21: Secret Dungeon

Soon enough, after they climbed up to the cave, the brewer led Darius deeper into the cavern system that akin to an endless labyrinth. Before they entered the darker zone, Barley rummaged his satchel and produced two bio-luminescent torches that he made from a certain species of mosh.

"Here, the creatures down here are very sensitive to bright light and heat. Please refrain yourself from using magic and walk as light as possible."

"Understood. But, why do we have to go this deep?" Darius asked, cautious of what lurks beneath the darkness.

"I'll explain as we walk. Follow closely."

Trudging through the narrow hallway of stones, Barley told Darius what was actually happening to him.

"I met this blonde young nobleman by the time I finished harvesting the beehives. He said he was your friend and wanted to see you after you had awakened your magic, judging by your parents background, I naturally thought it's only natural for your parents to know a noble or two. After a quick chat, he convinced me to bring him along to harvest the beehives. However, he began to show his real face and attacked me upon knowing the Westcliff's truth. I was fooled by his charm."

"It's okay. People make mistakes, Mr. Barley. There's no need to lament over it."

Besides, that young nobleman is already dead now."

"Dead?! Did you…?"

Darius nodded and spoke nonchalantly. "Yes. I killed him."

"By Thor's stinking beard!" Barley cursed.

He couldn't believe a brat as young as Darius had to sully his hands with blood in order to protect him and the entire village. Barley thought, It should have been adults' responsibility to protect the young and not the other way around.

"Let's not think about it too much. Let the bygones be bygones."

Barley went silent, he then walked in front of Darius. Not so long after, Barley suddenly halted his steps.

"We have arrived."

As the bio-luminescent torch was held high above Barley's head, it triggered a chain reaction from the similar substance, causing the whole hallways illuminated by bluish dim light that emanated from the walls and ceiling.

On Darius' left side, there were huge stone double doors, looming high before them for more than 20 feet.

"Incredible! Is this the truth about this place? What are these gates? It feels so… Ancient. I could sense profound ancient Mana from them."

"I don't know. I found this place decades ago." Barley chimed. "When your father came to this village and found this place, he was furious and made me vow to not tell this place to the other villagers. Only the former chief, your father and I know this place. And since you have awakened your magic, I think it's time for you to learn this place as well."

"Can you tell me the details about this place?"

"Not much. One thing for sure though, the place beyond these gates is very dangerous! Sometimes, I even heard a hellish scream of a demon from the other side when I was collecting the beehives in the upper zone."

Darius blinked his eyes, confused on why Mr. Barley answered his questions instead when it was addressed to the Magical A.I woman, Alexa. By then, he realized he had spoken his mind out loud due to the excitement.

Afterward, Alexa gave the detailed information regarding this place by installing the knowledge directly to Darius' brains.

[You have discovered an unknown Dungeon Gates.]

[The dungeon is separated into three main floors and there are also subfloors that overlap with each other and create a never ending labyrinth. One must have exceptional Spirit Sense to navigate through this dungeon.]

[This dungeon, albeit small compared to the Great Northern Dungeon, contains stronger treasures and artifacts. Even my radar sensed a very powerful tome in slumber, waiting for its new master in the deepest floor.]

[From my calibration, you'll need to hit Rank 1 Mage - First Stage Body Foundation Realm to be able to open the gates. Without the bare minimum requirements, you would likely die there.]

Darius couldn't stop grinning from excitement upon reading the description in his mind.

Dungeon was a magical place from the Immemorial Era when Gods and Demons still sprawled on the land. A dungeon was made to honor the fallen gods and demons. Their remains were buried deep beneath the earth.

It was said by the legends that a dungeon has many invaluable treasures, artifacts, Heaven Defying Tomes and many more

 Although their wars almost bring humanity to extinction, they blessed the land with Ancient Mana, nurturing nature and evolving humanity in the process.

The current magic development and technology was adapted from the ancient magic system that was found in the dungeons, ancient tombs and .

'If this dungeon is still uncharted by any major powerhouse, that means the resources are still untapped and sullied by the hands of humans. There'll be an uproar if this dungeon is discovered by outsiders. Worse, the village will be obliterated for sure! That's explain why Geoffrey let Mr. Barley alive on the other day, he must be wanted to know the secret of this place. Hmph! That snake-headed bastard!'

'I must become the first one who conquer this dungeon. Once the village is strong enough and has many mages, we will able to monopolize this dungeon and this place will be our gold mine and we don't need to worry about money and food for generations to come!'

As shrewd and greedy as he might be, Darius was determined to take on this dungeon by himself and leave the odd trinkets to the other dungeon raiders who would willing to spend a gold coin or two to the village's treasury just to explore the dungeon. A whole scheme was being written in his head, but getting stronger came first!

"Barley, get back to the surface. Tell Maria that I am in the middle of training and will not come out until I have breakthrough and become Rank 1 Mage. Tell her to not come for me until I am done."

Barley nodded. "Understood."