Chapter 144: Island’s Key

Qiu Nuoya could practically feel the sheer determination behind their actions. But in a way, that was probably the right approach for a pioneer. He would never have come up with an idea like that, having spent his life simply following paths that had already been laid out for him.

"Watch your step and stay close. The footing is rough." Igor stepped over the fallen trees and called out a warning to Qiu Nuoya and Warren. They somehow managed to make their way along the newly cleared path, which was much easier to walk now that their view was no longer obstructed.

Eventually, a small structure came into view. Calling it a building was a bit of a stretch. It was more like a crude shack without any walls. The only reason it could barely be recognized as a building was because it had a roof.

"Is this the shrine marked on the map? Let’s take a look."

Igor peered inside.

There were no walls, so Qiu Nuoya could see everything inside as well. There was a stone monument that was not particularly large.

Igor carefully examined the monument from all four sides without touching it.

"Is there anything written on it?"

"There’s a picture of the Imoogi carved into the stone, and there’s also a hole."

Sure enough, where Igor crouched down and pointed, there was a hole that looked like something could be inserted into it.

"This looks like a keyhole."

"Yeah, it does... So does that mean the key item is literally a ’key’? It would’ve saved us a lot of trouble if we’d gotten that key from the beginning. Come to think of it, we went about this in the wrong order."

"The order?"

"Yeah. I think the correct progression for this floor is probably something like this: arrive on the island, the Imoogi appears and prevents us from leaving, explore the island, find the mural, find the shrine, discover the keyhole, defeat the Imoogi, then obtain the key item. But we defeated the Imoogi before exploring the island, so we missed the chance to obtain the key item. Still, in terms of being able to try again, I suppose it’s fortunate that we’re in a dungeon. If this had happened outside, monsters wouldn’t revive, and once you missed an item, that would be the end of it."

Of course reality was harsh, but apparently anything was possible inside a dungeon.

The only thing that remained real was death. If they died, they could not come back to life. Aside from that, it seemed that almost any mistake could be corrected.

"A dungeon is almost like being forced to play on some invisible person’s game board. It’s practically a death game where we’re risking our own lives." Warren spoke in a somewhat solemn tone.

"That’s exactly right."

Surprisingly, Viktor was the one who responded.

"That’s why I have always said that I hate dungeons. It is true that inside a dungeon, even if you make a mistake, you can try again. But that only applies as long as you are still alive. The monsters can revive as many times as they like, while we only have one life. There is no other place as unreasonable as this, no matter how hard you look. A dungeon lures adventurers into its games, takes their lives, and uses them as nourishment. That is why I believe the dungeon itself is nothing more than a vicious monster."

Viktor’s words sent a chill down Qiu Nuoya’s spine.

Apparently, dungeons grew around their cores. If the dungeon itself was considered a monster, then Viktor’s explanation certainly made sense.

If that’s true, then we’re currently adventuring inside the belly of a monster.

Just thinking about it sent another shiver through Qiu Nuoya.

"We need to find the dungeon core and seal it away as soon as possible!"

"Indeed. However, at this point, there is nothing else we can do until the Imoogi revives. Why don’t we return to the city for now and use the time to prepare?"

"Wait, we’re going back?"

"We don’t know how many days it will take for the Imoogi to revive, but if you’re happy camping here and surviving in the wilderness until then, we can stay. However, if we set up a teleportation magic circle on this island, we can restart from here. Rather than staying tense and waiting for the Imoogi to return, wouldn’t it be wiser to get some proper rest before fighting it again?"

Viktor certainly had a point.

It had already been several days since they entered the dungeon. Even though Long’s presence kept most monsters from attacking them, this was still a dangerous dungeon.

If that was the case, perhaps returning to the city, getting some proper rest, and trying again was the better option.

In other words, this island is basically a save point in a game.

"I’m in favor of going back too. Actually, my magic bag is already completely full thanks to the Imoogi. I’d like to lighten my load if possible."

They had divided the Imoogi’s bones, hide, organs, and other materials equally among themselves, but apparently Igor’s magic bag had already reached its capacity.

Qiu Nuoya’s magic bag was nowhere near full.

I guess that means my magic bag has a pretty huge capacity.

Warren’s share was also being stored in Qiu Nuoya’s bag, which meant that Qiu Nuoya’s magic bag had more than twice the capacity of Igor’s.

And I got mine for free, too. It’s actually better than Igor’s bag. I feel a little guilty about that.

"Besides, I’m starting to miss my alcohol."

[ Alcohol! ]

At Igor’s quiet remark, Long’s eyes lit up.

What’s with that look of anticipation?!

"Just so we’re clear, neither of you is allowed to drink too much!"

After several days away, they finally returned from the dungeon and headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild.

They had two reasons for coming: to report their findings from the 48th floor of the Dungeon Castle and to have the Imoogi materials appraised and purchased by the guild.