Chapter 234

So, the goal for today was dungeon spa exploration.

It was a hidden hot spring facility in the depths of Lake Kingdom's Zone 5.

For a moment, I thought about taking all the weary heroes from the last battle to relax and rejuvenate in the hot springs. However, considering that there would likely be battles along the way, I decided to proceed with just the initially chosen party of five.

"Strictly speaking, that hot spring facility is a part of Zone 5's dungeon."

Lake Kingdom Dungeon. Basecamp.

Today, the place was completely empty, with no NPCs in sight.

Before setting out on the exploration, I did some final preparations and briefly briefed my party members.

"But once you get rid of the monsters at the entrance, you can freely use the facility inside."

Kuilan, who was still shivering wrapped in a blanket, looked at me as if intrigued.

"How do you know about such a place?"

Hmm. It is a hidden dungeon, but—

After playing the game around 742 times, you naturally learn the locations of even obscure dungeons.

Since I couldn't explain it that way, I fumbled for a simple answer.

"That's because I'm the Prince!"

In the Everblack Empire, there's nothing we don't know! Everblack is watching you!

"Damn, as expected of the Imperial Family... Your intelligence network is amazing..."

Kuilan was immediately convinced.

No, this is problematic. Just by dropping the 'Imperial Family' card, everyone seems to buy it.

"We'll have to walk a bit since it's deeper into Zone 5. Let's proceed cautiously to avoid any ambushes."

I raised a blue flame torch above my head.

The other party members each took out their lanterns or torches. I grinned.

"Alright, let's go!"

We left the basecamp and first teleported to the safe point of Zone 4's dungeon [Great Park].

Dungeons that have been cleared once have active safe points near the exit, making them convenient for shortcuts.

We then proceeded directly to Zone 5.

We walked along the main streets of a city shrouded in darkness.

The dungeon's depth serves as an indicator of how far we have penetrated into Lake Kingdom.

In other words, we were moving toward the more bustling and developed center of the city.

Zone 5 of Lake Kingdom was even more bustling than the previous zones, and most notably, signs of magical civilization became increasingly evident.

Intricate magical devices were scattered everywhere.

Although I could see various dungeons we could enter, I led the party toward our objective—the hot spring facility—while skillfully avoiding them.

'Come to think of it, I can see the Colosseum over there.'

I glimpsed the shadow of the massive Colosseum erected in a distant corner of Zone 5.

That's where I had obtained high-quality materials like [Dark Crystals] by exploiting a shortcut known as 'Path of the Overlord.'

'I wonder if that Jackal guy is alright...'

Jackal, the Colosseum champion who wore a Jackal mask, known as Swordmaster Jackal, crossed my mind.

He had been attacked by a vampire legion as a consequence of helping us.

After that, the 'Path of the Overlord' was sealed off, and both the safe point leading to the Colosseum and the teleport gates were closed. I had no way to check on his condition.

'...Given how strong he is, I'd like to think he survived.'

As soon as the party members finish recuperating, I'll need to assemble a solid squad and scout out the Colosseum.

The other path presents its own set of challenges, but I need to get a lay of the land nonetheless.

Lost in thought, I navigated through the labyrinthine streets of the city when a faint mist began to appear before me.

Sniffing the air, Kuilan wrinkled his nose. "Is that... sulfur?"

The smell of sulfur meant hot springs were near. I nodded, thrusting my torch forward to illuminate the way.

"We're here."

True to my word, a massive public bathhouse loomed ahead, far bigger than any in Crossroad.

Well, Lake Kingdom was a much larger city compared to Crossroad, so it made sense that it had a higher population as well.

A facility of this size would be necessary to accommodate the large number of users.

However, in keeping with the eerie, dark atmosphere of the city, not a soul was in sight.

The entrance to the modern, expansive spa stood wide open, shrouded in darkness, emitting only a pale mist.

"It's the same everywhere in this city..." 

Evangeline, who had been closely following me, muttered.

"It's creepy here too..."

"But it's warm."

While the other dungeons in this city were inherently cold, a palpable warmth hung in the misty darkness here. I deeply inhaled the sulfur-infused aroma of the hot springs.

'It reminds me of Bugok Hawaii from my childhood.'

Ever been to Bugok Hawaii? It was a hot spring resort located in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.

Back when I was young, it was one of the largest water parks in Korea. We'd go there as a family when my parents were on good terms.

Frolic in the pool, soak in the hot spring, eat dinner, and then I'd doze off in the car on the way home, completely drained.

Inhaling the smell of sulfur and hot springs now, childhood memories flooded back...

'...Nostalgic in the strangest of places, aren't I?'

I snapped myself out of it. 

After my parents' relationship soured, those weekend trips disappeared. A few years after I became an adult, Bugok Hawaii closed down due to poor management.

I haven't been anywhere near a hot spring since.

'Never thought I'd wind up in another world, in another body.'

Enough reminiscing. Shaking my head, I signaled to my party members and led the way into the hot spring facility.

Ding!

Familiar dungeon information popped up in my sight.

[Section 5: Hot Spring Facility]

- Clear Progress: Normal Room 0/1

- Treasure Chests Acquired: None

It's classified as a dungeon, hence the notification. But as you can see, no treasure chests and only one 'Normal Room.'

We can use the hot springs as soon as we take down the monsters guarding the entrance.

"Alright, what monsters are we up against this season~!"

I had my suspicions, but I shone my light into the facility entrance anyway.

