BANG!
The Myconid's body splattered across the ground.
With the last of the adult Myconids defeated, the metal gate behind them groaned and lifted back up.
At the same time, the purple mushroom mats growing across all six walls suddenly began to wither and die in rapid succession. As if tied to the creatures' lives, the fungal carpets dried out and shrank to brittle, gray husks within seconds.
"It's over."
Everyone finally let out a breath of relief.
When the gate had dropped earlier, it had felt like being locked in a cage. But with the Myconids gone, the room returned to normal.
"This whole place feels like some kind of combat trial." Gauss narrowed his eyes. The dungeon hadn't gone out of its way to trap them—just enough to force a fight and then immediately unlock everything once the battle ended.
"Yeah," Lawrence nodded. "I've heard people say these old dungeons were training grounds for soldiers from the Forgotten Kingdom."
"Fight monsters. Clear the room. Get loot. Rest. Move forward."
"But hey, that's just what people say. I'm not exactly an expert."
Gauss nodded thoughtfully. For adventurers like them, all they needed to know was that there were monsters to fight and loot to earn. The rest didn't matter much.
RUMBLE...
Once the mushrooms finished decaying, a stone pillar rose from the center of the room with a heavy grinding sound.
Set into the center of the pillar were a few strange objects.
Gauss and the others gathered around.
On top sat three amber-colored gel spheres. Within each sphere, purple fungal veins swirled around clusters of compressed spores that looked almost like fish eggs.
"Spore Bombs."
Somehow, the words echoed in everyone's mind at once.
They exchanged glances—instinctively understanding what they were.
Throw one, and it would explode into a shockwave of high-pressure spores, capable of causing serious damage to enemies—or terrain.
Of course, they weren't smart enough to avoid friendly fire, so anyone nearby could get caught in the blast.
In short, these were powerful one-use weapons.
"Bag them up," Lawrence nodded to Edith, the rogue. "Carefully. I don't want to end up as mushroom paste."
"Relax," Edith said, already pulling out a padded pouch. She gently placed the spore bombs inside.
"Who knows, we might need these later in the dungeon. If not, we can split the value at the end."
No one objected.
Meanwhile, Gauss was feeling… different.
Ever since they picked up the bombs, something strange had shifted—like something in the air was seeping into his mind. He felt it stirring the spell models engraved into his will.
He opened his Adventurer's Manual.
Just as he suspected—something had changed.
[You have entered a special map: Forgotten Kingdom – Micro-Dungeon.]
[Mage Armor Proficiency +1]
Mage Armor Lvl.3 (27/50)
[Magic Missile Proficiency +1]
Magic Missile Lvl.3 (19/20)
"!"
Two of his skills had gained a point of proficiency. Was it a reward for clearing the Myconid room?
Gauss subtly glanced at his teammates.
They didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
So the skill boost... was it unique to him?
Was it something tied to his adventurer panel?
Or maybe it was something else?
He didn't think the others got this kind of benefit—at least, if they did, they weren't reacting.
After all, when Gauss had first noticed his own skill improvements, it wasn't thanks to the system—it was a feeling, a sensation that something had changed inside him. He'd only opened the Manual to confirm it.
If the others had felt something like that, they'd probably show it.
He swallowed and looked ahead toward the next stretch of the dungeon.
A single point of proficiency might not seem like much—but with this many rooms?
Yeah. This dungeon was the real deal.
And the rewards weren't just loot.
Was this place truly a training ground from a lost civilization? And why did only he gain skill improvements from it?
If other people could level their skills this fast, they'd be lining up to get in here.
His mind buzzed.
"Let's rest up," someone called.
Gauss pulled his thoughts together. No sense obsessing over it now.
They'd cleared the mushroom room. The air was breathable again.
Everyone took off their masks and sat down to recover.
Who knew what the next chamber would hold?
Even though Edith had scouted parts of the dungeon earlier, that was before they'd triggered whatever mechanism had fully awakened this place.
Now, things were different.
Gauss drank deeply from his waterskin, excitement quietly building again.
…
"RAAARGH!"
"Draw them in! My Light spell seems to suppress them!" Gauss shouted to his teammates, who were kiting a mob of zombies.
As the undead stumbled into range, Gauss raised his bone wand.
"Light!"
A brilliant beam burst forth, washing the area in pure white.
Gauss had noticed something during their journey: his Light wasn't normal. Not when cast through the bone wand.
There was something holy about it—something that hurt dark creatures.
And it worked.
The moment the zombies entered the illuminated zone, their movements stalled. Hollow eye sockets flickered as their pupils contracted. Rotting jaws twisted in agony as they moaned and writhed in the light.
The pain slowed them down. Their limbs creaked like dry timber.
"Let's go!" someone shouted.
The team surged forward, emboldened by the sudden advantage.
"Go for the heads!"
Most of the dungeon's undead had some kind of regeneration. Only a clean decapitation would finish them for good.
"Got it!"
Gauss moved fast.
One hand held his wand, radiating divine light. The other swung his sword, cleanly slicing through the zombie's moldy, dirt-crusted neck.
"Zombie Slain x1"
[New Title Earned: 'Zombie Hunter.' This title will upgrade as kills increase..]
[Current Title Effect: Sharpened – +10% penetration when attacking zombies and related species.]
Glancing at his interface, Gauss nodded in satisfaction—and rushed the next target.
SLASH!
The sword cut deep, slicing through another zombie's swollen, moldy neck like wet paper.
More rotten blood splattered the floor.
A few minutes later, the last of the zombies fell.
RUMBLE.
As expected, a pedestal rose in the center of the room—this time with a few bottles of red and blue potions.
Edith moved to collect them, as usual.
Everyone else collapsed where they stood, exhausted and panting.
Even though they'd taken breaks outside the dungeon, the constant tension and darkness had worn them down.
Waking up every day to this oppressive space, fighting stink-covered monsters—it took its toll.
"Let's rest. I think we're almost done with this dungeon," Lawrence said, noting everyone's worn expressions.
Gauss nodded and found a clean patch of ground to sit. While the others recovered, he opened his panel:
Skills:
Cantrip: Light lv2 (5/20)
Cantrip: Mage Hand Lvl.3 (25/50)
Level 1 Spell: Magic Missile Lvl.3 (13/50)
Level 1 Spell: Mage Armor Lvl.3 (45/50)
Swordsmanship Basics Lvl.2 (10/20)
Traits: Quick Digestion, Magic Resistance
…
These few days had paid off.
His Light spell and swordsmanship had reached Lvl.2.
Magic Missile had hit Lvl.3, unlocking a "double-cast" ability—he could now launch two projectiles nearly simultaneously, and they flew faster than before.
Mage Armor had jumped by 18 whole points. He was close—so close—to Lvl.4.
With it came a deepened understanding of his magic's resonance. He was certain now: Lvl.4 would unlock his true path to becoming a full-fledged spellcaster.
Total Monster Kills: 178
Only 22 away from the next milestone.
They'd already cleared the left and right wings of the dungeon.
Only the central path remained.
While Gauss was thinking, Lawrence gathered the group.
"Stay alert, everyone. According to what I've heard, these dungeons sometimes contain hidden or 'special' rooms. We haven't encountered one yet, but better safe than sorry."
He marked a big X on their map and looked toward the corridor that led deeper in.