Michael walked along the path. It was much longer than he expected. It remained mostly straight, cutting a line in the winding corners and turns of the natural maze. On the way, he kept creating and shooting Mana Arrows, getting a feel for their flight speed and limitations.

There’s no way this was formed naturally.

Then again, nothing in the Tutorial Zone had been natural thus far. This was an area created by the System; it wasn’t too surprising that there were places that stood out. Even with such thoughts in his mind, he didn’t stop paying close attention to his surroundings. His eyes darted around every time the sides of the path led to turns or other spaces. As he had noted before, it was quiet in an eerie fashion. Despite walking past prime locations for enemy ambushes – and preemptively casting a Mana Shield to protect himself – he had faced nothing. The questions in his mind increased in number. What was going on here?

He kept moving with his guard up. There had been no enemies so far, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any of them ahead. It was possible that a single powerful creature had dominated the area, scaring away all the others. It was an explanation for the lack of noise and for the absence of living beings. If that were the case, he needed to be ready. Michael walked for another fifteen tiring minutes before the path opened up in a square space. Right ahead of him, his destination had been unveiled.

He stopped, tried to see if there was anything waiting to surprise him, and then entered the square. His gaze was drawn to its most noteworthy aspect.

What is that, exactly?

In the back wall of the square space, there was a huge stone circle with a clear outline. At a quick glance, Michael estimated its diameter to be over eight meters. No mushrooms grew on its surface nor close to its outline. The stone was smooth in stark contrast to the rugged and uneven surroundings. He took a few steps forward with caution. At that moment, a blue System windows appeared in front of him.

[You have discovered a Dungeon!]

His eyes widened.

“A Dungeon? Are you serious?”

He couldn’t help but blurt out a few words of surprise. He admitted that part of him already expected Dungeons to exist, given how game-like the System was, but it was still rather shocking to see the realization of his suspicions. He blinked repeatedly.

With a jolt, he turned around, looking for enemies. He had let his guard down because of the surprise. Thankfully, there were none. He let out a sigh of relief. He turned to the large circle once more.

Should I do it?

To be frank, deciding to enter a Dungeon without careful consideration and more information was very dangerous. He had no idea what he would face within the Dungeon, if there were going to be enemies, at what level they were, what the environment was, and more. Choosing to enter could end up as a death sentence. He was curious, but satiating his curiosity wasn’t worth the risk. As such, he was faced with three choices. One, return to Bluestone Village and try to obtain information. Two, proceed anyway and enter the Dungeon. Michael chose the third one.

He raised his wand. Words poured out of his mouth almost as a hymn, sounding ethereal. The wand drew a complex symbol on the air, blue energy lines following its tip. After three seconds, the casting was done. It was the first and only spell that Tairy had taught him so far. The image of Tairy appeared in his mind and was channeled into the spell. A floating, ethereal mouth appeared in the air in front of him. Tairy’s voice sounded out.

“What’s up, kid? This is the first time you’re using the Whisper spell outside of training, isn’t it?”

Michael nodded, even though his teacher couldn’t see him.

“Yes. I need to talk to you about something.”

The floating symbol spun in place.

“Ask away.”

“I have just discovered a Dungeon for the first time. Why hadn’t you warned me about them before?”

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A few seconds of silence ensued before Tairy’s voice replied.

“So you’ve already found a Dungeon, huh? I should’ve expected it. I didn’t tell you anything about them for two reasons: one, you should focus on your training and not on exploration, and two, you’re powerful enough to handle a minor Dungeon on your own.”

“You should’ve told me.”

“I didn’t think you would go far away enough in your quests to find one. Dungeons only start showing up over ten kilometers away from any settlements. You’ve walked quite a bit, kid.”

“I was just trying to get used to hunting and fighting for XP. I understand your desire for me to concentrate on training, but keeping information from me isn’t the right way to do it.”

A small chuckle echoed out of the floating mouth.

“Perhaps, but it is the most effective way. What is the Dungeon called?”

Michael hesitated.

“I don’t know. The System notification only stated that I had discovered one.”

“Touch the entrance. Don’t worry, you won’t be forced to enter against your will. Probably.”

