Still outside the Dungeon, I sat on a bench and unslung my backpack. From it, I removed a waxed bowstring. After testing the bowstring, I laced it around Scout's Oath. One would think a magical bow would come with a magical string and they might be right. Except that it was not the way this particular magical bow was designed. Scout's Oath was both a bow and a staff, providing ranged or melee combat bonuses. The shaft was tough and nigh-impervious to damage from mundane or weaker magical weapons. After stringing it, I tested and pulled the bow to its full draw length a few times. It also served to warm up my arms to the strenuous task of shooting arrows.

Growing up as a child, I believed Archers needed high dexterity. Aiming was only a third of the effort, though. Physical strength, especially in the arms and back, was way more important. Sending an arrow in a particular direction was something anyone could do with enough training. Sending an arrow with enough speed and force to puncture through whatever defenses an enemy had was way harder.

One of Scout's Oath enchantments was that it's pull strength was always whatever I could bear. If I had a pitiful strength, it would be as easy as shooting with a toy bow. But if I had enough strength, the weapon would be unmatched. I knew I would dump most of my Attribute points in Strength. Also, I had to train a lot. Still, it wasn't worth dropping efficiency points into it. Going further, Strength would be something I had to add at every level but I expected that the bonus Attribute points from Duty would surpass the points from leveling.

If I could pull that off, I would always be twice as strong as my level would indicate. The long-term benefit was that I would never get stuck at a level without enough power to earn the Experience points I needed.

After stringing the bow, I double-checked my equipment, especially the arrow backpack. Then, I rejoined Alice at the Dungeon entrance.

*

*

I felt chills and goosebumps as we descended into the unknown. A Dungeon was a living entity who hungered for people's lives. Going inside felt like I was a rat crawling into the open mouth of a snake. My feet moved with little noise while Alice glided like a wraith, her footsteps invisible under the hem of her dress. The long skirt seemed to float.

Our eyes met and she smiled reassuringly at me. Then a silent finger pointed onward.

The tunnel wasn't dark. I could see the walls, roof, and the uneven cavern ground but not the light sources. A check behind me showed that I still cast a shadow but I couldn't see any torches, magical lights, or even candles. That only added to the eerie and spooky ambiance. My boots crunched over the small rocks and dust on the ground. A hazard for anyone waltzing down without paying the proper attention.

Not me. All my senses were stretched to the limit, an attempt to detect any enemies the Dungeon could throw at me before they could detect us. My left hand was firm around Scout's Oath while the right was ready to draw either arrow, dagger, or short sword depending on the enemy encountered. I didn't feel watched like some people used to report but nonetheless the feeling was that someone else was there with us.

The tunnel slope decreased until the ground was relatively level. "First floor?" I asked Alice, earning a nod in return. The first floor was cavernous and uneven. The rock walls broke in spots, forming ridges and dark nooks where a monster could wait in hiding. Marks of all kinds decorated the walls from radial scorch marks to places where the stone was chipped in a straight line from an errant weapon strike. All these tracks were ancient, old. Nobody bothered to clean or smooth the walls, not even the Dungeon.

The ground was covered by this mix of coarse sand and gravel, uneven rocks that never tumbled around long enough to smooth the edges. Walking barefoot here was only for those with thick soles. Normal people like me would find dozens of small cuts and nicks on their feet if they didn't have the proper gear.

My boots had steel soles and a steel cover reaching from my toes to my ankle. It was basically plate sabatons covered in leather on both sides. Worn and adapted to my feet too, because only fools went into the field with unweathered shoes. The rest of my armor was the same. It had several metal plates sandwiched between thick leather, sliced to allow mobility and riveted to avoid noise. It was expensive and hard to craft and to maintain but one needed to survive before they had to worry about armor repair.

We walked around while I mapped the Dungeon corridors in my mind. They could change at the whims of the Dungeon but that didn't happen so often, at least in the upper levels, that the maps were useless. I heard noise ahead and signaled to stop.

"There's ongoing combat ahead," I whispered.

Alice nodded and waited to see what I would do. I crept ahead slowly, making sure my boots would make the least amount of noise as I went. The combat intensified. Grunts, the sound of metal hitting metal and/or flesh, the creak of leather armor, the smell of sweat and blood and viscera. Flickering torchlight on the cavern walls. Just as I was about to clear the last bend in the tunnel to see the fight, Alice stopped following and stayed behind.

With an arrow nocked, I peeked and clamped down my jaw as I saw two parties of delvers fighting each other.

