Chapter 60: Truid Dungeon Quest (1) Arrival
The mushroom forest became even more dense as Tyr's squad traveled further and further into the thick of the wilderness.
Night came and passed, but even the morning sun's golden rays of light could barely pierce through the thick canopy of the shroomtops.
Their long cart continued to travel, having already been roughed up by a fair share of powerful Apex Rank beasts up until now.
Of course, Ultimatum took care of them with fair ease. Thankfully nothing stronger than Apex had appeared, but nothing weaker either...
This was the most dangerous part of Mycopolis--the land of mushrooms.
"So what exactly is this dungeon? The Truid Dungeon... it sounds like it has a history behind it." Tyr questioned, a bit bored. Despite his attempts, he hadn't gotten the final blow on more than one beast by now.
It was a bit depressing since he felt like he was on the very cusp of leveling up.
"It was rumored to sprout up for a few years by some shamans. No one knows how those old bastards can predict it, but they are usually right." Yurin replied with a slight chuckle.
Jonas continued looking out the window as he said: "Truid Dungeon... known for its 3 paths leading to the same destination. Its whereabouts were a mystery for a while, but it was suddenly discovered by some wandering Hunters. They were all butchered and never seen again, and so were the dozens of other Hunters who attempted it afterward.
After a little while though, the mysterious Hunter disappearances warranted a search, and the Truid Dungeon finally became a name on the map that was an official dungeon available to be bought."
"Hmm... sounds dangerous," Tyr said, a bit wary.
Cyllia continued: "Yep. No one knows exactly what it looks like or what it is for the most part. All who went in were slain. Dead men don't tell tales, as you know."
Urvil added, seeming oddly more scared than expected, "The treasures they say are plenty though. There are 3 that are rumored to be inside. A powerful weapon, Aura pill, and also the egg of a strong beast."
The conversation about the dungeon continued, Michel's eyes wandering over the Hunters below him as they neared their destination.
It didn't take much longer. As morning left and noon began to show itself through the slim sunrays, their carriage abruptly stopped.
"This is supposed to be the area." A guard driving the carriage said, turning his head toward Michel.
Everyone exited the vehicle. Tyr looked around, surveying the area.
'I can just smell the danger right from here.' He thought to himself.
At that moment, the guard driving the carriage used another Aura Array scroll to transform the vehicle into a little house.
"Now that ain't mass manufactured." Hanzo joked to Tyr as they both saw this.
The guard set up a small seat and umbrella where Michel sat and began to drink a hot cup of tea.
"Shoo! Go and get the treasures and complete the dungeon. Your time limit is one day. I'll be waiting right here with my guard."
"Right. Thank you, sir." Hanzo said, bowing slightly before walking off in a random direction. His strut was completely carefree.
The others followed him, "Do you know where it is?" Tyr questioned, confused at Hanzo's sudden march.
"Nope. But there's only one way to find it right? Keep moving."
A piercing scream echoed through the mushroom forest out of nowhere, "AHHHH!" The voice was girly and high-pitched.
"Michel!" Tyr said under his breath, the first face popping into his head. He quickly turned to see a giant mushroom dog beast with a mane of snakes around its neck all wearing mushroom top heads.
The other members of Ultimatum also turned, thier guards suddenly increasing.
"HELPPP!" Michel screamed as his guard stepped forward, calmly unsheathing his sword.
'That's easily an Apex Rank beast...' Tyr said to himself, slightly skeptical of the guard's abilities.
The guard stepped forward before jumping into the air.
*SWISH*
In one smooth motion, he slashed his sword through the air and appeared behind the giant beast.
He sheathed his blade. As his hilt hit the mouth of the sheath, the dog's body split cleanly in two and slumped onto the floor.
The guard returned, picking up both sides of the giant dog on his shoulders and throwing them a few dozen feet far into the forest.
He patted his hands before returning to Michel's side--who continued to drink his tea.
Ultimatum was a bit stunned for a second.
"That's an Imperial Guard for ya'" Hanzo said, turning and continuing his walk.
'Scan.'
┏━━━Status━━━┓
Name: Hepa Titis
Age: 42 Years
Power Level: 200
Rank: Expert
┗━━━━━━━━━┛
'What a monster.' Tyr thought to himself. 'I've never seen anyone that high of a level.' He turned to face Hanzo as he began to follow after him.
'Hmm... I wonder if now I can Scan him... Scan.'
Tyr's eyes expanded in slight shock as a status panel appeared in front of him.
'Finally...'
┏━━━Status━━━┓
Name: Hanzo Elec
Age: 22 Years
Power Level: 230
Rank: Expert
┗━━━━━━━━━┛
'230!? He's on another stratasphere compared to me...'
"If I'm correct, there will be three locations that we have to touch that will open this dungeon up." Hanzo suddenly said, stopping and looking around.
"I thought you said you don't know where the dungeon is!" Cyllia yelled.
"I don't... but I have some clues."
At that moment, the ground Tyr stepped on suddenly gleamed in a light orange color.
*Shiiing*
He stopped, "Uh... guys, I think I found an area."
*Shiiing*
"Lookie here... so did I." Hanzo said, his hand placed on a tree. The area around his palm also gleamed in a slight orange color.
*Shiiing*
"Um..." Urvil exclaimed with slight nervousness, the ground beneath her feet also suddenly lighting up.
Tyr was smiling, but that smile quickly disappeared as a hole opened up beneath his feet.
"Oh shit..."
The same happened to the rest of the group members. Jonas and Hanzo shared the same hole. Yurin, Urvil, and Cyllia shared another, while Tyr was left all alone with a hole to himself.
Without a second delay, they all fell into a seemingly endless underground void.
"AHHH!!"
"AHHH!""
"HELLPPPP"
"MOMMMY!!"