Hidden Dungeon

Leaving behind the the disappointed people at Endeavor Fortress, I immediately headed for the Great Forest.

The Great Forest was so close that calling it nearby wouldn't be an exaggeration, and it was only a three-hour ride away.

As soon as we arrived at the Great Forest, Luna, who had been riding with me, used Mana Detect after looking around and exclaimed, "Is it just a forest?"

"Yes, Vayatra's Great Forest doesn't have any special features compared to its size."

"I had high expectations..."

Vayatra's Great Forest appeared to be just an ordinary, densely wooded forest at first glance. Unlike the "Clinging Forest" I passed through on my way to Morshe's Nest, it wasn't dark or peculiar.

If there was one distinctive feature, it was its immense vitality. Despite attempts to clear and burn the forest, its size remained unaffected.

As a result, this land became unsuitable for humans to live in, and various races sought refuge here, as its size was larger or comparable to the empire's territories.

'The term 'Demonic Realm' is based on human standards; it's quite a livable land for other races.'

In this case, the Orc incident seemed more like Al-Ghurad's way of proving his and the Orc tribe's strength.

Honestly, there was no real need to leave the Great Forest.

Since it was a forest filled with trees, we could ride the horse only this far.

Luna and I got off the horse and let it return in the direction it came from.

Being an intelligent creature, it would probably find its way back to the village near Endeavor on its own.

Watching the horse run off, Luna asked, "So, where are we going now?"

I still hadn't told Luna what we were looking for.

I had been cautious because I couldn't completely trust her, but given that she had conceded Al-Ghurad's remains, it seemed unnecessary to worry.

If it was the soul of an Orc Master, it was an item that could only be sought after by an Necromancer, but she didn't seem to have any desires.

"I'm going treasure hunting."

"Treasure hunting!"

Luna's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at me.

I smiled and nodded at her pure expression.

"Yes. Just a moment."

I took out the old booklet from my pouch.

[Red Dragon Krivmaher's Tomb]

I was aware that there were various types of dragons.

In particular, Red Dragons, known as Fire Dragons, were more commonly seen than other types.

"What's that?"

"This is a map."

"Wow! It's really treasure hunting!"

Luna, now full of anticipation, reached for the booklet and began flipping through it.

As I handed her the booklet, she frowned in confusion.

"What is this? I can't understand it."

In fact, it had taken me quite some time to figure it out at first.

On the surface, the booklet looked like it held something, but it was filled with scientific text, making it difficult to guess that it contained a map.

"Try using light magic on this part."

Upon hearing my words, Luna cast light magic at the tip of her finger and touched the booklet. As a result, a hidden map was revealed.

"Wow! This is amazing!"

Luna examined the revealed map with interest, and her focused expression was quite amusing.

Even though she was likely around the same age as me, she gave off the vibe of a younger relative.

"With this distance, it should take about three days to walk, right?"

"Yes, but it might take some time to find the exact location."

The map was not very detailed and had a vague representation of the treasure's location, so we might have to do some actual treasure hunting.

As we ventured further into the Great Forest, the air became pleasantly cool, considering it was summer.

-Rustle!

Thump!

Luna's mana arrow struck an unknown creature precisely.

She returned with an animal she had caught using elemental magic and proudly showed it to me.

"Look at this! It's a creature I've never seen before!"

"This is a Brown Beak Lark. It's my first time seeing one in person too."

"Wow! You my friend, are clever, ren't you?"

The lush forest was filled with various rare animals and plants, serving as evidence that no human had set foot here.

Although mercenaries occasionally visited to collect these rare creatures and plants or to hunt monsters for their materials, recent disruptions by the orcs had likely caused a decrease in such visitors.

Thanks to that, Luna and I were collecting various items along the way.

We had plenty of time, and it was uncertain when we would return to the Great Forest, so we were making the most of it.

"Thanks to the Artifact related to spatial magic, I don't have to worry about my luggage."

"It's my mom's, actually. It's an ancient artifact."

I couldn't help but envy the Artifact related to spatial magic.

The Space Expansion Backpack was useful for increasing storage space, but it didn't reduce the weight of the items inside. There were also similar backpacks that reduced weight, but they didn't expand storage space.

