Eli pulled out a key gleaming with a blue hue from his Inventory. Its simple design made it look like a casual accessory at first glance.
Eli rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a key gleaming with a brown hue. Its simple design made it look like a casual accessory at first glance.
[Item: Conquest Key]
[Rarity: D (Reflects the difficulty in acquiring the item)]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Key]
[Description: A key that transfers you to an instant dungeon. Can be used at the 3rd exit of the Somali District Teleportation station.]
This conquest key was vastly different from the last one. While this key could only be used at a specific location, the previous conquest key had directly teleported him to an unknown planet, showcasing its superiority as an Elite rank item. Eli still hadn't completed that quest, and his instincts told him he wasn't ready yet.
Eli left his house and boarded a public turbo from Hutton District to Somali District, a journey that took a total of eight hours. He wasn't even sure if he could make it back to school on time.
After the bus stopped at the Somali District terminal, Eli jogged all the way to the Teleportation station.
"DiIiiNG!
[Do you want to activate the Conquest key?] [Y/N]
"Yes."
An invisible wall suddenly materialized, shrouding the Somali District Teleportation station in its embrace.
Occasionally, someone approached the station, but they simply vanished upon contact with the invisible wall. It was likely that the place Eli was in and the outside world were two separate dimensions.
Tti-ring.
[You cannot exit the dungeon. Please defeat the boss first or find the return crystal.]
"It's different…."
Eli smiled and looked behind him. The interior of the Somali District Teleportation station had transformed into a jungle. Walls were thick with twisting vines, and a rancid odor akin to rotting corpses assaulted his senses. He even heard the cries of wild beasts from afar.
"..."
It wasn't that there was a hidden entrance near the station; the entire station had undergone drastic changes.
Eli pulled the Dual Rothsoth Dagger from his inventory.
Tti-ring.
[Item: Dual Rothsoth Dagger]
[Tier: Basic Tier]
[Rank: 2]
[Attack: +10]
His back was blocked off, and he had no method of contacting the outside, so the only option left was to move forward.
Eli descended the steps, surveying his surroundings but sensing nothing in particular. However, it was truly forbidden to underestimate the dangers.
Among the low-ranked monsters, there were quite a few that knew how to mask and hide their presence very well. Perhaps because they were so low-ranked, they had no choice but to hide and wait to ambush their prey.
Past the toilets, he entered deeper and encountered the underground shopping center. Shops were worn down and in complete disarray, looking more like ruins than anything else. The human-less shells of the shops, dimly illuminated by flickering overhead lamps, felt ominously creepy and sinister.
Flicker, flicker….
A few of the lamps continued to flicker as if their life was nearing its end.
Eli carefully stepped on the overgrown weeds jutting out from between the cracked floor tiles and continued forward, but he picked up on a general aura of unease and scanned his surroundings.
"…."
Everything seemed quiet and still, but he sensed a gaze from something. And then, there was this smell—a seriously rotten odor of an animal carcass coming from somewhere.
However, he still couldn't find its whereabouts. Just like how a predator would stalk its prey.
'Oh, so you want to remain hidden and wait for your chance, is that it?'
In that case, he should give it one.
Eli deliberately turned around and presented his back. Very slowly, he retraced the path he had taken. A beast would try to pounce on its prey as soon as its back was shown.
And so, it happened when he took his third step.
Smash!!
The shop window of a clothing store behind him shattered into pieces, and something jumped out. As soon as it landed on the ground, it leapt towards Eli's exposed neck.
"Roar!"
Eli had been ready for a sneak attack like this one, so almost immediately, he swung the Dual Rothsoth Dagger in the direction of the sound. It was a perfectly executed instinctive counter!
Swish!
The sharp edge of the blade sliced open the creature's maw. The monster spat out a pained cry as it flew away from Eli and crashed on the ground, rolling around in a heap. It was a huge wolf with a purple coat of fur.
The wolf, with its maw sliced away, wiggled around and threw a seizure-like fit as if it was in great pain.
[Inspect activated]
[Purple Lycan]
[Basic-Tier Beast]
[Level: 7]
'There is no time to waste here; I still need to make it back for school!'
Eli covered the distance in a single leap and chopped down with his Dual Dagger, separating the creature's head from its body.
"Rawr!"
The Lycan spat out a final roar and stopped breathing.
[You've killed Purple Lycan.]
[First time killing Purple Lycan +500 EXP]
[You have gained +500 EXP]
[27000EXP/50000EXP]
"Not bad!"
Two more Purple Lycans jumped out from their hiding place behind the shop's darkness. They bared their big fangs and closed the distance in an instant.
He must've chopped down too hard from all the excitement because the Rothsoth Dual Dagger was covered in cracks running from the tip to everywhere.
'Hmm.'
At that moment, one of the Purple Lycans aimed for his face and leapt up. Eli took a step back, and the Purple Lycan flew over his head, landing face-first on the ground after failing to stop in time.
The other Purple Lycan was still running towards him. Eli threw the Rothsoth Dual Dagger away—it was only a Basic-Tier weapon, and he had expected this outcome sooner or later.
Eli threw a hard punch at the Purple Lycan closing in.
WHOOSH!!
Accompanied by a bone-chilling sound of wind parting ways, his fist flew straight forward.
POW!!
It took just one hit, and the head of the Purple Lycan simply exploded. The corpse of the now-headless Purple Lycan slammed into the ceiling above and then powerlessly fell to the ground.
Thud!
"….??"