Lohengrin's Dungeon
Raon stood on Belga's ship, gazing down at the flowing river. 'A dungeon... It's been a while.'
Generally, people divided dungeons into two categories. The first was where monsters formed their own territory in underground caves or dungeons to avoid enemies or build larger forces. The second was where a powerful magician created his own hideout to research magic without any interference.
Which of the two dungeons was more dangerous? Obviously the second.
The first type was easy to handle if you scouted for monsters inside and prepared countermeasures. But the second type was different.
Magicians were sincere about protecting their magic research, so they installed countless barriers, trap magic, and mechanisms. Entering without knowing what magic or mechanism they had set up was no different from moths flying into fire.
'I've been to many of those.'
Derus Robert was also interested in artifacts, elixirs, and magicians' research, so he had sent shadows to find magicians' dungeons. In his previous life, Raon had explored countless dungeons without exception. He had crossed the brink of death many times and left behind many scars that would never fade.
By risking his life to enter dungeons, he had learned to recognize the patterns of the barriers, traps, and mechanisms that magicians installed.
That was also the reason he had the leisure to head to Lohengrin's famous dungeon.
'There's a good chance there are elixirs.'
Lohengrin was one of the heroes who had defeated the witch Merlin and the monster army, and the greatest spatial magic user on the continent. But after retirement, he had become interested in alchemy, pill-making, and astrology.
A dungeon left by such a magician would likely contain many elixirs and relics.
'The problem is...'
Quite a lot of time had passed.
Since Lector and Roman from the South-North Alliance had moved after hearing the rumor, the story of the dungeon had spread to many people.
Especially since the Norris region was close to neutral, it was clear that many forces had gathered from all over.
Finding the dungeon location and finding relics faster than those who had entered first was not an easy task.
'But there's an advantage.'
Since many people were moving, by carefully looking for traces and reducing time waste, they could find the dungeon quickly.
-Hmph...
When Raon was planning, Wrath's low groan came from beside him. Looking at him, the guy was leaning on the railing with his chin, sighing.
'You're still doing that? When we get back, I'll prepare a pineapple set for you.'
-That's not it! Do you think I'm a glutton like you?!
'Huh? You've never seen me have other worries besides food.'
So far, the only time Raon had seen Wrath worried was in front of the menu. It was surprising that he had other worries.
-This, this brat...
He tried to get Wrath to stop his tantrum and asked.
-The Lohengrin you mentioned. That name keeps coming to mind.
'Coming to mind?'
-Yes. It's strangely familiar.
'You don't call other people by name.'
Wrath didn't use names when calling people. He called Burren 'eyes', Rimer 'ear', like that, using characteristic nicknames. The only one he called by name was himself.
-I don't know either. It was a name I never heard before, but it feels strangely familiar.
'Did you meet someone before?'
It couldn't be familiar without meeting them.
-Hmm, it could be...
Wrath shook his head as if unsure.
"Lord Lector."
While thinking there was something wrong, Dorian came over. To take all the relics from the dungeon, he had brought the dimensional belly pouch.
-To a comrade, the belly pouch...
Wrath waved his hand as if to say nonsense.
-No matter how you look at it, the real demon is you.
'Calling me by nickname in such a friendly way.'
-Friendly? Bullshit! If you just call the name, the real belly pouch that takes out the items without thinking, right?!
'That's...'
Raon had nothing to say about that. Really, Dorian read the other's mind and took out the necessary items.
"Why?"
After biting Wrath's muttering of 'demon', Raon turned to Dorian.
"Um, is it really okay?"
"What's okay?"
"The dungeon is my first time. There are all kinds of traps..."
Dorian's lips trembled with worry.
"It's fine. If you read the flow of mana well and keep your ears open, there won't be any big problems."
It wasn't just words. Magicians twisted the natural mana very finely to create magic traps and barriers. If you could read the small flow of mana particles, you could pass the dungeon without problems.
