Bert slammed the spider door shut, white as chalk. “Not spiders.”

  “Not spiders,” Harlada echoed.

  Leo peeked into the penguin archway again. Another gale of icy wind whipped his notes into the air, pages scattering across the floor like dying birds. He shut it with trembling hands. “Not penguins. Environmentally lethal.”

  That left two.

  The lava door simmered to their right, chains rattling faintly behind it.

  The wave-marked door pulsed to their left, faint barking noises echoing through the stone.

  Leo swallowed. “Regression, or… seals.”

  “Zombies,” Harlada corrected, pointing at the skull-marked door beside it. The moans leaked faintly through the cracks, low and endless. “The options are seals or zombies.”

  They froze, considering.

  “Zombies are predictable,” Leo said carefully. “But dangerous in numbers. Infection, bite vectors, stamina attrition—”

  “Seals are aquatic,” Harlada countered. “Yes, but controllable. Containment possible. And barking is… less intimidating than moaning.”

  Bert grinned. “Seals. Definitely seals. Zombies bite. Seals just… flop.”

  The crystal screen flickered overhead.

  Choose Wisely. The Dimension of Seals. The Dimension of Zombies. Only one path advances.

  They exchanged one final look, then pushed open the wave-marked door.

  Cool, briny air spilled into the chamber, thick with the scent of salt and fish. Barking grew louder, echoing in playful bursts across unseen water.

  The crystal screen pulsed once more:

  Path Chosen: Seals. Good luck.

  The stone door slammed shut behind them.

  ***

  They emerged onto a rocky shoreline. Waves crashed against jagged cliffs, spraying cold brine into the air. The sky above was a dull grey, the kind of light that made the whole world feel like it was holding its breath.

  And there, sprawled across a sun-warmed slab of stone, lay three seals.

  Blubbery, whiskered, glossy-eyed. One was perched upright like a stern sentinel, nose lifted high. Another flopped and rolled over itself in a clumsy somersault, slapping its flippers against the rock for no clear reason. The third simply lay on its side, muscles rippling under its slick skin as it flexed lazily and let out a deep, guttural bark.

  The adventurers stopped dead.

  Leo whispered, “Only three? Suspicious. Dungeons rarely under-populate.”

  Harlada narrowed her eyes. “Classic misdirection. They look harmless. That’s how they get you.”

  Bert cracked his neck. “I’ll crush ’em before they spit.”

  They crouched, watching.

  “Seals are aquatic predators,” Leo said, already scribbling notes. “Teeth adapted for tearing. Camouflage in water. Likely poisonous.”

  “They’re sunbathing,” Harlada pointed out.

  “Camouflage,” Leo insisted.

  The seals barked in unison, a chorus that echoed strangely across the cliffs.

  “They know we’re here,” Harlada muttered.

  Bert tightened his grip on his cleaver. “So what’s the plan? Rush ‘em? Stone toss again? I can lift heavier ones this time.”

  “Absolutely not,” Leo snapped. “We need precision. Distance weapons. Distraction patterns. Coordinated assault.”

  Harlada smirked. “Or we wait until they roll into the sea and then blast them from shore.”

  Bert puffed his chest. “Or I just jump on one and wrestle it.”

  The seals yawned, flopped, and went back to doing nothing.

  The adventurers stared back like soldiers facing down dragons.

  ***

  The seals yawned again, rolling lazily on the warm rock. Their glossy eyes blinked once, twice, then shut.

  Bert hefted his cleaver. “I’ll pin ‘em before they even blink.”

  “No!” Leo snapped, so sharply both Bert and Harlada froze.

  He pointed his quill toward the seals, notes fluttering in the damp breeze. “This isn’t a kill trial. They haven’t attacked. Not once. They’re obstacles, not enemies.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Obstacles?” Harlada frowned. “They’re giant blobs of meat lying in our way. That’s the definition of enemies.”

  “Exactly,” Bert added. “Step one: smash. Step two: progress.”

  Leo’s eyes narrowed. “And what if the trial punishes us for needless killing? What if the reward depends on restraint?”

  Bert scoffed. “Or what if the reward depends on winning, and they crush us first?”

  Harlada shook her head. “I’m with Bert. Better safe than sorry.”

  Leo drew a long, steady breath. “Listen. If we kill them first, there’s no undoing it. But if we try my way—herding, driving them off—” he paused, letting the silence stretch, “—and it doesn’t work, we can still kill them.”

  That landed. Even Bert hesitated.

