CHAPTER 136: CHAPTER 136 - GREEN FOREST

Everyone did one final gear check before stepping into the tunnel that led deep underground.

Logan forced himself to stay calm, even as disgust and anger churned inside him.

’This is their main dungeon where they can build trust and let the young adults bond with each other,’ he thought, reminding himself why he had to do this. ’If I make everyone fear coming here, it’ll be a huge hit to the family.’

As they walked down the tunnel lit by mana lights, most of the group kept chatting loudly, as if the dungeon posed no threat at all.

’They likely won’t venture deep into the dungeon,’ Logan thought, going through the details of the dungeon again. ’Only Adam and two others have gold cores—not nearly enough to handle the B-ranks deeper inside.’

Most of them had barely reached the silver core stage with no real combat experience and mediocre affinities.

After a few minutes, the final checkpoint in front of the mana barrier came into sight.

The checkpoint officer stepped forward, checking each identity and handing everyone a dungeon risk waiver, getting rid of all their liability in case someone died inside.

"Let’s quickly sign this everyone," Adam shouted through the group with a broad smile. "The earlier we get this done, the faster we can get back to beers!"

People chuckled, quickly signing their forms and handing them back to the checkpoint officer, some even without reading through it.

Logan quickly faked a signature for his form and handed it back to the officer as one of the last people from the group.

Moments later, the officer cleared his throat. "Alright. That’s everyone. You’re clear to enter."

He gave them all a small nod. "Best of luck in there."

"You heard him everyone!" Adam shouted, waving his hand through the air. "Let’s go in now."

A few people at the front whistled, acting like it was a party of some kind.

’How have there rarely been casualties in these groups?’ Logan wondered, raising an eyebrow. ’They don’t really seem to be taking it seriously at all.’

He followed the group in silence.

A nauseating wave washed over him as he stepped through the dungeon’s mana barrier.

’Feels weird every time,’ he thought, shaking his head slightly.

Beyond the barrier, the tunnel gradually widened and dimmed, with massive earth stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

Suddenly hearing a soft buzzing sound, Logan narrowed his eyes and prepared himself.

Others heard it too. One by one, heads turned toward the stalactites hanging in the distance, tension rising in the air.

"What’s going on?" someone murmured behind Logan.

That’s when a green flash flew through the air, heading straight for the group.

Just as it closed in, Adam raised his arm, unleashing a pillar of fire that engulfed the green bolt before it could land.

As the flame pillar destroyed the green flash, Adam spun around, firing off a fireball at a stalactite in the distance.

The fireball connected, a screech echoing through the cave as a bundle of flames fell on the ground below the stalactite.

"Alright, now that the D-rank Bushcrawler’s dealt with," Adam said, turning back to face the group with a smirk, "I think we can all agree I’m the one leading this run."

A few people clapped or let out impressed whistles.

No one in their right mind would argue after watching him roast that thing in seconds.

’Interesting,’ Logan thought, eyes narrowing slightly. ’He has more skill than I’d anticipated.’

"Let’s continue going," Adam said, clapping his hands. "We haven’t even reached the main part of the dungeon."

Without hesitation, people continued walking.

Now and then, a Bushcrawler fired poison projectiles from the ceiling, but Adam and his friend dealt with them before anyone got hurt.

Logan stayed alert the entire time, his eyes switching between the gold cores and the surroundings.

He’d placed himself in the middle of the group with others who had just gotten a silver core because the identity he assumed also had just reached the silver core stage.

Eventually, he noticed Adam slow down and walk beside his girlfriend Arla.

They exchanged a few words before Arla moved towards a brunette nearby.

She giggled and dragged the girl over to Adam.

’Seriously?’

Logan thought, scowling in disgust. ’Even inside a dungeon?’

Finally, they arrived at a dense green forest, filled with trees at least four times as tall as the ones outside.

’First time I’ve seen green trees inside a dungeon,’ Logan thought, staring at them with wide eyes.

According to what he remembered from the list, this dungeon was home to plenty of rare plant and poison-type creatures.

’The creatures should absorb the mana from the crystals in the ceiling and release some kind of pheromone that caused the trees to grow this large.’

Activating his mana sight, Logan saw many F-rank butterflies and dragonflies soaring through the dungeon.

For a second, he forgot about the anger inside him as he admired the sight of the creatures.

"Everyone," Adam said, snapping his fingers in the air. "We’ll follow the path to the nearby river."

"Make sure you don’t recklessly use mana or scream. We don’t want to attract too many creatures at once."

The group quieted down, nodding seriously.

With a large smirk on his face, Adam turned around and started walking through a path between the dense trees.

Logan turned serious, remembering the Berserker’s Bait inside his space ring.

’I’ll wait until we are deeper into the dungeon for maximum effectiveness.’

He had no idea what would happen, but anything that cost a hundred million had to be worth it.

The group quietly followed after Adam, only their feet rustling as they walked through the bushes and overgrown grass.

Far in the distance, screeches and shouts from all kinds of creatures echoed through the air, making everyone tense.

Logan maintained his mana sight as they traveled, staying alert at all times.

’It won’t be long anymore,’ he thought, fingers brushing against the metal space ring.