Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 49: Dark Destination - The Players' Moral Compass

Terrified screams echoed in the blackness as the party slipped and tumbled down a long, jagged slope. Loose rocks and debris followed them, a chaotic avalanche of earth and stone.

Daisuke's instincts kicked in, and he desperately stabbed his Bonepick into the hard ground to slow his perilous descent. Osten followed suit, his sword digging into the unforgiving surface. Lyanna, usually graceful and composed, frantically attempted to do the same with an arrow, but it snapped under the immense pressure. She didn't hesitate to follow-up by using her trusty bow as a makeshift anchor.

Despite their efforts, the pull of gravity was relentless. One by one, they reached the bottom, each landing with a thud. The fall had been roughly 80 meters, and the impact was jarring. Groans of pain filled the subterranean chamber, but miraculously, no one seemed to have sustained any life-threatening injuries.

"Cough! Is everyone all right?" asked Daisuke as he slowly got to his feet.

"Arf!" Zephyr's head popped out again.

"I lost a perfectly good arrow, but I'm okay," murmured Lyanna.

"Just a few bruises."

"It's... hard to breathe."

"I can hardly see anything."

As the dust settled and the echoes of their voices faded, everyone realized the dire situation they were in. They had fallen deep into a dungeon, and its vast dimensions were shrouded in darkness.

As their eyes partially adjusted to the gloom, they could see that they were not alone. Strange, luminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting an eerie, bluish light.

Daisuke, always vigilant, took stock of their surroundings. After confirming there was no way back to the surface from where they fell in, he turned to the group who were still collecting themselves.

"Are all the healers okay?" He asked.

"For the most part."

"...Yeah."

"Dammit! Did anyone manage to get any of the Mana Crystals?" Osten demanded, his voice cutting off the third healer before he could respond.

Thanks to his sturdy armor, he hadn't sustained any injuries from the fall whatsoever. His only discomfort lay in the fact that he hadn't managed to increase his wealth at all.

"Are you injured?" inquired Daisuke as he reached out to the healer who was rudely interrupted.

"I'm fine," he reassured, "just a few bruises here and there."

Daisuke nodded, then projected his voice just enough for everyone to hear. "If anyone is seriously injured, just raise your hand and a healer will attend to you."

Osten's expression twisted with derision. Not only was he being ignored, but his position was at risk of being taken away from him. "Hey, I'm the one in charge here!" he barked venomously. "Where the hell do you get off giving out orders like that while I'm standing right here!"

Many in the group glared at Osten, shocked by his lack of consideration. Daisuke had cautioned them about the dangers of the Crystal Field, but his warning had fallen on deaf ears.

Now, despite the circumstances, he was still looking out for their well-being. However, all Osten could seemingly think about was the insidious Crystal Field that had landed them in this predicament.

Beyond his growing annoyance, Daisuke remembered a lecture from Thalia's class:

— "The interior layout of dungeons may differ, but they all seem to adhere to the same fundamental blueprint: they consist of multiple floors, each infested with hordes of monsters, overseen by a more formidable entity known as a Floor Guardian. Finally, at the very bottom level of the dungeon lies the chamber hosting the Dungeon Boss."