The First Dungeon (part 3)

After barely getting away from that golem, both me and Li Lin decided to make haste

"we should hurry!!....that thing will definitely follow us and might come right behind us in no time..."

".... you're really scaring me!!!."

As we were walking, I noticed something that looked like a ladder....

' what the ladder doin???'

It was strange how something like this was here but even this whole place was weird, so I decided to ignore this and move on.

After sometime, Li Lin looked at me and said.

"uh.... Xin?."

"yeah.."

It looked like she wanted to say something but she stopped.

"no.... it's nothing."

It's been like this ever since our encounter with that golem...

"....."

"..."

<.....>

The silence was too awkward that in the end I decided to break it...

"... Miss Zhong-"

"Li Lin.....just call me Li Lin... atleast in private."

"uh...okay.... Li Lin, I know how I said that you shouldn't trust me and all....but in reality, I think there should be atleast a little bit of trust between us.....and...so I decided that we both will share a little bit of our past....well that is if it's okay with you..."

"hmm.....sure."

She pondered for a moment and then agreed.

"okay.... I'll go first~ in my previous life, I was a web novel writer.."

"....okay...and?.."

<don't forget to tell her how you miserably failed at milking a trend~>

' you still haven't forgotten about that!!!??'

"ahem...so, after some controversies, I got stabbed to death....well that's all I can disclose for now..."

"...that escalated quickly!!"

I smiled and nodded at her.

"anyways, it's your turn now.."

Then she closed her eyes for a minute and her expression turned a little sad.

"well...you see, when I was born-"

"Chotto matte!!!"

"huh?"

"I...I mean wait up.... I said that we will talk about our past but we really don't need to go that deep....just some Little things first okay..."

"oh...alright then...let me see..."

(after sometime)

"hmm.... I don't get it....why didn't your dad do anything?"

"..... well.... that's a different story....wanna hear it?"

"nah~ just continue this one.."

(after a little more time)

"hahaha...and that's how Jia Li saved me from that dumb couple."

After listening to this whole story.....I was dumbfounded....

"...wow... I don't know what to say.... I guess I need to be more careful around her.."

"haha, you better~"

I couldn't believe what I just heard.....even system was shocked by this discovery.

<I didn't knew the first heroine was this scary!!!>

Then I looked at her again and said.

"so....uh.. how's that 'green tea' girl doing?"

In a split second, her face turned serious..

"... let's change the topic."

' no.....WAIT!!! SERIOUSLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HER???'

She ignored me and moved forward.

.

.

.

Soon, we both stopped, as we noticed that the path in front of us was closed with a giant iron gate...

'great.... a puzzle..'

As I was wondering what should we do... I heard Li Lin...

"you must know how to open this door.....right?"

And I gave her my best answer....

"uh.....no..not really.."

After hearing this, she turned pale.

".... HUH!!!?? but WHY!?? didn't you say that you read the novel and how you're familiar with this dungeon!!"

"I did.....but after confronting golem....there were two ways....in the novel, one with many puzzles and the other with many enemies.....and you all took the other path ....so well...ehe~"

I gestured cutely hitting my head while sticking my tongue out.

" WHY DO YOU ALWAYS FORGET THE IMPORTANT STUFF!!!??"

She screamed at me as she grabbed my coller and shaking me back and forth.

As we were bickering with each other, Li Lin looked a little closely towards the direction of gate and noticed something.

" hey look over there!!! there some sort of lever over there..."

As Li Lin said that, I also looked at that direction and realised that there was indeed a lever over there.

" maybe that lever over there could open the gate!!"

And soon, we both went near the lever and I pulled it...

*mechanical sound*

As I pulled the lever, some mechanical sound came but.... Nothing really happened....

I said in confusion.

"the door didn't open..."

I should've known that the puzzle isn't going to be this easy....

"but there was definitely something that happened....or else why would there be a sound..."

<host look up there!!>

As system instructed, I looked up and found that there was another iron gate that was open. It was on a small platform that was above us right beside this big gate..

'damn it!!! I can jump high but this is still out of reach!!'

I looked at Li Lin and said..

