We were inside the main area of the hidden doungen for quite some times but we are still slow, So I picked up my speed.
"Hurry up, we've still got half a day worth of distance to cover..."
Like that, for about the next five hours or so, Adrian and I swiftly moved around the dungeon and killed any monster that obstructed our paths.
Of course, whenever we killed a ranked monster, I would quickly skin it alive and try to see if it had a core, however, somehow, lady luck wasn't on my side today.
Well, that was what I thought until...
"Kyuuuuuueee—!"
A loud desperate cry resounded across the forest as Adrian appeared on top of a large bat-like monster.
Glancing at the humongous bat that was lying dead on the ground, glancing at me, Adrian asked
"This should be the last one no?"
"Yup, now move aside"
Nodding my head, unsheathing my sword I merrily walked towards the bat and stabbed towards its chest area.
-Spurt!
Watching me skin the bat, Adrian shook his head.
Out of the hundreds of monsters they had killed, I found only two core. If there was one thing he learned from Theo's class was that finding a core was just as hard as winning the lottery. The chances were almost slim to none.
"Just give up, the probability of getting a core is really small so you better just b—"
—Vuum! —Vuum!
Just as Adrian was telling me to give up, pulling a purple orb-like object that continuously pulsated a purple hue, I raised my brow towards Adrian as a smirk inadvertently appeared on my face
"Sorry, I didn't quite get what you were trying to say?"
Staring at my smirking face, a vein bulged on Adrian's forehead. Trying his best to calm himself down, an awkward smile appeared on his face.
"Congratulations..."
"Mhhhm"
Finally I have three mana core!
I took out my smartwatch and scanned the symbols on the wall.
—The riddle on the stone wall read:
- "In the darkest night, it shines bright,
A beacon of hope, a guiding light.
It dances and flickers, a sight to behold,
A fiery spectacle, a tale untold.
What am I?"
Adrian glanced at my smartwatch and saw the riddle.
"...Ah, it must be a riddle. I heard there are Dungeons like this."
In the original story, Adrian was unable to solve this riddle and had to text Isabella for help. Isabella contacted an information guild and got the answer in five minutes.
However, I didn't have time to wait.
This riddle was something I half-heartedly made. The answer was star.
"The answer is a star.".
I muttered the answer, and the stone wall reacted. The symbols on the wall glowed with a blue light, then disappeared into particles of light. Immediately afterwards, the stone wall rumbled and sunk underground.
"What, the answer is star?"
"Yeah."
"How did you figure that out so fast? ...Wow, you really are a genius."
Adrian was looking at me like I was some kind of a sage.
"I'll tell you how I found out later. For now, let's clear the Dungeon before anyone else arrives."
"We're getting closer to the heart of the dungeon."
Adrian followed closely behind, his eyes shining with excitement as we ventured deeper into the unknown. With each step forward, we drew closer to the final challenge that awaited us, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation coursing through my veins.
Together, we pressed on, ready to face whatever trials lay ahead as we journeyed deeper into the depths of the hidden dungeon.
Just after passing this tunnel, there will be only one obstacles for us left to overcome and that is doungen boss.