My Cheat Skill Lets Me Copy Powers....But only if i kill-Chapter 34: The Dungeon Exploration Part 3

Chapter 33 – The Dungeon Exploration

The staircase spiraled down into shadow, each step a hollow echo in the silence. Renji's hand brushed the rough wall beside him, feeling the subtle vibration of power humming beneath the surface. This level wasn't just darker — it felt alive.

Mana thickened with every breath, clinging to his skin like fog. The air held a weight, as if the dungeon pressed in from all sides, suffocating sound and space.

Elara's voice cut through the quiet. "It's different down here. Focused. Like the place knows we're coming."

Lena nodded, fingers tight around her sword hilt. "Not just pressure... intent."

At the base of the stairs, the corridor opened wide. Stonework shifted — no longer crude and worn like the first level, but precise, elegant, and lined with glowing runes that pulsed softly as they approached.

The Shadowfang's low growl echoed in the chamber. It stepped carefully, ears pinned, every muscle coiled tight.

Then it hit — a sudden, piercing chime in Renji's mind, sharp and clear.

[System Notification]

Warning: Ancestral Enchantment Detected.

You have entered Sanctified Grounds — remnants of an ancient civilization's sealing magic resonate within this domain.

Soul Recognition is Obscured.

Experience Points (XP) and Skill Progression temporarily disabled within dungeon bounds.

Effect Cause: Dormant Seal Fragmentation — distorts soul imprint, preventing external growth.

Effect Duration: Until departure from dungeon grounds.

Advisory: Prolonged exposure may trigger additional anomalies.

Renji staggered slightly, his breath catching in his throat. The words burned into his vision, then faded, leaving a chill down his spine.

Lena turned, noticing the tension in his stance. "Something wrong?"

He didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the corridor ahead, now aware of just how hostile this place truly was — not only to their bodies, but to their very growth.

"Cant level up in here" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "This place won't let us."

Elara's expression darkened. "Of course you cant . Nothing's ever simple."

Renji gritted his teeth. "Let's move. Carefully."

Ahead, the dungeon waited — unyielding, unwelcoming, and now... unforgiving.

The corridor narrowed as they pressed forward, the rune-lined walls flickering dimly with pale blue light. Every step stirred motes of dust into the air, which glittered like frost in the torchlight. The mana density was suffocating, pressing against their skin like wet cloth.

Elara's footsteps were silent, her eyes constantly scanning the shifting shadows. "Something's here."

Renji already felt it. The Shadowfang's growl deepened, lips curled, muscles tense. Its nose twitched rapidly as it lowered into a stalking stance, eyes fixed on a bend ahead.

Lena drew her blade, voice low. "I hate that it always knows first."

A faint scraping echoed through the corridor — not stone on stone, but claws on rock, rhythmic and heavy.

They froze. From the darkness ahead, two pairs of slitted yellow eyes glinted in the glow.

The first Stonehide Basilisk slithered into view, its massive form covered in jagged, overlapping scales like chiseled granite. A second followed, tail flicking, tongue tasting the air.

Both stopped. The silence between them and Renji's party hung like a blade's edge.

Then they charged.

The first basilisk lunged with shocking speed, its venom-coated fangs flashing. Renji ducked low, Quickdraw activating with a sharp hiss of steel, his blade slicing along the beast's neck — sparks flying as it met the stone hide. The blade bit, but only barely.

Elara moved behind it, daggers slipping between plates, aiming for the joints behind the front limbs. Her strike landed, but the beast's thrash knocked her back.

Lena blocked the second basilisk's strike, stumbling under its weight. "It's like hitting a wall!"

Renji sidestepped the snapping jaws of the first and reached for the Beast Tamer's power, focusing his energy.

[Beast Tamer Activated]

Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

Target: Stonehide Basilisk

...Error. Target too powerful

The system's cold response pulsed in his head.

He grit his teeth, forced to retreat. "It won't work — too strong."

Lena parried a strike, sweat beading. "Now you tell us!"

