Chapter 94: Spirit Dungeon [1]

[The Next Day]

Amon sat on the train while he read the documents that Richard provided him.

The permit for the dungeon that he asked to explore was provided within ten hours, and Amon wanted to explore it as quickly as possible.

’I really hope I can get as much benefit from the dungeon as possible.’

Thinking about the benefits, Amon opened his System, and a quest quickly appeared in front of him.

---

[Special Quest: Spirit Dungeon Speed Run]

[Objective: Clear the dungeon as quickly as possible.]

[Special Condition: Only spirit-related abilities or weapons may be used to kill dungeon monsters.]

[Dungeon Time: 00:00:00]

[Completion Time will directly affect the quality of the reward.]

[Current Reward: ???]

---

The quest he got yesterday had the objective of speed-running the dungeon.

Amon wanted to decline it at first because of the risk, but in the end, he decided to go with it.

’I just hope all the loopholes I thought of work well.’

He dispersed the screen and closed his eyes to get some rest.

---

After an hour, Amon stood in front of the dungeon entrance.

The entrance looked nothing like the ordinary dungeons he had explored before.

It had no emerald stone passage or a glowing magical gate; it looked like a huge crack had been carved into the side of a dead forest.

Pale mist slowly leaked from the darkness within.

’...Considering the quest, I can only use spirit-related weapons, which I only have one.’

Amon reached behind his waist and pulled out Soulpiercer.

The weapon was a slender dark blade with an almost transparent edge that seemed to disappear whenever light touched it.

It looked unimpressive at first glance, but Amon knew better than to judge it by appearance.

He lightly swung it through the air, and it produced no sound.

’Alright. Maximum effort.’

Amon stepped toward the entrance.

The moment he crossed the boundary, the System timer started.

[Dungeon Time: 00:00:03]

The atmosphere immediately changed.

The sounds of the outside world disappeared behind him, leaving only a faint dripping noise somewhere in the darkness.

Amon looked around.

The walls were made of dark blue stones covered with pale veins that pulsed faintly like something was breathing beneath them.

There was no wind, yet the mist hanging near the ground moved slowly around his ankles.

Amon frowned. ’Yeah, this place is definitely unnatural.’

He took another step, and it wasn’t long before he found a monster.

Amon immediately reached for Soulpiercer.

A long, pale creature suddenly crawled out from behind a stone pillar.

Its body was unnaturally thin and stretched, almost resembling a long piece of pale flesh pulled over a skeleton.

Its mouth opened far wider than it should have been possible for its head, revealing rows of small black teeth.

Amon recognized it immediately from the recorded monsters. ’Timber Hollier.’

"SRECCCH!!!"

The creature suddenly rushed toward him with a loud cry.

Amon stepped forward and used Spatial Steps.

The Timber Hollier’s body slammed into the stone wall, its elongated neck bending at an impossible angle before it quickly twisted back toward him.

Amon stared at it. ’This thing is disgusting.’

The creature opened its mouth again and released a shrill screech.

Amon’s ears rang, and he felt his mind turning blank.

He immediately covered one ear while Frost Manipulation spread beneath his feet.

A layer of ice formed across the ground.

The Timber Hollier attempted to leap again, but its feet slipped beneath it.

The creature crashed onto its side and rolled several times.

Amon used Spatial Steps to the blind side of the monster. "Sorry, buddy."

He raised his hand.

A thick layer of ice suddenly wrapped around the creature’s lower body and pinned it against the ground.

The Timber Hollier struggled violently.

Amon watched it for a moment. Part of him was still cautious of the System message.

But he got no warning from it.

’The quest only says I can’t use anything except spirit-related abilities to kill it.’ He smiled. ’It never said I couldn’t make its life miserable first.’

Amon raised Soulpiercer, and the transparent edge passed through the creature’s chest.

The Timber Hollier froze, and its body slowly became translucent.

