The next day, Talio quickly gathered all his belongings. For the next five days, he simply relaxed. He figured there wasn't much point in stressing himself out too much—after all, the worst that could happen was dying.
Lazy bastard.
There wasn't anybody for him to live for anyway...
After his uneventful week was over, they rendezvoused at the same place inside the large building.
Talio, his fluffy hair still tied in a half-bun, wore the same outfit as last time—a black trench coat over a black shirt and black trousers strapped by a belt, though he had washed them, of course. This time, however, he wore light armor underneath his clothes, which, to his dismay, cost more than heavy plate steel.
'Damn it, my wallet is crying. Even though it technically wasn't my money.'
Strapped over one shoulder, his backpack carried additional gear—but we'll get to that later.
It was time to focus on the task at hand.
At the front stood the curvaceous, navy-haired woman once again, stretching her arms—much to the excitement of the male onlookers.
Talio pinched himself to stay focused.
Kids these days. Well, it's not just kids if you catch my drift...
"Hello everyone, I do hope you spent the week I gave you wisely?"
She looked around briefly, then continued almost immediately.
"Well, I could start spewing words of motivation, but not only am I too lazy to do that, let's be honest—what good would a few words do in our predicament?"
Leah paused, a contemplative look flashing across her face before she carried on.
"Let me give you some advice, however. This dungeon has been attempted a few times, but no raid has ever been successful. A few survivors have returned, but their memories were wiped. The only reason the Kings haven't sent anyone stronger is that not a single monster has ever left the cave to harm the city. That said, it's very likely we'll be stuck in there for a long time—do with that information what you will."
This time, Talio paid close attention. He didn't want to miss anything important. A creeping apprehension slid down his spine.
'I'm startin' to feel kinda nervous now.'
She began calling the groups, starting with Group 1.
"Group 1, follow that guy over there." She gestured to a man near the door, and the group followed him out.
Ten minutes passed. Leah checked her watch, then called the next group.
Eventually, it was Talio's group's turn.
The Blonde looked around with a playful smile. The twins clutched each other tightly. The Bald guy—he was bald, right?—was calmly wiping his greatsword.
Talio, meanwhile, had his eyes closed. He had to remember—the excruciating scream, the mocking smile, those goddamn emerald eyes, and worst of all, that suffocating feeling.
Only through remembering those things could he remind himself how insignificant the fear he felt now truly was.
Then, their group was called. He opened his eyes, sighed, and stood up, taking position at the back.
They walked for about six minutes through the plains until they reached a carved opening in the wall of a cliff. Looking up, one could see the cliff protruding above them, covered in moss that also veiled the cave entrance.
Their guide gave a nod, then swiftly retraced his steps back to the camp.
They all stared at the cave with a shared apprehension—everyone except the Blonde, who wore a neutral expression.
The Bald guy turned to the group, perhaps talking more to himself than anyone else.
"Well, are you guys ready or what?"
The Blonde gave a thumbs up in response. The twins nodded. Talio managed a somewhat convincing smile and said:
"As ready as we'll ever be."
Then, they entered together.
The cave was pitch black. Nothing more, nothing less. Visibility was nonexistent, forcing them to rely on other senses. Talio waited for someone to provide a source of light, but everyone seemed reluctant.
Perhaps not without reason. Talio himself wanted to conserve his lantern's capacity for Vis Mundana ,as if overused it will overload and stop working, for emergencies. Being frugal, he had only brought one, to make room for other items within his budget.
He figured the rest of the group had similar ideas, prioritizing personal safety over shared convenience.
'Sigh... we humans truly are too greedy.'
Indeed you guys are.
After a few silent moments, the Bald man sighed and said:
"This won't do. It's too dark to make out a damn thing."
He then pulled a lantern from his oversized rucksack and infused it with Vis Mundana, lighting up the surrounding area.
Talio looked at him skeptically.
"Hey, if you've got a better idea, I wouldn't mind hearing it."
Talio shook his head almost immediately. Cutting off one of their main senses just to avoid attention wouldn't be wise.
They continued deeper into the cave. It was what you'd expect—rocky walls, rocky ceiling, rocky floor... and rocks.
