The Train to The Dungeon

Chapter 13: Rottenbloom Dungeon

The tunnel was not dark because the vines on the ceiling were emitting blue light. I can see clearly even without the help of the Clairvoyance ability.

The ground I was moving around was like breathing. There was slime-mucus forming a spider web and black creatures wriggling there, like worms the size of an adult's hand.

Slowly there was the sound of the clinking of weapons and blunt objects hitting the shield. Once out of the tunnel, Denis and I arrived at a larger area. There, the group led by Anto was fighting with a bunch of sprout-shaped monsters.

My eyes identified the monster by the name of Blighted Sprout. Class C monsters are sprout seed-shaped with two sharp leaf-shaped hands. They attacked by jumping and spinning like a top.

“Awas!” yell Denis, suddenly. He stood in front of me swinging his wand.

From the glowing blue circle appeared a puddle of water that spread out, then jumped a large fish from the water and preyed on the Blighted Sprout that was approaching towards us.

That's area-type defense capability. All around us were now inundated with clear water ripples. If there are monsters that set foot in the ripple, the fish in the form of the water element will immediately eat it.

Denis's ability was beyond my expectations. Come to think of it, as the Guild Leader he should indeed have good fighting abilities. I'm trying to identify his status using Clairvoyance, this is the first time I've tried it on a human.

Apparently could. A half-transparent blue screen appears above Denis' head.

[Name: Denis Wardana

Race: Human | Rank: A

Job: Mage | Element: Water

Path: Gentleness

Guild: Moon Orchid]

I was surprised, it turns out that he's a Rank A Hunter. Not only that, he also had a Path. Path is a blessing given to the chosen Hunter. It is still unknown where the source of Path's power came from and how Hunter was able to obtain Path, but some theorists on the internet believe that Path was passed down by the Dungeon's original entity. Some even call them gods.

While Denis and I were inside the safe blue-circle magic, Anto, Malih and his group seemed to be getting overwhelmed fighting. Their formation was actually quite good. Anto acts as a Tanker using his Taunt ability to lure all monsters to attack him. As he defended behind the shield, two mages from his group threw fire and wind balls.

Malih and four other group members who play as Fighters will storm from the side and slaughter the monsters. One of them was Marksman, he took a fairly safe distance and fired ice bullets from his handgun. However, the formation started to falter as more and more monsters appeared.

The two mages behind Anto looked pale, it seemed like they were starting to run out of mana. While Malih and four other Fighters were attacked from behind by the Blighted Sprout, so was their Marksman whose focus was split in two because he himself was attacked by several monsters. Anto end must defend while attacking alone.

Anto turned his head and accidentally saw us. His face immediately flushed.

“You—si glasses!” He shouted at Denis. “Your magic looks strong! Help us defeat these monsters! The result will be shared flat!”

In my heart I want to laugh at Anto. He was so easy to change his attitude when he had help, but did not hesitate to betray that person a second later. I hope Denis isn't inedible.

“Alright,” Denis replied.

I sighed, disappointed. It seems that it is not only Anto who does not like naive people, I also began to dislike the nature of Denis like that.

“I don't need material sharing, but I want you to respect my Porter, treat him like you treat other Hunters!” sahut Denis's.

I threw away my face, ashamed to hear him speak like that.

Oh, come on, Denis! The world is not that beautiful! My mind screams.

“I understand! I'm sorry, okay?” exciting Anto. “Please us now!”

Denis raised both his hands, the tip of his wand shone and instantly appeared a large circle in front of him. Waves of water emerged from that circle and moved forward like the damming waves sweeping across the Blighted Sprout. The attack did not kill the monsters, but caused a knock effect and left them sprawled motionless.

“Now! Chance!” malih Commando. The group immediately wiped out the remaining monsters.

After seeing Denis' ability, Anto also asked him to do a search together. I snorted, still not believing Anto's sweet words. However, Denis seemed to have no problem with that, he happily joined them.

During the journey inside the tunnel, various types of monsters sprung up, but thanks to good cooperation they were able to overcome them. Sometimes, there were some monsters that escaped their attention. The monsters crept from behind and the ceiling of the tunnel. I who was at the very back of the group secretly helped kill those monsters.

