Chapter 1. Dungeon of Mild Inconvenience
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What would you expect from an average dungeon run? A few puzzles, some traps, and, of course, lots of monsters. But, most likely, it wouldn't be just a large crowd in a grand chamber. There should be a steady progression. The level of these beasts has to increase gradually until you meet the boss.

Well, it may be a horde as well, but only after you face some easier foes first. That gradual increase in difficulty, you know.

Nothing like that could describe Aira's experience with this dungeon. Every day she spent here reminded her of a training routine. Hitting the same dummies in the same spots to perfect her attacks. Even worse, it was like that basic tutorial she was made to go through when she was just a young apprentice. Without any preparation and not even knowing how to use her first-level skills.

This dungeon wasn't the challenge it should have been. It was wrong.

The process was physically exhausting; she wouldn't deny that. Like any workout should be. But if she was looking for a training session, she had much better choices than exploring dark passageways and assaulting lonely monsters.

With a sigh, Aira wiped the sweat from her brow. The reality remained the same. It was a mere exercise, not a challenge.

Was that really what she came here for?

She looked down, where a disfigured body of a troll was lying at her feet. Only a few moments have passed since her most recent fight. And, of course, a win. Usually, it would bring a sense of accomplishment, joy, or at least satisfaction from the hard work done. But they just weren't there. The sequence of monsters she had to face in this dungeon was too primitive and repetitive.

Aira kicked the dead troll with the toe of her boot, channeling her frustration. "Good riddance," she said, "But was it really that hard for you to be a bit tougher? And, you know, smarter?"

Her confidence in the plan began to waver this morning, just after she finished her breakfast and was ready to decamp. It should probably have happened even earlier. But she was so focused on reaching the 100th level that everything else didn't matter.

If she was sincere, that creeping sense of boredom and neverending repetitiveness had followed her for much longer. Not just from the entrance of this dungeon. For several years already. Was it just the manifestation of a mid-life crisis? And then, at 32 years, wasn't it a bit too early for that?

Whatever it was, right now, in these halls and caverns, the stench of decay and darkness that surrounded only boosted this pressing feeling. Made Aira question why she had even come here. In the end, it was just XP. There were other ways to gain it and break through the looming threshold.

Had all these years of grinding really been worth it? What had it brought her besides a fancy title, power, and plenty of gold? Of course, she wouldn't complain about the quality of life she could afford. But did she have to continue her life and career in the same manner? There were easier ways to earn money. Even if she needed to have any income at all.

Aira could buy a plot of land and live carefree for the rest of her days. So, what was still pushing her to continue her progression?

Was it just inertia or something else?

She picked up her warhammer and looked at the troll with apprehension. It was time to move on. She took step after step forward into the unknown. Now, when she had already entered the dungeon, she had to finish it anyway. There was no going back.

This plan had been on Aira's mind for ages. It was almost like her entire career had been building up to this moment. She couldn't remember who first suggested that reaching the 100th level in this dungeon would be such a great idea. Only a fleeting sentiment of that recommendation remained in her subconsciousness and followed Aira throughout her career and life.

It should have been the ultimate test for her. With a reasonable effort, as it was of a slightly higher level than she was. And as a bonus, she'd get that coveted Legendary status.

In the years that passed since she first heard about this dungeon, Aira had meticulously prepared and researched her future foray. Reckless wielders of arcane powers didn't last long in these dangerous environments. They didn't last long anywhere, but especially here. However, to her disappointment, things were not going as expected.

The experience could have been more fulfilling, to say the least. And it wasn't because this dungeon has existed for dozens of years and was well-researched. On the contrary, Aira did her due diligence as a part of her standard preparation process. But even for those who read the witness reports and scholarly analysis, there always was some challenge if you chose a dungeon that corresponded to your level or outranked you. Because they adapted to each person or party that entered their halls.

Every survivor of this dungeon mentioned a steady progression of monsters leading up to the final boss fight. Well, it was the standard way of things with these sorts of challenges. But since Aira made her first steps here, that wasn't what she experienced. It would have been nice if there were any surprises or real challenges. But there was no progression. No increase in the levels of the enemies. No challenge. Just a constant grind.

