We are currently standing in the Hallway area of the Dungeon.
What is the Hallway area ? Well, it's an area, of course.
Normal dungeons are divided into three types of areas.
First, the hallway, it refers to almost any area in the dungeon that does not fall into the other two categories.
It is the sprawling network of tunnels, corridors, and minor chambers that connect the entrance to the heart of the dungeon, the second area. It's where the "trash mobs" live, where the skirmishes happen, and where most rookie adventurers lose their lives because they forgot to check the ceiling.
Second area, The climax, the boss room. Any gamer would know what that is. So, no need to explain.
But for the ignorant people, This is the room where the strongest Dungeon monster, the dungeon's apex predator, the Boss waits for us. And only when you kill that monster does it count as a 'Dungeon Clear!'
And third, the core room, this is a room that can only be entered only after defeating the Apex Predator, The Boss. In terms of location, this is somewhere connected to the boss room.
What is the Core room exactly ? A room where the dungeon core stays.
And before that, What is a core ?
Physically, it is like a massive, jagged mana stone pulsing with an internal, rhythmic light.
Functionally, No one really knows for sure. It's a mystery.
Dungeons are of Three types. They are Layer Dungeon, Normal Dungeon and Instant Dungeon.
Out of the three types of dungeons, Normal dungeons are the only ones who have a core.
When the core is destroyed or removed from the room, the dungeon itself also disappears along with it.
Which is why, people used to think that it's the core that keeps a dungeon running by supplying it with energy or something else but after some research it came to the light, that the core is more like a Switch rather than a Battery.
What does that mean ?
You can light a Bulb On or Off with a switch but the switch is not the actual reason for the bulb to activate. The actual reason are the batteries.
And we still don't know what the battery of the dungeons is. On that note, we don't even know why dungeons exist. All we know is that pulling the plug (the Core) shuts the whole system down.
And why did we hold hands While entering the dungeon ? I assure you, It was definitely not to show the crowd what a loving family we are.
Dungeons operate on a "Slot" system. Imagine a maze with dozens of identical hallways, all leading to a single Boss Room in the center.
To explain in details, It was Because of the way a dungeon works. Normally in normal dungeons, one team has no chance of meeting another team, unless they are in front of the boss room, The rest Zone.
It's unknown how exactly a dungeon's physical architecture looks like but it seems to have multiple similar hallways with the same structure and same monster. A maze with multiple entrance but one Goal, The boss room at the center.
To explain it with simple examples, When a team enters, they are teleported to the Hallway No.1 and unless they get out of that Hallway No.1, no one can enter that Hallway No.1, That slot is now Locked. And the next team to enter will be sent to the hallway area No.2 instead. Because Slot-1 is already in use.
No one knows the exact number of identical hallways a dungeon has.
Holding hands is to show the dungeon that we're a group. If we didn't hold hands, The dungeon would think of us as separate entities, three separate teams. The three of us would be sent to three different locations and would only be able to Reunite near the boss room, In the resting zone.
Honestly, this system is quite good since you only have to share monster exp with your own team but....
The consequences are far more worse.
If someone loses their legs or moving ability and so, cannot go back to the entrance through a path which is full of monsters, they are done for, if they don't have an emergency exit item. You stay there until you either crawl out or stop breathing.
Because as long as he is alive, the hallway is his and no one is coming from outside to rescue him. No one Can because the dungeon rules and architecture simply do not allow it.
We marched forward, the blue torchlight flickering against the damp walls. Then, the first one appeared. The first Goblin, our first hunt.
His appearance is exactly as one would expect. Green humanoid monster of almost the same height as the current eight years old me, with eyes that burned with a dull, predatory hunger.
"You deal with this one, Tyler," Boran rumbled, his voice echoing in the corridor. "Use only your sword. No magic."
Saying that, he and Vivi backed off, leaving me standing at the front line.
I had no complaints with this arrangement.
I prepared to take my stance when the green guy suddenly hissed and launched itself forward target locked on me.
He was like a green blur aimed straight for my throat. He didn't even roar, no prior warning.
By instinct, I moved my left leg fast and spun my body by a ninety degree, moving to the left side.
The goblin landed almost exactly where i had previously stood a millisecond before. But I side-stepped his ambush attack.
He was dangerously close to me, half-sitting in a squat position due to the impact of the Jump. So, Before he could turn to his side and attack me, I covered my sword in Zes and cut his throat with a single smooth upward slash.
-Slash!
The sensation was terrifyingly tactile. I felt the edge of my blade part the leathery skin, slice through the wet muscle of the throat, and meet the resistance of the hard cervical spine. For a heartbeat, the sword slowed due to bone resistance, then the Zes-infused steel sheared through the bone like a hot wire through wax.
-Kieek!
He let out a scream for mere split second but it was cut short before Its head bounced off the stone floor, spinning away into the shadows. And green blood started gushing out like A fountain of thick, dark green liquid sprayed from the stump of its neck, coating the floor and the hem of my boots. And two seconds later his body fell as well, collapsing into a heap of useless meat.
-Thud!
This was my kill. My first direct kill in this dungeon. No magic. Just steel, Zes, and a clean cut.