Chapter 8: Dungeons; Dungeon Break!!

The guild was still bustling with adventurers, some were accepting the missions while some were just returning from their missions. Everyone was striving to live their life.

The determined eyes of those who were accepting the missions, it was something I didn't have before awakening. I would have something we call soulless eyes, belonging to those who didn't have any purpose in their life.

I was living my life, working as a laborer in the guild, getting money for completed missions, filling my stomach when hungry, taking dumps when needed, sleeping at night, and waking up in the mornings to once again repeat the process day by day, every day just like a puppet.

It truly lacked any purpose but these adventurers, they had a thrilling life, one filled with riches and death. Every day was new and exciting, unlike the repetitive life I was living.

They could be battling a ferocious monster today. And tomorrow, they will be helping some old people find their belongings. It was unpredictable, it was fun, and most importantly it wasn't monotonic at all. It was the kind of life I wanted to live.

I had never experienced the thrill of an unpredictable yet exhilarating life until now, as I lacked the ability to do so. However, with the assistance of my legacy, I now have the opportunity to live a life filled with blood-pumping adventures, enjoying such adventures.

I will be the one to battle the monster today while helping the elderly tomorrow, explore the world, and live a life filled with challenges, but also with moments of triumph and growth, making every day a unique and unforgettable journey.

 Growl...

I had to stop my monologue as dinner was served. My stomach couldn't control itself as I was hungry after meditating for such a long time today, even my whole body was aching, requesting a good nap in my bed. Only my mind was active, fervently imagining the life I could now lead as someone who could sense the mana in the environment.

"Ahh... It was fulfilling."

I returned to my house, rubbing my bulging belly with a slight smile etched on my face.

The food they sell at the guild is the best; even my own cooking is worse than the food sold there.

Snore.... Snore....

I fell asleep the moment I lay down on my bed, the comfiest bed ever. 

I had a beautiful dream tonight, walking down the lush ethereal forest, and enjoying the radiant moonlight.

It was a short yet wonderful dream just like the one I had when I got the legacy, just missing the third moon in the sky.

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I started my morning with a light breakfast, did my dishes, and once again went to the guild.

Today was the day I was going to inscribe my first rune. I was going to first train to inscribe the visualized 'Rune of tranquility" in some papers made from monsters' hide, as any mistake made during the inscription of 'Symbol' to infuse my understanding of the rune would lead the preparation of a totally different and unintended rune.

I didn't want to mess with runes, it was going to be the foundation on which I was going to build up my strength so I was taking my first rune seriously.

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Inside the Enchanted Training Room,

I sat on the ground surrounded by several stacks of paper, a pair of rustic daggers at hand, and a mind filled with chaos that refused to calm. This was going to be my first attempt at inscribing a rune, and I wasn't ready for the task.

It was evident that this was going to be the initial test presented by the Legacy, a test to determine my worthiness or perhaps to ascertain if the Legacy had chosen the right individual. Everything depended on the success of this rune inscription today.

My mind was in turmoil, my heart racing, and the pressure weighing down on me felt greater than any challenge I had faced, even surpassing the times I had risked my life after escaping the orphanage while living in the streets.

Only after painstakingly calming my mind did I dare to begin drawing the rune's outline, the very symbol I intended to inscribe onto my soul.

Starting with the first sheet of paper, my hands trembled uncontrollably. I struggled to draw even a simple straight line, let alone the intricate symbol of the rune I aimed to inscribe.

It took an entire hour and one stack of paper just to sketch a rough outline of the Lotus that I had envisioned for my rune. It was far from perfect, resembling more of a messy scribble than the refined image I had envisioned the day before. The nervousness felt by me threatened to overwhelm me, my hands still shaking as I was attempting to finalize the outline of a lotus.

After two more stacks of paper and countless attempts, I finally achieved what I sought. The outline of the rune looked similar to my visualization, its strokes smoother with a few imperfections that required refinement. It was progress with room for improvement, but I deemed it passable for now.

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Three hours later...

I had already used up every piece of paper, meticulously sketching the outline of the 'Lotus.' The progress I had made with the Lotus outline was evident, as I finally managed to draw it without any imperfections. It matched the visualized symbol for my rune perfectly.

Fwoosh...

I breathed out.

Looking at the stacks of paper filled with scribblings of lotus,  I saw the progression from chaotic strokes resembling the work of an unintelligent creature, to gradually forming the outline of a 'Lotus,' and finally achieving a perfect replication of the outline as per my visualization. It had been a hectic day, but the sense of accomplishment I felt as I looked at those papers was something entirely new to me.

It was the feeling of realizing a dream, even if it was the smallest dream I had ever harbored. 

And I liked this feeling, it dispelled the feeling of lethargy that had settled in after seven hours of meticulously sketching the outline of Lotus in several stacks of papers.

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It was already evening by the time I exited the training room. The guild hall was bustling with adventures, almost everyone amongst them had serious faces.

The tense atmosphere in the hall was stifling, sweeping away any joy that I had on my face after finally being able to draw the perfect outline of Lotus for my first rune.

I slowly walked towards the dining hall, the place where most adventurers were talking with each other. I sat at one of the inconspicuous tables in the hall, listening to the conversation between the members of the party that was sitting just beside me.

They didn't mind my presence as it was normal for adventurers to share their tables with others when the hall was packed. The context of their topic was 'Dungeon break'.It sent a shiver down my spine, for I knew all too well the ominous significance of those words.

A "Dungeon break" was a disastrous phenomenon that could strike any place where the entrance to the dungeon was located, bringing death and desolation along it.

 Stories and legends from the past describe these dungeons as not just random catacombs or underground labyrinths. They describe dungeons as fragmented parts of several worlds that had been torn asunder for various unfathomable reasons.

As for the entrance we see in our world, they are merely the gateway to these fragmented parts equipped with unique environments where different species of creatures thrive.

Dungeon breaks normally do not occur, and their occurrence was shrouded by mystery that had plagued the greatest minds in this world.

The only known reason for a Dungeon break to occur was when the strength of the monster residing in the fragmented part behind the entrance grew stronger than the spell protecting the gateway.

While rare, there have been several instances of dungeon breaks occurring throughout the history of this world. Each break brought with it devastation and desolation. Blood flowed like rivers, staining the land where monsters from the dungeons passed by. Even the vitality present in the land where a dungeon break occurred would be destroyed, rendering such lands barren, never to be covered by greenery ever again.

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As I listened to the conversation amongst the adventurers, the grim picture slowly surfaced in my mind.

Every dungeon break that was recorded and known to normal people had led to a battle for the survival of that place, only to be stopped by the rivers of blood that culminated due to the death of the strongest warriors, with the help of the strongest organizations ruling this world.

If an intermediate town like the one I was residing in faced such an occurrence with a monster even stronger than the 'elite' ranked lord of our town, almost everyone would be forced to abandon this town and move to other towns. We could only think about leaving this town if we were able to survive the onslaught of monsters that were freed from the fragmented world they were sealed in.

And the name of the town where the Dungeon break occurred sent a chill down my spine.