Subzibagh Dungeon Raid
The dungeon gate pulsed like a beating heart, its glow casting jagged shadows across the Subzibagh streets.
AK, Hazzy, Phaphy, and Ash stepped inside, each of them gripping their weapons tightly.
The air inside was damp and suffocating, and every sound seemed to vanish into the oppressive silence.
Until—
Squelch. Squelch.
"Slimes…" Hazzy muttered, drawing his short sword with a sharp metallic hiss.
From the walls and ceiling, dozens of F-rank slime monsters oozed out like living puddles. Their gelatinous bodies glistened under the faint dungeon light, each one wriggling as if hungry for flesh.
> "Disgusting," Phaphy groaned. "But these things drop decent mana stones. Let's clear them quickly."
AK tightened his grip on Wolf Slayer, his E-rank upgradable dagger.
"Don't underestimate them. One splash of their acid, and your skin will melt like paper."
Ash stepped forward, shield raised, his stance solid as a wall of steel.
"Stay behind me. I'll take the hits."
The slimes bounced forward with surprising speed, flinging acidic droplets.
Hazzy darted in first, his sword flashing as it sliced through a slime's glowing core.
Phaphy raised her hand, casting Water Bolt, bursting another slime apart in a splash of slime and mana.
AK activated [Stealth], his body vanishing into the shadows.
Like a predator, he slipped behind the slimes, his dagger cutting clean through their cores one after another.
Within minutes, the ground was covered in dissolved slime remains and scattered mana stones.
"Easy work," Hazzy smirked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
The team spent the next half-hour mining mana crystals embedded in the dungeon walls, their pouches clinking with stones.
After clearing the slime-infested tunnels, they pressed deeper. The air grew heavier, the mana density so thick it made their skin prickle.
Finally, they stood before a massive stone door, etched with strange glowing runes.
"This is it," Hazzy said, his voice steady but tense.
AK stepped closer, his hand brushing the cold surface of the door. A faint pulse of mana seeped through, almost like a heartbeat.
"Ready?"
The others nodded.
With a deep rumble, the stone door split open, and a monstrous figure slithered out.
A slime the size of a truck, its body glowing a menacing crimson.
> [ WARNING: BOSS MONSTER – SLIME KING (E-RANK) ]
The Slime King surged forward, its acidic tendrils lashing like whips. Ash slammed his shield into the ground, bracing himself with all his strength.
"Stay behind me!" Ash barked, taking the brunt of the attack. The acid hissed and sizzled against his shield but didn't pierce through.
AK's gaze lingered on Ash. He was brave, unshakable even under pressure.
But AK knew the truth—the kind of pain Ash carried. Only he and RED remembered.
In the erased timeline, Ash's spirit had shattered after a dungeon break four years after the Great Catastrophe. A hotel in Mumbai was overrun, and thousands of innocents were slaughtered.
Ash couldn't save them. That failure haunted him, breaking his will until he locked himself in his room, drowning in guilt and depression.
The Slime King whipped its tendrils again, forcing Ash to hold the line.
"Hit its core!" Ash yelled.
Hazzy darted forward, slashing the monster's side while Phaphy summoned Water Tornado, the swirling magic weakening the slime's acidic surface.
AK sprinted in a wide arc, his eyes fixed on the glowing core deep inside the monster's body.
"RED, why is Ash here this early? In the erased timeline, I didn't meet him until 3 months after the Catastrophe!" AK asked, his voice low and tense.
[ RED: I DON'T THINK THIS IS MY DOING. THIS… FEELS LIKE THE GODS' INTERFERENCE. THEY'RE CHANGING THE PIECES ON THE BOARD. ]
"Great. Just what we need," AK muttered grimly.
The Slime King let out a hideous gurgling roar as its body split into dozens of smaller clones, surrounding the team like a tide.
"Hold them off!" Ash roared.
Phaphy blasted three clones apart with a burst of water magic, while Hazzy continued stabbing the main body, carving chunks away.
Seizing the moment, AK sprinted toward Ash, used his shield as a stepping platform, and launched himself high into the air.
With a savage cry, he plunged Wolf Slayer directly into the Slime King's glowing core.
CRACK!
The monster screamed, its entire body trembling violently before collapsing into a pool of acidic goo.
A heap of glowing mana stones rolled out where the core had shattered.
Breathing heavily, Hazzy glanced at the others.
"We… make a good squad. We should form a guild."
"A guild?" Phaphy's lips curled into a grin. "I like that idea."
"What do we call it?" AK asked, wiping slime from his dagger.
Hazzy thought for a moment.
"The White Tiger Guild."
"And you're gonna be the leader," AK said with a grin.
"You, Hazzy," Ash agreed firmly. Phaphy nodded without hesitation.
Hazzy sighed, rubbing his neck. "Fine. I'll lead."
That night, after returning home, AK counted his share of the loot—1,000 mana stones, generously given by Hazzy as thanks for helping them clear the dungeon.
> [ RED: WHAT WILL YOU UPGRADE? ]
"What's with that greedy tone? You knew from the start I'd use the stones for stats, not for leveling."
"Luck. +5," AK said confidently. "The higher my luck, the better my chances of pulling rare mana stones."
As soon as he spoke, the mana stones dissolved into shimmering light—
BOOM!
---
> [ PLAYER STATUS ]
Name: AK (Reincarnation of RED)
Level: 1
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
Title: Reincarnation of the Weakest Primordial Being Who Was Once the Strongest (RED)
Class: UNKNOWN
Stats:
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 10
Dexterity: 10
Perception: 10
Luck: 15
Vitality: 10
Charm: 10
Resistance: 10
[ RED: DONE. BUT BE CAREFUL—LUCK IS UNPREDICTABLE. ]