Chapter 120

"How long do you think he is going to remain like this? Why did his mana go out of control like that?" Prince Leo asked while watching Bredret take a close look at Vorbuk's condition.

The dragon was doing his best to try and understand what was going on with the wolf's unstable mana. He could sense that there was something strange going on within Vorbuk's mana. It felt as if there was something internally fighting against his natural mana causing him to lose control. The more he observed it the more his expression darkened.

"The mutt will be fine." Bredret bluntly stated as he glanced back while Ashley came walking up to them after searching the area for somewhere they could all rest out of sight.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Leo pressed for an answer to what worried him most. Though the moment he asked for answers Bredret had cast him a cold glare that caused him to grit his teeth. Instinctively his body wanted to flinch but he could only glare back as he felt determined to understand what was going on with his friend.

"His mana has become corrupted by another," Bredret picked up the wolf in his arms and began to follow the others. Beside him the prince followed while listening to his words.

"You mean-?" Leo had no chance to ask questions before the dragon continued.

"When he absorbed the clone made of the god Chynir's mana in order to save everyone back at the temple.. He did not process that mana properly throughout his body and it was from an element that does not belong to him. If one naturally intakes a large amount of mana from an element not belonging to them there are only a few options that could happen to them. Though.. If he pulls through with the second option that allows him to live, it would mean a mutation in his mana. It is natural occurrence for species that can evolve more then once in their lifetime. As they say.. Hardships make one stronger."

When they reached the place that Ashley had found it was a hidden cave along the side of the mountain's river. From a distance the cave was hard to notice and inside it was near impossible to see. Naturally everyone had to light up torches with Bredret's magic after placing Vorbuk on the ground against the side of the cave. The prince casually sitting by Vorbuk as he listened to the sound of the wolf breathing in his sleep. Completely unaware of what was going on with the world around him Vorbuk could only sleep deeply where he lay.

Illusionist's mana... combining with Shadow mana. What are you? Trying to become some dark mage? Hah! You can pull through this much. I won't allow you to leave me behind. Crown Prince Leo thought to himself as he stroked the fur of the wolf's head. It was warm and comforting.

The prince could not hear the words from the others as they whispered to each other about their situation. With his focus on the state the wolf was in nothing could divert his attention easily.

"What do you mean the cave goes through the mountain?" Daryl asked Ashley while he contemplated how to get them through the mountains and closer to the Kingdom of Theapan.

"This place seems to be one of the entrances to an eastern dungeon. It may not be safe but our best option at this point may very well be to.." Ashley glanced over at Vorbuk before returning his gaze to Daryl and the others.

"... Right. It would probably have another exit on the other side of the mountain if we come out the other side." Daryl considered the options in front of him.

Dungeons were rare and hidden places. They often took on many forms but they were known for guilds to monopolize. Filled with various types of risks to ones own life very few people were willing to enter a dungeon before it was cleared by professional hunters. In the end however many lives could become lost throughout the years to a dungeon because of those who lose their rationality to the temptation of what could be hidden within the secrets of it.

Treasures did not always come in forms of items. There were in fact some dungeons who's greatest wealth resided in hidden secrets from ancient times. It was because of those ancient secrets that not only hunters after treasure but even scholars with an interest in ancient times could be found pushing their luck.

Although Dungeons were rarely found on the continent they were never taken lightly. In fact they could not completely rid themselves of the idea that the Crystal Tiger could be a beast that had simply wandered out from the dungeon. Beasts wandering out from dungeons was not an unknown occurrence as long as it was not the beast guarding the main location.

Was the tiger they crossed simply fodder for what was hidden deeper within this eastern dungeon? Ashley pondered the idea closely.

"Hm?" Bredret glanced at Ashley's darkened expression. He could see the shadowed look on his face quickly being covered with a polite smile as Ashley turned to walk away from them.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked when he caught the dragon keeping a close eye on Ashley.

"Nothing." Bredret said without hesitation to the question. It was normal for him to reject giving a proper response so Daryl did not find his response strange in the least.

"We will give him a bit more to wake up from the state he is in.. Once Vorbuk wakes up we keep pushing forward through the mountain." Daryl affirmed his choice. "We will force our way through the dungeon to reach the other side as cleanly as possible."

"... Daryl?" Bredret seemed to hesitate with a thought.

"What?" Daryl felt like he should ignore Bredret's question before the dragon even had a chance to open his mouth.

"You just want to explore the dungeon, right?" Bredret's eyes were clear with a hint of doubt towards Daryl's motive being entirely clean.

"Ehem! I should check on Zoe. She's probably shaken after the fall into the river." Daryl cleared his throat before walking away to make sure Zoe was alright.

It was not entirely a lie that he was going to check on her condition because Zoe was someone that did not do well with water. The cat-girl could not even swim properly without a method to help aid her. Therefore Daryl did worry about whether or not she would be upset over what had happened to them.

It was not entirely true either. After all, Daryl was an adventurer and had traversed all twelve kingdoms. Things that gave him excitement definitely included exploring places he had never been able to. Places that he had not been to yet was an extremely short list. When it came to using the dungeon as a way to get them through the mountain there was no way he could entirely deny being excited. He had a chance to explore someplace new in front of him.

A little bit of excitement was alright, right? Daryl smiled faintly as he thought so.