Chapter 251

Raon watched the flowing river from Belga's fishing ship.

'A dungeon…'

It had been a long time.

There were two types of dungeons that people usually spoke about.

The first type was the domain of monsters created inside a cave in order to avoid the eyes of their predators or develop into an even larger faction.

The second type was the hideout of an excellent magician created in order to prevent anyone from disturbing them as they researched magic.

Of the two, the second was clearly more dangerous.

The first one could be easily conquered by checking what kinds of monsters lived inside the dungeon before entering, then preparing proper countermeasures against them.

However, a magician's dungeon was different.

Because magicians were extremely serious about protecting their magical research, they installed countless barriers, magic traps, and devices.

Since he needed to enter without knowing what kinds of magic they used and what kinds of devices awaited him, he was pretty much a moth flying into a flame.

'I went to so many dungeons before.'

Because Derus Robert was extremely interested in gathering artifacts, elixirs, and the research done by magicians, he kept sending Shadows whenever he found dungeons made by magicians.

Raon wasn't an exception in his previous life and had explored many dungeons. He overcame countless life-or-death crises, and even gained many scars that lasted for his entire life.

After risking his life to go into so many dungeons, he became capable of understanding the patterns magicians had when installing the barriers, traps, and devices.

The reason he was keeping his composure despite going to the famous magician Lohengreen's dungeon was the memories of his previous life.

'There are enough possibilities to find an elixir there.'

Even though Lohengreen was one of the heroes that defeated Merlin the Witch of Betrayal and the monster army, and the best water magician in the continent, it was rumored that he was interested in peculiar fields such as alchemy, elixir making, and astrology after he retired.

Since the dungeon had been left behind by such a magician, it was highly likely that it contained various elixirs and relics.

'The problem is…'

The fact that a long time had passed.

Since even Raptor and Roman had heard the rumor from the main base of South-North Union and tried to go there, many people must've already been aware of the dungeon's existence.

Moreover, since the Norris region was almost neutral, countless factions must've been gathered from all over the place.

Discovering the dungeon's location and finding the relics before those who entered before him was honestly a difficult task.

'But there is an advantage to it.'

Since many people were trying, Raon figured that a careful examination of their tracks would allow him to find the dungeon without wasting too much time.

Uhmm…

While Raon was devising a plan, a small groan could be heard from Wrath. When he looked around, Wrath was sighing while supporting his chin on the handrail.

'Are you still not over it? I told you I'll get you a pineapple set once we return.'

That's not the problem! Do you believe the King of Essence only cares about food or something?

'Huh? But I've never seen you contemplating anything other than food.'

The only time Raon had seen Wrath's contemplation was when he was facing a menu. It was surprising that Wrath was capable of worrying about anything else.

S-Seriously, you bastard…

'So, what are you worried about?'

Raon caught Wrath to stop him from rampaging around and asked him about it.

The Lohengreen that you mentioned. I keep thinking about that name.

'You keep thinking about it?'

Yes. It's familiar for some reason.

'But you don't call others by their names, though.'

Wrath didn't call people by their names. Just like the way he called Burren shitty eyes and Rimmer shitty ears, he gave nicknames to people that emphasized their characteristic features. The only one he called by name was himself.

The King of Essence doesn't understand either. The name is definitely new, but it feels familiar for some reason.

'Maybe you met him before?'

There was no way a name like that would feel familiar unless he'd met him before.

Hmm, that might be the case…

Wrath shook his head, as he couldn't be sure.

"Vice squad leader."

As Raon was being surprised about the unusual occurrence, Dorian came next to him. Raon had obviously brought the pocket with him in order to take all the relics from the dungeon.

You call your companion a pocket…

Wrath gasped and shook his head.

You are the real demon, no matter how I look at it.

'I'm just calling him by a friendly nickname, just like you do.'

There's no way that's friendly! And you really consider him a pocket who takes items out for you just by calling his name!

'That's…'

He had no excuse for that, as Dorian actually gave him the items he needed every single time, as if he were reading his mind.

"What's up?"

Raon pushed Wrath back as he kept calling him an evil demon, turning his head towards Dorian.

"I-Is this really going to be okay?"

"What?"

"We've never been to a dungeon before. I'm sure there will be all kinds of traps…"

Dorian's lips were trembling with worry.

