Chapter 82
"We're going hunting today . "
Hearing the 'h' word made Zero pump his fist into the air joyfully . Treun was finally able to stay awake for half a day after the meticulous care of both Sage Gods over the past week . However, he hasn't regained his strength both physically and magically . The elf was worried but with Merlin as Zero's guardian, Truen held his tongue .
Hua Tuo handed Zero a basic first aid kit with all the medicine he would ever require . In the past week, Zero had fully mastered basic first aid and healing magic . He'd also memorised majority of the dangerous plants and creatures to avoid or deal with when he encountered them . Of course, there were more but Hua Tuo only taught Zero what he needed to know for now while he was on Endow Hill .
On the surface, Endow Hill was simply a mountain with a dragon rumoured to be guarding it . However, what many didn't know was how Endow Hill had a dungeon beneath it . The dragon was simply the dungeon's original guardian . This dungeon was a little special as it was also the portal to bridge between the dead and the living in a time-space dimension . Adventurers who died there remained as trapped souls to fuel the dungeon's magic . It had many branches linking to the outside of Endow Hill, luring unsuspecting adventures in . The dungeon was essentially alive and the only way out was to defeat the dungeon boss on each level .
"Remember, stay close behind me within five steps . Do not touch anything that I did not touch . It's not only a place filled with monsters; it is also a place full of traps . "
Zero nodded with seriousness in his eyes . He hadn't learnt any form of combat apart from some basic magic spells . Merlin forbid Zero to use any offensive magic in fear of destroying the dungeon and trapping them in it . However, Zero was free to use any form of defensive magic and support magic .
As it was the brunet's first battle experience, he was excited . Mii told Zero to add Merlin to his party . The boy was clueless but after a demonstration, he invited Merlin with a smile who accepted the invitation without questions . After all, it was rather common in this world to send temporary contracts to each other for mutual benefits . Merlin wasn't bothered about sharing the rewards . They were going in the dungeon for Zero's benefit in the first place . However, the new contact on his communicator intrigued the magician .
"Oh, Mii is a strawcherry fairy who helps me a lot . She's very knowledgeable but grumpy sometimes . She needs 'experience' to be able to stay out longer here that's why you don't really see her . "
Merlin had never heard of such a strange system . Fairies were creatures that used the magic of their contracted masters to materialise . Why was Mii such an exception? Perhaps she wasn't really Zero's contracted fairy and was simply acting so by the orders of someone else . Whichever the case, Merlin agreed to help Zero get Mii some 'experience' by completing the dungeon . It was a weird criteria for becoming stronger but Merlin wasn't going to question it . If one could become stronger in necromancy by sleeping in the graveyard, who was to say clearing dungeons weren't a legitimate method of becoming stronger?
With everything ready, Merlin opened a portal that led them straight to the entrance of Endow Hill's infamous "Sleepy Cave" dungeon . Although it was named "Sleepy Cave", the dungeon was always bustling with life . The name was only to indicate how tranquil it was to unsuspecting victims . The dungeon starts out mild but as adventurers get deeper, the dungeon will move and shift, trapping them in a maze . Monsters will start appearing in vicious waves of coordinated attacks . With each wave successfully dealt with, the next becomes stronger and smarter . Adventurers who cannot overcome this trial will die miserably, becoming a source of food for the living dungeon . Adventurers who survived the waves will be faced by a final dungeon guardian . Many falter at this stage . However, those who survive will be teleported out of the dungeon instantly with special items, usually boss monster loots, meant to discourage the adventurers from trying again .
Strangely, adventurers who successfully cleared the first round tend to return to the dungeon . The living dungeon, having experienced defeat the first time, would increase the difficulty of monsters, attack patterns and boss monsters . Some of these adventurers would survive the increased difficulty but many will fail . However, as the item drop from monsters in the living dungeon were rare and highly valued, many brave adventurers risk their lives doing it .
However, today would be the first time "Sleepy Cave" would be visited by a Sage God and an unknown entity . It didn't know what kind of karma it would reap and continued to plot evilly when the duo entered the maze .