Chapter 6

    By the time they left the shop, it was already four in the morning.

    The two walked side by side, neither saying a word. The roadside shops were mostly closed, and the surroundings were quiet with just the two of them. It didn't feel awkward at all; instead, it was quite comforting.

    As they walked a little further from the slum, just before Alan could lead the smaller man to his car, something strange happened. Suddenly, a dimensional rift appeared in the air right in front of them.

    Monster dungeons are categorized by difficulty level according to color as follows:

    Black: Difficulty Level L (never appeared before)

    Gold: Difficulty Level S

    Red: Difficulty Level A

    Orange: Difficulty Level B

    Purple: Difficulty Level C

    Blue: Difficulty Level D

    Green: Difficulty Level E

    And White: Difficulty Level F

    Of all things, they had to encounter a gold S-rank dungeon! Claudia, who had only awakened his powers a few hours ago, felt a headache coming on. With little experience and no training to prepare for such life-threatening situations, he was completely unprepared.

    "Claudia!"

    Before they could react, they were about to be teleported into the dungeon. Alan instinctively shouted Claudia's name and quickly pulled him into his embrace.

    Whoosh~

    And just like that, the two of them were drawn into the dungeon.

    The surroundings transformed from the slum into an ancient prison built from massive overlapping stones. The Prison of Athenos was vast and expansive, filled with a musty and rusty odor. The atmosphere was anything but pleasant.

    Looking around, there were wooden windows barely holding together, covered with iron bars, cobwebs, and moss clinging to the cracked walls, creating a foreboding sight.

    The next level was the prisoners' cells, dark and uninviting. Claudia was sure there must be monsters waiting for them in the upper rooms.

    Looking up, he saw a tall dome with a few cracks, allowing a little light to seep through. There were old wooden beams and large chains interlinked, suspending a massive iron cage.

    When Claudia saw the creature sleeping inside the cage, he jumped in fright and immediately examined it.

    Monster Information: Egur Monster

    Rank: A

    Description: The Egur tribe are criminals of severe offenses, imprisoned in the Prison of Athenos for tens of thousands of years. They were cursed to become mindless monsters with hideous appearances, short bodies, and bat-like wings, capable of rapid movement. Beware of its claws, as they are highly poisonous and can inflict a poisoned status on opponents.

    Ah, he remembered now. There was a similar event in the early part of the novel too.

    Alan went to his old house in the slum to reminisce about his family. Then, he accidentally entered an S-rank dungeon, fought monsters, cleared the boss, and obtained an S-rank weapon.

    Sigh, if he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn't have left the house today. The protagonist was supposed to solo, but Claudia ended up joining as a duo instead.

    Alan looked at the status in front of him with indifference, while Claudia, who was startled by the Egur Monster, finally regained his composure. Realizing he had been held since before entering the dungeon and was still not released, Claudia had to overlook the monster and focus on the protagonist instead.

    "Thank you, Brother Alan."

    "It's nothing," Alan replied, still with a neutral expression, and finally let the smaller man go free.

    His dungeon experience was zero. The best he could do to assist the protagonist was with the information he had. He knew what they would face in the next stage, and to avoid being a burden, he should help the protagonist clear the dungeon faster. That way, he could return home on time too. With this thought, Claudia immediately shared his opinion.

    "From what I've observed, this is the first stage. I think we need to eliminate all the monsters in the cage, and then the gate will open to the next stage." The slender hand pointed to the door in front, blocked by iron bars.

    As soon as Claudia finished speaking, twenty Egur Monsters suddenly opened their eyes. They clawed through the bars and swooped down to eliminate their enemies immediately.

    Seeing this, Alan wasted no time. He pulled the smaller man behind him, summoned a dagger, and charged at the monsters without hesitation.

    Claudia's eyes widened in astonishment. The scene before him was more intense than any fantasy action movie. Alan attacked, targeting only the vital points, decapitating the monsters in a rhythmic thud.

    He used Diana's Insightful Eye skill to assess the situation. The monsters' health was high, but the protagonist's attack power was even higher. And this was just with normal attacks, without using any skills. He truly wondered what technique the protagonist was using as his clothes remained spotless, as if he hadn't been in a battle at all. It was almost too cool.

    Strangely, witnessing this bloodshed didn't make him feel scared or disgusted. It was as if he was accustomed to such things, even though he had never experienced anything like this before.

    The protagonist decapitated twenty monsters, his strong hands wiping away the blood as he elegantly sheathed his weapon. Soon, the mechanism activated, causing the iron gate in front to swing open.

    "The door really opened. Let's move on," Alan checked the smaller man and found he was unharmed. Alan then continued forward, with Claudia following closely behind.

    As time passed, stage after stage posed no challenge to the protagonist. So far, only A-rank monsters had appeared. The loot dropped from the monsters was scattered everywhere, but the protagonist paid it no mind. Claudia, seeing this, didn't hesitate to collect the loot himself.

