Michael sat at a table in a large dining hall. Other people sat next to him, eating with gusto. The food was as varied as the size of the portions; some ate only bread and water, while others experienced lavish meals. The young man took note of this. The disparity between the different Villager Ranks was only made more obvious by the Territory Wars. The strong achieved much and scaled the ladder, while the weak or ordinary were limited.

Sullivan’s quests to kill a variety of monsters still existed, but their difficulty had increased over time. The growth rate of the personal strength of the villagers couldn’t keep up; the ordinary people struggled to clear the quests even as a group, since they were pitted against monsters that also grew.

Michael turned his gaze to the young woman sitting in front of him. She ate an elaborate meal with different types of meat, rice, and other ingredients that Michael didn’t recognize. He momentarily wondered where the hell Bluestone Village had acquired something that looked like rice, but his attention was drawn to her words the moment she started to speak.

“So,” she swallowed the food in her mouth, “You are looking for Dungeons and thought I’d know something about them?”

He nodded.

“Yes.”

Rose grinned.

“For you, that kind of information is free of charge. I’ve got to say, I’m glad to see you again. It’s been some time.”

Michael smiled.

“Sorry. I got caught up in my own training after I returned to Bluestone. I should have met up with you earlier.”

She gave him a dismissive wave.

“Don’t worry about it. Have you decided what you’re going to do about the Territory Wars?”

“Yeah. Since I have precious people in the other Villages, I’ll tackle the Consumed Territory. That way, I won’t be forced to take other Villages’ Territories.”

Rose frowned.

“You understand that we can’t do the same, right?”

He knew what she was talking about. For her team and other ordinary villagers, the Consumed Territory was a forbidden zone; besides, they had no reason to avoid the other Villages like him. It meant that they would seek to actively steal from the other Villages. He nodded.

“Yes, I do. I won’t judge you for it. I’ve simply decided my own course of action. I can’t expect you to settle for possibly less rewards just because I know people from other Villages.”

She let out a relieved sigh.

“Alright, then. It sucks that I won’t be able to count on your help, though.”

“Not directly, but I’ll still be working for our Village’s sake. Also, are your people safe?”

She nodded.

“Yeah. We returned to Bluestone and didn’t step out until you Whispered to me that Lohann was dead. The fact that you injured almost all of his followers helped.”

Michael shook his head.

“They weren’t followers. Well, not all of them. You were right when you said they couldn’t reveal information even if they wanted to; Lohann used a special Skill to brainwash them.”

She frowned, blinking.

“…What? What kind of Skill can do that?”

Michael shrugged. He didn’t know the specifics either. The theory about Lohann having received a Blessing was still just that, a theory, and the man himself was dead. This question would likely remain without an answer.

Rose was silent for a few moments, having stopped eating. Then, she spoke in a low voice.

“I’m glad you killed him. Even though his Skill itself was a huge problem, the biggest issue was what he was willing to do with it. While I can’t believe that all of those people were brainwashed, it makes sense based on what we discovered. He was a dangerous man.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Michael nodded with a grim expression.

“He was. There’s no telling what would have happened if I hadn’t killed him. The situation could have gotten much worse.”

A few seconds passed by in silence as Michael contemplated that possibility. It was chilling. Lohann’s abilities that could affect even a Dungeon Boss were, indeed, dangerous. A slight frown crossed his expression. He didn’t know enough about Blessings to say anything with certainty, but he seriously doubted Lohann’s power had been fueled by a Class Evolution alone. He was glad that he had nipped the problem in the bud before it developed, but he didn’t know what the consequences would be.

She spoke.

“Now, let me tell you about the Dungeons, since that’s the reason why you came.”

“It’s not as if I didn’t want to see you, but yes, time is limited.”

She smiled.

“Thank you. I get it,” She lifted her hand and raised up four fingers, “We know of the location of four different Dungeons.”

Michael grinned. It was more than he expected. She continued to speak.

“However, we don’t know about their degree of difficulty. You could be signing your own death sentence if you end up at the wrong one.”

He nodded.

“I’ll be careful. There’s no way to find out the difficulty before entering, so I’ll be the one to worry about it. I’ll tell you what I learn once I leave the Dungeons.”

