*gurgle*
I was just drinking from a stream. Afterward, I washed the dirt and blood off my body.
I was contemplating the dream where Manara showed me that my second purpose and duty in my life is to destroy all Dungeons and Scalaris.
This reaffirmed my faith.
I briefly looked up at the sky.
It was noon.
In the morning, I woke up refreshed and returned to the battlefield to check if maybe anyone had survived.
No one had.
I collected useful items from the corpses, buried my loyal soldiers, and begged Manara for her mercy.
After gathering some provisions, I continued my journey towards the Dungeon.
While collecting, walking, and now sitting by the stream, I thought about Ragnar's words.
He had said, "If Ludwig isn't really dead, he's in excellent condition... when I return, WHICH I WILL, he will truly die!" I said this with determination.
I stood up just as resolute as ever.
The stream ran right at the border of the relatively open area now in front of me.
A steppe began.
I gazed into the distance with a determined look and decided to follow my plan.
If Ludwig is still alive and Ragnar has been placed on me, he probably thinks I'm dead and intends to retake the throne.
I must admit I'd rather return immediately, but the inner conflict, exhaustion, and Ragnar's words held me back.
The inner conflict between my hatred for Ludwig and my hatred for the Scalaris and the Dungeon, the fatigue from the battle, and Ragnar's words that once again exposed the reality of myself and my rule.
And, damn it, he's right; unfortunately, I don't always have control!
So, I've devised a plan to first support my army, finally kill the Skalaris, and destroy the Dungeon. Or rather I will fulfill my task given by Manara, then even if my level is higher I don't replace an army.
Then, I'll return with an army, and if Ludwig has dared to become Emperor again, I'll make sure to kill him this time.
Once that's done, thanks to Anja Stone, everything can finally move forward, which has been delayed until now.
She was supposed to set up her system during my absence, but I didn't know how things looked in the capital, Eisenburg, now.
According to Anja Stone, the system could cover the entire continent, which is why it takes so long to set up, and the other major cities in my empire won't be left behind.
During my journey with the bodyguards, I avoided the major cities, such as Border Town, which is now called Fireburg.
After I handed over the border region to the nobleman Brander Firesword, he renamed it and turned it into a military city.
It had been nearly emptied because of the wars, but influential people and adventurers remained who could recognize me maybe.
Fireburg was not yet affected by the Field of Death; the city walls were about 100 km from the Tower Dungeon.
I shook my head and tore my stiff gaze away from the steppe, crossing the stream into what I believed to be the true WestMont Kingdom.
The sparse trees and low bushes near the stream became scarcer, and after several kilometers, I found myself in an open area with no plants taller than a meter.
Here, it would become somewhat more dangerous, as adventurers and emerging monsters still took care of business in the border forest.
As long as the Scalaris have a Dungeon as their home, the majority of the population lives inside it.
From what we've observed, only a few people inhabit the surrounding areas. There are individual towns of medium to small size. But when danger threatens, they all barricade themselves in the Dungeon.
This makes the territory somewhat wilder and more dangerous, I would say.
But what does "dangerous" mean? It is dangerous for the common people and soldiers, but not for me.
I walked over the drying grass, and the sun relentlessly beat down on me.
There was no wind, and the heat weighed on my spirit.
"Is this a test, Manara?" I asked the sky.
A gust of wind arose, stirring up dust.
I felt validated once again and continued my journey with firm, brisk steps.
Not much happened in the following two days.
I contemplated the ongoing events and wondered how things were in the capital.
Fortunately, there was rain during those two days, and only a couple of monsters crossed my path, thanks to Manara.
I hunted a Saiga Antelope with crystalline horns.
The taste was alright.
After one day, I noticed that the mana was in motion.
It was being drawn in a certain direction, which I, strangely enough, was also following.
"Is Manara showing me the way?" I asked myself and consciously followed the flow.
I came across an abandoned village with stone houses and a small stream.
Aside from the rain, it served as a water source and shelter for me.
And now, after those two days, I stood before it, the wall.
It was ten meters high and really long, it's forming a circle, with a destroyed entrance gate.
The wall was made of white stone, and it was just slightly cloudy, yet it glowed faintly.
I saw remnants of a tent camp in front of the wall and assumed that the army had set up these tents for some time.
I focused and realized that the wall was attracting the mana. "These bastards!" I cursed loudly.
How could they dare to do such a thing? They use Manara and her creation but still worship these abominations—Dungeons.
I thought about it with disdain.
Without hesitation, I walked through the broken stone gate and now stood alone and furious in the Field of Death.
