Levi, Wiz, and Yunyun stood together at the guild quest board, eyes on the new posting.
Quest: Explore newly appeared dungeon
Location: Eastern forest outskirts
Threat: Undead-type monsters
Reward: 300,000 eris + rare drops
Wiz tilted her head slightly. "Should we take it?"
Levi studied the paper for a moment, arms crossed.
"Sure," he said. "Looks interesting."
Inside his head:
'Undead, huh… I wonder what kind.'
He turned and walked over to Kazuma's table. Kazuma looked up, confused, fork halfway to his mouth.
Kazuma blinked. "What's up, Levi?"
Levi nodded toward Aqua, who was already bouncing in her seat.
"I need to borrow her for a quest."
Aqua heard the words and lit up like a firework.
She jumped straight into Levi's arms. He caught her easily, one arm under her knees, the other around her back.
"Yes! Take me!" she cheered, planting a loud kiss on his cheek.
Levi sighed, expression flat, but he didn't drop her.
He glanced at Kazuma.
"No hard feelings."
Kazuma stared, mouth open, fork forgotten.
After a long second he just shrugged.
"…Yeah, sure. Take her. She's been useless all morning anyway."
Aqua stuck her tongue out at him.
"Rude!"
Levi carried her a few steps away before setting her down.
"Alright, calm down. We're going dungeon diving. Undead. You'll be useful for once."
Aqua puffed her chest out.
"Obviously! I'm the ultimate undead killer! They'll all bow before my divine power!"
Wiz smiled gently.
"I'm sure they will."
Yunyun fidgeted beside her, clutching her staff.
"Um… I'll do my best too."
Levi gave her a small nod.
"You always do."
He turned back to the board, ripped the quest paper off, and walked to Luna's counter.
Luna looked up, saw the paper, then looked at Aqua clinging to Levi's arm like a koala.
She sighed.
"Approved. Just… try not to flood the dungeon, okay?"
Aqua gasped.
"That was one time!"
Levi handed over the paper.
"We'll be back before dark."
Luna stamped it, then leaned in slightly.
"Be careful. New dungeons are unpredictable."
Levi met her eyes.
"Always am."
He turned to the group.
"Let's move."
Aqua saluted dramatically.
"To victory!"
Yunyun gave a nervous thumbs-up.
"Y-Yes!"
Wiz smiled softly and followed.
As they walked out the guild doors, Levi glanced down at Aqua still holding onto his sleeve.
"You're in a good mood," he said.
Aqua grinned up at him.
"Of course I am! I get to spend the day with you, and I get to purify evil undead, and I get to show everyone how amazing I am!"
Levi deadpanned.
"Don't flood anything."
"No promises," she sang.
Behind them, Kazuma watched the door close, then looked at the empty space where Aqua used to be.
He sighed.
"…Lucky bastard."
Then he went back to eating his lunch alone.
Outside, the four of them headed toward the eastern forest.
A new dungeon waited.
And somewhere deep inside it, the undead stirred, completely unaware that a goddess, a lich, a Crimson Demon, and a half-dragon prince were coming to visit.
The four of them stood at the dungeon entrance — a jagged crack in the forest floor that hadn't existed yesterday. Dark mist leaked out. The air smelled wet and old.
Levi looked down into the hole.
"Looks like the real thing," he said. "Stairs going straight in. No traps visible from here."
Aqua bounced on her toes.
"Perfect! I'll lead the way. My divine aura will scare all the undead off!"
Levi grabbed the back of her dress before she could jump.
"You're staying in the middle. No running ahead."
Aqua pouted. "But I'm the goddess!"
"And the weakest link in melee," Levi said flatly. "Stay behind Wiz."
Wiz smiled gently. "I'll keep her safe."
Yunyun clutched her staff tighter.
"I-I'll cover the rear. My spells work best from back here."
Levi nodded. "Good. Formation: Levi first, Wiz second, Aqua third, Yunyun last. Call out anything strange the second you see it."
Aqua crossed her arms. "Fine. But when I save everyone with one perfect Turn Undead, you're all thanking me."
Levi ignored her and stepped onto the first stair.
The stone felt cold under his boots.
"Going in."
They descended.
The stairs were wide, worn smooth, and went down for longer than felt normal. After a few minutes the daylight above became a tiny blue dot.
Torches along the walls lit themselves as they passed — pale green flames that gave no warmth.
Levi's voice echoed softly.
"Undead confirmed. I can smell the rot already."