The last word made him flinch, but he gritted his teeth and laid his palm on the giant stone circle. A System window appeared in front of him.

[Would you like to enter the Mushroom Grotto Dungeon?]

He let out a small sigh of relief.

“It’s called Mushroom Grotto.”

Tairy’s voice echoed.

“Hmm… It might be difficult. You’re still limited by your long casting time. Turn back. We’ll make you stronger before you tackle that kind of Dungeon.”

“Why? What’s different about this Dungeon?”

“If my memory serves me right, that is an Extermination Dungeon. You would need to kill all the enemies inside, and they won’t give you the time to cast your Skills. Return here.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. He recalled the Skills he had acquired for Level 10. Not only did Alacrity increase his casting speed, but it also scaled with Intelligence. If casting speed was the thing that limited him when facing those enemies, the Skill could help with that.

“I thought you said that I could handle a minor Dungeon on my own?”

“Mushroom Grotto isn’t a minor Dungeon. Just come back.”

“If I had a Skill that increased my casting speed, would it be doable?”

“You would need an E-ranked Skill for that, and you’ve already selected your Level 10 Skill. There’s no point in discussing ‘What Ifs.’”

He scratched his chin in thought. Alacrity fit the requirements. While Whisper still took a few seconds to cast, mostly due to his inexperience and the fact that it was a spell, he didn’t know how fast he could cast a Mana Sphere or a Mana Shield after having acquired the Skill.

“What kind of enemy would I face inside?”

“Mushrooms. Obviously.”

Michael furrowed his brow. How the hell was he supposed to fight mushrooms? Tairy continued to speak.

“You really want to go inside, don’t you? Let me tell you again, as clearly as possible: turn back. Why are you trying to gamble with your life even after my warnings?”

Michael had a pensive expression. He was growing steadily but still felt that it wasn’t enough. Compared to his teacher and the other dark elves, he was far too weak. His Dragon blood helped him, but he was still too low-leveled. If he wanted to carve a place for himself and his loved ones in this new world, simply absorbing Tairy’s teachings wasn’t enough. Sullivan had already warned him that the requirements to obtain food and water would increase over time, while there was no way to know if the people he cared about would be able to fight and hunt. To ensure their survival, he needed to rise far above the average level of the contestants in the Tutorial.

He steeled his mind. A decision was reached. This wasn’t just for the sake of others, but also for himself. He naturally needed to try his best to survive. Besides, Tairy didn’t have all the facts. The dark elf wasn’t aware of Michael’s Dragon blood and how much it empowered him. His stats were also high for his Level.

“I’m going in.”

A heavy sigh resounded from the floating mouth.

“…Yeah, I had already gotten that. No matter what, don’t get yourself killed, kid. I’ve warned you again and again. You’re the one choosing to throw caution to the wind. I hope you return safely.”

A bit of warmth spread over Michael’s heart. Tairy hadn’t known him for long, but it was already clear that they had developed a bond. The old dark elf cared about him, even if only a little.

“I’m not being reckless. I’m just more powerful than you think I am.”

“Don’t underestimate my centuries of experience. I know exactly how powerful you are. For the last time, just don’t.”

“I hadn’t yet picked my Level 10 Skill. I did it in the middle of this hunt. It’s a good Skill. It also helps with casting time. Don’t worry. I’m not being suicidal.”

A few seconds of silence ensued.

“…You got a Mana Heart as your Level 5 Skill? That’s unthinkable. Even if you’re not entirely human, there are very few mythical bloodlines that can-“

“Tairy. I’m going in.”

“Fine! If you die, I’m going to kill you.”

Michael smiled, then dismissed the Whisper spell. He took a deep breath. He truly didn’t believe he was being reckless. Mana Empowerment, Alacrity, and Clarity made him much stronger than just before leaving the village. He had even acquired a new offensive Skill.

I also learned how to feed more mana into my Mana Shields.

He had already decided to go through with this anyway. With another deep breath, he touched the Dungeon’s entrance once more.

[Would you like to enter the Mushroom Grotto Dungeon?]

“…Yes.”

The giant stone circle slid to the side like a door. In no time at all, he was facing only darkness. After a few seconds, he stepped into the space that had been revealed to him.

It was the first time he would fight in a Dungeon.