A few days ago, Rizwan had scoped out this area from a distance. Now, standing before the entrance of a newly-formed cave, he turned to his younger colleague, Jomar. “I came here to check things out because Anisa said something felt different after that big earthquake last week. He wanted me to investigate, and sure enough, I found this—an entire cave system that wasn’t here before, along with a strangely lush grassland.”
Rizwan’s gaze swept over the landscape. “It’s a new place, and it seems animals like deer have already started moving in. But the predators haven’t caught on yet. That won’t last long. So, Jomar, I want you to remember this place well.” He placed a firm hand on the young man’s shoulder, his tone carrying the weight of experience.
Jomar nodded with a serious expression. “Understood, Mr. Rizwan.” He pulled out a folded map from his pocket, studying it closely before pointing to a location. “So… we’re in this area, right?”
Rizwan leaned in, nodding in approval. “Good. That means you’ve been paying attention. Now, you see why this place is odd, don’t you? It’s not just a new cave—this entire landscape has changed drastically. And that’s the strange part.”
“Strange?” Jomar tilted his head.
“Yeah. If a cave this big formed because of an earthquake, the surrounding area should be a mess. There should be cracks in the ground, fallen trees, and visible root systems where the land split apart. But look around—this place is just an open, lush grassland. No broken roots, no evidence of trees being torn down, nothing.”
Jomar furrowed his brows, glancing around with fresh scrutiny. “Now that you mention it… that is weird.”
Rizwan crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. “Exactly. A natural disaster should leave chaos in its wake, not a perfectly manicured field. Something unnatural happened here.”
The realization sent a shiver down Jomar’s spine. He had a feeling this investigation was about to get a lot more interesting.
As the two men continued chatting, they scanned the grassland, carefully observing the landscape before finally approaching the cave entrance. From the outside, it looked like any other cave—nothing particularly unusual. There was no elaborate stone archway, no ominous glow, just a dark, rocky opening leading underground.
Jomar hesitated slightly. “Are we… actually going inside?” he asked, watching as Rizwan switched on his flashlight and aimed it into the depths. To him, this was just another cave formed by the recent earthquake—nothing more, nothing less.
“Hm, I think it should be safe,” Rizwan muttered as he reached out, pressing his palm against the rough stone wall of the entrance. His fingers ran along the surface, his trained eye inspecting its texture. Then, with the careful precision of someone used to fieldwork, he pulled out a tool and gave the wall a few deliberate scrapes.
Chip!
A small fragment of stone broke off.
Rizwan’s brows lifted in mild surprise. “Huh. This rock is harder than I expected.” He rubbed the chipped piece between his fingers, analyzing it with a thoughtful expression.
Meanwhile, deep inside the dungeon, Ordis watched in absolute horror.
Owooo… THIS HUMAN… HOW DARE HE DO THAT TO ME?!
It wasn’t pain—he didn’t feel pain—but it was something worse. A violation. A blatant act of disrespect. No creature had ever damaged his dungeon before, not even the insects that built their nests inside. They adapted. They lived alongside him. But these humans? They were tampering with him.
For the first time since his rebirth, Ordis felt something new: rage.
This was the first time Ordis had felt this way—violated, disrespected, utterly offended. But in the end, there wasn’t much he could do about it. His mood soured, but attacking humans outright was a terrible idea. He wasn’t ready for that kind of conflict, not yet.
So, all he could do was sulk and act like a petty villain.
"Ugh… I will remember this… Next time, you will pay for this…"
He muttered dramatically, despite knowing full well that he had no way of enforcing that threat. Meanwhile, the two humans continued chatting, completely oblivious to the dungeon’s growing resentment.
“Yeah, I guess it’s fine to take a quick look around before I report back to Anisa,” Rizwan said, finally stepping forward, passing through the dungeon entrance.
The moment he did, a sudden system notification popped up in Ordis’s mind.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
[Achievement Unlocked: First Contact!]
Effect:
<ul>
<li>
Congratulations! A human has officially stepped foot inside your dungeon. No take-backs!
</li>
<li>
Gain +25 Mana as a reward for this historic occasion.
</li>
<li>
Unlocks Basic Dungeon Influence over intruders—humans inside the dungeon will now feel an instinctive sense of curiosity or unease, depending on their intentions.
</li>
<li>
The dungeon is now added to the global subconscious awareness—more explorers may start feeling a strange urge to seek out this place.
</li>
</ul>
“Oh? Free Mana? Sweet!” Ordis perked up immediately. The earlier insult to his body—er, dungeon—was quickly forgotten in favor of this unexpected windfall. “Alright, my dude… You’re forgiven for chipping my wall.”
He then skimmed through the rest of the achievement effects and let out a laugh. “Wait, does this mean I’ve basically turned into a Venus flytrap for humans?”
As Ordis pondered this revelation, Jomar followed Rizwan into the dungeon. However, much to Ordis’s disappointment, no new achievement popped up.
