Chapter 16 - First Dungeon

As they reached the city of Rosan, Paul noticed that the soldiers seemed a bit scared. Uncertain of the reason, he stayed vigilant. As they headed to the guardhouse, everyone watched them, noting that most of the soldiers were wounded and covered in blood. When they reached the guardhouse, a person emerged. He wore only thin clothes and, at first glance, resembled the dead guard captain who had met a tragic end in the goblin cave.

“Where is my brother?”

Paul saw that no one spoke up and took a step forward.

“He was killed by the goblins.”

“What?! How can that be?”

“He charged ahead and was surrounded by the goblins. We couldn’t help him.”

“Tell me everything.”

Paul began recounting the story but omitted parts that might make him or the soldiers appear guilty in the eyes of the captain’s brother. After finishing, the man looked at the soldiers, then at Paul.

“You finished the quest, so you deserve your reward. The soldiers, on the other hand, are from this moment on banished from the guard. They have one month to leave this city and never return.”

“But they didn’t—”

“Silence! Or do you want to be punished as well?”

“I understand.”

Paul was angry but kept his emotions in check. He received the rewards for the quest, though he was not particularly pleased. Once the captain’s brother left, Paul and the soldiers went to the inn. There, Paul bought everyone some food and asked,

“Do you wish to follow me and my orders?”

All the soldiers looked at Paul, their doubtful expressions and the heavy atmosphere palpable. Finally, one of them responded,

“We were all orphans, so the other soldiers were our family. We don’t have any homes to go to.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“We need to think about it.”

“Good. For those of you who decide to join me, I will wait for you at the city gates in two weeks. If there are others in similar situations, tell them the offer stands for them as well.”

The soldiers all nodded, and Paul left. He was determined to do something about the city's rulers. As he walked around, he overheard some guards talking about something called “The Entrance.” He eavesdropped for a few hours and eventually learned what “The Entrance” was and where it was located.

“The Entrance” was an access point to the city’s dungeon, one of the most guarded places in the entire city. It was situated somewhere within the guardhouse. Paul knew from the books he had read that at the end of a dungeon lies a crystal that could either make or destroy a city, but he didn’t have any details.

He went to the inn and rented a room for the night. The next day, he visited a tailor to buy some armor for himself. He chose the cheapest option available; it was merely decorative and offered little real protection but was enough to cover his thin clothes. Then he headed to the library. As soon as he entered, a young lady with black hair greeted him from behind her desk. She was pretty, with beautiful long hair and brown eyes. She seemed nervous and bit her nails when she noticed Paul not looking her way. After paying a small fee, he was granted access to the library.

Paul wandered among the books, most of which he had already read. He was searching for information about dungeons, cities, and their connection. He expected to find very little but was pleasantly surprised.

It seemed that there was a rare crystal capable of building an entire city. To use the crystal, one must feed it either other crystals or shards and guild points as a catalyst. Theoretically, you could build a whole city in a day using a crystal. Anyone could use it if they applied a drop of blood to it, thus gaining ownership and the ability to modify the city as they wished. The crystal bonds with the land, and if removed, it turns to shards, requiring a new crystal to build anything quickly.

Crystals large enough to build a city are quite rare, with most kingdoms having only about ten cities with crystals. However, many shards are kept safe by cities to upgrade defenses in times of war. A surprising fact was that the owner of the crystal could also teleport to its location instantly, eliminating the need to navigate the dungeon every time they wanted to modify the city.

Dungeons were created solely to protect the crystal. The reason they don’t have rooms with no entrances is that while you can teleport to the crystal, you can’t teleport back, so exits are necessary. Every ruler creates their own dungeon and trains their successor on how to avoid the traps and other defenses in case of their death.

That’s all the books had to say about dungeons. Not wanting to miss any opportunities, Paul read all the books in the library. It took him only an hour. Although the information wasn’t immediately useful, he knew that what he learned might be valuable later.

He left the library satisfied and headed to the guild testing building. He waited in line for his turn. When it was finally his turn, someone barged in front of him.

“Excuse me. Please wait your turn.”

“I don’t need to wait. My father is a very powerful man in this city.”

Everyone looked down and said nothing. Paul decided it would be best not to provoke the man, so he learned his name and planned to take revenge later.

“And what is your name, if you don’t mind?”

“Someone in this city doesn’t know me? Very well. My name is Furti Marciolly Rotis the Second.”

“I see. Well, go ahead.”

Paul let him use the crystal first. The man didn’t even ask Paul’s name, considering him unimportant.

After his test, the man began swearing and kicking the tables and chairs.

‘It seems he didn’t get the results he wished for.’

Paul stepped up and placed his hand on the crystal. After the test, he checked his stats.

**Name:** Paul Silver

**Title:** The White Slayer

**Guild Level:** C

**Guild Points:** 6950

**Strength:** 791

**Agility:** 815

**Endurance:** 628

**Stamina:** 720

**Wisdom:** 742

**Intelligence:** 856

**Charisma:** 325

**Leadership:** 240

**Luck:** 343

**Fighting Spirit:** 821

**Fame:** 1925

He reached rank C. It was no surprise since his stats had increased from defeating the goblins and the goblin boss. Although he could check his mana and health points, he felt they were also very high. Satisfied, he headed to the market, walked around until midnight, and then went to bed.

