The Hero’s Brother Is Bound To Be Depressed

26 – Entering the Dungeon

After arriving at Hartan Forest, we headed straight for the dungeon. There, as I said in the tent, a professor was waiting for us along with three knights.

“Professor of Plana Herbology.”

As if he was happy to meet someone he knew, Kane said in a slightly brighter voice.

“Nice to meet you. This is Plana, who is in charge of herbalism. The training dungeon that Team 19 will be in charge of today is a difficulty level that can be cleared within 2 days at the earliest and 4 days at the latest. When entering the dungeon, use the explorer bag provided. You will find hints and goals for the dungeon.”

At that, I firmly grasped the expedition bag I was carrying with my hand.

“If you get injured while exploring a dungeon, or if you think you can no longer continue exploring, set up a safe zone with an exploration bag on the spot. By the way, the safe zone is installed a total of 3 times, so you have to be careful.”

After Professor Plana finished talking. Kane raised her hand and asked.

“What happens after 4 days?”

“If the 4th night passes and the 5th comes, you will automatically come out of the snow globe. So, it is important that everyone do not get hurt by overdoing it and act with safety as the top priority. It’s a training dungeon, but the difficulty is…. It will be a good memory.”

“She should have told her mom she loved her…”

At Professor Plana’s words, Kane muttered a pessimistic mutter to himself.

“The evaluation of this exercise will be given as an extra point to the grade exam. So, even if it’s training, I hope you work hard. Remember that cooperation is paramount in this dungeon, and do your best in your own mission. Alright then, Article 19. If you are ready, enter the dungeon.”

At the word that additional points were added to the grade test, Kane’s pessimistic self-talk turned into enthusiasm for the dungeon, and the other members of the team also lit up their eyes.

We entered the training dungeon through the stairs that went straight down to the basement.

*

At the entrance of the dungeon, dark and shady and without a single light, a sewage system came to mind. Unlike then, I felt a little relieved to be with her crew.

Lakar and I took out the torches we had prepared in advance to secure our vision.

After going down the stairs, an empty room appeared. After Lakar finished checking that there were no threats, we sat down on the floor.

Preparing before a proper dungeon exploration was basic. It was a group that was suddenly made up, and we don’t know what kind of ability each other has.

In a situation where it was impossible to judge whether he was the right person to entrust his back to, at least he had to match his hands and feet through conversation.

“Should I introduce myself briefly?”

To get rid of the awkward atmosphere since it’s your first time meeting, let me tell you. Everyone agreed.

“Lakarya, the combat unit in charge of the vanguard. His one-handed sword is his main weapon, and he’s also mastered the art of shielding, so he’s good at the avant-garde position. I will do my best so that no one gets hurt in this practice.”

After La Carr finished speaking, Aria, who was sitting next to him, immediately opened her mouth.

“I am Arya Baldwin of the Ministry of Magic. Her main magic is fire and lightning magic. When it comes to her attack power, she prides herself on being one of the best in the 1st year Ministry of Magic. It’s the first time for everyone, but I hope it will be a good experience for her.”

I had high expectations, but they were extras that did not appear in the novel. Still, students at Transcendence Academy were basically the most outstanding talents on the continent. Even if it didn’t appear in the novel, there was no need to doubt its ability.

Arya finished her sentence and turned her head to Kane. Receiving that gaze, Kane opened her mouth with a shy smile.

“I am Kane. I belong to the Ministry of Alchemy, and it’s a sudden practice, but I’ve recently filled my reagent bag just in case. I will support you with various reagents. It can detect simple attack magic and traps.”

Kane slightly opened the bag full of her reagents and showed us the contents, then looked at Luna with her proud face.

“Hello. I’m Luna from the Faculty of Magic…. You can use various support magic. I look forward to.”

I took over her words, wondering if it was still difficult for us who were meeting for the first time even though we were first-year students, or if it was Luna who didn’t easily let go of her words.

“I am Ross of the combat department. I can mainly use a spear and use simple magic.”

I don’t have anything special to say, so let’s introduce it briefly. The clown smiled openly as if Arya had heard rumors about me.

“I heard a rumor. A magic notarized by the principal? Then you must be a magician.”

“Well, that’s right. But don’t expect too much. It’s just a step away.”

With Nelson’s help, even if I improved the basic spatial magic to fit me, the problem of low mana remained the same.

