Having satisfied his hunger, Dante ventured into the middle tunnel at a steady pace, his senses alert to every detail.
The persistent drip of water provided a rhythmic accompaniment to his steps.
Over the course of nearly an hour, Dante encountered various creatures—a mix of Vamp worms, Tailed Bats, and smaller monsters. Naturally, he dispatched them, each contributing to his growing stock of experience points.
As he approached the two-hour mark, a sudden rush of air caught his attention.
Whoosh!
"An arrow?" Dante's reflexes kicked in, enabling him to evade the projectile.
Bang!
A stone arrow, nearly two meters long, thudded into the earth.
Whoosh!
A second arrow was unleashed toward Dante.
In a swift motion, Dante leaped, contorted, and unleashed a powerful kick, shattering the oncoming arrow.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A barrage of arrows rained down on Dante. His eyes widened in realization.
"There must be something ahead, and these arrows are dangerous." Dante concluded, swiftly unsheathing his sword.
He deftly evaded the arrows, slicing and kicking, shattering them into harmless pieces.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a relentless assault, the onslaught of arrows finally ceased.
Moving forward with heightened vigilance, Dante recognized the presence of traps in this tunnel.
He activated his Skill, Concentration.
Within his mind, the cave's intricate structure materialized. He could discern the faintest traces of monsters, observe even the tiniest insects on the ground, and accurately gauge the cave's diameter. Enhanced by the Mask of Support and a heightened Intelligence stat, Dante marveled at the newfound strength of his Concentration Skill.
His heightened hearing allowed him to discern even the faintest sounds, like the intensified dripping of water.
Click.
Continuing forward, Dante suddenly heard a clicking noise as his Skill neared its end.
Dante's instincts kicked in, his hairs standing on end as he propelled himself into a high jump. In an instant, a multitude of spikes materialized below him.
Whoosh!
As he hung suspended in the air, a barrage of arrows was unleashed. Not just one, but five arrows converged, surrounding him. With mere seconds left on his Skill, Dante had to swiftly strategize while only having his primary assets as formidable stats and support Skills.
Below him, a sea of spikes lay in wait, their clustered arrangement leaving no room for error. Their sharp points posed a significant threat.
In a swift motion, Dante summoned a shield and mace into his hands.
Assessing the arrow trajectories and timing, Dante contorted his body, propelling the shield forward. He executed a precise mid-air spin, expertly deflecting the incoming arrows.
The pull of gravity intensified, drawing him ever closer to the perilous spikes below. With a forceful strike, he wielded the mace, shattering the impending danger. Then, in a hurried maneuver, Dante positioned the shield beneath him, cushioning his landing.
Bang!
Silence fell.
Dante blinked, his gaze fixed on the cave ceiling, the rush of excitement replaced by a sobering reality.
"Sh*t! That was dangerous," Dante thought, his bitterness evident. It was his first encounter with such treacherous traps. While Concentration had alerted him in time, his approach to handling them had been perilous. The traps were deeply concealed within the cave, beyond even Concentration's reach.
As he rose to his feet, the dust on his suit dispersed of its own accord, a testament to the suit's self-cleaning feature.
"I'm still green." Dante lamented. While he'd grown adept at dispatching monsters, most of their abilities were straightforward. They didn't require much strategic thought. But in a situation rife with unexpected traps, Dante recognized he had much to learn.
Sigh.
He sighed as he continued forward.
***
Click!
Another clicking sound pierced the air. Dante swiftly activated his Skill, his alertness and readiness more alert this time.
With Concentration active, Dante meticulously scrutinized his surroundings. His body tensed, and his ears remained keen to every sound.
In an instant, his hair stood on end.
He turned his head just in time to witness a section of the wall on his right propel a square stone, still connected to the wall. The stone hurtled toward his head with alarming velocity.
Time seemed to slow down.
Bang!
Dante tilted his head, narrowly dodging the stone's trajectory!
Whoosh!
Yet another wall discharged a square stone.
Dante's instincts kicked in, propelling him forward at full tilt.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The walls continued to launch stones, creating an impromptu barrier behind him as the projectiles remained connected to the wall.
Dante leaped, and a stone sailed through the spot where he had just stood. He swiftly retrieved another shield from his inventory, producing a resounding clang as he deflected yet another stone.
He evaded the stones with remarkable agility, narrowly avoiding some while using his shield to intercept others.
He ducked as a stone soared overhead, then adopted a low sprinter's stance. As he prepared to leap, his Concentration skill began its cooldown.
Bang!
A stone erupted beneath him, catapulting him into the air. Dante's vision whirled as he fought to regain control, keeping his wits about him. He couldn't help but wish his Concentration skill could be active at all times. For now, he'd have to wait a few precious seconds before it was ready to use again.
Bang!
Another explosion resounded, striking him mid-air and propelling him forward.
"Cough! I hate traps!" Dante hollered. While the stone hadn't posed a lethal threat, the sensation was far from pleasant.
Invigorate!
He activated one of his Skills on himself.
His body turned light and he could feel energy flowing inside him
Thud.
Dante executed a nimble roll on the ground, propelled himself with a powerful push, and landed several meters away from the stone barricade.
Surveying the wreckage caused by the trap, Dante couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
"What the hell? Shouldn't they increase the level of traps slowly? Why the sudden bombardment?!" Dante muttered, flabbergasted. The barricade stones are impossible to cross unless one shattered them, but looking at the number of stones, Dante concluded that he will probably take one to two hours just to destroy them.
There was no other choice but to move forward.
With his mind steadied, Dante resumed his exploration.
***
"Huff!" Dante let out a heavy breath. He wiped away the imaginary sweat from his forehead, while behind him, boulders ranging from the size of a small car to that of a normal house littered the ground.
Dante had confronted a variety of traps, each more frustrating than the last. There were winds sharp enough to cut skin, nets made from unidentified materials, and even a collapsing ceiling that promptly repaired itself.
"Who devised these traps?" Dante grumbled, his patience wearing thin after dealing with them for over an hour.
He decided it was time for a break to let his Health and Energy recover before pressing on.
***
After the boulder encounter, no more traps sprung forth.
Dante glanced up and spotted five Tailed Bats hanging from the cave's ceiling. They resembled normal bats, except they were considerably larger.
Deciding to kill them, Dante activated his Skill, Concentration.
In an instant, his senses extended beyond the immediate vicinity, revealing a much larger population of resting Tailed Bats.
Dante's stride ceased, his once relaxed muscles now taut with readiness.
"Fortunately, my Concentration has grown more potent," Dante mused, discerning the presence of at least a dozens Tailed Bats above.
He waited for his Concentration Skill to cooldown, then further waited for his Energy to replenish.
Drawing a bow, Dante took aim at the nearest Tailed Bat.
Whoosh!
The arrow sped through the air.
Sensing danger, the Tailed Bat jolted awake, its eyes widening. It attempted to shriek, but before it could vocalize, the arrow obliterated its head.
Arrows followed suit, causing Tailed Bats to plummet. The resulting chaos roused the remaining slumbering creatures.
