The Dungeon (1)
The moment I stepped past the fog wall, my body was sucked forward as if caught in a powerful current. The world spun wildly, a wave of dizziness washing over me, before everything suddenly came to a halt. When I opened my eyes, all traces of civilization—buildings, roads—had vanished, replaced entirely by a dense, overgrown forest.
‘The Shady Forest, huh…’
Beyond the fog wall lay Stage 1, which contained four distinct environments. The Shady Forest was one of them. Massive trees grew so thickly that they completely blocked out the sky, allowing not a single ray of light to penetrate. It was the most repulsive section of Path of Ascendant, dominated by giant insectoid monsters.
“Huu…”
The monsters here all specialized in ambushes and camouflage, making it a real pain in the ass. The dark environment severely limited visibility, which was just the cherry on top. None of the four zones were easy, but from the perspective of a Prisoner who had to solo the early game, the Shady Forest was an area you absolutely had to avoid. The more people you had, the easier it became.
Even though spawn locations were completely random, I still ended up dropping here of all places.
‘Fuck…’
But what was done was done. No point whining about it. Time to check my situation and plan ahead. First things first—the most important priority.
“There it is.”
A small, flickering light was the only thing illuminating the pitch-black forest. Its source was a tiny creature known as a lantern bug. Despite being an insect, it had an oddly cute, chubby appearance. Without a torch or any light-emitting tool, I had no choice but to rely on the glow these little things produced.
“Alright. Let’s move.”
I equipped my small shield and dagger, then began advancing with extreme caution. I had no other option. Although the lantern bug lit up the immediate area, anything beyond a short distance remained shrouded in darkness. In a habitat filled with monsters specialized in ambush and camouflage, moving carefully was non-negotiable. I had no intention of getting my nose bitten off while my eyes were wide open—
Drip… drip…
Huh?
Suddenly, a sticky, saliva-like mucus fell from above and slid down my arm. And then—
Shwaaack—!!!
A massive shape plummeted from the air.
“You crazy—!!!”
By the time I registered the attack, it was already too late. Wow, am I really going to die just a few minutes after entering the dungeon? The thought had barely crossed my mind when my body moved on its own.
Boom—!
The enormous figure slammed into the ground. I threw myself backward just in time to avoid it.
“Huk… huk…”
How the hell did I do that? It was a strange sensation. My mind had definitely been too slow to react, yet—
“Kkigigigi… kkigik.”
Right. No time to ponder that now.
The creature resembled a dragonfly larva, complete with sharp, hook-like arms. Its massive body hung from the end of a tree so tall its height couldn’t even be estimated, swaying like a seahorse.
Odonata.
An ambush-type monster that waited atop the giant trees of the Shady Forest, snatching prey and dragging them upward.
“Kkirik.”
It clicked its mandibles in clear disappointment before shooting back up into the branches and vanishing.
‘This is going to be a problem.’
I looked up, but all I saw was pitch blackness. Just how tall were these damn trees? Even with the lantern bug nearby, I couldn’t make out a single leaf or branch.
Sasasak— sasak—
The sound of something rustling through the trees echoed around me. I raised my shield and assumed a defensive stance.
Sasak— sasak—
Fuck. I couldn’t see anything, only hear the sounds. The anxiety was driving me insane. Where was it coming from? Front? Back? Or was it to the right?
Sasak—
If that thing grabbed me even once, it was over. It would drag me straight up the tree and tear me apart with those razor-sharp teeth. Even if I somehow broke free, a fall from that height would kill me instantly.
Sasak— sasasak—
Should I just run? That would probably give me the highest chance of—
‘You stupid bastard. Have your brain cells melted?’
This was its territory. Running would only get me caught immediately. There was only one answer.
Fight it head-on.
From the start, that was my only real choice.
Sasasasak—
Calm down. I’ve killed this thing dozens of times in the game. I know its attack patterns and behavior like the back of my hand. Remember the senses you honed while playing.
Sasak— sasak—!!!
Now.
