Chapter 93: First layer

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: First layer

Thanks RedGhost _FireFlame for the donation.

The platform stood several dozen meters ahead of them, built into the massive stone structure surrounding the dungeon entrance.

Several guards stood around it, each wearing dark armor marked with the insignia of the Omimi family—the distinctive tail fins of a mermaid.

Tolu looked toward the platform.

"So this is one of the Omimi family’s open dungeons?"

Kenny nodded.

"One of them."

He pointed toward the enormous structure beyond the platform.

"This dungeon has four floors. Each floor is a different color zone, and every floor becomes more dangerous than the one before it."

Tolu listened carefully.

"The first floor is the safest. Most of the creatures there are around the lower ranks, so it’s where beginners usually start."

Kenny continued explaining the general information he knew about the dungeon, including the rules, the areas visitors were permitted to enter, and how the floors were divided.

"The fourth floor is different," Kenny said. "There are Level Four beasts there."

Tolu glanced at him.

"Bosses?"

"Yes. The strongest beasts are kept as bosses on the highest floor. They’re not something ordinary adventurers are supposed to fight."

Tolu nodded.

He had already made up his mind.

"We’ll stop at the outskirts of the third floor."

Kenny looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"That should be fine."

They moved toward the entrance.

Tolu carried his heavy war hammer across his back, its weight familiar against his body. Beside him, Kenny had replaced his usual traveling clothes with proper armor and carried a sword at his waist.

They reached the registration platform.

The guard explained the entrance requirements, and after confirming that they were entering as a pair, Tolu paid the required fee.

Thirty gold coins.

It was a significant amount, but Tolu didn’t hesitate.

The payment was made, their entry was recorded, and the barrier separating the outside world from the dungeon opened.

Tolu tightened his grip on the strap of his hammer.

Kenny drew a slow breath.

Then the two of them stepped forward.

Into the open dungeon.

The moment they stepped through the entrance, Tolu expected darkness.

He expected narrow tunnels, uneven stone walls, and the faint glow of minerals buried within the rock.

Instead, sunlight greeted him.

Tolu stopped.

Before him stretched an open field covered in green grass. Small hills rose in the distance, and beyond them stood clusters of trees. The sky above was blue, with clouds drifting lazily across it.

For several seconds, Tolu simply stared.

Kenny noticed his expression and smiled.

"Surprised?"

Tolu slowly nodded.

"I expected a cave."

"Most people do."

Kenny laughed.

"Dungeons are independent spaces. You can think of them as their own worlds. There’s no rule saying they have to look like caves."

Tolu looked around again.

"So this entire place is inside the dungeon?"

"Yes."

Kenny spread his arms.

"And this is why they’re called open dungeons."

He pointed toward the distant horizon.

"They’re simply too large for one family to raid by themselves. Some of these dungeons are enormous. It would take years for a single group to explore everything, and there would be no point in wasting all those resources."

"So they open it to everyone."

"Exactly."

Kenny nodded.

"The Omimi family allows adventurers to enter, collects the entrance fees, and lets them keep whatever resources they legally gather. The family doesn’t even have to be here."

Tolu understood.

"They make money whether adventurers find anything or not."

"Exactly."

Kenny grinned.

"The entrance fees alone are profitable. Then there are the resources the family gathers themselves from the areas they control."

Tolu looked across the vast field.

"And if adventurers find something valuable?"

"They profit."

Kenny shrugged.

"And the Omimi family profits from the people coming here to look for it."

Tolu nodded.

It was an interesting arrangement.

The dungeon provided the resources.

The family provided access.

And the adventurers provided the labor.

Everyone had a reason to participate.

Tolu looked toward the open field again.

Somewhere beyond the grass were rare resources.

That was why he had come.

"We should pick a direction."

Kenny nodded.

"Let’s go."

They chose a path and began moving across the field, their eyes scanning the surroundings as they ventured deeper into the open dungeon.

The deeper they went, the more Tolu began to understand what Kenny had meant when he called this place an open dungeon.

At first, it had simply looked like a massive grassland.

There was nothing particularly strange about it. The grass was green, the sky was blue, and sunlight poured down from above. Birds occasionally flew across the distant horizon, while the wind moved gently through the fields.

But after several hours of walking, Tolu began noticing things he would have ignored before.

A cluster of small purple flowers grew beneath the shadow of a large tree.

