Chương 26: Entering the Dungeon

Edrin was pacing in front of the dungeon entrance. His men weren't any different. One stared at the ground, sharpening his dagger with a stone. Another kept glancing toward the entrance every few moments. They were worried. Already thinking the worst. Adolin understood it. He had felt the same more than once. It wasn't easy to wait for the men you sent into danger, hoping they would return. Especially after they overstayed their mission. From what he knew, which wasn't much, they would have to clear rooms.

Fight monsters corrupted by whatever this was. It was time to check his status before they entered the dungeon. By the looks of it, it wouldn't be long. They were restless. He needed to use his attribute points. [Status:] Name: Dareth Wood Race: Human Mana: 312/350 Level: 21 Class: / [Attributes:] Strength: 22 Agility: 23 Endurance: 24 Intelligence: 35 Constitution: 22 Attribute Points Available: 2 Three spells had gotten him two level increases. Well, four spells.

He had also used Levitate on Revel when she was sleeping on his shoulder. It was two new spells per level. It wasn't too bad. The class selection was getting closer than ever. Four more levels. If he had the time, he could probably do it now. But with the dungeon coming in a few tense minutes, he wouldn't have time to recover his mana. And there were too many people around him. Well, he had conserved his mana in the city. It was more of a habit than anything else.

Having spent so much time on the Demon continent, under constant danger, fighting multiple times a day… it stuck. Not the best habit in civilization. When casting more spells made you stronger. After that, he had been on the road. And he didn't like feeling defenseless. There were guards with him, but he didn't trust anyone with his life. Maybe his party. His mentor. But other than that, no one. [New Skill Detected: Levitate.] [Skill Tier: 5] [New Skill Detected: Fire Wall.] [Skill Tier: 4] [Level Increased.] [Attribute Points Available: 1] [New Skill Detected: Wind.] [Skill Tier: 4] [New Skill Detected: Minor Strength.] [Skill Tier: 5] [New Skill Detected: Draft.] [Skill Tier: 3] [Level Increased.] [Attribute Points Available: 2] He had also forgotten the Minor Strength spell he had used. He shrugged and put all of his points into Intelligence. Intelligence: 37 Mana: 312/370 His mana was still not full. But it was more than he had ever had in this world. So he felt at ease.

"It's enough, isn't it?" a soldier said.

"Let's enter and find them." A few of the men stood up, their hands on the hilts of their swords. Their spears were gone since the fight. He guessed they kept them in storage. Of course they did. They had storage. Why would they carry them?

"I agree," Clay said.

"The sooner we go in, the sooner they get help." Revel looked like she was itching for a fight. There wasn't a trace of worry in her about the men inside the dungeon. Her staff appeared in her hand, her grip tightening around it. Edrin didn't stop pacing. He didn't even look at them. He continued for another five minutes, while no one said a word.

"It's time," he said.

"We've waited enough." He stopped and looked at them.

"There are a few things we need to make clear. I know you're worried about them, but once we enter, we will be split. With the corruption adding unknown elements, we must be careful." He exhaled.

"The device can read the dungeon. It can't read the corruption. Don't rely too much on the information. Move carefully. We'll go in two groups. Five and four. I'll join the mage. You go together." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. It seemed he felt responsible for Revel and Clay. There would probably be consequences if they died under him. The world of nobles was too complicated for him. Their group would have two mages and two fighters. Not bad.

The second group would be the soldiers.

"One last thing," Edrin added.

"If you can't clear a room safely, leave. We can't help them if we all die." He looked at everyone.

"Do you understand?" Everyone nodded.

"That's an order," Edrin said.

"You got five to prepare." Adolin wanted to chuckle. Those five minutes were for him. Everyone else had been ready an hour ago. They were just waiting for the lord to give the command. The five minutes passed in a blink, and everyone was standing in front of the cave. Well… dungeon. It was still hard to see it as anything else. The group of soldiers went first. They stood in a line ahead of him. The entrance was narrow, allowing only one person at a time.

"Go," Edrin said. The soldiers took each other's hands and entered one after another. Adolin watched, eyes narrowing. Why were they holding hands? Would he need to do the same? Suddenly, he wasn't so optimistic about learning what a dungeon was. Not at all. Edrin moved next and stopped at the entrance. He put his hand behind him, toward Revel. She took it, then did the same for Clay. Clay turned, waiting for him. Ugh. Maybe he should go in solo. Yes. That would be better. He wouldn't need to hold back.

