Necrotomb[1]

"Thank you sooo much!" Ejaculated the woman adventurer, bounding towards me.

Before any intervention could have been thought, I found myself ensnared in her soft embrace.

Her ample bosom pressed against my chest.

Sweat glistened on her stunning face. Her eyes and hair were...in a shade of aqua or turquoise?

Torn and burnt leggings revealed patches of skin, accentuating her curves.

The hug was definitely...'uncomfortable'.

Anyway.

She appeared to be around my age, maybe mid-twenties?

"I'm Sylvie Greyart, what's your name kid?" She introduced herself, finally releasing me from her hug, for which I was grateful.

"It's Noah, ma'am," I greeted back politely, masking my inner disgust.

"And what were you doing in here, Noah?" Riley asked casually, not seeking to know anything in particular.

Riley Droit—the only NPC from the novel whom I remembered on this incident. He was the leader of this adventurer team. Black locks, average brown eyes, battle scars covered his hands.

Sigh...

'Now, which bullshit should I feed him? I did prepare some before coming here,' I thought while scanning the surroundings.

"It's...its a quirky habit of mine to scavenge low ranking dungeons. Conveniently, I was nearby when all this went down," I blurted confidently, hiding my real motives.

But. My answer...

'It sounded like load of bullshit. Even to myself... Now they will ask why does a student like me needs to scavenge dungeons? And then I will mislead them into-'

"The kid was following you guys from behind," the union officer interjected my thoughts before any of the made up scenarios in my head played out.

Anthony. Don't know his full name, but that's the union officer, the ebony muscular build. I wasn't sure earlier but now I was convinced. The guy was definitely (B-) in terms of strength.

When I first arrived in this world, my body grew a new instinct.

The ability to sense mana.

And somehow, I could also gauge other people's strength. It was like a new instinct.

Erm, no.

It was rather like an extra upgrade on my existing senses of touch and proprioception. Hard to explain, but it was there.

Anthony was presently administering a health potion to the brawny guy lying on the ground. They told me he was Tressa, their team's tank.

In my defense, scavenging...dungeon. It may seem like nonsense, but wasn't an entire 'implausibility'.

Dungeons in this world posed threats to the public but also offered lucrative opportunities.

And although frowned upon, many people indeed scavenged during dungeon clearings. That's why I used this as an excuse, hoping it might fly.

But, I wasn't entirely sure...maybe I messed up?

Riley raised an eyebrow, asking, "Oh, were you now?" A smirk played on his lips as he added, "I won't pry too much." He shrugged.

'You buying my bullshit?' I thought, smiling back at him.

Sighing, I glanced to my left, only to see Tressa and Bright who were sprawled on the ground like dead bodies.

They were alive, barely. Too battered to move.

Well at least, I achieved my primary goal for coming here: rescuing these losers.

"Hey, kid!" Suddenly Riley called out. His voice pierced the air as he lobbed something in my direction.

Grabbing the small black box, confusion soon washed over me.

'What the fuck's this?' I thought while examining the box in my hand.

It felt polished like a freshly waxed floor.

Then it hit me. A loot box...

"It's the only reward we got after defeating the dungeon's original boss. Accept it as a gesture of gratitude from myself and my team. After all, if it hadn't been for you, we would all be dead," Riley explained while offering his gratitude.

I nodded at Riley, accepting his offering.

But, what did he mean by 'original boss?'

"Original boss? What do you mean?" Officer Anthony asked on my behalf.

***

Riley and Sylvie launched into their story, detailing about the dungeon's transformation post-boss annihilation.

Their story left the officers confused.

Understandably so, as such things usually never happens.

Dungeons simply donot morph.

The story confused everyone present.

Yes, even I, the author, was confused about this whole 'dungeon metamorphosis.'

'What kind of nonsense is he saying? Is he high? And what the fuck's a necrotomb?' Skepticism mixed with confusion as my mind couldn't help but question things.

Realizing that my emotions were showing on my face, I quickly changed my expression before anyone noticed.

Riley explained how they entered the dungeon with hopes of uncovering treasures. Despite it being an E ranked dungeon, they spent hours tirelessly scouring every inch for something of worth.

Disappointingly, their search yielded no result. So they decided to press on and defeat the boss monster, clearing the dungeon once and for all.

But, amidst their jubilation over defeating the Gobling King, something strange happened.

A notification popped up about some 'necrotomb,' triggering a spatial warp that sealed their entry point, while a horde of monsters materialized incessantly.

Yes, 'materialized'—like verdant growths sprouting from the very earth—a strange phenomenon which even the seasoned union officers hadn't heard about.

Luckily, the hero of the hour—yours truly—came to the rescue these poor souls just in the nick of time. Although indirectly.

Riley even handed his card to me and while I wasn't quite sure of what I was supposed to do with it, I kept his contact for future consideration.

And thus, the side story concluded with a happy ending.

While Officer Anthony and the others remained to report the anomaly to headquarters, I was granted leave after a minor inquiry.

But, I was tired, like really tired; all I cared for in that moment was a peaceful sleep and a sweet dream.