Shwaek—!!
I rolled my body swiftly, dodging the strike. The brief moment when it hit the ground was my only opening. I didn’t miss it. I charged forward, drawing my dagger.
“Fuck!!!”
I slammed my small shield down on its head, pinning it, then drove the dagger into the back of its neck. Once, twice, three times—
Stab— stab— stab— stab—
“Kkigigik!!!”
The creature thrashed in agony. Where do you think you’re going? No way. I put my full weight on it, holding it down as I continued stabbing.
“Kkigik!!”
‘Insane.’
But my strength wasn’t enough. It broke free of my grip and shot back up into the trees. If my timing had been even slightly off, I would’ve been dragged up with it. Or I might have lost my dagger.
Sasak—
The staring contest with the monster began again. I had somehow avoided the last attack, but could I dodge the next one? Anxious thoughts crept in, but I punched myself in the face to snap out of it.
Stop being such a coward.
It wasn’t a question of whether I could dodge. I had to dodge. Focus.
Sasak—
Still, the situation was better than before. I must have dealt some damage—white mucus, presumably its blood, was dripping down in clumps.
Sasak— sasak—
Yeah, there you are.
Shwaaack—!
This time I didn’t roll. I sidestepped cleanly. Boom—! Thanks to that, I closed the distance much faster than when I had rolled.
‘Just die already!!’
I pinned it down with my shield again and aimed for the back of its neck with the dagger, focusing on the exact same spot to stack more damage.
“Kaaaaak!”
But once again, I failed to finish it. The Odonata shot back up into the trees.
‘Fuck. This trash dagger.’
If I had a better weapon, it would’ve died long ago. Still, it should be over soon, right? Just a little more… just hold on a little longer.
But contrary to my hopes, several more standoffs followed. Whether the dagger was too weak or the creature’s vitality was simply that tenacious, I couldn’t tell. Even with all my playthroughs, I had no way to gauge it. Honestly, I wasn’t in any state to worry about that anyway. I simply focused on killing the damn thing.
Shwaaack—!
On the fourth attack, my body nearly gave out and I almost got hit, but I miraculously avoided it.
‘Die. Please die. Die die die die.’
And finally…
“Kkieeeeeek!!!”
Thud—!
The creature’s body, which had been stretched high into the tree, crashed heavily onto the ground. Immediately afterward, white smoke flowed out and seeped into my body.
‘This is…’
It was definitely that. Experience.
In the game, defeating monsters produced the exact same effect, followed by an increase in EXP.
‘I killed it.’
My legs gave out and I collapsed right where I stood.
“Huk… huk…”
I got lucky. No other monsters had interrupted during such a long fight. If something else had joined in… No, there was no point entertaining meaningless hypotheticals. I had survived. That was enough.
‘Huu…’
I let out a long sigh and lowered my head. Part of me wanted to just sit there and rest, but I couldn’t afford to. I had stayed in one spot for too long. And with a fresh, appetizing corpse lying here, more monsters would definitely come swarming. That’s how aggro worked in the game too.
However…
‘I should take care of business first.’
I stood up and approached the creature’s corpse.
…Hmm. I thought I had built up some tolerance, but seeing it on a monitor and seeing it in real life were two very different things. That long, elongated body was genuinely disgusting.
‘The reality patch really is brutal.’
But what could I do? It was a necessary step if I wanted to survive. Even if I hated it, I had to do it…
The moment I made up my mind, another problem arose.
How the hell do you even harvest a corpse?
…For now, I’d just do what I saw in the game.
I took my dagger and sliced open its belly.
‘Ugh, fuck.’
I shoved my hand inside and rummaged around. Something hard, like a small stone, fell into my palm.
A lowest-grade rune stone.
These were resources carried by the monsters inside the dungeon. The stronger the monster, the higher the quality of the rune stone.
Okay, got it. Next, the byproducts.
Since Prisoners started with a small leather pouch instead of a proper backpack, I couldn’t carry much. I needed to prioritize small, high-value items.