'That's also my specialty.'
With the Fire Ring, Raon was more confident in reading the flow than warriors at a higher level.
"Don't worry."
Raon patted Dorian's shoulder, who was still scared, and headed to Belga on the deck.
"Ah, you're here?"
Belga and his sailors bowed their heads.
"According to what you said, it seems a dungeon has appeared in the Norris region. It says many warriors and magicians have moved."
He told them about the Norris region by asking passing ships.
"There were famous forces, and places that weren't well known."
"Probably."
Raon nodded. Lohengrin was a magician who left his name in history. Since rumors of his dungeon being discovered had spread, it was natural for many warriors and magicians to flock.
"Since when did they start gathering?"
"From this morning, it gradually increased from dawn and morning, and by lunchtime, it became so many that it was hard to step on."
"Dawn..."
The forces that moved first in the dawn had strength and information, and those who gathered after lunch were the riffraff. Looking at the time, it wasn't too late.
Raon looked at the distant Norris region and clenched his fist.
'It's possible enough.'
* * *
The grand hall with forty steps leading up, with King Serpent's skin not even wrinkled.
In front of the blue pillars standing on both sides, warriors lined up emitting tremendous qi.
"..."
It was said that Tiller had died at Raon's hand.
Lector stood in the center and conveyed the story of Raon and Tiller to the South-North Alliance executives.
"T, Tiller died? By Zieghart's kid?"
"I heard he's 18 years old, crazy..."
"Does that guy have no identity? How can he reach low rank right after becoming master?"
"Tiller was just before mid-rank. Not low rank, there might be mid-rank."
"The fact that he made a 3-year life-and-death agreement with the Floating King is even more surprising. It's not something a normal warrior would think of. It's the momentum of a hero."
The South-North Alliance executives were more interested in Raon's martial prowess and personality than the dead Tiller.
"Chepin."
A calm voice flowed down from the platform on the stairs. The voice was low, but it had power that silenced everyone's mouths.
"Yes! Lord!"
The middle-aged man standing at the third pillar on the right bowed his head.
"Investigate thoroughly whether Lector's story is true."
"Yes!"
The middle-aged man bowed again and left the hall along that path.
"Lord Lector. What is Raon Zieghart's actual martial power level?"
The South-North Lord's gaze flashed from the platform above the forty steps toward Lector.
"It seemed like low-rank master."
Lector lowered his head, recalling Raon's martial arts.
"Tiller was just before mid-rank, and he beat a low-rank master. Even an 18-year-old?"
"He didn't just win, it was overwhelming. No big injuries were visible on Raon."
"Interesting."
There was a strange interest in the South-North Lord's voice.
"The Clear Rain, that unbelievable existence is also interesting."
"Why..."
The red-skinned old man standing in front of the second pillar on the left came forward. His lips were trembling.
"Why didn't you kill that guy!"
"Didn't I tell you? If we fought with Zieghart's Cheonggeom intact, we would have been in danger too."
"Tiller is one of the successors of the South-North Alliance! If you kill him, you should have brought his head! A 3-year agreement! Why did you do such a crazy thing!"
The red-skinned old man grabbed his head and shouted.
"The one who caused the problem first was Tiller. He moved like a scammer, not like a hero. He had both honor and power, so fighting would have been disadvantageous."
Lector endured the old man's ruthless qi and spat out what he had to say.
"Problem? If you say Chungru Tribe, aren't they monsters who are not humans! Killing and controlling them is what?"
"The problem is that they attacked merchants and residents using the Chungru Tribe. That's cutting off our own lifeline and ruining the honor of the South-North. Sir Shiran. Please calm down..."
"Shut up!"
The shout of the old man called Shiran shook the hall itself.
"Roman! You have a problem too! With your current self, you could have easily caught Zieghart's Cheonggeom, that idiot! You sent him because you were blinded by that kid Raon's talent!"