'Too many goddamn rocks.'
Then came their first predicament.
A cliché one.
A split path.
The Bald guy picked up two rocks and threw one into each tunnel, listening for any reaction.
Nothing.
He sighed and looked at the group.
"Well, does anyone have any idea which way to go?"
Talio shrugged and glanced at the twins, who held each other's hands tightly. Even with his lack of ability to see expressions, he was sure their faces screamed terrified.
'Honestly, why did these deadweights have to tag along? Our group's definitely going to get put in a sticky situation because of those two.'
The Blonde smiled.
"Well, we have to settle this with eenie-meenie-miney-mo."
Everyone but Talio laughed. He stared, incredulous.
'He's lost it. First, he drags me on a double date, and now he's deciding what we do in a dungeon with a nursery rhyme.'
A little bit of humor and fun goes along way guys trust me I would know otherwise I probably would not be here.
But lacking a better option, Talio held his tongue.
The Blonde started from the left. Twenty seconds later, eenie-meenie-miney-mo landed on the right path.
The Bald guy laughed.
"No time like the present. We should get moving."
They headed down the right path.
A few moments later... (Two hours, to be exact.)
The Bald guy suggested they rest early and built a campfire, which was sorely needed—oddly enough, the inside of a cave was freezing.
The twins fell asleep instantly. The Blonde seemed to be meditating. The Bald guy was teaching Talio how to make a fire. He warned against using the local mushrooms, as they released a mild toxin. He added that Talio's body might handle it, but...
Talio wasn't in the mood to test his constitution.
Time passed. Talio, the Bald guy, and the Blonde stayed awake. The twins slept peacefully, not a sound from them. They were far too naïve for their own good.
And as expected—something went wrong.
A low vibration echoed from the ceiling. Talio immediately jumped up and pulled a double-edged sword from one of the compartments inside his coat.
He looked up.
'One, two, three... eight? For fuck's sake—it's a spider.'
It was a plain black spider—except it was gargantuan. Each of its eight legs stretched around four meters, its main body about six.
It slammed the ceiling, sending rocks crashing down. The twins jolted awake, still groggy. The Bald guy rushed to shield them with his greatsword, while Talio and the Blonde dodged the falling debris.
Then the spider dropped to the ground, the impact shaking the cave and sending a blast of air that extinguished the campfire—their only light source.
Talio, half-expecting something like this, was already fastening a lantern to his belt. He quickly infused it with Vis Mundana, intensifying its glow.
Then he saw them—eight glowing red eyes. A chill ran down his spine.
The spider lashed out. Talio barely dodged.
'Shit. What to do, what to do...'
Things weren't looking good. The Bald guy seemed to have sprained his elbow while protecting the twins, and the Blonde was too far away to benefit from Talio's light.
The spider stepped forward.
Talio debated whether to retreat or close the gap—and chose the latter.
But just as he advanced, the spider spat a liquid, forcing him to leap back. Where it landed, the ground sizzled.
'Lucky break for me... if this situation can be called lucky at all.'
He tried to think—but the spider didn't give him time, launching barrage after barrage of attacks.
'Eureka. That's it.'
He dropped his sword.
Then waited.
As the spider lunged a leg at him, Talio inhaled deeply, gathering Vis Mundana into his legs, then dashed forward, narrowly avoiding the strike.
He sprinted twenty meters in a flash. The spider spat more acid, but Talio was already under it. He grabbed the lantern from his belt, poured in all the Vis Mundana he could, covered his face with one arm, and closed his eyes.
A blinding light erupted.
Seconds later, Talio lay on the floor—right beneath the spider.
Whether by luck or fate, the spider was blinded, now thrashing in wild agony. But Talio's lantern had shattered. Darkness returned.
He dodged another strike—whether it was dumb luck or keen senses, he wasn't sure and didn't care to find out. He sprinted away from the chaos.
Then—light.
Two sources: one from the Blonde, the other from the Bald.
As the spider flailed, the two men lunged—driving their weapons into its head.
The spider twitched...
Then died.
Talio let out a massive sigh of relief.
He was still alive. Still breathing.
Stuck in a cave, sure. But breathing.
Let's see how long you can stay alive for little Talio.