  Finally, Harlada sighed, folding her arms. “Fine. We’ll try it your way. But if I get bitten by a sunbathing seal, I’m haunting you.”

  “Accepted,” Leo said primly.

  They spread out clumsily, stomping, clapping, shouting. Harlada tossed sparks into the air for intimidation. Slowly, grudgingly, the seals wriggled and flopped toward the water. One barked in protest, another rolled indignantly, but at last all three slipped into the sea with a splash.

  The pedestal rose from the surf immediately, gleaming with wet stone. On it lay a small shell-shaped charm, glowing faintly.

  The crystal screen blinked:

  Trial Cleared. Nonlethal Victory Achieved. Reward Generated.

  They stared at the charm, dripping from sea spray.

  Leo allowed himself a thin smile. “Intelligence. Sometimes it has its uses.”

  Bert grumbled. “Still think I could’ve wrestled one.”

  Harlada muttered. “Still think they looked familiar.”

  They took the shell.

  Reward: Shell Charm — Property: Prevents iron from rusting in seawater.

  “Well, that’s useless,” Harlada offered.

  Leo tucked it carefully into his pouch anyway, nose wrinkling in thought.

  Bert muttered, “Still think I could’ve wrestled one.”

  The crystal pulsed smugly, as if laughing at them.

  ***

  The pedestal sank back into the surf, leaving the chamber quiet again. For a moment, they just breathed, savoring the salty air.

  Then Harlada squinted. “Wait… do you see that?”

  Behind where the seals had been sunbathing, a smaller stone platform was rising from the waves. Water streamed off its surface, revealing another faintly glowing gem nestled in a cradle of coral.

  Bert’s eyes lit up. “Another one! Jackpot.”

  Before the others could react, he lunged forward, cleaver tucked under one arm, free hand snatching for the gem.

  The instant his fingers brushed it, the crystal screen flared scarlet.

  Greed Detected. Penalty Applied.

  A jolt of lightning shot through Bert’s body. He yelped, hair standing on end, and collapsed backward into the shallow water with a hiss.

  -1 HP.

  “AAAAAAAAA!” Bert flailed in the shallows, smoke rising faintly from his armor.

  Harlada folded her arms. “Serves you right.”

  Leo scribbled furiously. “Fascinating. A moral check. The dungeon enforces balance.”

  The gem pulsed again, floating gently into the air until it hovered equidistant between the three of them. The crystal screen scrolled new text:

  Hidden Gem Acquired. Allocate +1 Stat Point. Recipient: By consensus only.

  The three stared at it.

  Bert, still twitching, croaked, “I vote… me.”

  The gem hovered in the damp air, pulsing steadily, waiting.

  “Consensus,” Harlada muttered. “So we all have to agree.”

  “Then give it to me,” Bert said, still smoking faintly from the shock. “I need it.”

  “You just got the last one,” Harlada snapped.

  “And wasted it on strength,” Leo added dryly. “Which we already had in grotesque excess.”

  Bert puffed out his chest. “You’re just jealous I’m swole.”

  Leo ignored him, eyes fixed on the gem. Slowly, their lips curved into the faintest smile. “Of course. It’s obvious. The dungeon is enforcing balance. The last gem went to Bert. Therefore this one must be assigned elsewhere. Equilibrium is the key.”

  The gem pulsed brighter, as if in approval.

  Harlada raised a brow. “So if we give this one to me, it counts as… balance?”

  “Precisely,” Leo said. “And then the next goes to me. A perfect cycle.”

  Bert frowned, but Harlada snatched the gem before he could argue further. It dissolved into her hand with a pleasant chime.

  +1 Dexterity applied to Harlada Houdini.

  The crystal screen scrolled new text:

  Stat Distribution Balanced. Next Reward Pending.

  Leo straightened his notes with satisfaction. “Order restored.”

  Harlada smirked. “Fine. But I’m holding you to that promise, bookworm.”

  Bert grumbled. “Next one’s mine, no matter what your stupid balance says.”

  Before the argument could escalate, the far wall rumbled. Three new doors slid into place, mist curling from their seams.

  The first bore the jagged lines of flames and chains, faint heat spilling through.

  The second showed a stubby bird with flippers spread wide, muffled honking echoing faintly.

  The third was carved with a web pattern, delicate strands twitching in the air as if alive.

  Above the doors, the crystal screen blinked to life once more:

  Choose Wisely. The Dimension of Lava. The Dimension of Penguins. The Dimension of Spiders. Only one path advances.

  The doors pulsed, waiting.