Ch 23: The Dungeon experience 101 [pt1]

What the goddess had said turned out to be the truth. No one tried to look for them through the night and no one asked any questions the next day as well.

It was almost as if no one had any recollection of who Nao was and Alex did not want to ask the people about Nao as well. He was afraid that they would get suspicious of him if he poked his nose too much.

So, he quietly made his way toward the rest of his group under the guidance of Sha, the person chosen to guide him.

Alex could see Baron Luke and the rest of his gang cheerful about something.

Well, it looked more like Baron Luke was cheerful about something but no one else shared his enthusiasm. Alex quickly joined them and he was surprised to see that he was not the last one to arrive.

Kurina had yet to arrive but Baron Luke seemed not to notice her absence.

“You all, we have hit the jackpot. I talked with the king yesterday and he agreed to show us the palace where they mine their precious resources. The king said that we can take anything we mine in that dungeon as long as we bring back a sapphire jewel from in there.”

“So that’s what we are going to do today. We will go into the dungeon and mine some ore. That’s your specialty, right my slaves?”

Baron Luke was far too excited to take this deal through. And since he seemed to have decided on what to do, there was no way to convince him out of it.

It was also the time Kurina arrived at. She seemed to have heard all the important details but she did not comment. Somehow, it looked like Kurina’s attention was not all at the current moment.

“Let’s head out now. Our guides will take us to the dungeon and they will stay with us inside as well. This will be easy so don’t worry too much.”

Baron Luke was ignorant most of the time, but this was plain foolishness. And despite that, everyone else had no choice but to follow him.

“Don’t worry too much. We go in and out of that dungeon all the time. There are a few monsters in the dungeon but they are all harmless and do not go after humans. So, if you see a monster inside the dungeon, keep quiet and do not make any noise. The monster would leave us alone.”

Their guide quickly explained to them what they needed to do once they entered the dungeon. Everyone except Baron Luke seemed to understand what was going to happen and the real danger.

They were not worried about themselves but about Baron Luke’s largemouth and his tendencies to land himself in danger. It would come back to bite them soon.

“We are at the dungeon grounds now. Keep your quiet and call if you find anything.”

Alex watched his guide spray a liquid on his body. Alex wanted to ask what that liquid was but Baron Luke diverted his attention.

“Ahhhhh”

That foolish man seemed to have triggered some kind of trap and he yelled as a result. His guide quickly got him out of the trap and checked over Baron Luke.

Thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken or harmed when Baron Luke activated the trap. Only his legs hurt a little bit but that could be managed by him easily.

“You need to be careful and keep quiet. Even if you are in severe pain, do not yell like this again. You will get us all killed.”

For the first time, the guide looked annoyed at Baron Luke’s actions. And somehow, Alex knew that the guide was not angry because he could get killed inside. Something else seemed to be worrying him.

The ground beneath their feet vibrated and shook. Alex had to duck and grab hold of the ground to not lose his balance. He and everyone else was being rocked due to the small earthquake.

“Duck down close to the ground and do not move. This shaking would pass soon.”

Alex’s guide whispered and Alex remained in his current position until he saw his guide stand up as well.

Everyone else seemed to be trying to regain their balance and Baron Luke looked shocked at what happened.

“W-What was that? Where did that earthquake come from? Don’t tell me that there would be more of those earthquakes in the dungeon. This one scared me a lot.”

Baron Luke clutched his heart as he stood up. He looked at his guide for an answer, but the guide seemed uninterested in giving them all an answer.

“Oh, this is nothing. These small quakes keep on happening inside this dungeon at irregular intervals. Whenever that happens, just duck down and wait for it to pass. It should not take long and hardly anyone dies as a result of these quakes.”

Sha, Alex’s guide assured them all of this. Alex did not believe him but Baron Luke and others did.

Alex wanted to know what had caused that earthquake but he doubted that his guide would tell him so easily. Not when Sha had every intention of hiding things from Alex and his party.

‘The quake was caused by Barrel Worms. They are creatures of this dungeon and are both blind and lack a sense of smell. Loud voices attract them because of the waves they produce so be careful in the dungeon. These creatures are carnivorous and would eat any kind of flesh.'

The goddess explained inside Alex's mind and she sounded nostalgic when she spoke. Her words also cleared a lot of things inside Alex's mind.

Now things made sense inside Alex’s mind and that also answered any questions Alex had about the warning he had been given by his guide.

This was important information to convey to their side and Alex could not help but feel doubtful of these guide's intentions.

He was sure that these guides wanted their party to live and get back to the city safely. So why would they tell their group such an obvious lie like this? These monsters did not eat humans? Ha, as if.

But Alex kept his thoughts to himself. He could see how much Baron Luke was willing to trust these people. If Alex carelessly made accusations, then Baron Luke would make it hurt for Alex.

“Something is wrong. Does that beast not eat humans? If so, then why are the guides so cautious of these beasts? Don’t you think something is fishy here?”

Kurina asked Alex but then she remembered that she was supposed to be angry at him and turned her head away.

‘Oh, this girl also has good instincts and knows how to hold her grudge. Ah, how I regret not being compatible with her. I would have loved to possess her body and make use of it as my own.’

Alex ignored the goddess’s constant chatter inside his mind and tuned her out. He paid attention to his group and stopped just behind them.

“There are the crystals that you can mine to take back. But it looks like we have bad timing. Those monsters are guarding the crystals. It looks like we will need to distract them.”

Sha informed their group as the other guide kept an eye out for any signs of danger. Alex looked at those crystals as well and was surprised to see that they looked rather normal.

These pretty stones would fetch a good price outside the tower because of their beauty. But they were pretty much useless inside the tower.

“Ah, so pretty. So, all we need to do is to distract these monsters, right? Don’t worry about that. My slaves would-”

“Absolutely not. I will not have any of you risk your life and die in this dungeon. My partner would be the one to distract these monsters.”

Every slave other than Alex looked touched at the fierce objection of their guide. No one has stood up like this for them before and they felt grateful for the guide. Even Kurina looked surprised but touched by this declaration.

Baron Luke, on the other hand, frowned at the strong reaction. He could not see why these people would not allow his slaves to do as they should for him.

Salves were the lowest of the low inside the dungeon and Baron Luke did not consider their lives as important. They were fodder for him. But on the other hand, these guides were important and wealthy.

So, Baron wanted to maintain a healthy relationship with them.

“What my partner means to say is that we are experts when it comes to these beasts. We are trained as well as ready to take them on. We also know how to distract them if we need to. So, there is no need for you all to take risks.”

Sha still looked angry and annoyed with the Baron but he kept his mouth shut.

The more Alex looked at their interaction, the more he was sure that these people had something planned out for him and his party.

“I will go out and distract these beasts. Sha, once you are done collecting the jewels, take this group back home. And, remember to find that blue crystal and take it back with you.”

Baron’s guide instructed everyone before he leapt out and ran in the other direction.