"Do not speak lightly of things you have not seen with your own eyes. Vice Lord."
"What? Now you are talking to me..."
Roman and Shiran raised their qi at the same time. The hall began to shake as if it would collapse.
"Enough."
The low voice from the platform made the two lower their qi and step back.
"L, Lord! The successor of the alliance has died, we can't just let it go!"
Shiran came forward and clasped his hands.
"This old man will lead! Declare war so we can kill the Zieghart bastards..."
"Impossible."
"Lord!"
"The Zieghart's steps have been stopped for a long time, so other young ones can say such things. But it's not something that should come out of the mouth of the Elder Council Vice-Head."
There was a cold will in the South-North Lord's voice. Everyone in the hall trembled.
"You know better than anyone what Zieghart is?"
"N, they stopped, and we kept advancing! Now we don't have to fear Zieghart!"
"Glenn Zieghart is alive?"
"T, that's..."
"There is no guarantee that the Northern Annihilation King will move by killing that kid. But if he moves..."
The South-North Lord's voice rumbled low.
"Half of the alliance will be burned to death in an instant. Do you want that?"
"Hmph..."
Shiran couldn't answer and bit his lips.
"The honor is also on Zieghart's side. I don't know what method, but if the story spreads that they manipulated the Chungru Tribe to attack ships passing the river, it will only lose the alliance's trust. Wait three years, that kid will be torn apart by Roman on his own."
"Huff, how cold you are, even though your disciple died."
Shiran looked up at the South-North Lord's calm gaze and gritted his teeth.
"I saw the Vice Lord's face and gave that kid many opportunities. I don't want to console the soul of a fool who kicked away good opportunities and dug his own grave."
The South-North Lord's pupils flickered coldly like the wind of the North Sea.
"I..."
Shiran bit his lips.
"I can't stand it!"
He kicked the ground and jumped out of the hall.
"He's not someone who can just stay, should I chase him?"
Lector bowed his head.
"No need."
The South-North Lord waved his hand slowly.
"The one with the deepest fear of Glenn is the Vice Lord."
"Ah..."
"Even if he moves..."
He rolled up the corners of his mouth and looked at the door Shiran had opened.
"I have to acknowledge the blood price."
* * *
As soon as Raon and Dorian arrived at the Norris region, they got off the ship.
"Be careful!"
"I'll wait here!"
"Take care!"
Raon waved to Belga and the sailors who bowed their heads and headed away from the riverbank to the road.
There was no one passing, and the gray mist made the surroundings hard to see.
"No one is here, how do we find the dungeon?"
Dorian swallowed dryly while looking at the empty road.
"Wait."
Raon knelt and looked at the footprints on the road.
'They must have moved to one place.'
The reason Lohengrin's dungeon was known was because there were people with maps. The location must have been discovered, and there must be a common direction many people moved.
Raon walked while waiting and selected the direction where the most people moved today.
'Northwest.'
The road was messy because so many people had walked, but today the most people moved was northwest.
He looked up at the direction people moved. The mist was thick, so only the shape of the mountain was barely visible. Most who came to find Lohengrin's dungeon seemed to be heading there.
"Let's go."
Raon brushed off his knees and called Dorian.
"Huh? Y, you found it already? It's so messy."
Dorian opened his mouth wide while looking at the messy ground.
"It's just because there are too many, you can do it too."
Raon smiled faintly and ran toward the mountain first.
"I, I can't..."
Dorian grumbled and followed him with light steps.
After running for a while, the entrance to the mountain appeared. Here, opinions differed, and footprints were scattered all over the mountain.
"This is too messy."
Dorian frowned while looking at his own footprints.
"Indeed..."
Raon nodded. The large and small footprints were stamped too complicatedly to see where to go.
After turning on the Sense of Frost Flowers, he spread his senses. Like footprints, countless people were moving everywhere on the mountain.
"Tsk."
