Fear of the UNKNOWN.
It is a popular term coined by those who lived in the world.
But how true is it, really? Do humans really fear the unknown?
What of children—babies, even?
They know nothing, yet fear is such a distant emotion for them.
For most, fear is taught… alongside pain, in a way to determine the difference between right and wrong.
… Good and evil.
The fear of the unknown does not exist.
Ignorance never breeds fear—at least not directly. Instead, it is the catalyst for a process that eventually leads to fear.
When we come into the world, we know nothing.
We fear nothing.
But, we grow curious. Then, we learn. We receive the taint of knowledge, which then brings us to a particular point.
The point where we know that there are things that we do not know—blots in existence that hide forbidden truths from us.
This is what breeds fear.
And so, as they stood before overwhelming gates that lead to a place none of them understood, the Adventurers weren't scared because of their ignorance.
No, they were frightened because they had knowledge.
They knew what had happened to their predecessors who took on this impossible task. They knew how fatal Miasma was. They knew what it meant to feel pain… to suffer… to watch others die, and to nearly die themselves.
That was what caused the fear to sprout.
They were not innocent lambs being led to the slaughter, neither were they babies who embodied ignorance.
If they were, none of them would flinch at the slightest sign of such terror.
But, these men and women who braved themselves for the darkness to come were aged.
And so… they couldn't escape the fear.
**********
~CREEEAAAK!~
The loud noise caused by the massive gates opening caused everyone's excited faces to turn grim.
No one smiled any longer—not one.
The repulsive energy the leaked out from within the place caused many to shiver. Still, they braced themselves.
They didn't come this far for nothing.
The massive entrance was almost fifty meters in height alone, and it was so wide that a hundred people could walk in, side by side, without any discomfort.
The overwhelming Dungeon itself was already a massive fortress, so it made sense for its entrance to be so eerie.
Then—
"We will now begin the first Grand Calamity Class Dungeon Conquest since three hundred years ago!" Guildmaster Richard's voice filled the air.
Everyone tightened their hold on their weapons and readied their trembling legs.
It was too late for those having second thoughts to turn back now.
The crowd of ten thousand was about to march forward at the signal of the Guildmaster. It would be an unstoppable stampede.
"CHARGE FORTH!"
As the voice sprang forth, a thunderous yell from the crowd dominated the space and everyone rushed forward in a straight march.
For glory… for power… for wealth… for freedom.
It didn't matter what their motivations and inclinations were at that moment.
All that mattered was the Dungeon in front of them, and the sole life they had to live.
********
'The Miasma is bearable…'
Rey thought this as he and his team stepped into the massive hall of the Dungeon's ground floor.
It was too large that massive felt like an understatement in describing it.
Purple flames burned eternally atop vials that hung on the walls, so it wasn't entirely dark. Yet, the looming shadows around could not be completely vanished.
It created an air of unease as Rey carefully observed his surroundings.
The distance between the ground and ceiling was about a hundred meters, and the entire space around felt overwhelmingly big—even for the size of fortress around them.
'I suppose this is the same weird phenomenon that goes on in energy-dense areas.' Just as with the 99th Floor of the Royal Dungeon, where the concept of time was distorted, it seemed this one affected the space around.
Or perhaps this was simply the influence of some kind of Magic or Skill.
Rey couldn't tell.
In their hundreds, the Adventurers trailed in, having more than enough to occupy the room, and their numbers didn't even exceed the first half of the room's total space.
The tiled floors seemed to be made from some sort of black stone, and the ancient walls seemed to consist of large bricks that seemed aged.
It looked like an abandoned castle of sorts, with an unbelievably large flight of stairs standing an impossible distance from them.
A non-functional chandelier even lay suspended on the ceiling.
'This structure looks different from most Dungeons I've studied about. I know it's a Grand Calamity Class, but still…'
Unlike most Dungeons that seemed to form naturally—perhaps through caves and caverns—this one seemed a little odd.
It looked like a house—or more specifically, a mansion.
There didn't seem to be any concept like 'Floors' in this place, and even though Rey was spreading his senses around to confirm this, he felt nothing.
'The Miasma is interfering with my senses, but I can still perceive things.'
Regular Dungeons had Floors, and the ground floor was usually considered the easiest. Depending on the kind of Dungeon, the lower or higher you went meant the difficulty increased.
'But this… what exactly is this?'
A Dungeon with no Floors, having a structure like a castle meant one thing.
'There are several rooms here, with upper and mid regions. I'm guessing each room is like a Floor, but since they're so random, it's sort of impossible to tell which is more dangerous than which.'
To put that into perspective, they could end up skipping a Floor 2 and enter a Floor 9. If that happened, it would be too overwhelming and a slaughter was bound to happen.
'Someone definitely built this Dungeon. Maybe there's some sort of clu—?'
~BAM!~
The loud noise of the gates shutting tight echoed in the air, causing many to leak out gasps while staring behind them.
At that very moment, bright purple light rose from the other side of the room, revealing a hidden darkness that occupied the depths of the ground.
Before they realized it… something was beginning to emerge.
—Something evil.
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Thanks for reading!
