The group I’d selected as my cover turned out to be named the Serpent Slayers, a name that makes me want to vomit every time they say it. It had been incredibly easy to land myself a trial run as a member of the party. A few well placed compliments to the paladin leader Jerome and some less than subtle brags about my magic talents had won me my prize. Today would be our third time delving as a team this week. The first 2 had been to help them get used to my presence during combat so we’d only gone a few hundred feet into the dungeon. This would be the first real push for progress the Serpent Slayers have made so far.

Walking across the newly expanded wooden docks we made our way to the first available transport vessel. It was obvious at a quick glance the town’s administration had splurged on fixing up the local fishing boats to stay relevant. The dungeon was just far enough away from Brooksdam that if the town couldn’t meet the needs of the visitors, a new town would start up directly outside the entrance. To avoid that, Brooksdam had likely spent its entire budget on wind crystals exported from Chlorostail. Attaching the gems to the boats enabled them to return upstream while carrying adventurers and their loot. For a flat fee or by buying a monthly pass anyone could skip several hours of walking through the woods.

I flashed the pass I’d bought last week to the fisherman turned ferryman and sat beside the rest of the party. While insufferable I couldn’t help but think the party was better organized than the Giant’s Club, who had been 1 rogue, 3 tanks, and 1 healer not counting myself.

Jerome was the leader of the Serpent Slayers and a Paladin to some god I couldn’t be bothered to ask about. He was the groups tank and had several position swapping skills and defensive buffs. To serve his role he carried a large tower shield in his left hand and an axe in his right, all while completely covered in armor.

Fighting in the front alongside Jerome was Chris, an elemental brawler. Only wearing light leather armor elemental brawlers cover their bodies in thick mana and fight with enhanced martial arts. Chris seemed to prefer using the simple but destructive fire magic. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when he told me learning multiple elements was a waste of time when he was already a master of fire.

Ula was the party healer who possessed few weak buffs she could throw out. Out of everyone she was the most gifted by far. But until she realized how wasted a support mage was on this party she’d never progress.

In charge of ranged combat with me and guarding Ula was Michelle. As rangers go she’s painfully average. The only noteworthy thing about her is that she picked up [Homing] relatively early on in her career. Good thing to since she misses 25% of her shots without it.

After a 30 minute boat ride downstream we walked down the still widening path towards the dungeon. Even after reaching the entrance we had to wait in line for about 2 hours before heading inside. The royal knights guarding the entrance were staggering entry to prevent party killing. Too many people in the dungeon would only invite violence over the Rhilos to be made.

While the others discussed our route for the day I couldn’t help but remember the first time I’d come here. I hadn’t even delved right after the dungeon opened but watching so many young people die back to back had left an impression. It had taken 2 hours before the first party of unprepared young people came back out. The poor rogue and ice mage had entered with two of their friends and barely come back alive. But they’d made it out with the first wolf pelt and likely made enough money to live off of for weeks. A tale repeated at nauseum in the last 2 weeks.

Regardless we eventually made it past the screening and swam through the entrance. Today we would be taking the right side of the bog and attempt to reach the end of the floor. It’s well understood at this point the exit must lie within the deadly mushrooms. A tonic to counter the blood draining spores is currently in the works but the party wanted to try looking for a safe path around the mushrooms. Exactly 1 week ago some party had tried burning down the grove but that had only spread the vampiric spores into the air around the entire back half of the bog killing 14 before they dissipated.

Falling into my position in the backline I discreetly used water magic to dry myself off. As a “Lightning Mage” I wouldn’t dry anyone else off. Not that I would have even if I was masquerading as a water or wind mage.

“Alright guys, I’ll take the lead as usual. On this side of the bog we should find the Tempest Hares instead of wolves. Reports suggest they stalk groups and are prone to ambushes. As long as we can avoid getting pushed into the water during the initial attack we can handle them.”

Before we broke and started marching Michelle addressed me “Bit, reports say that the Tempest Hare’s spikes will draw in electricity. Be careful of friendly fire once they’re in play.”

“But of course comrade! I will take the utmost care during battle!”

