Chapter 24

It's been more than half an hour, and nothing different has happened—no animals, no humans, no other beings from different races.

"I expected more from the invasion. Everything's very calm. If it continues like this, the 15 days might pass without any problems."

We decided to take turns watching the dungeon; you can't sit and watch for 15 days straight. It's too boring, and we have other things to do.

"I don't know if this is good or bad. If it's too far from the population, who knows how long it'll take to get a new challenger? And if we go out to explore, there's no guarantee we're in a safe place, or that we'll survive."

It would be disheartening to die shortly after gaining access to another world or not making the most of this dungeon thing.

While lost in thought, watching the dungeon, something different happened: a group of humans appeared near the dungeon.

"At last, some action. I'd better call the others."

While calling Rick, Rebeca, and the group, I checked if the dungeon's temporal distortion was turned off and if it was possible to create different instances for each or at least restrict the number of people in the group.

"Too bad the option to kick them out of the dungeon after a while is unavailable."

-------------------------------------------------- Change of POV ----------------------------------------------------

As we observed our surroundings and searched for the cause of the tremor and the noise, we reached a part of the forest that, for some reason, had a simple house like the ones in our village. However, it seemed to have only one entrance and no windows.

"Weird," my father muttered, and everyone seemed to agree with him.

It was entirely strange. As we studied it and looked around, some wondered if there had been a house here in the middle of nowhere before.

"Attention, I'm going to knock on the door and see if someone answers. I need you all to be on guard."

When my father went to knock on the door, it opened by itself, but no one appeared, and it was impossible to see what was inside the house, as if it were a door into darkness itself.

"I'm going in. Wait here; if everything's safe, I'll be back quickly."

Finishing his sentence, he decided to enter the door without any hesitation. When he passed through the door, it was as if he had disappeared, which made us somewhat worried, but we decided to follow the orders he had left.

He's the strongest person in our village, the one most likely to return alive when exploring something dangerous.

When five minutes passed, and he hadn't returned, a tense atmosphere began to grow. Deciding to enter as well to see what was happening, he came back, but he had the look of someone who had found a treasure.

"Hahahahaha, I never thought I'd find this after giving up the adventurer's life."

Everyone decided to gather around him and ask what was happening and what was behind that door.

"I'm sorry, but first, we need to summon the village chief. What's here is something that could change the future of the village and our lives."

When we returned to the village, the group that had stayed and some villagers seemed worried and anxious, but seeing that everyone had returned and no one seemed hurt, made them relax a bit.

"Someone, call the village chief."

-0-

"Did you find out what caused the tremor and the noise?"

"Yes, I have some potentially good news, but I need your decision on how to proceed."

Then he explained that the cause of the tremor was the birth of a dungeon and also explained what a dungeon was and its advantages.

"And what do you need my decision for?"

"First, we have two options. Since it has just appeared, it's possible to remove it. So we can choose to either destroy it or not."

"When you talked about the dungeon, it seemed like having one nearby is a good thing. What's the advantage of removing it?"

"Both options have their advantages. If you decide to remove the dungeon, first you have to conquer it. The person who conquers it will receive rewards, which could be powers, many jewels, and wealth."

The idea of suddenly becoming rich or stronger made the eyes of some people shine.

"However, conquering the dungeon is not as simple as it seems, and the rewards depend on the dungeon's level. The higher, the more difficult and complicated the dungeon is, the better the rewards. Although you won't really die challenging the dungeon, with each death, you'll become a bit weaker."

Seeing the look on some people's faces, my father decided to explain how the dungeon worked a bit better.

"I know some of you might be tempted by the rewards, but I ask that you listen to what I have to say so you won't regret it."

...

"If you choose to keep the dungeon, we have more decisions to make. First is to have ownership of the dungeon, and the second is to sell it, either to the adventurers

' guild or to the nobles."

"What's the difference between them?"

"If we keep ownership, we'll monopolize the loot and use it as we please. But if someone takes it by force, we can't do anything about it. If we decide to sell it, we'll receive rewards. While the adventurers' guild will bring adventurers to explore and leave the dungeon free to explore, the nobles can monopolize the dungeon and use it only for their private troops. The advantage is that, depending on the nobles, they can offer a low rank of nobility."

"Besides, if we sell it, people can move here, either to explore the dungeon or to make money from adventurers or on adventurers."

The village chief paused to ponder the options and their implications.

"I'm inclined to sell the dungeon. This could be a chance to revitalize the village and make the young ones stay or attract other young people to move here. Anyway, it would be nice to explore the dungeon and see what it has to offer for now."

During the discussion, it was decided to sell the dungeon to the adventurers. Much of the reason was that the noble responsible for the region did not have a good reputation. In any case, one group was responsible for exploring the dungeon. After getting a better idea of the dungeon, another group would go to the town to enter into a contract with the adventurers' guild.

-0-

"I didn't find any monsters at the entrance when I explored it the first time, but don't let your guard down."

When we reached the dungeon, we decided to review our strategies.

"Stay calm and act the same way as when we're hunting in the forest. I know some of you like to act alone, but let's try to work as a group."

"If someone gets separated from the group, don't panic; just try to return to the entrance and wait outside the dungeon."

After checking all our equipment, we entered one by one.

When I passed through the door, the environment changed completely. I was no longer in the familiar forest or inside a house. The ground had a strange sand that I'd never seen before, and around me were various types of trees unlike any I'd ever encountered. In front of me, there was something resembling a lake, but with a seemingly endless expanse of water.

One thing I noticed was that I was alone; I couldn't see any monsters or anyone who had entered with me. Just as I was about to leave, a voice appeared out of nowhere.

"Welcome, challenger. Those who conquer this dungeon within 15 days may receive rewards such as wealth and power."

"Warning: After conquest, this dungeon will disappear."

"Deaths within the dungeon will not be permanent but will cost you a portion of your power."

"If the dungeon is not conquered within 15 days, it will become permanent, and challengers will not be able to destroy it or receive additional special rewards after conquest."

"Good luck, and enjoy your challenge."

Realizing that nothing else was happening, I decided to exit the dungeon.

"You made it. Well, the strategy has changed; it seems like everyone ended up alone when they entered. So let's explore it individually for a while and then regroup."