After going over the plan, Zeus requested a copy of the world map as well as the country's map. As he examined them, the party waited for his comments. Being the oldest, they respected his opinion.
Zeus nodded and then drew a few lines, following the roads and marking a few possible dungeon locations. Some were just assumptions, as these dungeons hadn't been proven to exist yet. Leonard's party was excited, seeing these as potential adventures to undertake.
However, Leonard wasn't as enthusiastic about the adventure. To him, this was just a side quest, and he was already considering leaving the party once he was satisfied.
"This is… the path to the nearest town between the two great mountains. There should be no problems with monsters since they are weaker than the ones in the tower. However, this place," Zeus pointed to an area that hadn't been navigated before, "I think this could be a dungeon."
Everyone nodded, listening to Zeus as he explained why he believed it was a dungeon. He also took the time to explain what a dungeon was.
"Maybe you all don't know what a dungeon is. Dungeons are ruins of previous civilizations, ancient places. They could be home to monsters and forgotten treasures. So, if you're searching for The Lost Treasure of the Zackarious Empire, this is where you'd find it."
"How can you be so sure? If you don't mind me asking," Brian said.
Zeus showed no emotion and simply continued. "Unnavigated places have a high chance of being dungeons for many reasons. But the most common reason is the danger that prevents people from exploring them or the uncertainty of the rewards. Players are more focused on the tower, so they aren't interested in dungeons and lost treasures. The chance of becoming rich is higher inside the tower."
Everyone nodded at the reasonable explanation. It was even the reason why some people had thought of living inside the tower to earn more money. Additionally, the normal people in the world had no concerns about threats from monsters since Players had already cleared most of them.
As a result, the existence of Hunters only highlighted the unimportance of exploring the world. Exploring seemed to be just a unique interest for some people since there wasn't much to discover in a boring world. The tower had more to offer than the outside world.
"Zeus, how do you know all of this?" Leonard asked, growing more confused about how Zeus had acquired all this knowledge. It seemed impossible that all of this came from the archives.
"You don't know my capabilities, Leonard. I have more than what you'd expect."
Hearing that, Leonard couldn't help but wonder what Zeus was doing when he was unsummoned. Could there be a wealth of information in his abode besides the archive? If he remembered correctly, Zeus had mentioned that the information in the archive was limited.
'Just where does Zeus get all this information? Even the party doesn't know about it,' Leonard thought.
Unbeknownst to Leonard, Zeus had been studying this world from his abode. He had been using all of his connections to understand the nature of this world. There were many worlds with similarities, but he had filtered through the information until he had fewer options to determine the name of this world from his realm.
***
On the first floor of the tower, there were reports of several people dying from an unknown cause. Their bodies were found alone in the middle of the Green and Purple Forest, with no visible signs of what had killed them.
The reports reached the administration of the first tower, under the Player Association. An investigation began into these incidents, which could potentially cause chaos among Hunters and Players due to the possibility of an unknown monster.
But, unbeknownst to everyone, the cause was a single man searching for a valuable item.
Adorned in a black cloak with a hood, his face was obscured. This figure roamed the first floor, using a
Based on the image he retrieved from the memories of the man he had ordered to steal the
'That kid had no proper equipment. The items inside the tower are expensive, and some are subpar. The only place that kid would return to is outside the tower.' Confident, as he had not seen Leonard enter the challenge area from another
He first reached Levingston City, but finding no trace, he left something to probe around the city and look for Leonard.
He then returned to the tower and took a shortcut to Rune City. This time, he found some clues, prying into the memories of his victims.
Another report of a death reached the city mayor, but no action was taken due to the social status of the receptionist who had just died. It was reported as a cardiac arrest.
'Hmm… He has some companions…' The hooded man mused, seeing the face of a large man behind Leonard from the second victim in Rune City. This man had a powerful aura he couldn't ignore. 'So… these two people are Players, except for their Hunter companions. I see…'
"Excuse me, young man." An old lady gently tugged at his cloak, causing the hood to fall back. As he turned to face her, his fair and unblemished face was revealed, radiating a serene innocence. His soft features and wide, gentle eyes carried a warmth that made him appear almost angelic in the afternoon light.
"Yes, how may I help you?" he asked with a smile before the old lady asked him to carry her things to the nearest alleyway, an entrance to the orphanage behind the huge buildings.
"I see…" A respectful expression crossed the young man's face before he helped her carry her things. When he was done, he left, pulling his hood back over his face with scornful eyes.
'That kid was on an adventure…' the young man recalled before leaving the city's premises.
PassingNote: Let's have a trade.
For every 50 power stones, I will provide a bonus chapter.