VOLUME 13: CHAPTER 12

The next day, the owners of the Nasty Tavern prepared a sumptuous breakfast for Lark's group.

Bread, stew, cheese, roasted meat, bacon, ham, porridge, pies, and fruits filled the tables. Although Lark said the food was too much, the tavern owners insisted, saying it was the least they could do for the people who'd saved their daughter's life.

"Hahaha! This is amazing! It's my first time seeing this much food, Temporary Boss!"

As usual, Aster couldn't stop babbling his mouth.

Lark's core group sat at the same table, while the explorers from Zenith sat at the adjacent table.

"Woah! This cheese is expensive! I recall seeing this one when I went shopping with father!"

"Hey, kid! Wipe the drool off your mouth!"

"I always wonder why this glutton is so skinny."

"He's probably expending all that energy flapping his mouth."

"Hahaha!"

The rowdy explorers made the atmosphere of the tavern light.

At first, the explorers were hesitant to speak loudly during breakfast out of fear of offending Lark's group. But after seeing their reaction to Aster's incessant blabbering, they realized it was a needless worry.

They realized that despite being royalty, King Lark was quite lenient.

Another reason for the light atmosphere in the tavern was the Dragons.

"Agnus," said Lark, "You seem to be in a good mood today."

 Agnus had been grinning for quite some time now. While eating, his grin would widen every now and then, as though he was remembering something amusing.

 Even Vulcan seemed happy for some reason. The leader of the Ancient Fire Dragons even complimented the food, saying it was quite tasty despite being meant for humans.

 "Revenge is always sweet, King Lark," said Agnus.

 "Revenge?"

 "Kehehe. I saw the despair in the eyes of a bastard I really hate. It was so satisfying!"

 Vulcan was smiling while drinking from his cup. After putting it down, he said contentedly, "Ahhh… how nice. So, this is what it feels like. Hahahaha!"

 "Yes, father," said Shahaneth.

 Although Shahaneth wasn't smiling, she looked at peace right now. She would even sometimes nod approvingly at Agnus when she looked at him.

 Agnus snickered, "Hehehe!"

 What was going on?

 What was the reason these three Dragons all seemed to be in a good mood?

 They looked so happy that they would probably forgive the inn server if she accidently spilled water on them.

 Although Lark was curious, he decided not to meddle with the matters of their family any further. He changed the topic.

 Lark said, "I'll be entering the ruins today."

 At those words, the explorers who'd been merrily chatting with each other stiffened. Ludwig even choked on his food.

 Vulcan said, "We'll come with you. We want to see the ancient city too."

 Ludwig cautiously said, "Uhm… Your Majesty?"

 "Hm?"

 "You've already heard of this before…. The second floor of the dungeon is home to arachnias – giant spiders capable of annihilating a small army on their own."

 "Yes, I've heard."

 Ludwig looked at his party members. After receiving their nods, he continued, "Well, the thing is… we never had the chance to leave this tavern."

 They never once stepped foot outside the tavern out of fear for their lives.

 Although their group was platinum-ranked, most of their prowess came from 'Red Bear' Matias. Now that their Boss was dead, their fighting strength was pretty much similar to gold-ranked explorers.

 If they went out of the tavern, they would become easy targets for the Inspectors working for Senator Sima.

 Of course, that was if the senator was bold enough to target them even after King Lark declared they were under his protection.

 "Temporary Boss, why are you so nervous? Just tell him the ingredients we ordered from the other explorers hadn't arrived yet, and we didn't have time to make the concoction!"

 "This kid!"

 "A-About that, Y-Your Majesty!"

 The members of Zenith panicked, but Lark's next words put their minds at ease.

 "It's fine. We don't need the concoction."

 "…What?"

 Lark's gaze moved toward Vulcan. "It's needless worry. The arachnias probably wouldn't even approach our group."

 "…Ah."

 Hearing those words, they understood.

 Dragons were legendary creatures standing at the apex of the food chain. The giant spiders probably wouldn't even come near them.

 It was only then the members of Zenith realize that Lark helped them not because of the concoction, but out of pure benevolence.

 Needing a guide was probably true, but a group as powerful as them could probably navigate that dangerous dungeon on their own – leisurely at that.

 Lark's group didn't really need the explorers from Zenith.

