Dawn arrived cold and gray. Sanji stood with his party at the village gate, checking their equipment one final time. The other Free Blades parties were scattered around them, going through similar preparations. The atmosphere was tense but focused everyone knew what was at stake.
Hana moved between the groups, offering final words of encouragement. When she reached Sanji's party, she pulled him aside.
"Your party goes in first," she reminded him. "Map the initial floors, identify major threats, and establish safe fallback points. Don't try to clear everything that's what the follow-up parties are for. Your job is reconnaissance and path-finding."
"Understood," Sanji said. "How deep should we push before waiting for backup?"
"First major boss room or three floors, whichever comes first. Once you've scouted that far, hold position and let the other parties catch up. We clear the boss as a coordinated force."
It was a sensible strategy. Dungeons typically had mini-bosses every few floors and a major boss at the end. Trying to tackle everything with one party would be suicide.
The six Free Blades parties set out together, moving through the forest in loose formation. Thirty-two players, all level six to nine, representing the strongest independent players in the region. If they succeeded today, it would send a message to the guilds: independent players could compete.
If they failed, many of them would die permanently.
The journey took two hours. The path led through increasingly dangerous territory areas where level-ten monsters spawned. They avoided combat where possible, moving quietly and carefully. Twice they had to detour around monster patrols that would have overwhelmed even their numbers.
Finally, they reached the dungeon entrance.
It was more impressive than Sanji had imagined. A massive cave mouth yawned in the side of a stone cliff, easily forty feet tall and thirty wide. Ancient runes were carved into the rock face, glowing with soft blue light. The air emanating from the cave was cold and carried the scent of old stone and something else something indefinable that made Sanji's instincts scream danger.
A translucent barrier shimmered across the entrance, and floating text appeared:
The Whispering Depths - Recommended Level: 10
Party Size: 5-10 players
Difficulty: Hard
Warning: Death in this dungeon is permanent. Enter at your own risk.
Sanji activated his Game Master's Eye, focusing on the entrance. Information flooded his vision:
Dungeon Analysis:
Type: Ancient Ruins
Floors: 5
Boss Encounters: 2 mini-bosses, 1 final boss
Special Mechanics: Sound-based traps, illusion magic, environmental hazards
Estimated Clear Time: 6-8 hours
Recommended Strategy: Stealth and careful progression
He shared this information with Hana, who nodded grimly. "Eight hours. We'll be in there all day. Everyone, ration your supplies carefully. Mei, you're our only dedicated healer in the vanguard party, so conserve your MP. Takeshi, you'll split tanking duties with Sanji. Yuki and Akane, focus fire on priority targets that Sanji marks."
Their five-person party approached the barrier. Sanji reached out and touched it. The barrier rippled like water, then parted, allowing them through.
Entering: The Whispering Depths
Party Leader: Sanji
Party Members: Yuki, Akane, Takeshi, Mei
The moment they crossed the threshold, the temperature dropped fifteen degrees. Torches lined the walls, burning with an eerie green flame that cast strange shadows. The corridor ahead was wide, carved from solid stone, with a high ceiling that disappeared into darkness above.
And everywhere, there were whispers.
Faint voices seemed to echo from the walls, speaking in languages Sanji didn't recognize. The words were incomprehensible, but the tone was unmistakable desperate, pleading, threatening. It was deeply unsettling.
"The whispers," Mei said nervously. "Are they... are those real people?"
"Probably ambient sound effects," Yuki said, though she didn't sound entirely convinced. "Psychological warfare to unnerve adventurers."
Sanji's Game Master's Eye was picking up something else. The whispers weren't random they were actually warnings. His skill was translating fragments: "...turn back..." "...death awaits..." "...we failed, you will too..."
"They're warnings from previous adventurers," Sanji said quietly. "NPCs or maybe even real players who attempted this dungeon before us and died. The dungeon recorded their final moments."
That sobering thought silenced everyone for a moment.
"Let's move," Takeshi said, drawing his sword. "Standing here won't make it easier."
They advanced down the corridor. Sanji led with his Game Master's Eye active, scanning constantly for traps. He found the first one within fifty feet a pressure plate disguised as a normal floor stone. Stepping on it would trigger darts from the walls.
"Pressure plate," he called out, marking it with a piece of chalk. "Everyone step over it."
They navigated around the trap and continued. The corridor branched, offering three paths. Sanji examined each with his enhanced perception.
Left Path: Leads to treasure room, guarded by level-nine elite monster
Center Path: Main progression route, moderate difficulty
Right Path: Trap corridor, leads to dead end
"Center path," Sanji decided. "Left has treasure but it's not our priority right now. We're scouting, not looting."
They took the center path, which opened into a larger chamber. The room was circular, about sixty feet in diameter, with a high domed ceiling. Strange symbols covered the floor, glowing softly. In the center of the room stood three humanoid figures not quite human, not quite monster.
Depth Walker - Level 9 - HP: 350/350
Type: Undead Dungeon Guardian
Weakness: Holy magic, fire
Resistance: Physical damage reduced 20%, immune to poison
Special Ability: Life Drain, Whisper of Madness
Three of them. And the party hadn't even reached the first mini-boss yet.
"Formation," Sanji said calmly. "Takeshi, take the left one. I'll take the right. Yuki and Akane, focus fire on the center one. Mei, stay back and heal whoever needs it most."
The Depth Walkers noticed them and began moving with jerky, unnatural motions. Their faces were hidden behind cracked stone masks, and their fingers ended in claws that looked capable of rending flesh.
"Engage!" Sanji charged the right Depth Walker, shield raised.
The creature moved faster than expected, sidestepping his shield bash and slashing at his arm. -42 HP. Pain lanced through his shoulder, but he gritted his teeth and countered with a horizontal slash. -38 HP.
