28. Reward Chest

Roars came from everywhere around them.

Clay ran behind a rock. Adolin joined him. They crouched there, Clay peeking over.

“What now?” Adolin asked.

“I don’t know. The first room was way too hard for a C-tier dungeon.” He sat down, his back against the rock. “I’ve been in C-tier dungeons. This one… it’s at least A. The first room was too hard. The next ones will be worse. We might actually die here.”

Adolin didn’t agree. The room had been easy. Well, for a mage with area-of-effect spells. For a swordsman, it was different. Did that make it a higher tier? He had no idea. He needed more information.

That was the hard part. He didn’t know what to ask yet. He had to start small. Build up.

“So what happens when you conquer a room?”

He used the right term this time. Maybe that would get him more.

“Conquer?” Clay shook his head. “Never mind. First time in a dungeon?”

Adolin nodded.

“Well, it rewards you with a chest. And it becomes a safe room for two hours. After that, you move to the next room and repeat.”

“Rewards?” he blurted out.

Clay tilted his head.

Adolin motioned for him to continue.

A roar tore through the cave. Closer.

Clay grabbed the hilt of his sword and slowly started drawing it. His teeth clenched.

This was getting in the way of his information gathering.

Adolin frowned and sent a Mana Pulse. His mana spread through the area around him, mapping the terrain and the life forms. It wasn’t the best spell for reconnaissance, but it was the best he could do.

The terrain around him was a cave system. They were in a larger opening, with multiple tunnels leading deeper inside. Around two hundred meters away, there was a life form. The spell only mapped the physical shape.

It stood on four legs. Larger than a dire wolf. Two fangs stuck out of its mouth, and a tail that ended in a sharp tip. He wasn’t sure what it was. He also didn’t really care either. The thing was getting in the way of his information gathering. It had to go.

He focused on the mana around the creature. The same mana he had spread with Mana Pulse. He shaped it into a lance, protruding from the ground and striking toward its head. Then more. From different angles. Limbs. Torso. The whole body. He wasn’t taking chances. The mana had to erupt from the ground. It would have more force that way. He added three larger earth spears above it. For good measure. High enough for gravity to do the work.

Now for all of this to work, he had to hit the creature’s throat first.

If it made too much noise, it could draw more monsters. Or worse—spook Clay enough that he stopped talking. He needed him to talk.

He also thought about using spells, but they wouldn’t be as effective as the mana control. He wouldn’t get any spell experience, but he would get a lot of information. So it was a good trade, and he would get to keep the mana he would have spent on using spells.

He formed the mana. His Mana Pulse was still active, so he witnessed it. Three earth spikes erupted from the ground below it, striking the neck and cutting off its vocal cords. Then everything else followed. Four spikes from the front pierced its head. Small earth chains wrapped around its legs. Spikes from every direction pierced its body. The creature was already dead. Then the larger earth spears fell, piercing its back and head.

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He grimaced. That was… too much. Way too much. No sound came from the creature. Just a low rumble after the earth spears hit. Maybe he overdid it. Well, better than leaving it to fate.

He felt his mana pool increase. Did he level up? He would check later. Clay needed to spit out information now.

“It’s gone. Go on.”

Clay glanced out from behind the rock. “Are you sure?” he asked, peeking again.

“Yes.”

He still didn’t look convinced.

“I—” He almost said he used a spell, but he hadn’t chanted. That could have been bad. “Yeah, I heard it leave. Come on, spill it.”

Clay sat back down, but he was still on edge. His hand stayed on his sword, half-drawn.

“Well, the dungeon rewards you for clearing rooms. It’s meant to lure people in. The reward chest appears after the room is cleared. It’s one of the ways you know if there are more enemies, or if you’re done.”

He found that really interesting. Clearing a dungeon—or, as Clay said, conquering it—gave rewards. Fighting monsters and getting something in return.

It was something his party would love. They would probably spend all their time in dungeons. Adventuring, exploring, and earning rewards. He was sure that if they knew about them, they were already doing it. It would be nice to do it with them. Luc would be overjoyed. He felt his lips curl up.

But it was too early for that. He had vowed to avoid them for a decade. And he still planned to. There was no way he would spend time with them, not after the journey.

Not a chance.

“What kind of rewards?”

“Artifacts, coins, materials, potions. Everything an adventurer might need and profit from. It’s like it was designed to lure us in.” He chuckled.

Unsheathing his blade, he said, “This is a weapon from a dungeon. It’s more durable than what a blacksmith can make. It’s made from mana-conducting materials. The mana flows really well through it. It makes my attacks hit harder and faster.”