Chapter 116: Hidden Dungeon

Chapter 116: Hidden Dungeon

Leaving behind the the disappointed people at Endeavor Fortress, I immediately headed for the Great Forest.

The Great Forest was so close that calling it nearby wouldn't be an exaggeration, and it was only a three-hour ride away.

As soon as we arrived at the Great Forest, Luna, who had been riding with me, used Mana Detect after looking around and exclaimed, "Is it just a forest?"

"Yes, Vayatra's Great Forest doesn't have any special features compared to its size."

"I had high expectations..."

Vayatra's Great Forest appeared to be just an ordinary, densely wooded forest at first glance. Unlike the "Clinging Forest" I passed through on my way to Morshe's Nest, it wasn't dark or peculiar.

If there was one distinctive feature, it was its immense vitality. Despite attempts to clear and burn the forest, its size remained unaffected.

As a result, this land became unsuitable for humans to live in, and various races sought refuge here, as its size was larger or comparable to the empire's territories.

'The term 'Demonic Realm' is based on human standards; it's quite a livable land for other races.'

In this case, the Orc incident seemed more like Al-Ghurad's way of proving his and the Orc tribe's strength.

Honestly, there was no real need to leave the Great Forest.

Since it was a forest filled with trees, we could ride the horse only this far.

Luna and I got off the horse and let it return in the direction it came from.

Being an intelligent creature, it would probably find its way back to the village near Endeavor on its own.

Watching the horse run off, Luna asked, "So, where are we going now?"

I still hadn't told Luna what we were looking for.

I had been cautious because I couldn't completely trust her, but given that she had conceded Al-Ghurad's remains, it seemed unnecessary to worry.

If it was the soul of an Orc Master, it was an item that could only be sought after by an Necromancer, but she didn't seem to have any desires.

"I'm going treasure hunting."

"Treasure hunting!"

Luna's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at me.

I smiled and nodded at her pure expression.

"Yes. Just a moment."

I took out the old booklet from my pouch.

[Red Dragon Krivmaher's Tomb]

I was aware that there were various types of dragons.

In particular, Red Dragons, known as Fire Dragons, were more commonly seen than other types.

"What's that?"

"This is a map."

"Wow! It's really treasure hunting!"

Luna, now full of anticipation, reached for the booklet and began flipping through it.

As I handed her the booklet, she frowned in confusion.

"What is this? I can't understand it."

In fact, it had taken me quite some time to figure it out at first.

On the surface, the booklet looked like it held something, but it was filled with scientific text, making it difficult to guess that it contained a map.

"Try using light magic on this part."

Upon hearing my words, Luna cast light magic at the tip of her finger and touched the booklet. As a result, a hidden map was revealed.

"Wow! This is amazing!"

Luna examined the revealed map with interest, and her focused expression was quite amusing.

Even though she was likely around the same age as me, she gave off the vibe of a younger relative.

"With this distance, it should take about three days to walk, right?"

"Yes, but it might take some time to find the exact location."

The map was not very detailed and had a vague representation of the treasure's location, so we might have to do some actual treasure hunting.

As we ventured further into the Great Forest, the air became pleasantly cool, considering it was summer.

-Rustle!

Thump!

Luna's mana arrow struck an unknown creature precisely.

She returned with an animal she had caught using elemental magic and proudly showed it to me.

"Look at this! It's a creature I've never seen before!"

"This is a Brown Beak Lark. It's my first time seeing one in person too."

"Wow! You my friend, are clever, ren't you?"

The lush forest was filled with various rare animals and plants, serving as evidence that no human had set foot here.

Although mercenaries occasionally visited to collect these rare creatures and plants or to hunt monsters for their materials, recent disruptions by the orcs had likely caused a decrease in such visitors.

Thanks to that, Luna and I were collecting various items along the way.

We had plenty of time, and it was uncertain when we would return to the Great Forest, so we were making the most of it.

"Thanks to the Artifact related to spatial magic, I don't have to worry about my luggage."

"It's my mom's, actually. It's an ancient artifact." Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

I couldn't help but envy the Artifact related to spatial magic.

The Space Expansion Backpack was useful for increasing storage space, but it didn't reduce the weight of the items inside. There were also similar backpacks that reduced weight, but they didn't expand storage space.

