The woman closed her eyes at first, believing it would be her end. It was nearly impossible to run from the Ice Wolves; they were too fast, especially on the snowy area of the first floor.
But after a few seconds, nothing happened; she realized it was not her time to die, and when she opened her eyes, a handsome youth stared at her from the sky.
"What happened?" she said.
Damian could see the eyes of confusion that the girl had and concluded it was uncommon for unknown people to help each other inside the dungeon.
"I saved you; that's what happened. Are you here fighting alone? Where's your group?"
People often decided to explore the dungeon in groups because that significantly increased their survival chances. Damian and his friends were the only ones crazy enough to venture alone. It was not impossible, but going down there with a group sounded more logical.
"They found a special area on this floor, but we got separated during the fight, and I ended up leaving the cave just to be pursued by wolves."
"Special area? What do you mean by that?" Damian asked.
She seemed reluctant to tell him as it was secret information their group had found. It was valuable if one wanted to sell it to organizations, or even better if they could explore it and get the profits for themselves.
But there was no denying that Damian saved her life, and perhaps her friends were in danger inside the cave, so Damian could become a valuable source of power in combat.
"Fine, I will tell you. But before, we are a group of three, and if you want to go there, we will split the rewards between us. Understood?"
Damian nodded, happy to get something else out of that encounter. He learned that her name was Alanna, and she and her friends were exploring the dungeon, just like everyone else who tried to earn some cash or improve their battle prowess, stumbling on an old ruin while doing that.
"People often don't walk too much on this floor because no one loves to be out in deep snow, so everyone completes their task or moves to the next floor of the dungeon. On the other hand, we came down here without a mission, so exploration is all we have," Alanna said.
After Damian saved her, she explained the situation while moving toward the hidden cave they found. It was close to that area but also a desert, with no one around or any buildings made by the dungeon delvers.
Damian could see why no one had found this secret area before, 'no one would go here anyway.'
They moved through the deep snow, passing through a small forest, eventually stopping before a mount of snow. It looked ordinary, and Damian saw no reason to go there, but Alanna kept saying, "This is the entrance. Come."
Damian did what she told, following her closely behind, seeing Alanna walk toward the mount of snow as if it was not there. No one would do that, as it would only result in being covered by snow, maybe getting hypothermia, and dying on that dungeon floor.
Yet that was not the case, and she vanished in thin air! Damian gaped his mouth in surprise, not fully understanding what that was. The only way to get answers was to do the same, so he did, walking toward the mount of snow.
It was incredible, to say the least! The moment Damian was about to touch the snow, it passed through his body as if he was ethereal, and the next thing he saw was not a snowy area anymore but a dark cave!
The first thing Damian did was turn around, and sure thing, it was possible to see the exterior from the inside.
"An invisible area!" Damian said.
Alanna waited for him inside the cave, "Correct. My friend pushed me to this snow mount, and we discovered this place."
Of course, that was the case. Usually, those who discover secret places do it by accident and in the stupidest way possible. Damian did not judge it, 'being stupid is also a talent.'
"What kind of dangers did you find inside?" Damian asked.
She told him that she and her friends divided while exploring the cave, with Alanna leaving the cave for her safety.
"Not beasts, at least not in the first areas we explored, but rather a fog that messes with our senses, like illusions and stuff. I was the one who chose the wrong path leading outside. Well, maybe that's why I am still alive..." Alanna said, looking down, thinking about her friends who could be in danger as they spoke.
The idea of exploring a hidden area filled with treasures was initially compelling. Still, after they entered the illusory fog and each went in a different direction, it did not look as great as before they stepped inside the cave.
A thought of regret flashed through their mind, yet by that point, there was nothing they could do about it, and the only way was to move forward and hope for the best.
Damian was not naive to think that her friends were 100 percent alive because that was impossible inside the dungeon, especially a hidden area, but he saw no reason to say that and make her feel worse.
"We will find them, don't worry. What kind of illusions did you see while in the fog?"
"I couldn't see my friends anymore or hear them. Then there were strange noises, like growls from gigantic beasts, and I got scared and ran away, finding the exit by accident, I think."
It wasn't much information, but it was better than having nothing. Damian could tell that it was only illusions, and nothing attacked her. If it were genuinely gigantic beasts, powerful ones, then Alanna would have no chance of finding the exit with her life.
After she shared her experience, both moved into the deeper parts of the cave, and it took no time for them to witness the fog at a distance, waiting for them to step inside.
Damian believed in his capability of escaping the illusory fog with his life, but what about Alanna? She got trapped once, so getting trapped again was likely.
That was when he had an idea, and just like always, his Slime Ring came to save his ass! Damian created a black slime, wrapping it around his waist and then doing the same with Alanna, linking them with a slime rope.
"Aahh, what is this?" Alanna said, a little scared at first after seeing the slime moving like a living thing.
"I don't believe you or your friends just vanished from thin air. Illusions can alter your senses, so it gets hard to find your way inside that fog, but with this," Damian then pointed at the slime rope, "We are connected."
It was only a guess. Damian was unsure if it would work, but it made sense, and that mattered. Alanna was not convinced it would work, but she thought they would enter the fog without any protection measures, so it was better to have that slime rope than nothing.
After ensuring everything was in order, Damian and Alanna walked toward the fog. She trembled after each step, remembering what happened the last time she went inside that fog.
But Damian's presence and the silly rope made her relax a little, putting the fear at the back of her mind and entering the fog. The moment they stepped inside the mist, it instantly surrounded them, covering their vision and making it unable for them to see the way back.
When Damian turned around to see Alanna, who was right beside him, she was not there anymore, and no matter how loud he screamed, no one answered.
It was the same on her end, but once both looked at the silly slime rope, it was still linking both, and all they had to do was follow it! After a few steps, they were both together again!
"We were not far from each other at all. What the hell is this?" Damian said.
Now that they were close, they could hear each other. Damian then moved back a little further again, and she vanished from his view again, although they were not that far from each other.
"The mist is thick, but something else is making us lose sight of each other, and our hearing is affected too!" Damian said.
Alanna nodded. She was not stupid not to get it, and she felt glad they had the slime rope linking the two, or else it would be impossible to find one another.
She looked at him with a thankful face, "With this rope you created, we can move through this fog together and find my friends!"
"Yes, we can. Now, stay close to me," Damian said.
They moved forward, sticking together to avoid missing each other again. It only took them a few steps before a thundering roar entered their ears, so loud it shook the core of their bodies!
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