The roars and snarls of the Wyverns echoed from the depths of their throats outside the rift... they had annihilated the swarm of bats. But the bigger problem was that the dungeon was now about to defend itself.
In a fraction of a second, from the depths of the "Lord's Intestines," the monsters surged, erupting in a lightning-fast rage to repel the Wyverns. The team stood directly in the path of one of the deadly black bat swarms. Each bat was the size of a full-grown cat, and dozens of them were pouring out of the tunnel ahead.
"Put me down... Put me down, quickly!"
Startled by Old Max's urgent voice, Sam dropped to the ground, letting the old man leap off. Max immediately swung his lethal blade, slicing through the oncoming bats with surgical precision.
The rest of the team stood frozen, still dazed by the dungeon's hallucinations... it had been leading them into a trap.
There were three branching paths. Sam instantly chose the nearest one, steering them away from the corridor containing the mirage of the statue. He dragged them all by force, shoving them into the opposite tunnel just in time.
They couldn't leave this way. He wouldn't be able to care for these people, nor could he bear the weight of their lives. Even after he shoved them back, they kept dragging themselves slowly toward the statue's corridor, and Sam had to pull them back again and again.
He had angered the illusory statue within this cavern.
There was no way to know when the next wave of bats would swarm or when the Wyverns would breach the entrance.
"No choice... no choice! I have to get out of here!"
The tension and the suffocating atmosphere made logical thinking impossible. Should he face the Wyverns and risk his life escaping, or try to save the prospectors? In truth, hope was slim; he wouldn't survive regardless without the actual experts.
Driven by desperation, he took a 9mm pistol from his pack, loaded with mana rounds capable of harming monsters. He decided to flee, no matter what, leaving those fools to wander toward the statue in their hypnotic trance. This place was far too terrifying.
But just as he was about to bolt in the opposite direction...
ROAAAAR!
A bone-chilling roar erupted from ahead, forcing him to stumble back.
He changed his plan on the spot, deciding to shoot the illusory statue instead—a desperate experiment. But the team was blocking his line of fire. Old Max approached, watching this madman's reactions and doubting his mental stability.
Suddenly, Sam shoved Max aside and charged straight into the corridor toward the phantom statue. He pushed the four prospectors out of his way, reached the statue, and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets didn't hit a statue; they slammed into a serpent-like beast. Blood sprayed as the creature shrieked, driven into a frenzy by the pain. It was about to lung, but in a state of pure panic, Sam emptied his magazine into it until the serpent was shredded.
The illusions shattered. The four prospectors snapped out of their trance, only to find Sam standing before them, gasping for air, holding the blood-drenched Serpent of Illusions in his hand.
The four gasped as they realized how easily they had been ensnared by the illusion. If not for this expert, they would have fallen into the trap instantly. He seemed cold, yet noble—and they couldn't deny it, a bit handsome too. If this wasn't truly Ra's al Ghul, no one else could have saved them.
Sam looked back at the group of fools standing in daze, while Old Max stepped past them, walking ahead to continue the journey.
"Let's move, before the dungeon seals itself," Sam said, hoisting Old Max back onto his shoulders and marching forward with the team.
Because of Sam's reckless use of the pistol, its barrel had actually exploded, and he was completely out of ammo. Having heard that mana crystals inside monsters were valuable, he had used the knife attached to the gun to rip open the serpent's belly before anyone could fully wake up. He had even forgotten the gun inside the snake's carcass, but he secured the crystal.
"That was truly majestic... that was a Lethiro Crocodile, a type of lizard monster skilled in illusions," whispered the female prospector from Electra. "It carries a deadly toxin inside. Any mistake in extracting the crystal means instant death, yet the Specialist did it with his bare hands... This is beyond incredible."
She continued talking to her companions about how magnificent Ra's al Ghul was. He showed no fear of the poison, plunging his entire hand in to seize the mana crystal.
"It's truly impressive," Leroy added to Hamish's remark. "How did he reach such a level of fearlessness toward death?"