"It will be fine. There won't be any problems as long as we properly read the flow of mana and keep our ears open."

He wasn't just saying it. Magicians created magic traps and barriers by very slightly distorting nature's mana. It was possible to break through the dungeon without any problems as long as he could read the small flow of mana particles.

'And that's my specialty.'

Since he had the Ring of Fire with him, he was confident he could read the flow even better than someone who had reached the higher levels of martial arts.

"Just rest assured."

Raon patted the terrified Dorian's shoulder, then went to Belga on the deck.

"Ah, you are back."

Belga and his crew bowed at him.

"It looks like a dungeon really has appeared in the Norris region just like you said, but a lot of warriors and magicians have already gone there."

He told him about the Norris region, which he had asked the passing ships about.

"Some of them were from famous groups and others were less famous."

"I suppose."

Raon nodded. Lohengreen was a magician whose name went down in history. It was obvious that countless warriors and magicians would gather upon hearing the rumor about his dungeon.

"When did they start gathering?"

"The number increased little by little during daybreak and morning today, and it increased explosively at lunch—to the point that it's difficult to set foot inside."

"Daybreak…"

The groups that had already gathered at daybreak must've been the powerful ones with more information, and the ones that gathered after lunch must've been the randoms. It seemed like he wasn't too late, considering the time.

Raon clenched his fist, looking at the Norris region that could be seen in the distance.

'It should be possible.'

* * *

Inside the majestic palace, where a king sea serpent's skin was covering the forty stairs without the slightest wrinkle, warriors were lined up in front of the blue pillars on the sides and spreading powerful pressures.

"…That's how Tyler ended up dying to Raon."

Raptor was standing at the center, telling the South-North Union's executives Raon and Tyler's story.

"T-Tyler has died? To a child from Zieghart?"

"I heard he was only eighteen years old. That's crazy…"

"Does he not even have a stagnation period? How could he reach the beginner level as soon as he became a Master?"

"Tyler was about to reach the intermediate level. He might even be at the intermediate level, rather than beginner."

"I'm more surprised that he promised the Axe King that he would fight him in three years. It's not something an average warrior would come up with. He has the bearing of a hero."

The South-North Union's executives were more interested in Raon's prowess and personality rather than the dead Tyler.

"Chepin."

A quiet voice could be heard from the platform on top of the stairs. His voice was low, but it had the power to make everyone in that place fall silent.

"Yes, leader!"

The middle-aged man, who was standing next to the third pillar on the right side, bowed to him.

"Properly investigate whether the Boss of Eternity's story is true or not."

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man bowed to him again before leaving the palace.

"Eternal Commander. What was Raon Zieghart's actual might?"

The eyes of South-North Union's leader sparkled from the top of the forty stairs towards Raptor.

"He seemed to be at the beginner level of Master."

Raptor lowered his head while remembering Raon's level.

"Tyler was about to reach the intermediate level, yet are you telling me he lost to a beginner level Master, and an eighteen-year-old child on top of that?"

"He didn't simply lose. He seemed to have lost with an overwhelming difference. I couldn't find any significant injuries on Raon."

"Interesting."

The voice of the South-North Union's leader was filled with subtle curiosity.

"The technique called Blue Rain and that unreasonable existence are both interesting."

"Why…?"

A red-skinned old man came forward from the second pillar on the left side. His lips were shivering visibly.

"Why did you not kill him?!"

"I told you already. Zieghart's Sword of Light was still going strong, and we would've been in danger if we kept fighting."

"Tyler is one of the South-North Union's successors! Taking his head should've been more important than your lives! A promise in three years? Why did you even do something so crazy?!"

The red-skinned old man was screaming while grasping his head.

"Tyler started the problem. He acted like a swindler instead of a hero. Since we didn't have any pretext and the powers were equal, there was nothing to gain from fighting them."

Raptor finished what he had to say while enduring the old man's fearsome energy wave.

"Problem? The Blue Lughs are just monsters! What's the problem with killing some monsters and making use of them?"

"The problem is the fact that he ordered the Blue Lughs to attack the merchants and villagers. That act puts the Union's reputation in the dirt and cuts off our source of food. Sir Siran, please calm down…"

"Shut up!"

The old man named Siran shouted, and the entire palace trembled.

"Roman! You are also part of the problem! You should've been able to easily kill a crippled man like Zieghart's Sword of Light! I'm sure you let them go because you were blinded by that kid's talent!"