'I prioritized upgrading my stats this time, but I should visit ancient ruins next time.'

I knew of various ancient ruins, ranging from those with just one named item to ruins filled with treasures and all sorts of odds and ends.

Of course, these ruins were always filled with dangers, so visiting them casually like in a game was never an option.

Screech!

As I explored the surroundings, suddenly, a sound similar to a monkey's cry echoed from the treetops. It was getting closer and closer.

"Look! Something's chasing us!"

"It's a Yellow-Tailed Stone Monkey."

I hadn't expected to come across that creature.

It belonged to the same category as the Stormbringer, which served Bart, categorized as elemental beings. However, it was clear that this was still a young individual based on its behavior.

"You're clever! How do you know so much?"

"I'm curious by nature. But it's getting closer."

Due to the way these creatures moved through the trees, they were incredibly fast, making it impossible to catch up to them with ordinary speed. Seeing it approach us made me think that something formidable might be chasing it.

Squeak!

Suddenly, it landed nearby.

The wind blew from Luna's fingertips so quickly that not even instant casting could be felt. That wind broke a branch that the yellow-tailed monkey had planned to grasp first.

-Krik!

The monkey fell to the ground after a futile attempt to grab Luna's hand, but Luna had previously made the ground soft with magic.

"So cute!"

"It's small, isn't it?"

I expected it to be a young individual, but it was much younger than I had anticipated.

Its impressive features included brown curly fur and a tail shaped like a round ball with a tip, as if a ribbon had been tied to it.

The baby monkey approached Luna, baring its teeth in a threatening manner, but it still looked adorable.

When I approached quietly, the monkey froze upon seeing me and began trembling, appearing pitiful.

'Why is it acting like this?' I wondered momentarily but then turned my gaze as I sensed another presence approaching.

It was not visible, but its strong animalistic presence was palpable, suggesting it might be a fierce predator.

Luna and the monkey seemed unaware of the approaching danger and continued their strange standoff. I decided to move closer to identify the threat.

Crunch!

As I got closer, it changed color instantly and fled. It was a Vayatla Wolf.

A rare wolf species that only lived in the Vayatra Forest and possessed the mystical ability to change colors like a chameleon.

"Wow! What was that?"

Luna exclaimed in surprise as she watched the fleeing wolf.

One curious aspect was that Vayatra Wolves usually traveled in packs. It was unusual for one to be alone, and they were known for their fierceness, so it was puzzling why it had run away from us.

'Ah.'

I suddenly remembered the unique trait I had gained from Al-Ghurad: [Martial Mastermind].

"Luna."

"Yes?"

"Can you feel any strange energy from me?"

"Strange energy? Oh! The energy you got from Orc Lord! The one through Soul Imprint, right? I can feel it, I can."

As expected, she could sense it. It seemed like I would need to learn to control this power intentionally.

Once I became aware of it, it wasn't difficult to harness the power whenever I needed it. I was relieved that I had discovered this ability before returning to the Empire.

"Already getting friendly, huh?"

When I looked at Luna, who was murmuring to herself while harnessing energy, I noticed that the yellow-tailed monkey was now comfortably nestled in her arms.

The monkey clung to Luna's clothes tightly and still gazed at me with cautious eyes.

"Hehe, cute, isn't it?"

"It worked out well. I'm not sure if its parents are nearby, but if we tame it like this, you can take it with you."

"Hmm... Can we find its parents?"

Luna, as always, had a different perspective. Wouldn't an ordinary person first think about taming it?

Her innocence made me feel somewhat out of place.

"Alright, let's try to find them."

After all, with this tiny body, it couldn't have come far. There should be traces nearby.

As we walked along the path the monkey had taken, it seemed to understand our intention and took the lead.

Its intelligence was indeed remarkable, considering it was a wild creature.

After walking for a while, we began to smell the scent of blood more strongly.

At the same time, the movements of the baby monkey became faster, and finally, at the destination, they saw an adult-looking stone monkey lying lifeless.

Around it, numerous Vayatra wolves lay dead.

"Ah..."

Luna sighed sadly as she approached the adult monkey.

"It died recently. Its spirit is still here."

She said while staring into the empty space, then gently patted the crying baby monkey's back.

