Dungeon 1

With the chirping tunes of the early birds, I opened my eyes.

I woke up to find that my right arm had no sensation at all. It felt as if my connection with my right arm had been severed.

I looked to my right and saw Jennifer drooling on my shoulder, hugging me tightly.

After some struggle, I shook her off and stood up.

My hand was hanging limply, and it took several minutes for the sensation to return.

With the first lights of the new day, I looked outside the window.

The coachman was already up, and taking care of the horses.

Some hunters were grouping up, perhaps they were getting ready to hunt a mana beast.

I notice that each of them is carrying an array of weapons and equipment, and they seem to be checking and double-checking everything to ensure that they are fully prepared. 

The hunters seemed experienced and skilled, and I could see the confidence in their faces. 

They are clearly used to working together as a team and seem to have a deep understanding of each other's strengths and abilities.

As I observed them, I noticed the time.

We should get ready and leave soon.

I approached Jennifer, who was now spreading her limbs over the bed and taking up all the space.

I started poking her and, 

"Wake up. We have to get ready and leave soon."

She was still drooling, so I decided to pinch her.

For some reason, my pinch seemed to be ineffective.

Considering her stats, it's not surprising, but that means all of this time, Jennifer was acting as if my pinches hurt her either that or...

Then, after some contemplating, I uttered to myself,

"Maybe I should sell her shield to the hunters downstairs. Some of them might want to buy for their daughter."

As I reached for her shield, she jumped out of the bed.

"I'm awake! Big brother, let's get ready!"

*Sigh

"Why are you always like this? Get ready, fast."

"That's what I wanna ask…" she mumbled.

I shot a gaze towards her, and she started preparing.

Meanwhile, I quickly took a shower. While I was getting ready, she took a shower too.

Last night, I told the coachman to have the carriage ready at 7 AM.

It's 6.54 AM right now. If we arrive at the dungeon at 9 AM, we should be able to clear it in a day or a day and a half. Then we can make it before the classes begin next week.

That is if everything goes well without trouble.

I was currently waiting outside for her to finish dressing up.

The door opened, and she got outside, radiating her usual charm.

"Let's hurry to the carriage the coachman is waiting."

"*Yawn, I guess I'll sleep during the trip."

"When we arrive, you should keep vigilant. There will be others aiming for the treasures inside the dungeon."

"Don't worry, as long as I am with you, just leave anyone who dares to cross us to me. I will show them the strength of the Snowlions!"

"What's with you today?"

"It's a secret~ big brother~."

*Sigh

Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

We quickly head downstairs.

Some people were having breakfast in the lobby, and the Innkeeper said they would always welcome us.

We went outside and noticed the coachman was ready for the departure.

After putting our luggage in the carriage, we got inside.

I checked around with the corner of my eyes.

Duke Tyler, definitely send someone to keep an eye out for us.

No matter what, I couldn't sense them.

They must be very good at stealth.

I was betting on Duke to send someone. If it comes to the worst, they will save us.

However, if that happens, I can say goodbye to the artifact and going outside from the academy for a good while.

Needless to say, that will deal a big blow to my growth. I need people and train them instead of me to clear the game. If I don't do this, the only way is to use my trait to grow. Well, you can understand why I don't want to do that.

The last boss can use any spell in the game without even exhausting their mana. They have a unique trait called [Mana Body]. I never saw that trait in any other character in the game before.

This trait makes them store mana as if their whole body is a mana storage. 

Developers never released exact detailed information about the trait, so I don't know what other effects it has.

I am sure that is why the boss has [Mana: 999 + α] stat. The 'α' is probably the reason they never exhaust mana. Otherwise, even with full stat mana, you can cast huge spells and exhaust your mana.

Some heaviness disturbed my shoulder and I saw Jennifer leaning against me fast asleep.

I took out a blanket and covered her. After doing so, I could see the edges of her mouth going up.

***

After around two hours we arrived at the edges of the Artheana Mountains.

When I looked at the Artheana Mountains, they were pretty impressive. Several peaks rose majestically. Huge trees covered the mountains, creating a dense forest with lots of wildlife, a bit like the Amazon. It was a wild and beautiful place.

I never was able to appreciate it in the game, well it was just pixels.

"Wow! Look at this, big brother!"

Jennifer was pointing out some monkeys, playing in the trees, jumping around.

Her eyes were sparkling as if this was the first time she saw them.

Well, it's probably like that, you can't expect diverse wildlife in the north and I am not sure if there is a zoo.

Soon enough, we come to a stop.

After dropping us off the coachman went to the nearest carriage station.

When we finish the expedition, I will use a magical tool to send a signal and he will come to pick us up.

"Let's get going. We have to use the time wisely."

With that, we started moving toward the dungeon.

***

It took us twenty minutes to find the dungeon entrance. It would take longer if I didn't have a local map and the two magical tools I bought.

While we got close there were some guard knights and merchant tents, painting the vibe of a busy marketplace.

We approached the guards.

"Huh?"

He looked perplexed and then raised one of his brows.

"What's your business here? Aren't you two young to be here?"

"That may be so but here."

I showed our IDs to him.

"As you can see we are from the United Empires Academy and as you can see my family name-"

"Ah. You can enter."

This time I was the one who raised my brow.

I was pretty sure after he saw my family name, he would ask for a bribe and we would get in but... 

He looks to be sweating.

Did Duke Tyler give an order to the spy, so we would get in easy?

Either way, it's okay, I hope

We got on the wooden mining elevator then the guard pushed the lever.

*Squeak *Thud

The elevator started to go down with a loud noise and all of a sudden Jennifer made a weak voice and hugged my arm.

I looked at her deadpan and sighed.

"You are almost eighteen, and we are about to explore a dungeon yet are you getting scared of this?"

"You're always know-it-all aren't you, big brother?" she said while pouting.

"Jokes aside. As soon as we enter, get serious and be vigilant. Even a small mistake can cost us dearly."

"Okay, okay. I know. I will, alright. Just let me hug you."

"..."

Soon we arrived at the bottom.

"Stay safe in there, and be careful of others."

I nodded to the guard and after we got out of the elevator he started operating.

"Our first goal is to capture some Gray Slimes. Open your eyes and be ready for any surprise attacks."

"Got it." she said and nodded.

The aura she exuded had changed and her crimson eyes were focused.

We started navigating through the dimly lit passages, and the eerie echoes of the dungeon reached our ears.

The soft glow of magical crystals overhead barely illuminated the path.

Soon we approached a chamber, armed with caution.

I carefully assessed the surroundings of the chamber. 

It seemed to be empty, at least no other humans or monsters.

I armed myself with specialized containers, designed to capture Gray Slimes.

Both Jennifer and I cast <Haste > on ourselves. And she also cast <Grease > on her sword to minimize the damage of the slime's acids.

With my signal, we both start to run through the chamber.

The plan was to let them attack us and react with <Haste > and then cast <Shock > to stun them.

As soon as we arrived in the middle of the chamber, three Gray Slimes jumped on us.

Jennifer was in front of me and two of the slimes were jumping at her.

The last one was on my right, and one of the other two was on the right side of Jennifer.

"Left!" I shouted.

Jennifer angled her sword and attacked the left slime from down to the upper left side.

Meanwhile, I cast two <Shock > one with each hand and stunned the Gray Slimes.

I quickly opened the containers and it sucked the slimes inside.

"That was pretty easy! Well, of course, my big brother made the plan so that's to be expected~."

She said looking at me but I told her to be vigilant this girl! The slime she struck down is still alive!

I quickly ran to her and pushed her to my right at that moment the slime jumped on me and stuck to my left arm.