Chương 28: Reward Chest

Roars came from everywhere around them. Clay ran behind a rock. Adolin joined him. They crouched there, Clay peeking over.

"What now?" Adolin asked.

"I don't know. The first room was way too hard for a C-tier dungeon." He sat down, his back against the rock.

"I've been in C-tier dungeons. This one… it's at least A. The first room was too hard. The next ones will be worse. We might actually die here." Adolin didn't agree. The room had been easy. Well, for a mage with area-of-effect spells. For a swordsman, it was different. Did that make it a higher tier? He had no idea. He needed more information. That was the hard part. He didn't know what to ask yet. He had to start small. Build up.

"So what happens when you conquer a room?" He used the right term this time. Maybe that would get him more.

"Conquer?" Clay shook his head.

"Never mind. First time in a dungeon?" Adolin nodded.

"Well, it rewards you with a chest. And it becomes a safe room for two hours. After that, you move to the next room and repeat."

"Rewards?" he blurted out. Clay tilted his head. Adolin motioned for him to continue. A roar tore through the cave. Closer. Clay grabbed the hilt of his sword and slowly started drawing it. His teeth clenched. This was getting in the way of his information gathering. Adolin frowned and sent a Mana Pulse. His mana spread through the area around him, mapping the terrain and the life forms. It wasn't the best spell for reconnaissance, but it was the best he could do. The terrain around him was a cave system.

They were in a larger opening, with multiple tunnels leading deeper inside. Around two hundred meters away, there was a life form. The spell only mapped the physical shape. It stood on four legs. Larger than a dire wolf. Two fangs stuck out of its mouth, and a tail that ended in a sharp tip. He wasn't sure what it was. He also didn't really care either. The thing was getting in the way of his information gathering. It had to go. He focused on the mana around the creature.

The same mana he had spread with Mana Pulse. He shaped it into a lance, protruding from the ground and striking toward its head. Then more. From different angles. Limbs. Torso. The whole body. He wasn't taking chances. The mana had to erupt from the ground. It would have more force that way. He added three larger earth spears above it. For good measure. High enough for gravity to do the work. Now for all of this to work, he had to hit the creature's throat first.

If it made too much noise, it could draw more monsters. Or worse—spook Clay enough that he stopped talking. He needed him to talk. He also thought about using spells, but they wouldn't be as effective as the mana control. He wouldn't get any spell experience, but he would get a lot of information. So it was a good trade, and he would get to keep the mana he would have spent on using spells. He formed the mana. His Mana Pulse was still active, so he witnessed it.

Three earth spikes erupted from the ground below it, striking the neck and cutting off its vocal cords. Then everything else followed. Four spikes from the front pierced its head. Small earth chains wrapped around its legs. Spikes from every direction pierced its body. The creature was already dead. Then the larger earth spears fell, piercing its back and head. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He grimaced. That was… too much. Way too much.

No sound came from the creature. Just a low rumble after the earth spears hit. Maybe he overdid it. Well, better than leaving it to fate. He felt his mana pool increase. Did he level up? He would check later. Clay needed to spit out information now.

"It's gone. Go on." Clay glanced out from behind the rock.

"Are you sure?" he asked, peeking again.

"Yes." He still didn't look convinced.

"I—" He almost said he used a spell, but he hadn't chanted. That could have been bad.

"Yeah, I heard it leave. Come on, spill it." Clay sat back down, but he was still on edge. His hand stayed on his sword, half-drawn.

"Well, the dungeon rewards you for clearing rooms. It's meant to lure people in. The reward chest appears after the room is cleared. It's one of the ways you know if there are more enemies, or if you're done." He found that really interesting. Clearing a dungeon—or, as Clay said, conquering it—gave rewards. Fighting monsters and getting something in return. It was something his party would love. They would probably spend all their time in dungeons. Adventuring, exploring, and earning rewards.

