Chapter 12 - First Dungeon

Loki felt a brief disorientation before coming out of the portal's other end. New scenery welcomed him. He was still inside the forest, but it wasn't like before. He could smell the greenery and the earth. The cool breeze was so refreshing that he could probably sleep there. He could hear all sorts of sounds: the singing of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, and more.

So this is a real forest. It isn't like what is outside.

Thinking about the outside.

Loki looked behind him, wondering if the portal was still there. When he did, he saw another huge tree. A replica of what they used to enter. Or was this the original?

Upon satisfying his curiosity, Loki turned his head to his side, worried about his party. He saw Leo, who was so amazed that his mouth was hanging. Pandora, on the other hand, gripped her staff close to her chest while examining her surroundings. It was clear that she was concerned.

"Are you guys okay?" Loki asked.

Pandora nodded.

"This is amazing!" Leo screamed in excitement.

"Shhh," Loki said, placing his finger on his lips. "Quiet, we might attract unwanted guests."

"Ah, sorry."

"So, Pandora, what should we do next? Should we search the area for Azure Flower? Or should we look for a place to camp?"

Pandora shook her hands in disagreement. "I-I don't know. I'm not sure I can decide on this. I always follow my previous party, and I'm used to that."

Loki touched his chin; he wasn't sure what to do. It isn't good to force Pandora into things like this. If an accident happens, she might blame herself, and I don't want to add a burden to her heart. But it also isn't good if she keeps relying on others to make decisions for her.

"Okay, let's do this. Everyone will give their thought. It doesn't need to be complicated; just say anything that comes into your mind that is related to our Quest. After that, we will discuss the best option. Is that okay?"

Leo and Pandora nodded.

"Then, I will go first. I'm thinking about walking a few meters away from here. I know it sounds dangerous, but think about it. Crawlers should have cleaned the area near the entrance for anything valuable. What do you think?"

Leo raised his right hand. "But what if we get lost and can't find the exit on time?"

Loki smiled. "That's a good point, Leo. See, we are cooperating. What do you think about his concern, Pandora? Do you have any suggestions?"

"G-getting lost is normal inside a Dungeon; that's why Crawlers like to place symbols to find their way back to the exit."

"Oh, that's a good idea!" Leo exclaimed.

"Yeah, it is. Thank you, Pandora."

Pandora lowered her head, but Loki caught her smiling before she did.

"So, we solve that problem. Any more concerns? Or opinions?"

Leo and Pandora shook their heads.

"Okay, next is Leo. What do you want to do?"

"Umm… I would like it if we searched the surroundings first."

"Why? Isn't it better to stay ahead of others?" Loki inquired.

"I promise my Lola that I will be careful. Before we explore deeper places, it would be better if we familiarize ourselves first, so we will at least have an idea of where to go if something undesirable happens."

Loki didn't expect Leo to be thorough. Leo wasn't someone who thought things deeply. He was more of a go guy who always liked to follow the flow. It seemed that even the happy-go-lucky, like Leo, took Crawling seriously.

"That's also a reasonable choice. What do you think about that, Pandora?"

"I-I think it's good."

"Okay, that's two. What about you, Pandora? Give us some of your thoughts."

"I-I don't know. I'm okay with anything."

"No, I'm not okay with that. We're teammates; don't be afraid to tell us anything. I know this isn't something you're used to, but I think it will be great for all of us if we can be comfortable with each other."

Pandora lingered; it was obvious that she was hesitating to let out her opinion. However, after a few seconds of silence, she finally reacted and spoke. "I-I don't know if this is good. I know a place where a lot of Azure Flower grows. But the problem is, the area is near the main pathway of Kobolds."

"I see, it's risky but high rewards. Thank you, Pandora, just knowing that is good for us. Although I think it isn't wise to venture there, perhaps when we are strong enough, we can try it," Loki reassured.

"Okay, we have multiple choices; let's discuss which is the best. I think I will go with Leo's suggestion. Mine is a bit impulsive and dangerous, and as of now, we don't need to take unnecessary risks. How about you two?"

Leo smiled. "Of course, mine."

"I-I think Leo's suggestion is good too."

"Great, let's go."

When they were about to set out, Loki realized something.

"Wait, before we proceed, I want to clear things up. We should at least inform each other of our role and discuss our battle formation. My Class role is offensive, and I'm Level 1. I use a dagger as my main weapon."

Hearing this, Leo continued the introduction. "My Class Role is a tank, and I'm also a Level 1. I'm using a rounded shield and a mace. I prefer a heavy shield though, but because I don't have coins yet, I will be content for now. Just leave protecting to me, and I will make sure to block all attacks that come your way."

After Leo's introduction, the two kids turned their gazes on Pandora.

"I-I'm a support Class, and I'm Level 2. My weapon of choice is staff, but I don't practically use them to attack. Please, protect me." Pandora bowed.

Support? I thought she would be a mage or something. If her Class is support, is she a priest? Well, considering she has the same robe as Father Laryatt, she must be a Priest.

"Our party is balanced; we have Leo as a tank, me as a damage dealer, and Pandora as a support. I don't know much about battle formation, but I think using the most basic one is the best decision for us. Leo, you will be our Vanguard. Your main role is to protect Pandora. My job is to do as much damage as I can. And Pandora, make sure to support us with your skills. Are we good?"

"Yeah, no problem." Leo gave a thumbs-up.

Finally, the party continued their journey.

The trio walked surrounded by trees. Leo led the group; behind him was Pandora, while Loki was at the rear. They carefully scanned every root, stump, rock, and grass for any signs of Azure Flowers. As expected, they couldn't find a single one after searching for about an hour. Nevertheless, the group didn't get discouraged. Even if they couldn't find one, they could still fulfill their other goal—familiarization.

While they were sauntering across the sea of trees, they got interrupted by a howl in the distance.

"What was that?" Leo asked while looking around.

"T-that's a Kobold's howl," Pandora explained.

"Woah, should we check it out? I kind of want to see one."

Loki shook his head. "I want to see one too, but that's too risky; we don't know how many are there. Let's move away from the howl for now."

However, before they could walk in the opposite direction, another sound echoed. This time, it wasn't a howl but a scream of a man asking for help.

"Someone is in danger!" Leo exclaimed in worry. "Let's go and help him."

Before Leo could run toward the sound, Loki stopped him.

"Wait, Leo, this isn't our problem. We can't just dive into something we know nothing about."

"What's there to know? Someone is asking for help; isn't it normal to help?"

This was the only thing Loki hated about Leo. He always liked to help people in need. He wasn't opposed to helping others, as Father Laryatt taught him that he should help people if he could. However, Father also taught him that he should never try helping if he didn't have the ability to do so. Not only that he would place himself in danger, but it would also complicate things even further.

"Are we sure we can help him, though? What if instead of helping, we make his situation worse?"

"Worse? I think anyone who screamed like that was already in a worse situation. Come on, Leo, let's at least see what's happening. After that, we decide if we should help or not."

Loki touched his chin. He didn't want to risk his party for others. But if he continued to deny Leo, it might put a crack on their relationship, and that was also bad.

Loki looked at Pandora. "What do you think?"

Pandora seemed hesitant to speak, but after collecting courage, she opened her mouth and said. "I-I wish to help him too. If someone had helped my previous party, they would have survived."

Loki bit his lips in frustration. "Fine, let's go."