Aqua sniffed the air, then wrinkled her nose.
"Ugh. It's like someone left fish in a sock for a month."
Yunyun shivered.
"T-that's… not good, right?"
Wiz spoke calmly.
"It's normal for low-level undead. Skeletons and zombies mostly. Nothing we can't handle."
They reached the bottom.
A wide chamber opened up. Stone pillars. Broken statues of people in robes. Old banners hanging in shreds. In the center — a raised platform with a cracked altar.
And scattered around it — bones. Lots of bones. Some moving.
About twenty skeletons shuffled forward. Rusty swords. Empty eye sockets glowing faint red.
Aqua lit up.
"Finally! My time to shine!"
She raised both hands.
"Turn Undead!"
A wave of blue-white light rolled out from her.
The skeletons froze.
Then… they kept walking.
Aqua blinked.
"…Huh?"
Levi sighed.
"Your divine power is too weak here. The dungeon's suppressing it."
Aqua's face went pale.
"WHAT?!"
Yunyun stepped up beside her.
"I-I've got this! Lightning Arrow!"
A crackling bolt shot out and hit the nearest skeleton. It exploded into bone dust.
Levi drew his gunblade.
"Good start. Keep the ranged pressure on. Wiz, support. Aqua, stay back and buff if you can."
Aqua looked like she was about to cry.
"But I'm supposed to be the star…"
Wiz placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You will be. Just… later."
More skeletons shambled forward. Faster now.
Levi spun his gunblade once.
"Time to work."
He moved.
The first skeleton swung its sword. Levi sidestepped, blade flashing. The skeleton's head flew off before it finished the swing.
Another lunged. Levi fired a single shot from the gun part — a bullet wrapped in water magic punched straight through its ribcage. The skeleton collapsed.
He kept moving — smooth, calm, almost bored.
Yunyun kept firing. Lightning. Wind blades. Fireballs when she got confident.
Wiz chanted softly. Dark shields rose around the party. Minor healing pulses kept small scratches closed.
Aqua finally stopped pouting and started casting weak buffs.
"Blessing! Protection! Um… Strength!"
The buffs were tiny. But they helped.
After a few minutes the last skeleton crumbled.
The chamber went quiet again.
Levi flicked bone dust off his blade.
"First room clear. No casualties. Not bad."
Aqua flopped onto the ground dramatically.
"I hate this dungeon. It hates me. Everything hates me."
Yunyun crouched beside her.
"You did good, Aqua-san. You kept us safe."
Aqua peeked up.
"…Really?"
Wiz nodded.
"Really. Your buffs made a difference."
Aqua sat up slowly, cheeks pink.
"…Fine. I'll do better next room."
Levi looked toward the next hallway.
"There's more. I can hear movement deeper in."
He glanced at the party.
"Ready?"
Yunyun stood up, staff ready.
"Yes!"
Wiz smiled.
"Always."
Aqua pushed herself to her feet, dusting off her dress.
"Fine. But this time I'm going to shine. Watch me."
Levi gave a small nod.
"That's the spirit."
They walked deeper into the dungeon. The halls were narrow now, walls rough and damp. Green torchlight flickered, making long shadows dance on the stone.
Wiz slowed down first. She stopped in front of a section of wall covered in faded carvings.
"Interesting," she said quietly.
Yunyun paused mid-step.
"Interesting?"
The whole group stopped. Levi turned back. Aqua peeked around him.
Wiz traced her finger along one of the lines carved into the stone. Her eyes moved slowly, taking in every detail. She stepped back a little, tilting her head.
"These drawings and symbols… they're ancient," she said. "Older than anything I've seen in modern ruins."
Levi stepped closer.
"How old are we talking?"
Wiz kept her finger on the wall.
"Pre-Collapse. Maybe even older. These patterns… they're not just decoration. They're a warning. Or a seal."
Aqua leaned in, squinting.
"A seal? Like, 'don't open this door' kind of thing?"
"More like 'don't wake this up,'" Wiz replied softly.
Yunyun swallowed.
"S-so… there's something sleeping down here?"
Levi's hand rested on the grip of his gunblade.
"Probably."
The carvings showed long, coiled shapes — serpents or dragons — wrapped around a central figure. Runes sat between them, sharp and angular.
Wiz traced one rune.
"This one means 'guardian.' This line here… 'eternal rest.' And this symbol…" She paused. "It's draconic."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
"Draconic?"
Wiz nodded.
