The next morning, a week after we had departed from Millis, we began hiking towards the mountain that could be seen in the clouds east of the Blue Lake city. We had left the horses and carriage under the care of a trusted friend back in Novaland, since we couldn't bring them with us.
It took us less than four hours to get to the mountain. After walking around a while, we finally got to the entrance of the dungeon. The entrance was a cave, closed with two, ten feet tall, metal doors.
The doors were crafted by Dwarven and Elven engineers and smiths. The doors were crafted with the second strongest metal, Adamantium. A special magic that repels beasts and burns them upon contact was added to the door, to keep the beasts from getting out.
On the large doors was the diagram of three beasts signifying the three Beast Kings of the dungeon. A lion, a bull and a gorilla.
I walked up to the large doors and pushed them. The doors creaked and slowly began to pry open. Light shone into the cave revealing a big and empty room.
We walked in slowly. Ace and Grey kept looking around as I closed the door behind us. The instant the doors were closed, the cave became dark.
Slowly, the walls and roof of the cave began to glow.
"What are those?" Ace asked looking around as the cave became brighter by the second.
"Those are the lights of the labyrinths." I answered. "Remember I said something about condensed mana zones yesterday. The three labyrinths are condensed mana zones. They are locations where mana is richest in this realm."
"Places that have been bathing in mana for thousands of years. Beasts and people of every race have died here. We are all creatures made from mana, and when we die, the mana in us gets released.
I walked to a wall and touched it. The cold wall began to glow like it responded to my touch. "These walls have absorbed a lot of mana. This labyrinth itself is magic."
We continued walking straight down towards a path that led deeper into the cave.
"Grey." Jade called out. "The map. Take it out." We were given a map of the dungeon by the guild back in Novaland. "We are headed for the thirtieth floor. We will camp there today, and continue going lower tomorrow. Ace. As our vanguard, you are our defence and offence. Grey, assassin. take care of support from the rear. Nick and Jordan, Magician and... Anyway. Left and right wing. I will stay in the middle. Don't lose focus."
Jade was an excellent strategist and tactician. "We don't need to be so alert now." I said. "Our fight will begin in the thirtieth floor. Beasts in the first to twenty ninth floor won't come close to us. They are smart creatures. They can sense our auras and tell how strong we are. Thought there are some exceptions."
"How do you know so much about the dungeon?" Jade asked.
"This isn't my first time here." I said. "I have been training in the dungeon for years. Not just me. Most of the Lords came here when we were young. This was our favourite vacation spot. We would come here, fight beasts, train and camp together."
"Even Lord Ash?" Grey asked.
"Yes. How do you think Ash got the title of Beast Slayer?"
"Ohhh. How did you guys fight? What weapons did you use?"
"We didn't use weapons." I said and grinned. "We fought in our unleashed monster forms."
"Whoa!!" They exclaimed looking surprised.
"We don't even know how to transform yet." Grey said.
"Well that's one of the reasons why we are here. Mainly for training. But the other reason is that running a nation is costly. We need a lot of resources. But while we are here, I will make sure you all learn to unleash your monster forms. And once you do. Shapeshifting will become easy."
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It was around noon. But there was no way to know for sure since there was no sun to tell.
Deep in a room in the fortieth floor, the deepest floor of the Millennial Beasts. An adventuring party was surrounded by a group of Millennial Red Horned Cobras.
*Red Horned Cobra*
Skills: Low level fire magic.
Attributes: Tough red scales. Yellow eyes. Two horns.
Size: 30 - 32 feet long.
Age: Millennial (One 9,500 years, five 9,000 years)
The party had been ambushed by six cobras. These snakes were powerful Millennial beasts on the verge of evolving. They were in a considerably large but empty room with two exits on both sides of the room.
There were caught in an ambush that put them in between six snakes. Three in front and three in back. One snake, who looked like the leader stood in between two snakes in front. There were four adventurers. An Elf, male, a Giant, male, and a human man and woman.