*

*

The long arm of the law didn't quite reach the Dungeon. Patrolling and enforcing the law in these tight tunnels was impossible, unless the guards wanted to kill every denizen in the floor and make the place unusable for both delvers and the Dungeon. Not that it stopped stupid Lords from trying. Tales of such attempts ended in tragedy when the Dungeon decided to violently evict the intruders and clear the space above it.

I didn't recognize the people fighting. One group seemed to be foreigners by their appearance and clothing while the other looked like locals. I couldn't say who was winning because the fighting strength was about even on both sides. But from the shouts and curses, it would only end with one side dead. It wasn't something I should meddle with so I backtracked and found my boss some thirty meters behind.

I gave my report. Alice pondered, then asked me to explain in detail each combatant. With a heavy expression, she gave me an order.

"Stay here and watch for any monsters that might want to come down here to feast on the injured and the dead."

With that, Alice mumbled a chant and walked toward the fight. I kept her in the corner of my eye and saw a magical shroud cover her figure and then she disappeared. Invisibility. Glancing down, I didn't see any footprints going forward. Was it an advanced spell that left no tracks? She wouldn't tell even if I begged. The only thing I could do was to watch the tunnel for any interlopers.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Minutes passed and the sounds of the fight ceased.

A level 45 Human Iron Wall was killed. +1 Endurance, +1 Wisdom.

A level 43 Human Skirmisher was killed. +1 Dexterity. +1 Endurance.

A level 50 Half-elf Acolyte of the Brood was killed. +1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity.

A level 34 Wolf-Kin Brawler was killed. +1 Endurance, +1 Wisdom.

A level 39 Human Berserk was killed. +1 Dexterity, +1 Endurance.

A level 33 Half-elf Wizard was killed. +1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity.

A level 42 Dragonoid Defender was killed. +1 Endurance, +1 Wisdom.

A level 38 Half-elf Rogue was killed. +1 Dexterity, +1 Endurance.

A level 42 Human Fighter was killed. +1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity.

A cascade of notifications awarding me bonus Attribute Points scrolled in my view. The implications were obvious. Alice had... she killed nine people. No flashes of light, no sounds of explosion. The delay between each death was so minimal they were basically simultaneous. Just like that. My heart was pounding on my temple and neck.

Minutes later, Alice returned. She wasn't happy but I couldn't find remorse in her somber expression.

"One of the parties found a gold node and got too excited about it, drawing the second one," She started her explanation. "They left the node peacefully, regrouped, and struck back. Guild members. Former Guild members."

The Guild rules on these issues were very clear. Self-defense was allowed but they lost that protection the moment they conceded the node.

"How do you know that? Did they stop fighting to tell it to you?" The timing was wrong. They didn't have enough time for such inquiry.

"Mind magic," Alice replied as she shook her head and grimaced in disgust. "Not the glamorous version romanticized in the novels. Sifting through dirty men's thoughts is as much fun as trying to find a missing jewel in the sewers by drinking it dry."

I winced at the mental image. "I guess you had no other choice if you wanted to clear one party of guilt before they finished killing each other."

"Exactly. But enough about them. Did it work? Did your PP trigger?" Alice's question revealed no excitement in her voice. I was a flat, practical tone.

I nodded. "Eighteen Attribute points."

"Sounds about right. I can see their levels in the kill notification."

The only reliable way to tell someone's level was to kill them. A fact abused by many tyrants.

"What about the loot?" I asked.

Alice shrugged. "Go and do it yourself, or let the Dungeon take it along the bodies. But we need to move away for that to happen. My aura is too close."

I weighed the factors. Their levels were around forty, a respectable number. They could have one or two magical trinkets. Potions but those were likely used up in the fight. Then it struck me.

"The gold vein. It's still there, right?"

Alice nodded without smiling. "Yes, it is. And they had mining gear. I don't want any share of either loot or vein. It's all yours."

The risk reward calculations in my mind turned upside down. A gold vein was too valuable and I was used to blood. "Then I want to loot the vein and the bodies." With a greedy gremlin nestled in my heart, I moved a bit too fast toward the fight.

*

*

My punishment was swift. The promise of wealth clouded my judgment and I was ill prepared to what awaited me. It was one thing to dismantle and dress the game I hunted with my father, under daylight and in the wilds. It was another to see a dozen dead people, their blood and viscera covering every surface in the tunnel from the ceiling to the walls and the gold vein. The smell of blood, urine, and feces assaulted me. It was my first contact with the gruesome reality of our world.

