Chapter 582 – Looking Around.

“It would probably be unwise to build it here.”

Roland muttered to himself as he slipped back into the cave he had just emerged from. Wyverns circled overhead, and he had come dangerously close to being spotted. What he needed now was a better location to construct his small-scale travel gate. This area, where the dungeon break had first begun, was far too risky. If another break started here, it could destroy his only means of returning.

“This space is filled with spatial magic. It could affect the gate enchantments.”

One of the main reasons he couldn’t simply place the gate here, even after drilling into one of the sides, was the overwhelming presence of spatial distortion magic. When he emerged from the cave, he found himself standing on top of a mountain. The entrance he came through was located at the very tip, appearing from the outside like nothing more than a large boulder, no more than ten meters wide.

However, once inside, the passage expanded and extended far beyond what its exterior suggested. What appeared to be a small cave from the outside turned out to be a long tunnel that took nearly five minutes to walk through. That distance added up to almost half a kilometer, something impossible without an enormous amount of magic. With so much energy concentrated here, stabilizing the gate would be a challenging task. Using such a gate in this condition would be extremely hazardous.

“Luckily, the Headmistress has given me some flexibility with my lectures, so I have enough time to do what I must.”

Though his duties at the institute hadn’t disappeared, they had eased. There hadn’t been any major incidents since his sister stopped attending, and with Arion’s help, they had managed to recruit others to assist in organizing the curriculum. His next lecture would be held after their return from Isgard, giving him time to complete his tasks. He also had a few days to attempt five level-ups in order to reach level fifty, where a potentially valuable skill awaited.

It was time to act and begin scouting the area. The large rune bike he had built was not suited for this kind of terrain, so it needed to be stored. Like the elemental armors, it returned to one of his spatial runes, waiting there until it was needed again.

With his preparations complete, only one task remained. He needed to switch to a different armor set. This time, it was the Rune Zephyr variant. Fortunately, he was not out in the open but inside a secure cave, which made the process much easier. From here, he could safely equip an element more suitable for stealth, one that would help him move unnoticed through the mountain ranges and the valleys below.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he assumed the familiar X-shaped stance, just as he had done when activating the Leviathan variant. The Silvergrace suit beneath him shimmered as the armor plates detached with soft hisses, releasing built-up mana pressure. One by one, the base rune armor segments disassembled and vanished into spatial storage.

His body glowed with a pale blue light as mana surged across him, then gradually shifted into an emerald green hue as the Zephyr set’s elements hovered around him in a slow orbit. The Silvergrace underlayer clung tightly to his form, its metallic fibers outlining the contours of his muscular build in the dimly lit cavern.

As the light around him turned a vivid green, the armor components began to assemble themselves. The greaves arrived first, locking into place with a clean, resonant snap. They were lighter than anything he had worn before. Next came the bracers, and then, piece by piece, the rest of the armor encased him. He now stood fully equipped in the Rune Zephyr, its greenish glow pulsing faintly with stored elemental energy.

Roland took a moment to clench his fist and study the armor now covering his body. It was noticeably sleeker and thinner than any of his previous suits. The wind-element enchantments woven throughout the armor were designed for speed, agility, and silence. With them, he could move faster, jump higher, and most importantly, walk almost without a sound. Each step would be nearly inaudible. The armor also enhanced his ability to blend into his surroundings, using subtle camouflage effects that adjusted to the terrain.

Even more impressive was the armor’s ability to control airflow around him. The wind control field would prevent airborne scent molecules from escaping, making it difficult for scent-reliant creatures to detect him. Many monsters had poor vision and relied on smell or sound, but the wyverns overhead were a different threat. They were more like hawks, relying on sharp eyesight to spot movement from above.

Still, the wind field could distort his outline just enough to make him harder to detect, especially with the tall grass and uneven terrain covering the mountains and valleys. With that natural cover and the help of the armor’s adaptive enchantments, he had a good chance of going unnoticed. And even if he were spotted, this model would give him a solid advantage. It was the fastest of all the elemental sets he had created, making a swift escape through the air well within reach.

“Now then, I need to see where I am. But judging by the terrain, this can only be one place.”

Roland was finally ready to leave the safety of the cave entrance. He stepped forward, but not before placing one of his few remaining sensors near the exit. It would serve as a beacon, ensuring he could always find his way back. This area was far too vast to scatter sensors across it, and he needed to conserve what he had left.

His main objective now was to locate a suitable spot to establish a base. From the looks of it, this was one of the zones from the super dungeon, and he had to secure a location where monsters would not venture. However, monsters were not his only concern.

This region held far more dangerous beings than just creatures. High-level adventurers roamed these lands, many of them potentially over a hundred levels above him. This was the domain not only of Platinum and Mithril-ranked adventurers but also of the super elites, those of Orichalcum rank. Any mistake here could be fatal, so careful planning was essential.

“If I’m not mistaken, this should be the third ring, the Drachnid Valley.”

Roland crouched just outside the cave mouth, his Zephyr armor blending seamlessly with the rugged, windswept slope around him. The third ring, known as Drachnid Valley, was infamous not only for its deadly lesser dragon-type monsters but also for being one of the dungeon zones located beneath a massive supervolcano.

To the uninformed, the dungeon might have appeared to be a volcanic region filled with lava beasts and dominated by a massive dragon at its center. However, that assumption could not be further from the truth.

The Dragnis Island Dungeon, also known as the Infernal Wyrm Maze, was composed of multiple interconnected rings. Its name came from the first ring, a maze-like structure filled with lava, ash, and wyrm-type creatures. For a long time, explorers believed that this fiery labyrinth was the entire dungeon. Eventually, however, it was discovered that it was only the beginning. Beneath and beyond the first layer lay a series of zones, each with its own ecosystem.

What began as a realm of fire and molten stone eventually gave way to darker, stranger places. One of these was the Rotten Forest, a twisted and decaying region teeming with poisonous Treants and unstable, decomposing terrain. This was the second zone of the dungeon, and it ultimately led into the valley Roland now stood above.

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This valley, known as Drachnid Valley, was overrun by creatures commonly referred to as lesser dragons. These included monsters such as Drakes, Wyverns, and Wyrms. Though each of these had the potential to evolve into a true dragon, very few ever succeeded in reaching that final, powerful stage. Most were killed long before they could ascend, whether by rival monsters or adventurers. Their bodies were sought after by almost everyone but once a dragon was born, most knew to stay away.

True Dragons were unique among monsters. From birth, they were already classified as tier-three creatures. Unlike most monsters that needed to gain strength through battle and experience, True Dragons started from a different foundation. They were born powerful, and their growth was not initially tied to levels.