Behind him, he heard the sounds of combat Takeshi grunting as he blocked attacks, Yuki's ice magic crackling, Akane's bowstring singing.
The Depth Walker he was fighting opened its mask-mouth and released a wave of dark energy. Sanji recognized the Life Drain ability and dove to the side, but not quite fast enough. The energy clipped him, and his HP dropped another 30 points while the creature's health increased by the same amount.
"Mei, heal!" he called.
Warm light washed over him as Mei's healing spell took effect. +50 HP. His health stabilized at 148/220.
Through the Party Link, Sanji sensed the battle flow. Yuki and Akane were making good progress on their target it was down to 180 HP already. Takeshi was holding steady, his warrior-class abilities letting him absorb massive damage while dealing consistent strikes.
Sanji adjusted his strategy. Rather than trying to outdamage the Life Drain, he focused on precision strikes. His Game Master's Eye showed him weak points cracks in the stone-like flesh where ancient wounds had never fully healed.
He aimed for those spots specifically. Critical Hit! -67 HP. Another strike. Critical Hit! -71 HP.
The Depth Walker staggered, its movements becoming more erratic. Sanji pressed the advantage, his new steel longsword proving its worth as it carved through the creature's defenses.
Behind him, the center Depth Walker fell to the combined assault of Yuki and Akane. They immediately shifted to support Takeshi, whose opponent was at half health but still fighting strong.
With two targets down, Sanji's opponent was isolated. He activated a new technique he'd developed through his Adventurer class combining his Basic Swordsmanship with precise timing learned from watching Yuki's ice magic.
The blade flashed in a five-strike combo, each hit landing on critical points. The Depth Walker's health bar plummeted, and with a final overhead chop, Sanji destroyed it.
The creature dissolved into ash, leaving behind loot particles.
+75 EXP
Ancient Coin x2 obtained
Depth Walker Shard x1 obtained
The third Depth Walker fell moments later to the coordinated assault of the entire party. As the chamber fell silent except for heavy breathing, Sanji assessed their status.
His HP: 148/220. Yuki's MP: 75/140. Takeshi had taken significant damage: 180/280 HP. Mei's MP: 90/120. Akane was mostly unscathed: 165/180 HP.
"Good work," Sanji said. "Mei, top off Takeshi and me. Everyone else, drink water and catch your breath. We've got a long way to go."
As Mei's healing magic restored them, Yuki examined the symbols on the floor. "These are navigation markers," she said. "Like a map. I think this room is a checkpoint safe from random monster spawns."
That was valuable information. They could use this room as a fallback point if they got overwhelmed.
Sanji marked the room on his mental map and they continued. The dungeon gradually revealed its nature a vast underground complex of connected chambers, corridors, and caverns. Some rooms contained monsters. Others held traps. A few had environmental puzzles that needed solving before the exit would open.
Sanji's Game Master's Eye proved invaluable. He spotted hidden pressure plates, identified illusions concealing pitfalls, and marked the safest routes through rooms filled with complex trap networks.
They cleared three more chambers, fighting corrupted bats, shadow serpents, and more Depth Walkers. Each fight was challenging but manageable. The Party Link let Sanji, Yuki, and Akane execute complex maneuvers while Takeshi and Mei quickly learned to read their rhythm and coordinate accordingly.
After two hours of steady progression, they reached a massive iron door engraved with warnings in multiple languages. Sanji's skill translated them: "Beyond lies the Guardian of the First Depth. Only the worthy may pass."
"Mini-boss," Sanji announced. "This is where we hold and wait for the other parties."
They retreated to the previous checkpoint room and sent word back through the dungeon using a runner from the second party. Over the next thirty minutes, the other Free Blades parties caught up, following the safe route Sanji had marked.
Hana arrived with the last group, looking impressed. "You cleared to the first boss in two hours with minimal casualties? That's excellent work."
"The route's marked," Sanji said, showing her his sketched map. "Standard dungeon progression trash mobs, some traps, nothing overwhelming if you're careful. The boss is behind that iron door. We haven't engaged it yet."
"Good. We'll hit it with three parties fifteen people total. The rest will hold at checkpoints in case we need reinforcements or a retreat path."
Fifteen players gathered at the iron door. Sanji's party, Hana's party, and a third group led by a level-nine warrior named Koji. Forty-five players worth of combined strength.
"Sanji," Hana said. "Once we're inside, use your skill to identify the boss's weaknesses and attack patterns. Call them out loud so everyone can hear. The rest of us will follow your tactical lead."
The responsibility felt heavy, but Sanji nodded. This was what his Game Master's Eye was for turning information into advantage.
"Everyone ready?" Hana asked. Weapons were drawn, spells prepared, healing items positioned for quick access. "Then let's do this."
Takeshi and another warrior pushed the iron door open. It swung inward with an ominous groan, revealing a massive circular arena. The walls were carved with more ancient runes, and the ceiling was lost in darkness high above.
In the center of the arena stood a figure twice the height of a normal person. It was humanoid but wrong its body seemed to be carved from stone and shadow, and its eyes glowed with malevolent red light. A massive axe rested against its shoulder.
Stone Guardian - Level 11 - HP: 2000/2000
Type: Elite Boss
Weakness: Magic damage to core (hidden in chest), sustained physical damage to joints
Resistance: Physical damage reduced 40%, immune to crowd control
Special Abilities: Ground Slam, Stone Skin (damage reduction buff), Rage Mode (activates at 30% HP)
Level eleven. Two thousand HP. This was going to be a war of attrition.
The Guardian's eyes fixed on them, and it raised its axe.
To be continued...