A strange black mist escaped from its mouth before being pulled directly into the blade.

[Spirit-related killing method confirmed.]

[Monster killed.]

[Dungeon Time: 00:01:12]

[Speed Bonus: Minimal.]

Amon stared at the notification. "Minimal?"

[Your completion speed is currently insufficient.]

Amon’s eye twitched. "You could have just said I’m slow."

He immediately started running, and the dungeon became darker as he went deeper.

Several passages branched away from the main corridor, but Amon ignored them after checking the map information Richard had provided.

This dungeon wasn’t particularly large.

According to the Bureau’s records, it had only a few major areas and was considered suitable for low-level adventurers.

The problem was that the monsters inside were much stranger than the usual creatures found in low-level dungeons.

Amon rounded a corner and found three creatures hanging from the ceiling.

They looked like twisted masses of bones and dried flesh, with long limbs hanging toward the floor.

Their heads slowly turned toward him.

Amon recognized them from the document. ’Bone Harpies.’

The three creatures dropped simultaneously.

Amon immediately stepped backward.

Their claws struck the ground where he had been standing.

"You’re a little too enthusiastic." Amon raised his hand, and the floor suddenly froze.

The Bone Harpies slipped.

One crashed directly into another while the third desperately grabbed onto the wall.

Amon couldn’t help smiling. "Much better."

Amon used their disorientation against them as he killed the two of them relatively quickly.

The remaining creature shrieked and launched itself at him.

Amon used Spatial Steps, his body vanished and appeared behind it.

The creature twisted around.

Amon kicked its leg out from beneath it with enough force to send it crashing into the wall.

He then trapped its limbs with ice before slowly approaching.

The creature struggled violently.

Amon crouched beside it as he drove Soulpiercer through its chest.

The creature instantly dissolved into black spiritual mist.

[Monster killed.]

[Dungeon Time: 00:03:41]

[Speed Bonus: Low.]

Amon looked at the timer. "Still low?"

He frowned. ’This damn System is getting demanding.’

He continued deeper.

The number of monsters increased.

Small spirit creatures crawled along the walls, hiding inside cracks before suddenly jumping at him.

Some resembled pale insects with human-like fingers, while others looked like tiny skulls with legs.

They weren’t particularly dangerous, but they were simply creepy.

Amon began abusing his loophole with more enthusiasm.

He froze monsters and even slammed them into walls using controlled bursts of mana.

He trapped them beneath chunks of stone.

Though in the end, Amon only used Soulpiercer to kill them.

[Monster killed.]

[Dungeon Time: 00:07:18]

[Speed Bonus: Moderate.]

Amon’s eyes brightened. "Now we’re talking."

He picked up the pace, and the dungeon gradually became quieter.

The small monsters disappeared because of the hierarchy of the dungeon.

Amon slowed down and got more cautious of his surroundings.

After a while, he found a corridor that opened into a massive chamber.

There were no monsters inside the chamber. It was just a huge circular room surrounded by stone pillars.

Amon stepped inside carefully.

His instincts immediately warned him that something was watching.

He tightened his grip around Soulpiercer when he heard a sound.

Pluck.

It sounded like someone slowly playing a stringed instrument.

Amon looked toward the darkness at the far end of the chamber.

A pale hand emerged from behind one of the pillars, followed by several more.

Amon’s expression slowly became grim as a creature crawled into view.

Its body was covered in bones, while dozens of thin strings stretched between its elongated limbs.

Its head slowly lifted.

Amon recognized the creature from Richard’s report.

His grip on Soulpiercer tightened. "...A Bone Harpist."

The creature smiled, which made Amon feel goosebumps all over his body.

Every string on the monster’s body began vibrating at once.

Amon’s vision suddenly went black, but instead of panicking, he kept his calm.

’...He is using some sort of spirit interference.’

Amon blinked. The chamber appeared and disappeared.

A strange voice whispered directly into his ear. "...Help me."