The Shadowfang leapt onto the second basilisk, fangs locking into its flank. The beast writhed, smashing into the wall, trying to dislodge it.

Renji saw his moment. Dual Strike triggered — his blade flashed twice in rapid succession, finally slicing through a gap behind the basilisk's head. It shrieked and collapsed, stone scales shattering against the floor.

Elara rolled back into the fight, slashing low. Lena drove her blade down, pinning the second beast's head. The Shadowfang tore free and lunged again — together, they brought it down.

Silence returned, broken only by heavy breathing and the hiss of venom seeping into the stone.

Renji wiped his blade clean, eyes on the now-still bodies. "We're not ready for what's below this."

Elara looked at her bleeding arm, then at him. "You think?"

Renji exhaled, eyes narrowing. "Let's move. There's more waiting."

And it would only get harder.

The air grew colder with every step, heavy with moisture and laced with something older — a scent like withered parchment and burnt metal. The torchlight struggled against the oppressive dark, flickering erratically as they descended a narrow, spiraling corridor.

Lena pressed a hand to the wall. "Feels different here. Not dungeon stone."

Elara traced the carvings along the wall — elegant lines, symbols etched with precision, unlike the rougher runes from before. "This wasn't made by the guild... or anyone from Valkris."

Renji's eyes narrowed. The symbols pulsed softly, almost like a heartbeat in the stone. "Older magic."

The corridor opened abruptly into a vast underground chamber, easily stretching twice the height of any they'd seen. Massive stone pillars lined the room, partially collapsed and covered in moss, despite no sign of sunlight. At the far end stood a ruined altar, its surface cracked and blackened by time, surrounded by faded murals along the walls.

Elara stepped forward, cautious. "This... this is a temple."

The Shadowfang paced restlessly behind Renji, growling under its breath. Its eyes darted to the murals, ears flattening.

Lena approached the nearest wall, eyes scanning the ancient artwork. "They look like... summoning circles? Or seals?"

Renji joined her, frowning. The murals depicted figures cloaked in shadow, arms raised in supplication around a central figure — bound in chains. Beneath it, runes twisted into spirals, flowing downward toward what looked like a deep pit or core.

A chill crawled up his spine.

"These people weren't worshiping," Elara muttered. "They were binding something."

Lena backed away from the wall, unease etched across her face. "And we're walking through their prison."

Renji approached the altar, noticing a faint glimmer in the cracks. Reaching out, his fingers brushed the stone—only for a pulse of mana to surge up his arm, forcing him back a step.

[System Notification]

Warning: Residual Seal Energy Detected.

Interference Level: Low. Exposure Limit: 10 Minutes.

Anomaly Source: Unknown Artifact – Sealed Core Beneath.

Advise caution: Exposure may trigger deeper dungeon response.

Renji lowered his hand, eyes narrowing. "We're not alone here."

Elara glanced around the room, blades drawn again. "Let's not push our luck."

They retreated from the altar, tension thick between them.

As they turned back toward the corridor, Lena paused. Her voice was low. "Do we tell the guild what we found?"

A long silence.

Renji's gaze lingered on the murals, then back at the altar still pulsing faintly.

"Not yet."

The chamber echoed with their retreating footsteps — the secrets of the ruins still whispering in the dark.

The dungeon's maw yawned before her — a gaping tunnel of shadow and stone, pulsing faintly with mana. Cold air rolled out in waves, thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient magic.

Reina Hurozawa stepped beyond the threshold, hood drawn low, her cloak trailing behind her like a second shadow. The moment she crossed into the dungeon, her eyes adjusted easily to the dark. She didn't need light. Her senses told her everything.

Her boots touched the stone floor with no sound. Each step was measured, unhurried, her gaze flicking across the faded runes etched into the walls.

A soft whisper left her lips, almost inaudible. "He's inside."

No fear. No hesitation.

Only purpose.

Her hand brushed the dagger at her hip — not in threat, but habit.

She moved forward, swallowed by the dungeon's depths, the air thickening around her like a living thing.

"Not long now brother ."