Zoe stepped into the room without hesitation, her eyes scanning the dark room in front of her. She could see the forms of several bats and goblins, their red eyes gleaming in the dim light.

 

She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the battle to come. The bats dashed off to her, their wings flapping menacingly. Suddenly, they opened their mouths, and beams of red laser light shot out, headed straight for Zoe.

 

Not expecting such an attack from the bats, Zoe was shocked. Although she dodged the first three laser attacks with her agility, she couldn’t fend off the last one. Just as she was worried about taking heavy damage, a vortex appeared in front of her and absorbed the laser attack. Zoe thought this card will really come in handy.

 

Roman, who was sitting at the entrance of the room, applauded enthusiastically. He burst out laughing and spoke. “Laser-shooting bats? I thought it would be boring to watch you fight with bats. Hahaha, that was really interesting.”

 

Zoe quickly sidestepped, dodging the incoming laser beams. She grabbed her sword tightly and brought it up to the guarding position. The bats swooped down on her, and their sharp claws extended. Zoe swung her sword, cutting through the first bat with ease.

 

The goblins were now moving forward, and Zoe now noticed that they were wearing armor. Their armor clanked loudly as they approached. They carried massive spiky clubs glinting in the dim light. Zoe stood her ground, ready for their attack.

 

The first goblin swung its club at Zoe, who deftly dodged to the side, then brought her sword down in a sweeping arc, cutting through the armor and slicing through the goblin's flesh. The second goblin roared and jumped at Zoe, who again dodged to the side and brought her sword up in a defensive posture.

 

She owed her ability to easily evade these attacks to her footwork practices with Lucy. Through days of training, Lucy had taught her well how to easily dodge an enemy rushing toward her. Assuming the goblins weren't very intelligent, she just need to dodge their attacks by sidestepping.

 

The remaining three bats were coming at her from all sides now, their laser beams flying past her in a barrage of red light. Zoe ducked and dodged, her sword flashing through the air as she battled her way through the horde.

 

Also, the goblins wielding huge clubs swung with deadly force and surrounded Zoe. She nimbly dodged the attacks, almost as if she was dancing, by ducking and scrambling. With her sword, she countered each strike that came her way. The battle was intense, with blows raining down on her from all sides, but Zoe was confident and didn't feel she would lose. The difference in her agility and theirs was evident, and she believed she wouldn't even sustain any damage.

 

But Zoe was not one to be underestimated, especially when she was cornered. The bats and goblins, however, were not aware of this. She fought with grace and skill, her sword flashing through the air and cutting down her enemies one by one. The goblins fell, their armor clattering on the ground, and the bats proved no match for her sword.

Finally, the last of the enemies had been defeated, and Zoe stood panting, her sword still at the ready. She scanned the room, surveying the aftermath of the battle.

Realizing that there were no more enemies left, she swung her sword to shake off the blood. She then bent down and wiped her sword clean with the cloth from one of the fallen goblins’ outfits.

Roman, who had watched the fight from the entrance, stood up and nodded to himself, impressed by Zoe's skills. He then started walking towards her. Zoe stood there for a moment, catching her breath, then sheathed her sword and continued walking toward the next room.

 

Zoe paused as if something had occurred to her. She wanted to check her trap card. She was surprised to see that the bat's attack had been blocked by her card.

 

 

She turned to Roman, who was waiting for her. "I thought loot was supposed to drop from these creatures," she said. "But I didn't get anything. And what do you think about my trap card blocking the bat's attack?"

 

Roman replied calmly, "Loot doesn't usually drop from entry-level mobs like these. I wouldn't expect it to be worth much even if it did. As for your other question, your card says it blocks spells, not just card spells, but all spells."

 

Zoe nodded, satisfied with the explanation, and the two continued walking toward the next room.

 

As Zoe and Roman entered the next room, they were greeted by a magnificent statue standing in the center of the room. The statue was made of a mysterious, shimmering metal that seemed to change color with the light. It was twice as tall as an average human and depicted a powerful warrior with a muscular physique, holding a large battle ax in one hand and a round shield in the other.

 

Roman looked around as he saw the statue and figured out how to activate the trap. He called out to Zoe and said, "There, loot can drop from this one for sure," and stepped on the trapdoor with a smile.

 

The moment Roman stepped on the trapdoor, the statue suddenly came to life, transforming into a massive golem made of the same shimmering metal. The golem was an imposing figure, towering over Zoe and letting out a deep roar that echoed throughout the room.

 

Zoe quickly unsheathed her mantis blades this time. She thought mantis blades would be more suitable for this fight. She stood her ground, ready to face the golem. It charged forward, swinging its battle ax with tremendous force. Zoe dodged the attack and used her agility to circle around the golem, looking for an opening.

 

With lightning-fast speed, Zoe struck at the golem with her mantis blades, but the golem's skin was too tough for her to penetrate. The golem countered with a massive punch that sent Zoe flying across the room. She quickly recovered and continued to dodge and attack, using her blades to strike at the golem's joints.

