The dungeon air was thick with dust and silence, broken only by the hesitant footsteps of the seven figures trailing their instructor. Their torches flickered against the damp stone walls, shadows dancing like restless spirits.
"Stay close," their instructor warned, eyes scanning the hall ahead. "This place doesn't feel like your normal F-rank dungeon."
The youngsters nodded, bodies tensing as they grew more alert.
Then they saw it.
A colossal temple loomed at the heart of the dungeon, its gates towering and ancient, carved with runes that pulsed faintly in the dark. The group hesitated, but curiosity gnawed at them, and together they crossed the threshold.
The silence shattered.
Bang!
A deafening echo thundered through the temple.
"What's that…?" Theo muttered, eyes darting nervously around.
"That's strange… the sound came from nowhere," Ray whispered.
Max frowned, his steps faltering. "Should we really be here?"
Bang!
The torches lining the walls flared to life, one after another, casting long shadows across the runed walls.
"I think we should leave," Chris instructed, signalling the 7 to start moving towards the exit while he watches the rear.
Bang!
Before anyone could move, a third shockwave ripped through the floor. Circles of light burst open beneath each of the seven, glowing like hungry portals.
Leonel's eyes widened. "What the—"
Before he could finish, the floor swallowed him whole.
When he opened his eyes, Leonel lay sprawled on smooth stone, his vision hazy. The air here was colder, charged with a presence that pressed down on his chest. He rose slowly, rubbing his temple, and scanned the chamber.
"Ouch… where am I?" Leonel muttered. His lips curled wryly. "Looks like we've been separated. Tough luck—but what can I do except roll with it? Now… what do we have here?"
Strange runes and hieroglyphs covered the walls, ancient patterns carved with precision.
"Hm… I don't understand a thing." His face twisted into despair. "Don't tell me all those manuscripts I studied are worthless now!"
For a moment he was on the brink of tears, but then he slapped his cheeks with both hands. Smack!
"Whatever! It's not the end of the world. Let's keep going."
His gaze finally settled on one rune in particular—a star-shaped mark, its five points glowing in red, white, blue, gold, and green. It seemed to call to him, brighter, sharper than all the rest.
Against his better judgment, Leonel stepped forward. His palm met the cold surface of the star.
The chamber groaned.
The ceiling split open, stone grinding as the floor beneath him began to rise. Higher, higher—until it stopped, leaving him standing on a solitary platform.
Around him, five colossal pillars emerged from the void, arranged in the shape of a star. Each radiated a different aura—daunting, mysterious, oppressive.
Leonel whistled softly. "Damn… whoever built this place had some serious taste." His eyes swept across the pillars with awe. "Now… how am I supposed to get to those?"