Inside the portal I felt my surroundings change rapidly. The air turned even more humid, adapting to the environment of the dungeon. But as a mage I felt a different change altogether, the quantity of the surrounding mana.

While mana was used in every skill the system gave us being in a mana rich surrounding let us use them far more often than outside. At least until the dungeons materialized on Earth. When I stepped outside the portal I landed inside a puddle of mud.

I looked around, seeing the familiar landscape of the first dungeon I delved into. Puddles of water and mud, created by rain and storms, were wildly placed around. Bushes and trees, glancing in colors like dark green and purple grow here and there, overgrown with vines and smaller mushrooms, clearly poisonous in color. A heavy storm started to brew in the distance.

There was the croaking of frogs, or at least their equivalent as they were distorted in form, having large horns, their entire body big enough to impale someone without effort. Wings fluttered as some kind of bird lifted of, letting out a shrill scream that hurt the ear.

But it wasn’t these things that were that were dangerous inside the dungeon. Of course, they could kill somebody unprepared, but it was the dangers lurking in the dark, beasts and monsters, that were the most dangerous.

I started to walk, lighting up the surroundings as the storm in the sky nearly blocked all light existing in this place. On my way I burned marks into the trees. Don’t want to lose the way back to the portal in here. Not like the first time around.

We stepped outside the portal, astonished at the sudden change in our surroundings. I expected a cavern or a maze, but it seemed like a swamp, the air wet and unnaturally heavy.

“He called this place a dungeon, but it seems more like its own world entirely.” I marveled at the strange beauty of this place. Plants I’ve never seen before stood there. The gushing wind brought scents with it that I couldn’t recognize. But before we had the chance to look around clearly a shriek brought us out of our stupor, making us turn around.

A bird flew towards us, feathers shining with a sinister luster. While its peak was short it had long elongated legs ending in sharp claws. Against its claws I raised the sword I looted earlier, blocking it from scratching at my face, and throwing it to the ground. Before it lifted off again, I impaled it to the ground, a cracking surrounding as the sword hit the bird.

“That doesn’t sound like a normal noise.”

The girl stepped near the bird, crouching down to touch its feathers. “They are hard. Ouch!” She pulled her hand away, a small line of red building on her finger. “And sharp…”

“You okay?”

“Just a small cut, it’ll heal quickly.

Hearing other rustling noises, we turned around, seeing some kind of reptile. “Don’t tell me everything here wants to kill us.”

I walked forwards, throwing a Fireball at a nearby frog which was jumping towards me. The mucus covering its body quickly caught fire, roasting it whole. Even though I only spent a few minutes inside the dungeon, half an hour at most, I already leveled up twice. The wind started to pick up as I walked towards the eye of the storm. It should be directly underneath it if I remember correctly.

Another beast came at me, a gigantic snake with razor sharp scales. It slipped out of a nearby puddle, making me step aside while throwing another Fireball. It hissed when it was hit, the fire evaporating the water on its scales before it burned them. Still, it was much more resistant to fire as it instantly responded by flicking its tail around like a needled whip.

I lifted my arms, blocking the strike as the scales scratched my skin, making blood pour outside. Nothing my endurance can’t heal afterwards. I responded by conjuring my own whips, one at each hand, whipping them outwards around thick trees before making them lock onto the snake, catching its head and tail with each on.

It struggled to break free as I pulled at the whips, shortening their length. The trees started to sizzle, cracking under the force whilst slowly catching fire. Before they collapsed I heard a snapping noise coming from the snake as its flesh was slowly but surely pulled apart and split with a final jolt, letting both part fall towards the ground, twisting and winding, spilling its blood around the area before they came to a stop. I need to put some points into another skill-tree. The basic level is too weak against resistant creatures.

We followed the marks Agni had left behind. “Do you think he has left them for us to follow him.”

“I don’t think so.” She crouched down. The mud made it easy for us to follow him, as footprints were left all over, visible even with the little light that shone through the clouds. “Maybe he marked his way outwards?”

Our conversation was halted when a group of goblins crossed out path. I stormed forward, slashing at the nearest one. The sword, although crude looking, was quite sharp as it effortlessly cut through the goblin before I struck out to the next one.

As I went to dispatch the last one an arrow shot past me, nearly hitting me instead of the goblin. I stopped because of the sudden arrow, not because there was another goblin. The arrow came from behind me where the girl stood.

The goblin on the other hand took these signs of sudden infighting as a chance to catch me off guard, smashing its club against me. I quickly lifted the handcuff, blocking it, but the lack of a proper stance made me stumble backwards and fall into the mud.

It raised its club again, grinning in delight, as another arrow shot forward, hitting it on its shoulder. When it fell down, I used my chance to stab the sword forward, impaling it. Then I shot around towards the girl, weary of another attack. But what I saw made me dash forward instead.

She fell towards the ground, kneeling in the mud while clasping at her arm, her bow lying beside her. I looked over her, seeing her breathe quickly. She shook, her whole body convulsing, as her veins started to get purple, spreading outwards from the earlier wound.

I tried to lift her up. Maybe if I get her to a hospital she can be saved. But when I pulled her up, she screamed out in pain, before collapsing completely. When I heard another rustle nearby, I made a choice. One I would definitely regret if it doesn’t work. I called for help.

I dispatched another frog when I heard a scream. Did another player already get into this dungeon? Only death awaits if you try to conquer one unprepared. I turned back towards the eye of the storm, ready to continue onwards when I heard another cry, one for help. When I recognized the voice I shot around, running through the mud into the direction of the scream.

Monsters blocked my way, forcing me to smash them away, using my Flame Whip if they were afar or my Flame Strike if they got near me. Moments after I killed another group of goblins a snake came out of hiding, springing at me, its mouth wide open, ready to bite me with its fangs.

I don’t have fucking time for you now! I set my arms ablaze, holding down on both sides of its mouth to stop it from biting me. It hissed as it pushed venom out of its fang, dripping it onto me. My arms stung as the flames evaporated the venom, neutralizing most of its effects.

While the snake tried to poison me, I got a better grip on it, pulling its mouth apart. Another hiss resounded, this one in pain as its lower jaw unnaturally fell, before it stopped moving, my fist piercing through its oral cavity into its brain.

I let it fall downwards, rushing further until I saw Alice, standing in front of the girl from earlier, fighting against monsters while trying to protect her.