The luscious forest appears to be vibrant to the naked eye, but the pressure caused by the high amounts of mana left by Galaxia didn't allow us to lower our gaurds.
Since the land of the forest is unequal for the most part, we are forced to walk the rest of the way to the dungeon's entrance. As for the coachman who led us here, he would come back later at a designated time since he can't stay here for there are also chimera beasts in the forests.
Anna left her wheelchair on the carriage and is currently using her sheathed sword as a cane. As I am the one who recommended her, I'm also the one who is helping her.
That isn't really a problem since I recommended her knowing her current state, but the quick glances the party is sneaking in feels a bit irritable.
To be fair, if I didn't experience her skills first hand, I probably would feel uneasy about her and do the same regardless of recommendations. By the way, since a recommendation coming from a child would feel untrustworthy, I recommended her to Sean and Sean recommended her to the baron.
"Hey there," an exhausted-sounding voice resounded from my left. Turning my head, I caught sight of Cyrill, "first time going in a dungeon?"
"Yeah, but I didn't expect that my first dungeon would be a dungeon generated by a divine spirit," I replied casually. Although he looks and sounds exhausted, he appears to be laidback.
"Hehe, same here," Cyrill said, "I haven't been to a real dungeon since those are extremely rare, but I do have some experience against chimera beasts under my belt, so I want to see what I can do against dungeon spawns."
Cyrill looked at his pair of unusual weapons while saying so. His weapons are two thick and massive serrated blades that form half of his 'V' shaped weapon. It would have been a perfect V, but the blade curves inwardly forming an open 'D.'
I haven't seen this kind of weapon, even in my old world. Even as a prince who became the face of the continental empire, Arios, through politics and peerless military tactics, I have not seen an unusual weapon like that.
"Those look heavy," I commented to his weapons, to which he eyed to my right in Anna's direction with a dry smile. Since I'm aiding Anna, whose arm is in my shoulders, I guess she does feel heavy.
As if reading my mind, Anna sent me a shivering gaze. With no way of distancing myself, I simply turned my head to Cyrill's direction who's currently coughing dryly.
"If I remember correctly, those are called saw cleavers, are they not?" it wasn't me, but Anna who spoke up. "Mhm. I'm surprised you know what this is," Cyrill affirmed Anna's words.
"I use these babies to overpower beasts' defenses. You'd be surprised by how strong these things are," Cyrill proudly said. Looking at these saw cleavers, the blades are sure to be sturdy and powerful because of their size and serrated features.
The way it is held also allows for great power output as it allows its user to exert his full body's power. However, I'm kind of doubting its efficiency in long battles considering using more power means using more stamina.
Since the blades are also too big, it kind of feels like there may be a friendly fire in close quarters. What's more, Cyrill's body doesn't look strong at all. I can strengthen my body with mana fusion, but I believe I didn't see information saying that the members of the BBS party can use mana.
Well, except for one magic tool user. Just as I was thinking so, Leyla butted in on our conversation. "Saw cleavers are nice since they are really efficient in killing beasts, but the way you use them looks dreadful," Leyla said with a thin smile.
Cyrill groaned before clicking his tongue as if signaling Leyla to go away. Leyla simply ignored him and greeted Anna, "Nice to meet you, Anna."
"Likewise, Miss Leyla, "Anna responded back with an air of composure. Leyla nodded at Anna's response before clearing her throat and asking, "Forgive me if I'm being a bit rude, but are you sure you can fight with an injury?"
The way she said it didn't contain any ill intent. If anything, it's like having a tutor ask you something academically related. 'Can we expect things from you,' is what she's asking.
"Of course," Anna reassured, "I wouldn't have asked to join in if I didn't." I don't know if she knows, but I didn't tell Anna that I'm the one who recommended her. The party only accepted her because, for them, the young lord of a marquis house recommended her.
We would be placed in a complicated spot if Anna makes a slip-up, so I'm going to tell her about this later on. "That's good," although Layla still seems uncertain, the only way to prove so is to see her in action.
