Solo Dungeon Runner-Chapter 33: [ E-tier Dungeon ]

Every step they took echoed on the tiled-stone walls.

Their path was lit by the multiple torches that flickered on both walls describing a single corridor ahead.

Alexander walked beside Fae, passing multiple sculptures that appeared on each side.

Every one of them looked like skulls with different features attached, such as fangs or horns.

It was dusty and smelled old, but still nothing compared to his inner path.

Is this the first enemy?

He stopped walking. Approaching, its face sporadically lit by each torch it passed, was the first enemy.

Human?

Alexander narrowed his eyes, instantly casting his [ Witness Of All Paths ].

His pupils dilated, turning into crosses that stretched through his eyes, enhancing his sight instantly.

He looked at it, and it seemed to look back, but he couldn't feel its gaze like he could with Fae or anyone else.

It got closer, its features defining themselves more clearly.

A zombie...?

It was dragging one leg, as if its nerves had been cut and it only held by the stretching skin it had.

Its torso was rotten, they could see inside its body as the ribcage on its left was wide open, several missing organs that most likely fell somewhere.

It didn't have hair, nor did it speak or make any sounds.

The only thing it did was slowly approach them, the only sound being its feet taking a step forward, then sliding the other one forward.

Alexander glanced at Fae.

"Let's do this."

She nodded.

Alexander walked forward in a measured pace, his clothes fluttering behind him as he got closer to the monster.

As he the distance vanished, its stench grew stronger, the rot deeply set.

He got his hand up in mid-stride, concentrating on the zombie's eyes.

Let's see how it handles [ The Gift ].

His mind focused, every thoughts on that one single spell.

Its shoulder moved back, one leg taking a step closer while the other was planted in the ground.

Its right arm swung around, revealing a knife as it swooshed through the air in front of him.

He took a quick step back, dodging the strike.

The zombie became faster, stepping up while swinging its blade around more.

Alexander took more steps back, Fae imitating his movement.

Why isn't [ The Gift ] working?!

He could see it, as the zombie stepped into the light caused by a nearby torch, its blank—dead eyes having similar crosses to his.

"Fae."

She stepped up, getting both sickles attached to her belt into her hands.

It was quick.

Like watching a dancer on a stage. She moved with the flow of a river, turning on herself to dodge the zombie's vertical strike, while cleanly slicing its head off.

Once she stopped spinning, she landed facing Alexander.

He raised both eyebrows, impressed.

"Well done."

He patted her head, while his gaze went to the corpse right behind her.

On its chest light shone, it was feeble and could barely be noticed, light particles accumulating into one singular point until it suddenly stopped.

Alexander crouched next to it. A stone rolled down from the point where light was shining, it was small and looked frail.

"Is this..." he said.

Alexander got his Adventurer's Guild phone out.

It had no signal, but resources were still available offline, allowing him to scroll through various information thought to be useful for those going through dungeons.

"A dungeon core. Found in dungeons, most often from fallen enemies, but also from chests or hidden spots such as statue's eyes, through wall cracks, and more," he read.

He got up and looked at the core through the light of the torch.

The core was transparent but cloudy. He couldn't properly see through it, but energy moving in waves was discernible inside, clashing against its edges.

He gave the stone to Fae, who stashed it in her pockets, before going back through the main corridor.

Fae took care of the few walking corpses they encountered along the way, her swift blade easily finding their necks each times.

Should it really be this easy?

They arrived at a crossroads, that went left or right.

Right in front of them stood another sculpture like the ones they previously encountered on the way.

It had a human-shaped skull like the others, but it bore more animalistic features.

Fangs, horns, wings, claws...

It stood on an altar made of polished stone lodged in-between two torches hung on the wall.

Its eyes were red gemstones tightly fit into its sockets, a red glow emanated from something that couldn't have been the torches beside it. As if it had a fire inside shining through the gems.

It was odd, the closer he looked the stronger a strange feeling rose inside him.

He could feel its gaze.

He looked at Fae, whose eyes looked at him completely unaware.

He looked at it once more.

It moved.

Alexander took a few steps back, dragging Fae with him as he kept his eyes on the sculpture.

It looked as if the skull plundered the stone around it, chunks of the walls breaking off to slowly form a roughly carved body underneath it.

Loud cracks echoed through the corridor as bit by bit an enemy was building itself in front of him.

A feeling rose in Alexander, something primal that reminded him of his inner path.

Fear.

It simply didn't stop. Chunks kept collapsing on the skull, its height slowly rising to his height.

It kept building itself, growing taller with thin limbs.

Its hands reaching the floor, each only showing a set of three fingers in contorted shapes.

It had three knees, its legs bending forward as if it was a four-legged creature yet it remained somehow upright.

It slowly leaned forward, its head scraping against the ceiling as the tunnel could barely contain its height. Even its hands had to hold onto the floor as it couldn't balance itself anymore.

The torches on both sides of the crossroads, one by one extinguished in a single snap that only left a puff of smoke behind.

Alexander grabbed Fae's hand, turning around.

The torches on their sides put out in a snap, making their surroundings dark.

In one loud crackling sound, as if a boulder was being split opened, the sculpture behind them leaped forward.

Both of them leaped forward and rolled on the ground, its movements faster than its size lead on.

Its stomped its way over, covered the space they bought themselves in less than a second, the ground shaking at its every step.

Alexander rolled with Fae, its limbs slamming down inches away, leaving craters where they landed.

The rumbling then stopped.

Alexander pulled Fae up and staggered toward the way they came.

He looked back, and stopped after a few steps.

The monstrous stone sculpture with its two glowing gemstones stood still, staring at them. It blocked the way forward, yet wouldn't advance toward them.

It stood still, in the dark beside the extinguished torch.

Another 'snap' echoed.

The moment the line between light and dark disappeared, the sculpture frantically ran forward, its limbs striking against the walls, floor and ceiling.

Chunks of rocks flew around, big and small bits layering the floor underneath it.

Fae reacted quickly, grabbing Alexander by his cloak and having them move several feet back.

It only moves in the dark?!

They kept taking several steps back, leaving multiple torches in-between them.

Everytime one of them snuffed out, the thrashing restarted, the walls loudly crumbling before its senseless advance.

Alexander turned around, grabbing Fae's hand.

They would need to get out.

However, he could see it, the way came from.

He thought most of the noise came from the big one.

Each lifeless statue they'd passed were now growing arms, legs. Carving themselves free from the walls.

Chunks of stones slowly assembling into bodies that looked carved right out of a gothic horror book.

On each wall, as far as they could see, was statues slowly growing arms and legs, standing in the middle of the hallway.