“Huh… so only the first human counted? That’s a bit sucked…”
Jomar, like Rizwan, swept his flashlight across the cave walls, scanning the dungeon’s first floor while tossing a question at his mentor. “Wait, are you talking about Anisa? The one working with that forest conservation group?”
“Yeah, she’s with the Rainforest Alliance. They collaborate with people all over the world, and it’s not unusual for them to stay in touch with earthquake monitoring groups. Apparently, they noticed some weird changes in the forest, which is why they sent me to check it out,” Rizwan explained.
“Oh, so Mr. Rizwan is part of that organization too?” Jomar asked, sounding intrigued.
“Hah! Of course not,” Rizwan scoffed. “But those kinds of people love roping in locals like us for help. It makes things easier for them. Anyway, look at this place—the walls are oddly smooth, and the cave is surprisingly spacious. I''d say the ceiling is about three meters high, and the entrance is around six meters wide. It even expands the deeper you go.” He moved his flashlight around, taking in the bizarrely clean and structured interior.
“Huh, now that you mention it… This cave does seem unusually clean,” Jomar muttered, his gaze drifting across the cave floor. Small plants and patches of fungi grew in scattered clusters, thriving in the dim light. “And there are so many mushrooms… They even sprout outside. Were they always like this?”
“That’s what’s weird,” Rizwan said, rubbing his chin. “For a cave that supposedly formed from an earthquake, this place is way too alive.” His voice trailed off as he noticed something else—movement.
The further they walked in, the more he realized just how many insects were crawling around. And not just on the ground—mosquitoes swarmed in the air. Way too many mosquitoes.
“Damn it—these bugs are relentless!” Rizwan grumbled, swatting at the tiny bloodsuckers as they buzzed around his head.
Jomar chuckled nervously. “Yeah… Something about this place feels a little too natural, huh?”
Ordis watched closely as the two humans continued their exploration. His minions—especially D. Mosquito and D. Ant—were under strict orders not to go anywhere near them. Both had already grown unnaturally large for their species, and Ordis didn’t want to risk the humans freaking out. While he was gaining mana from their presence, he wasn’t entirely sure if letting them roam freely was a good decision—especially with his massive Mana Crystal sitting completely unprotected on the third floor.
Still, he had left the gate between floors open, meaning the two explorers had nothing stopping them from advancing.
“This is… a staircase?” Rizwan muttered, shining his flashlight over the carved stone steps leading downward. His brows furrowed. “This place is way too artificial… Maybe it’s some old war bunker? A hidden military outpost from decades ago that got sealed off until the earthquake reopened it.” He stroked his chin, mulling over the idea.
A heavy silence lingered between them before Rizwan finally exhaled. “I don’t know about this… I think it’d be smarter to head back and return with better equipment. We should also inform people about this place—just in case something happens.”
Jomar, who had been quietly following his mentor’s lead up until now, suddenly spoke up. “Wait, Mr. Rizwan… but this is a rare opportunity! Who knows what we might find? Treasure? Artifacts? I mean, this cave literally just appeared. Wouldn’t it be a waste to leave without taking a proper look?” His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Rizwan hesitated. He had a point. As much as his rational side told him to be cautious, there was something infectious about Jomar’s enthusiasm. Damn it… He’s got that reckless newbie look in his eyes.
“…Fine,” Rizwan sighed. “We’ll keep going. But we stay together, and if we see anything weird, we turn back immediately.”
“Nice! Thanks, Mr. Rizwan!” Jomar grinned, practically bouncing on his feet.
As they descended the staircase, Ordis silently observed them. Tch. So they’re still going deeper…
For some reason, Jomar’s eagerness unnerved him. It wasn’t normal curiosity—no, there was something else pulling him forward.
Ordis had a sneaking suspicion that this strange phenomenon had something to do with him. However, he quickly noticed a difference in how Rizwan and Jomar reacted. Rizwan, being more experienced, seemed wary but controlled, while Jomar, less accustomed to such environments, appeared more affected by the dungeon’s influence. Perhaps, Ordis mused, the dungeon’s pull worked more strongly on those who were less grounded.
He observed the two of them descending carefully down the stairs, their flashlights flickering across the stone walls of the second floor. The moment their feet touched the ground, Ordis felt a sudden jolt—then, a system notification popped up.
[Achievement Unlocked: Descend Into the Unknown!]
Effects:
<ul>
<li>
Congratulations! A human has officially set foot on your Second Floor—no turning back now!
</li>
<li>
+25 Mana gained as a reward for this daring milestone.
</li>
<li>
New Ability Unlocked: Dungeon Sense (Lesser) – You now have a faint awareness of human movements throughout your dungeon, including the surface area.
</li>
<li>
The deeper they go, the stronger the dungeon’s pull—humans on this floor will feel a subtle sense of intrigue or unease, depending on their intentions.
</li>
</ul>
Ordis couldn''t help but grin internally. "Oh, this is amazing. I never thought I''d be this happy to have humans enter me…" He paused. "Wait. That sounded weird. But still! More humans, more rewards! Keep coming in, fools!"