The Uncrowned Castle
In a certain building in Loguetown, many empty or broken crates were lined on one side with a thick layer of dust covering them. There were few deep running cracks while several shallow cracks running alongside the walls with spider webs here and there, while the windows were equally in a bad condition with broken glass through which the morning light shone in.
Currently, Jin Woo stood in the middle of such a building which appeared to be abandoned for quite some time.
It was the location written in the description of the dungeon key in Jin Woo's possession, and it had taken quite some time for Jin Woo to find, considering how unfamiliar he was with the area.
Jin Woo hadn't come here straight from his fight with Smoker, no, he first waited to collect his bounty reward and deal with the relative tasks.
Apparently, Smoker had left with Tashigi to chase after the Straw hats, which Jin Woo had no particular thoughts about, while another Marine Captain was assigned to this town to keep order in check.
He did have to meet the newly assigned Captain first before claiming the bounty, as proof of his identity. With the short meeting, Jin Woo's impression of the officer was alright, but somewhat forgettable, most likely because they did not exchange more than a few words.
After claiming the abundant bounty, he went and bought a few new pairs of clothes because the ones he originally wore were not in their perfect condition due to the rough fight he went through.
He also did not forget to book a room in an inn and get a good night's sleep. After all, even though his body could recover by itself, mental fatigue could not be relieved without proper rest.
And to be in his optimal state for dungeon clearing, Jin Woo did not miss a simple point like that. He wanted to hunt monsters for exp and level up, but he did not want their roles as hunter and prey to be reversed due to his carelessness. Carelessness often meant death and once you were dead, no number of regrets would matter.
Warming up his body, Jin Woo summoned the <<Rasaka's Fang>>, which was the best as well as only weapon he had, and opened his complete profile.
"Profile."
[<Status>
——————
Name: Sung Jin-Woo
Level: 23
Class: None
Title: The One Who Judges[+1]
HP: 2760/2760
MP: 320/320
Fatigue: 0
——————
Strength: 60
Agility: 52
Sense: 32
Vitality: 46
Intelligence: 32
——————
Remaining points: 0
——————
<Skills>
——————
<Passive Skills>
(Unknown) Lv.Max, Advanced Dagger Arts Lv.2
——————
<Active Skills>
Sprint Lv.1, Dagger Throw Lv.1,
——————
<Class Skills>
---
——————
<Equipment>
---]
---
[Skill: Sprint (Lv.1)
Description: All movement speed will be increased by 30%.
Resource Consumption: 1 mana per second.]
---
[Skill: Weapon Throw (Lv.1)
Description: Deal damage by throwing your weapon. As the skill 's level increases, damage and accuracy will increase.
Resource consumption: 30 Mana per usage.]
---
[Skill: Advanced Dagger Arts (Lv.2)
Description: You can now use daggers more proficiently. When a dagger is used, the attack with it gains 33% additional damage.
Resource Consumption: None]
---
[Title: The One Who Judges.
Description: A title given to those who wield their hammer of judgment without any hesitation.
Effects: 50% increase in attack power and 50% increase in defense[1].]
Taking a deep breath, Jin Woo inspected his surroundings to make sure he was alone and then took out the black key and inserted it into the wall in front of him .
The key sank into the wall and slight ripples appeared on the stone surface, akin to a calm lake being disturbed by a pebble.
The ripples gradually grew bigger in amplitude before settling down as a large vortex of darkness took form.
Without much expressing on his face, Jin Woo stepped through the vortex with a firm resolve.
---
When Jin Woo's vision stabilized, a dark and serene corridor was reflected in his dark brown pupils.
The corridor was built of robust stone with lanterns illuminating the walls that were etched with mysterious patterns. There was a row of stone statues depicting knights standing on both sides.
From what Jin Woo could gleam, the corridor seemed to be following a medieval theme as he couldn't help but remark inwardly.
'No wonder the key's description described it as a castle.'
As for the exquisite design of the lanterns or the excellent craftsmanship of the statues, Jin Woo had neither the corresponding knowledge nor interest to admire them.
Although, his eyes couldn't help but narrow for a completely different reason. Even though there were many lanterns hanging on both sides of the corridor, it still seemed to be veiled in darkness as the lanterns failed to be effective after a few meters.
'It creates a perfect environment for sneak attacks.'
Jin Woo stared at the stone statues, afraid that they might come to life at any moment his attention diverted.
The memories from the double dungeon incident were still fresh in his mind. In all of his hunter career as the world's weakest hunter, it was the closest he had ever been to death.
It was an unforgettable trauma that was deeply rooted in his mind, but it wasn't one that stagnated him. If anything, it only served to harden his resolve and increase his determination to improve.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the familiar mechanical sound of the system he had gotten used to. A few pop-up screens appeared in front of him.
[You have entered the dungeon <<The Uncrowned Castle>>.]
[A new Quest has been generated!]
[Dungeon Quest: The most loyal knight of the King, Blood Red Commander Igris resides in the innermost room of the castle, awaiting a worthy challenger. Prove your worth to apply for a duel and defeat the valiant knight.
*The difficulty increases with the room number.
Quest Requirement: Rooms cleared (0/99)
Quest Goal: Defeat Blood Red Commander Igris.
Quest Rewards:
1. A Runestone.
2. +40 stat points.
3. A Linked Quest.]
'The goal is to kill the boss monster and before that, 99 stages need to be cleared, with each successive stage increasing in difficulty.'
Jin Woo summarized the contents of the quest inwardly and his face brightly lit up.
'The reward is quite generous!'
40 stat points were already pretty substantial and there was even a runestone which could grant him a skill, not to mention a linked quest that had a chance of offering similarly, if not more, generous rewards.
Taking a deep breath, Jin Woo calmed himself before he began advancing, his shadow flickering with the flames in the lanterns.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His footsteps echoed through the stone corridor, reaching from one end to the far other end, in the extreme silence that gave off the feeling of a purgatory.
Despite deducing that there might not be any danger in the corridor, he still decided to stick to caution. Exercising more caution than necessary was better than being dead after all.
In the end, to Jin Woo's relief, nothing happened, and he found himself standing in front of a large wooden door that reached up to the ceiling, with a large "1" written on it.
"This should be the first one."
With one hand firmly holding the dagger, Jin Woo slowly pushed the door.
The door creaked, opening up a small gap that widened bit by bit, revealing a rectangular expanse vast enough to be considered a hall. Unlike the dark corridor, it was brightly lit, making everything clear for the eye.
In the middle of the hall, surrounded by stone pillars, Jin Woo's eyes reflected a dozen of knights wearing shiny armors and holding their swords straight.
Simultaneously, a red light flickered in the knights' eyes as they turned their heads toward Jin Woo.
---
[1] This is a new description for the title (idk what I was thinking while making the old one, it made no sense.)
(AN: This dungeon 'might' become long so bear with me, mainly because he will be leaving as a completely different person from this place. After all, there are 100 floors in total. Most floors will be skipped, but important ones will still be shown.)