In the case of an Odonata, that meant its antennae and teeth.
I carefully cut them off with my dagger and stuffed them into the leather pouch. It went more smoothly than expected. Even though I had never done anything like this before, my body moved naturally…
Was this the muscle memory of the original owner of this body? At this point, I was genuinely curious what kind of person he had been.
‘Well, I can figure that out later as long as I stay alive.’
For now, I needed to focus on what was right in front of me.
I continued the harvesting process. In the end, I obtained one lowest-grade rune stone, along with several teeth and antennae.
If I converted their value into the kingdom’s currency…
“Maybe enough for one meal?”
‘…’
My head suddenly felt like it was on fire. I had nearly died, and this was all I got? And it wasn’t even my money. It was money I had to repay to the kingdom. On top of that, I needed to earn enough to survive an entire month in the city before I could leave.
Just how many more times would I have to do this shit?
“Ha… hahaha…”
So this is what it feels like when the back of your neck tightens. My breath caught in my throat and my chest grew tight.
“Ha… haha… ugh… keugh…”
Now that I thought about it, the game had been the same. A world where characters and NPCs died in droves. Yet people still risked crossing the outer walls every single time. The reason was simple.
They wanted to live. They needed to earn money.
That was why they kept throwing themselves into this hellish place.
What had I been expecting? This world had always been like this.
What a fucking shitty world.
Sasak— sasak—
Several hours after safely completing my first hunt, I was still wandering through the forest. There was nothing I could do about it. When it came to the map layout, my game knowledge was completely useless.
The dungeon’s map structure changed entirely with every run. A sloped map in the first run could become completely flat in the second. There were no fixed maps. Whether you were a newbie or a veteran, everyone had to bash their head against the walls equally to find their way. In a sense, it was a fair—if utterly dogshit—system.
However, the regional characteristics didn’t change. The landmarks within each stage never disappeared. For example, the Shady Forest contained a sub-dungeon called the Parasite Incubation Chamber. No matter how the map changed, that dungeon would always exist. Only the paths leading to it would differ.
‘…In the end, I still have to run around like an idiot.’
Well, what choice did I have? I had to search on foot.
I continued exploring the dungeon.
Thud. Thud.
In the meantime, I fought several more battles. There was the Branch Bug, which camouflaged itself against tree bark, and the Shelled, which looked like a rock. Their disguises were nearly perfect, but I was familiar with their tricks. So I kindly greeted them with the first strike.
For the Branch Bug, I focused my attacks on its joint segments. For the Shelled, I flipped it over with my shield and attacked its soft, unprotected underbelly.
Slash—! Slice—!
“Kieeeeeek!”
Huu… After repeated battles, I was gradually getting used to this. My movements flowed naturally, as if I were controlling a character in a game.
‘At this rate, I might actually be able to survive.’
The moment that thought crossed my mind—
Slap—!
I raised my hand and smacked myself hard across the cheek.
You idiot. You won a few fights and you’re already getting complacent?
Don’t get cocky. In this world, a single moment of carelessness could cost you your life.
‘…Right. Focus.’
I stopped in the middle of the forest and reviewed my plans moving forward.
First, I had to get out of this forest no matter what. At the exact center of Stage 1’s map was a place called the Meeting Stele. Up to five people could spawn in the same location inside the dungeon, but if more people wanted to team up, they had to find each other within the dungeon itself. That was where the Meeting Stele came in.
It was a completely independent space separate from the four environments. It didn’t have any special functions, but if different parties needed to meet, it was an unwritten rule among adventurers to gather there.
In other words, heading there would increase my chances of encountering other people.
Alright. Destination decided. Now I just had to find—
Grab—
Huh?
The moment I finished planning and tried to move again, I felt something seize my ankle. Pain shot up my leg. I hadn’t looked down yet, but I already knew what it was.
There was only one monster in the Shady Forest that attacked this way.
‘Ah, I’m fucked.’
Really and truly fucked. In every sense of the word.