Chương 77: B2—Chapter 10: I’m a Real Adventurer, Like in the Books

I was so tired that I forgot to cast Invisibility before crossing the Gate. Fortunately, there was nobody on the other side. Lis and Mahya, though tired, still had some spark left in them. Rue, on the other hand, was full of energy. He napped while we worked, so now he ran circles around us with his tail on overdrive. Mahya called Lyura to find out which hotel she was at, while Lis ordered a taxi for us. I just stood there, barely able to keep my eyes open, and dozed off on my feet, leaning against the Gate anchor.

On the taxi ride to the hotel, Mahya's voice in my mind made me jump.

"Lis, I think there might be a wild dungeon on the other side of the Gate." Lis's eyes narrowed, and his voice invaded my mind.

"What makes you think that?"

"We cleared three tribes of mana beasts, but you still managed to find enough monsters for John's class," Mahya said, her mental tone serious.

"With that number of mana beasts, there shouldn't have been a single monster; they would have been wiped out instantly. The monsters weren't strong enough either; they were too weak for a world with a mana level of 61. I believe it's a concentrated pocket of high mana, which explains the presence of three tribes of mana beasts instead of one, leading to the formation of a fledgling dungeon in that area." Lis's expression grew more serious as he considered her words.

"You might be right."

"We should go back, clear the dungeon, and get the core," Mahya sent.

"It will help us with our project." Lis seemed lost in thought. After two minutes, he nodded slowly.

"You're right, and we'd better do it quickly. The dungeon can mature and grow stronger if we delay too much." It was strange to hear a full conversation inside my head, but I understood why they did it. The subject was definitely not meant for the taxi driver. The following morning, we headed to a café for breakfast. The place was busy—people talking, music playing, cups clinking, cutlery scraping against plates. After the server set our food down and moved away, Lis cast Privacy.

The noise dropped off all at once, as if someone had stuffed cotton in my ears. He leaned forward, elbows on the table.

"Mahya thinks there's a wild dungeon on the other side of the Gate, and it might be a good idea to clear it." He shifted in his chair and looked past me toward Lyura.

"You want to come with us?" Lyura stared into her coffee, slowly stirring it until the foam collapsed.

"I'm not sure I can handle a dungeon in a world with 61 mana. It's too high for me." Lis tipped his head, considering that, then gave a small nod.

"We think it's a young dungeon, at least judging from the monsters in the area. It might be your level." He paused.

"What's your element?"

"Lava." Lis's eyebrows lifted slightly.

"A good element." Lyura grimaced and set her spoon down.

"Not really. It's very limited." Lis leaned back, crossing his arms.

"Maybe now. But once you advance, you can separate it into stone and fire. That gives you control over two very powerful elements, both abundant. You will always have mana available." She shrugged, shoulders tight.

"My mother said that too. But right now it's limited, and with my mana level, I'm very limited if I don't have a source to fill from." Lis drummed his fingers on the table.

"What's your mana?"

"620."

"And other skills that might help in a dungeon?"

"Sword fighting and archery," she said, then added quietly, "but they're low level." Lis nodded once.

"Yes. I agree. This dungeon might be too hard for you." He nudged my arm.

"So, are you coming with us?"

"You tell me. I've never been to a dungeon before, and the snake was terrifying. I can't tell if that's just me or if the difficulty is actually great."

"You will be fine. You killed the monsters I brought you without a problem. And Healers don't advance in dungeons by killing monsters anyway. You advance by keeping the party alive." He tapped the table lightly.

"Mahya and I will protect you. You heal us when needed."

"What about Rue?"

"He absolutely should come," Lis said immediately.

"He's level zero, so he will gain the most from this." I nodded, then hesitated, rolling my shoulders as a dull ache flared along my mana channels.

"I think we should wait a day or two. My channels feel raw after everything I did." Lis leaned closer.

"Actually, this is the optimal time. Expanding channels through strain is a common method of advancement." I frowned.

"What about the book you recommended on channel enhancement?"

"That's for secondary channels," he said, waving a hand.

"For primary channels, you have two options. Use your spiral method, which only wizards can do, or push them to their limits without causing damage to keep advancing them." I exhaled slowly.

"All right. If you think it's a good idea, I'm in." Lis turned back to Lyura.

"See if you can find a short-term apartment for us. No reason to waste money on a hotel. And when we return, John will have a lot of cooking to do." I threw up my hands.

"Thanks for voluntelling me." They laughed. Lis reached over and clapped me on the back, nearly sloshing my coffee. I looked at Lyura.

"Can you drive?" She nodded.

"I bought the skill."

"Good," I said.

"Let's rent a car. Calling taxis to the Gate repeatedly isn't smart. It's in the middle of nowhere, and there's nothing around to explain why we're there. I'm still worried the US knows about the Gates, and don't want to be captured." Mahya and Lyura spoke at the same time.

"What?"

"How?" I rubbed my forehead.

"I don't know how. But when I was Gate-hopping in the Americas, eight of the Gates had army bases around them." Mahya's smile vanished.