"We are surrounded." The giant adventurer said. "We have no choice but to fight. At least until we make an opening to escape."
"Dorian!" The elven adventurer shouted to the man. "You are the leader. What do you say?"
"Gorm is right." Dorian, the man, said. "Jack. Hina." Dorian shouted as he looked at the Elf and female human. "Lay on supportive fire as Gorm and I face them. I will take the ones in front. Gorm," He turned to the Giant. "take the ones behind us."
"Don't be stupid Dorian." The woman said. "You guys can't handle three alone."
"We won't be alone Hina." Dorian said. "We have you guys supporting us." Dorian drew his short sword. "Now." He shouted as he rushed towards the three cobras in front of him. "Aarrrggg."
As he rushed towards the cobras, Gorm, the giant, rushed towards the three at the back.
Dorian ran as fast as he could towards the cobras ready to take their heads. But then. Two of the snakes opened their mouths and spat fireballs at him.
He jumped and rolled left evading the first fireball. As the second flew at him.
SWISH. He cut the fireball in two making the two halved flames disperse. His sword was a magical weapon that had the ability to nullify low level magical attacks.
He continued running then saw glowing arrows fly over his head and hit one of the snakes on its abdomen. He didn't stop. He got close to a snake and jumped up.
SLASH. SLASH. He cut the snake in the middle on the neck.
The injured cobra hissed loudly as the cobra to the left smacked Dorian away with its tail.
Dorian blocked the attack with his sword but got thrown back. Jack, the elf, kept on firing arrows but the cobras slithered around evading most of them.
BHAM. Dorian heard a loud crashing sound. He glanced back and saw that Gorm had crashed on a wall. Hina rushed to Gorm and cast a healing spell in him. Gorm stood up again, and ran towards the cobras.
Dorian turned and faced his own opponents. He started taking swings at the cobras but the kept evading and slithering away. He focused on the snake in the middle as he thought. Once I kill the leader, we can change their pace and find a chance to escape.
He kept his focus on the larger cobra expecting Jack to keep the rest off him with his arrows. But the arrows had stopped. The cobra spat a fireball at him when his focus was broken. And this time, it hit.
"Haaaa." Dorian screamed as the flame burned his chest. He took out a green bottle and drank its content. It was a healing potion. As soon as he drank the potion, his wounds healed a little. He looked back at his party and saw Jack and Hina unconscious. They had need hit by fireballs.
Gorm was protecting them, even with an injured left hand. "No." Dorian shouted as he ran back to them. Gorm fell to his knees panting heavily, but kept his focus on the cobras. He was protecting his friends with just one hand.
Dorian got to them. He handed Gorm a healing potion.
"Here." He took out two more and fed them to his unconscious friends. The snakes continued to looked at them without attacking. They must have felt they were winning. He held his sword again and faced the snakes slithering towards them.
Gorm drank the potion Dorian gave him. His left arm healed a little. But it was enough to get him on his feet again. Dorian and Gorm stood with their backs to each other protecting their friends even as the six cobras crawled towards them.
*
My name is Dorian.
I am a human. Ever since I was a kid in Glavis, I always loved and looked up to those powerful adventurers who fought those big and ugly beasts that attacked and killed people. I wanted to be like those strong adventurers.
So I worked hard. And trained even harder. I got into the Academic City and trained to become an adventurer. A knight. After five years I finally graduated and became an adventurer.
Seven years later, I finally became a C rank adventurer and got myself the best party. Gorm, a Giant, and my best friend and our C rank vanguard. Jack, an Elven C rank assassin. Hina, our beautiful C rank healer.
We finally made it. We were getting stronger and making good money.
But then I got greedy. And now, we are about to die...
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Hello reader.
This is the author of The Slothful King, FIGS.
I want to use this means to thank you for reading my very first novel.
Thanks to you all, I finally have over a thousand views in less than two weeks of publishing.
Thank you very much...