"do you see that!!?"

and she replied as she was also looking up.

"yeah ....that door up there, I think that it's connected to the other side of this giant door."

then she stopped for a second then said again.

" but there's no way to go up there.."

' damn it!!! if only I could jump higher.....wait there is something that we can still do...'

I looked at Li Lin with a smirk and when she noticed it, she said...

".....hey....why are you looking at me so weirdly?"

.

.

.

(few moments later)

" Xin I swear if this plan fails, I'm gonna make you regret this for the rest of your life!!!"

Li Lin said as she was few meters away from me and was ready to sprint towards me.

"Don't worry~"

I said as I positioned myself below the iron gate that was open.. and explained the plan.

" The plan is SO simple, I'm gonna boost you up there and you will go through that door to the other side and then you will open this big door.."

she narrowed her eyes as she said..

" are you sure you can help me jump all the way up there!!"

I became silent for sometime....and then I reassured her..

"You won't know until you try~"

She looked at me in disbelief but then she shake her head and said.

"but.... how am I supposed to open the giant door.."

"you might find another lever on the other side of that door!!"

"but how do you know that!?"

"duh... cause that's how co-op games work.... I guess.."

<.... really host?>

finally, we moved the plan to action..

"are you ready!!!"

"yes!!"

And with that, Li Lin charged at me and I boost her up with all my strength...

" IF I FALL DOWN!! YOU'RE SO GONNA GET IT XIN!!!"

Fortunately, she grabbed the platform and climbed up. Soon after that, she reached the other side of the giant door..

.....but even after 10 minutes, the gate didn't open....

<guess she left you host...>

' hahaha....nah.. there's no way she would leave me....did she?'

but soon I was relieved as I heard her voice from the other side..

"uh....Xin?? I don't think there's any way to open this giant gate from this side .."

"what???"

"I checked every place but there's not a single mechanism that could open it .."

'YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!!!'

<guess you're stuck now...>

"There has to be something!!! keep finding!!!"

after a minute, she shouted from the other side..

"maybe you should try something from your side as well!!!"

After hearing her, I remember that there was something that might work for me....and low and behold...

<haha...no wonder there was a really long ladder at a place like this...>

"I can't believe it....."

I couldn't believe it.... I never thought it would be that simple..

<well... isn't it good that you finally found a way out...>

As I was taking the ladder back to that iron gate, I felt like I forgot about something, so I asked system.

"say system...why does it feel like I'm forgetting something..."

<if you forgot, then it must not have been important..>

"yeah I guess you're right.."

As we reached there, I grabbed the ladder and placed it to the upper floor..

"everything is alright now Li Lin!!!"

I shouted as I was placing the ladder..

"did you find something!!!"

"yeah!!! I found a-"

But as I was about to inform her about the ladder.... I finally realised what I forgot....

*ROAAAAAR!!!!!!!*

From the other side, Li Lin shouted..

"what was that!!!!???"

Instead of answering her, I instantly climbed up the ladder but just as I reach the upper floor, I saw the golem sprinting towards the giant gate...

And Instead of breaking it.....it got bumped into the iron gate and stumbled back...

".....HAHAHA HAHAHAHA!!!!"

<host....instead of laughing at it, you should hurry..>

"hahaha... it's alright, the door isn't gonna close anyways!!!"

<.....>

"hahahahah guess you have the body but not the brain!!! hahahahaha!!!"

As I was laughing, the golem looked at me.....and then it looked at the lever.....and then it looked at me and I could see a smile on it's face...

".....SHIT!!!"

I sprint towards the small door while golem broke the lever mechanism and the door started shutting closed..

finally in this race against time, I won...

"FUCK...*pant* *pant* PHEW!!!!"

Soon I noticed that this place was similar to the other side of door....but this time there were stairs...

after I reached downstairs... I noticed Li Lin who was waiting for me there...

"are you alright!!?? what the hell was that!!!"

"we shoul-"

Suddenly, I noticed that golem was repeatedly banging the giant door while screaming.

*ROARRRRRR!!!!!!*

"fuck!!! just run!!!"

and with that, we both moved forward.

-to be continued