"You shouldn't speak carelessly about something you haven't seen yourself, vice head of the senators."

"What? How can you talk to me like th…"

Roman and Siran increased their pressures at the same time. The entire palace started to tremble, as if it would collapse.

"Stop."

Hearing the low voice coming from upstairs, the two extinguished their pressures and stepped back.

"L-Leader! A successor of the union has died. We can't overlook this matter!"

Siran stepped forward and put his hands together.

"This old man is going to take the lead! Please declare war so that we can kill those Zieghart bastards…"

"Impossible."

"Leader!"

"It'd be understandable if some youngsters said that, since Zieghart stopped their steps for a long time. However, that's not something the vice head of the senators should be saying."

A frightening apprehension was contained in the voice of the South-North Union's leader. Everyone inside the palace trembled in fear.

"You should know better than anyone what kind of place Zieghart is."

"Th-They came to a stop, and we've been advancing this whole time! We don't need to fear mere Ziegharts anymore!"

"Even though Glenn Zieghart is still alive?"

"Th-That's…"

"There is no guarantee that the Destructive King of the North would move just because we killed that young man. However, if he ever happens to move…"

The low voice of South-North Union's leader echoed throughout the room.

"Half of the union will be turned into ashes in an instant. Is that your desire?"

"Kuh…"

Siran could only bite his lip, as he was unable to respond.

"And Zieghart also has the pretext. I don't know how he did it, but if the story about him controlling the Blue Lughs to attack the ships crossing the river were to spread, the Union would only end up losing trust. Just wait three years. Roman is going to shred that child apart even if you don't do anything."

"Haa, you are so coldhearted when your disciple has died."

Siran ground his teeth while looking up into the Union leader's peaceful eyes.

"I gave that boy plenty of opportunities to save face, vice head of the senators. I don't want to pay tribute to an idiot who kicked away all of the opportunities he received and dug his own grave."

The leader's eyes wavered coldly, like the wind of the northern sea.

"I…"

Siran bit his lip.

"I can't wait!"

He briskly ran out of the palace.

"He's bound to cause some issues over this. Shall I chase him?"

Raptor bowed.

"You don't need to."

The South-North Union's leader slowly shook his hand.

"The vice head of the senators is more afraid of Glenn than any of us."

"Ah…"

"However, if he still decides to act…"

He rolled up the corners of his mouth and stared at the door that Siran left through.

"I shall allow him to pay for the blood."

Raon and Dorian left the ship as soon as they arrived at the Norris region.

"Come back safely!"

"We will be waiting for you here!"

"Be careful!"

Raon waved at bowing Belga and the crew, then left the riverside and headed towards the road.

No one was passing by, and the gray fog was making it difficult to see the surrounding area.

"How do we find the dungeon since there's no one around here?"

Dorian swallowed nervously while looking at the empty passage.

"Wait a moment."

Raon knelt down and examined the footprints on the road.

'They must've moved to the same spot.'

The reason rumors about Lohengreen's dungeon had spread was because someone had the map. Since the location must've already been discovered, many people must've moved in the same direction.

Raon was almost crawling as he picked the direction that the largest number of people had moved recently.

'Northwest.'

There were so many sets of footprints because too many people used the road, but northwest was the direction that the largest number of people took on that specific day.

Raon raised his head to look in that direction. He could barely see a mountain shape inside the heavy fog. Most people who came to look for Lohengreen's dungeon must've been headed there.

"Let's go."

Raon dusted off his knee after standing up, then called Dorian.

"What? D-Did you find it already? But there are so many of them!"

Dorian's jaw dropped after he looked around at the messy footprints on the ground.

"It's confusing because there are too many, but you can also do it."

Raon chuckled, then started running towards the mountain.

"I-I don't think I can…"

Dorian mumbled, then used footwork to follow him.

After running for a while, they reached the entrance of the mountain. The footprints scattered in different directions implied that people's opinions differed.

"It's too chaotic over here."

Dorian frowned while examining the footprints.

"Indeed…"

Raon nodded. Because footprints of different sizes were embedded everywhere in a chaotic manner, he couldn't really see where he should be going.

He turned on the Perception of the Snow Flower and spread his aura perception. Countless people were moving around on the mountain, just like the footprints suggested.

