The stone door slid open with a grinding sound that echoed through the goblin cave like a coffin lid being dragged across the floor.
Ryuji Kuroda stood there with one hand still pressed against the hidden mechanism, staring into the darkness beyond.
Cold air drifted out of the opening.
Not the damp cave air he had been breathing for the last half hour.
This air felt different.
Older.
Sharper.
Like the place beyond that door had been sealed for a very long time.
Ryuji tilted his head.
"Well that's suspicious."
He glanced back at the goblin corpses scattered around the cave.
Eight regular goblins.
One archer.
One very angry brute with a broken knee.
All of them dead.
He wiped a bit of goblin blood off his knuckle wraps.
"…Yeah."
"This was definitely not the main nest."
He stepped closer to the doorway.
The passage beyond sloped downward, disappearing into darkness.
Ryuji rubbed his chin.
"Hidden door."
"In a goblin cave."
He grinned.
"That screams treasure."
Then he shrugged.
"Or death."
"Fifty–fifty."
And with that extremely scientific risk assessment, he stepped inside.
The air grew colder as he walked deeper into the tunnel.
The floor changed too.
The goblin cave had been rough dirt and scattered rocks.
But this tunnel?
Smooth stone.
Carved.
Old carvings lined the walls.
Strange symbols that looked like ancient runes.
Ryuji leaned closer to one.
"…No idea what that says."
He tapped it.
Nothing happened.
"Probably for the best."
He continued forward.
The passage opened into a circular chamber.
And the moment he stepped inside—
A bright blue window exploded into existence in front of him.
[Dungeon Instance Discovered]
Hidden Dungeon: Stonefang Depths
First Explorer Bonus Active
Ryuji froze.
Then his grin slowly spread.
"Oh."
"Oh hell yeah."
More text appeared.
Dungeon Effects Active
EXP Gain: +50%
Rare Loot Chance Increased
Hidden Treasures Available
Ryuji let out a low whistle.
"Now that's what I'm talking about."
He looked around the chamber again.
It was massive.
Easily the size of a small warehouse.
Stone pillars rose from the floor to the ceiling.
Ancient statues stood along the walls.
Each one carved in the shape of a warrior holding a spear.
Dust covered everything.
Meaning one thing.
No one had been here in a long time.
Ryuji cracked his neck.
"First explorer bonus too?"
"Man."
"Today's my lucky day."
He walked toward the center of the chamber.
His footsteps echoed softly.
CLACK.
CLACK.
CLACK.
The sound carried strangely far.
Like the dungeon was listening.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ryuji rubbed his arms.
"…Alright that's creepy."
The system interface flickered again.
Dungeon Map Unlocked
A small map appeared in the corner of his vision.
It showed the room he stood in.
Several branching tunnels extended deeper underground.
Ryuji leaned closer.
"Nice."
"GPS for murder caves."
He checked his compass.
The needle spun wildly.
Then pointed deeper inside the dungeon.
Ryuji nodded.
"Something big down there."
He grinned.
"Let's go say hello."
The first tunnel curved downward.
Torch holders lined the walls, but the torches themselves had long since burned away.
Still, faint glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling provided dim light.
Ryuji walked carefully.
His footsteps echoed quietly.
The air smelled like stone and dust.
No goblin stink.
No animal smell.
Just old stone.
He turned a corner.
And immediately ducked.
Something flew past his head.
CLANG.
A stone dart slammed into the wall behind him.
Ryuji blinked.
"…Trap."
He leaned out slightly.
Another dart shot from the wall.
He pulled back just in time.
"Okay."
"So this place isn't friendly."
He crouched down and studied the hallway.
Tiny holes lined the walls.
A pressure plate sat in the center of the floor.
Ryuji scratched his chin.
"Man."
"Dungeons are really like video games."
He stepped carefully along the edge of the corridor.
Avoiding the plate.
Then hopped over it entirely.
No darts fired.
He gave the floor a thumbs up.