At least not too much.

"Dareth," Clay said, questioning.

"Let's go." Fuck. He cursed and took Clay's hand. It was the worst. They moved toward the entrance. Edrin had to duck to get through. He was too tall for it. The others didn't have that issue. It was his turn now, and he ducked. Not because he needed to, but because it felt better that way. He didn't need to act Dareth's height. He had been quite tall in his old world. Inside… it was still a cave. The walls were narrow and sharp. They could cut his clothes if he wasn't careful.

All he could hear was the breathing of the people around him and water dripping somewhere ahead. And it was dark. He still didn't understand why dark magic users always lived in places like this. It was uncomfortable. Cold. And a bit too close for comfort. He couldn't feel the soldiers in front. It was like they had disappeared. There were no mana fluctuations either. At least that confirmed it wasn't a normal cave. There was a weird sensation the deeper he went. His skin prickled, and it felt…

he wasn't sure how to describe it. But it was the same feeling he had when he first started learning teleportation magic. He was going to be teleported. The feeling from before was gone. He was glad he had taken Clay's hand. He walked for more than a minute. Then everything went dark. Opening his eyes, he was inside… he didn't know where he was. It was bright. Too bright for his liking. Too much light came from the sun. But he was inside a cave. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. He was in a valley.

On both sides, there were tall trees and… an illusion. The sides of the valley were an illusion. Interesting. Everything else felt real. It was a straight path through a green valley filled with flowers. There were quite a few colors. Red, blue, violet, green. Almost every color was present. All of them were the same. Except for their color. Clay was passed out next to him. Well, teleportation magic did that sometimes. It was harsh on the body and the mind. If you hadn't experienced it.

With enough use, that feeling went away. It seemed it carried over, even in another body. Edrin and Revel were missing. He looked around, but there was nothing except tall green grass and flowers. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Sit right where he was. If Revel and Edrin were close, they would find them. If not, then when Clay woke up, they would move and try to get through the first room. He had to admit, the dungeon had his interest. He was sure it would be an incredible adventure. Probably.

It took Clay twenty minutes to wake up. He woke up screaming, with the worst migraine of his life. It took him three minutes just to open his eyes, and another few to realize where he was. Adolin had experienced the same thing multiple times.

"What happened?"

"We're inside the dungeon. You were unconscious since entering."

"Again?" Clay asked, holding his head.

"Not the first time?"

"No, it's the same every time I enter a dungeon. I hate them," he said, looking around.

"Where are Revel and Prince Edrin?" Adolin shrugged.

"What?"

"They weren't here when we arrived." Clay looked thoughtful, like he was trying to recover his memories. Probably trying to remember if he had let go of Revel's hand when they entered the cave.

"Did you?" Clay shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"Well, it doesn't matter. Now, what do we do? How do we win the dungeon?"

"Win?" Clay said.

"Never heard anyone call it that." He chuckled and stood up.

"It's conquer. And we need to defeat all the monsters in the room."

"The room?" Clay tilted his head.

"Yeah?" Adolin nodded. It felt awkward to ask that question. He tried to phrase it differently, but Clay didn't bite. Meh. He would figure it out on his own. Now… where were the monsters?

"Lead the way," Adolin said, a smile forming on his face. Clay nodded and started walking forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"We need to find them if we want a chance of saving the first group. Or conquering the dungeon and destroying the core." Adolin nodded, hoping he would keep feeding him information. Could he ask about the core? He wasn't certain.

"Where is the core located?" That seemed like a better question. Less obvious. He hoped.

"It's in the last room. The boss room. It's hidden in the walls, but I'm pretty certain Edrin has a way to locate it. He looked like he knew what he was doing." Good job, Adolin thought. They walked in silence for a while. The terrain didn't change. It stayed the same. It felt like it would go on forever.

"Thanks," Clay said.

"I don't think I would've been able to stop her."

"Why not?"

"Well… I—" His eyes snapped forward. Adolin followed his gaze. There— A few hundred meters ahead, he felt the illusion. The valley ended. And… countless red eyes stared back at them.