    The two traveled quite a distance before encountering an underground passage resembling a tunnel made of layered bricks. There were walkways hugging the walls on both sides, with a river flowing through the center.

    Claudia remembered that this stage was filled with traps and weapons emerging from all directions, leaving no place to hide. Monsters would rise from the water, and jump scares occurred relentlessly. He truly admired the protagonist for surviving with only minor injuries.

    Actually, the protagonist didn't step on traps throughout the entire path. It was just that the entrance to the tunnel had an overwhelming number of traps. Eventually, the protagonist managed to figure out the pattern and breezed through the stage effortlessly.

    However, it was better safe than sorry. Claudia tugged on Alan's sleeve to get his attention.

    "Brother Alan, I think this tunnel seems oddly quiet. That symbol by the edge looks like some kind of trap," Claudia pointed out, noticing a piece of brick nearby. He picked it up and tossed it toward the symbol at the edge of the walkway ahead.

    Thud!

    Moments later, sharp, poison-coated spikes emerged from both sides of the tunnel walls.

    These symbols don't hide mechanisms everywhere. He couldn't remember exactly where they were, and the novel didn't provide much detail.

    Diana's Insightful Eye skill could indeed examine everything, but it had the condition that he must see it with his own eyes to investigate. Since the trap symbols were hidden inside, he couldn't see them, rendering his skill ineffective. Claudia had no choice but to test each one by throwing bricks.

    "You've helped me a lot, even before this. You're pretty skilled for someone your size," Alan smirked, placing his large hand on the smaller man's head.

    "It's nothing, really. I can't just stand around doing nothing. Besides, I don't want to be a burden to you," Claudia laughed awkwardly, having read the story before.

    Alan, hearing the words of the smaller man, felt an urge to pull him in for a kiss. However, he feared the other might be startled and run away, so he settled for affectionately ruffling his hair instead. Claudia was completely unaware of these thoughts.

    Since Alan visited Claudia in the hospital, he had felt something strange toward him. Over time, he realized how he truly felt. It was a familiar feeling, as if they had known each other for a long time. There was a sense of longing and a fear that Claudia might disappear from his life again. Alan couldn't understand why he felt this way.

    Finally, they managed to pass through the tunnel quickly without encountering any obstacles along the way.

    As they descended to the lower level, they found a staircase leading down. The deeper they went, the higher the water level rose. Eventually, they came upon a long iron bridge in front of them, with chains loosely connecting it to the ceiling.

    Alan stopped at the bridge's entrance. He tested his movement skill and discovered that just the aura of his power was enough to make the bridge sway violently, creaking ominously, nearly breaking. Alan shook his head in disappointment. They would have to cross it the old-fashioned way.

    "There's only one way forward. I'll go across first, and once I'm there, you can follow. Are you okay with this?" Alan emphasized seriously to the smaller man. If they went together, the old bridge wouldn't be able to support them.

    "Okay, Brother Alan. Be careful."

    Alan nodded and proceeded forward without hesitation.

    Claudia watched Alan cross the bridge with bated breath. Alan maintained his balance well, moving steadily and lightly to avoid making the bridge sway. He headed toward the other side with determination.

    Once the protagonist reached the destination, Claudia began to cross the bridge immediately. He took a deep breath and stepped forward one, two, three steps. Once he found his balance, he continued moving forward.

    He saw the protagonist cross the bridge in what seemed like no time at all, but when it was his turn, it felt like it took forever. The bridge had no railings to hold onto, so if he didn't maintain his balance, he could easily fall off. He had no idea what might be lurking in the water below.

    "Ah!" Just as he thought that, halfway across, he misstepped slightly, causing the bridge to shift with a terrifying sound. Claudia's heart raced as he quickly regained his composure and steadied himself again.

    Once Claudia regained his balance, the bridge became stable again. He noticed Alan looking at him with a worried expression, which surprised him. He hadn't expected Alan to show such concern for him. Claudia responded with a smile, indicating that he was alright.

    As he continued across the bridge, not far from where he had started, misfortune struck Claudia once more. Suddenly, a monster leapt out of the water. This wasn't supposed to happen in the story!

    "Claudia, run!" Alan shouted loudly.

    Claudia immediately picked up his pace. It was unbelievable that, when faced with a life-threatening situation, he could run and maintain his balance so well. The bridge behind him began to collapse in sections. Just five more steps to reach the end, and the monster was closing in fast. Claudia decided to jump toward his destination without hesitation.

    Alan saw this and opened his arms to catch him perfectly.

    Claudia was panting heavily, and the larger man gently patted his back. Time passed, but the protagonist still didn't release him from his embrace. Claudia was about to speak, but upon seeing the protagonist's expression, he closed his mouth again, allowing Alan to continue comforting him.

    Alan seemed like he was about to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

    Once they both regained their composure, Alan released Claudia from his embrace. They looked back and saw that the bridge had completely collapsed into the water. The monster, whose identity was still unknown, had returned to its underwater domain. Claudia couldn't help but think that this monster was oddly annoying.