Raon clicked his tongue. Warriors and magicians spread like ants, so he couldn't pinpoint the entrance of the dungeon.
"What do we do in this case?"
Dorian lowered his eyebrows, feeling it too.
"Look below."
"Below?"
"Yes. Look at the traces of those who climbed this mountain first. Those with information and power."
He swept the footprints with his hand and looked for traces of those who first climbed the mountain today.
They moved mainly for speed rather than stealth, so there was a very fine mana remnant on the ground. Using the Fire Ring to scan the mana traces.
'East...'
The footprints stamped with powerful steps were mostly heading east, buried deepest.
He spread his senses again and scanned the east where the footprints led. Near the gorge where mountains overlapped, more people than elsewhere were gathered.
'There it is.'
Raon stood up with conviction. Taking Dorian, he headed to the place where people were gathered.
Warriors and magicians were spread around the gorge, and inside the gorge, the mist was thicker than elsewhere, so nothing was visible inside.
'Barrier.'
The blue mist was not natural. It was a barrier created by twisting the flow of mana.
'You made the location confusing.'
It seemed they created a barrier with spatial mana that made it impossible to find the entrance.
'I can go in.'
He closed his eyes and perceived the flow of the barrier. Since it was made with spatial mana, it should be easy to break through.
-Hmph...
Wrath exhaled a short groan while looking at the mist.
'Why again?'
-No.
He frowned and swept the barrier, then shook his head.
"Wait a moment, please pay attention!"
When Raon was about to reach the barrier with his sword, the middle-aged man with brown hair in the center raised his hand.
"Currently, not only famous strong warriors but also the Six Kings and Five Demons are inside this dungeon. It wouldn't mean anything if we checked each other."
"Hmm..."
"Indeed..."
Everyone who were shooting qi at each other after his words fell silent.
"It's not the time to check each other now, but the time to combine our strength to break the barrier and enter inside! As comrades running the continent together, cooperate..."
In short, it was about combining strength to deal with the strong. In reality, when information about dungeons or treasures was released, forming alliances between small and medium groups was a very common story.
But this was never a good method.
Even if united, internal power differences occurred. Weak forces took on difficult and dangerous tasks, and strong ones saved strength in the back and betrayed. Common.
'Don't be late there.'
There were already many footprints that had entered the barrier on the ground. Normally, it wouldn't be bad to follow behind them and use them, but now there was no time.
Whether to reveal full power or not, it was time to move as fast as possible.
"Everyone agrees! Thank you! Let's solidify our will and inherit Lohengrin's legacy..."
When the gathered people formed an alliance, Raon passed them and headed to the barrier.
"Wait! Where are you going!"
The middle-aged man who became the leader of the alliance blocked the way.
"We are going to enter the dungeon."
"This place is where our alliance first occupied! If you don't join together, you can't enter."
"Those who found this place first have already entered, right?"
Raon pointed inside the barrier.
"T, then, we are proposing to form an alliance. If we do it together, it will be safer and we can go farther!"
The middle-aged man forced a smile and extended his hand.
"Since you seem to have accumulated sword qi, you should join too..."
"Sorry, but I have no intention of going far. I just want to go quickly."
"Then I can't send you. Leaving someone to go in front of us is a stupid..."
Raon cut off the middle-aged man's words and pulled out the Heavenly Sky Sword. The blue pillar that extended straight split the mist filled with the barrier in half.
Crack!
The flow of the barrier itself split, and a tunnel sprouting between the gorge appeared.
"Wow!"
"W, he just broke the barrier?"
"What the..."
"M, mad..."
Raon turned to the warriors with mouths open as if torn and clicked his tongue.
"What did you say just now?"
"Ah, nothing!"
The quick-witted middle-aged man jumped in panic and waved his hand quickly.
"It would be better not to waste time and go back."
Raon's eyes turned red as he looked at the dark cave.
"I have no intention of missing anything inside."