If anything, the dungeon adapted to Aira in reverse.

Even this troll, with its sharp tusks, heavy weapons, and menacing growls, was not even getting close to being her equal. Another predictable exchange of blows, another easy victory. It was as if all the same monsters were duplicated again and again, chamber after chamber, day after day.

At least she wasn't upset by the mediocre XP she gained during this dungeon run. Points earned from defeating the troll probably wouldn't even make an impact on the amount needed to reach the next level. That 100th level she desired so much. Luckily, the final quest would provide enough experience to surpass the threshold.

Aira voiced her frustration out loud, hoping someone or something would hear her. "This isn't right!" she exclaimed. "Dungeons do not work this way! There should be a challenge! It had to be a perfect match for me, I did the research!"

She kicked a stone in a fit of temper; it flew over to the other side of the cavern and was lost in the darkness. Anger and pity overtook her.

Aira took a deep breath.

No, that wasn't the right mindset. Channeling her frustration into abusing random stones wouldn't help her stay calm and focus on her goals. It was time to collect herself. Even when the monsters weren't as strong as she had hoped, staying rooted in hard logic and thorough planning was always important. She still had to reach the boss and find the exit.

So, before going any further and facing other challenges, Aira needed to center herself.

Since her childhood, meditation was the primary tool Aira was taught to use in situations when her mind started spinning. In any tense or unusual situations, really. Some of her friends, though, used meditation for its main reason only: to replenish the reserves of mana and health. But for her, it was so much more than that. It worked like magic, pun intended, for her anxiety and even allowed her to plan her next steps better. So, even if she didn't need to restore her stats at the moment, she would focus on the mental aspects of the routine.

The process was relatively straightforward. Aira had to gradually explore all of her senses, putting them in the background one by one, almost switching them off. Until only magic remained. That allowed her to focus on her arcane powers and on them alone.

Aira took a deep breath and closed her eyes, grounding herself in the present moment. First, she had to immerse herself in each of the senses, one by one. She needed to carefully observe her surroundings, noting anything of even minor importance: the texture of the walls, the unique patterns of the rock formations, or even the tiny light-emitting mushrooms that grew from cracks in the stone. She cataloged all that, labeling every bit of information she received through these senses.

She focused on the sounds. One may think the dungeon should be silent after Aira killed all the nearby monsters. But it was full of magical life and motion. The drip of water somewhere up ahead, scratching of the sand and rocks underfoot, and rustling of tiny creatures and monsters in the dark distant corners. All of that was a part of the symphony that surrounded her.

Reaching out to touch the nearest wall, Aira absorbed even more sensory information. The moss was soft and damp and bounced slightly under her fingers. As she pressed her hand against it, she could feel the moisture collected in different nooks and crannies before dripping down.

Finally, taking a deep breath, she sat against a patch of lush moss on the wall, entirely in tune with her surroundings.

She phased out all her other senses and focused on the last input channel: magic.

Effortlessly initiating her most powerful skill, Mana Manipulation, she extended its probes throughout the dungeon, sensing every living being, summoned creature, and inanimate magical object within its walls.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," she said, consciously filling her voice with determination as she tried to convince herself. "I just have to defeat the boss, and everything should return to normal, right?"

She summoned her System interface a habitual mental command. Lines of glowing text appeared in her vision, showing the most essential information about her current status. As she suspected, the XP gain from her recent fight was minimal.

Years of dungeon grinding, fights, battles, and skirmishes. And Aira couldn't help but wonder if the constant race for progression was even a goal worth pursuing?

She was almost there, less than a million points away from that level she desired so much. And yes, a million points sounded like a lot, but, at the same time, it wasn't that much at her level.

That distant goal has influenced all her actions since childhood. But what's next? Even more repetitive fighting towards level 200? Level 1000? Was there an end to this neverending cycle? It may have been the right moment to break free.

Aira sighed and dismissed the glowing letters with a flick of her wrist. She couldn't even imagine her life without them, without the System. Or, what sounded even wilder, without magic. At the same time, she couldn't deny that there were moments when she felt limited by this overreliance on the arcane powers.

But all of these thoughts had to wait until she escaped this damned place. She'll think about that later.