The next day, he returned to the testing facility to work on his weapon skills. He expected to see the same cube as in the village but was surprised to find five cubes, with many people standing in line at each one. He learned that each cube had a rank and that you could only use a cube that matched your rank or lower.

In the E rank cube, you could only fight yourself. In the D rank cube, you could fight a certain type of monster. In the C rank cube, you could fight different types of humans. In the B rank cube, you could fight up to three of the same enemy. In the A rank cube, you could fight up to ten enemies, each of a different type.

Paul didn’t hesitate and headed to the C rank cube. He waited for a full hour before his turn came. As he touched the crystal, he chose short swords and selected the type of enemy. He chose a barbarian-like man with enormous strength.

As he entered the cube, he picked up his weapons, and a huge golem appeared before him. The golem attacked with a massive two-handed sword. It was fast and strong, almost as powerful as the goblin boss. After two hours of battle, he finally exited the cube and returned to the inn. He ordered some food and, while waiting, pondered a way to reach the dungeon.

After eating, he went to the guardhouse. Using stealth, he observed the soldiers, noting their actions and movements. He memorized their patterns and information before retreating back to the inn.

For the next week, he trained intensively. He used the cube to practice against golems with similar characteristics to soldiers, avoiding them as much as possible without using his weapon. By the end of the week, he could avoid all attacks for two hours and felt ready to infiltrate the guardhouse and enter the dungeon.

Before heading to the guardhouse, he rested at the inn to be in top condition. The next day, he visited the market and bought something he had read about in the books: a combination of sleeping powder and a smoke bomb. When thrown, it released a powder that, when inhaled, instantly knocked someone out. He waited until nightfall and then headed to Furti Marciolly Rotis’s house. It was easy to find. He sneaked inside, set small fires in various parts of the mansion, and then hid near the guardhouse. After a few minutes, a man ran into the building, followed by about 20 guards who left with him. ‘It seems my distraction was successful.’

He sneaked into the building and found a few guards still present, guarding a door that seemed to lead to the basement. There were five guards. He threw the sleep bomb, and the guards instantly fell to the ground. Paul used a piece of cloth to cover his face and searched the guards for a key. He found two keys and used one to open the door. Descending the stairs, he encountered another guard at

a door. Using his sneaking skill, he approached and struck the guard behind the neck, causing him to fall like a doll.

He used the other key to open this door. Inside was a circular room with a trapdoor in the middle. He approached and opened it. The door was wooden but as heavy as if made from iron. He descended using the ladder.

After a minute, he reached the bottom. Small crystals along the walls provided light. He carefully followed the tunnel until he reached a room with two tunnels. He picked up a large rock and threw it into one of the tunnels. He heard mechanical sounds and other noises from that direction.

He threw another rock into the other tunnel and only heard the rock falling. He decided to go down the tunnel with the traps, reasoning that it must be protecting something valuable.

As he proceeded, he used the longest sword he had to probe the ground for traps. After a few seconds, he encountered the first trap: a small tile that, when pressed, released arrows from the wall. If he had stepped on that tile, avoiding the arrows would have been difficult.

He continued through the dungeon, encountering various traps: arrows, pitfalls, large blades, poison, and a maze. Many times, he had to retrace his steps after hitting dead ends.

Finally, after several hours, he found something promising: an old wooden door. He opened it without trouble and entered a room. Aside from a small pool, the room was unremarkable. He stored everything he didn’t need in his ring and entered the water. The water was chilly but not unbearable. The problem was he didn’t know how long he could hold his breath.

He emptied a few flasks and sealed them for air reserves. Placing them in the ring, he took a deep breath and dove underwater. Once he reached a certain distance, the crystals disappeared, and it was completely dark. Using his night vision, he continued forward. After a minute, he found two man-sized holes. Unsure which was correct, he decided to gamble and took the right one.

After a minute, he ran out of air and used one of the flasks. He opened it with his tongue to prevent air from escaping, allowing him to continue a little longer.

As he progressed through the underwater tunnels, minutes felt like hours, and he began to run low on air and reserves. Just as despair began to set in, he saw a small light ahead. Using all his strength, he swam toward the light. It was a bioluminescent underwater plant. He then saw the end and swam up.

Upon reaching the surface, he found himself in a small forest illuminated by light crystals, with dense plant life obscuring the rocks. He knew he was close to the end but also suspected there might be a final trap. He proceeded cautiously.

As he advanced, he began to feel increasingly dizzy. Realizing it was some sort of poison, he covered his face with a cloth. Although it improved his condition, he remained dizzy, and his movements slowed. Vines began to entangle his legs, moving as if alive, trying to ensnare any living thing that passed by.

Paul drew his sword and, with one hand holding the cloth to his face and the other cutting the vines, fought to free himself. The vines were not particularly strong but were dangerous if they slowed him down. Despite the worsening conditions, he saw stairs ahead. Using his remaining strength, he fought his way forward, cutting through the vines.

He stumbled and almost got trapped but eventually reached the stairs. The vines did not pursue him further. At the top of the stairs was a white door with writing on it. Too dizzy to read it, he tried to open the door. Despite his efforts, it didn’t budge, and he grew weaker.

Feeling faint, he clutched at anything to prevent himself from falling. Grabbing the door, he finally managed to open it. He quickly got back on his feet and entered, closing the door behind him. Exhausted, he collapsed on his back, laughing to himself.

“Stupid door. Pull, don’t push... huh... hahahaha.”

His laughter abruptly stopped, and he fainted.