CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37 - THE DUNGEON PART 1

Zion had hoped mana beasts or monsters would make their journey a bit difficult, allowing for him to have some fun. But unfortunately, nothing happened. He didn’t even need to hunt because food and water were already prepared.

As if one could fast-forward time, they all arrived at the dungeon safe and sound.

"We’re here," Dylan spoke

"Yeah, no shit dumbass." Patricia slapped the back of his head.

The dungeon’s entrance was nestled within a grassy hill, framed by a massive, weathered stone archway draped in creeping moss. The surrounding ruins hinted at a long-forgotten temple, perhaps once devoted to a god, though time had erased any definitive proof of its purpose.

Stepping inside offered no relief. The corridor was a graveyard of decay, littered with rotting corpses and skeletal remains, animals, mana beasts, monsters, and people of all races. Explorers, runaway slaves, treasure hunters, and countless others had met their end here, their abandoned belongings being the only evidence of their final moments.

As the party delved deeper, they encountered countless traps. Most had already been triggered, their victims still caught in their deadly embrace. Others had long since crumbled with age, rendered useless by time. Yet, a few remained functional enough to startle Dylan and Janea, their sudden activation a grim reminder of the dangers lurking within.

Zion found it odd that most of the traps weren’t functional, but he looked past that since there was evidence of people coming here before and this place was so old that some traps stopped working.

After venturing far enough, they were swallowed by the dungeon’s abyssal darkness, the last remnants of light from the entrance failing to reach them.

"Can someone light up the way?" Lordrick asked.

Almost instantly, Rupert pushed forward to the front of the group and lit a large fire in his hands.

"Are you stupid?" Zion asked, smacking the fire out of his hands as the rest of them watched it sizzle out.

Rupert frowned. "What are you doing? We need light so I was lighting the way, or am I too inferior to do a task this simple?" He was still pissed off at Zion but after feeling how powerful he was, Rupert decided it was best not to provoke him. But he wasn’t going to quiver like an ’extra’ Zion claimed him to be.

"Apparently you are. We’re in a fucking cave dumbass. Using fire will only burn away our breathable air. It would have been fine if we were closer to the entrance but we’re not. Use light magic instead."

Zion turned, looking at everyone, and saw them shifting in their positions.

"No way. Do none of you have the light element?"

"Nope."

"I don’t care to learn an element."

"More of an arcane type of mage."

"I use ice magic."

"Well, our god mainly focuses on war, speed, strength, and other minor things."

"Unbelievable." With a wave of his hand, six balls of light formed and hovered over each person, lighting the way for everyone.

"What the?! You can use magic?!" Everyone asked, flabbergasted at what Zion just did.

"No, it’s aura projection."

"You’re that strong?" Patricia asked. Now she was very curious about Zion and his abilities. Beating Dylan was one thing, but aura projection, a high-level skill, was something even she was training to do.

"Let’s focus on the task at hand here." Everyone agreed and they continued exploring.

---

After about an hour of exploring, the group reached an impasse. The path they were following suddenly split into two, forcing them to choose which path they wanted to take.

"We’ll split up into two groups of four and explore both paths. If one is a dead end, then hurry back to the other path to regroup." This was the first time Crystal said anything and even with her being the weakest, no one disagreed with her.

"We should split into groups who complement each other. For starters, does anyone know healing magic?" Lordrick asked.

Zion and Christen both raised their hands.

Zion spoke. "While I don’t know healing magic, (he’s lying) I can use the wood element that has healing properties."

Everyone nodded, understanding that it was a solid alternative while also being surprised at his talent.

"So Zion and Christen will be on separate teams. Each of us should also have a mage on our teams, so Rupert, you will be with Zion’s group."

At first, he was going to decline Patricia’s suggestion. After what happened between him and Zion, he had absolutely no interest in working together. But he pushed those thoughts aside, instead putting his focus on the mission.

"Then, you, Crystal, Christen, and Lordrick should be on the same team. While, Rupert, Jenea, Dylan, and myself will be on the same team."

Everyone agreed with Zion’s words and prepared to explore each path.

However, before they separated, Zion spoke up once more, speaking a concern that was on his mind.

"Have you all noticed that we haven’t encountered even one monster here? Not even a mana beast or demonic human, just old traps and rotting corpses."

"Oh good, so I wasn’t the only one thinking that." Patricia sighed in relief.

"Could this mean we’re in the wrong place?" Dylan asked

"I doubt that. Our superiors confirmed that this was the place, but it also seems like the residence also expected us." Christen spoke, her chin in her hand as she started thinking.

"They could have left in the meantime." Rupert shrugged

Zion then said the one thing everyone had on their minds. "Or we could be walking into a trap."

"That’s the most likely scenario. Splitting us up also may be a part of their plans, hence the split path." Lordrick chimed in, expressing his concern.

Jenea asked, "Then should we stick together?"

"While that is the best option, we would only have one chance at finding where the people are being kept. If we choose the wrong path, literally anything could happen. So I think it’s better to split up so our chances of finding the missing people and stopping the demonic humans go up."

Zion smiled. He could tell that Crystal wanted to show her worth and not be a burden. Her words also made the most sense. If they all fell into a trap, then this mission would have been for nothing, so splitting up is the correct choice.

Zion then spoke up, "I agree. Splitting up is our best chance of succeeding, this way, there is a 100 percent chance of us finding where everyone is being kept, even if one of us gets caught, captured, or killed."

"Does anyone disagree with this?" Patricia asked

Seeing how no one responded, she nodded her head. "Then let’s go." Patricia’s group took the left path, while Zion’s group took the right path.