Chapter 10: The Dungeon That Should’ve Stayed Asleep
The streets of Solcrest buzzed with relief and celebration, townspeople cheering as Ren, Aria, and Garth strolled through like heroes.
Well — Aria walked like a hero. Garth hobbled. Ren? He yawned, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"You'd think saving a whole town would get us more than a thousand gold," he mumbled.
Aria shot him a look. "You doubled the reward for standing still."
Ren grinned. "I'm efficient."
They wandered deeper into the city, only to spot a crowd gathered near the town square. A crier stood on a wooden box, shouting.
"Hear ye, hear ye! Solcrest's dungeon has awakened! Brave adventurers sought to delve into the abyss! Riches beyond measure await those who conquer it!"
"Riches, huh?" Ren muttered.
Aria elbowed him. "Don't even think about it."
Ren shrugged. "Thinking sounds like work."
Suddenly, a familiar DING interrupted.
---
[Urgent Quest Activated: The Dungeon That Should've Stayed Asleep]
[Objective: Reach the dungeon's core before other adventurers.]
[Reward: ???]
[Penalty: Dungeon boss escapes into the world.]
---
Ren blinked. "...Oh, come on."
Aria groaned. "This is what I meant!"
Garth wheezed. "Can't we get five minutes without imminent death?"
Before Ren could respond, the system chimed again.
---
[Skill Unlocked: Speedrun Instincts]
Passively guides you toward the fastest possible path to any objective. Accuracy 87%.
Bonus: +15% movement speed when avoiding effort.
---
Ren stared at the notification, then grinned. "Well, that sounds useful."
Aria squinted. "Define 'useful'."
Ren didn't answer — because his legs started moving on their own.
"Wait, wha—?!"
His body bolted forward, dragging him down the street like a ragdoll.
"REN!" Aria shouted.
"I'M NOT DOING THIS!" Ren screamed, legs blurring as he zigzagged through the market stalls, knocking over cabbages, crates, and one very angry baker.
---
[Speedrun Instincts Activated]
Path Efficiency: 62% — Recalculating...
New Route Found!
---
Ren veered left straight through a fruit cart.
CRASH!
"...I think I stole an apple," he mumbled, dazed.
Garth wheezed from behind. "He's a human wrecking ball."
They finally skidded to a halt at the dungeon entrance an ominous black chasm just outside the city walls.
Other adventurers were already gathered, glaring at them.
A burly swordsman scoffed. "Great. More amateurs."
Ren yawned. "Yeah, good luck with that."
The man sneered. "You won't survive five minutes."
---
[Passive Aggressive Taunt Activated]
Enemies and rivals now have a 35% chance of acting irrationally.
---
The swordsman's face turned red. "That's it — I'm going first!"
He and his party stormed into the dungeon.
Ren blinked. "Huh. That worked."
Aria groaned. "We're going in, aren't we?"
Ren shrugged. "The system'll probably drag me in anyway."
They stepped forward.
The world flickered and the ground vanished beneath their feet.
---
Ren landed hard.
[AFK Damage Reduction: 80% Applied]
[You are too lazy to feel pain.]
"...Neat."
The dungeon was massive. Twisting tunnels, glowing veins of purple crystal, and faint echoes in the distance.
Garth gulped. "This place feels... wrong."
Ren stared ahead. A corridor stretched before them but his Speedrun Instincts buzzed.
---
[Hidden Pathway Detected!]
[Route Accuracy: 84%]
---
Without warning, the wall to their right… flickered.
Ren poked it. His hand phased through.
"...Well, that's sketchy."
Aria blinked. "What did you do?"
Ren shrugged. "Took a shortcut, I guess."
The tunnel shimmered, and the air shifted.
They emerged in a massive chamber. A throne of blackened stone sat at the center and atop it, a hulking figure stirred.
It rose slowly, towering over them, eyes glowing like burning coals.
---
[Dungeon Boss: Wraith Tyrant Zalgros]
[Level: ???]
[Danger Level: Immediate Regret]
---
Garth made a faint squeak. "We're dead."
Zalgros raised his clawed hand and the system chimed again.
---
[New Skill Unlocked: Procrastinator's Parry]
Automatically counters any first strike aimed at you. Damage reflects based on how much you didn't care.
---
Zalgros swung down and Ren didn't move.
The blow connected.
The boss launched backward, slamming through three pillars and embedding in the wall. Dust and rubble rained down.
[Critical Hit! Damage Reflected: 10,000]
Ren yawned. "This game's too easy."
Zalgros pulled himself free, roaring.
---
[Boss Ability: Phase Shift]
The Wraith Tyrant vanishes into mist.
---
The boss flickered and disappeared.
Ren blinked. "Huh. He left."
Aria stared. "What do you mean 'he left'?!"
The system chimed again.
---
[Secret Dungeon Core Found]
[Reward: Abyssal Crown: Grants control over dungeon creatures]
---
Ren tilted his head. "Oh. Free loot."
He walked up, grabbed the crown, and stuck it on his head.
The dungeon trembled.
Zalgros reappeared but this time, his glowing eyes flickered. He stared at Ren.
Then he knelt.
---
[Wraith Tyrant Zalgros has submitted.]
[New Title Unlocked: "The AFK Overlord"]
All dungeon bosses encountered will now have a chance to submit instead of fighting.
---
Ren stared. "...What just happened?"
Garth blinked. "I think you accidentally became a dungeon king."
Ren grinned. "Guess I'm efficient."
Aria groaned. "I hate you."
Ren yawned. "Let's head back. I'm hungry."
---
[Quest Complete!]
Reward Pending...
---
The dungeon rumbled one last time as they left, and Ren noticed something on the horizon a distant shadow moving toward Solcrest.
He sighed. "Yeah… definitely still our problem."
---