CH 40

I followed the trail relying on the luminous stone. I arrived after about 10 minutes in a walk with small steps. The destination was fairly close.

The wide recessed crater melted into the surrounding terrain with the passage of time.

A huge pool of knee-high clear water has become the home of underwater plants. It was very beautiful to see the water plants swaying in the water under the moonlight.

I looked at the place where the image of a full moon was shining. The center of the huge pool-like crater.

There, a foreign gate was slowly creating a vortex.

“It’s a dungeon.”

Just then, a message appeared stating that the quest of ‘Hometown Exploration’ was completed.

[‘The Harsh Commentator who adjusts the balance’ nodded his head saying that, as expected, no dungeon can be missed by an S-class.]

[‘The Scales that Judges the Soul’ sends a reproach to the ‘The World-building God’, asking if he was deliberately guiding believers to a dangerous place.]

[‘The World-building God’ hurriedly explains that this was a subjugated C-class dungeon with no boss, so there will be no trouble.]

Agnes looked around and commented, in a friendly tone because she was not in training mode.

“Burst?”

I was surprised. ‘Dungeon Burst’, where monsters and demons burst out of a dungeon, like an explosion. No matter how low-level dungeons are, if a burst occurs, the difficulty jumps up and gets upgraded to at least S-class.

When demons and beasts who used to run rampant in the dungeon run rampant in the human world, the damage is enormous. It was a disaster that may destroy the Serentra Continent if it is not prevented regardless of which dungeon burst open.

That was Dungeon Burst.

I checked the age of aquatic plants with ‘Plant Detection’, one of the cultivation skills.

“The oldest of the plants here are less than six years old. If the burst happened six years ago, the whole town would have been devastated.”

I got goosebumps after saying it aloud. It was around 6 years ago when my family was still living here.

Agnes’ expression darkened.

It was as Agnes said.

Usually, it is normal to be a crowded place day and night because of adventurers who have come to dig for resources, but on the contrary, this place was becoming a part of nature.

As if, the world did not know the existence of the dungeon.

In this case, there is only one conclusion.

“The subjugation squad was annihilated, so no one knew about it.”

I couldn’t answer back hastily. 

Because that was also the story of Agnes. A righteous person who sacrificed themselves to prevent a dungeon burst. 

Agnes, who had been praying for the dead for a long time, turned to me.

“Request?”

At the same time, World God also encouraged me to enter the dungeon.

[‘The World-building God’ sniffly tells you that there is no record of anyone looting boss items in the dungeon.]

There’s no need to think anymore, as S-class boss items are waiting to be looted.

“Yes, I will.”

“Well. Shall we go then?”

I took off my shoes and rolled up my pajama dress. I went to the shallow but wide center of the puddle and looked into the gate. It was a place like a water well of unknown depth. 

Without hesitation, I jumped inside.

[ You have entered the C-level dungeon ‘Black Salt Desert’.]

Well, it’s a dungeon where the only resource really seems to be salt. Even so, I don’t really want to eat it because it’s black.

‘Where did they defeat the boss? Let’s see the map.’

There was only one thing that stood out on a bleak map that was almost blank. A Temple-shaped architecture. That would be the boss zone.

“I think we should go all the way northeast from here. It’s about 20 kilometers, so if you walk non-stop……”

I turned around, led by Agne’s urgent voice.

Kirruk!

A giant scorpion the size of a tiger was rushing towards me in a straight line.

“……!”

I held my breath and looked at it with wide-open eyes.

The moment when the scorpion, which has been steadily narrowing the distance, finally casts a shadow on my face.

Pussack!

I took out a wooden sword from my satchel bag and swung it. The scorpion flew far away.

“Oh, that surprised me.”

I poked the scorpion, but there was no movement. It looked like he died instantly.

This is the power of buffs and doping. Ahem.

It has already been 4 weeks since I started training under Agnes’ teaching. Rigid body had already reached level 23 and the wooden swordsmanship had reached level 21.

Although it is said that the level up is slower as the level goes up, it seemed that the Aura awakening requirement would be fulfilled first than the divine power.

I decided that I had to control the achievement of either physical strength or weapon skills. Agnes, who had come to her senses, said in a stern voice.

“Cadet? Is it training time?”

“That’s great.”

It really was. I was able to learn a sense of combat and raise my experience points thanks to the beasts that attacked here and there when I get bored.

[ Congratulations! Reached Rigid Body Lv.24.]

[ Congratulations! You have achieved Basic Wood Swordsmanship Lv.22.]

I also leveled up a week’s worth of training.

Of course, the original purpose was not forgotten. I diligently moved my legs so as not to slow my steps even as I defeated the incoming beasts.

After maybe an hour or so, a tunnel made of huge bones appeared.

I guess he was the middle boss. Like a guardian dragon of a temple. 

“Wait a minute.”

I immediately opened the system. The real time indicated by the clock was a few minutes past midnight after I arrived at the dungeon entrance.

“I checked it now, and it seems that the time difference between this dungeon and reality is at least 20 times faster.”

In general, the time flow of the dungeons is faster than reality, but this ‘Black Salt Desert’ seemed to be unique.

‘Since six years have passed in reality, and at least 120 years in the dungeon.’

It’s the right time for a corpse to have turned into white bones. I only hoped that the relics could be retrieved.

“……Let’s go. I’m sure they have waited long enough.”

I entered the Demon Dragon’s skull and walked along the tunnel made up of his spine and ribs. And it was when it came out of the tip of his tailbone.

[ You have entered the ‘Barrier of the Black Temple’.]

Whoooow!

My vision became foggy and a sandstorm began to blow. The salt rushed into my mouth.

Agnes was taken aback.

“It’s all right.”

I just have to look at the map and go. I walked steadfastly through the storm that seemed to blow my body away. At that moment, a flickering black shadow was reflected in the hazy vision. It was slowly but surely coming towards me.

Agnes also warned me.

I prepared my wooden sword with the intention of immediately destroying the beast obstructing my path.

When it finally got closer to about five steps.

“Ugh…uh….”

“A pe-person?”

It was a muscular middle-aged man staggering like a zombie?

Thud!

He even fell in front of me.

“Wake up! Mister! No, Grandpa!”

It was when I slightly changed the name in consideration of physical age.

“Sto-Stomach….”

“Injury to the stomach! ……you don’t have one?”

“I’m hungry…….Oh, no. The muscle loss…”

“Muscle loss?”

There was no answer to be heard. The muscular middle-aged man had lost his mind.

I said with a sigh.

“We need to take a break, Agnes.”