'I prioritized upgrading my stats this time, but I should visit ancient ruins next time.'

I knew of various ancient ruins, ranging from those with just one named item to ruins filled with treasures and all sorts of odds and ends.

Of course, these ruins were always filled with dangers, so visiting them casually like in a game was never an option.

Screech!

As I explored the surroundings, suddenly, a sound similar to a monkey's cry echoed from the treetops. It was getting closer and closer.

"Look! Something's chasing us!"

"It's a Yellow-Tailed Stone Monkey."

"Wow! Rulf, did you bring it with you? Our Rulf is amazing!"

Having him around was certainly helpful.

He skillfully gathered rare fruits from high trees, some of which were valuable herbs.

"How's our Rulf? Impressive, isn't he?"

"Better than me."

"Um... do you think so?"

I didn't really argue with that.

I unfolded a booklet and checked the map.

Looking at the map indicating the surrounding landmarks, I scanned my surroundings, and it seemed like we were in the right place.

"Luna, is this it?"

"Huh? Oh? Yeah, it seems right!"

An unusually large tree had its roots wrapped around a single rock, just as depicted in the booklet.

And as the booklet showed, there were five trees positioned around this central tree.

We found the place faster than I had expected.

"But what are we supposed to find here?"

Luna's question made me revisit the booklet.

We had found the location, but I doubted this place was the actual Dragon's Tomb.

Surely, there must be a separate entrance or hidden device that we can use to enter.

"Let's take a look around for now."

I activated Mana Detect and examined the surroundings. With my mana talent, I was confident I could quickly find anything unusual.

My intuition was soon proven correct.

"There it is."

I found something unusual not at the tree that wrapped around the giant rock but behind it, in an ordinary-looking tree.

As I approached the tree, Luna also came closer.

"Did you find something peculiar here too?"

"Huh? No, it's just that..."

For some reason, Luna's expression seemed uneasy.

I wondered why she was acting this way, but she eventually shook her head.

"No, it's nothing. I think this is what we're looking for."

"Can you see something with your soul-seeing eyes?"

Although Luna had the ability to see souls, she remained silent, gazing intently at some part of the tree, then she touched it.

Creak.

Creeeeak.

The tree instantly twisted and started taking on a peculiar form.

I watched with tension as the tree transformed into an arched doorway.

"Is this what you are looking for?"

"Probably."

Although it didn't seem like magic was used, I couldn't understand how the barrier was triggered.

Had I seen something that I shouldn't have?

Upon seeing the created tree-door, I had some doubts about whether this was indeed the Dragon's Tomb, especially the Fire Dragon's.

However, the location in the booklet was undoubtedly nearby.

Since there was no chance of coinciding with other hidden places, I slowly placed my hand on the tree-door.

'Alone, I might have contemplated this for a while...'

Now, I was here with Luna Pendragon, and I had also received the imprint of an Aura Master's soul.

The conditions couldn't be more ideal.

I turned to Luna, who still wore a complex expression. Her demeanor was different from usual, making her appear slightly awkward.

"Is there something bothering you?"

"Huh? Well, about that..."

She glanced around for a moment.

Then, she raised her head and said, "Let's go inside."

She answered casually, but I could see it.

Although I saw nothing but empty space with my eyes, Luna's pupils had just flickered and passed over countless unseen things.

"It's a bit eerie."

In the past, I didn't believe in the existence of souls or ghosts, but at least here, I couldn't deny their presence.

Because of that, I couldn't help but feel an instinctual aversion and fear.

Luna approached me and pushed the tree-door I was touching without hesitation.

With a creaking sound like rusted hinges, the door began to open.

The interior was as dark as pitch.

Seeing nothing inside, I thought twice about going in. But then, Luna, with Rulf on her shoulder, entered first.

"We've come this far; there's no turning back now."

I placed my hand on Galakshur and slowly stepped into the pitch-black space.

And the moment I entered that darkness...

Ding!

[You have found the place where the Dragon died, 'Krivmaher's Lament.']

[You have entered the Hidden Dungeon 'The Repeating Nightmare.']

I heard a message that I had completely unexpected.