Chapter 108: Establishing Return Point (part 1)

After confirming that everyone was safe, Kyle ordered the Mad Wolves to search the goblin village. Since their mission was to investigate the dungeon and report their findings to Lufast City, they needed to document the monsters, examine the village’s defenses, and collect any useful information they could find.

Of course, that did not mean they would leave valuable treasures behind.

The adventurers searched the huts, storage buildings, and the structures near the center of the village. Some of the goblins’ belongings were worthless, consisting mostly of crude weapons, damaged tools, and ordinary materials.

However, they also discovered several items worth selling, including usable weapons, pieces of armor, magic stones, and a collection of coins that the goblins had accumulated from previous adventurers.

One of the Mad Wolves eventually discovered a chest hidden inside a larger wooden building. After checking it for traps, he opened the lid and immediately called for Kyle.

“Captain! You should take a look at this!”

Kyle walked over, his greatsword resting against his shoulder. “What did you find?”

Inside the chest was a chest plate that emitted a faint magical glow. Unlike the crude equipment worn by the goblins, this armor had been carefully crafted, with intricate patterns engraved across its surface. Even someone without much knowledge of magical equipment could tell that it was considerably better than ordinary armor.

“An enchanted armor?” one of the adventurers exclaimed as he examined it. “I didn’t expect to find something like this in this dungeon.”

Kyle picked it up and inspected it carefully. Although the armor showed a few signs of wear, its enchantments remained intact.

“This is a good find,” Kyle said, placing the armor back into the chest. “Record everything we found here. We’ll have the guild appraise the equipment when we return to Lufast City.”

The Mad Wolves continued searching until they were satisfied that they had examined the important structures. By the time they finished, they had collected quite a good haul. The enchanted armor was the most valuable discovery, but the other equipment and materials would also fetch a decent price.

Once the inventory was organized, Kyle gathered his team.

“We’ve cleared every area we know about on this floor, and our mission is to investigate the dungeon. Let’s see what’s the second floor.”

One of his companions raised an eyebrow. “You want to go to the second floor now, Captain?”

“Only to establish a return point,” Kyle explained. “We’re not going to explore it today. We’ve already spent a considerable amount of time fighting our way through the first floor, and some of us have used a fair amount of mana. We don’t know what awaits us beyond the next passage, so there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks.”

The others exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

They were all familiar with how most dungeons operated. Once adventurers discovered a deeper floor and activated its designated return point, they could use that point during subsequent expeditions.

Instead of fighting their way through every previously cleared area each time they entered, they could begin their next expedition from the deepest floor they had reached.

Nevertheless, establishing the return point would save them a great deal of time on future expeditions.

“Then let’s move,” Kyle said. “Stay together until we reach the next floor. Once we establish the return point, we’ll head back and report what we’ve discovered.”

The Mad Wolves quickly prepared themselves before following Kyle toward the passage beyond the goblin village.

They had initially expected to find only a single floor, since most of the reports circulating among the adventurers in Hetin Town described the goblin village as the dungeon’s final area. However, after defeating the Goblin Shaman and exploring its settlement, they had discovered a passage leading farther into the dungeon.

Their curiosity had only increased.

After proceeding through the passage, the Mad Wolves finally reached the entrance to the next floor. They activated the return point according to the usual procedure, allowing the dungeon’s magic to register their progress.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the surroundings changed.

The familiar rocky corridors disappeared, replaced by a vast forest shrouded in darkness. Twisted trees stretched toward the ceiling, their gnarled branches intertwining overhead like skeletal fingers. The ground was covered in dead leaves, and patches of withered grass grew between exposed roots. A thick layer of mist drifted between the trees, making it difficult to see far into the distance.

There was no sign of life.

At least, not the kind of life they would normally expect to find in a forest.

The air was cold and oppressive, and the faint stench of decay lingered everywhere. Even the silence felt unnatural, as though the forest itself were waiting for something to happen.

The Mad Wolves stopped to examine their surroundings.

One of the adventurers looked at the dead trees before letting out a helpless sigh.

“Don’t tell me the second floor is all about undead monsters. Fighting undead is so annoying.”

His complaint immediately drew a few amused looks from his companions.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of skeletons now?” another adventurer teased.

“Afraid? Of course not!” the first man retorted. “But undead don’t feel pain, they don’t get tired, and most of them keep moving even after suffering injuries that would kill ordinary monsters. You can cut off an arm, break a leg, or stab them through the chest, and some of them will still keep coming. Tell me, what’s enjoyable about fighting something like that?”

“He’s got a point,” one of the mages admitted.

Kyle listened to their discussion while studying the forest.

He had no intention of exploring the second floor immediately, but he still wanted to understand what kind of environment they had discovered. The dead trees, the thick mist, and the oppressive atmosphere all suggested that this place was designed for undead monsters.

“Let’s go back for now, and continue tomorrow. There’s no need to risk our lives just to satisfy our curiosity.”

—–

Ragnar watched the Mad Wolves through the system screen as Kyle gave the order to withdraw.