"Tsk."

Raon clicked his tongue. He couldn't grasp the location of the dungeon's entrance because warriors and magicians were scattered around everywhere like a swarm of ants.

"What should we do in this situation?"

Dorian seemed to have also realized that fact, since his eyebrows drooped down.

"We need to check down below."

"Below?"

"Yes. The ones who came here before. We need to find out where the people with information and power went."

Raon stroked the footprints to examine the traces of the first ones to climb the mountain that day.

Since they were more focused on speed than stealth, a tiny amount of mana had remained on the ground. Raon used the Ring of Fire to examine that evidence of mana.

'To the east…'

Most of the footprints at the very bottom, which were also made by powerful footwork, were mostly directed to the east.

Raon spread the aura perception once again to examine the east. There were a bit more people gathered around a canyon between the mountains compared to the other locations.

'Over there.'

Raon confidently stood up. He went to the location where people were gathered alongside Dorian.

Warriors and magicians were spread around the canyon, and nothing could be seen inside the canyon because of a heavy fog that was even thicker than in the other places.

'Barrier.'

That blue fog wasn't a natural one. It was a barrier created by distorting the flow of mana.

'It's trying to confuse people about the location.'

He must've used water attribute mana to create a fog barrier, which prevented people from finding the entrance.

'I should be able to slash through it.'

Raon closed his eyes and analyzed the flow of the barrier. He had the feeling that he could break through without too much difficulty, probably because it was made from water attribute mana.

Kuh…

Wrath groaned briefly as he watched the fog.

'What now?'

Nothing.

He shook his head after examining the barrier from top to bottom with a frown on his face.

"Can I have your attention please?"

As Raon was about to approach the barrier with the hilt of his sword in his hand, a brown-haired, middle-aged man raised his hand.

"On top of famous powerhouses, even some of the Six Kings and Five Demons are currently inside that dungeon. It's meaningless to hold each other in check between us."

"Hmm…"

"That's true…"

Everyone who'd been pressuring each other shut their mouths upon hearing that.

"We should stop antagonizing each other and work together to break through the barrier and enter! We need to cooperate as companions who dash through the continent together…"

In short, he was suggesting they combine their forces to confront the powerhouses. In fact, it was extremely common for small- or medium-sized groups to form alliances when information about a dungeon or treasure was revealed.

However, it was definitely not a great method.

Even if they formed an alliance, there was bound to be a difference of power between them. The weak groups would be placed in charge of difficult and dangerous tasks, while powerful people saved their strength and remained behind, only to end up betraying them most of the time.

'Moreover, it's slow.'

There were already plenty of footprints from people entering the barrier on the ground. Normally, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to stay behind them to take advantage of them, but there was no time for that.

He needed to move as quickly as he could without worrying about his strength being revealed.

"Thank you for agreeing with me, everyone! Let's brace ourselves and find the legacy of Lohengreen…"

While the gathered people were forming an alliance, Raon walked past them towards the barrier.

"Wait! Where are you going right now?"

The middle-aged man, who became the leader of the group, blocked his way.

"I'm trying to enter the dungeon."

"Our alliance took over this location first! You aren't allowed to enter if you don't join us."

"But I believe the first ones to actually find this location must've already entered."

Raon pointed inside the barrier with his chin.

"Th-That's why we need to combine our forces. We can safely reach further if we go together!"

The middle-aged man extended his hand with a forced smile on his face.

"Since it looks like you've got a decent amount of sword aura, let's go together…"

"I'm sorry, but I don't need to go far. I just want to go quickly."

"Then I can't allow you to enter. It would be foolish to let you go ahead of u…"

Raon interrupted the middle-aged man's speech and drew Heavenly Drive. The following blue slash ripped the fog filling the barrier in half.

Swoosh!

The barrier's flow was severed, and the cave rising inside the canyon was revealed.

"Uuh!"

"D-Did he just split the barrier in half?"

"What's going on…?"

"Th-That's craz…"

Raon turned to look at the warriors who lost their jaws and tilted his chin.

"What was it that you were saying?"

"N-Nothing!"

The middle-aged man hurriedly shook his hand, as he was quick to realize the situation.

"You should go back to avoid wasting your time."

A red light glowed from Raon's eyes as he looked inside the dark cave.

"Because I have no intention of leaving anything in there."