Chapter 32: The Dungeon's Rules
It was impossible to leave the dungeon without fulfilling a few rules.
Any dungeon raider would be aware of it, and Minato wasn't an exception.
He entered the dungeon through his Cloud status and opened his eyes widely to look at the new place before him.
"I expected a different scenery," Minato took a deep breath.
He stared at the forest's top unfurling like a green carpet.
A pleasant wind swept through it, bringing out a delicate ringing rustle to it. The leaves shimmered with drops of golden nectar that steadily dripped from its leaves...
That nectar was known as golden rain.
A matter that would be explained by Aya in just a few minutes!
Minato couldn't see through it as it was dense.
Other batches of dungeon raiders appeared behind him, then.
These were veterans who had fought and overcame the dungeon a few times. Unlike him, they didn't take even a deep breath, and their eyes also vigilantly looked around without enjoying even a little of nature.
They glanced at Minato, then nodded at each other, "No one lurks around the entrance. Good, we can proceed."
It was a famous practice to get more resources at the start.
Luckily, no one bared their weapons at Minato, as that would undoubtedly be their lives' end! The dungeon raiders also saw nothing on Minato except two cute animals. No lady filled their ranks, so the men ignored Minato, going down.
Indeed, one couldn't enter the first floor through the top!
Minato also wasn't insane to jump at those leaves.
After the group went down a steep slope, Minato waited a few minutes and began his journey here.
He followed their steps, then casually called Aya out of his world.
She appeared with a new cute dress and her long hair wrapped in a high ponytail. It was so high, yet her hair was just an inch from scratching the ground!
"Can you see through this dungeon and its forest?" Minato smiled at her.
Aya nodded while enjoying his pats, "I can see it! I know the rules already!"
Everyone went 'Ohhh', which was going with the mood.
Aya chirped an information Minato had learned beforehand through the dungeon guild.
However, his spirit also saw things the dungeon raiders couldn't answer.
Aya said, "This golden nectar is a poison!"
"That nectar becomes the golden rain. I heard the first floor is the worst because of it," Minato replied while following Aya.
She looked around like a curious kid, which would delude pretty much every dungeon raider.
Aya was an old spirit looking for clues and information, after all!
She spun around and smiled at her master, "I know an answer to this golden rain! Forest sees, forests accepts! Husbando Overlord must simply ignore the golden nectar! You can't take it away from the forest, but you also must give it back!
In other words, you have to let it flow down through your body and clothes without letting it stay on you. Once it stops, even for a millisecond, it will smear you to death!" Aya warned her master.
At that time, Yuna's voice added another piece of information, "Body has a little importance here. Anyone with a strong psychique would be able to withstand this floor, but that's not the point here. This is a test for your mental, Minmin."
"Mental... I will smoothly overcome it," Minato squinted his eyes and declared.
Once again, his family smiled and supported him.
Minato was ready to give it a try, but Aya's eyes twinkled like stars. She wanted to talk more and share each drop of information.
Her master chuckled at her, then said, "Go on."
"This dungeon's rule is to create the tree!" Aya clenched her hands and rattled off, "Husbando Overlord needs to find a seed, then nurture the seed with his mana. A seed will then get its rank, and you will have to find suitable land for it. After the tree matures, it will open its trunk and reward you! You will also be able to leave then!"
It was a short summary of what Minato had to do.
Of course, nothing was as easy as it sounded.
To find a seed, Minato had to go around the forest and locate it through sheer luck or by killing monsters.
Loot wasn't guaranteed, and frankly, dungeon raiders often preyed on their own kind rather than monsters.
To get loot was also another arduous task.
What about pouring mana? That was the same as the dungeon guild developed written formations to increase the mana flow and allow people to pour more mana than their bodies permitted.
That alone showed how challenging it was.
What about the land and finding it?
All of them were tedious, and the list just heightened with each task.
Other than that, knowledge also played an important part.
No message would appear before dungeon raiders' eyes about their seeds. Be it looting or finding the land, no external power would help the dungeon raiders.
They also had to see through their seeds and make proper preparation.
Minato smiled at Aya, "You will be able to tell, right?"
"Yes!" Aya clenched her hand again, much tighter this time. She revealed her white teeth and smiled widely, "I will do it! I will see through everything for you, Husbando Overlord!"
She was pretty excited, and to answer it, Minato roughly stroked her hair, "I know you can do it... Don't get too excited, or you will knock out my teeth! Haha!"
"I won't! I can't jump that high!" Aya retorted and even threw a few punches to show her short distance.
Minato chuckled, but he inwardly knew about Aya's worries.
She was too excited, and it exposed her current dismay. Her worry about Overlord Enemies never vanished nor let her go, and she probably slept with nightmares about them.
Now that the chance appeared to prove herself and pave a path for her master, Aya was more determined than before.
She wouldn't accept failure, and her loud enthusiasm was mostly encouraging not her master but herself.
"It's time to overcome the golden rain!" Minato declared!
[Author's note: Thanks for your support! Golden tickets and power stones are always welcomed! ^^]