Chapter 54: What Are You So Proud Of?
Stepping through the grand dungeon gate was like plunging from summer into an autumn cellar. The outside world’s light and clamor vanished, replaced by a cold breeze laced with earth, stone, and faint rust, making Ailiya shiver.
She clung to Liliane’s shadow, swept into the throng of adventurers descending a rough-hewn spiral staircase. Darkness enveloped them, broken only by orange torchlight crackling at intervals along the jagged walls. Light and shadow danced wildly, stretching everyone’s silhouettes into distorted, ghostly forms.
Whoa… this atmosphere’s intense… Ailiya gripped her cheap wand tightly, a mix of nerves and comfort-seeking instinct.
The adventurers’ footsteps, chatter, and clinking armor merged into a low, resonant hum, like a slumbering beast’s breath. Between the torchlight’s reach, strange moss grew in the wall’s crevices, glowing with cold, blue light, pulsing rhythmically like the dungeon’s heartbeat, adding an eerie, dreamlike quality to the descent.
After what felt like an endless trek, a pure, piercing white light appeared in the darkness ahead. The crowd quickened, their murmurs tinged with excitement. Ailiya stood on tiptoe, peering over shoulders, fixated on the growing glow.
Stepping off the final stair into the light, the oppressive darkness and claustrophobia vanished. Ailiya squinted against the sudden brightness, then froze, awestruck.
A boundless blue sky stretched above, cloudless and vast, extending to the horizon. Soft, warm light bathed the space, sourceless yet gentle. Below lay rolling green grasslands, dotted with low hills like a giant emerald blanket. Solitary trees swayed in the breeze, carrying scents of grass and wildflowers. Nearby, odd creatures—rabbit-eared with sturdy horse hooves—grazed leisurely.
Yet, the serene pastoral scene buzzed with activity. Adventurers hunted beasts, dug for herbs, their laughter and clashing weapons echoing like a lively market.
This was the dungeon’s first floor: Pratum Aurorae (Dawn Plains).
“No way!” Ailiya’s voice brimmed with disbelief. She knelt, touching the grass—its damp, springy texture undeniably real. “This… is a dungeon?!”
“It’s a world woven from dense mana,” Liliane said calmly, her eyes scanning vigilantly, untouched by the beauty. “Much of what you see, including that sky, is an illusion. Don’t be fooled.”
She turned, assigning tasks. “This floor’s beasts are low-risk, ideal for beginners. Ailiya, practice your magic here. Aurora, watch her.”
“Got it, Lady Liliane!” Aurora grinned, catlike.
Liliane’s gaze shifted to distant hills, sharpening. “Seraphina and I will hunt a rare red-named beast for her fourth-rank spell training. It’s a creature mutated over years, feeding on adventurers’ spilled mana and vitality.”
She looked back, serious. “If you encounter it, run.”
“No worries!” Ailiya puffed out her chest, tapping her wand confidently. “I won’t wander, and I’m not that unlucky to meet some super beast!”
Aurora raised an eyebrow, drawling, “Really?”
“Truer than gold!” Ailiya shot back.
Liliane shook her head, muttering, “Stay safe,” before leading Seraphina away.
“Your first target: Equus Tricornis,” Aurora said, pointing a snapped twig at a group of grazing beasts. The three-horned horses, with tawny fur and sharp central horns, looked docile. “They seem tame, but rile them up, and they’ll chase you to exhaustion. Their meat’s tasty, but the main horn’s the prize—ground into powder, it’s a potent antidote.”
Aurora was about to share tactics when Ailiya acted. “Flame Arrow!”
She raised her wand, firing a wobbly flame that struck a tricorn’s rear.
“Hiss-roar!” The beast’s red eyes locked on Ailiya, charging like a runaway chariot.
“Waaah!” Ailiya’s strategy was simple—run. Screaming, she bolted across the grassland, faster than the stamina-famed tricorn, even tossing spells backward.
Aurora watched, lips twitching. A delicate-looking girl outrunning a tricorn and casting mid-sprint?
Ailiya’s spells were erratic—several fizzled midair—but a few grazed the beast, singeing its hide with a burnt stench, chipping its health. One stray Flame Arrow hit its foreleg mid-charge, toppling it in a rolling crash.
Chance! Ailiya skidded to a halt, spinning. Her wand flared brilliantly. “Flame Arrow!*”
A crimson bolt struck the struggling tricorn’s head. With a final whimper, it stilled.
“Huff… huff…” Ailiya leaned on her knees, gasping. Regaining her breath, she grinned triumphantly, striding to the corpse, planting a foot on its neck, and flashing Aurora a thumbs-up, her eyes screaming, Not bad, huh?
Aurora sauntered over, glancing at the beast. The valuable main horn was charred and shattered by Ailiya’s final shot. Her face fell, voice flat. “What are you so proud of?”
“Huh?” Ailiya’s grin froze, leaving her standing dumbly.