Dungeon Practice (2)

Daemon stared at the glowing quest window, his eyes narrowing as he read the conditions carefully.

The difficulty is pretty high, he thought.

The quest required him to surpass all of his classmates, including his own teammates. That meant he had to clear the dungeon entirely on his own. In a way, this suited him—Daemon preferred working alone. However, one of the key objectives of this test was to evaluate teamwork.

I'll lose points for that, he mused.

And with Elena already holding a grudge against him, she wouldn't hesitate to deduct even more. She would likely use this as an excuse to lower his ranking further.

Still, as Daemon considered the reward, he hesitated for only a moment.

[+10 to all stats...]

It was too tempting to pass up.

'As long as I maintain a minimum number of points, I'll be fine' 

With a smirk, Daemon accepted the quest.

 Coming to a decision Daemon looked towards rest of his teammates.

Amelia tried to conjure another bunch of fire and illuminate the surroundings again, but the result was the same, it snuffed out as soon as it was conjured.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue in frustration, irritation clear on her face.

She turned to her teammates. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"I don't," Alex answered without hesitation.

"Me neither," Lydia added, shaking her head.

A sigh escaped Amelia's lips. "Let's just keep moving. We can't afford to waste time. Watch your steps."

She took the lead, stepping cautiously down the corridor, her posture rigid with unease. The air was thick with tension. The darkness was absolute—so much so that even their own hands were barely visible in front of them.

At least, that was the case for them.

For Daemon, however, it was a different story. His perception stat was the highest among all of his attributes. It allowed him to see the faintest details, sense the slightest shifts in the air, and perceive things others couldn't. Even he was also having a tough time, but his situation was way better than others.

No matter how high-ranked Amelia or the others were, each had their own specializations.

Amelia was a mage—she had raw power, but her perception was bound to be lower. The same applied to Alex, who was a tank and likely focused more on endurance than awareness.

But Lydia? That was another story. Archers required high perception to gauge distances, track movements, and anticipate attacks. Yet, she was struggling just like the others.

Daemon narrowed his eyes. Something's off.

His mind raced through the possibilities until realization dawned. This dungeon isn't just dark—it's designed to suppress perception.

It wasn't just a test of combat ability. The instructors wanted to force students into an unfamiliar, disorienting environment, compelling them to rely on teamwork rather than individual skills.

A small smirk tugged at Daemon's lips. 'So that's how they're playing it'.

A sudden, sharp twang cut through the air, yanking Daemon from his thoughts.

An arrow shot past Amelia's head, barely missing her as she instinctively ducked. Her eyes widened in shock, but before she could react, the floor beneath her clicked.

A trap.

Daemon's gaze flickered downward. Arrow traps. He made a mental note.

"Miss Amelia!" Alex's voice rang out as he rushed forward without hesitation. As the team's tank, it was his duty to shield his teammates.

A faint blue glow enveloped his body, a sign of his defensive ability activating. The next volley of arrows rained down, but each one bounced harmlessly off his reinforced frame, clattering to the ground.

But then—whoosh!

One arrow came faster than the others, its speed far greater, its force far stronger. Before Alex could react, it struck his chest, sending him staggering back.

"Keuk…" A pained groan escaped his lips as he clutched his chest, his breathing ragged. Even through his enhanced defense, the impact had left a bruise.

But Alex didn't retreat. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward once more, his stance firm. His eyes darted around, scanning for more incoming attacks, ready to shield his teammates from whatever came next.

As Alex stepped forward once more, another click echoed through the corridor.

Before he could react, a spear shot out from the darkness, hurtling toward him at terrifying speed. His eyes barely had time to widen when—

Whoosh!

A wall of flames erupted between him and the incoming spear, reducing it to nothing but embers. Amelia stood with her arm outstretched, her eyes sharp with focus.

But the attack didn't stop there.

More spears shot forward, slicing through the air like deadly projectiles. Then came the axes, spinning wildly toward them.

And from another direction—arrows.

A relentless barrage, coming from all sides.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Lydia moved swiftly, firing arrows with precision, knocking incoming axes away before they could strike. But no matter how fast she was, the attacks kept coming.

"Hey!" she called out, her voice laced with urgency. "Daemon, give me a hand here!"

But Daemon didn't move.