“That's the end of the tunnel,” said Malih who was in the front row.

We reached the edge of a steep cliff. Below there is a large area covered by a red puddle. Large roots dripping blood crept around the wall, on the ceiling was a large flower. The petals have teeth that are circular to the base and dark red.

Denis opened his notes and looked at the area closely, then he nodded at me. “This is the place.”

“What place?” ask Anto, curious.

“Dragon’s Breath, we are looking for that plant,” Denis replied, too honest.

“Dragon’s Breath?” sahut a Mage from Anto's group. “Isn't that a rare and expensive plant? I've seen it on the Hunter Association auction site, the price per stalk can reach hundreds of millions, right?”

Hearing the words of its members, Anto and Malih immediately gulped. The two of them glanced at each other while throwing sneaky grins. Those two guys must be up to something.

“You sure this is the place? There are no plants at all down there, there are only large flowers above the cave sky,” Anto said.

“How about we make sure first?” proposed Malih while grinning. “We send one person to check down there.

Not yet received the approval from Denis, Malih suddenly kicked me in the back. I could have avoided it, but I purposely allowed it so that Denis could see their true nature.

“What do you do?” exclaim Denis, angry.

“You don't like it? Why don't you come downstairs?” anto asked with a slanted smile.

“You promised earlier!”

Anto stepped in front of Denis, his gaze sharp and threatening. “What appointment? I don't remember ever making an appointment with a dead body.”

“What do you mean?”

Anto jerked Denis' shoulder, pushed him hard and Denis fell into the valley.

I managed to land downstairs, while Denis who was still in shock didn't seem to have time to use his powers. In this case, his body could be injured from falling from a high place. Before Denis's back hit the surface I jumped up and caught him.

Anto and Malih were laughing from up there.

“Find the plant that's right!” anto's orders.

They left me and Denis in the area. Denis tried to climb that cliff but it was very difficult. The surface is slippery due to the red mucus coming out of the cliff walls. He tried to jump, but still could not reach the height of the tunnel above.

Denis's breathing panted, he was exhausted. His magic ability is indeed great, but his physical endurance is very weak, like most Mages in general.

He looked at me. “Sorry, Arka. I got you stuck in a situation like this.”

“It's okay, I know they did have bad intentions from the beginning.”

“Do you know them?”

“Just heard the rumors about Anto and Malih,” I replied, lying. It was better not to tell about the events in the treasure room.

“So yes, it is appropriate from the beginning you look reluctant to enter this tunnel, apparently because of one path with them,” concluded Denis.

“Soal them we can think about later,” I said as I turned around. I sense the existence of entities in the area. My hair bristles because of the sensation of cold wriggling. The creatures hiding in this area must be powerful monsters. Even without revealing his form I already felt pressure from him.

My head looked up, like someone was watching from the ceiling. The flower petals decorated with teeth move around. A long tongue emerges from the middle of the flower.

The ceiling cracked and appeared a giant centipede-shaped monster that had the head of a human baby. The flower petals that have since been seen are his mouth. The monster slid down while stretching its bulging mouth.

I activated the Shadow Move skill and brought Denis to avoid the monster. The monster hit the surface and directly dived into the ground. There was a sound like a rumble circling around us. His head poked out to the surface, followed by his long body up to the tail.

The length of this monster might reach 15 meters. Its body is divided into ten segments composed of pieces of the human body. The legs of this centipede are shaped like human hands that are forced to connect to segments of his body. The number of his hands was numerous and countless.

“Is he Boss Dungeon?” ask Denis who looks surprised. He did not feel the presence of the monster.

I used Clairvoyance to scan information from him. The name of the monster is Cadaver Centipede and below it is written “Boss Dungeon”. His HP bar range was long like the Nightshade Raven. However, I feel that his ability is slightly below that crow monster.

The tring!

[Quest: Defeat Cadaver Centipede (0/1)

Reward: Hunter Kit Chest, Centipreda’s Gauntlet, Status Point +5

Pinalty: Death]

I smiled as the quest notification from the system appeared. Unlike when I first met Nightshade Raven, this time I actually felt my blood rustling with enthusiasm. I'm not afraid of the monster, I want to fight him instead and see how far my abilities have progressed.