 

The battle between Zoe and the golem was intense, as they exchanged blows and tried to outmaneuver each other. Zoe's agility and speed allowed her to dodge many of the golem's attacks, but the golem's strength and skin made it difficult for her to deal any significant damage.

 

Zoe realized that although she made rapid attacks, they had little effect on the golem. She briskly circled it, looking for a weak spot to attack. The golem, which was too slow compared to Zoe, couldn't keep up with her speed.

 

Zoe quickly dashed to the left and right of the golem, attacking whenever she could. It didn't make sense for her to face such a strong opponent at such an early stage of the Dungeon. It must have a weakness, she thought.

 

The blue-haired SorCyber finally found a way to climb onto the golem's back. She jumped up and grabbed onto its shoulders. And that effort paid off. She found a rune glowing on the Golem's neck. It was a rune with arcane symbols radiating blue and white lights. Thinking this must be the spell that gives life to the golem, Zoe stretched her right arm back to attack. Just then, the golem started to fall on its back to the ground. Realizing this at the last moment, Zoe managed to dodge this attack by leaping.

 

Roman, who had been watching the fight from afar, burst out laughing. “The creatures in this dungeon really amuse me. I guess it'll be worth it that I came to the Abyss. At least I am having a blast!”

 

Enraged by this absurd attack and Roman's laughter, Zoe quickly rose to her feet. The golem was also rising, clumsily, with heavy movements. With its back still turned to Zoe, she decided to end the fight quickly. She drew upon the spell stored in her Trap Card's Arsenal and focused her gaze on the rune on the golem's neck. As the golem tried to regain its footing, Zoe activated the card, and a red laser beam shot from her mouth, exploding on the golem's neck.

 

However, her attack proved to be ineffective as the golem was not yet destroyed. Despite this, Roman was still in high spirits, applauding and cheering for Zoe's efforts. Undeterred, Zoe charged forward and attacked again with her mantis blades, determined to defeat the golem.

 

As the battle raged on, Zoe noticed that the golem's movements were becoming slower and clumsier. She realized that the golem's energy was beginning to run out, and she seized the opportunity to finish it off. With a final burst of speed, she jumped onto the golem's back and plunged her mantis blades into its neck. The golem let out a final roar and crumbled to the ground, defeated. 

 

The golem, defeated by Zoe's mantis blades, fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, cracking the stone floor beneath it. As the dust settled, a small glint caught Zoe's eye. Upon investigation, she discovered a loot drop, just as she had suspected. She bent down to examine the item more closely and realized that it was a Common card. The card radiated strange energy, and as she inspected it, she saw that it provides the user with a boost in strength (STR).

 

 

Curiously, Roman approached Zoe. "What kind of card did you get?" he asked.

Zoe shrugged and replied, "It's a common utility card that gives +2 to my STR stat. I've never really thought of focusing on my strength, so I don't know what to do with it."

"You should equip it directly on your CyberDeck," Roman advised. "Too much strength is never a problem. You'll be able to take hits better and your attacks will be much stronger."

Zoe followed Roman's instructions and installed the card into her CyberDeck. She immediately noticed a change in her body as the card was activated. The cybernetic alloys covering her body were becoming harder and stronger. Although she felt a bit awkward at first, she was relieved that this change didn't affect her agility.

She turned to Roman and thanked him for setting off the trap that led to this encounter and for his advice about the card. The duo continued their journey, ready for whatever obstacles may come their way next.

As Zoe and Roman continued down the road, they came upon a fork in the path. Without hesitation, Zoe chose to take the road on the right, and as they walked, they soon came upon a peculiar room. The room was much different from the dark, damp cave they have been exploring, instead, it resembled a stone church with tall columns and intricate carvings decorating the walls.

 

In front of them stood four statues, each holding a bowl in front of it. Zoe realized that this room must be some kind of puzzle, and she began to inspect the statues closely. Each of them had a symbol etched into it, and she thought that she had to light the bowls in a specific order to solve the puzzle.

She spent some time studying the symbols, looking for any patterns or similarities. She also checked the surrounding walls and the floor for any clues that might help solve the puzzle.

 

Upon further inspection, Zoe discovered an inscription on the wall that read: "From new beginnings to the height of summer, to the richness of fall, to the stillness of winter." This inscription provided additional support for Zoe's deduction that the symbols on the statues represented the four seasons.

 

After careful observation, Zoe deduced that the symbols represented the four seasons, with one symbol representing spring, another representing summer, and so on. She believed that the correct order to light the bowls was spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

 

She shared her theory with Roman, and they both agreed to test it. Zoe took the torch from the wall and began to light the first bowl, which corresponded to the symbol of spring. They both waited to see what would happen. When nothing occurred, they moved on to the next bowl, representing summer, and so on.

 

After successfully lighting the fourth bowl, a secret door opened, that revealed a hidden room hopefully filled with treasure and valuable artifacts. Zoe and Roman entered the room, feeling relieved and grateful for solving the puzzle and avoiding the deadly trap.