CHAPTER 66: THE FIRST KNIGHT III: THE BOY WHO LOST HIS YOUTH

It had been two weeks since Arthur found work at a dungeon exploration site. During that time, he never went home or sent a single letter. He only sent money back. His heart ached whenever he let himself think about his family, but he hadn’t achieved his goal yet. He knew he couldn’t return.

"Arthur! They’ve found the wounded! Help me prepare the clinic!" a man in a white robe shouted.

Arthur swallowed the last of the hard bread he’d been eating for lunch, stood, and did as he was told.

The adults at the site liked him, an extremely hard-working boy who rarely complained. He did whatever he was told and never asked unnecessary questions. Before long, he had become everyone’s favorite errand boy.

He dashed to a tent that had been set up as a temporary clinic. A dungeon exploration site always needed one; the haelionsinside the dungeons were dangerous and deadly.

"Here, pour the disinfectant over the wound, then wrap it. You know what to do, right?" the white-robed man asked him.

Arthur nodded. This wasn’t his first time.

"Great. I’ll go treat the others." The man moved to another wounded explorer, this one with a wide gash across his lower arm.

Arthur worked quickly, efficiently, and silently. He was about to get up and move to another patient when the man he had just helped stopped him.

"Hey, kid. Thank you. You’ve been a great help." The man panted slightly, his face twisting in pain.

"Here. Take it. As my gratitude." He slipped something into Arthur’s hand, then got up and left.

Arthur opened his fist and saw a small heartstone — no bigger than his thumb — resting on his palm. His heart pounded.

This is what I was aiming for. Heartstones! If I can mine heartstones, I can sell them and really help my family! I need to find a way to mine the heartstones.

He quickly put the heartstone in his pocket and continued his work, but his heart was on fire.

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Arthur finally got his wish. On his third week, the team had lost a few more men to the haelions, and some of the miners were also explorers, which meant their numbers had decreased.

The foreman assigned him to the mining team, and when the dungeon was cleared, Arthur entered it with the other miners and began to dig for heartstones.

It was Arthur’s first time inside a dungeon. Even though it had already been cleared of haelions and posed no danger, he still felt excited. He worked tirelessly.

It took another week to mine all the heartstones, and soon the men began clearing the site.

Arthur received his pay, some cash and a few tiny heartstones. He glanced at the explorers’ pay and couldn’t help feeling envious. Their share of heartstones was much larger than his. He wanted that.

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Arthur spent the next two days looking for another job at other dungeon exploration sites, but without much success. It wasn’t until the third day, when he ran into the cook from the first site, that he was offered another errand job.

He said yes immediately. He sent all his cash back home, keeping only the heartstones, and headed to the site of his next job.

The gate of this dungeon was said to be the largest one so far, the stone arch was three meters wide and about six meters tall. It was a level three dungeon, the first in Arvion. The exploration team was massive, organized by Monfort Industries.

Arthur stood in front of the gate in awe at its sheer size. People bustled around him, some rushing, some not, but they all had one thing in common: they shouted at Arthur every now and then, "Get out of the way!"

He was shoved aside by someone and lost his footing, almost falling, when a hand caught his shoulder firmly.

"Careful, boy." A deep, steady voice accompanied the grip.

Arthur looked up and met a pair of piercing green eyes.

Linus Monfort!

Arthur recognized him instantly from the newspapers. His father always showed him the list of the top ten current "players" in dungeon exploration, and Linus Monfort was always at the top.

Arthur couldn’t hide his nervousness under that stare. He managed to hold it for a few seconds before finally looking away.

He scurried away but didn’t get very far before he heard, "So, this gate is different from the previous gates?" Linus asked the site manager.

"Yes, Sir. The previous gates were much smaller than this one. This is the first level three gate found in Concordia — and it appeared right here in Arvion."

"Anything particular about this gate other than it being bigger and, of course, more dangerous?"

The manager shook his head. "We don’t know for sure, Sir, not until we enter. We’re preparing to go in waves. The explorers are getting ready now."

Linus nodded. "Safety is the priority. Make sure that’s seen to." He turned and left the site.

The manager bowed in the direction Linus had gone. "Yes, Sir!"

Arthur was inwardly in awe. The biggest so far! I bet the heartstones are also bigger and more valuable!

He was already thinking about how he could get himself picked for the mining team.

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Arthur tried to apply for the mining team, only to be rejected. They said they already had more than enough miners.

Arthur paced back and forth. I want the heartstones! If I can’t be on the mining team, I can’t get any!

He finally made a decision. Alright! I’ll sneak in with the explorers, hide, and wait until they’ve cleared the dungeon. I’ll mine the heartstones and be long gone before the mining team even enters!

He couldn’t see all the flaws in his plan; he was only focused on the heartstones.

He disappeared to prepare his tools.

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"Is everyone ready?" the explorers’ captain shouted.

"Yes, Sir!"

He was satisfied with the unified answer.

"Let’s go!" He led the men and entered the gate.

Arthur was hiding near the entrance. When the last man went through, he dashed forward and slipped in before anyone noticed.

Once inside, he was ecstatic. I did it! I’m in! If I don’t wander too far from the gate, I won’t be attacked.

He looked around and spotted a tree with bark wider than the span of his hands. He climbed it and waited.

From here, I’ll be able to monitor the explorers coming in and out. I’ll be fine, he thought with a grin, feeling completely satisfied.

What Arthur and the rest of the team didn’t know was that, starting from level three, the gate would close — and no one could enter or leave until the dungeon was cleared.

As Arthur settled on the branch, the gate behind him slowly dissipated.