Astrael smiled at the sight of the sword's status.
'I didn't expect to get a gem in a place like this,' Astrael mused, his fingers tracing the hilt at his hip.
After adjusting the sheath properly, they continued wandering in the town.
Elara wrung her hands, fretting, "Cutting apples? My lady will peel me like a fruit when she sees that blade."
"Then we will tell her it's for protecting apples." He grinned, dodging a cart piled with squealing piglets.
As they moved closer to the edge of the town, the crowd thickened with adventurers. Two stern guards stood there, at the arched gate entrance, observing the constant stream of adventurers moving in and out.
Astrael can hear the sound of voices shouting over each other and the clanking of armour and weapons.
"-TWO HEALERS! F ranked dungeon!"
"1 Tank with Tower Shield! Shares loot 70-30!"
"Earth mage needed! Blue Labyrinth run, experience required!"
Astrael stared, momentarily stunned. "That's... a dungeon?" he asked Elara.
"Dungeon?"
"Dungeon?" Elara confirmed, pulling him slightly aside from a burly man shouldering past. "Yes, Young Lord. A dungeon is a mystical, isolated space-sometimes natural, sometimes remnants of ancient ruins, sometimes magically created. They're filled with monsters, traps, and often treasures. They're ranked in nine ranks. F-ranked dungeon has the weakest monsters, manageable for beginners. SSS..." She trailed off, her expression grave, "...means catastrophe."
"Oh! Then what's the meaning of colour?" Astrael pressed.
"The colour shows the dungeon's stability," Elara explained. "Blue means it's stable normal dungeon with little to no risk of a dungeon break. If it shifts to orange, danger increases. Red means a break is imminent or already the monsters inside it spill into our world."
Astrael absorbed this; the concept felt vast. "Most dungeons are repetitive, right? The monsters come back after a while?"
"Correct," Elara nodded. "Those 'reset' dungeons offer smaller, predictable rewards over time. The truly valuable ones are the 'one-time' dungeons,freshly discovered or unique. They hold the greatest treasures, but are far more perilous. Once cleared, they're usually gone forever."
It took Astrael a moment to process the flood of information. A practical question surfaced. "But how do they know the rank? How do they measure it?"
"By the intensity of the mana it emits," Elara answered promptly. "Specialists or Guild instruments detect the mana signature radiating from the dungeon core. Each rank has a distinct range of power. Stronger mana means higher-ranked, tougher monsters... and vastly better rewards. That's why adventurers flock to them, despite the equal risks."
She gestured towards the bustling area. "Here, near Ravestria town, we only have a few known dungeons. Four are F rank, suitable for newer teams. Just one is E rank, which demands seasoned fighters or well-coordinated groups." She watched a group enter one of the F-ranked dungeons. "Even E ranked poses significant challenges."
Astrael nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over the flux of adventurers, the hopeful, the weary, and the heavily armed. A new awareness was settling over him.
"Can we go inside?" Astrael asked Elara.
"No, Young Lord, it's dangerous, and you need to have a guild test to be qualified to enter. Otherwise, there would be more casualties." Elara responded sternly.
As Astrael absorbed Elara's explanation, a commotion erupted near a shimmering blue portal.
Four adventurers stumbled out, covered in green slime and blood. One archer clutched a limp arm, her leather armour shredded by claw marks. A tank dragged its cracked shield, its surface dented by heavy impacts. They collapsed near the guild entrance, dumping their loot bag.
"Never again... those bats came from everywhere..." A young mage vomiting behind a cart said
Astrael activated [Appraise] on the archer:
[Name: Lyra]
[Status: Moderate Poison (Kobold Venom)]
[Bleeding: Minor]
Elara pulled him back as healers rushed forward. "See? Even F ranked dungeons can claim those who are unprepared. That injured girl got her adventurer career over.
Astrael nodded while silently performing the appraisal on the dungeon.
[Kobold Den]
[F rank]
[Description: Narrow, stinking tunnels carved through crumbling earth, littered with primitive bone traps and stolen trinkets. Pack hunters lurk in the shadows, swarming intruders with claws and crude spears.
[Bloody Bats]
[F rank]
[Description: Small, razor-fanged flyers that hunt in shrieking swarms near damp cave ceilings. Their bites cause bleeding wounds that weaken prey for ambushing predators.
Astrael noted the dungeon descriptions in his mind as Elara touched his arm. "Young Lord, it's getting late. We must return before Lady Laira worries," she urged.
"Alright," Astrael agreed, turning with his guards toward the manor path. They had only taken a few steps when the ground shuddered violently beneath their feet. Market stalls rattled; a stack of pottery crashed nearby.
"What's that?" Astrael asked, gripping his short sword hilt instinctively.
Elara paled, clutching his shoulder. "An earthquake? But we don't-"
CRACK!
The air ripped open. Twenty paces away, beside the baker's stall they'd visited earlier. A purple-black void was torn violently. People started to scream frantically and scrambled back.
"DUNGEON EMERGENCE!" a guard bellowed in a panicked voice. "CLEAR THE SQUARE IMMEDIATELY! NOW!"
The chaos erupted. Adventurers near the guild drew swords and axes with grim faces. The people started fleeing.
Elara seized Astrael's arm with surprising strength, yanking him backwards. "RUN, YOUNG LORD! DON'T LOOK BACK!"
"Wha-?" Astrael stumbled, trying to find footing on the ground.
But the purple-black tear pulsed and sucked. It sucked everything nearby—pavestone, terrified hens, stalls, All vanished into the swirling darkness.
But Astrael, while running, tripped, and at that moment, the pull intensified.
"ASTRAEL!" Elara screamed, her grip, which had loosened, slipped towards the vortex.
One of the guards lunged for him. "GRAB MY HAND!"
Astrael reached out. The hand was just an inch away. But the pull felt like a giant, invisible hand grabbing him. The pavement stone he was standing on got ripped from under his feet.
"NO!" Elara's shriek echoed.
He flew backwards. The swirling purple-black filled his vision.
***
🌟 Hey, fellow traveler of tales and treasures! 🧭 Your presence here is a journey filled with surprises, like uncovering hidden gems 💎. Isn't it fascinating how a little GOLDEN ✨ something can change everything?