They Wanted a Hero. They Made a Monster: Born at the Bottom
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 54: Another Treasure Chamber
The Third Stratum of the dungeon differed from the combat-focused levels around it. Almost everything here involved puzzles, traps, and hidden doors.
The stratum produced wooden treasure chests. They were far less valuable than the stone chests behind the hidden doors, but still worthwhile for ordinary adventurers.
Its few monsters consisted mainly of triggered stone guardians, Mimics, and harmless scavengers that fed on corpses.
With the dungeon closed for so many days, the entire stratum appeared lifeless.
Today was different.
A group of Puffcaps had arrived.
Beneath enormous curved blades swinging back and forth, a group of Scale Armor-covered Puffcaps attempted the obstacle one by one.
One particularly foolish Puffcap caught its short leg in the groove where the blade passed. No amount of tugging freed it.
The returning blade struck the Puffcap as expected.
Instead of cutting it in half, the impact sent it flying like a ball struck with a bat. It smashed into the wall and fell.
Part of the reason was that the blade lacked sufficient Sharpness, but the defense of LV5 Scale Armor still satisfied Evan.
The Puffcap died anyway. Scale Armor did nothing against blunt force.
After passing the swinging blades, the survivors continued forward.
They crossed a deadly platform using [Launch LV5] and defeated a triggered trap with their low body weight.
At last, they gathered before a stone door. The Puffcap that originally discovered it stood nearby.
Evan recognized this door!
He had spent three months trapped behind one of the same design. He could never forget it.
This was definitely a Treasure Chamber!
The reason he had mobilized so many Puffcaps was that this chamber blended perfectly into the rules of the Third Stratum.
A giant pressure plate lay before the door. A massive stone pillar hung from the ceiling, and a small stone monument with a keyhole stood beside the entrance.
The intended solution was obvious. Find the key, or use an unlocking skill to lower the suspended pillar onto the pressure plate and open the door.
Did lockpicking sound like work suited to a Puffcap?
In fact, Evan possessed LV2 Lockpicking.
He would have to produce a Puffcap with the skill, however, and LV2 was clearly too low.
With no better option, he resorted to a foolish method. He only needed enough weight to activate the plate.
The Puffcaps lay down in neat rows. Once the first layer was full, others climbed over their companions to form a second layer, stacking themselves into a small tower.
Thanks to the extra mass of the scales covering their bodies, the mechanism finally sank into place when the stack reached four layers.
Just as Evan expected, the stone doors slid smoothly apart.
The interior resembled the Treasure Chamber where Evan had once lived, but there was no pool in the center. It was clearly a different room.
That was hardly surprising. It would have been stranger if the entire dungeon contained only one Treasure Chamber.
Now it was treasure time!
One Puffcap raced forward, jumped with practiced ease, and kicked open the lid of the stone chest.
Let us see what was inside.
A ... scroll!
Evan had seen one before. It was the scroll used to escape.
An Escape Scroll!
He hurriedly ordered the Puffcaps to carry the treasure home. Along the way, they fired at every Slime they saw to ensure nothing went wrong.
Evan did not intend to use the Escape Scroll on his main body.
It transported its user to a random location outside the dungeon, with no guarantee they would not materialize inside solid earth.
It was far too dangerous for Evan himself.
To him, the scroll offered a chance to experience sunlight.
If his main body could not go, he could send a Puffcap.