"That's not good."

"No," I said.

"It's not." Lis's expression hardened. He gave a slow nod.

"I didn't consider that. We should check out of the hotel, go somewhere crowded, use a bathroom, and change our glamour and documents. Just in case." He folded his hands.

"We stayed in London and Paris for a long time, and we've moved a lot recently. Let's hide our trail." The café noise seeped back in around us, but the mood stayed heavy. After breakfast, we headed to Revontuli Mall and made a beeline for the bathrooms. After a quick sweep to ensure there were no cameras and the coast was clear, we got down to business, changing our identities. I picked the name John Clark. With all the fighting I'd been doing lately, I felt like Superman.

A brief nod to the Man of Steel wouldn't hurt. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Shifting my vision, I glanced at Rue. He now looked like a massive, fluffy mountain of brown fur, even more so than usual, that could have passed for a bear in another life. After a quick online search, I discovered the breed was a Tibetan Mastiff.

Re-conjuring his identification and service-dog credentials took a lot of mana, but at least we were heading to a high-mana world. My re-glamour and re-identification cost me a total of 400 points. Rue's were even pricier: 500 and 600 points, respectively, with each document costing 300 points. Familiars were an expensive business, whether it was feeding them, buying abilities for them, maintaining their glamour, or keeping their paperwork in order.

We bought new prepaid credit cards and stored the old ones so we could empty them before leaving Earth. With the new cards in hand, we also picked up new burner phones. Once that was sorted, I racked my brain to make sure we'd left no loose ends that could lead back to us. Satisfied we'd covered our tracks, we rented a car and drove straight to the Gate. After we crossed into Tuonela, Mahya stayed with me near the Gate while Lis moved ahead, disappearing between the trees to scout the area.

I shifted my weight and listened to the quiet, gripping my staff until he came back a few minutes later. He looked me over.

"Do you have armor?"

"Yes. I bought some in Shimoor."

"Show me." I pulled the armor from Storage and handed it to Lis. He turned it over in his hands, thumbs pressing along the seams while his fingers traced the plates, tapping here and there. After a moment, he nodded.

"With a Mana Shield, this will do for now. But you should look into getting something better at the first opportunity. Earth might be a good place to check. Police or military could have something usable."

"Do either of you have a spare set?" Mahya asked. Lis shook his head. I took out the three remaining sets I had kept after selling the rest, spacing them on the ground so she could see them properly. While she examined them, lifting a piece here and turning another there, Lis glanced her way.

"Did you convert your Mana Shield?" She nodded once.

"Why not buy Stone Armor from the Guidance?" he suggested. Mahya shook her head.

"Not a good idea for me. My combat subclass is Bladesinger. I rely heavily on Agility." I hesitated, then cleared my throat.

"Can I ask what kind of classes you have, or is that considered taboo?" Mahya looked up from the armor and smiled.

"Normally, Travelers introduce themselves with their names and classes when they meet. Our situation was a bit different, so we skipped that part." She handed back two of the armor sets.

"As I said, I'm a Bladesinger. A fast, acrobatic melee fighter with spell support. I use things like Slow, Entangle, and Sink to limit movement, Blind and Confuse to disorient, and mobility spells like Wall Dash or Jump to stay out of reach." She shrugged.

"My mana pool isn't very high, so I can't use too many spells. Most of the time, I rely on speed and positioning, saving the rest for emergencies. I also have the Wood Artisan profession."

"So the trees were for you?"

"Not just me. The project we're working on combines my profession with Lis's new subclass. It's a rare opportunity to work on a combined project, so we're taking full advantage."

"Sounds cooler than being a Merchant," I said, only half joking. Mahya tilted her hand from side to side in a so-so motion.

"Depends on how you look at it. As a new Traveler, you're already richer than I was before the elves robbed me, so there are clear upsides."

"I spent over a million dollars on Earth before leaving," I said.

"That didn't come from my profession." She gave a small nod.

"Still, it's a solid way to make money and travel without constantly worrying about costs." She turned back to the armor and started putting it on. While we talked, Lis took out one of the green snakeskins and got to work. He cut a large piece, punched holes along the sides, then fashioned leather cords from the same material and threaded them through the holes. After a few minutes, he called out, "Rue, come here. I want to fit you with armor."

Rue padded over obediently, and Lis wrapped the leather around him, securing it with the cords. He stepped back, eyeing his handiwork critically.

"Walk around and see if there's anything that bothers you." Rue trotted around, testing the fit, and after a minute returned to Lis, lifting a front paw and then a hind leg. Lis made a few adjustments, then nodded in approval when Rue sent a mental feeling of I'm good to all of us.

"Cast a Mana Shield on yourself," Lis told him, lifting a finger for emphasis.

"Re-cast it every time the spell ends. When you start running out of mana, ask John to do it for you." He glanced my way.

"You too."

