"No need to thank me, sir!" Ryan reluctantly bent down to give Hark's father a hug, nearly twisting his back in the process.
"Ryan, this is my father Dex, my mother Kriss, Hani's mother Nansi, and this is Ryan, a first-level Fire Mage, and also my savior," Hark introduced enthusiastically.
Ryan then took a closer look at Hark's father Dex. He had a big, red beard that nearly reached his waist, no armor on his body, and a bald head. He wore a sleeveless shirt and short leather pants, with a pair of unknown beast-skin boots. The muscles exposed outside his clothes glowed with a bronze color under the candlelight. To Ryan, he appeared more like a large lump of meat, but Ryan could clearly sense that Dex was much stronger than him, radiating a vast amount of energy.
Then, Dex pulled Ryan over to the table. The candles in the room were clearly made from some kind of beast fat. They not only burned extremely slowly but also emitted a very bright light, almost comparable to a 40-watt electric bulb. The room was nicely furnished with a stone table, stone chairs, and silver cutlery. The stone chairs were covered with soft beast skins, and the floor, which was originally stone, had been polished to a smooth shine. The temperature of the underground space was quite comfortable. The dining table was already full of food, including freshly roasted meat, a drink made from some kind of plant, mushroom soup, a roasted fish, and several unknown fruits that were brown in color.
"Ryan, try our special boneless fish. This fish has no bones and only grows in hot springs near volcanoes. It's very hard to catch. And here are the figs. These fruits grow on vines that flourish in volcanic ash. You can only see the fruit, never the flowers..." Dex said, eagerly eating while explaining.
Ryan had just eaten some roast meat, so he settled for drinking some of the beverage, tasting the fish, and sampling the fruit. Surprisingly, the food had its own unique flavor. The boneless fish had delicate meat, the fig was moderately sweet and sour, and although the drink had a lower alcohol content, it had a pleasant herbal aroma.
"Uncle Dex, isn't there any way out of the Dark World?" After the meal, Ryan found an opportunity to quietly ask Dex, as Hark and his three brothers had gone to help their mother with chores. Only Dex and Deff remained.
Dex paused when he heard Ryan's question, staring out at the fire-lit buildings. He sighed deeply, "Who wouldn't want to leave? This has been the lifelong dream of everyone in the Dark Realm, but the way out has been severed. Only by reaching the tenth level of Legendary rank can one possibly leave. Our ancestors repeatedly told us, 'If one day you see the sun, scatter our ashes on the grassy land.' We want to see the legendary twin stars, the sun, the towering trees, and the running cattle and sheep. But we can't get out. Thousands of years ago, someone tried to return to the surface, but no one dares to try now because it's just a waste of life. But for us dwarves, we don't mind. We've always loved caves. But I still wish I could taste the legendary barley wine," Dex said, wiping tears from his eyes despite being over a hundred years old.
"Uncle Dex, what happened exactly? Why can you get in but not get out?" After Dex's emotions calmed down, Ryan carefully asked.
Dex took a large gulp of his drink and replied, "There's a deep, unfathomable canyon, very wide, about five kilometers across. But that's not the most important thing. The real danger is the tremendous winds above it, mixed with massive rocks—chaotic winds. Originally, there was a magic teleportation array there, but our ancestors destroyed it. During the escape, the high-level alchemists who could control the teleportation array all died. There aren't any flying magical beasts underground. The only ones that could possibly be here are fire phoenixes and black dragons, but they prefer magma, so they won't leave. No warrior can even get their descendants to go out."
"A spatial teleportation array? There aren't many of those on the surface either! So, why did your ancestors come down?" Ryan smiled bitterly. Setting up a teleportation array requires high-level spatial alchemists, and even high-level spatial mages are rare. There must have been no high-level alchemists, and chaotic winds are a kind of energy capable of cutting through steel. Ryan hadn't seen them in person, but he knew that they were a troublesome force, requiring double protective measures. Only high-level magical beasts could have such protection. But then, Ryan became curious as to why these people had descended in the first place.
Dex took another large gulp of drink and continued, "It's a bit embarrassing, but we came down fleeing from the Battle of the Gods and Demons over ten thousand years ago. The Dark Realm used to be an adventure zone, attracting countless mercenaries, warriors, and mages. The mineral resources here are rich, and there are even rare magical beasts not found on the surface. After the Battle of the Gods and Demons, most of the races on the surface were wiped out, so the cowardly ones fled here, along with some defeated soldiers. Eventually, even the teleportation array was destroyed."
"The Battle of the Gods and Demons, what exactly was that about?" Ryan had heard of the Battle of the Gods and Demons, but he wasn't clear on the details. There were hundreds of versions told by bards, so when he heard Dex mention it, he quickly asked.
Dex shook his head and sighed, "I don't really know much either. It happened over ten thousand years ago, and there aren't many detailed records. By the way, what's the surface like now?"
Ryan then described the surface in great detail. At that moment, Deff, Hark's three brothers, and both of Hark's mothers listened carefully to Ryan's description of everything on the surface. Seeing the hope in their eyes, Ryan could feel the deep longing they had for home.
"Thud, thud, thud." A few muffled sounds broke the silence, and Ryan looked outside in confusion.
"Hehe, it's time for bed. This is always how it is down here. The drumming is used to mark the time. Tomorrow, when we wake up, I'll take you to the city lord to register. With your identity as a mage, the lord won't make things difficult for you," Dex said, laughing as he noticed the confusion in Ryan's eyes.
