Chapter 52: Grinding the Shadow Hunter Dungeon (2)
Occasionally, he opened the doors lining the hallway to inspect the rooms beyond. Most were empty, abandoned shells radiating the same unsettling atmosphere as the rest of the dungeon. Some, however, contained monsters he swiftly dealt with.
He carried on like this until he noticed something strange. "Uh, isn't that the same ghoul from earlier?" he muttered, approaching the body.
His unease grew as he realized the ghoul's corpse was nearly identical to the one he had killed earlier. Scanning his surroundings, he searched for any differences that might indicate he was in a new area, but everything seemed eerily the same.
After a brief investigation, a dreadful realization hit him: he was back where he started.
'How? This doesn't make sense. I followed the corridor in a straight line—I didn't turn at all! How could I end up back here?' He paused to think. 'Is this some kind of spatial anomaly? Maybe the dungeon's layout loops back on itself, teleporting you to the center if you stray too far... or something like that.'
With no clear answers, Mikael retraced his steps toward the hall, only to find himself once again standing by the ghoul's corpse.
"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, his frustration mounting. He glanced at the doors lining the corridor. 'The only option now is to explore these rooms. If I don't find anything, I'm screwed.'
Suppressing the rising fear of being trapped, he entered one of the side rooms. Inside, a group of wraiths awaited him, but he dispatched them with ease. Before leaving, he slashed an "X" onto the door to mark it.
He returned to the corridor, running straight ahead, only to end up back at the same ghoul's corpse once more. He turned to the marked door and reopened it.
The room was now empty of monsters, which gave him a small sense of reassurance. 'Maybe if I clear out all the monsters in these rooms, I can escape. If that doesn't work...'
Not wanting to dwell on pessimistic thoughts, he began systematically clearing each room of monsters, marking the doors as he went.