 Afraid of being abandoned, Ludwig said resolutely, "We may not have the concoction, but we promise to guide you until you reach the ancient city, Your Majesty."

 Lark smiled. "I look forward to it."

***

Shortly after breakfast, Lark's group immediately departed for the ruins.

He left Captain Symon behind to take care of the task he'd given to him before, and he left Reginald Vont to serve as the deputy leader of their group during Lark's absence.

Someone capable of making good decisions had to stay behind in case something came up during their group's absence.

And to err on the side of caution, he also ordered the Lord Knight to stay behind.

The military camp in the marshland had higher security than usual. General Marduk and his soldiers were also there, waiting for Lark's group at the entrance.

After greeting Lark's group, the General went straight to the point.

"Are you going to enter the ruins today, Your Majesty?" said General Marduk.

"Yes," said Lark.

General Marduk's gaze moved toward the explorers from Zenith. The explorers were glaring in his direction, particularly at the five Inspectors standing behind the General.

They knew those Inspectors were involved in the death of the Red Bear, and they vowed to get back at them one day.

General Marduk said, "I see. Then, to ensure the safety of His Majesty, please allow us to accompany you inside."

Hearing those words, the explorers protested.

"We're more than enough to guide His Majesty inside!"

"That's right!"

"Ensure his protection? Hah! Why don't you just be honest, General? That damn old Senator sent you to monitor His Majesty!"

Lark already knew this even without the explorers pointing it out. And honestly, he didn't mind taking General Marduk and the Inspectors along.

This was the Republic's territory, and they were only given permission to enter this place due to the benevolence of the Lord of Five Courts.

Just because they had a stronger military than the Republic didn't mean they should force their way through.

General Marduk said, "Watch your mouths, Zenith. Criminals like you have no say in these matters."

"What!?"

"This damn dog of the Senate!"

"I don't even understand why he keeps following the orders of that bastard!"

General Marduk frowned. "You don't understand. To people like you, Senator Sima may seem like an evil, corrupt politician. But I know how much he cares for the Republic. Everything, all of these, is for the sake of the people."

"Hahaha! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!"

"Heh… are you sure he isn't doing it out of greed?"

"Everything he's done so far seems to reek of self-interest to me though?"

"Puaat! Just remembering the old man's face makes me want to vomit from disgust!"

The explorers were already at odds with Senator Sima even before this ruin was discovered. And after the previous incident, their dislike turned into pure loathe.

Even General Marduk knew there was no reconciling them now.

General Marduk sighed in resignation. "That's enough. Your anger has clouded your judgment. Continuing with this conversation any longer would be pointless."

"Hah! Pointless? This is why—"

"—Your Majesty," the General ignored the explorers and spoke to Lark respectfully, "please allow us to accompany you inside the ruins."

Lark could feel the gazes of the explorers. Anxiety, fear, and hope were seen within their eyes. They were probably hoping he would turn down the General's offer.

But to their dismay, Lark agreed to the General request.

"Alright. Then, lead the way, General."

"Thank you."

The Inspectors behind General Marduk cast victorious smirks at the explorers. Even the soldiers jeered at them.

Together with General Marduk, five Inspectors, fifty soldiers, and seven porters, Lark's group entered the ruins and dived into the dungeon.

"You've completely conquered the first floor," said Lark several minutes after entering the first floor.

The tunnels of the first floor were quite wide, enough to fit a tavern inside.

Luminous stones had been engraved on the walls, and soldiers were stationed at the forks.

General Marduk nodded with pride. "Yes, Your Majesty. Although there were hardly any monsters in this floor, it used to be filled with traps before."

Looking around, Lark saw several contraptions that had been either destroyed or disabled by the soldiers.

Ludwig spat, "Yeah, traps we discovered and dismantled."

General Marduk didn't refute those words.

The explorers indeed played a key role in conquering this floor.

The explorers were the first to encounter those traps, and after reporting their findings to the guild, countermeasures were made to protect the next dungeon divers. It was only after most of the traps had been disabled that the soldiers started entering this floor.

"We're almost near the entrance to the second floor."

It didn't take that long to reach the entrance to the next floor. Near the entrance, several soldiers, mages, and an Inspector from the Republic stood guard.

Looking around, Lark saw the camp and the magic formations engraved on the ground and the walls. With just an infusion of mana, these magic formations would activate, and spells would bombard their targets.

