The morning sun filtered through the trees around Jaxon’s secluded cabin, casting dappled light across the clearing. After a night of rest, he felt reinvigorated, ready to tackle the next challenge. With his new speed gear equipped, he left for the Level 30 Dark Woods Dungeon a treacherous, densely wooded area shrouded in fog, where deadly creatures roamed, lying in wait.

  Jaxon entered the dungeon cautiously. Thick, twisted trees loomed overhead, their branches interwoven like jagged teeth. Strange growls echoed through the forest, while faint shadows darted in and out of the mist. This place was notorious for its Dark Wolves and Shadow Sprites creatures known for ambushing hunters. But Jaxon’s eyes glinted with excitement; it was exactly the kind of environment his traps would thrive in.

  As he moved deeper, he could feel eyes watching him, and the eerie silence hinted at lurking danger. He began deploying traps in calculated positions along his path—Bear Traps hidden beneath fallen leaves, Landmines buried under loose soil, and his Black Hole Traps strategically placed in chokepoints.

  A Dark Wolf lunged at him from the mist. With a flash of fangs, it leapt straight into one of his Bear Traps. The jaws of the trap snapped shut, immobilizing the creature and dealing heavy damage. Before the wolf could even whimper, Jaxon triggered a Landmine nearby, obliterating the beast. With each creature that tried to attack him, his traps did the work, leaving Jaxon untouched.

  After a couple of hours, Jaxon had fought his way through waves of Dark Wolves and Shadow Sprites. His traps dismantled every ambush with brutal efficiency, allowing him to conserve his energy as his enemies fell into his carefully laid snares. Each kill gave him more experience, pushing him closer to his goal.

  Finally, he approached the heart of the dungeon a large clearing with an ancient, crumbling stone altar at its center. Towering above it, wrapped in shadows, was the Dungeon Boss: the Nightshade Alpha. It was a massive wolf-like creature, its fur blending into the darkness, eyes gleaming with a deadly intelligence. Unlike the regular wolves, the Alpha emitted an aura that seemed suppress Jaxon.

  “This is the real test,” Jaxon muttered, smirking. He was ready.

  The Nightshade Alpha howled, a sound that echoed through the dungeon, alerting any remaining creatures nearby. Jaxon activated his Black Hole Trap in front of the altar, hoping the gravity would draw the beast in. But the Alpha resisted, only staggering slightly before charging forward with impressive speed.

  Jaxon dashed to the side, deploying more traps as he went. This time, he activated his Bear Trap and Landmine simultaneously. The Alpha barely avoided the Bear Trap, but as it stepped aside, it triggered a Landmine, blasting it back with a roar. Jaxon was relentless, deploying more traps and staying out of range.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  After a fierce battle of traps and lunges, the Alpha finally stumbled into a Black Hole Trap, its strength finally waning. Jaxon watched as the beast was sucked into the trap, struggling to escape, before the trap detonated in a powerful explosion. When the smoke cleared, the Nightshade Alpha lay defeated.

  Level Up!

  Jaxon could feel the surge of power as he hit Level 25.

  He had conquered the Level 30 Dark Woods Dungeon once, but now, he wanted more. With the power of his traps doing most of the heavy lifting, he knew he could handle repeat runs and push himself to higher levels.

  Over the next few days, Jaxon returned to the dungeon again and again, each time facing the dark, mist-laden woods and its monstrous inhabitants. The twisted trees, dense fog, and lurking shadows had become familiar terrain. Jaxon could practically map the entire dungeon by memory—the scattered rock formations, the crumbling ancient altars, and the narrow chokepoints where he’d strategically place his traps.

  He cleared the dungeon faster and faster with each run, waves of Dark Wolves and Shadow Sprites continued to ambush him. But Jaxon was ready, deploying traps faster and more efficiently each time. His Bear Traps snapped shut around unsuspecting wolves, his Landmines blasted Shadow Sprites before they could even approach, and his Black Hole Traps pulled clusters of enemies in for a devastating finish. His newfound speed gear allowed him to set traps and evade enemies with ease, conserving energy for the real challenge: the Dungeon Boss, the Nightshade Alpha.

  Every encounter with the Alpha was a test, yet Jaxon had mastered a rhythm, cycling through traps and luring the beast into fatal positions. Each time he defeated the Alpha, he leveled up, feeling the power building with each victory. His traps became deadlier, his skills sharper. By the eighth dungeon run, he was moving with the confidence and precision of a seasoned hunter.

  On his final run, as Jaxon took down the Nightshade Alpha one last time, he felt a massive surge of power. His screen flashed: Level Up!

  Level 30 Achieved!

  He could barely believe it he’d reached Level 30 in just a few days. His stats had skyrocketed, and as he glanced at his new abilities, his screen showed his latest skill:

  Skill Unlocked: Phantom Field

  Creates an area of illusory traps that appear real to the enemy, confusing and disorienting them. Real traps remain hidden underneath the illusions, making it nearly impossible for opponents to distinguish between decoys and real threats.

  Jaxon’s eyes lit up. Phantom Field would make him an even more formidable opponent. Now, he could fill an entire battlefield with traps, both real and illusory, forcing his enemies to second-guess every move. With this, he could overwhelm even the strongest foes, setting layers of danger they couldn’t see coming.

  He left the dungeon, his mind buzzing with ideas. He was closer than ever to becoming a legend in the Virtual Battle Arena. Now that he was Level 30, he had not only gained incredible power, but he also had enough skills to keep even the strongest hunters on edge.

  The path forward was clear: return to the Arena, test his new abilities, and show everyone what a Trap God could truly do.