"Nice try."
The hallway opened into another chamber.
This one smaller.
But something moved inside.
Small shapes.
Green.
Ryuji sighed.
"More goblins?"
Four goblins sat around a crude fire pit.
They looked different from the ones outside.
Their skin was darker.
Their eyes glowed faintly red.
And each carried a jagged blade made of black stone.
One goblin sniffed the air.
Then turned toward Ryuji.
"Grek?"
The others looked up.
Ryuji waved.
"Hi."
They screamed.
"INTRUDER!"
Ryuji rolled his shoulders.
"Alright."
"Round two."
The first goblin lunged forward.
Faster than the ones earlier.
Ryuji sidestepped.
Then punched it straight in the jaw.
CRACK.
The goblin spun sideways and collapsed.
Dungeon Goblin defeated
EXP +15
Ryuji blinked.
"Fifteen?"
"Nice."
Two goblins attacked together.
One slashed with its blade.
The other tried to tackle his legs.
Ryuji jumped back.
Then slammed his fist into the first goblin's throat.
The creature gagged and dropped.
The second goblin bit his ankle.
"HEY!"
Ryuji kicked it off.
"Man these little green bastards bite."
He grabbed the goblin's arm.
Twisted.
SNAP.
Then knocked it out with a punch.
Dungeon Goblin defeated
EXP +15
The last goblin hesitated.
Then shrieked and ran deeper into the dungeon.
Ryuji sighed.
"Oh no you don't."
He sprinted after it.
The goblin turned a corner.
Ryuji followed—
And nearly ran into a wall.
No.
Not a wall.
A chest.
A large stone chest sat in the middle of the next room.
The goblin crouched beside it.
Terrified.
Ryuji slowed to a stop.
"…Treasure already?"
He grinned.
"Nice."
The goblin screamed and attacked.
Ryuji punched it once.
The goblin dropped instantly.
Dungeon Goblin defeated
EXP +15
Ryuji crouched beside the chest.
"…Please don't explode."
He slowly opened the lid.
Inside sat several items.
A small pouch of coins.
A glowing blue crystal.
And a pair of leather gloves.
Ryuji picked up the gloves.
A system window appeared.
Iron Brawler Gloves
Uncommon Equipment
+10% Unarmed Damage
Minor durability enchantment
Ryuji's eyes widened.
"Oh damn."
He immediately equipped them.
The gloves formed perfectly around his hands.
Much sturdier than his old wraps.
He punched the air once.
The impact made a faint shock sound.
"…Yeah."
"These are awesome."
He pocketed the coins.
Then picked up the blue crystal.
Mana Crystal
Rare crafting material.
Ryuji tilted it toward the light.
"Pretty."
He dropped it into his inventory.
Then stood.
"So."
"Hidden dungeon."
"Treasure."
"Stronger goblins."
He cracked his neck.
"I like this place."
The next tunnel descended even deeper.
The air grew colder.
Ryuji could feel a faint vibration in the ground.
Something big moved somewhere below.
His compass needle twitched violently.
"…Yep."
"Definitely something big."
He walked cautiously.
The tunnel opened into the largest chamber yet.
Massive.
Ancient stone pillars stretched toward the ceiling.
A broken staircase spiraled downward along the wall.
And in the center of the room—
Bones.
Lots of them.
Goblin bones.
Animal bones.
Even a few human skulls.
Ryuji frowned.
"…That's new."
Something shifted in the darkness.
A low rumble echoed through the chamber.
Ryuji slowly stepped forward.
The ground trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then a massive shadow moved behind one of the pillars.
Ryuji squinted.
"…Well."
"That's not a goblin."
The shadow shifted again.
Bigger than anything he'd fought so far.
Much bigger.
Ryuji's grin slowly returned.
"Alright."
"Now we're getting somewhere."
A system window appeared.
Warning
Powerful enemy detected.
The shadow stepped forward.
And the dungeon suddenly felt very small.