Novel Full Chapter 1054 Dungeon: Serpent's Nest
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In the heart of a small group of islands in the middle of the ocean a few miles away from the main nonagon of islands, the island containing their destination loomed as dark and enigmatic structures.
“This is the dungeon entrance. As everyone must know by now, this island, just like its outer areas, is filled with snakes and reptile creatures of various kinds… most being poisonous ones.” Their guide, Miss Nerissa, explained as she played with the bunch of snakes she had collected while coming here.
“Though most of the creatures here are calm and won’t attack you as long as you don’t disturb them, inside the dungeon, a completely different world will await us.”
The early morning light spilled over the horizon, casting a soft glow on the ancient stone walls of these subterranean ancient structures made in order to store treasures or for purposes that one cannot exactly pinpoint in this day and age.
They were places where adventurers dared to tread, driven by the promise of treasure and glory.
They were structures of old times that had become home to certain creatures that, despite being wiped out, somehow reappeared in the place they had been taken out from.
This strange phenomenon was one of the reasons they were called Dungeons and not an archaeological site that can be cleared with a one time cleanup.
These ancient structures contained things of the past that may or may not have been discovered by the people of today.
The dungeons, by themselves, were magical places that had become one with nature.
These special structures, much like a Tomb, a Graveyard, or a Labyrinth, were special and contained Mana within their walls, floors, and ceilings.
Sometimes, they contained some unique energies other than Mana as well, so the density of Mana that they possessed, was what divided them into different ranks.
The higher the concentration of energies, the stronger the dangers one will find inside. The Association had given the dungeons ranks ranging from <D> to <A>, <AA>, <AAA>, and lastly, there were the three abominable <S> rank dungeons that have been sealed off by the help of divinities for the safety of the mortals.
Those places were not some places even the archmages dared to venture into. They were no less dangerous than the Forbidden areas.
In fact, two of the forbidden areas contained two of the <S> rank dungeons, giving the forbidden areas the title that they were recognized by.
“Since this is a grade <B> dungeon, be warned that this is not going to be an easy challenge even with the forces that we have with us right now.” The knight captain was not as experienced as Miss Nerissa but he still knew about the dungeons more than her.
As one ventured into these unique structures, they would feel the atmosphere that surrounded the outside areas and the atmosphere of the inside being a completely different thing.
Not only was the air inside of these structures different from the air surrounding these places, even the very molecules and elements present in the air changes when one enters these structures.
It was said that within the dark halls of these dungeons, danger awaited at every turn.
“We cleared this one a few years ago, however, knowing the unpredictability of the dungeons, I’ll say we better be as cautious as the rabbits walking inside the wolf’s territory.”
When it came to the dungeons, the monsters prowled in the shadows, energy beasts with sharp teeth, magical skills, powerful physical abilities, even strange powers and cunning eyes crawled all around it, skeletal warriors animated by dark magic of the (Archaic undead), and beasts that could strike fear into even the hearts of Masters.
Among the adventurers, there was a saying that went something like, “No dungeon is an easy dungeon. The existence of dungeons themselves are only an indication of two things: Trouble, and unfathomable resources”.
Those who entered these perilous structures knew they had to be prepared for anything; traps hidden in plain sight ready to spell doom for the unwary, monsters hiding in the shadows, simple looking things that are actually the Red switch that one should not touch.
In the dungeons, every move one makes might decide their fate, their life, or even in some cases, the rest of their lives…
Still, it was not just peril that drew people to the dungeons; it was also the promise of reward that it brought with them.
“Every item we collect from the dungeon will be handled by the (Inventory). We will not do any contribution based distribution as agreed unanimously, and everyone will be given one chance to pick anything they want while the rest of the things will be distributed through random lots.”
Glittering treasures waiting for those brave enough to seek them out were present all around the dungeon in the form of rare monsters to the materials that randomly grow in the dungeons: gold chunks, Materials to enhance and create materials, even ancient artifacts imbued with powerful magic.
Since these structures are a remnant of the past and are, in fact, ‘alive’, even though the way they work still stands as a mystery for the entire world, they surely can be as profitable as any gold mine in the world.
That was the reason every single dungeon was managed by the lords of the land and everything one obtained from them was taxed.
Still, people did not hesitate to venture into these structures at any moment they were given the chance.
Each successful venture into a dungeon brought not only riches but also experience and strength in the form of wealth as well as skill stones and materials for stronger gears, allowing the adventurers to grow in many areas.
The dungeon that they were standing in right now was a simple looking place, a stone gate that seemed to be connected with a big wall in the middle of the forest.
The island that they were on, was already full of creatures of different origin, beings that were not too threatening due to their innate nature, but were in no way they were safe.
The small snakes to the big lizards that slept on tree branches, the big Dragon like serpents that flew over the mountains of this island, to even the reptiles that lived in the water lands.
Located in pretty much the centre of the island was this dungeon which had been explored countless times in the past and was declared Restricted by the authorities.
Still, with the right precautions and with the right clearance and party members, as well as with the assistance of those who have been to this dungeon, the access to the dungeon was granted to the others– though, one still had to pay an extreme amount to get this access.
Mainly, only merchants who were wealthy and in need of the materials obtained from this dungeon, tried to raid it. There was no particular need to clear a dungeon that did not pose any direct threat to the citizens so the lord looked after these dangerous dungeons and cleared them periodically.
Still, dungeons are always a hot topic of the market. And, every time someone was raiding some particular dungeon, the market and those within the market moved spontaneously.
They got into contact with those going into the gungeon, sponsoring them and making deals with them.
In the realistic sense of the world, if it wasn’t carried out by the lord that owned the dungeons, the expeditions done independently were always a hotspot for the gathering of higher ranking merchants.
However… unlike how it should be, it did not seem like many people knew about this expedition.
[{ “WE are starting…” }]
[{ “How are you feeling about this one? Remember when the six of us cleared the dungeon on the academy island?” }] Read new chapters at empire
[{ “That one was too easy. This is supposed to be a real deal, right?” }]
[{ “Yup.” }]
The academy also had dungeons but unlike the dungeons present in nature, owned by the lords or wealthy merchants, the dungeons in the academy were either artificially created, or were not the same as the regular dungeon as they were highly maintained by the academy.
They had been to the dungeons outside of the academy as well, however, if one was talking about an actual dungeon of high enough level, this was their first time going to a place like this one.
[{ “Good luck to us.” }]
The group was entering into the final discussion phase. And right after that was over, they would enter the dungeon.
From what they know, the Serpent’s nest is a [Nest] type dungeon filled with many snake creatures.
Though the dungeon will have a Main boss monster and a dub-boss monster guarding the final phase and the exit of the dungeon, they were not going to skip the easy parts this time.
“Alright everyone. Please hear us out.”
They weren’t here by themselves.
Ultimately, all of the people present here aside from the Six of them were here because the Five had paid them a good amount to be their guards.
The five of them were going to be the one who officially finished the raid. On paper, they would be the one to clear it, and the others had agreed to it.
The conditions these children had offered were simply too good as the people participating in this raid were getting paid on top of getting the drops.
It was simply too good to refuse, so, when they were choosing who to pick to go with them, there was quite the competition.
Thankfully…
“Mister knight here will be taking command of the attack team.”
They had the old knight with them.
And thanks to him, or the person behind him, they were able to assemble a fairly decent team…