Kenny stopped.

"Don’t step there."

Tolu immediately halted.

Kenny crouched and carefully examined the flowers.

"What are they?"

"Nothing dangerous."

Kenny smiled.

"Moonshade Grass."

Tolu looked at the plants again.

"They’re grass?"

"The name is misleading."

Kenny reached into his bag and brought out a small knife.

"These are low-grade medicinal herbs. They’re commonly used to make medicines for fatigue, minor injuries, and some basic recovery mixtures."

He carefully cut one of the stalks near the base.

Tolu watched.

Kenny didn’t pull it out.

"Why didn’t you take the root?"

"Because there’s no reason to."

Kenny pointed at the small root still buried beneath the soil.

"If you pull it out, the plant dies. Cut it properly and it’ll grow again."

Tolu nodded.

"So we can harvest from the same place repeatedly."

"Exactly."

Kenny placed the herb into a small pouch.

"That’s one of the first things you learn when gathering resources. Don’t just think about what you can take today. Think about what will still be here tomorrow."

Tolu glanced at the surrounding field.

That made sense.

He had expected dungeon resources to be something they simply found and collected.

But if people harvested everything they came across, eventually there would be nothing left.

They continued.

Not long afterward, Kenny stopped again.

This time he pointed toward a patch of exposed earth.

"Look."

Tolu approached.

Several small crystals were embedded in the soil. They were dull and grey, barely noticeable unless someone was specifically looking for them.

"Energy stones," Kenny said.

"Valuable?"

"Low grade."

He crouched and used his knife to loosen one from the ground.

"Not individually. But they’re used by cultivators for various purposes. They’re also useful for formations and some basic artifacts."

He held it up.

"If we find enough, they can still be worth something."

Tolu nodded.

They spent some time collecting the exposed stones.

There weren’t many.

But Tolu found himself looking at the ground differently afterward.

He noticed that the earth around some plants was darker than the surrounding soil.

He noticed that certain flowers grew only beneath particular trees.

He noticed tiny mineral deposits along the edge of the stream they eventually encountered.

Kenny explained that the sediment contained trace minerals used by alchemists.

They gathered some.

Farther along, they found a tree with rough bark that Kenny recognized as another ingredient used in basic medicine.

The tree was not particularly rare, and neither was its bark.

Still, Kenny harvested only what they needed.

Tolu watched him work.

"You know a lot about resources."

Kenny smiled.

"I grew up around merchants."

"That’s different from actually knowing what’s valuable."

"My family has been trading for generations."

Kenny cut another piece of bark.

"You learn quickly when your family’s money depends on knowing the difference between something valuable and something that only looks valuable."

Tolu chuckled.

"Fair enough."

They continued walking.

The further they went, the more Tolu found himself enjoying the expedition.

It wasn’t the same feeling as entering a dungeon with his companions and searching for monsters.

There was no immediate objective.

No mission telling him exactly what to do.

They simply moved through the land, looking for anything that might be useful.

It was almost peaceful.

Almost.

A rustling sound came from the grass ahead.

Tolu stopped.

Kenny stopped as well.

The wind was still.

Yet the grass was moving.

Not with the wind.

Something was moving through it.

Kenny’s hand slowly went to his sword.

Tolu reached for his hammer.

The rustling grew louder.

Then something burst from the grass.

A beast landed several meters away.

It looked like a large wolf, though its body was more muscular than any ordinary wolf Tolu had seen. Its claws dug into the soil as it lowered its body.

Another emerged.

Then another.

Six beasts stepped into view.

Their eyes were fixed on Tolu and Kenny.

Kenny drew his sword.

"Level One."

Tolu looked at him.

"You know their rank?"

"I can feel it."

Kenny’s expression became serious.

"I can handle them."

Tolu didn’t immediately answer.

Kenny tightened his grip on his sword.

"I need the experience."

Tolu looked at the beasts.

Then back at Kenny.

"Fine."

Kenny stepped forward.

The first beast charged.

Kenny met it head-on.

His sword swung toward its neck.

The beast twisted in midair.

Kenny’s blade missed by a few centimeters.

The beast’s claws came toward his chest.

Kenny raised his sword and blocked.

The impact forced him backward.

His boots dug two lines into the soil.

"Too much strength," Tolu said.

Kenny glanced at him.

"Not helpful!"