The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 214: Dungeon of the Beast Valley

After the small meeting, Damian pulled Royce and Mira aside to ask the question he had on his mind about the second job. They reacted a bit strangely, as though he'd asked to borrow their gold instead, but after the initial awkwardness, they answered his questions. Damian got the answers he needed.

He could enter his astral plane to explore his options without triggering the trial, and there was no penalty for doing so. In fact, high-level second-rankers and top-tier first-rankers on their third job often did this to choose the most optimal path for themselves. This was possible because only they could afford to buy ascension stones without going broke.

However, this was usually sponsored by a prominent house they served or by a temporary employer.

Damian took his entire unit and entered the valley, setting up camp near the forest trail overlooking a dungeon. Kazak had given his permission, so there were no issues. Damian offered his soldiers a choice: help Royce build defenses or join him in tackling the dungeon. Not everyone sought strength or wanted to reveal their abilities to others, but over a third of the first-rankers chose to enter.

Damian had gathered all the details about the dungeon from the old fox mage, Shin, after promising not to share it with other nobles.

Damian gave all the information to his unit about the first five levels of the dungeon, with each soldier forming their own group. This dungeon was of lower difficulty, with only 25 levels and a party limit of 10 people. Damian had read about more powerful dungeons with party limits of 50, 100, and even 200, spanning over 100 to 500 levels.

However, a dungeon's true value was determined by the monsters inside and the resources it offered, not from just its size.

Damian's own group consisted of Einar, Sam, Yovan, Geldric, Jorven and the white haired plus sized boy Damian had seen in the camp at Pyron, he was surprised to see Sam and Yovan being all friendly with him, well 6 months was a long time and anything could happen in that, an extra mage was just another plus point in this dungeon run.

This dungeon was supposed to be a swamp-like area filled with reptilian monsters, mostly lizardmen. As they approached the dungeon, Damian noticed a group of beastmen kids watching from outside the large cave entrance.

"Oye, Neo! Shouldn't you be sleeping? I saw you dragging yourself behind everyone," Sam called out loudly, indifferent to the people or the situation. Damian saw the wolf boy's face flush red, his ears twitching awkwardly. His friends glared at him.

"If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't come, Neo," said the bunny girl.

"Yeah, please don't push yourself," added the big gorilla-like boy.

"What the hell are they talking about, Neo? Did you go somewhere?" asked the hyena, snarling venomously at Damian's group. "Now that he mentions it, you were nowhere to be found yesterday… And these brats are wearing uniforms like those damned humans."

Well, That's how you're treated when you belong to a large organization. The company's faults become your own.

"Let them be. Let's go," Einar said, seeing Neo become more uncomfortable because of Sam.

The soldiers entered one by one, leaving only Damian and the group of beastmen children. Damian had read that the dungeon created separate spaces for each group that entered—no one could interfere with another group's progress or help them. The risk of dying was pretty high if anyone underestimated the monsters in their natural environment, there was no safety mechanism.

It was kind of an 'Enter at your own risk' kind of thing.

As Damian stepped into the cave entrance, he felt a tugging sensation in his mind. He had seen the soldiers before him using their status tools. Now, moving a bit away from the others, he opened his own status tool. To his surprise, there was a new section at the end of his status:

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Dungeon: Ziggurat of the Serpent Kings

Location: Valley of the Beasts

Limit: 10

Description: The Ziggurat of the Serpent Kings looms out of the mist-choked swamp, its colossal stone tiers lost to time and draped in creeping vines. This ancient edifice, once the seat of power for a dynasty of serpent-worshiping lizardfolk, now stands as a dark and forgotten relic of a bygone era.

The ziggurat's steep, weathered steps are stained with the blood of centuries-old sacrifices, offered to appease the primal serpent gods who once ruled this land. Legends speak of powerful rituals conducted atop its towering summit, where the Serpent Kings communed with their gods, drawing upon their dark blessings to conquer and enslave.

User ID: Damian Sunblade

Nearby: 6

Form a team | Join a team | Enter

Your journey continues on mvl

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'Hmm… So that's how it works,' Damian thought. They had to form a team. However, his name was a problem. Without thinking much, he touched his name in frustration, and to his surprise, it began blinking white. A hovering keyboard appeared below it.

'What the hell? You can change your name? Why hasn't anyone mentioned this in the books?' Damian wondered. 'Wait… is that really the case for everyone?'

Looking over at the others' statuses from a distance—his powerful eyesight aiding him for such a distance—he noticed they only had three options: dungeon name, limit (which read 6/10), and the option to join or create a team and enter. They didn't even get the description.

Suspicious, as if someone was intentionally hiding information about the past or other worlds and civilizations, whatever these dungeons were supposed to be. It seemed for some reason, they couldn't remove the dungeons entirely or stop people from entering them though.

Thankful for his luck, Damian quickly changed his ID to "Maximus." If his real name had been locked in, it would have been difficult for him to enter higher-level dungeons in the future. Of course, opportunities like that were rare, but there were rogue knights and mercenary groups raiding lords' seats for dungeons, occasionally getting one-time entries.

Risky, but profitable, and a popular venture for rebellious or desperate young commoners.

Einar, having the most knowledge of the dungeon from his family, created the group, naming it Unit 11. They all joined, exchanging glances, they pressed the enter button together, starting their first dungeon run.