Dungeon Pass is expensive but not expensive enough to cover all his debts. So Roy's only bet was to use it to enter the dungeon.
He was just wondering why that man gave it to him just like that. No simple person would do that if they knew its value.
He woke up early in the morning and went to the neighborhood to see if he could have a chance to meet that man again. He even asked the neighborhood about him. To his surprise, none of them recognized that person.
He just wanted to ask why he gave it to him, or maybe the man just handed a wrong paper to him. But, that person was nowhere to be seen.
Since that was the case, he proceeded with his original plan for that day.
Roy arrived at the place.
«Town 69»
It was the place stated in the Dungeon Pass. There were many newly established towns and this was the 69th. Once a dungeon appeared in a place, whether a populated one or unpopulated, it would have a bad effect on its surroundings. The ground would dry as though hit by famine.
After the explorers cleared the dungeon, it would become an attraction and a new source of valuable resources which attracted many people to come and do business. That's why they tend to become lively with different kinds of people coming for business and some settling for their whole life.
And yet, why was there something different in this town? There were only a few people on the street and their expressions seemed robbed with liveliness.
"The atmosphere of this place is strangely gloomy. Did I arrive in the wrong town?" Roy asked in disbelief.
But he saw a sign at the town entrance with the name «Town 69». So this was undoubtedly the place.
Not far from him, he saw an old merchant packing his things on the carriage. Roy approached him and borrowed his attention.
"Uhm, hello, Mister. What's happening here?"
The merchant was slightly startled by his sudden question. He didn't answer right away, instead, he gave him a quick inspection by looking at him from head to toe.
Roy was wearing a brown overall coat and on his back, he was carrying a big backpack. "Are you a newcomer?" The merchant suddenly asked.
"Yes, I am," Roy nodded without hesitation.
"In that case, I advise you to leave this place right away."
Eh? His words came as unexpected to him. He just arrived here and he already wanted him to leave?
He needed to learn why first. What kind of face would he show in front of his sister if he came back empty-handed? He promised her a chicken dinner tonight.
"Why? Is something going on here?"
"Can't you see?! This place is cursed!!!" The merchant suddenly raised his voice.
Cursed cursed cursed~
It reverberated into his ears.
"What?!"
Without minding his disbelief, the merchant mounted his carriage. "Come on, get out of the way! If you need more information, just visit the guild!"
Roy hesitantly stepped aside and the merchant went directly to exit the town. Roy was left standing. Baffled by what was going on in this place.
Since the town wasn't so big, he easily found the two-story building with green and blue paint. The building was built like a medieval-type building. Two long banners were standing outside. Above the door, the word "Guild" could be seen.
Since he was a new face in this area and none of them seemed to recognize him, he was stopped by the guards from entering. Roy showed them the Dungeon Pass. And after checking its authenticity, they finally allowed him to enter.
Roy noticed there were almost no people inside. Only a few people were there and all of them stared at him upon entering. On his left, Roy noticed the two people. One of them had a grim expression. They didn't seem like local citizens of this place.
Under their curious gazes, Roy rolled his eyes and scanned the room. The interior was clean and quite spacious. Even the ceiling was high. However, even with such a comfortable and extravagant layout, the room itself was proliferated by heavy glum.
He went directly to the counter. A woman in a guild uniform was standing behind it. Roy approached and greeted her.
"Good da— uhm, hello." Roy wanted to say "good day" but he rephrased it at the last second and just used a simple "hello" instead.
"Yes, what can I help you with? Are you entering the dungeon?"
"That's my plan."
"Sorry to tell you this but the dungeon is currently unavailable right now."
Roy slightly squinted his eyes. "Can you tell me why?"
"Something is going on in the dungeon right now. Anyone who tried to approach it would either lose consciousness or lose their minds before they could enter it."
"Is this about the curse? So is it true?"
Unexpectedly, the receptionist slightly shook her head.
"So far we are still unsure if it was truly because of the curse."
"What are you talking about?!!" Someone suddenly shouted in an outburst. All the people inside were startled by it. They looked and saw a man staring fiercely in the direction of the counter. There was an ugly frown on his face. Wait, it was the man that Roy saw having a grim expression earlier.
"This land is cursed by the Witch Of Famine!!! This place is done for!!! Ahhh!!!"
"Hey, Ronald, calm down, bro," said the person in front of him. He then stood up and approached him to try to calm him. But that person called Ronald suddenly grabbed his companion's collar and said, "You saw it too, right Jake?"
Jake, having a troubled expression, said, "Well, even if you said that. We both knew that the Witch Of Famine is just folklore."
"How many times have I told you it's real? Damn you, traitor!!!"
Pow! Pow!
"Ouch! Ouch! Wait, Ronald stopped it! That hurt!"
The people around looked dumbfounded as Ronald started beating his companion. Jake, on the contrary, did not retaliate and just defended himself.
Cling! Cling!
The receptionist took a bell and rang it two times. The front door opened and the two guards earlier came inside and dragged Roland with them. Despite being the one receiving the beating, Jake pleaded to the guards not to hurt Roland.
What the heck! This is another level of companionship!
Roy couldn't help but comment internally.