Lucian stared down into the depths of the structure before him. Something about it called to him. Perhaps it was the allure of the unknown. Perhaps it was the promise of a challenge that seemed to radiate from the darkness below.

  Regardless of what it was, Lucian felt it.

  Regardless of what it was, it was the reason Lucian took the first step over the edge and down the staircase.

  As he descended the staircase, the atmosphere shifted. It set Lucian on edge… “This place certainly isn’t normal.”

  He descended further and further down the spiraling staircase. He traced his hand along the wall, made of the same light stone bricks.

  Eventually, the bottom of the staircase came into view. Lucian stepped off of it onto a rough rocky floor. Around him, the walls opened up into a natural looking cavern.

  The sudden and intense presence of the system at the forefront of his mind caused Lucian to stop. “A dungeon… Alright… Let's see what it has to offer!” Lucian grinned, welcoming the challenge.

  The cavern was expansive, and filled with a surprising amount of plantlife. Bulb like growths dotted the walls and ceiling, glowing with a faint bioluminescence. But still, it wasn’t bright. Lucian felt his eyes slowly adjusting to the lower light levels as he walked further into the cavern.

  He briefly picked up a soft scuffling sound, but as quickly he had picked it up it was gone and replaced by more silence. Lucian narrowed his eyes and strained to see against the darkness further ahead of him.

  He caught a tiny bit of movement as he took a few more steps forward. A soft glint in the darkness as the glowing bulbs reflected off of something black and shiney.

  Lucian conjured his blade with [Manifest Weapon] as three large spiders the size of golden retrievers with shiny black carapaces scuttled out of the darkness towards him.

  They were all about the same size, though one was a bit larger than the other two, “You first.” Lucian launched himself forward at the group, dragging the tip of his blade against the cave floor as he moved causing a few sparks to fly.

  The spiders hissed and clicked at him as he approached. The largest one taking the initiative and beginning a charge of its own.

  As they met Lucian swung his sword upwards, leveraging his advantage in reach. The blade connected with the spider’s underside at an angle, slicing into it a few inches.

  The biggest one bared its fangs as Lucian leapt back, pulling his sword with him. The other two joined the fight as they charged as well.

  One leapt at him and Lucian met the spider with a thrust of his sword empowered by [Penetrating Strike]. The blade glinted white and the spider’s momentum carried it onto the blade as it skewered itself. The spider impaling itself forced Lucian back as his heels slid along the ground.

  The second smaller spider leapt for him as well. He managed to pull his sword out halfway before it reached him - not enough to block or counter.

  Lucian dropped down ducking under the spider as it flew over him. He delivered a punch to its underside as he dodged.

  He managed to free his blade with another tug.

  As he pivoted to face the smaller spider the hairs on his neck stood on end. He twisted his body and brought his left arm up just in time to meet the larger spider. It dug its fangs into Lucian’s left forearm and he swore as searing pain shot through his arm, “Fuck!”

  His immediate response was an attack empowered by [Slash], taking him down to 41 Spirit. He swung down and cleaved halfway through its abdomen. He pivoted his body and slammed the spider to the ground under him, driving his blade into the underside of its body several times.

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  The spider released its bite and let out an agonized chitter. Lucian shut it up by driving his blade through the underside of its head.

  He stood up and looked at the last remaining spider with a glare. It froze up slightly. The pain in his arm wasn’t going away, in fact it was getting worse. “Fucking… better than getting paralyzed…” He felt a level up from killing the spider but ignored it for now.

  Lucian walked towards the last spider which finally moved, backing up towards the wall and raising its two front legs while hissing in an ultimately ineffective threat display.

  Lucian lunged forward with a horizontal slash. His blade met the spider’s raised legs and severed them at the joints. He immediately followed through with a downwards swing. He cut several inches into the spider’s head, causing it to fall to the ground twitching. He pulled his sword up and stabbed down into its head again to make sure it was dead.

  Pulling his sword up and dismissing it as it ate one last Spirit, Lucian stumped against the wall and gripped his arm, gritting his teeth.

  The pain was spreading up his arm from the puncture wounds, the spider’s venom inflicting agony as it spread out.

  To distract himself, Lucian focused on the level he gained.

  Lucian immediately put his free points into Clarity, bringing it to 35. He was in a dark cave after all, better senses would help.

  He began to regret not taking [Firebolt] when he had the chance as he leaned against the wall.

  After 10 minutes passed, the pain had spread further - though it was less intense. He also noticed another spider approaching, “Ha… Damnit.”

  Lucian pushed himself from the wall and summoned his sword again, negating the past 10 minutes of Spirit recovery.

  The spider charged and Lucian brought his sword to his side with one hand, stepping forward and slashing once it was in range.

  The blade connected but didn’t cut as deeply, instead mostly changing the course of the spider’s movement, causing it to veer off to the side and slam against the wall.

  Lucian looked closer, and noticed its exoskeleton was shinier and more gray than the other spider’s had been, “Higher defense?” Lucian groaned.

  The spider pulled itself away from the wall but Lucian was faster than it. He appeared beside it and cut downwards with another [Penetrating Strike].

  This time he cut deep. The spider flailed as Lucian’s blade nearly split its thorax from its abdomen, leaving it attached by only a small amount of tissue and exoskeleton. Lucian twisted his sword, jerking it sideways and ripping the two segments in half with raw power using the sword like a crowbar.

  Lucian jerked his sword free and watched the spider’s thrashing get more and more sluggish before it curled up and died. He dismissed his sword and sat down against the wall with a pained exhale.

  It took 40 minutes for his Spirit to regenerate fully. By then the pain had dulled further, but frankly not by much. It had also spread more. He could feel the throbbing in his chest. He drank half of another water bottle and got up, “The show must go on.” Lucian stretched a bit before he continued further into the cavern.

  As he walked, the glowing bulbs became less and less common - bringing the light level of the dungeon down even further. His eyes were struggling to adjust. Lucian hesitated.

  Suddenly, he felt his eyes begin to adjust faster. The insides of the dark cavern became more visible and he took a step back, “What?”

  The system answered his question.

  Lucian laughed a little, “Convenient. I guess cats do have good night vision though.” He shook his head and looked further into the cavern.

  The plantlife, minus the blubs, was denser, and the cavern itself narrowed slightly. The feeling of challenge was more intense.

  “Guess I keep going.” He continued walking deeper into the dungeon’s depths, trying his best to ignore the pain in his left arm.