"It is an honor to serve alongside such a legend," Hamish replied. "What kind of power does the Boss hold to recruit someone of this stature? President Sarah is clearly not to be trifled with."
But in reality... Sam had no clue the creature was poisonous. He simply thought it was a mana stone he could sell for cash. Had he known the truth, he would never have taken the risk.
Sam didn't even realize that in the lore of prospectors, this creature wasn't a serpent at all. It looked like one at first glance, but genetically, it shared more traits with crocodiles. He knew none of this. Truly, silence is golden; we are often the ones who expose ourselves through our own words.
"A significant amount of time has passed, Mr. Expert," one of them noted. "It seems we are still in the first stage. The mana density hasn't shifted yet."
Stupid prospector science... how would I know? Sam thought. He was just walking and praying to God that he wouldn't face another one of those "snakes" again. In fact, he had developed a new counter-attack strategy: Running away.
From now on, he didn't care. If they encountered something more dangerous and couldn't survive, that was on them. They wouldn't even be able to cry about their mistakes once they were dead.
Sam maintained a calm expression, acting as if everything was perfectly under control.
"I'm starting to feel the stage of detachment from the outside world," Leroy remarked. "Which stage do you predict we are in? The first or the second?"
"The third," Sam replied flatly.
Everyone froze in shock. "What?!"
In truth, Sam had learned a bitter fact about life: if life gives you two choices, choose the third—because life is never that lenient. But he actually had no idea what they were supposed to do now. He was starting to sweat.
"We are in the third stage of the dungeon," Sam bluffed. "In reality, senses and laws shift with every step you take here. The rules are not fixed... even this rule itself is not fixed."
It was as if he hoped no one would notice he was just wrapping his ignorance in empty philosophy.
The team pulled out their devices to verify the expert's words. At first, the readings showed they were still in Stage One, but suddenly the screens flickered and died, disrupted by the erratic mana fluctuations in the air.
Was Ra's al Ghul right? How could he not be? He was far more experienced than them; he clearly possessed secrets they couldn't grasp. They realized they had to learn from him to rise faster in their profession.
"Mr. Ra's al Ghul... how did you know this without any devices or even a mana analysis? Forgive me if I'm being too curious..."
Sam smiled. Oh God... these people will never leave me alone.
"Because the dungeon feeds on your expectations," Sam began, his voice dripping with faux wisdom. "Naturally, you are not welcome here. When the laws are tampered with, they are attacking your concept of 'safety'—which is your greatest asset after your strength. If you lose your sense of security, you lose your way, forget your goal, and let terror hunt you down."
What a profound wisdom! they thought.
But on the inside, Sam was on the verge of tears. He felt they were truly lost.
Finally, they encountered two distinct tunnels, leading in completely different directions—as if forcing them to choose the "correct" path. Without a word, Sam took the tunnel on the right.
Why?
"The labyrinth wants you to dwell in thought and waste your precious time," Sam remarked. "In the end, you will reach your path regardless."
In reality, he was so disoriented that he just picked a path at random. He covered his tracks by claiming the dungeon was a time-sink, even though the logical choice was to split up. But Sam didn't want to be left without enough people to serve as "cannon fodder" if he needed to make a run for it.
As they marched forward, the ground beneath them suddenly lurched. A violent tremor shook the very foundations of the cavern, accompanied by a deafening roar that sounded like the earth itself was screaming.
Sam's heart skipped a beat. The wrong path. We chose the wrong path! Just as he was about to turn and bolt in the opposite direction, a row of ancient torches ignited spontaneously along the tunnel walls. The sudden flare of light illuminated the path, leading them directly to a colossal, towering gate standing defiantly before them.
The prospectors stood in stunned silence before the magnificent sight.
"Oh... look at the Master's greatness!" one of them gasped, his voice filled with religious awe. "He didn't just find the way; he forced the dungeon to reveal its secrets to him!"
To them, the earthquake wasn't a sign of danger, but the dungeon "bowing" to the presence of Ra's al Ghul.
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