He was sure that if they knew about them, they were already doing it. It would be nice to do it with them. Luc would be overjoyed. He felt his lips curl up. But it was too early for that. He had vowed to avoid them for a decade. And he still planned to. There was no way he would spend time with them, not after the journey. Not a chance.

"What kind of rewards?"

"Artifacts, coins, materials, potions. Everything an adventurer might need and profit from. It's like it was designed to lure us in." He chuckled. Unsheathing his blade, he said, "This is a weapon from a dungeon. It's more durable than what a blacksmith can make. It's made from mana-conducting materials. The mana flows really well through it. It makes my attacks hit harder and faster."

"I found it on my own," he added, a proud look on his face. He had to admit the sword was of high quality. He felt it when Clay was fighting the murder rabbits. The mana flowed without interruption. Like a calm river. He had thought it was made by the best smiths in the empire, since Clay was a noble. But this was better information. Now he just had to clear some rooms to get rich. And getting rich was a dream. He felt like going back to the murder rabbits, to claim the reward chest. But that sounded bad.

He would have to admit he let Clay do all the work while he just watched. Enjoying the show. He felt bad. He should have cleared the room. It was all Clay's fault. Why didn't he mention the rewards sooner? He frowned.

"What?" Clay asked.

"Nothing," he said, his frown deepening.

"Nothing." Clay looked at him, his eyes narrowing.

"Say. Hypothetically speaking. Returning to a room you left in a hurry. Would clearing it get you the reward chest?"

"Going back? Are you nuts?" Clay asked, irritated.

"Of course not. I'm not thinking about that. Just wanted to learn the rules of the dungeon!"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, you can." Adolin nodded, like he was considering the information. Now, how was he supposed to get rid of Clay while he went back for the reward chest? He had no clue. At least not now. If he wanted to pull it off, he would have to clear this room first. Then, during the break, he would slip away and clear the first room. That was the perfect plan. He also needed to tire him out so he wouldn't follow him. That was easy enough. Just make him do all the work while he acted like he was helping. Well…

help just enough so he didn't get himself killed. He couldn't have that. Then back to room one. Wipe out the not-so-cute bunnies and get the coin. What a wonderful plan. If that didn't work, he could always just put him to sleep. He would get some rest, close his eyes for a bit, and Adolin would clear the rooms and… gold. Maybe he should do that now. Why wait? No. He shook off the thought. It wasn't good to do that to your party members.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not."

"You are! Why do I feel like you're plotting something?" Adolin clicked his tongue.

"The dungeon is messing with your mind. What nonsense are you talking about?" Clay kept talking, but Adolin ignored him. What was he even saying? He didn't plot against party members. How could he think that? He clicked his tongue. It was time to check his status. And after that, go for the gold.

"Status," he muttered under his breath. [Status:] Name: Dareth Wood Race: Human Mana: 274/390 Level: 23 Class: / [Attributes:] Strength: 24 Agility: 25 Endurance: 26 Intelligence: 39 Constitution: 24 Attribute Points Available: 2 [New Skill Detected: Ice Crystal.] [Skill Tier: 5] [New Skill Detected: Wind Barrier.] [Skill Tier: 4] [Level Increased.] [Attribute Points Available: 1] [New Skill Detected: Small Boost.] [Skill Tier: 5] [New Skill Detected: Mana Control.] [Skill Tier: 10] [Level Increased.] [Attribute Points Available: 2] His first Tier Ten spell. He wasn't sure how the blessing counted tiers. What he did with mana control wasn't anything special. Maybe it was because of the number of moving parts? That made sense. Well, it wasn't like he cared too much about it. Not when reward chests were so close. He also got another level from the other spells he used, which he appreciated. Slowly, he was climbing back toward his former power. It would take time, of that he was sure.

But he wasn't going to fight Demon Kings or other powerful entities. So he didn't care. Clay was still acting like before, but Adolin ignored him and stood.

"Let's get the reward chest," Adolin said. Clay's eyes widened.

"Why do I feel like I shouldn't have told you about the reward chests?"