Dungeon

Location: Paseo Village, Kingdom of Slevia

Al and his friends are in the village of Paseo looking for Criss and Valerie who are on a mission to find an object requested by Master Gorou.

"We have arrived. This is Paseo village," said Aqua.

"So, your friends are in this village?" asked Marc.

"Not necessarily. Criss and Valerie could have left to look for it," Serena replied.

"Actually, what kind of item requested by Master Gorou?" asked Gray.

"If my guess is right, the item Master asked for is a rare item since we were looking for it in the dungeon," said Serena.

"Dungeon? What is that?" asked Al.

"Dungeon is a mysterious magic area that appears somewhere suddenly," Aqua replied.

"Sounds fun," said Marc.

"Really? But the dungeon will also disappear again in seven days. So, if you are still in there, you will disappear with the dungeon. There have been many adventurers, traders, or treasure hunters who have become victims," said Serena.

"Treasure hunter? Actually... what's inside that dungeon? " asked Al.

"Each dungeon that appears is divided into two types based on the magic aura emitted. First, there was a dungeon that appeared with a weak magical aura. This type of dungeon usually has a lot of rare items that we can't find outside of the dungeon," Serena replied.

"For example, like the Cyclea plant that we got from Mrs. Charter before," said Aqua.

"Then, there are also dungeons that emit very strong magical energy. In this dungeon, there are very important objects such as ancient inscriptions. This dungeon will not disappear until it is retrieved. However, once the item is taken, the dungeon will disappear in two days," Serena explained about the dungeon.

"This dungeon that emits strong magical energy is also called a raid dungeon. Because sometimes Adventurers hold the inscription hunting competition," said Aqua.

"I want to see the dungeon immediately," said Marc.

"Oh yeah, inside the dungeon there are also some strong monsters," said Serena.

"Then it looks like we don't need to go there," Marc changed his mind.

"We better look for Criss and Valerie first to find out information about the Dungeon," said Aqua.

"But, where are we going to find them? They could have already gone into the dungeon," said Lia.

"What if we split up?" asked Gray.

"Great idea. I'll go looking for them around the forest near the village," Leo replied before he went missing.

"Leo?!" Marc calls Leo before he leaves, but Leo ignores him.

"We just trust in Leo," said Gray.

"Looks like we just split it into two groups. Aqua, Lia, and Me will follow Leo to the forest. Then you guys try to find them in this village. We will meet again here in the afternoon," Al divided them into two groups.

"If we find them early, we'll give you a sign," Serena said before she went into the village with Gray and Marc.

"Great. Al going out with two girls," Marc followed Serena from behind.

"Be careful there!" Gray waved his hand.

"We should also go immediately," said Al.

'(I went with Al. I'm so happy)' thought Lia.

They parted ways to find Criss and Valerie, members of The Dark Cats Guild who were carrying out the Quest from Master Gorou. Serena, Gray, and Marc search in the village, while Al, Lia, Aqua, and Leo search in the forest around the village.

Location: Paseo Forest, Kingdom of Slevia

"Aqua, Did you know a shape of a dungeon?" asked Al.

"The shape of the dungeon is different. Some are in the form of caves with long tunnels, dense foggy forests, or there is also a Raid Dungeon which once appeared as a giant old tree towering high into the sky," Aqua replied.

"How could a large tree suddenly form just like that?" asked Al.

"I also don't know why that Dungeon appeared. But in the past, there was an Adventurer who managed to conquer a dungeon and brought an ancient inscription. In the inscription it is written that the dungeon used to be where the ancestors of humans and other races fought against the demon," Aqua replied.

"I've heard that story. Grandpa used to read about it when we were little. Right, Al?" said Lia.

Al nodded his head.

"Looks like the story your grandfather told you was based on the legend of the demon war. Which is said to have happened in the past when this world was still inhabited by races other than the human race," said Aqua.

"Does the legend of that demonic war come from an ancient inscription obtained from within the Dungeon?" asked Lia.

"As far as I remember, there have been three inscriptions collected by the five kingdoms, two of which were found by our kingdom. One of them was discovered by our kingdom. The inscription provides information about the dungeon. Meanwhile, two other inscriptions tell how the demon war happened and also about humans who got the power of Fantasia at the age of fifteen," Aqua replied.

"It seems, this world needs another inscription to find out the story of the demon war," said Al.

"Unfortunately, since the three inscriptions were successfully translated, the five kingdoms started fighting over the inscriptions to find out about world history. I don't know why, but every time a Raid Dungeon appears, there must be several kingdoms fighting over the inscription. Therefore, every time a Raid Dungeon appears, the inscription from the Raid Dungeon fails to be obtained because people who enter it always fight over so they don't get out of there and eventually disappear with the Dungeon before the inscription is successfully taken out," said Aqua.

"Serena said, there are monsters in there too, right? Those people might also be in trouble because of the monsters in the dungeon," muttered Lia.

"Correct. In my opinion, the monsters that live in ordinary dungeons are quite strong. Especially if it's a Raid Dungeon," said Aqua.

"Where did the monsters come from?" asked Al.

"It is said that these monsters are the reincarnation of the souls of those who died in that demonic war and because they are influenced by the demonic power of that time they are finally turned into beings who have no mind and will attack like animals," Aqua replied.

"You know a lot, Aqua," said Lia.

"I just often listen to Lucas talk about it," Aqua blushed.

"Al!" called Leo from the tree.

"Leo?! Did you find something?!" asked Al.

"Up ahead there is a strange cave. Maybe that's the dungeon Serena and Aqua meant," Leo replied.

"We'd better check it," Lia advised.

"Right. Let's go there," said Al.

Al, Lia, and Aqua decide to check out the cave that Leo found. They wanted to confirm whether the cave was a dungeon or not.

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To Be Continued...