"HOW DARE YOU FEED THESE DUNGEONS!" I screamed with full hatred in the space enclosed by the walls.
By this display and use of mana, they publicly mock Manara and allow the Dungeon to grow. The only good thing was that the Field of Death was not expanding. But I know that the Skalaris do not limit the Field out of goodwill, and I cannot and will not forgive such a thing.
In anger, I drew my sword and infused all my mana into it.
With a powerful swing, I released the flying blade toward the wall.
"BLASPHEMY!" I shouted during the swing.
A three-meter thick, 100-meter-long blade formed. It was dark green, almost black.
It left almost a tear in the air and moved so quickly that it created a shockwave behind it.
*Vrooom* *BOOM*
It made a loud noise, and my strength momentarily left me. I was, however, so trained and focused on my physical power that I wouldn't fall into unconsciousness when I ran out of mana.
Now, there was a six-meter-long crack diagonally in the wall.
Due to the shockwave and the force of the flying blade, the crack expanded.
I quickly absorbed some mana from the relatively rich atmosphere, despite the Field of Death.
That was because, firstly, the wall released mana into the wall's vicinity, and I wasn't yet efficiently using all the available mana during its use.
Therefore, I was once again full of strength and looked at the destroyed wall.
The cut went through, and even behind the wall, there was a scar on the ground.
I turned around and headed towards the center of the area.
I could already see it from the beginning but now focused on it and walked towards the rise.
After just 5 kilometers, I stood before it: the Dungeon, the capital and gathering point of the Skalaris.
I saw two soldiers from my army standing at the entrance, one on the left and one on the right.
They saw me and approached me, kneeling.
"Your Majesty!" they greeted me simultaneously.
I nodded briefly and initially focused on the monstrosity.
I stood in front of the entrance to this accursed Dungeon, filled with hatred and disgust.
The entrance was a mixture of ice and sand.
In the center was a cube made of frozen sand, surrounded by ice that seemed to explode upward from the ground.
In total, it was about ten meters high, and the entrance located in the middle was about six meters high. It had an icy blue wooden double door.
Around the entrance was a circle of icy sand.
The sand beneath my boots felt cold, as if it were saturated with an icy contempt for those who approached it.
The grains relentlessly scratched at my feet, and I could feel them burrowing into every crevice of my skin.
It was ironic how this Dungeon was different from the warm steppe.
"Disgusting once again! Hopefully, life is hard inside!" I cursed because Scalaris normally lived in warm regions.
I briefly spoke with the soldiers.
These soldiers provided me with a brief status report.
They informed me that Orion was already on the 4th floor, having secured the previous floors.
I got told that the characteristics were ice and sand, which I could already see for myself.
After exchanging some additional information and giving me a small lantern for the entrance, I bid them farewell and opened the double doors.
*Skreech*
They opened with an eerie, wooden creaking that sent a shiver down my spine.
Now, before me extended a tunnel with walls covered in a thick layer of ice, glistening like the frozen tears of a damned soul in the dim light of my lantern.
A chilly breeze blew in my face, but I refused to shivere as it passed by.
The cold seemed too want to penetrate my bones, and I could literally taste the disgust as I felt the salty, icy taste of the sand blowing into my mouth.
With each step into this dark cave, saturated with hatred and disgust, the world around me seemed to grow increasingly threatening.
The sand and ice seemed to whisper, mock, and condemn me.
A burning hatred drove me forward, deeper into this sinister labyrinth of sand and ice, searching for answers and seeking revenge.
I glanced at the map the soldiers had given me, and under the soft yellow light of the mana lamp, I followed this dark path.
I dodged traps such as ice spikes and quicksand.
It was freezing cold, but my robust body could withstand it easily.
With every step, the ground crunched, and I could see my breath in the light of the lantern.
After an unknown amount of time, I now stood before it.
The next wooden door leading to the first floor.
Different from the Tower Dungeon, every Underground-Dungeon was said to have a Floor 0 that tested the adventurers' abilities before they entered the Dungeon.
This was stated in the "Records of Sins" and kept at the headquarters of Manara's church.
Of course, my ancestors also had their own records because, in the 600 years of my empire's history, more than five Dungeons were said to have appeared.
All of them were destroyed!
"Let's get started!" I said with determination and anticipation, finally making the world a better place and, now, with the history of my empire's past in my mind, honoring my ancestors.
I took a step forward and opened the door.
Before me was an ice-cold wall with sand particles, moving and seemingly attracting one.
I reached my hand out and stepped through.
My first step. My first floor. My first Dungeon. My second and enduring purpose. One of my destiny's!
„So be it!"