---

I detected several Hares within [Atmosphere] about 5 minutes before our ranger. Only reason I didn’t say anything was because I wanted to see how the Hares would attack. One of my topics of investigation is the intelligence of the dungeon’s monsters. Being pure mana given physical form, dungeon creatures tend to be less intelligent than their natural counterparts. Even the rudimentary ambush tactics of the magic rabbits is comparable to a captured dungeon’s Commanders during times of war.

Michelle whistled to get everyone’s attention and pointed upwards. Now that the party was aware we slowed our progress, ready to defend ourselves at any moment. As if they noticed our change in behavior the Tempest Hares waited only 30 seconds more before all 8 launched towards us at once.

“[Taunt]!” Jerome yelled as he banged his shield with his axe.

I took note that all 8 Hares had kicked towards Ula before being lured by [Taunt]. That would imply they understood the purpose and vulnerability of healers. This dungeon has already given me something interesting to report.

Chris coated his right foot in flaming mana before jumping into the air and colliding with a male Tempest Hare. Despite the obvious size difference the brawler and rabbit seemed matched in strength. Both realized this fact simultaneously and activated their respective magics. The rabbit discharged and Chris set it’s fur ablaze. Lucky for Chris his leather boots weren’t very conductive and he fell to the root having taken out one of the enemies.

Michelle launched 3 [Homing] arrows towards different Hares while getting in front of Ula. 2 of her shots dealt heavy damage but the third managed to strike the rabbit’s skull and kill. The injured pair were dealt with by me after I used [Lightning Construct] to summon a bow and quiver of electrified mana. As my arrows landed I noticed they did indeed curve slightly towards the yellow spikes now sticking out of Jerome’s shield.

“HIP!” called one of the Hares as it jumped onto a nearby branch.

The other 3 surviving rabbits leapt in kind. Once all were beyond our melee fighter’s reach they began kicking their spikes towards Jerome from above. Raising his shield on instinct Jerome made the mistake of imbedding 6 more of the conductive spikes directly in front of him.

“HEHEHE!” the leading Hare laughed as it discharged along with the other rabbits. Obviously all 4 pulses flew straight towards Jerome’s still firmly grasped shield. When combined, the large amount of mana entering his body caused Jerome to convulse violently. If it hadn’t been for Chris he would’ve slipped off the mangrove root and fallen into the water below.

Since Jerome had survived and was already being helped back up by Ula the Tempest Hares made the wise decision to retreat. Although the very fact they could make a “wise” decision was filed away for my future report. If all the monsters in this dungeon are like them the abnormally high death toll makes more sense. The average village kid with their dad’s sword won’t stand a chance against beast’s like that.

Helping Jerome back up Chris smirked “Close one buddy! Those little bastards are no joke! It actually blocked my kick!”

Staring in disbelief at his dented shield Jerome whispered, “They baited me...?”

Putting up my act I exclaimed “Sorry I couldn’t catch more of them as they fled friends! If I shot I only would have injured our paladin further. But worry not we’ll get them next time!”

Ignoring my embarrassing comments Michelle turned to Ula “You need to be more careful! If Jerome hadn’t [Taunted] all of them you could have ended up in the water. Stick closer behind me and Bit from now on.”

“Y-yes sis...”

We put the encounter to rest by placing the 4 rabbits of varying quality in my storage ring. I insisted on carrying them just in case they all died to make a profit. Not that I was making much delving in comparison to my guild salary.

Nothing else of note happened until we stopped for lunch and to recharge mana. Pacing oneself was essential to delving safely. I elected to stand on guard since I couldn’t trust the others and was the first to notice the fiery salamanders walking across the roots towards us.

The amphibians were enormous compared to those normally found in their species. Even from 20 feet away I could feel the heat coming off the small hunting party in waves. Just a single one of the black and red females had more fire mana swirling around themselves than Chris. I did my job as scout and immediately alerted the group after watching the males chase off a nearby Alligator.

“Run!” I yelled knowing the party couldn’t win against 8 of them without my assistance.

Responding to my yell faster than my allies the female salamanders began launching spears of flame from their tails. At first I thought they had awful aim, only to notice too late they were creating a wall of fire behind us to prevent retreat. Knowing Jerome and Chris would melt just touching the monsters I called for Michelle and we began sniping at the amphibians from a safe distance while the others put out the flames behind us.

