the first floor(10)

The pack of fifty shadow wolves surrounded them, their crimson eyes glowing with malice as they circled closer. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on the group as they readied themselves for another brutal fight.

Dakota: "Stay sharp! These wolves aren't like the ones before. Watch your flanks and cover each other!"

The wolves struck first, lunging in from all directions. Dakota spun, flames erupting around him as he blasted back the two wolves closest to him. The heat scorched their shadowy forms, but more were already leaping at him.

Henry: "These things are relentless!"

Henry unleashed a wave of fire to shield Ava, who counterattacked with a fire lance, impaling one of the wolves mid-air.

Ava: "And they're fast!"

Lucas slid back, summoning a wall of ice to block three wolves charging at him.

Lucas: "They keep testing our defenses. They're trying to wear us down!"

Liam and Jack stood back-to-back, their lightning magic sparking as they zapped a group of wolves closing in on them.

Liam: "We can't keep this up forever!"

Jack: "We don't have to. Just keep frying them until they stop coming!"

Mia and Luna worked in tandem, using water magic to ensnare and drown several wolves.

Mia: "Luna, left side!"

Luna: "On it!"

The two sisters shifted seamlessly, but a wolf managed to claw through Mia's guard, leaving a shallow gash on her arm.

Mia: "Damn it!"

Dakota noticed the group struggling, though Duke and Franklin remained untouched, their flames effortlessly incinerating any wolf that came near them.

Franklin: "This is barely a warm-up."

Duke: "At least it's keeping us entertained."

A wolf lunged at Dakota's side, its claws grazing his armor. The pain was real, even if it was an illusion. He gritted his teeth, flames erupting from his hands as he blasted the creature away.

As the wolves kept coming, Dakota's mind raced. They were fighting well, but the numbers were overwhelming, and even the strongest of them—except Duke and Franklin—were showing signs of wear. That's when it hit him.

Dakota: Wait. These two haven't even broken a sweat. Of course… if anyone can end this illusion, it's them!

He turned, raising his voice over the chaos.

Dakota: "Hey, Father! Franklin! You're both ridiculously strong. This is just an illusion, right? Destroy it with your magic! It should be easy for you!"

Franklin paused mid-attack, looking at Dakota with an arched brow.

Franklin: "Hmm. He's got a point."

Duke smirked, nodding in agreement.

Duke: "How stupid of me. I can't believe I didn't think of that."

Duke raised his hand, flames surging to life in a swirling vortex around him.

Duke: "Stand back. I'll handle this."

With a single motion, Duke unleashed a massive wave of fire, the flames roaring like a living beast as they surged outward. The heat was so intense that the others instinctively shielded their faces. The fire consumed the shadow wolves, and as the last embers died out, the cave shimmered.

The oppressive atmosphere vanished, and the cave's true form revealed itself. The shadow wolves were gone, replaced by two figures cowering at the far end of the chamber—a shapeshifter and an illusion mage.

Dakota: "There you are."

Without waiting for an answer, Dakota dashed forward, flames igniting around him as he struck the shapeshifter with a single decisive blow. The creature let out a guttural scream before dissolving into smoke.

The illusion mage tried to escape, but Dakota was faster. He closed the distance in a flash, his blade slicing through the mage's form. The illusionist gasped, their body disintegrating like the shapeshifter's.

As the enemies vanished, a golden light appeared in the center of the chamber. A glowing ticket hovered in the air, radiating a powerful aura. Dakota grabbed it, inspecting the intricate designs etched into the ticket's surface.

The rest of the group approached, their wounds still fresh but their spirits lifted.

Henry: "What is that?"

Dakota: "It's the ticket. It'll let us advance to the next floor."

Lucas: "Wait a minute. There's only one ticket?"

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

Ava: "So… only one of us can go to the next floor?"

Dakota shook his head, a small smirk forming on his face.

Dakota: "Don't worry. As long as I have the ticket, we can all go together."

Mia: "How does that work?"

Dakota: "Simple. As long as everyone is connected to me—like holding hands—we can all advance. We just need to form a chain."

The group looked at each other, relief washing over them.

Liam: "Alright then, let's do this."

They formed a circle, each person grabbing the hand or shoulder of the one next to them. Dakota stood in the center, holding the ticket aloft.

Dakota: "Here we go. Hold on tight."

The ticket glowed brighter, its aura enveloping the entire group. The light grew blinding, and the cave around them dissolved into nothingness.

When the light faded, the group found themselves standing on a vast, open plain. The air was fresher, the skies a dark crimson streaked with gold. The second floor of the dungeon stretched out before them, filled with unknown dangers and challenges.

Dakota: "We made it."

Duke: "This place looks… interesting."

Franklin: "Whatever's here, I hope it puts up a better fight than those wolves."

The group took a moment to catch their breath, the weight of their journey ahead looming over them.

Dakota: "Let's rest up for now. The second floor isn't going anywhere, and I have a feeling we'll need all our strength for what's coming next."

The group nodded in agreement, their spirits high despite the trials ahead.

Dakota (thinking): ok we have advanced to the second floor, this floor seems like it's peaceful, but the more you keep advancing, the more dangerous it gets. We should get a lot of ability and skills this floor, and then find the ticket cave. If I remember In this floor in the novel Henry's group doesn't do much, they find a lot of abilities and skills and find the ticket cave and advance to the next floor... Let's hope it will be the same for us.