Chapter 21 - Entering

Chapter 21 Entering

He walked into the Great Golden Tooth Tavern. It was surprisingly quiet. It was without the noise of an ordinary tavern.

The explorers here were either talking to their companions or eating quietly or doing their own matters. Even the sound of chatting was such that it would not disturb others.

For a moment, Kane was still a little uncomfortable with suddenly entering a civilized and quiet tavern.

As soon as he sat down at the bar counter, a dwarf with an orange beard and bare chest, with no hair on his head, walked over.

His beard was obviously carefully groomed, which was characteristic of dwarves.

Leaping onto a stool, he bit his pipe and said to Kane in a low voice, “Young man, I’m sure you saw it. This place doesn’t welcome noisy people. If you want to be lively, you’d better go to the tavern with the big clarinet down the road.”

“Of course, I like the quiet a lot. Too much noise might actually bother me,” Kane said with relief.

“Haha, that’s good.” His stern face broke into a smile, and his cracked mouth revealed a gold tooth on the left side.

He held out his hand to Kane. “Let me introduce myself. Burton. Burton Firebeard, owner of the Great Golden Tooth Tavern.”

Kane held out his hand and shook it. “Kane. Kane LaFleur. An ordinary explorer.”

‘So, lad, do you need anything?’

“Dinner. Any recommendations?” Kane had just arrived and was still a long way from the Lion City. He was almost at the limit of teleportation. “Of course, if there are any rooms left, I’ll have one.”

“Hoho, how can there be no rooms in the tavern at the entrance of the dungeon?” With that, he took out an exquisite key and handed it to Kane.

“For dinner, I’d recommend the specialty for the day. Dwarf-flavored roast beef leg, freshly baked. Lucky you, isn’t it?”

With that, he winked at Kane.

When Kane nodded, he jumped off the stool and went to the kitchen to bring out the dish to serve his guest.

In a moment, he came back.

Kane started gnawing at the beef leg.

Burton got himself a glass of wine. He looked at Kane and suddenly said, “You just became an Explorer, right?” “Why do you say that?” Kane said strangely, turning around.

“First, it’s your age.” He shook his pipe. “Second, you don’t seem to have any teammates around you.”

Kane knew why. The minimum age in this world to become an Explorer was 16. You couldn’t enter the dungeon until you were 16. Kane turned 16 last year and would be 17

soon.

He was very young-looking too.

But what was so strange about not having teammates? Were there no lone wolves in this world?

“Why do you say that being without teammates is like being a newcomer? Couldn’t I be a loner?” If he didn’t understand, he would ask.

The dwarf laughed and said, “It’s very difficult for an Explorer to not have a team. The environment of the dungeon makes the monsters diverse. You might not see them all in your lifetime.

All kinds of dungeons required various specialties. Even if the explorers develop in all aspects, they will still encounter tough opponents.

If there are no teams, it will be difficult to move forward. For example, in this place’s Crystal Arena, how long can a person keep killing the monsters on 15 levels? There’s no efficiency and it’s meaningless. There is no benefit at all.”

“That said, it is true,” Kane agreed, listening to him say as much.

The dwarf lowered his head and filled his pipe with tobacco. Without looking up, he said, “Every warrior is a valuable asset to the world. If for some inexplicable reason he becomes a loner, that would only waste his hard-won talent and put him in unnecessary danger.”

With that, the dwarf Burton jumped off the stool and returned to the kitchen.

Is Warrior referring to the Explorer or me?

However, he was certain that this dwarf looked like a big shot who concealed his identity.

After a few bites of the remaining beef leg, Kane went upstairs to find his room.

Teammates? Let’s take it one step at a time.

It was better to rest at ease now.

The next day, at the Entrance to the Dungeon.

“Are you sure you want to go in alone? I suggest you form a team,” the clerk by the stone door advised Kane when he tried to go in alone.

“Thank you for your kindness. I’m just testing the first level. And reliable teammates are hard to find.” Kane felt helpless. It was really difficult to move around without teammates.

The clerk couldn’t help but suggest, “Why don’t you leave your basic information? We’ll post it on the bulletin board looking for teammates.

Perhaps someone will come looking for you when you come out. Of course, we will screen out the explorers with bad records.”

Kane thought about it. That would work. He said, “No problem. What information do I need to fill in?”

The clerk took a form from under the table and held it in front of him.

At a glance, Name, Gender, Specialty, Position, and Contact Address.

After some thought, he picked up his pen and wrote.

Kane. Male. Skills are versatile, can perform long-range attacks, investigation, and support.

“Then I hope you return safely. May the mist protect you.” With that, he filed the form.

He entered Into the stone house.

The stone house did not look big from the outside, but the entire stone house was just an entrance to the underground.

After walking down the stairs, it suddenly became spacious and bright.

Other than the entrance stone disc in the middle of the spacious hall, there were only illuminated lights.

On both sides of the hall, there were also some Explorers sitting on the ground. It seemed that they were preparing to continue attacking after resting.

There was another team hanging their heads by the teleportation stone. One of the female team members was sobbing softly.

The people around only glanced at her with pity before going about their business.

If someone died in the dungeon, they wouldn’t even be able to bring his body out. He would only rest in the dungeon forever.

This was the first time Kane had seen such a thing. He could not help feeling a little sympathetic and a little wary.

The dungeon is really dangerous, but that won’t be my future.

He slowly mounted the stone platform and disappeared into the air.

It was still the familiar darkness and dizziness.

He adjusted himself on the floating platform in the starry sky and passed through the mist door.

The dim light swayed in the long, narrow corridor, and at the end of it were rusty iron railing The projection of the flames passed through the railing, reflecting the shadows of baring fangs and brandishing claws on the ground.

“Armor made, Knight’s armor.”

The first thing he did after entering the dungeon was to fold his armor.

He walked slowly to the end. As Kane got closer to the iron railing, it rose with a tremor.

The moment he walked out into the corridor, there was a fierce cheer.

Kane was instantly alert and looked around.

It was indeed an arena similar to ancient Rome, but it was ridiculously large.

The venue in front of him was almost the size of two football fields. It was surrounded by viewing platforms from bottom to top.

The mist around the viewing platforms made it difficult to see clearly. One could only see figures jumping and a wave of sound coming from above.

The huge wave of sound continued for almost a minute. Even when it stopped, the echoes still surrounded it.

When the surroundings were completely quiet, the ground shook.

A huge hole opened in the middle of the arena, and dazzling light spewed out. A large hourglass rose. As it rose, Kane was able to get a glimpse of it. Its entire body was made of polished crystal that reflected the surrounding light. The sand in the lower container glowed faintly. There was a large golden bell at each end, and a white halo surrounded the funnel in the middle.

The hourglass stopped in midair.

Then it suddenly reversed.

The reversal drove the golden bells on either side.

“Thud.”

The bells rang sharply.