A week has passed since then, and today, they finally moved to another area, except for the temple room and the training area, and will now enter a dungeon.
Everyone wakes up excited and happy, jumping from their bed and doing their morning routine as soon as possible to meet Clark outside.
Moving out, Clark waited for them, wearing a white robe with a short sword on his side. Wearing a glove with a rune on them, carrying a backpack filled with essentials, and looking more modest than they have ever seen.
After not seeing him for a week straight except when having dinner, they felt relieved knowing he'd be with them all day, helping them in their battle against the dungeon monster.
Clark looked at them and pointed at the table behind him, filled with light armor and weapons.
"Put these armor on boys while the girls go over to Ria over there," he said, pointing to another direction with Ria sitting on a chair.
Moving toward Ria, they asked what they needed to do. Ria simply smiled in return, captivating them with her lavish red hair that gleamed under the sunlight.
Her soft, dream-like lips and hourglass figure made them question their femininity. And those narrowed eyes—almost teasing—stirred something deep within them, something dangerously close to unresolved mommy issues.
"Nothing. I'm just here to give you guys some enchantments," she said in a calm, gentle voice, making their excitement spike even more.
After receiving their enchantments, the girls looked at each other before saying something.
"Are we gay?" Koharu asked the two, "Lesbian is a better term," Mio said back; the two stared at each other words while Mei judged them on the side.
Leaving that aside, the boys equipped their new armor and picked their weapons to use.
When picking their weapon, Clark would yell at them to choose another one when they picked a stupid weapon to use.
In the end, everyone got yelled out for picking a weapon that was 'cool' for them to use instead of a practical one and when choosing a weapon that they could not even carry.
In the end, everyone was left to take the daggers and spear instead of the swords that they wanted to pick.
Everyone looked at the sky and sighed, wondering why they were even given a chance to pick one if they weren't allowed to use it.
They turned their gaze at Clark with a dumbfounded look and stared at him for a minute straight.
"Don't look at me like that!" Clark said making a fist to them as a warning.
"Besides, why would you guys choose a weapon you can't even carry? Are you stupid?"
"Do you guys plan to be the dinner of those monsters," he yelled out, spreading his arms out.
After taking a breath and calling everyone to him, he asked them if they had reached level 10 already.
As they were asked, they avoided his eyes, telling him the answer to his question.
"Should we do this another time?" He asked, looking up at the sky to their Goddess.
"These heroes of yours are the stupidest people I have known!" He said to the sky, being heard by everyone else, making them answer to protect their dignity to him.
"Alright, I'm sorry I shouldn't said that. But level..., tell me your level now!" He ordered them, not asked.
"Level 8, 9, 7" said by Mei, Mio and Koharu.
"Level 8,9,10,8" by Ritsu, Ren, Nagi, and finally Yuki.
Putting his hand to his face, he said "So...., in the end only one of you guys reached level 10....aghh...aghh.. why am I dealing with you guys, to begin with?" He said, tears going down on his face.
"Come on! It's not that bad!" Yuki screams, defending their lack of level of expectations from him.
"Not that bad? NOT that BAD!!!" He answered looking at them with disappointment. Making everyone quiet for a moment.
Sighed "Guess this is better than nothing, so let's go. It takes us at least two hours to get the opening hole of it." He said walking towards the south, followed by the rest.
•••••
—1 hour to their journey to the dungeon hole.
Looking around the pathway they are walking on... well, a pathway like one, since the one they are on can barely be seen and act to be one.
Covered in the fallen dried leaves of the tree that surround them in all directions, grass, weeds, and random flowers growing on it, some tiny holes covered from fallen leaves, making them trip over from time to time, making the pathway itself hard to traverse for this modern city children's.
Although the journey is annoying, they find themselves having fun seeing new scenery and animals.
From time to time, they find wild animals like deer, rabbits, birds, and some other creatures that they normally cannot see in the modern city.
Some of the birds they have seen can emit light on their feathers, while others have colorful pairs of feathers on them, and some even summon magic from their beaks.
When taking a deep breath, their nostrils fill with fresh, clean air that they normally cannot have; sometimes, the air carries some of the smell of the flowers that grow in their surroundings, making them all more appreciate this journey of theirs.
A second later, they found themselves stopped after meeting an intersection road that split into three pathways
Clark gestured to them to stay still while he looked at the map to know which road they needed to take; everyone else looked as much as they could in their current position.
Looking up to the tree tops that were at least 40-50 meters tall, looking closer to it, they found it much rougher than the one they had been using this past week.
A second later, Clark calls them to gather near him, after finding the road they need to take.
Hearing this, they guess which road they take from the three before them that had their atmosphere.
The one on the right was bringing them multiple scents, like flowers with different kinds of fruits on them, while the middle was a road with a light on the end of it.
Finally, the one on the left was a pure, empty space, with nothing but pure darkness that doesn't even show the end of it.
If they narrow their eyes, they can see branches that look like torn-apart arms from the people who have been killed by the creatures that live on the road, and most of all, the road carries no scent at all from its direction
As everyone looks at it and gives their own opinion on it, they realize that from the clichés of the media, they are about to go on this road.
"To the left!" Clark orders them to go, as expected, and everyone guesses right, they are about to go down this road.
Looking at the seven dead eyes before him, he asked them. "What's wrong everyone?" Trying to understand what they want, after a minute silence of them not talking he said.
"Don't worry about anything, as long as you guys stay inside the barrier I'm making, you'll be safe." He stayed quiet for a moment then said:
"Beside this barrier have a 15-15 meter ranged area. And as long as the monster that attacks is below level 100, they can't even make a crack on it." Saying those words they walked toward the dark road before them.
....
Finally, at the end of the road, light shone before them, and everyone began to lighten up to leave this road.
On the way, everyone screamed non-stop for every possible reason, stepping on a stick screaming, hearing animal noises, telling them to quiet scream, seeing faces on the tree- screaming again.
This went on the entire time, and Clark wanted to leave them behind and go back alone. But in the end, everyone managed to hold out till they reached the end... Only took them half an hour to get out of it.
As the heroes ran to the light, new scenery appeared before them, although almost the same as before this time, there was a creek running on both sides of the road now.
"Well then, now that everyone stopped screaming...NON-STOP! Let's get going." Clark said, leading them again to the front.
Chapter 10 end.