Grrr...

Grrroar!

Unsurprisingly, the monsters that had interrupted us during the Jormungandr battle reappeared. I clicked my tongue.

"Of course, werewolves..."

[Hot Spring Facility - Room 1]

- Eliminate the enemies!

- Lv.30 Brown Werewolves: 10 Units

Ten or so werewolves popped out from various spots near the entrance of the facility. 

They bared their teeth and claws, growling as if they'd been waiting for this moment.

However, these were foes we had faced before.

And under much worse circumstances at that.

My party members readied their equipment for battle.

Lucas and Damien were obvious choices, but even Kuilan and Evangeline, who weren't in the best condition, steeled their faces and pulled out their weapons.

It probably wasn't necessary, but I took out my staff, [Maestro], and lightly tapped each party member's shoulder.

A random buff was applied to everyone.

"Alright, let's crush them easily and head to a nice, warm rest!"

As I shouted, the werewolves charged at us, pounding the ground. My party members swung their weapons in response.

***

These werewolves were much stronger than the ones we'd faced in Stage 9.

Well, that made sense. Back then, their abilities had been diminished due to the penalties for interrupting us.

But our current situation was better than before.

At least we weren't fighting while running on a giant serpent, chasing time-limited, part-destruction missions.

After easily grinding the werewolf scum into pulp, a dungeon-clear message appeared.

[Section 5: Hot Spring Facility]

- Clearance Progress: Normal Room 1/1

- Clearance Bonus: One Hot Spring Facility Ticket Acquired!

Ding!

When I used the ticket, magical lighting illuminated the dark corners of the hot spring facility. 

The magic mechanisms all around the facility started operating, and three doors opened wide at the entrance. 

They led to the 'Men's Bath,' 'Women's Bath,' and 'Rest Area.'

"Wow..."

"What is this, magic? Is it all automatic?"

Seeing the remnants of a magical civilization move on their own, my party members stood agape. I grinned and gestured for them to follow.

"The facility should be similar to the public baths in Crossroad. Let's go refresh ourselves!"

Our current party consisted of four men, including myself, and Evangeline.

I was slightly worried about Evangeline. She was sick and wouldn't it be dangerous if she fainted alone in the hot spring?

"Are you okay bathing alone, Evangeline?"

However, Evangeline covered her mouth with her hand and gave me a sly smile. What's she up to?

"Oh my~ Senior. You aren't planning to come in with me under the guise of concern, are you~?"

"What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?"

She seemed more disturbed than before.

"Hehe, I'll show off this Evangeline Cross's sexy-dynamite-hot body next time we go to the beach. Hold on till then."

I wasn't sure what nonsense this little girl was spouting, but I figured I'd give her a pass since she wasn't feeling well.

'Speaking of the beach.'

Summer was almost over and I hadn't gotten to swim even once. I wasn't sure if there were any swimming spots around Crossroad.

'Maybe I should look into it next year...'

How much fun it would be to take a few days off and relax without worrying about monsters.

With those thoughts in mind, I quickly pushed Evangeline into the women's bath.

"Submerge yourself in the hot spring and regain your senses, junior."

"See you in a bit then...*cough* *hack*!"

Evangeline disappeared into the women's bath with a dramatic cough.

I looked around at the remaining party members and shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's take this time to bond by scrubbing each other's backs."

It's an old tradition where men become fast friends by scrubbing each other's backs in the bath. This place might not have that specific culture, but hey.

Just as I was about to head into the men's bath with the party, I noticed Kuilan's expression harden.

"What's the matter, Kuilan? Don't like baths?"

"It's not the baths that are the problem..."

Kuilan slowly squatted next to the fallen werewolf.

"...This is strange. It does feel oddly familiar."

Studying the corpse of the monster that seemed like a bipedal wolf, Kuilan swallowed hard.

"I don't know why this feels so familiar, but these werewolves... they seem strangely recognizable."

"Hmm."

Now that I thought about it, when we encountered these werewolf guys on top of Jormungandr, Kuilan had said the same thing—that they felt familiar.

'Werewolves are also called lycanthropes.'

And Kuilan has the blood of the Werebeasts mixed in him.

Werewolves. Werebeasts.

'Is there some common denominator?'

Their names seemed somewhat similar.

As I was tilting my head in thought, I turned to Lucas and asked,

"Do you also find these wolves oddly familiar?"

Lucas had a history of recklessly using his Beast Transformation skill, stepping into the realm of a beast—half-dog or half-wolf or something. Although he's more stable now, his Beast Transformation levels are still significantly higher than an average person's.

Which means he also resides somewhere between humanity and beastliness, much like these werewolves.

"I can't say they feel familiar."

Lucas scanned the dead werewolves with cold eyes.

"But I do feel a stronger hostility toward them than other monsters. I don't know why."

"You feel more hostile...?"

I stroked my chin, deep in thought.

Hmm, could this be some form of inter-species animosity or something?

"Ah, screw it, who knows!"

Giving up on the dilemma, I pulled out something from my bag.

"Let's quickly wash up and eat this!"

It was...grilled eggs and cold beverages!

I had asked the chef to prepare these as soon as we decided to come to the hot spring.

I didn't get to eat enough the last time we were at the bath, so this time I brought plenty!

Upon seeing the food, the eyes of all the party members lit up at once. Kuilan nearly drooled but managed to swallow it back.

Ah, these ravenous fellows...