Chapter 45: A World Left Behind

The party finally reached the gathering area where the vehicle transport ended. From here on, everyone had to walk to their destination. Max stepped out of the vehicle and looked around. The area was situated at the bottom of a large mountain. There were plenty of shops and other facilities built here, including a resting area for adventurers who regularly went on Dungeon Dives.

"I have bought enough supplies for the Dungeon travel. Everyone, check if everything is in order," Adrien instructed as soon as they disembarked.

"Max, do you need something?" he asked.

Max thought for a moment. He indeed needed supplies like Mana Recovery Potions and Stamina Recovery Potions. Since he might have to continuously heal multiple people while battling a Boss, he could not afford to wait for his Mana to recover naturally.

"Yeah, I will buy a few Mana Potions," Max said.

"Do not worry about basic potions; I have those covered," Adrien quickly ordered. "Everyone, take five minutes and look around to see if you need to buy anything. Come back in five, and then we will depart before it gets dark."

Nodding in agreement, everyone walked in a group, trying to find anything interesting that could help them. Since this place was crawling with adventurers, there were tons of items available for purchase, including specific items meant to be used in specific Dungeons.

Max walked with the others, looking at the shops. Since the party had already covered the Mana Potions, he truly had no idea what else could be useful. He was merely here to sightsee. As usual, he noticed a lot of material shops that bought and sold items.

While they were walking past the shops, they suddenly encountered another party from the academy.

"How long will it take for you to realize that you cannot clear the Dungeon?" a voice called out.

"I believe you do not even have the proper supplies to dive into the Dungeon. What are you all thinking?" another person asked.

"If that is the case, what are you guys still doing here?" Leon asked, seeing the mocking questions thrown at them.

"We have the luxury to try any number of times. But you bunch of beggars cannot even gather enough Elixirs for a single Dive," the guy said as everyone around him laughed.

"So, where is your Party Leader?" the guy asked about Adrien, looking behind Leon. Suddenly, his eyes landed on Max, who stood at the back of the group.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"That is none of your business," Leon said in a serious tone.

"Hey, that is the Miracle Kid who awakened three classes from the Land of the West," another guy from the group said, recognizing Max.

"What the hell is he doing here?" the first guy asked again.

"Did you not hear the rumor that a first-year student had a unique Healing skill? That is him," the other guy replied.

"I will be damned. So that is your plan. You are using this guy to dive the Dungeon. What a grand plan."

Hearing this, everyone started to laugh at the party.

"Young Master Maximus, what are you doing here?" someone suddenly asked, stepping before the group.

Max was surprised by the title. Usually, Academy students did not show any courtesy toward a noble unless they knew them closely. Now, someone was addressing him in such a manner, and a third-year student at that. Surprised by this, he wondered if this person hailed from his Land.

"Hello. Do I know you?" Max asked as he stepped forward.

"Hahaha, how would the mighty son of the Grand Duke know this peasant?" The guy's tone suddenly changed as he started to laugh. Seeing this, Max was confused by the sudden shift in demeanor.

"Do not worry, Young Master. Soon, you will know about me," the guy said again. Max could not discern whether the tone carried a threat or genuine information. While Max was still greatly confused by this sudden encounter, the guy spoke once more.

"Oh, I heard the Grand Duke was facing adversity. I wish him well,” he said, referring to Max's father.

"What do you mean by that?" Max asked, taken aback. Did something happen in the Land?

"Oh, it is nothing. Your father failed to protect some border town. It was ransacked by bandits, and thousands were killed and injured," the guy explained, detailing the incident that had happened in the Land of the West.

"When did this happen?" Max asked calmly, not becoming agitated by the news.

"Oh, I am surprised the Young Master did not know about this news. It happened two weeks ago."

Hearing this, Max went into deep thought. Bandits attacked the town?

How was that even possible? Usually, towns were heavily guarded, yet thousands were killed. Was this truly a bandit attack, or was someone involved internally? Max could not help but suspect the involvement of the local nobles. Creating agitation and uneasiness in the land would create an opportunity to overthrow the currently ruling family.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Was that the reason why his father did not visit him, and his grandfather came instead? Max only just now realized why his grandfather had answered the academy's call.

Is the poison issue also related to this? Max's thoughts began to swirl like a tornado. Someone was doing this internally.

"Thank you for this information, Senior. What may I call you?" Max asked.

"Oh, my name is not important right now. I wish you all the best on your Dungeon Dive," the guy said before his party left the spot.

Max stood there, watching the group leave. That guy's tone had seemed half genuine and half sarcastic, as if he took great joy in delivering this news to Max.

"Senior Leon, what is that guy's name?" Max asked.

"Mhm, I am not sure what he is called. I guess it is Wilbur, but I do not know his family name," Leon replied.

Max looked at the others to see if anyone knew, but they were also unaware of the guy's full name.

Once that party left, Max and his group walked past a few shops before returning to the agreed-upon gathering place. However, Max's mind still lingered on the news regarding the attacks on the border town.