I heaved and lost my breakfast. The repulsion was so great my unconscious mind screamed to turn around and run away. Fuck the gold. Gods above and below. Was it worth staining my pristine equipment? Probably yes but add the nausea and the equation flipped. I was at an impasse.

Leaning on the cavern wall, one with the least amount of blood, I waited for a few minutes. My throat was dry and I could still taste what came through but I didn't dare take a sip of water or wash my mouth. The nausea passed and I grew accustomed to the smell and the sight. Removing my archery gloves, I donned the hunting ones.

The first thing I did was to move to the other side of the cavern and check the tunnel the delvers came from. I wasn't stupid to let monsters wander into the cavern while I was busy looting. Alice was nearby and she might protect me but it was my duty as a Scout to make sure the coast was clear. I went around fifty meters down the tunnel and stopped. Removing my pack, I set up a rudimentary trip wire trap to warn me of any incoming creatures. I picked a spot where a ridge sent a shadow across the floor, masking the wire.

It still puzzled me how the illumination had no source but still cast consistent shadows.

With the path secured, I went back and sifted through the bodies. Coin pouches, unused potions, trinkets and mementos that could identify the deceased. It was common decency to retrieve these and report the deaths to the authorities. I didn't fear prosecution or an official investigation. Not only the law didn't extend into the Dungeon, but I also both had Alice to vouch for me and no murder would report the deaths of their victims.

My boots squelched as I walked over the sticky mixture of sand, gravel, and blood covering the floor.

I left the armor on the bodies but took some weapons that seemed above the average in value. Swords and daggers since they had the best value to weight ratio. Once I had my loot piled up next to Alice, I took a mining pick and investigated the gold vein. It was a streak of bright metallic yellow squeezed between the rock. A lure the Dungeon placed to attract food. One that was very, very effective.

Before I started swinging, I checked the surroundings. I was unsure if the rock containing the gold would fly everywhere. The blood-soaked everywhere. I went back to one of the biggest backpacks and took a tent tarp. I covered the bodies and ground around the vein with it, in hopes of catching the gold before it became bloodstained.

Lifting the pick, I took a swing. My aim was a spot next to the gold but far enough away that it wouldn't damage the vein. It chipped the rock but didn't dislodge any gold. I set the pick on the tarp and inspected the damage. I couldn't fit the tip of my pinky in the spot I hit. Bloody hell. Mining this gold vein would take hours if not days. It would be quick if I had the Herculean Strength of a level 40 warrior, around two hundred points if they focused on it. Alas, I hadn't leveled yet.

If I couldn't take the gold with brute force, maybe I could take it with a smarter approach.

"Alice," I called.

"Yes, George?" The elf answered as she moved closer.

"Can you melt the gold? With Fire magic or something?" I knew an ordinary fire would at most soften the gold.

"How would you catch it?" Her question came with a smirk. I knew she was testing me.

"Can you split the gold from the rock, then?"

She chuckled. "Yes, I can. Stone Shape!"

The elf magician's will turned the rock into putty. The calcite surrounding the gold extended out of the wall like a slime's pseudopod. It flowed back and forth, thinning as it left only the gold behind. I noticed that the vein wasn't too deep. Then the rest of the rock receded, letting the yellow chunk fall on the tarp. Hours of work solved by a minute or so of magic.

"I feel like I picked the wrong Class," I bemoaned playfully. Wasting no time, I picked the chunk of gold. It weighed around a hundred-something grams. "isn't it too small?"

Alice chuckled. "George, that's a big vein."

I estimated it weighed the same as fifteen gold coins. Indeed, it was a lot of gold, though I was expecting a kilogram or more. But it wouldn't be a precious metal if it didn't... Wait. No. This was Dungeon gold. It might cost the Dungeon a lot of energy to create this gold. Why would it put a kilogram of gold where a hundred grams did the job perfectly? To catch fish, we used worms. The bait worked.

"I guess you are right," I said, drawing a smug grin out of the elf.

"Hand it over. Let me make it more portable."

I placed the gold in Alice's hands. She focused, mumbled a short chant, and set her hands on fire. Blue, the fire was so hot I had to move away. The gold melted in her hands, forming a puddle. Then she cut the flames and caused frost to form around her hands. Smiling, she handed the disk of gold back.

"Better?" She asked with her teasing voice.

"Yes, better. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. I'll store the loot in my bag of holding, let's keep moving. I want you to reach level ten before the day is over."

With a wave of her hand, the loot I collected floated and entered the satchel at her side. I stowed the gold in my pouch and moved on.