Raven scrunched his nose indiscernibly and seized up his teammates. In the swampy scarce forest, this stray bunch looked especially eye-catching.

In her casual clothes and gold-rimmed spectacles, Renata looked like a traveling scholar. At times she used her new staff to prod in the mud and mutter unhappily, while at others, she nudged at her glasses and scanned the vicinity. She half-heartedly examined the nearby trees, while stretching her senses beyond human perceptions. By now, Raven had learned to distinguish her antics. Whenever she expelled invisible spirituality fluctuations, her wavy red hair would sway gently even when there was not even a breath of a breeze. It made her appear mysterious and profound, yet it was unable to deceive those in the know.

A step to the right, Leticia looked bored. She played with her eerie tattoos, poking them and enjoying their haphazard movements. Her Demonoid race provided her with both close combatant agility and fire and darkness specialized skills. She wasn't proficient with sensing, thus she didn't even try to feign trying.

In contrast, the nearby Leo was serious. His eyes darted around and he resembled a huge bear ready to pounce on anything barely edible. If only he didn't stick like a sore thumb, he would have posed as a great vigilante. Raven found it a shame.

Barely visible in his shadow stood Jeje. The Cait Sith had blended with the wilderness to the point that even Raven had to strain his eyes to observe him. Nervous as the cat was, Jeje often shifted his weight from one leg to another. Yet, despite his quick movements, the ankle-deep water around him was calm. There were no splashing sounds, nor random mud droplets flung to the side.

These four will be fine. The last one thought...

Slightly worried about the cast's casual attitude, and somehow relieved by the same, Raven quickly moved his eyes to the last member. His gaze hovered over her small body and after a moment of chewing his words, asked softly, "So... Harumi, is your stomach already fine?"

For better or worse, thanks to this healer, the dungeon exploration was delayed by a day. The cons were the heightened risk of exposure. The more time passed, the more likely was for someone else to encounter the entrance. This forced them to forgo their previous plan and venture into the forest this afternoon. The pros... Thanks to the unexpected delay, the party heard a piece of extremely important announcement.

While waiting for Harumi to reply, Raven once again regurgitated the matter.

Just a few hours after someone stole the Gnoll's treasure, another unnamed player earned the inheritance. Heh, another, my foot. I bet my old hat that it was the same person. That Player X from Lesotte...

If I have the chance in the future, I absolutely need to cheat him, cough, invite him to join Nemesis. Powerful members are a must for a powerful guild. They bring opportunities and in turn, the guild helps them grasp those opportunities and grow stronger. That's the virtuous cycle I want to create. Getting this dungeon will be the first step in the plan. I need something enticing to draw in more fresh blood...

Hiccup

Harumi's soft voice pulled Raven out of his thoughts. For more than ten seconds, she had been shivering and now seemed ready to burst into tears.

"Harumi? I asked you a question..." Raven tried to stay calm and repeated, "Is your stomach already fine? Can we proceed with the first exploration?"

"Y-yes! I- I am so sorry. I- I don't know what happened. I promise! I- I won't eat eggs ever again!" She whispered in a frantic and stuttering manner. As she spoke, her halo dimmed visibly and her eyes darted everywhere beside Raven himself. Unfortunately for her, there was no place to run or hide from the leader's scrutiny. She could only gulp her saliva, bow her head lower, and make herself as tiny as possible.

When did I ask you to stop eating eggs?! Hush! What If someone hears you and locks me up for bullying a child? Do I look like a monster or something? Why are you always so scared? For god's sake, I just asked you a question! I wasn't reproaching you!

Raven felt like a herd of mad alpacas galloped through his brain and he was out of words for a while. He forcefully suppressed the twitch in his muscles and kept a straight face.

If he had the choice he would have already subbed the girl for another core member. If only this little girl wasn't indispensable for the team.

Right now, the majority of the players were still on their way to a city and healers were literally worth their weight in pure gold. No, even later, they would still be worth at least a couple of buildings.