"When you see it like this, who would call her the 'Lunatic of the Moon' for real?"

Rumors about her were indeed filled with misconceptions.

Her unique personality and strange abilities had led to many misunderstandings.

"It's okay, little one. Your mother is probably happier that you're alive."

Every time I saw such a scene...

My feelings grew more complicated with each passing day.

.

.

.

.

It had been four days since we entered the Vayatra Forest.

We were a day behind schedule due to exploring and collecting various items, but the results were fruitful.

The most significant achievement was undoubtedly the yellow-tailed stone monkey.

The baby monkey we encountered on the first day had followed Luna like a mother, and Luna had taken great care of it.

"Wow! Rulf, did you bring it with you? Our Rulf is amazing!"

Having him around was certainly helpful.

He skillfully gathered rare fruits from high trees, some of which were valuable herbs.

"How's our Rulf? Impressive, isn't he?"

"Better than me."

"Um... do you think so?"

I didn't really argue with that.

I unfolded a booklet and checked the map.

Looking at the map indicating the surrounding landmarks, I scanned my surroundings, and it seemed like we were in the right place.

"Luna, is this it?"

"Huh? Oh? Yeah, it seems right!"

An unusually large tree had its roots wrapped around a single rock, just as depicted in the booklet.

And as the booklet showed, there were five trees positioned around this central tree.

We found the place faster than I had expected.

"But what are we supposed to find here?"

Luna's question made me revisit the booklet.

We had found the location, but I doubted this place was the actual Dragon's Tomb.

Surely, there must be a separate entrance or hidden device that we can use to enter.

"Let's take a look around for now."

I activated Mana Detect and examined the surroundings. With my mana talent, I was confident I could quickly find anything unusual.

My intuition was soon proven correct.

"There it is."

I found something unusual not at the tree that wrapped around the giant rock but behind it, in an ordinary-looking tree.

As I approached the tree, Luna also came closer.

"Did you find something peculiar here too?"

"Huh? No, it's just that..."

For some reason, Luna's expression seemed uneasy.

I wondered why she was acting this way, but she eventually shook her head.

"No, it's nothing. I think this is what we're looking for."

"Can you see something with your soul-seeing eyes?"

Although Luna had the ability to see souls, she remained silent, gazing intently at some part of the tree, then she touched it.

Creak.

Creeeeak.

The tree instantly twisted and started taking on a peculiar form.

I watched with tension as the tree transformed into an arched doorway.

"Is this what you are looking for?"

"Probably."

Although it didn't seem like magic was used, I couldn't understand how the barrier was triggered.

Had I seen something that I shouldn't have?

Upon seeing the created tree-door, I had some doubts about whether this was indeed the Dragon's Tomb, especially the Fire Dragon's.

However, the location in the booklet was undoubtedly nearby.

Since there was no chance of coinciding with other hidden places, I slowly placed my hand on the tree-door.

'Alone, I might have contemplated this for a while...'

Now, I was here with Luna Pendragon, and I had also received the imprint of an Aura Master's soul.

The conditions couldn't be more ideal.

I turned to Luna, who still wore a complex expression. Her demeanor was different from usual, making her appear slightly awkward.

"Is there something bothering you?"

"Huh? Well, about that..."

She glanced around for a moment.

Then, she raised her head and said, "Let's go inside."

She answered casually, but I could see it.

Although I saw nothing but empty space with my eyes, Luna's pupils had just flickered and passed over countless unseen things.

"It's a bit eerie."

In the past, I didn't believe in the existence of souls or ghosts, but at least here, I couldn't deny their presence.

Because of that, I couldn't help but feel an instinctual aversion and fear.

Luna approached me and pushed the tree-door I was touching without hesitation.

With a creaking sound like rusted hinges, the door began to open.

The interior was as dark as pitch.

Seeing nothing inside, I thought twice about going in. But then, Luna, with Rulf on her shoulder, entered first.

"We've come this far; there's no turning back now."

I placed my hand on Galakshur and slowly stepped into the pitch-black space.

And the moment I entered that darkness...

Ding!

[You have found the place where the Dragon died, 'Krivmaher's Lament.']

[You have entered the Hidden Dungeon 'The Repeating Nightmare.']

I heard a message that I had completely unexpected.