Chapter – 40
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I followed the forest path, relying on the nightlight. It was about a ten-minute walk at a child’s pace. The destination was fairly close.
The crater, widely sunken, had blended into the surrounding terrain over the years.
A huge pond of clear water, knee-high, had formed, becoming a habitat for aquatic plants.
Under the moonlight, the plants swayed gently in the water, creating a truly beautiful scene.
I gazed at the full moon shining down. At the very center of the pond.
There, an alien gate was slowly forming a swirling vortex.
“A dungeon.”
Only then did the message pop up: “‘Home Exploration’ quest completed.”
[‘The Sharp-Tongued Arbiter of Balance’ nods, acknowledging that an S-rank’s path always involves a dungeon.]
[‘The Scales Judging Souls’ glares at the ‘World-Building Deity,’ asking if it deliberately led worshippers into a perilous place.]
[‘The World-Building Deity’ hurriedly explains that this is a C-rank dungeon already cleared of its boss, so there’s no need to worry.]
Agnes looked around and commented gently, as we weren’t training:
<This pond seems to have originally been a crater. It looks like a burst occurred here.>
“A burst?”
I was surprised. A dungeon burst—the sudden eruption of demons and monsters from a dungeon.
Even a low-rank dungeon becomes S-rank in difficulty if a burst occurs.
If the demons and monsters that normally rampage inside the dungeon spill into the real world, the damage is immense.
No matter which dungeon it happens in, if it isn’t contained, the entire continent of Serentra could be destroyed.
That’s what a dungeon burst is.
Using my cultivation skill Plant Analysis, I checked the ages of the aquatic plants.
“The oldest plant here isn’t even six years old. That means a burst occurred six years ago. If that’s true, the villages around here would have been completely destroyed.”
Saying it out loud sent chills down my spine. Six years ago… my family probably still lived here then.
<They must have dealt with the burst immediately. That was really lucky… But…>
Agnes’ expression became solemn.
<Since a dungeon burst happened, there must have been casualties, but I don’t see a memorial. It seems this dungeon was never known to the outside world.>
As Agnes said, it was true.
Normally, adventurers would crowd here to gather resources day and night. But instead, the dungeon was blending into nature.
As if the world didn’t even know it existed.
There’s only one explanation for that.
“The hunting party must have been annihilated, and no one knew about it.”
<…Yes. They stayed here along with the dungeon’s master.>
I couldn’t respond rashly.
A person who sacrificed themselves to prevent a dungeon burst… that would include Agnes’ story as well.
Agnes spent a long moment offering silent prayers for the dead, then turned to me.
<Aylet. I have a request.>
“A request?”
<Could you collect the remains of the hunting party?>
At that moment, the Deity of the World also urged me to enter the dungeon.
[‘The World-Building Deity’ casually informs me that no one has ever looted the boss item from this dungeon.]
An S-rank boss item “free grab”? No need to hesitate.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
<Thank you so much.>
“It’s nothing. Shall we go?”
I took off my shoes and rolled up the hem of my nightdress. I walked to the center of the shallow but wide pond and peered into the gate.
A bottomless well-like void. Without hesitation, I jumped in.
[<System> You have entered C-rank dungeon ‘Black Salt Desert.’]
Hmm, it really looks like the only resource here is salt. And it’s black, so not very appetizing.
“Where did they kill the boss? Let’s check the map.”
The map was almost blank, except for a single structure resembling a temple. That must be the boss zone.
“If I go northeast from here, it should be fine. About 20 kilometers, so if I walk without stopping…”
<Aylet, watch your back!>
A panicked voice made me turn.
Click-click!
A giant scorpion, the size of a tiger, charged straight at me.
“…!”
I held my breath and widened my eyes as I watched it.
When the scorpion finally cast its shadow over my face, I swung the wooden sword I had in my satchel.
It flew away far off.
I poked the scorpion a few times. No reaction. It was dead instantly.
<A desert scorpion, killed in one blow… Usually, it takes at least two years of training…>
That’s all thanks to buffs and doping. Ahem.
Four weeks of training under Agnes’ guidance had passed already.
Strength was at level 23, and wooden sword skill was level 21.
Although leveling up slows as you get stronger, if this continues, I might meet the requirements for Aura Awakening before Holy Power.
Since the order of awakening determines main and sub abilities, Holy Power must come first.
I realized I had to manage either my physical strength or weapon skill.
At that moment, Agnes’ stern voice reached me.
<This is your first real combat debut. Well done, Cadet Aylet.>
“Cadet? Are we in training?”
<Actually, a cleared C-rank dungeon is a good place for a cadet to gain experience.>
“That works out perfectly.”
Indeed, the monsters that kept appearing prevented boredom while also letting me gain practical experience and XP.
[<System> Congratulations! Strength Lv.24 achieved.]
[<System> Congratulations! Basic Wooden Sword Lv.22 achieved.]
Leveling up in just a week.
Of course, I didn’t forget my main objective. I kept moving steadily while defeating monsters.
About an hour later, I came across a tunnel made of enormous bones.
<The ribcage of a dragon.>
Probably a mid-boss. It felt like a temple guardian dragon.
<But why just the bones? Dragon corpses take a long time to decay. Maybe it was a bonedragon from the start?>
“Wait a moment.”
I opened the system and checked. According to the clock, only a few minutes had passed since I entered the dungeon at midnight.
“Looks like the dungeon’s time runs at least 20 times faster than reality.”
<What?>
Dungeon time usually flows faster than reality, but ‘Black Salt Desert’ was exceptional.
‘Six years in reality means at least 120 years inside the dungeon.’
Plenty of time for bones to decay. I could only hope to recover some remains.
“…Let’s move. They’ve waited long enough.”
I walked through the tunnel of the dragon’s skull, along the backbone and ribs, and emerged at the tip of the tail.
[<System> You have entered the ‘Black Temple Barrier.’]
Whoooosh!
The view blurred as if shrouded in mist, and a sandstorm blew. Salt stung my mouth.
Agnes was startled.
<If you lose your sense of direction, you could be trapped forever inside the barrier. Turning back is…>
“It’s fine.”
I just needed the map.
Pushing through the storm, I continued steadily.
Then, a dark shadow flickered in the murky distance. It was moving slowly but surely toward me.
<Aylet.>
Agnes warned me.
I readied my wooden sword to eliminate any monster blocking the path.
When it finally came within five steps…
“Uh… ugh…”
“A person?”
A muscular middle-aged man staggered like a zombie.
He collapsed right in front of me.
<Not a demon. Looks like an adventurer lost in the sandstorm.>
“Wake up! Sir! Or… Grandpa!”
I adjusted my honorific to match my own age.
“My… my stomach…”
“No abdominal injuries…?”
“My stomach… I’m hungry… Ah no, muscle loss…”
He didn’t answer. The muscular man had fainted completely.
<Looks like he hasn’t eaten in a week.>
I sighed.
“We should rest for a bit, Agnes.”
