The next day, the group headed toward the dungeon entrance that was in the center of the town. Although it was supposed to be a bustling place, they didn't find many people there. Apparently, the adventurers had to ask for permission and book a date and a time to use it. Only around ten parties could enter that dungeon. One hour after the previous group, the next group could enter.
"We are the third party… doesn't that mean that we will face fewer monsters?" Lily asked.
"Dungeons are formed when large concentrations of mana gather in a place, the mana becomes a crystal, and then it obtains the power to entice monsters," Billy explained. "They give them a lot of power, and then they become the guardian of the crystal and the boss of the dungeon… but the crystal also mass produces monsters by using the guardian as a basis."
"... So, they reproduce without the need to follow the rules of other living beings?" Natalie frowned.
"That is right," Billy nodded. "They can also appear anywhere, so it doesn't matter how many parties are inside. Apparently, the larger the crystal, the more power they have. So, they can entice more types of monsters, and thus they create dungeons with many layers and different types of monsters to guard the crystal."
"You are well-informed," Kate said.
"I did some research while I was in the library," Billy said. "Speaking of which, we will only explore for five hours and then return."
"What? Why?" Lily protested.
"To save energy… you want to clear the dungeon in one go and risk finding the guardian in not out best shape?" Billy asked.
"I thought that Billy was just being arrogant like usual when he declined Gerald's offer to help… but really did your research and thought thinks through," Natalie said.
"That is funny coming from you, and are you really that surprised?" Billy frowned. "Someone has to look after the kids here."
"You are the youngest here!" Alexander, Lily, and Natalie said in unison.
"And that is why most people still treat you like kids…" Billy shrugged.
In any case, some guards of the guild were guarding the entrance, and they knew the schedule and all the parties that would explore the dungeon that day, but they didn't expect such young people. The guild only accepts those older than twelve, and for a few years, most of the newcomers work like errand boys to save money and buy their gear.
The entrance of the dungeon was a hole that had a wooden staircase in it. Since Billy could see the bottom, he just jumped after lighting a torch. The interior of the dungeon was kind of rough, and as expected, only two people could walk side by side in there. Not even the entrance was big enough, so Billy stepped forward and gave the signs to the others to come. The area was clear. The others jumped as well, but Kate used the stairs since she wasn't that strong physically. Billy thought that they would be grinning, but their guards were up and ready to act.
They assumed their positions without wasting any time, and Billy created five Earth Arrows for Lily. She checked their balance and nodded to herself. In any case, since Billy would be the one to map the dungeon, he also would be busy holding the torches and illuminating the places ahead. He felt like he was an NPC responsible for doing miscellaneous things, but it couldn't be helped. He couldn't trust the others with such an important task.
Billy began to walk ahead while illuminating the area, but he told Lily with the task of keeping her ears sharp on their back. If monsters could appear anywhere, they certainly could appear from behind. However, instead of any monster, they found a bifurcation… the path was splitting in two.
"Wait a minute, keep your eyes open on the surroundings," Billy said and then took the piece of paper he wanted to draw the map and then created a line that divided it in two. He also put some numbers on the side of the first line.
"What are those?" Natalie asked.
"I told you to keep your guard up… they are the number of steps we took since we entered the dungeon until we find the path that was splitting in two," Billy explained. "If something happens and we end up lost we can use the number of steps to consider where in the dungeon we are."
Naturally, Billy would walk in his toes not to get lost, but there was always the chance that it might happen. So, he took the necessary precautions. In any case, they chose the path on their left side and then began to move, but then they quickly found a dead end. They saw two bottles emerging from the ground and blocking their exit when they turned around.
Dark Crawler - Lv 39
HP: 188/ 188
MP: 98/ 98
SP: 124/124
Strength: 43
Speed: 35
Magic: 15
Endurance: 35
Dexterity: 25
Status Points: 00
Skills: Bite Lv 22, Dash Lv 15
Spells:
Passive: Earth Resistance Lv 54, Fire Resistance Lv 22, Wind Resistance Lv 15
Skill Points: 00
The creatures were big, but they weren't that fearsome. They were like one meter long and half a meter talk… their bodies were covered by a gray carapace, but it seemed pretty thin. Right above their eyes, Billy saw two antennae that had some gems in them…
Out of reflex due to the surprise, Kate and Lily quickly fired their knives and arrows toward the eyes of the monsters, but also due to the surprises. They missed ended up hitting the foreheads of the creatures. Some blood began to fall from it while the creatures trembled after the attack, but those didn't pierce enough.
"Fall back!" Natalie said.
While the monsters were dealing with the pain, Natalie and Alexander stepped forward and then dashed to attack the monsters.. Unlike those two, they didn't miss, and their weapons pierced the monsters' eyes.
