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[Dungeon] Chapter 52 – First Party!
🕑 Added 2025-04-16 11:55:53 +0000 UTCIn the abandoned church of Kuoh Town, Asia Argento was dressed in a black nun robe, showing her allegiance to the God in heaven. Her golden blonde hair fell nicely around her shoulders, and her blue eyes sparkled in contrast with her beautiful face.
She sat alone, silently praying as she did every night before sleep. In front of her, a statue of a cross, carved elegantly as the symbol of worship stood tall.
"Are you content with this?"
When she was praying, a man's voice rang out.
"Eh?" She lifted her head and looked around nervously. She noticed a man with black hair and a streak of yellow hair standing behind him, "L-Lord Azazel."
Azazel sat on the bench a bit away from her. The Grigori Governor, he was supposed to be her new leader and a protector, but seeing him here made her worried.
"U-Umm, Lord Azazel. Why are you in this town?"
She asked timidly, nervous about meeting him.
The man smiled at her kindly before answering, "I came here to tell you about something interesting. Would you mind accompanying me on a walk?"
"Walk?"
"Yes, walk. You have heard about the sudden appearance of an unknown structure in the town, correct? Well, there's one thing you didn't know about."
"W-What is it?"
He beckoned her to follow, which she did without question. He was someone who gave her place, protecting her after she was banished from the church. The naive nun felt safe following him, though nervous.
"Don't worry," he reassured. "It won't harm you or anyone. I want to take you somewhere new and exciting. This way you'll understand why it happened here and nowhere else."
"O-Okay, I'm coming..." Though wary and skeptical of his words, Asia reluctantly agreed to accompany him.
Soon, they arrived at the deserted park. No one was here in the morning due to school, but the unusual structure still stood erect. A large gate made out of unknown material. Inside the arch, blue energy swirled ominously, inviting and threatening at the same time.
"W-What is this?" She asked.
"A dungeon, the same one that you entered back then."
Hearing the name dungeon, Asia shuddered. She remembered what happened last time and quickly turned away from Azazel. Her body trembled visibly as tears welled up her eyes. She didn't want to revisit that place ever again.
Not after what happened to her before.
"N-No." She shook her head. "I'm sorry Lord Azazel, but please let me stay out of this."
"It's alright," He smiled reassuringly, patting her shoulder gently. "Just trust me."
"B-But..."
"Based on what Raynare said, the death inside the dungeon isn't permanent. Some strange force, let's call it that, doesn't want to kill us, but to entertain themselves instead." Azazel explained calmly.
"How do you know this?"
"It is all speculation right now," the Fallen Angel Governor admitted. "But, according to my source, and that's Raynare and the others, this place is pretty interesting. Maybe you can come along with me to explore deeper?"
"I..." Asia paused. She really didn't want to be involved in the mess again.
"I will protect you. It's my responsibility to make sure none of you gets hurt." Azazel promised earnestly.
Asia took a few steps back from him and gazed doubtfully at the gate behind him. Then, she stared at his face closely. Seeing his expression and listening to his voice, it was clear that he genuinely cared about her safety.
However, the memory of her suffering in the previous dungeon flashed through her mind, and her resolve wavered. The fire, pain, despair. It scared her, haunted her dreams sometimes. How could she trust something dangerous again?
Then again...
"I-I... I'm..." She muttered nervously, shaking her head slightly. "...alright."
Her trembling hands gripped tight on the staff she held tightly. Tears slowly dried from her eyes, replaced with a sheer determination. She couldn't reject the offer. Even if she hated the dungeon, it was Azazel who told her to enter.
"If that's what you wish, Lord Azazel, then I shall obey."
"Great!" With that settled, both walked toward the gate together, side by side.
Their footsteps echoed loudly as they approached closer.
Upon entering, everything turned pitch-black before they reappeared in a wide space that seemed too spacious to fit inside the gate. The Hub greeted them, a safe place devoid of any enemy.
"Wow."
Looking around, Asia gasped at what greeted them; The vast area filled with furniture lined neatly next to each other. Every single one was in pristine condition, and the fountain near the gate in the middle looked very pretty.
Some decorations decorated the wall and corners, while paintings depicting landscapes were hung everywhere.
Two doors stood in the 'dungeon section'. In fact, Asia recognized one of them. The red door that led to her death, a reminder of the hell she suffered.
"This is..."
Meanwhile, Azazel whistled in amazement at what he saw. His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for something specific. He caught sight of the 'quest board', something that piqued his interest. However, nothing was written on it, so he quickly lost interest and looked around.
"Oh?"
At that moment, his eyes caught a boy sitting on the bench. That boy had hair as white as snow and a strange plate armor reminding Azazel of a medieval knight. The shield and sword also added to his impression.
Seemingly hearing him, the boy raised his head slightly and looked at Azazel. He smiled widely.
"Hello, there. Did you just enter the dungeon or have you experienced it already?"
The boy, Cain, stood up. He had been waiting for this time ever since he finished his solo run in Tower of Resentment. Finally, someone had entered. And it was actually someone he knew.
Seeing the Grigori's governor and Asia up close, the character from the anime he watched before, Cain couldn't help but be a little excited.
"It's our first time here. How about you?" Azazel spoke politely, smiling and friendly.
Cain knew this sly man was trying to get information from him, something he was used to seeing during his school years. Especially from the school's delinquents or bullies.
However, Cain himself couldn't hide the anticipation.
"I just returned from the Tower of Resentment. It is pretty fun, though quite hard without any allies. Do you mind if we team up?" Cain offered casually.
"Hmmm," Azazel closed his eyes for a moment. He looked around, noticing that the Tower of Resentment Cain mentioned was the dungeon in the middle.
Having been placed in that place, the dungeon must be difficult to beat compared to others. Raynare and the rest hadn't entered that yet.
Which meant this was an unknown territory for Azazel. And he didn't like that.
"How about we enter that Elemental Tower first? We need to get ourselves used to this dungeon first before going somewhere dangerous."
"Ah, sounds fine to me." Cain nodded in agreement. It was time to experience Elemental Tower as well.
In fact, Cain couldn't be happier that he found them as his first party. Azazel for attack, he for defense, and Asia for healing. A perfect combination!
With that settled, both of them walked toward the red door.
The air shimmered slightly as they crossed the boundary between reality and unreality.
Comments
dungeon lover
Already fixed to dungeon!
Cmols897
Chapter has the wrong story initials