Just as I was thinking that we found ourselves in front of a sinkhole slanted to around 10 degrees angle. It's as if the land hasn't stopped sinking yet as bits and pieces of dirt fall to the bottom of the sinkhole.
The sinkhole itself looks to be around 10 meters in height and 8 meters in diameter, but there seem to be other smaller holes at the bottom that may lead even deeper.
"Is this the dungeon?" I asked. There weren't any stairs or cultist architecture and it looks like I'm looking at natural sand ruins, but dirt. However, I guess the roots from the trees above the branch out of the dungeon's ceilings do look a little imposing.
I could imagine the roots moving like tentacles and piercing us from every direction which made me a little concerned. Then again, I'm just thinking too much... probably.
"All right, let's proceed as planned," Brandon spoke up, calling our attention, "Cyrill, Sean, Layla, and Anna would stay outside to perform reconnaissance around the dungeon so that we could draft our traps. I, Denis, and White would go into the dungeon to scout the insides of the dungeon."
"Rip the talisman inside your rings in case of an emergency so that the other team can respond, got it?" The talisman was a simple piece of paper with writings engraved on it. A guild also supplied this product as something similar to an emergency whistle.
However, instead of sounds, the ripped enchanted paper would cause a mana fluctuation that would affect other talismans which have the same enchantment engraved on them, thus informing the other party.
"All right. White, Denis, let's go," Brandon called out. I simply nodded and followed after him and Denis.
As soon as we arrived at the bottom of the dungeon, the smaller holes seemed a bit more unnatural. There are cracks and crevices on the dirt which illuminates purple light that didn't allow the insides of the dungeon to go dark.
The path didn't really feel like dirt anymore either and more like sandstones with a similar design to the harmonized cobblestones that built up Bellos' elevation, except that it didn't have runes.
Other than the pulsating purple lighting and tentacle-like roots on the ceiling, there isn't any scary dungeon spawns insight. "Is this normal?" I asked.
"The dungeon probably hasn't expelled its spawns to the upper floors. But, hmm... It would be good if that's the case," Denis responded. "Let's keep moving," Brandon instructed.
"Mister Denis, what do you mean by that?" I asked calmly out of curiosity to which Denis happily answered. "I've learned this when I was young, but it has something to do with how dungeons are made."
Delving deeper, Denis explains to me that mana is extremely reactant to a special mineral called Moines. When a spirit that exudes a powerful aura releases its mana for the surroundings to feel, the cumulative mana from the surroundings would be absorbed by the earth.
Most of this mana would affect the upper environment, like how Velxia affected the trees. But if the cumulative mana is so overpowering that the environment can't absorb it, the earth would try to absorb it forcefully by taking it in deeper.
There, it meets the mineral called Moines. The mana would infuse itself into that element and form Lumoine which would be a core that would spawn a dungeon. If we're talking about rarity alone, such a mineral that cannot be found naturally is indeed rare.
Luckily, since the dungeon is underground, it's also possible to come across ores of different minerals, but encountering them depends on luck, so it's not a part of expected profits.
However, with profits, also comes danger. The Lumoine would then start spawning monsters made out of mana, given physical form.
The first of its spawns would be weak ones, but would gradually increase in terms of strength as time passes. This would push the weaker spawns on the higher floors of the dungeon so that the stronger ones, who become territorial, would occupy the lower floors.
The boss is the strongest monster and is the one closes to the core of the dungeon or the Lumoine. With his explanation, I thought it to be better to finish off the dungeon earlier, but it seems that because this was caused by Galaxia, it seems that even the weaker ones have the possibility of being a grade 2 chimera beast, so we needed to be prepared first.
To be honest, I'm a little shocked knowing that the dungeon core is the thing running Sophia. I knew it was rare, but for it to have an effect like this is just baffling.
Just as I was thinking of that, we caught sight of a buffed bipedal silhouette, standing at around seven feet. "A wolven kobold, huh," Brandon commented. Strengthening my sight with mana, it looks like it's not alone.
"A wolven kobold on the upper floors, this is really troubling," Denis added. With the two's expressions, I also made sure to not let my guard down. As the first kobold found us in its sights as we readied ourselves.