MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

As usual, the system greeted them: 

[Welcome to the Water Temple!]

[Setting Trial Difficulty! Please Standby!] 

[New Quest! Complete the Trial Successfully!] 

[Optional! Acquire Cursed Pearl of the Depth!] 

[Try Not to Drown! ;)] 

"….Totally not ominous." Jack playfully remarked. 

— Splash! Splash! — 

The three of them were hurrying forward, water up to their calves, every step creating a splashing sound. The monk was already pissed. 

"I already hate this place! Annoying monsters, check! Water rising and threatening to kill us, check! Finally, a maze to top it off, freaking check!!" 

"Welcome to the Water Temple! While there are many, they're always designed for the players to have fun for a looong time! Maybe you should do like Moon Moon." Jack teased. 

"Woo!" (Curious!) 

The little wolf was joyfully hopping in the water with its tail wagging, even drinking some of it at times. It seemed blissfully unaware of the danger it posed. 

Death Trap 0 

Happy little wolf 1 

The trio kept progressing, running all this while. The main issue was that the stone corridors all looked the same: archaic, sturdy, and akin to the maw of a colossal beast. 

No matter where they turned, they'd be confronted with the same goddamn scene: more corridors! The only thing that changed was the height as it went up and down. 

If only there hadn't been a time limit, then things would have been easier. 

The monk couldn't help but despair. Had he known, he would have stayed far away from that old crazy water mage guy! He had sent his student to his death! 

Then again, their teacher-student relationship was flimsy at best. He had been wandering the mist, and so had the NPC. Yep, that was pretty much it! Then the guy had forced him to do tasks for him. 

Just as he was inwardly resolving to stay far away from the guy in the future, he couldn't help but notice that his surprisingly calm companion was doing something strange. 

"Hey, why are you touching the stone all over?" The monk asked, with eyes gleaming with curiosity. 

Jack took a very solemn expression as if he was about to reveal a state secret. 

"You see, I unlocked the rare wall whisperer sub-class. This one wall just told me the way, and also that you should stop staring at it like that." He nodded seriously. 

Wait, what?! Was he mad?! Was he pranking him?! Plot twist maybe there was really such a class in Infinite? After all, he had a class that was literally called Masochist. (Not that he'd ever tell anyone) 

But that's when the man suddenly erupted in laughter, giving him a wink. 

"I've been leaving markers behind. Magic leaves traces and I'm using it to know which corridor we already tried going into." Jack finally revealed. 

That explained a lot! 

Under the Demon King's lead, they very efficiently…..kept getting lost. The best he could do was note the paths they had already taken. Heck, would they get a 100% exploration rate?! 

From time to time, they'd encounter monsters. They would valiantly run away as fast as humanly possible whenever this happened. 

"Goddammit, the water is somehow healing them! They're indestructible!!"

"Pretty much, so run faster!!" 

The monk was at a loss. His usual strategy was to fight the enemies at melee range. He'd tank their attacks with his special defensive abilities and counterattack! But right now, he'd just die if he tried! 

Jack and Moon Moon were the ones that were the most helpful. 

They would rain fire upon their enemies and make them still for a second, just long enough to bypass them. The monsters were pretty much immune to fire, but they still disliked the heat. This was their only saving grace. 

They kept going —> Water was now at their knees.

They kept going some more —> Water reached their waist.

They relentlessly kept going —> Water reached their shoulders.

Strangely the monsters were gone, but at this rate the water itself would kill them instead. 

They were already swimming, yet the exit was nowhere to be found. At this point, even the eager Moon Moon couldn't help but woo in worry. As they turned another corner, Jack suddenly froze. 

"Which way do we have to go?!" The monk asked in a hurry. 

"T-that we've explored it all. This was the last one. There's none left!" Jack exclaimed in confusion. 

"We probably missed one somewhere!" 

"No, we didn't." Jack reiterated. He was 100% sure of it. 

All this time, he used his Demonic Energy to map the place. They had explored the maze in its totality. But why the fuck weren't they out yet?! He had no clue! 

This whole place was a quest generated by the NPC outside. He had neither done this specific version of the dungeon nor heard about it. 

The more he kept thinking and the more confused he felt. Why?! What were they missing?! 

That's when the monk sighed. 

"Perhaps there just isn't any way to clear this. Maybe we're doomed to perish in this freaking Trial of the Depth!" 

"…."

"Yep, maybe this whole place is just a cruel joke. I swear that wink at the beginning looked evil! Try not to drown, was it?! This is insane!" He complained. 

That's when Jack suddenly jolted in shock. Wait?! What if?! Without waiting, he decisively headed in a specific direction. 

"Quick, follow me!" He excitedly led the way. 

The wolf and monk hurried after him as he was already swimming away at full speed. He seemed like he had just received enlightenment. 

But very soon, the two realized that something was amiss with the whole situation. There was barely a head between them and the ceiling! For some reason, the water level was rising way faster now. 

Wait, no! It wasn't the water that was rising faster. Their party was heading toward the corridors that were lower elevation-wise. 

Then they reached a point where it was impossible to progress any further without diving. 

"Alright, let's go!" Jack enthusiastically declared, the other two looking incredibly flabbergasted. 

"Wait, shouldn't we try to search a bit more? Suicide sure is an option, but I wouldn't say it's a good one." the monk rebuked. 

"What are we looking for?" Jack gave him a knowing glance. 

"The exit? The pearl of the Depth?— oh!" That's when he finally realized. 

The optional mission and the cheeky message about drowning were actually hints. They would have to head deeper and risk drowning. 

Without hesitating, Jack plunged, with the other two following. 

The deeper they went and the harder it was to hold their breath. Even with the reduced mental impact, this was still horrible! It felt like their lungs were on fire. 

This would be a one-way trip. They had far too long a distance to cover to come back. They could only inwardly pray as they fought their instinct to turn around. 

Then they finally reached the lowest point of the entire dungeon. In front of their shocked eyes, there was…a regular corridor. 

This was over, and soon they would drown. 

At this moment, Jack felt horrible. They would die, the NPC wouldn't help them, and he'd have to resort to his initial rat vanquishing plan. 

This would be a shitshow. 

It already was, actually. He gave an apologetic glance to the monk, seeing him shrug. Then he swam near Moon Moon. 

The poor wolf already had trouble swimming, and now it would experience drowning. Had he known, he wouldn't have brought it inside this cursed dungeon! 

There was fear in Moon Moon's eyes, the fear of not fully understanding what was happening to its body. But then it nestled itself against its master, and everything it felt better. 

Its entire body burned in pain, but everything would be alright as long as they were together. It saw the regret in its master's eyes, but it wasn't his fault. 

Moon Moon gave one silent woo as it closed its eyes, slipping in unconsciousness. After all, its stats were weaker than Jack's. 

But even then, it had a slight smile on its face, even amidst the pain. Everything would be fine, for it rested in its master's embrace... 

As Jack gazed at his companion, the water became saltier.

Fuck!! FUCK!!

He knew that his pet would respawn. He knew it very well, but the tears still went out. He could only inwardly apologize to his loyal companion. 

But just as everything was ending, it happened…. 

— WOOOSHHH — 

A gaping hole suddenly opened in the rock floor. Then followed an incredible suction force dragged all three of them. Turns out Jack had been right…. 

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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! 🔥