After placing Leo's sweaty body in one of the bushes and covering it with a few leaves, Cale immediately marched into the hole, not even doubting his decision.
'Who would have thought I would be lucky enough to stumble upon a dungeon,' Cale smiled inwardly. Dungeons were one of those places where people could either become the fodder of beasts or improve their power and obtain an inexplicable amount of resources.
As one of the experienced dungeon clearers, Cale knew essentially everything about what was hiding in the hole beneath his feet.
Dungeons formed in a rather strange way. Once one or a few beasts began the reproduction process, they usually chose an enclosed area where they felt comfortable enough to do so.
But even after the originators, or as the humans call them, rulers, decided to no longer have any youngsters, they usually still stayed in those areas, feeling safe and comfortable. Hence, this way, dungeons came to be.
Many people would wonder, what is so different about this place then? Isn't it just a lair filled with countless beasts? What is the point of going there if the risk is so great?
That's where all these people are mistaken.
Since raising beasts usually took a long time, the entire area would normally fill up with enormous amounts of Qi. Thus, over the course of a few years, this energy materialized by itself, forming precious materials all over the area.
"This feeling...there's definitely someone strong here" Cale jumped into the hole without any further uncertainties. Although he was also interested in the materials in the dungeon, his main target was the dungeon's ruler.
Since so many days had passed, Cale was naturally able to absorb that ball of light again and he wanted it to be someone strong so he would continue to rise in the QI power.
Thud!
After jumping into the hole and flying for a few seconds, Cale landed on the countless rocks below. The entire surroundings could barely be seen due to the unyielding darkness.
'I must be prepared to defend myself' Cale clutched the hilt of the sword as he looked around vigilantly. The beasts were not the only threat in this dungeon, but there were those humans.
Cale did not know the exact number of them, but he knew they were not weak. However, without any peril, he wouldn't be able to gain immense powers that could rival those of geniuses like Leo.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Cale paced quietly through the darkness, trying not to make any sudden noises. Of course, the huge rocks around and under his feet made it difficult to move, but after a few minutes of wandering, he finally saw a change in the surroundings.
A radiant blue color could be seen in the distance, shimmering steadily and later getting embraced by dense darkness again. Cale moved forth and soon stood before the original entrance to the dungeon.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The familiar odor of rare herbs brushed through his senses until getting overwhelmed by the sharp scent of blood.
'I underestimated the power of these people.'
That was the first thought that flashed through Cale's mind after seeing many different bodies, more or less shaped like spiders, lying on the bloody ground.
'Should I retreat?' Cale thought, but a few seconds later he disregarded his feelings. Before coming to the kingdom, Cale had to reach Peak-Disciple Rank just to be more or less secure, and this one of the best chances to become stronger.
"I need to be quiet."
-
"Hahaha, I said all your worries are unnecessary. This whole dungeon is full of weaklings!" Eva yelled excitedly before finishing off another spider.
"Maybe you were right after all," Chad admitted as he swung the giant ax at the approaching spider, slicing it in half on the spot.
"I bet the ruler of this dungeon doesn't even have any divine power," Eva chuckled.
"Oh come on, Eva. Enough of the empty words. Let's end this quickly since we need to return this carriage by midnight tomorrow," Chad muttered before proceeding to move forth while slaying the attacking beasts.
"You'll have to buy me a beer when we get back to town," Eva smiled, silently following the hulking man from behind.
-
After about an hour, Chad and Eva stopped in front of an archway that led into an extremely large space. Surprisingly, the whole area was covered in gleaming crystal, causing their eyes to grow wide with excitement.
"Eva...Do you see this as well? Why are there so many Qi stones here?" Chad asked with his mouth wide open.
"It doesn't matter! What matters is that we're about to get rich!" Eva shouted with a deafening grin.
'What's that heavy feeling?' Chad couldn't help but wonder, ignoring the golden-haired woman, who plunged onto the stones and hugged them with shining eyes.
Tap! Tap!
Suddenly, two soft tapping sounds echoed through the vicinity as the duo stopped in sync. Neither of them could see anything around them despite the glowing stones, causing them to become even more silent.
Tap! Tap!
This time, Chad noticed two drops falling from above before they landed on the ground. He gripped his ax with all his might and slowly tilted his head to look up.
"Eva...Don't move," Chad whispered quietly while taking a step back in shock. Directly above them, a huge spider could be seen looking at them with its eerie eyes.
Tap! Tap!
More saliva dripped from its mouth, sending new shivers down Eva's and Chad's spines.
"Chad...what the hell is that? Why is the Qi around it so powerful?" Eva muttered in shock as the dagger in her hand fell to the ground.
"Dodge!!!" Chad shouted loudly after noticing something sticky coming out of the spider's mouth. However, Eva's reaction came too belated as she noticed a thick spider web descending on her with tremendous speed.
Having no other option but to defend herself, Eva slapped her hands together to greet the incoming web.
Bang!
The weight and hardness of the fibers exceeded Eva's expectations many times over, and she got glued to the ground with no way to escape.
"Eva!" roared Chad as he rushed toward the woman. Unbeknownst to him, he was already being tailgated by the giant spider. Hence, just as he was about to swing his ax to free the girl, one of the spider's legs appeared in his field of vision.
"Die!" Chad was undeterred by the sudden appearance of the beast as he took a swing at his leg. Unexpectedly, before his weapon could collide with the monster's dark skin, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Bang!
Chad was sent flying backward until he was slammed into one of the crystals. Though the pain was intense, Chad still managed to rise back to his feet after a few seconds while his gaze wandered forth to see the spider coming closer.
While the battle raged between them, just a few steps away from all the commotion, Cale was stooping in-between the crystals.
"No way...Is this an Expert-Rank beast?" Cale cursed quietly before tightening his grip over the hidden sword, "It's too late to retreat from this place, or I'll be noticed...I must attack."