“True, he's the Dungeon Boss,” I answered Denis's question.

Denis observed the monster at a glance. “I think his ability is equivalent to a Class B.” monster

The face of Guild Leader Moon Orchid was turning pale, “Usually, it takes a minimum of three A-ranked Hunters to defeat a Class B Dungeon Boss, it was also one of them should be a damage dealer like Fighter, Marksman, or Assassin.”

Denis tightened his grip on the handle of the stick. Determination rounded.

“Let me fight it! Arka, you take cover and try to run from here,” he said.

I appreciate Denis' kindness, but he'll be killed fighting this monster himself.

“It's okay, leave the Dungeon Boss to me.”

I said as I stepped forward. My index finger moved through the air, sliding from top to bottom. My weapon, Grasscutter instantly appeared within my grasp. This is a new feature to activate the automatic weapon of the system, I just found it earlier.

“Don't joke, Arka! You can't be—ugh!” Denis stopped talking because he was hit by a strong wind when I jumped into the air. His eyes widened to see me doing the rounds while swinging the Grasscutter scythe towards the head of the Cadaver Centipede.

The crescent tip stuck in the head of the Cadaver Centipede and the monster instantly roared with a terrible sound, like a bleating goat and a baby cry. He swung his head tightly, then infiltrated back into the ground. I pulled my scythe and jumped from the top of his head before being carried to the ground.

My footing trembled and the monster reappeared to the surface. He chased after me who jumped to and fro, the segments on his body turning and each leg throwing red javelins, but all I could avoid.

I used the Shadow Move then galloped and rode on the back of the Cadaver Centipede while pinning the tip of my scythe. The centipede monster's body wriggled, trying to knock me down, but I harnessed the force of gravity and glided while still sticking Grascutter's blade from the nape to the belly of Cadever Centipede. A huge wound stretched across the body of the creature.

Cadevar Centipede roared loudly, instantly from the wall came huge holes and a centipede monster as tall as an adult human out of it. The number is quite a lot. They immediately surrounded me and Denis.

I turned to the young man for worry, but Denis was still able to handle it. He is seen swinging his staff while issuing a water wave technique to prevent the centipedes from approaching him. He occasionally counterattacked by firing high-pressure water and killing the monsters.

One of the centipedes managed to get close to me. Sort of, I directly finished him off with a scythe slash. I used Shadow Move again and cleared the horde of centipedes that ran my way.

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

Cadiver Centipede looked in pain, he coiled into a ball. Red light shot out from between his wounds and grew thick skin over his body.

Naw, he'll harden his skin!

I need to prevent that from happening immediately. While jumping in the air I swung the tip of my scythe, ready to injure the head of the Cadever Centipede, but suddenly the monster raised its face. From his mouth spurted a thick green liquid that instantly splashed all over my body.

[Warning! Poison detected!]

I could hear the sound of a system warning in my head, but my vision was covered by the green mucous membrane. My body fell into the puddle below. I coughed because some of the green liquid went into my nostrils and mouth.

[Warning! Poison is detected in the body!]

[Warning! You are affected by mild paralysis!]

Right after the warning appeared, the lower part of my body became numb and could not be moved. The upper part of my body can still move, but it feels stiff and hard. The green liquid not only gave a paralysis effect, but the poison caused my HP bar to start to decrease.

When I thought it was the worst part, I missed my guess. The monster's entire hand suddenly opened like a hole and sprayed out green gas. The gas quickly spread and filled the space. I heard Denis coughing, he seemed to be inhaling the gas.

Denis' body suddenly stiffened and fell. He was also affected by paralysis, but it was more severe. The effects of poison started to appear in his body. The centipede monsters began to swarm Denis' body. They bite their hands, feet and body.

The cry of Denis in pain sounded horror in my ears. I have to do something, otherwise Denis will die.

Move please!

As I tried to move my feet, from behind the green mist came Cadaver Centipede. He opened his mouth and grabbed my body. I was dragged and brought into the ground.