“The females are weaker to physical attacks!” Michelle let me know.

“Ah! Thankyou my comrade!” I responded through gritted teeth.

After a 3 minute stand off and several light magic [Barriers] by Ula the fire was out and we fled further into the dungeon. During our research into the dungeon’s inhabitants we’d all learned the salamanders were territorial and unlikely to chase fleeing targets after a failed attack.

When Jerome signaled everyone to stop running we had ended up in a small quiet clearing. Compared to the claustrophobic maze of roots and mushrooms we’d just emerged from, the circular plot of water felt open. Everyone unanimously decided to try for lunch again and Chris took watch. It was on pure intuition I asked Ula to illuminate the water in front of us. She obliged with a shrug and sent a small orb of light into the murky depths on a timer. What it revealed as it flashed made us all gasp in surprise.

Within this small area of water was likely the highest concentration of piranhas in the entire bog. Thousands of them were swimming around a large treasure chest and an enormous purple piranha staring right at us with ghostly pupils. The appearance of so many fish hadn’t scared me. But the purple one’s reaction had. I swear on my mother she grinned at our surprise.

“Have any of you heard talk of this comrades?” I asked.

Shaking his head in disbelief Jerome answered “Nothing at all. Reckon that’s a mini boss? That’s one hell of a find we just made if so.”

“A mini boss on the first floor? Come on Jerome quit dreaming. We’d be lucky if there’s a normal boss much less a second.” She said swatting his neck.

“Fine, fine... but can we do anything about the chest? Maybe this is a puzzle where we need to drain the water?”

‘Look! The boy can think!’ I thought rolling my eyes.

“Comrades! If you would indulge me for a few minutes I may be able to cook something up!”

I sat down and began chanting [Lightning Rod]. Normally the casting time would take me 15-20 seconds depending on my focus but I purposefully extended it to around a minute. Once “done” I stood with a flourish and pulled down hard on an invisible rope. Soon as I did a massive bolt of blue and yellow lightning fell directly on top of the purple piranha, creating a mighty crack heard across the entire bog. Luckily I have enough control over my mana to keep the spell from dispersing into the surrounding water.

“Daaaaamn... you’ve been holding out on us Bit!” said Chris clapping my shoulder.

‘Don’t touch me you plebian.’ I thought as several thousand piranhas, large one included, slowly rose to the surface. Nodding to the group I had Ula illuminate the water again and dove for the chest. Soon as I was in the water I used some basic water magic to increase my swim speed to a level I could explain away if asked.

Placing my hands on either side of the wooden chest I noticed something lying on top of it. A large necklace of veiny teeth likely belonging to the purple piranha. Disguising the act as struggling with the chest I slipped the extra reward into my pocket and began swimming for the shore.

Looking up at the party I noticed the light Ula had made for me was flickering rapidly. Slightly confused I kept swimming while trying to understand Chris’s frantic dancing. It wasn’t until I glanced left where Michelle was pointing I realized the cause for panic.

Directly to the left of my body was an enormous green snake, pink mouth opened to bite my shoulder. Faced with a choice I dropped the heavy chest and used more water magic than necessary to outswim the reptile. Despite my speed the swim was agonizingly slow as I could feel the water shifting as the snake slithered behind me. Just as the snake made a snap at my leg Chris leaned in and pulled me out of the water onto the root.

Jerome got in front with his shield ready to intercept the Anaconda if it lunged again. Both us and the snake were still for a moment as we evaluated each other. I was getting ready to blast the thing to hell when it suddenly vanished from sight. Everyone panicked for a brief moment but Michelle noticed the ripples in the water swimming away from us. Good thing to, no rookie was surviving a fight with that thing...

At this point the party was feeling drained and defeated but I convinced them to at least look at the grove we’d been aiming for. It was within sight and I sure as hell don’t want to come here with these idiots more times than needed.