It reminded Lark of Behemoth City's Royal Sanctum.

Surprisingly, the Royal Sanctum's spells were more powerful than the ones engraved on this place.

Noticing Lark's gaze, General Marduk explained, "They're defensive spells. Although the arachnias tend to stay in their nests, it'll be catastrophic if even one of those giant spiders manages to enter the first floor of the dungeon."

Lark stared at the magic formations.

"Seventh-tier spell, triple chain lightning. Sixth-tier spell, spiraling wind blade. Sixth-tier spell, earthen castle."

The mages near the entrance were visibly surprised when Lark accurately pointed out the identity of the magic formations on the walls and the ground. 

"You know about magic, Your Majesty?" said General Marduk.

Vulcan snorted, finding the question stupid.

"I'm quite well versed at them," said Lark. "You might want to consider adding more formations, General. Those spells would do nothing but tickle an adult arachnia."

Lark didn't like meddling with the matters concerning the Republic, but he deemed he should point out the flaws of this dungeon's defenses.

If those giant spiders managed to get out of this dungeon, hundreds, if not thousands, of lives would be lost before the soldiers could even subjugate them.

The defensive spells they'd set up were ridiculously weak, considering they were up against calamity-class monsters.

Moreover, it was not just one or two arachnias they were dealing with here, but dozens.

Without hesitation, General Marduk chose to trust Lark's judgment. The General believed there was merit in believing the words of someone who'd accurately identified the formations at a single glance.

"You heard His Majesty!" said General Marduk to one of the mages. "Make a report right away and make preparations to add more formations in this place!"

"Yes!"

"We'll be entering the next floor soon, Your Majesty. I can't let the King of another country die in our dungeon, so rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I'll make sure you'll be able to leave this place alive."

According to the explorers from Zenith, although General Marduk followed the commands of the Senate – especially Senator Sima – he was a man who lived by his own sense of justice.

Unlike the other military officials who moved solely for their own benefit, General Marduk truly loved his country.

General Marduk probably meant it when he said he would willingly die in order for King Lark to escape, should things turn south.

Even if they were from a hostile country, Lark had soft spots for such people.

"That sounds reassuring, General," said Lark.

After making sure everyone was ready, their group entered the second floor of the dungeon.

***

"Tch. It's as dark as before."

Unlike the first floor, the second floor did not have luminous stones engraved on the walls.

"Light our way, orb!"

The mage of Zenith cast several orbs of light to illuminate their immediate surroundings.

"Everyone, stick as close to each other as possible," said the ranger. "Step only on places I stepped on. Do not go out on your own! This place is littered with webs from those giant spiders. One wrong step and you'll be dragged by the arachnias into the depths of their nests!"

The soldiers nervously gulped, and even the Inspectors wore grim expressions on their faces.

They'd already heard of how dangerous this place was.

Even the Inspectors who'd been sent to explore this floor before didn't manage to return alive.

Although the tunnels of the second floor were similar in size to the first floor, it was more winding, and the forks were more numerous.

The places the orbs of light couldn't reach were pitch black, resembling the abyss.

Scuttle…

Screech!

"Hiick! D-Did you hear that?"

"Are the arachnias close by?"

The soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons. They felt they were being watched as they went deeper through the second floor.

"Damn, I'm getting the chills."

"We should have brought more kalrane stones with us."

"Yeah, that's why — AAHHHHH! HEELP MEEE!"

Not even an hour had passed since they entered the second floor of the dungeon when one of the soldiers were caught by an arachnia's trap.

The moment the soldier stepped on the web trap, his ankle was ensnared, and he was immediately dragged away toward one of the smaller tunnels, disappearing into the darkness.

His scream echoed.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Reiner!"

Several soldiers moved to save their comrade. They lighted their flares and threw it toward the tunnel where their friend disappeared to, before running inside.

"Don't break formation! It's a trap!" shouted General Marduk.

But it was too late.

Before his voice could even reach the other soldiers, those who'd followed Reiner into the smaller tunnel had already fallen to the trap of the giant spiders.

Their legs tied by webs, they, too, were dragged deeper into the tunnels.

The speed at which they were being dragged was so fast that it tore their flesh and broke their bones, leaving behind a trail of blood.

"What should we do, General!"

"Tch!"

General Marduk gnashed his teeth.