Ryan had been meditating all night, but now he felt a bit anxious. So many people in the Dark Realm hadn't been able to leave, and with his low strength, it seemed even more impossible for him to escape. After thinking for a while, he realized that the key was to increase his strength. Repairing a spatial teleportation array was no more difficult than building one, but first, he needed to understand its structure. He also needed the corresponding magical power, but that was where the problem lay. Ryan only remembered some basics. He only knew about the Water, Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal, and Wind elements, while other elements like Dark, Light, and Lightning were a mystery to him. To understand a magic array was like understanding a circuit board—one small mistake could ruin everything. There was no room for carelessness. Now, Ryan hoped there were books about alchemy down here, or else he would have to focus on advancing and reach the rank of Legendary Mage. However, he felt unsure about this. How many Legendary Mages existed in the world? Could he really make it?
"Uncle Dex, can I wait a few days before registering with the city lord? I feel like I'm about to advance to a Level 2 Mage," Ryan said. During his meditation the night before, he had clearly sensed that the Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Dark magic elements were particularly abundant here. At first, Ryan had been startled by the concentration of magical elements, but now he simply absorbed all of them into his mind. In the end, all the elements would be converted into that silvery-white magical power. The higher the concentration, the better the harvest. Ryan's spiritual energy was like a fishing net—he cast it widely and captured everything, be it crabs, eels, lobsters, or turtles. The denser the magic, the greater the yield. Most mages, on the other hand, were like fishermen—if they caught a turtle, they had to discard it. Ryan vaguely felt like he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Although he wasn't sure exactly what was happening, he knew that feeling couldn't be wrong. The main problem was that his qi cultivation technique could only be sustained for an hour. The magical elements absorbed through his feet were completely transformed into magical power, while the spiritual energy absorbed was only about half of that. So Ryan planned to push himself harder and strive to advance to a Level 2 Mage as soon as possible. Then, he could start crafting magic scrolls and produce things like landmines in bulk. In the underground caves, the power of the landmines would be amplified. There wouldn't be any problem placing ten or eight of them in a small cave. The chances of stepping on one would increase by at least double.
"This talent... you're only sixteen and already a Level 2 Mage?" Dex said, his face full of envy. Ryan had lied about his age, but his physical development was good, so he looked about the right age. He also kept his dual-element mage status a secret, occasionally mentioning that he was an alchemist, although Dex didn't quite believe it.
Ryan glanced toward the distant volcano, and an idea popped into his head: "Uncle Dex, is there anyone near the volcano?"
"Hehe, that's where our dwarven blacksmiths work. I also work there," Dex replied with a smile.
Ryan was thrilled when he heard this: "Uncle, can I meditate with you there? It's closer to the volcano, and the Fire magic elements will be much more concentrated."
Dex agreed and led Ryan toward his workplace. As they passed through the city, Ryan realized that the city was full of all kinds of people—gnomes, dark elves, dwarves, humans, and even patrols of soldiers. Ryan learned from Dex that mages were very rare here. In the caves, mages were less useful than archers. Dark elves naturally had dark vision, so the light produced by a mage's spell made them easy targets. Therefore, the mage profession was somewhat redundant in the underground world. Flying was not an option, and only large-scale battles could be fought—such as defending against monster attacks. Monsters often launched surprise raids on human cities in the caves, so cities had to be built in places that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. There were sentinels on patrol, and each city had specialized hunting teams and food-gathering teams. The weaker members of the team would gather mushrooms and ferns, while the stronger ones would hunt monsters. As long as the number of monsters was kept in check, they wouldn't lack food, and they wouldn't attack humans.
"Where does all the lava go?" Ryan asked, following Dex as they crossed a wide stone bridge. On the other side, streams of lava poured down, flowing into a deep, unseen canyon. From the other side came the sound of clanking metal. A massive stone fortress was built on the other side of the bridge, clearly Dex's workplace.
"Ah! Dex, where did this idiot come from? Asking about something so simple, for heaven's sake!" A sarcastic voice came from behind Ryan. He turned around and saw another dwarf, similar to Dex, walking toward them.
Dex rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "Tanis, can't you just shut that stinky mouth of yours? Did you drink too much last night?"
"Dex, do you want to provoke my anger? I'll tell you, you've succeeded. You bastard, come on, come on, you coward!" Tanis immediately jumped up, swearing loudly, swinging his short arms around.
"Alright, Tanis, you've won today. Watch me not smack your butt and send you home to find your mama!" Dex immediately jumped up at Tanis' words and charged at him. The two started fighting, but they didn't use any aura in their brawl.
Ryan was stunned watching them. The records said that dwarves were straightforward but also quite violent, quick to start fights. Ryan hadn't really believed it, but now watching the two dwarves fight so fiercely, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, kid, what are you laughing at? Are you looking down on us dwarves? Want to give it a try?" Ryan's shoulder was slapped. Turning around, he saw a hand on his shoulder, which scared him half to death. The underground was already dimly lit, but soon he saw a younger dwarf, one who had been following Tanis. Ryan could tell the dwarf's age by the length of his beard, as dwarves never trimmed their beards.
"Alright, what are we competing in? A battle of wits or strength?" Ryan smiled slightly as he looked at the dwarf, who had a disdainful look on his face. Ryan sized him up and judged that his strength was probably around Level 1. There was no need to lose face here, right?