Walking around the grove took us 20 minutes with how cautious we were. Simply touching the blood draining mushrooms before a cure is made is a death sentence. We walked the whole perimeter without finding a way inland and turned to head back. But on our way out Chris spotted a straight path forward I swear wasn’t present before. Energized by our discovery the party agreed to move forward with me.

Our path was a safe one for the most part. The only creatures on this small island appeared to be Gray Slimes any adventurer could defeat, and by moving slowly, we could avoid the slimy and blood draining mushrooms. In only a few minutes we found ourselves in a small grassy clearing with a clear blue pond in the center. Since we’d already learned of one monster capable of invisibility on the floor, such a large open space did little to ease our tension. So perhaps more careful than necessary we approached the pond, only to be surprised by what we saw.

Swimming in the water was a single one of the rumored white salamanders some claimed used water magic. Along with the white one were a few hundred piranhas that seemed uncharacteristically calm. Most important of all though was the white marble staircase located at the bottom of the water.

Excitement clouding their judgement the party decided to have Chris dive down into the stairs while Ula continuously healed him from a distance. I had some reservations given the pond seemed a strange end to the bog but...then again, I’m not the one jumping into the piranha pool.

Needless to say things didn’t go well.

As soon as Chris dove into the water his clothes and skin began dissolving. Even with Ula’s steady stream of light magic it was too late for him. It was a gruesome death to say the least. His skin melted away which only enticed the piranhas to tear into his flesh with renewed vigor. The brawler didn’t even graze the surface before his silent screams ended.

Other than me the entire party began screaming and freaking out at Chris’s death. They’d known each other for months and seeing a comrade you actually care about suddenly die is an admittedly shocking experience.

For my part I began backing away as soon as I noticed the pond was moving.

The feelers around the white salamander glowed a light pink as two large tubes of water came flying at Michelle and Jerome. Our tank was sent flying into the forest of mushrooms from the force of the blow, while our ranger was pummeled into the clearings new crater. That one attack left just me and the emotionally unstable healer to fight the giant slime.

“Fuck this!” I grunted throwing Ula to the side as another arm came flying down towards us.

Making several slashing motions I launched 6 [Wind Scythes] into the slime creating many cross sections. They did seemingly little damage though as the white salamander glowed and pulled the slime back together. This confirmed to me the little water mage was the true target.

“[Hailstorm]+[Tornado]!” I called flying into the air with my wind magic.

The giant slime began distorting as the winds attempted to pull it apart. Glowing brighter than before the salamander held the slime’s body together while dodging the hundreds of hailstones falling into the slime’s body cavity.

Flying directly above the slime and dodging the pair of flailing water arms I summoned my bow with [Lightning Construct] and trained a shot on the amphibian. Releasing it yielded no damage sadly as the arrow was dissolved before it could hit skin.

As the right arm came flying at me too fast to dodge I dissolved my bow and created my own pair of electric whips with [Lightning Construct]. The clash of magics echoed with the sound of sizzling water as sparks and acid fell to the clearing below me.

I felt a ping in my [Atmosphere] and turned in bewilderment to see Jerome fumble his way out of the mushrooms. He was obviously under the effects of the blood draining spores but still glared at the slime in rage.

“By me time you useless barbarian!” I said readying another [Lightning Rod].

“AHHHHGGGGG!” screamed Jerome as his shattered ribs made him cry out in pain.

From his ring of servitude glowing with the power of whatever god he’d pledged service to and with his shield long forgotten the paladin rushed the slime with a freshly summoned pair of magic yellow axes. The holy weapon in his left hand was thrown as he charged and cut through the slime with ease, sinking several inches into the white salamander’s side.

As the salamander lost it’s focused the whips targeting me collapsed as pure water to the grass below. In response the slime rippled before launching the white salamander clear across the grove into the main waters of the bog. Not one to waste an opportunity I pulled down the [Lightning Rod] and finished off the slime in an explosion of acid, sparks, and piranhas. Without its companion’s water magic the boss had no way of pulling itself together and passed away.

The clearing glowed bright orange as the gelatinous chunks of slime were reabsorbed back into the dungeon. Landing on the ground I turned towards my “comrades”. Jerome had fallen to the ground as soon as the boss died and Ula was still shaking in shock where I’d thrown her. How she survived the exchange of whips I have no idea.

