ch 8: The Forgotten Sands Dungeon
Elias returned to his room in Wing S and closed the door behind him. Exhaustion seeped into his bones like a slow poison.
He took off his sweat-stained shirt and collapsed onto his plush bed, but his mind refused to stop thinking and analyzing.
He closed his eyes and called out into the darkness.
(Deal)
(The Store is open,) came the immediate reply.
I want deep, restful sleep for 3 hours. Dreamless sleep that fully recharges my energy.
(Price: 10 Silver Coins.)
Rejected. The body is too stressed and needs neural repair. I want 1 Gold Coin.
Elias sighed with annoyance. Greedy as always... Agreed.
The gold coin vanished. In the next instant, Elias fell into a black abyss of restful sleep, as if someone had pressed the "off" switch on his consciousness.
Exactly three hours later, he opened his eyes. He was energized, clear-headed, and ready to move.
He showered and dressed in casual clothes: a white shirt and simple black trousers.
As he was about to leave, the building's receptionist called out to him:
"Mr. Reinhardt! Message from the administration. Instructor Marcus requests your presence in his office to receive your prize."
Elias nodded and headed to the administration building.
He knocked on the door and heard a gruff voice granting permission to enter.
When he entered, he found Marcus sitting behind his massive desk, and on the side sofa sat Princess Celine, sipping tea elegantly.
"Perfect timing, boy!" Marcus shouted with a broad grin. "Come claim your prize."
He took out a small crystal bottle containing a shimmering blue liquid.
"High-quality Mana Potion. This will help your training immensely."
Elias took the potion. A top-tier mana enhancement potion. Its market value was no less than 500 gold coins.
"Thank you, Instructor."
He excused himself to leave. All the while, Celine's eyes followed him silently, a heavy, analytical gaze as if she were trying to dissect his soul.
Elias walked out thinking: I need money to fund upcoming operations. Selling this potion is the fastest solution.
He remembered Eden, the crazy support student he had bumped into earlier.
He headed to the Support Building and asked around until he reached Lab 4.
Eden was there, his green hair disheveled, muttering nervously over a boiling cauldron.
"Okay... if I mix the standard Healing Potion with 'Life Root' extract, I'll get a Super Recovery Potion... yes..."
He poured a red liquid over a green liquid.
"Mr. Eden?" Elias called.
Eden jumped in fright. "Ah! Elias? What brings you here?"
"I need your help selling..."
Eden interrupted him, waving his hand: "Wait! Just a moment! The reaction is critical!"
He returned to his cauldron and began mixing rapidly. But the liquid started turning a murky brown, emitting a foul smell.
"Aaah! Damn it!" Eden slammed his fist on the table. "Failed again! Why does the Healing Potion cancel out the Recovery effect? Both treat the body!"
Elias approached and looked at the spoiled mixture coldly.
"Because their mechanisms are contradictory. The Healing Potion replaces damaged tissue with raw magic, while the Recovery Potion forces the body to accelerate its self-building process. When you mix them, external magic clashes with internal immunity."
Eden looked at him in astonishment. "Yes... that is theoretically correct. I was trying to make Healing bridge the gap while Recovery builds the foundation. But they repel each other."
Elias said calmly: "Add powdered 'Moonlight Herb'. It contains soothing properties and acts as a catalyst to reduce the immune reaction, allowing both potions to work in parallel."
Eden's eyes widened, his jaw almost hitting the floor. "Moonlight... My God! How did I not think of that?! It's the perfect binding agent!"
He looked at Elias with intense admiration. "Did you study alchemy?"
"Just a little," Elias replied quietly.
Eden suddenly remembered the reason for the visit. "Oh, right! You said you wanted to sell something?"
Elias took out the crystal bottle.
Eden whistled in awe. "Wow! Pure Mana Potion! Where did you get this?"
"First place prize."
"And you want to sell it? You're crazy! Any mage would kill for this!"
"I don't need it," Elias said briefly. "How much is it worth?"
Eden examined it expertly. "Hmm... 500 gold coins. Maybe 600 if we find a desperate buyer."
"When can we sell it?"
Eden thought for a moment, then smiled slyly. "Now. Fate smiles upon us. Mr. 'Cedric' sent a request to our department days ago looking for any mana boosters. It seems he thinks his magic failure against you was due to a mana shortage."
Elias smiled a cynical side smile. Poor Cedric. He will pay me money to try to defeat me.
"Sell it to him."
The two went to the department's reception desk. Eden handed over the potion, and minutes later returned with a heavy bag.
"600 gold coins. Transfer complete."
Elias took the bag, pulled out 100 coins, and handed them to Eden.
"This is for you."
"No, no!" Eden stepped back. "I didn't do anything! You gave me the potion and you fixed my experiment!"
"Take it," Elias insisted, shoving the money into Eden's hand. "Without you, I wouldn't have sold it this fast. Consider it an investment in your next potion."
Eden sighed with gratitude and took the money. "Thank you, Elias. You... aren't as bad as they say."
Elias left the Academy, and in a side alley, placed the money into his Spatial Ring.
