The rattling of the old rusty gate echoed throughout the night. Mira stood a few metres from the gate, the dark eerie surroundings sent a chill down her spine, but this was the place, this is where the dungeon was supposed to be.
"Yup, a cemetery. It just had to be a cemetery," Mira sighed, annoyed. "And it just so happened to have revealed itself at night time, totally not creepy at all." Mira glanced around, the darkness engulfing her vision and making it hard for her to see.
She glanced at the [Instance Dungeon Key] in her palm for a moment, before returning her gaze to the gate, a strange floating lock mechanism just above the gate. She didn't try to question it, it was obvious that this was where the key was supposed to be used.
With a deep breath to calm her nerves, Mira approached the strange floating lock. Every step she took made her feel a sense of finality, as she was stepping towards the unknown
Every part of her body was screaming at her to turn back, to go back to the Hospital and think things through more, prepare a bit more.
But there was no turning back now.
'Who knows what could happen to the Dungeon if I chose to leave? It could disappear, and the key could disappear with it too.' Mira thought, her fists clenching at her sides.
A cold sweat broke down the side of her face, but she strengthened her resolve, determined to keep pushing forward.
"Alright!" Mira said, determination in her voice. "Let's do this!"
With a swift motion, Mira jammed the key straight into the lock and turned it, taking a cautious step back as both the lock and the key disappeared.
A strange white and blue frame appeared around the gate, causing Mira to blink in confusion as she saw an entrance similar, but at the same time not quite as similar to the Dungeons appear.
She stared at it for a moment, this was her last chance to turn back, but she couldn't afford to chicken out now. Mira walked towards the gate, lingering outside for a moment before stepping inside, pushing the gate to the cemetery open as a whole new environment materialized before her.
"What the-" Mira gasped in shock, her eyes widening in surprise. The cemetery was gone, replaced by a large forest with a really dense fog. So dense she could barely even make out what was in front of her.
There were still a few gravestones in the area, not as much as they were before, but they still brought Mira a sense of unease whenever she gazed at them.
'Are you kidding me!?' Mira thought, utterly frustrated with her luck as she found herself at a large disadvantage.
'A monster could literally sneak up on me in this dense fog and kill me instantly, heck, they could be right next to me and I wouldn't even notice.' She thought, glancing behind her to see the outside world, the city lights and buildings in her view.
'It seems that I can't leave either.' Mira thought, reaching to put her hand outside of the gate only to find a sort of barrier blocking her from leaving.
'Great..' Mira thought, grabbing her [Small Silver Dagger] from her side, she began making her way deeper into the forest. The entire area was eerily quiet, only being periodically disturbed by the sounds of boots walking over soggy soil.
To say she wasn't scared would be a lie, as she was utterly terrified of monsters. Still, she moved, deciding to push these fears down and walk forward.
A sudden rustle tore through the trees, causing Mira's heart to freeze and for her to stop dead in her tracks. A sudden rush of adrenaline and urgency flooded her system, her instincts kicking in as Mira leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding an attack from a skeletal monster.
She skid a few feet away, allowing herself to catch her breath and observe her enemy more closely. The skeleton was covered in moss, dirt, and grime, as if buried for centuries and arising upon sensing an intruder.
Mira didn't have time to collect her thoughts however, as the skeleton immediately charged at her again, moving with surprising agility and might that dwarfed her own.
Empowered by her surging adrenaline, Mira grit her teeth and sidestepped the attack, her movements unpracticed and clumsy.
"Take this!" With a scream fueled by determination and desperation, Mira swung her [Small Silver Dagger], delivering a solid slash at the monster's chest.
SLAAASH!
The skeleton's ribcage cracked from the blow, pushing it back as it suffered a lot of damage, its bones rattling and forming cracks from the impact. But Mira wasn't done yet, and became more fueled after seeing the damage her attack did.
SLASH!
CRACK!
BAM!
Mira fought with all she had, delivering deadly attack after deadly attack as she repeatedly slashed at her enemy. The skeleton, though damaged, bruised, and battered, returned its ferocity as it charged through her attacks.
A strong blow connected to Mira's jaw, sending her crashing into a tree, suffering a lot of damage as she was momentarily disoriented.
Rising from the ground slowly, and wiping the blood dripping down her lip, Mira glared at her enemy.
'He's tough, even though his bones are barely holding it together, he's still fighting..' Mira thought.
But unknown to her, she had a grin on her face. A grin fueled by the spirit and excitement of battle, her earlier fears diminished by the pure adrenaline and rush of the blood in her veins.
"Let's finish this!" Mira said, laughing under her breath as she rushed towards the monster, blade gleaming in the moonlight as she dashed.
The skeleton shifted backwards, preparing an attack. Mira seeing this hardened her expression and prepared herself, ducking under a strong swing of the skeleton's punch, Mira grabbed her silver dagger firmly in her hand, her muscles tensing as she channeled all her strength into one final attack.
With a powerful upward slash that cut through the air like paper, Mira split the skeleton in two, cutting it in half. The blade cleaved through the crumbling bone, tearing through it easily.
Mira watched, panting from exhaustion as both the halves of the skeleton fell on either side, the adrenaline and rush of battle slowly draining from her body.
[Ding! You Have Slain A Cursed Skeleton!]
[+52 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
Mira's eyes shifted to her side, where the sleek pink interface appeared by her side. A smile formed on her face, as she was flooded with a sense of joy and happiness by leveling up.
"Yes! I levelled up! I was right, I can grow stronger by fighting monsters!" Mira giggled happily, knowing now that her theory was right.
She glanced at the remains of the skeleton she had just fought, a grim expression settling onto her face. "Just one skeleton was enough to cause me so much trouble, who knows what else could be waiting for me the deeper I head into this Dungeon." Mira muttered.
She glanced at the [Small Silver Dagger] in her hands, finding it full of cracks and on the brink of shattering like glass. As expected of an E-Rank weapon.
"This crap won't last long either, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold on for."
Another rustle caught her ears, then another, and another, until a whole group of skeletons started approaching her, their forms blending into the darkness as their bones rattled ominously.
"I need to get stronger..."