“Ula! Help our comrade!” I said physically turning the unstable girl towards her friend.

Her eyes gained a little bit of life as I walked over to the rapidly appearing boss item. It was a simple glass bottle containing a bright blue liquid with small piranha shaped gummies swimming within. I could check out the description later. For now I needed to figure out who was dead and who was useful.

After pocketing the potion and Rhilos in my storage ring I walked over to the crater Michelle was in. From a quick look I realized she’d died on impact from the first blow. Her legs had been bent unnaturally behind her and both femurs were piercing out of her skin. If that hadn’t killed her the collision of her head on the ground had. With a nod of acknowledgement I took her pouch and walked over to Ula and Jerome. A scene somehow more morbid.

Jerome was without a doubt dead. His ring that signified his pledge of servitude was cracked down the middle meaning his soul had passed on. Ula, in her terror, failed to realize this and was still healing the cadaver that had been Jerome. Even as the dungeon began absorbing the paladin she kept healing in the same spot.

I put my hand on her shoulder and she didn’t even acknowledge it. After almost 5 minutes her mana ran out and she stopped crying. I herded the unresponsive priest down into the now emptied crater and down the marble staircase. If nothing else I’d let her get the credit of being one of the first two people to clear the Mangle Bog.

When I came down into the new marble room I was completely caught off guard. Lying in front of me was a lovely looking recreational center with black marble meal tables that contrasted with the white walls and floor. If my eyes could still be trusted at this point they spotted kitchens in the far back right. But most interesting was the [Banner] that appeared in my vision.

It described this place as the “Save Point” and proceeded to list several rules for guests to follow!

“This... this dungeon is alive!” I said running my hand through my hair.

Leaving Ula at the nearest table to the entrance I took a quick look around. The kitchen, while lacking in food, was spotless and well organized to someone who never cooks like me. Cabinets, cutting boards, utensils, and even a drawer with ice in it!

As I was looking inside the cabinets and testing the weights of multiple pots and pans an orange glow flashed behind me. Turning around and summoning my bow in an instant I found a small treasure box in front of me which had a [Banner] hanging in front of it. Lowering my weapon hesitantly I walked close enough to read the floating letters.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are the very first group to have defeated the Mangle Bos’s Swarming Slime and entered the Save Point! As a show of goodwill (at least among these safe zones 😊) please take this free treasure chest. You are free to head back out the way you came or wait about 2 days until I’m able to create a special tool that will teleport you to the cave entrance. If you are confident in your skills without the rest of your party you could also head down the spiral staircase along the backwall and take a look at the second floor. As stated in the rules feel free to stay as long as you want!

“The fuck...?”

Looking in the chest was a simple but appreciated reward of 5,000 Rhilos. The chest was likely just a conduit for the [Banner] but the sentiment was felt.

Leaving the kitchen after rereading the posted safe zone rules, I approached the traumatized Ula and promptly shot her in the back of the head with an arrow. The Serpent Slayers had outlived their usefulness and Ula wouldn’t even speak, let alone cast healing magic for me. Now no one else alive knew about the existence of the slime boss, mini boss, or this safe zone except for me and the guild.

I’d love to contact my superiors right now, but the dungeon had confirmed something with that [Banner]. It was watching me. Whether or not it would understand what was being said through my communication scroll was a separate matter, but it was safer not to risk it.

For now I just headed into the male area to check it out. It was a series of 3 identical with large lockers on one side and rooms on the others. Given that I was the only person here I decided to choose the room closest to the main entrance and dining hall. I set my stuff down on the bed and got into the hot bath waiting for me, being pleasantly surprised by the healing power that it passively gave off. Whatever this dungeon was it certainly took pride in creating a lovely experience.

My plan is to sleep for today and at least get a glimpse of the second floor tomorrow. I doubt I’ll try my hand against whatever lives there but my mission is to scout over anything else. Regardless I’ll be stuck here for at least the next two days as the dungeon makes whatever “teleporter” it seems to be working on. But if I have to be stuck somewhere in a dungeon for a few days somewhere with a kitchen, bathrooms, hot water, and a private room is pretty nice!