Chapter 353: Dungeon in Alka

The mountain range was an unnamed one by the kingdom, as no one dared to live near it. The closest human settlement was the nearby city, Pero.

As Arthur heard, it was a fishing city. There were many natural lakes, and the two rivers were the closest to each other around those parts. This made Pero essential for fishing and a pivot point for internal trade between the nine cities of the kingdom.

He thought of his oncoming meeting the Lord of the city as they moved through the mountain range. They were looking for traces of the Ogres Tribe.

"The caves are endless. This is a natural treasure." Rosa said as she glanced around. Every few minutes of walking, there was a new cave that looked like a bottomless abyss.

"How come no one tried to mine these ores?"

"No one is sure if they even exist. And the cost of transportation, protection, and mining would far outweigh any profit people can have." Rosa said with a regretful expression.

"Unless someone builds a city."

"Well, that would be difficult," Rosa said. "The druids can hide in the forest, but the ogres were here due to their strength. My uncle said that he was on an expedition to clear out this mountain range."

"Oh, they failed?"

"They were prepared for Ogres, but not to what protected them. As the Ogres were about to be annihilated, powerful monsters came out to protect them. The expedition was almost wiped out if not for the intervention of the kingdom

"Powerful monsters?" Arthur halted his steps. "Did the kingdom take care of them?"

"No, they could not." Rosa shook her head. "Both sides retreated, and the Ogres remained in the mountain range," Rosa said as she turned to look at Arthur.

"As long as we don't try to wipe the Ogres out, the monsters shouldn't come out. Even more, we're just trying to talk to them." Gruen sensed Arthur's unease.

'Was this by design?' Arthur wondered to himself as he nodded toward the two. 'Solomon chose this location. Did the King believe Arthur can handle this issue or that he would seek out help?'

Either way, it was a win for the kingdom. But, unfortunately, he underestimated how calculating the ruling class can be. It seems that no matter how far ahead he planned, others can do the same.

'Let's use detection now.'

Since he didn't want to spend much energy before he met the Ogres, Arthur didn't use the rune until he was deep into the mountain range. Then, when his mana covered the surrounding, Arthur was surprised by something within the mountain range.

He studied this in Jerano: unique spatial mana waves that looked like a stain on a piece of fabric. It was a dungeon. He could do calculations to estimate the dungeon's difficulty, but he didn't study at Jerano long enough for him to remember them.

'This is...' Arthur frowned. 'Different.'

This dungeon was different from than ones he saw back on Earth. Even though he could feel its existence, it looked as if it was closed. Realization dawned on him when he remembered that he was on the other end of the dungeon.

'The Gates.'

They were the method for awakeners on Earth to travel toward Alka. However, for the people of Alka, it was no different than a closed protuberance in space.

Does that mean that a dungeon will be opened soon next to his city? Is he going to meet people from Earth from the past? So many questions filled his mind, but they were all irrelevant to his current quest.

He began to sense the life force of different creatures and monsters. They were numerous and in no way clustered together. Some of them were deep into the caves, others were on the higher parts of the mountain, and some were in the sky.

"The sky?"

Arthur muttered as he looked up. There was a flock of birds that circled the mountain in a particular pattern. They avoided flying over certain parts, which Arthur concluded to be 'too dangerous' for the birds.

Focusing his mana on those parts, Arthur finally found traces of the Ogres Tribe. Some structures looked like monuments around the mountain.

"Let's go." Arthur stopped using his detection rune and opened his eyes. The two nodded in response and followed after him.

The landscape began to change, and wooden towers, metal monuments, and pits filled with bones began to appear. The details were creepy, but they were also a sign of hope for the group.

"It seems the Ogres have a certain culture as well," Arthur muttered as he looked at the monument of a horned humanoid creature. The statue was shabbily made, but it resembled a part of the culture.

"The craftsmanship is subpar, but maybe they aren't as barbaric," Gruen said hopefully. Arthur glanced his way and wondered how the dwarf ignored the bones pit beside them.

"I think these are offerings," Rosa said as she pointed at the pit. "The bones aren't broken, and some of them resemble a full body."

"An offering to what?" Arthur muttered as he looked at the monument. "Maybe to their protectors?"

As he said so, Arthur walked closer and reached out toward the ugly piece of metal. A whistle tore the silence, and Arthur stepped back. Between him and the statue landed an ax as a deep growl came from a distance away.

As the group looked up, they found an ogre on top of a cliff. The Ogre looked at them with rage for trespassing their lands. Arthur gestured to Rosa, who took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"We are here for peace!"

Her voice was powerful, and it echoed in the mountain's range. A hint of mana could be felt within it, and Arthur felt the 'meaning' of her words travel directly to his mind.

The rageful expression of the Ogre turned milder, and it spat out a few words that Arthur didn't understand. Rosa nodded and took another breath before shouting.

"We want to talk to your leader!"

The Ogre looked hesitant before it said something and disappeared. Arthur turned toward the blacksmith for translation.

"It said we should wait here until he seeks out his tribe," Rosa wiped away her sweat.

"Is it tiring to use your ability?"

"No, but shouting the mana-infused words is tiring," Rosa explained. "We should wait here until the Ogre returns. It would be a good start for our communication."

"What if it brings its companions to wipe us out?" Gruen grumbled, but Arthur understood his caution and agreed.

"Then, we'll have to rely on the Seika to save us," Rosa said with a slight smile, to which Arthur returned and nodded.

The wait wasn't long. Finally, they heard footsteps as several figures appeared from within a few caves. The Ogre from earlier was with them.

Arthur smiled as he felt several more Ogres within the caves but didn't see it as a bad omen. They were cautious. An Ogre with a large beard stepped forward on a cane.

"Ji gu nala o?" The Ogre said cautiously toward Rosa. A hint of surprise could be seen on his face. Arthur was amazed that they could do more than just ripping you apart.

"Yes, I speak all languages," Rosa said with a nod. "This is my Lord. He's here to offer a peace treaty."

The Ogre turned toward Arthur with a frown. Then, as if recognizing him, the Ogre shook its head with a hint of hate. Finally, he said a few words, which made Rosa frown.

"What did he say?" Arthur was curious.

"He said that you killed his son." She answered with an uncomfortable expression. "If we wanted peace, then we need to present your head."

"I mean, my head is here. I just hope that he doesn't want it separately." Arthur shrugged, and Rosa looked at him with a 'this is no time to say jokes' expression. "Fine," He sighed. "I guess I'll just wipe them out."

His aura exploded as he said so. Arthur recited the art of creation within his mind, and existence began to condense around him. Sinking into space itself, the pressure his body emitted was akin to those of gods.

The Ogres retreated in fear as they looked cautiously at Arthur, who turned to Rosa.

"Tell them one thing." His voice came out overbearing, and it traveled like a whip. "If they want war, then war it shall be. However, they shouldn't rely on their protectors for survival. I'll kill anything that stands in front of me."

Arthur said, and Rosa nodded with a frightened expression. She repeated his words to the Ogres, who looked at him apprehensively.

'Damn, this is tiring.'

Even after his Soul Restructure and losing his arm forever, Arthur couldn't use his art for a long time. The existence that seeped into him threatened to make him lose himself. Luckily, the Ogres didn't seem to be keen on fighting. The leader replied to Rosa, and she translated to Arthur.

"He's asking about our demands."