“Be careful, Michael. We don’t know how dangerous they are. Even though you’re powerful enough to defeat Lohann and other humans, it’s another matter when it comes to monsters.”

“Are you worried?”

“I am.”

He blinked. He hadn’t expected her honest response. Rose ended up just sighing.

“Well, it’s your funeral. Just be careful. Now, pay attention.”

She told him of the four locations she knew. Michael nodded, thanked her, and stood up.

“I’ll make it up to you.”

She shook her head.

“Killing Lohann was enough. My team can finally hunt again. You should join us sometimes.”

He smiled.

“I don’t play nanny for free.”

“Cheap-ass.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”

Before she could say anything else, he left the dining hall. She didn’t come after him. Michael made his way to Tairy’s house while thinking.

A team, huh?

The people he trusted belonged to other Villages. Besides, the disparity in personal power was too great. He couldn’t go on an adventure with James and the others without placing them in serious danger or limiting himself; if the enemies were powerful even to him, it meant that they were incredibly dangerous to the others. If the monsters weren’t a danger to the others, the rewards from killing them wouldn’t be enough. In order not to hinder his own development or place other people in danger when time was limited, Michael chose to work alone. Of course, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t extend a helping hand if his friends needed assistance.

His staff drew symbols in the air. A blue mouth made of energy came into being. The connection was quickly made. James’ voice resounded.

“Michael?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I wanted to ask you about Dungeons. Have you guys found any? I’ll ask Viktor after this.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, we have. You’re planning on tackling them alone?”

“Yeah.”

James’ reply was immediate.

“Alright. I believe in you.”

Michael let out a small sigh as James told him the locations of two different Dungeons. Then, he smiled. He was happy that his friend trusted him. His brow furrowed. No, wasn’t this too much trust? Surely James considered that Michael might be overestimating his own strength?

Is it because of what happened with Lohann and his people?

The hunt had been the greatest in Michael’s life. Maybe James and the others had come to believe that he was unbeatable because of it. No matter. He wasn’t planning on dying on this journey. He had a secret weapon.

I can ask Tairy about the difficulty of Dungeons I’ve already found.

He still recalled that the old dark elf had warned him before he entered Mushroom Grotto. It meant that Tairy could do the same for other Dungeons. Using that as a meter, he could avoid Dungeons that would be too dangerous for his current self and focus on the ones that he could clear.

Michael didn’t dally. He broke into a jog, leaving Bluestone Village, and making his way to the closest Dungeon. He decided to take care of the Dungeons he already knew about before contacting Viktor.

One of the Dungeons that Rose told me is Mushroom Grotto.

It was unclear if the monsters within the Dungeons could respawn or if she merely didn’t know that he had already cleared it, but it was unlikely that he would be able to receive the clear rewards for a second time. He would need to confirm that notion. Either way, there were still three other Dungeons to tackle, without mentioning the ones James had told him. They should be enough to keep him busy for a while. His jogging turned into a full-blown sprint. His Strength and Dexterity stats enabled him to move much faster than before his Class Evolution or even before the Lizard Labyrinth. Even without using Lightspeed, he still rushed through the terrain.

Increasing my Constitution was enough for a breakthrough.

His Dragonheart beat calmly within his chest, empowering him passively. He wasn’t that close to forming his Third Circle, but he could already tell that he was stronger than before the stat reached the value of 500. His mana coursed through his body, following his heartbeat. Michael momentarily stopped in place and closed his eyes. In nothing but a few moments, his spiritual self came into view.

The pale blue spiritual figure looked a bit different from before. It mimicked his appearance, except for the twin horns and the scales on the corner of the eyes and on the back of its hands. He noticed the differences at once. The number of scales had increased, while the horns had grown again. There were now scales on his back, as well. As his power developed, so did his spiritual self.

Michael drew himself out of the astral world, nodding to himself. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his hand. He kept running, soon arriving at his destination.

He looked at the giant circular door in front of him. He laid his hand on its surface.

[Would you like to enter the Mole Kingdom Dungeon?]

…Mole Kingdom?