To grasp this domain, one needed talent, deep mystical knowledge, and instincts. Not even one of these could be missed. Therefore, unless the player was a magical geek, only the Holy race could become truly proficient in healing. The Holy domain was their most striking feature, weakness, and strength.

After a deep breath, Raven finally found his eloquence and nodded his head, "Good. When we begin exploration we can't waste any more time. The system will announce the discovery of the dungeon and other guilds will dispatch spies. Although it will be hard to cover the whole continent and its numerous cities, there is a nontrivial chance of exposure. As long as we gather in front of the entrance, someone will find it suspicious. Thus, please. I beg you. Be careful for the next couple of days."

At the end, his voice quivered and he put on the most benevolent smile he had ever made in his life. He was just short of singing a beautiful verse and bringing a cake to soothe her emotions.

"Yes! Yes, I promise! Yes, no more eggs ever again! Definitely! I will be reborn as a vegan starting today! Boss, don't worry. I can't even remember how an egg looks anymore!"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Splash

She nodded so fervently that her halo slipped from the crown of her head and submerged itself in the mud. After a second of stupefied shock, she hurriedly bent down, put her hands in the dirt, and began searching. Her ears and cheeks burned redder, and her white celestial robe lost its prior resplendence. Now, it looked more like a rug dotted with sticky brown stains than the cloth of an Angel.

What the fuck?! That thing was a prop?!

A thought emerged in the minds of all present and they fidgeted awkwardly. Even Leo stifled his laughter, while everyone else tacitly looked to the side. A long silence descended into the swamp, occasionally broken by the croak of a frog or the buzzing of a random mosquito.

Raven's dark pupils shook and he pursed his lips tight.

...My guild's future is bleak. I wonder if it's too late to switch to a farm. Let's sell the headquarters and move to a far-away village. With Leo around we won't have to rear work cattle or waste money to purchase tractors and trucks. What a lucrative business will be...

He waited patiently until Harumi finally found her poor halo and somehow managed to wipe it clean with her robe, then looked at the rest and asked them again, "Are you guys ready?"

"Yup. I wonder what kind of environment we will encounter."

"More than ever! Let's kick some dungeon mob asses!"

"Lettsa, go, go, go~"

"Dumbass, just enter the dungeon before we draw unwanted attention."

"Y-y-yes. My halo is sparkling..."

As the voices of every single member rang out in succession, Raven nodded his head and squatted to put his hand in a particular hollow. A transparent window visible only to him appeared in front. It displayed a small panel and a 'yes' and 'no' buttons. Without further ado, he entered the names of the seven participants and chose enter.

The moment his finger touched the invisible answer, the tree's branches moved slightly before rushing around to cover the group. The hollow expanded and like a black hole engulfed them entirely. In less than the blink of an eye, the forest returned to its empty tranquility.

...

|Continental Announcement:

Congratulations. Player X was the first to find the hidden dungeon 'Land of the Lustrous' located in the vicinity of the Southern Empire.

As the first, they will be blessed by the system with bountiful rewards:

1) Dungeon Death Penalty Reduction from 5 to 1 hour (Euclex time).

2) Protection Period Extension from 24 to 72 hours (Euclex time).

3) A Legendary Grade Material Chest.

In case no one claims the Land of the Lustrous, after 72 hours, the precise coordinates will be exposed. Everyone, do not lose hope! Strain your eyes and ears, steel your resolve! Let the conquest begin.|

In the General Store, Midnight's expression turned curious. He deliberately didn't hide it and asked as if talking to himself, "A dungeon? There are dungeons hidden all over Euclex?"

In front of him, Anna giggled coquettishly.

When he came fifteen minutes ago, she nearly had a heart attack, fainting right there and then. His appearance was heart-wrenching. Now, after he had bought and consumed a few potions, only his tattered stained clothing revealed his ordeals. She was rather relaxed and returned to her natural jubilant state.