Honestly, he wanted to go there and save his men, but he knew that doing so would be suicide. He couldn't just recklessly throw his life away since he still had to fulfill the duty entrusted to him by Senator Sima.

While he was caught in a dilemma, he heard Lark speaking to Vulcan.

"Vulcan, please."

Vulcan sighed as though he found it annoying. "Alright."

A second after uttering those words, tremendous pressure swept throughout the entire floor.

All of the soldiers from the Republic fell down their knees upon being subjected to Vulcan's Dragon fear. Even the Inspectors and General Marduk's legs wobbled, and they, too, almost fell down the ground.

Vulcan excluded only those who were part of their group from his Dragon fear. He also made sure that the witches – Lady Alice in particular – were unaffected.

The Dragon fear continued spreading throughout the entire floor.

At the same time, the soldiers caught in the giant spiders' traps stopped skidding through the ground.

Screeches reverberated, accompanied by skittering sounds.

Even the arachnias started fleeing after being subjected to the Dragon fear of Vulcan.

For the first time, the soldiers from the Republic understood why Dragons were considered legendary creatures.

Before these legendary creatures, even arachnias were nothing but overgrown spiders they could squash at any time.

It felt surreal that they were traveling with not just one, but three of them at the same time.

***

Their journey went smoothly after that.

They recovered the soldiers who'd fallen to the arachnias' traps, gave them first aid treatment, then sent them back to the first floor. 

The arachnias seemed to have decided to avoid Lark's group, since they didn't encounter even one along the way.

"We're almost there," said the ranger.

"This is even faster than the time we used the concoction," said Ludwig.

Raiga crinkled his nose. "Bah! I can still remember that smell! How did the kid come up with something so disgusting anyway?"

Aster innocently said, "Hehehe, it's actually possible to make something that smells bearable, but I'm too lazy to find the ingredients for it."

"W-What?! This kid!"

"You should have told us sooner!"

While the explorers were bantering with each other, they reached another fork. There were three pathways: one to the left, one to the middle, and one to the right.

To the explorers, this was a familiar path.

"We haven't explored the left side yet, but the middle tunnel leads to the main nest," said the ranger. "The right side is the pathway connected to the dungeon's exit. 

Whenever they came across pathways like these, the ranger would explain to Lark their previous findings and suggest the most optimal route.

This way, they managed to avoid being lost in the dungeon, and they also minimized the danger of their dive.

"The main nest," said Lark. "Is it the room filled with numerous arachnia eggs?"

"That's correct," said the ranger.

Feeling that Lark seemed interested in the main nest, Ludwig quickly added in an attempt to dissuade him, "Your Majesty, the main nest is the most dangerous place in this floor. We managed to come out of that place unharmed solely due to the concoction. It's a massive chamber connected with numerous connecting tunnels. Most, if not all, of the arachnias that had fled must be inside that room right now."

Arachnia eggs were the only missing ingredient Lark needed to create high-grade potions.

Lark considered going into the main nest and grabbing a couple of eggs, since a single one would allow him to make several thousand vials of high-grade potions.

Pinnacle-grade potions were several times more potent than high-grade potions, but they would run out eventually if he wasn't frugal enough in using them.

Pinnacle-grade potions could heal nearly all injuries and diseases – it even had the side effect of increasing mana and strengthening the body, while high-grade potions could regenerate any body parts as long as the user was still alive.

Having access to thousands of high-grade potions would be surely beneficial in the war against the demons.

It would save numerous lives if used properly.

"Want me to kill all of the arachnias for you, King Lark?" said Vulcan.

It was a preposterous offer, but the soldiers and the explorers felt the Dragon could do it.

"I don't like senseless killings," said Lark. "I only need an egg or two. I'll enter the main nest on our way back."

"Is that so?"

Vulcan quickly lost interest.

They continued their dungeon dive.

They chose the right tunnel, and after a couple more hours, finally reached the exit.

"We're here," said Ludwig.

The ranger took out several flares and fired them toward the sky.

Several explosions were heard.

The flares falling down illuminated the surroundings, revealing the cliff they were standing on, the waterfall nearby, and the river below.

"Your Majesty, welcome to the ancient underground city."

From a distance, everyone saw the massive ancient city sleeping underneath the Republic.

Finally, Lark had arrived at the ruins of Ist' Tamat Empire.