A shadow appeared behind him.
"Master."
It was one of Marinda's men, his face slightly swollen from their "first encounter." He handed him a small note.
Elias opened it and read:
(Target: Martial King. Location: Rural Village of 'Narista'. Status: Living as a sick, reclusive old man. Appears to be dying.)
Elias burned the note with a small flame bought with a cheap deal.
"Narista... far, but not impossible."
He continued his way out of the city. His destination wasn't the village yet, but somewhere else.
A Dungeon near the capital.
He wore a magical mask that blurred his features and arrived at the dungeon entrance.
The guards stopped him. "ID?"
He presented a forged adventurer card (Rank B).
"Alright, enter. Warning: This is a Rank C dungeon, 'The Forgotten Sands Desert'. No bosses here, just regular monsters. Don't waste your time looking for big treasures."
Elias nodded and entered the portal.
The scene changed instantly. Yellow sands stretching to the horizon, and a scorching sun.
Elias walked into the depths of the dungeon, killing monsters along the way, collecting their corpses, and placing them in his storage ring.
He stopped at a large rock jutting out anomalously.
He took out a shovel and began to dig.
Beneath the sand, engraved stone tiles appeared.
(Deal: Shatter the stone barrier. Price: 5 Silver Coins.)
The stone shattered, revealing a dark spiral staircase leading down.
"The secret entrance."
Elias descended. The air below was cold and damp, reeking strongly of death.
A long corridor, littered with corpses of monsters and humans... moving.
"Parasites," Elias muttered.
Black slimy creatures controlling the corpses, using them as puppets.
The corpses attacked him.
(Deal?)
I want purifying fire magic. Burn them to the bone. For two hours.
(Price: One Platinum Coin and 30 Gold Coins.)
No, too expensive. Take something else.
(Sense of Smell and Taste for 12 hours.)
Greedy... Take Smell only.
(Agreed.)
Fire erupted from Elias's hands.
He carved his way through the corridor, turning the animated corpses to ash before they could touch him.
He reached the Boss Room at the end.
He opened the door.
Inside lay the "Black Worm Queen." A powerful Rank B monster thought to be extinct.
Ten meters long, covered in shiny black scales, with a tail ending in a venomous spike.
But she was dead... and moving.
A giant parasite had burrowed into her head and taken control of her massive body. An undead monster stronger than the living one, because it felt neither pain nor fear.
"Tch," Elias muttered. "I'm too late. The parasite has taken over completely."
The monster sensed his presence. The giant worm rose, roaring a sound not of this world.
Elias launched 10 massive fireballs.
They slammed into her body... but with little effect. The scales were too thick, and the parasite had enhanced her defenses.
The worm charged at him with insane speed.
Elias jumped, dodging her tail which shattered the wall behind him.
(Deal! Comprehensive physical boost! Price: 30 Gold Coins and numbness in the left hand!)
(Done.)
Elias wrestled with the beast. He struck and stabbed, but the skin was as hard as steel.
"Damn! She's stronger than I expected!"
While dodging a fatal strike, he glimpsed something.
A broken scale at the base of the head. The entry point where the parasite had infiltrated.
He retreated quickly, panting.
"New plan."
I want Ice Magic. Instant freeze for just 10 seconds.
(Price: Sense of Taste for 12 hours.)
Damn you... take it!
The sense of taste vanished, leaving nothing but bitterness in his mouth.
He gathered his energy and unleashed a concentrated ice wave toward the charging worm.
The monster froze in place, covered in a layer of blue frost.
Elias jumped.
Using the worm as a platform, he ran along her back until he reached the head.
He coated his sword with whatever fire magic he had left.
"Die!"
He drove the sword into the broken scale, deep into the skull.
KIIIIIIAAAAAA!
The parasite screamed a deafening screech that would have shattered Elias's eardrums had he heard it.
"Burn!" Elias shouted, detonating the fire magic inside the worm's head.
Flames exploded from the monster's eyes and mouth.
The giant worm fell, a lifeless corpse for the second and final time.
Elias jumped to the ground, and the burnt parasite fell beside him, gasping its last breath. Elias stabbed it to end its misery.
Elias fell to a sitting position, panting. The victory was costly and exhausting.
He crawled toward the back room where the treasure should be.
Empty.
"As expected... it's gone."
He sighed in disappointment, turned his exhausted body, and dragged himself out.
He exited the dungeon wearing his mask.
He nodded to the guard who saw him leave and walked away.
Behind him, the dungeon portal began to fluctuate. With a terrifying sound, it collapsed in on itself and vanished.
The death of the Boss (Black Worm Queen) led to the dungeon's collapse.
The two guards froze in place.
"It... it disappeared!" one screamed in horror. "The dungeon disappeared!"
He looked at his colleague with shock in his eyes. "The Captain will kill us! He will definitely kill us! That bastard... who was he?! He destroyed our source of livelihood!"
The guards ran after Elias, but he had already melted into the darkness, leaving behind only footprints erased by the wind, and an administrative disaster for the Adventurers' Guild.