 

***

 

"Enough idling," said Aira, standing up. Hopefully, she will be finishing this dungeon soon. Aira had already spent enough time here and didn't want to waste even a day more in these caverns and halls.

She read all of the available reports. There was no reason to rely on them anymore, as the whole experience was absolutely unconventional. But something told her that she was getting closer and closer to the final chamber.

Standing up, Aira shouted into the darkness: "Hey! So where is the dungeon boss? Would it be another troll? Will you finally give me a chance to use the full range of my skills?"

She stepped away from the scene of the recent fight and moved towards the farthest corner of the hall. There, Aira found an entrance to a narrow corridor that wound through the rock until, after rounding a sharp corner, she found herself in a vast cavern, its ceiling shrouded in darkness. It would be an unremarkable space you could find in any dungeon or even in an ordinary cave, if not for one thing. Right in the center was a massive stone door that stood unsupported, its frame dimly lit by an unknown source of light. Around it, only empty space on all sides.

Finally, she saw something that promised a challenge: the door didn't register during her meditation. Either it didn't have any magic in it, or that magic was hidden well enough. But at her level, she rarely had a chance to stumble upon that "well enough."

Aira felt adrenaline coursing through her veins. "That's new!" she thought. "Hopefully, not just another disappointment."

Coming closer to the door, she noticed sequences of intricate runes carved on its surface and frame. Now she saw they were the source of the ethereal glow she'd seen from afar. Her eyes scanned the symbols, but they didn't seem familiar. "What do we have here?" she asked aloud, her curiosity piqued. Aira traced the patterns with her finger, the soft glow intensifying under her gentle touch.

Some shapes, she recognized. But none were from any language or magical tradition she had ever learned. And she studied lots of them. Really, lots of them. Like any other practitioner of the arcane trained by proper tutors.

Curiosity mounted within her, and she whispered, "Isn't that something? I can't read a thing!"

That truly was something new and unexpected, unlike all the other so-called challenges she experienced in this dungeon before. Something she had hoped to find since the moment she started this quest. Were the tables finally turning in her favor?

Aira's preliminary research did not hint at the existence of a door like this. Her mind quickly went through all the possibilities: monsters, puzzles, traps—the usual challenges one faced inside a dungeon. Definitely, not any kind of strange doors or... portals?

After taking a deep breath, Aira placed her hand on the carved surface. The runes flared brightly as if showing they noticed the contact, and with a low rumble, the slab of stone slowly moved. The door opened towards her, revealing a dimly lit passage cut through the rock.

Aira stepped forward, and a strange sensation washed over her as soon as the door closed. It was like this lump of stone cut off part of her magical awareness. Even using her Mana Manipulation skill to sense behind the door revealed nothing. There was only emptiness there. No mana flow or energy present at all.

So, a portal, after all?

She pressed her palm against the heavy stone door, but it refused to budge. Just a few moments ago, it opened without any effort. But now, it felt like it was a solid part of the wall. Aira pushed against the door with all her might, which was considerable at her 99th level. But the door remained in place.

"Alright," she said. "Forward it is."

Aira turned to face the long corridor that stretched before her. She could feel a powerful, foreign magic swirling around her. Somehow, it wasn't like anything she had seen in the previous few days.

The first thing Aira always did in a new space was to check the surroundings. And that's what she did this time as well. Supposedly, that was just another dungeon corridor. There shouldn't be anything special about it, right?

Well, wrong.

This one was unlike anything she had seen before. Its walls were covered with intricate carvings that depicted epic battles, mythical vistas, and strange creatures. Each step allowed Aira to witness more and more scenes. There was nothing familiar there. And she had traveled a lot and seen much since she chose her path as a wielder of the arcane.

It wasn't a secret that dungeons often tuned themselves to the adventurers. But how were the unreadable runes on the door and these scenes on the walls relevant to Aira's journey? Were they the harbingers of future adventures and quests? As they definitely didn't relate to anything from her past.

As she slowly moved through the winding corridor, a faint sound of chanting reached Aira's ears. Supposedly, this dungeon wasn't known for spawning anything besides mindless creatures incapable of speech.

And chanting could mean only one thing: sentient beings.

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