God damn it, Max cursed inwardly. He could clearly see that all of these things were happening solely because of his incapabilities. His lack of talent gave other people the courage to do these kinds of things just to see the outcome. If he had showcased himself as a prodigy, things would have been different. All of these casualties happened because of him.

however, He quickly shook his head, trying to rid his mind of these thoughts, as they would only affect his current task.

Soon, Adrien returned. Everyone left the spot and walked toward the Dungeon's location. The Dungeon was located four miles away. When they started their journey, it was around five in the evening, and the sun was about to set. It took them around twenty minutes to reach the Dungeon.

Looking at the Dungeon entrance, Max noticed another party standing nearby. He recognized them; it was the party they had met at the train station. They must have registered to enter at the exact same time.

"You finally came. I thought you all got a stomach upset and stayed at the hotel," Boyd commented as soon as they arrived.

Adrien did not say anything, waiting with a smile for the authority to check their authenticity and let them in. Max stood among the group with a clear mind regarding his current task, while Boyd and his group looked at him with curiosity.

"Are you ready to die?" Boyd suddenly asked, looking at Max to intimidate him at the last moment.

"Yes, I am," Max replied, just as Adrien was about to rebuke Boyd.

The answer surprised everyone, even his own party members. Max, however, had only said it to put an end to this annoying guy. He was surprised by their strong reaction.

Soon, the guard arrived with the registration documents and details. After checking Boyd's party, he let them in. Next, he checked their party's details. While reading, the guard gave Max a strange look. He did not comment, however, letting them in as well.

With a nod, Adrien led the party and entered the gate of the Dungeon. Commencing his second Dungeon Dive, Max stepped into the swirling energy. Fading in and out of consciousness, he soon appeared in a place that looked like a land of ice.

"Max, use your Mana to cover your body to repel the cold," Adrien quickly instructed.

Max did as instructed, a blue energy shrouding his body. The place looked entirely made of ice. Fortunately, there were no blizzards or even snowfall. It was silent, the land stretching far and long. The terrain looked flat as far as his eyes could see. For now, there was nothing around them.

"Let us move," Adrien said. The party started to run at a slow pace, and Max followed without asking any questions.

Since this was an A-Rank Dungeon, the third-year students possessed enough Mana and capacity to handle the cold of this place. However, as Max had not undergone any evolution, he might have to struggle with his Mana management. Fortunately, he had worked hard on Mana channeling for the past two weeks, allowing him to manage it equally well with them. Still, he hoped they had taken this into consideration.

As he had guessed, he soon spotted a structure far from where they were currently running. As the party ran toward it, Max noticed a few activities occurring around the structure.

"Max, you stay behind for a while until we clear the terrain," a firm command suddenly rang out. Obeying the order, Max slowed his steps and gradually came to a complete stop.

Max looked at the structure, which was made of ice blocks and featured a large entrance. The activities outside appeared to be monsters. Were they guarding the entrance? Max could discern what kind of monsters they were; possessing glacial bodies with pincers and claws, they were monster crabs made entirely of ice.

Max was delighted to see the monsters; this was his first time seeing crabs made of ice. Meanwhile, the party entered the monsters' detection range. Once the enemies spotted them, they dashed forward, clicking their pincers. The party also readied their weapons for battle.

Adrien drew his sword and jumped high into the air. Holding the weapon in both hands, he lifted it above his head and brought it down. As the sword descended, it created an enormous sword aura blade that stretched far into the distance. When the attack landed, everything in its path was split in two.

Standing far away, Max watched this scene with bulging eyes. It was a strong attack that destroyed everything in its direction. Since he himself possessed a skill called [Heavenly Cleave], a sudden desire came to his mind. His skill was also capable of creating a sword aura; would it become this powerful if he leveled up? Filled with great expectation, he touched his own sword.

Meanwhile, the clash commenced, and everyone started to fight. The Ice Crabs fell quickly; they simply could not fight against the party. The party's coordination was great, as the Ranger effectively assisted, killing the monsters easily. A lightning bolt danced as it fried a crab's entire body, and a blade made of pure energy attacked its vital points as the Battle Mage continuously dominated the battle. Although the Tank did little work in killing the monsters, he assisted greatly in the overall coordination. Within two minutes, all of the Ice Crabs were killed.

Max slowly walked toward the battlefield, his eyes landing on the loot the monsters had left behind littering the ground. The Healer quickly collected it all. Max did not help, simply sightseeing instead. Meanwhile, the others took some time to recover their Mana and stamina. After collecting all the rewards, they walked into the hut-like structure made of ice.

"Let us go," Adrien said as he entered the passage in the structure.

The passage featured steps sloping downward, and everyone followed Adrien. Max walked second to last, as the Battle Mage would guard him if something attacked. The steps continued to descend in a spiral; Max felt as if they were descending a tower. As they descended, the steps made of ice started to disappear, and steps made of rough stone appeared in their place.

Max felt like they were leaving one world behind and entering a new one. When he finally exited the steps, that was exactly what happened. The party stepped out into the territory of a ruined civilization. Max could see enormous building structures that had been turned to ruin. The streets were fallen, making it look like a post-apocalyptic place.

"Is this the First Level?" Max asked out loud.

"Oh, yeah, this is the First Level," Adrien replied.