"Old script. Very old. The kind only royal bloodlines still use."
Aqua looked at Levi.
"Uh… that's you, right?"
Levi didn't answer right away. He studied the wall.
"Yeah," he said finally. "Looks familiar."
Yunyun fidgeted.
"D-do you think… it's related to your family?"
"Could be," Levi said. "Or it could be coincidence. Dungeons pull weird things from everywhere."
Aqua crossed her arms.
"Well, if it's a dragon thing, you should be fine! You're basically dragon royalty now."
Levi gave her a flat look.
"Thanks for the reminder."
Wiz stepped back from the wall.
"There's more ahead. The carvings continue. We should be careful. If this is a seal… breaking it might not be smart."
Levi nodded.
"Then we don't break it. We walk past. Quietly."
Aqua grinned.
"Quiet? I can do quiet."
Everyone looked at her.
Aqua blinked.
"…What?"
Levi sighed.
"Just… don't touch anything glowing."
They moved on.
The hallway stretched deeper. The carvings grew more detailed. More runes. More coiled shapes.
And somewhere ahead — faint, very faint — something breathed.
The hallway opened into a wide, low chamber. Dust hung thick in the air. Broken pillars leaned like tired old men. Green torchlight barely reached the corners.
Then the smell hit — wet rot and burned paper.
A low groan rolled through the room.
Aqua's eyes went wide. She jumped straight into Levi's arms with a scream.
"ASH ZOMBIES!"
Levi caught her without missing a beat. One arm under her knees, the other around her back. He blinked down at her.
'She really just said that,' he thought.
Aqua clung tight, face buried in his shoulder.
"They're everywhere! So gross! Kill them! Kill them now!"
Levi looked past her.
Six ash zombies shuffled out from the shadows.
Gray skin cracked like dry earth.
Red pinprick eyes.
Jaws hanging loose. Fingers ending in jagged bone.
Slow.
Smelly.
Very flammable.
Levi set Aqua down gently but kept one hand on her shoulder so she wouldn't bolt.
"Stay behind me. Don't run."
Aqua peeked out.
"But they're disgusting!"
"They're also level 3 trash," Levi said calmly. "We've got this."
Yunyun stepped up, staff raised.
"I-I'll start!"
"Fireball!"
A bright orange sphere shot forward and slammed into the lead zombie.
It burst into flames with a dry crackle.
The thing staggered, burning fast, then collapsed into ash.
One down.
The rest turned toward the noise and shuffled faster.
Levi spun his gunblade once.
"Nice shot. Keep the pressure on."
He moved forward.
Two zombies lunged. Levi sidestepped the first swing, fired a single water-wrapped bullet.
The shot punched through the zombie's skull.
It dropped instantly.
The second one grabbed for him. Levi ducked, blade flashing upward.
Clean cut. Head off. Body crumbled.
Wiz raised one hand.
"Drain Touch."
Black energy flowed from her palm into the nearest zombie.
It shuddered, color draining from its eyes, then fell apart into dust.
Three down.
Aqua finally stopped hiding. She raised both hands.
"Blessing!"
A faint golden light washed over the party.
Minor strength and protection buffs. Small, but helpful.
The last three zombies closed in.
Yunyun pointed again.
"Wind Cutter!"
Sharp blades of air sliced across two of them.
Both torsos split open. They collapsed.
The final zombie reached for Levi.
Levi didn't even draw the blade this time.
He simply raised one hand.
"Water Bullet."
A high-pressure stream of water punched straight through the zombie's chest.
It exploded into wet ash.
The chamber went quiet.
Aqua slowly lowered her hands.
"…That was easy."
Levi flicked ash off his sleeve.
"Low level. First wave. Probably."
Yunyun lowered her staff, breathing hard but smiling.
"D-did I do okay?"
Levi gave her a small nod.
"Perfect. Clean shots. Good control."
Aqua puffed her chest out.
"And I helped! By… buffing!"
Wiz smiled gently.
"Your buffs made a difference. Thank you."
Aqua beamed.
Levi looked toward the next hallway.
"Still more ahead. I can hear groaning."
He glanced at the party.
"Ready for round two?"
Aqua cracked her knuckles.
"Bring it on. I'm warmed up now."
Yunyun nodded quickly.
"Y-yes!"
Wiz adjusted her hood.
"I'm ready."
Levi started walking again.
Behind them, the ash piles settled quietly.
Something deeper in the dungeon listened — and waited.
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy