All three crates burst open.
[Weapon Acquired: Dagger (F); +1 Atk]
[Weapon Acquired: Sword (F); +2 Atk]
[Weapon Acquired: Sword (F); +2 Atk]
"These three weapons?" Jerry asked, looking at the weapons that now lay on the cold floor. He picked up one of the swords. Average size it seemed.
[Congratulations you have a small-sized sword 🎉🥳👏]
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jerry shouted at the words floating in front of him.
[🤭]
[Aww stop being annoyed and try swinging it… the sword.]
"Tch."
Jerry, standing tall in an awkward stance, swung his sword. It had no power in it. He swung after swing.
[Do it probably 🙂]
"I'm trying." .
[You're doing it wrong.]
"Then teach me."
[Teach you? Noob 😑]
"Hey! How do you even know that word?" He clenched his hand into a fist grinding his teeth at it.
[Don't worry about it. I did some research 😉]
[Now stop wasting your time. You need to level up and get strong so that you can impress that copper chick. 😚]
"I don't want to do that!"
[Whyyyy????]
"Why would I?"
[I don't know. Get resources early, and maybe money, plus weapons.]
He paused when he heard that. His body relaxed as if he were considering that. But froze as if realisation pulled him back, "Are you suggesting I become a gold digger?"
Silence…
[Oh… 😬 I didn't notice that 😑. Correction🌚: Copper digger—]
"Shut up."
With a red face, he took a new stance and swing.
[✨Dungeon Experience Gained: +1]
He froze, staring at the notification. "I also get exp by doing this?"
[Apparently, yeah.]
"So, I don't have to kill? Right?"
[Correct…]
[Wait, don't tell me that means you're gonna quit killing entirely?]
Two pairs of boots clicked through the dungeon's cold interior floors. The doorframe was filled with shadows. A boy stumbled through first. A girl followed, tripping over nothing.
The boy grabbed her arm. Pulled her up. Let go too fast.
"You're going to get us killed."
"You're the one who said we had to pay off the debt!" The girl's voice bounced off the stone walls. "I just picked the dungeon."
"You picked an E-Rank dungeon!"
"The E-rank boss dungeon is two doors down! This one is Gateway. Gateway means easy."
Another step and now they came before an open doorway from where a figure could be seen sitting on the cold floor with its back turned towards them.
"Then why is he just standing there?" He asked, pointing at the figure.
They both looked at Jerry.
Jerry, sword in hand, red-faced, sweat on his temples, sweat-drenched hair sticking to his forehead, with the hair undone, he did not move.
The boy's hand hovered over his weapon, a short sword chipped and covered in scratches. The girl gripped her staff with both hands. Knuckles white.
"Is that… the boss?" she whispered.
"How should I know?"
"You're supposed to be the experienced one!"
"I'm experienced with rats. Not…" He gestured at Jerry. "Whatever that is."
"He's not moving."
"Maybe he's asleep."
"Bosses don't sleep."
"Then why isn't he attacking?"
"Maybe he's waiting."
"For what?"
"I don't know! A signal! Something!"
Jerry with his hand on his knee for support stood up with a groan. He turned around and met their eyes. They stared at Jerry. Jerry stared at them.
Jerry yawned.
The girl's mouth opened. "Did he just yawn?"
"I saw it."
"Bosses don't yawn."
"Apparently they do."
[They're siblings 😂]
Jerry's eyes twitched. The pair shared similarities in their face, colour of dark eyes and dark hair.
[The boy is terrified. The girl is pretending she isn't. This is premium content 🍿]
He raised his hand. One puppet arm sprouted from his back.
The girl screamed. "WHAT'S THAT??!!"
The boy threw himself in front of her—then immediately grabbed her arm.
"I CHANGED MY MIND! RUN!"
They ran. Into each other. The girl shoved the boy toward Jerry. The boy yanked her back. They tripped over the same stone the girl had tripped on.
The girl threw her staff. It sailed towards Jerry's head and bounced off him. Clattered against the wall.
"That was our only weapon!"
"I'LL GET IT!"
She ran toward the staff. Toward Jerry. She grabbed it. Screamed. Ran back.
They disappeared through the doorway still arguing.
"You threw the staff!"
"You weren't protecting me!"
"I WAS IN FRONT OF YOU!"
"THEN STAY IN FRONT!"
The echoes faded.
Jerry stood alone with a sword in his hand and an extra arm behind him.
[That was adorable 😍. Did you see how he jumped in front of her?]
Jerry just sighed and let the sword fall to the floor. The arm disappeared from his back and his ass met the cold floor.
With his head down and hands on his knees, he said, "Show my progress."
[DUNGEON INFORMATION]
———————————————————
NAME: Unnamed Dungeon #47
RANK: GATEWAY (Tutorial Level)
CURRENT LEVEL: 3
NEXT LEVEL: 4 (37/2,000)
MONSTER COUNT: 135
SPECIAL FEATURES: None
CURRENT BOSS: Jerry (Level 1)
———————————————————
"Wait, thirty-seven? Only thirty-seven? But I've been training for hours."
[Correct. But how did you swing in those hours? You swung in a very wrong way and that led to this. You should've known by the pop-ups.]
"I… I wasn't paying attention—"
[Skill issue.]
"Hey!"
[Now come on you gotta earn those muscles 💪 in your boney arms for… some individual.]
He looked up at the words and shook his head, throwing his hands in the air "Tch, I'm not even gonna say anything."
A quiet silence settled in. He leaned back and looked up at the floor.
[You know, loose hair suits you. Stop tying your hair. It'll give you a better chance with… You know… 😏]
"Yeah…? Wow, I believe that." His expression didn't change a bit as he began to close his eyes. Took in a deep breath and whispered to himself, "I wonder what Greg is up to…"