meters ahead of you. The shaking grows more and more violent before what sounds like a loud thunder clap echoes throughout the entire dungeon.

Jake can’t help but grin at that, and he notices the others doing the same out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s about fucking time, Fenrir!” Leon shouts practically at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing throughout the dungeon corridor in front of them.

It’s finally time for the dungeon to make another boss floor!

The others begin chatting amongst themselves, raising questions about what sort of boss Fenrir will go with next? What the new floor will be like? Will it have any sort of luck focused aspects.

Jake can’t help but glance at Rose when she asks that last question, and so do the others. But she just ignores those looks as she once again finds the ceiling convenient to look at.

The party spends a few minutes chatting as their mana regenerates before eventually climbing to their feet and starting their way through the floor again. But only a few seconds afterwards, they feel a presence looking directly at them, making them understand that the dungeon core wants them to know he’s there. Then his voice echoes in their ears.

“You’ll find out in due time, but try not to be so rude, Hybrid. You should learn to be more like your assistant.”

Then, before the City Lord can even respond to the remark, the presence leaves again, making Leon glare at the ceiling as if that would do something.

Must. Not. Laugh.

Jake repeats this thought over and over in his head before the party continues making its way through the floor.