He stood still, watching the chaos unfold with cold, calculating eyes. Just like they had ignored him before, he ignored Lydia's plea now. A small, petty grudge, perhaps—but that wasn't the real reason.

Daemon didn't know a single thing about this dungeon. Rushing in recklessly would be suicide.

Instead, he watched. Studied.

He was using Amelia and the others as cannon fodder—letting them trigger the traps, letting them reveal the dungeon type.

Once he had gathered enough information, then—and only then—would he make his move and complete the dungeon before anyone else.

Lydia, realizing Daemon wouldn't be helping, gritted her teeth and rushed to Alex and Amelia's side.

Amelia, unable to unleash her full flames without endangering her teammates, resorted to smaller, controlled bursts. She focused on incinerating the incoming spears before they could strike.

Alex, his stance firm, shielded them from the relentless barrage of arrows, each impact sending a dull thud through his body.

Lydia, swift and precise, fired arrow after arrow, knocking the spinning axes away before they could reach them.

Despite the overwhelming attack, they managed to hold their ground.

From the shadows, Daemon watched.

'So it's a trap-based dungeon,' he mused. 'If there were monsters here, they would have attacked by now.'

With that confirmation, a smirk played on his lips.

'It's time to move'

Daemon thought readying himself.

['Truth-Seeking Eyes' has been activated.]

Daemon's irises burned with a deep purple glow, his pupils narrowing into thin, red slits. Strange runes shimmered to life within his eyes, swirling like ancient symbols of power.

Daemon reached into his spatial storage and drew his sword.

As his Truth-Seeking Eyes fully activated, the world around him shifted. Colors drained away, leaving behind a stark black-and-white landscape. Time slowed. The chaos of flying weapons became eerily methodical—every arrow, every axe, and every spear crawled through the air as though moving through water.

But that wasn't the most important part.

He could see them.

The paths.

The weak points.

Every incoming attack had a flaw, a precise spot where a single strike would dismantle its momentum.

Daemon surged forward.

The first arrow approached—his sword flicked, deflecting it effortlessly. Without breaking stride, he weaved through the storm of blades and projectiles, his movements razor-sharp, his strikes absolute. Each swing of his sword met its mark, slicing through the weak points of the flying weapons, neutralizing them with uncanny precision.

His pace never slowed.

He moved past Alex in a blur, his gaze locked on a single point ahead.

Above, amidst the darkened surroundings, a single anomaly stood out—a shadowed spot, barely distinguishable from the rest.

The source of the traps.

Daemon bent his knees and launched himself upward. His blade lashed out, colliding with the hidden mechanism embedded in the dungeon wall.

CRACK!

A sharp, splintering sound echoed through the chamber as the wall fractured beneath his strike. The moment it shattered, everything stopped.

The traps ceased. The whirling axes, the relentless arrows, the deadly spears—all motionless, as if frozen in time.

Daemon landed gracefully, his sword still humming from the impact.

Silence followed.

Alex and Lydia stared at him, wide-eyed with disbelief.

Even Amelia, normally composed and arrogant, couldn't hide her surprise.

It wasn't just that he had found the source of the traps—it was how he had done it. The dungeon's mechanisms were meant to be nearly impossible to pinpoint, like searching for a single grain of sand in a vast desert.

And yet, Daemon had done it in seconds.

Amelia, Lydia, and Alex stood in a loose semi-circle, their gazes locked onto Daemon. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts. It was clear—none of them had expected this from him.

Amelia was the first to break the silence. Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms and spoke in a clipped tone.

"Do you mind explaining why you didn't tell us you could see in the dark?"

It wasn't a genuine question. Her tone made that clear. She wasn't impressed—she was irritated. Trying to downplay what he had done.

After all, if simply having good perception was enough, then anyone with high sensory abilities should have been able to find the mechanism. But they hadn't.

Daemon didn't bother responding.

He simply turned away, his gaze shifting toward the dark corridor ahead. Though to him, it wasn't dark at all.

Without hesitation, he gathered mana, channelling it through his body. The energy pooled in his legs, coiling like a spring waiting to be released.

Then—

He moved.

His figure blurred as he shot forward, his speed nearly inhuman. His [Truth-Seeking Eyes] sharpened his vision, allowing him to read the very flow of mana itself. His control over his energy had already increased significantly. He had grown stronger than before. Everyday he was improving.

Yet, it wasn't enough.

Daemon knew—he had to be stronger.