Playing with a lock of blond hair, she smiled at him and explained, "Of course. How can an adventurer and harvester like yourself not know of their existence? They are a boon and a bane. If cleared in time, they can boost the economy and provide many precious resources!"

Thank you for the diligent explanation. You are such a sweet lassy with a nice and loose tongue. Always willing to provide curious information for free!

Midnight returned her smile and shook his head self-deprecatingly. "Us foreigners will ultimately be oblivious of the ways of this world." Then without giving her the time to dwell on the meaning, he continued to ask, "Just now, you called them a boon and a bane. What did you mean by the latter? Are they that dangerous?"

"Yes. Very much so." Anna nodded like a hungry woodpecker, and her freckled face scrunched in a grimace. "If no one clears a dungeon in time, it will suck people at random or even burst later. A long time ago... well, around the time of my Great Grandpa, a dungeon appeared inside of Lesotte. No one had noticed it and many people died as a result."

"Inside Lesotte? Not nearby, but inside?" Midnight quickly caught on a particular word and his brows twitched. If dungeons could appear inside the premise of the newbie location, which was under the system's protection, then things would be complicated and scary.

At the same time, he mentally noted that locating a dungeon was difficult even for a capable mage. Otherwise, Leandriel the elven mage in Lesotte, should have sensed the danger long before its undisguised killing spree. That man should have been alive at the time.

"Yes! Inside the village! Actually..." Anna scanned every nook and cranny of the small shop, and after she was sure that her father wasn't around, softened her voice and continued, "Didn't I say that the dungeon appeared around the time of my Great Grandpa? It is an embarrassing story, but... Oh, well, if it's you I can tell you."

She took a deep breath and rather bashfully said, "The first victim of the dungeon was precisely my Grandpa! The entrance was hidden in the wardrobe of a beautiful lady. Her residence was in the central borough... At the time, Grandpa was having an affair with her, and... well you can imagine how he stumbled upon his demise. Hehe, she thought that he returned home. While my Great Grandma was pissed by his disappearance and didn't even consider searching for him..." She laughed softly and her smile clearly expressed a mixture of amusement and shy sadness.

Well, that was indeed an embarrassing story. I am amazed that you boldly revealed your family's dirty laundry. You didn't even give me time to find the words to urge you before you spilled everything!

My goodness, Anna definitely has a thing for this childish body of mine. Love must be blind. Or is Anna just a member of a long lineage with peculiar habits and tastes? Her Grandpa was a cheater and she is into borderline jail-inducing young men. However, I must say, I do feel bad for using her feelings to gain benefits...

Cough

He cleared his throat and waved his hand in a strained manner, "Don't worry. My lips are known to be tight. Anyway, who doesn't have a skeleton or two in the closet?"

"What? Oh, my god, you had an undead spawn in your closet? That is much more horrifying than shameful! Tonight, tonight, I will be too scared to sleep!"

Girl, that's not what I meant. Ugh, I forgot that the natives don't use the same idioms as us players. Well... Never mind... It's just a tiny misunderstanding...

He was stumped for a moment or two before he echoed her last words. After, another two minutes of casual chatter, in which he was rather nervous about a sudden ambush by his professional stalker or his hired goons, he bit her farewell and covertly ran to his inn room.

What followed was simple.

He quickly settled the bill, which emptied his pockets. Shoved all his belongings in his new skill, and retreated to a hidden location near the southern parts of the village. Then, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in flames.

In his Forge, he heaved a breath of relief. In the past couple of hours, while he was busy around, he hadn't felt the strange presence of his tireless stalker. This meant that he had grown bored, was plotting something, or had increased his proficiency to stay hidden. Whatever the reason, Midnight couldn't feel safe in the world outside.

Snapping his fingers, he conjured the interior of a smithy. Just like before, countless equipment and items came into existence. When he was done with the preps, he carefully piled the newly dumped items into a corner, pulled a half-illusory chair, and sat by the table. He took his notebook, feather, and inkstand, and began drawing.

After a rather long journey, his foot was finally on the start line. His first craft began with design.