"Yes, Dad," I said, deadpan. Mahya snorted, covering a laugh with her hand. Lis just shook his head with a smile. Lis led the way from the Gate, and Rue padded after him, head low, ears flicking at every sound. I followed, with Mahya bringing up the rear. After about three hundred meters of steady walking, I broke the quiet.

"How do you know where to go?" I asked, stepping over a root the size of a fallen log.

"You don't even look around. You just go." Lis didn't slow. He lifted a hand and pointed ahead, somewhere between two enormous trunks.

"This is where I found all the monsters yesterday." He angled slightly left, following a path only he seemed to see.

"At some point, we will have to start searching for the dungeon."

"Is there a way to locate them?" I asked, ducking under a low branch.

"Some specific types are easier to spot, but usually, it's by appearance."

"What does a dungeon look like?" He stopped and crouched, brushing aside a patch of disturbed soil with his fingers before straightening again.

"Like a very dark entrance." I frowned, eyes scanning the forest floor, trying to see what he saw.

"Which types are easy to spot?" Lis resumed walking.

"Fire or ice dungeons are relatively simple. The monsters that escape tend to burn or freeze everything around them." He gestured at the greenery.

"Undeath dungeons are even clearer. Everything nearby starts to die. For other types, you have to look for signs."

"Do you know what kind of dungeon we're heading to?"

"I'm thinking it's nature-based. Maybe a forest dungeon, or something similar." Lis glanced back at me.

"All the monsters I found were variations of lizards or felines." Rue growled. We kept moving for another half kilometer when Rue growled again, sharper this time, his head snapping toward the underbrush. Lis glanced that way.

"I'll control the monster," he said calmly.

"You kill it." A heartbeat later, something burst out of the bushes. It froze mid-air as if it had hit an invisible wall, then dropped hard to the ground. Up close, it looked like a cat, but wrong, its mouth packed with oversized, metallic teeth. Rue was on it instantly, lunging forward and tearing out its neck in a single bite. Lis turned toward me.

"Want to harvest the crystal?" I nodded and got to work. It took about two minutes to compress the remains into a crystal. Since I knew how to de-aspect them now, I ended up with a neutral crystal, clear and ready for whatever use we might find for it. After repeating that exact scenario over twenty times, I came to a solid conclusion: monsters are stupid.

No matter how small they were, some barely the size of a house cat, they still threw themselves at a group of three people and a large dog as if they had any chance of winning. It was almost laughable. At first, they came at us from a single direction, one after another, like some kind of death-wish assembly line. Then they started attacking from all sides.

"We should start looking for the dungeon," Lis said, slowing to a stop. He turned to me.

"You and Rue go together, and monitor with your mana." Rue shifted closer to my side, ears up, eyes scanning the trees. Shit. I'd completely forgotten to monitor with mana. Not exactly my finest moment, but I fixed that quickly, extending my senses outward. We split into three groups and spread out, searching for any sign of the dungeon. No luck. We kept moving, checking again, fighting off more monsters, then searching some more. The whole thing turned into a rinse-and-repeat routine that went on for hours.

Finally, we stumbled upon the dungeon. It was hard to miss. It looked like a dark cave entrance, or more precisely, like a portal of doom, the kind you'd expect in a horror movie. The opening swallowed the surrounding light, a solid patch of black that didn't reflect or fade at the edges, just drank everything in. If I'd found something like that on my own, I'd have turned tail and run without a second thought. Lis looked around, assessing the area.

After a moment, he walked off a bit and, to my surprise, took out his house.

"Why'd you bring out your house?" I asked.

"It's late," Lis said.

"We've been walking for hours, and going in tired would be stupid." He glanced around the darkening forest.

"The cabin's well protected."

"I thought you cleared the area," I said, suddenly less sure.

"Near the Gate," he said, amused.

"If you haven't noticed, we've moved pretty far from it." That didn't help my nerves, and I took a slow look around. Lis noticed and waved it off.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure some of the mana beasts we killed came from even further out than here. It took some of them a long time to reach us. Still," he added, already moving toward the door, "we will sleep with the defenses up and head to the dungeon in the morning. I hope you're not disappointed we're not going in today."

"Disappointed?" I snorted.

"I'm in a high-mana world, killing monsters. It feels like being an adventurer from the books I've read." Lis laughed, shook his head, and ushered us inside. Once inside, Mahya and Lis convinced me to give the scary snake meat a chance. Reluctantly, I agreed and cooked a stew with it. They were right. Mana snakes were delicious, the meat practically melting in your mouth. It was so good that I regretted adding any vegetables to the pot.

I'd meant to make enough to last the four of us for a couple of days, but somehow Rue polished off the entire pot. We were all genuinely impressed. Rue was large, but not in the sense of eating ten kilos of meat in one meal. That was a new record, probably even a Guinness record. To be fully rested for our dungeon dive the next day, we went to bed early. Despite my general aversion to fighting, I couldn't help feeling excited.

The idea of a dungeon dive was intriguing, and even though I didn't want to fight, the thrill of a new experience still gave me butterflies.