My intention was not to use magic in this dungeon. The Space Storage makes it easy to store my Exploration Bag and Survival Bag, but it was better to keep my abilities a secret until I could safely keep Patulga’s Spellbook.

“Since the self-introduction is over, let’s check the expedition bag.”

As Professor Plana advised, I checked the contents of the exploration bag. A set to install tools and safety zones for various explorations. Then he found a wooden board with letters written on it that looked like a tray.

“What is this for?”

Let’s express a question by taking out a wooden board from the exploration bag. Arya reached out and handed her a wooden board.

“This is a Ouija board. I know how to use it.”

Arya injects her magic into the Ouija board. The letters on the wooden board glowed brightly, and the letters floated in the air.

– Deal with the main goal / the last boss of the dungeon.

– Secondary objective / Find a bracelet somewhere in the dungeon.

“The goal is simple. Because you can catch the boss.”

Everyone nodded at Lakar’s words. I stroked my chin and asked the crew.

“What should I do with the secondary goal? If your goal is to find something, you may have to go through the entire dungeon.”

At that question, Arya raised her hand and said.

“I think the first step is to check what type of dungeon it is. Considering that it can be cleared in two days at the earliest, it may be impossible to check the entire dungeon due to time constraints.”

Nodding her head at a reasonable point, Arya turned her head and asked Luna.

“Luna, is guidance magic possible?”

Luna nodded at Arya’s question, got up from her seat, and took out her chalk wrapped in her paper.

Looking at Luna drawing a magic circle on the floor, I thought of the characteristics of the Faculty of Magic.

The Department of Magic, which exists in an ambiguous position between the Ministry of Magic and the Ministry of Alchemy, was a truly unique department. To put it simply, it was a place where the theory of the Ministry of Alchemy and the support magic of the Ministry of Magic were mixed.

“Well, the food in the survival bag is only for two days. Assuming that you will be in the dungeon for up to four days, I think it would be right to skip breakfast.”

When Lakar, who checked the contents of the survival bag, said that, everyone nodded their heads in agreement with expressions of regret at the lack of food.

While thinking of the chocolates in the space storage and smiling inwardly, the magic circle drawn by Luna began to emit a bright light.

Let’s stare blankly as something opaque escapes from the light and seeps into the walls and the ground. Before long, the light that illuminated the magic circle disappeared.

“I figured it out. This dungeon…. It’s a maze type.”

“Oops, I guess I’ll have to give up my secondary missions at this point? All in all, it’s a maze-type dungeon, so that’s why I said at least two days?”

When Kane let out a sigh, with her face showing that she had become annoyed, Luna continued to say that she hadn’t finished her words yet.

“And… I think it’s mixed with the stage hyung. There are rooms in between.”

After Luna finished, Arya let out a sigh.

“As expected, it seems that he intends to give you a memorable memory.”

It was the worst combination. The maze-type dungeon was difficult to find due to all sorts of traps and optical illusions, and above all, it took a lot of time. When I saw that there was a stage that I had to break through to progress, I could see that I would suffer.

“The secondary goal is…. Let’s just check where we pass and give up if we can’t find it.”

Arya nodded at her words. If I checked the maze-like dungeons one by one to find the bracelet, I could have come up with an absurd situation where I couldn’t find the boss for 4 days.

“I hear Kane detects traps. Line up Lakar, Kane, Aria, and Luna. And how about I do the rearguard?”

Lakar nodded at my opinion and said.

“Okay, and when the enemy appears, let’s watch first rather than strike first. I might make a mistake because my hands and feet don’t match, and I want to see how much Aria’s magic is.”

Everyone agreed with Lakar’s words and stood up. I put on my bag and stood behind Luna holding a torch fixed to the floor.

“Let’s go!”

Starting with Lakar’s cry, we started exploring the dungeon.

*

You don’t know when the enemy will come out, so we continued to walk forward while maintaining tension.

The dungeon looked like a cave that someone had artificially dug.

“Huh? There is something ahead.”

Everyone was nervous at Lakar’s words and looked forward. As if the enemy had appeared, Lakar continued to walk.

“There is a bridge across the cliff. It’s like a stone bridge…. There’s a raccoon on the other side.”

“Raccoon… ?”

Look ahead, puzzled by the sudden appearance of a raccoon dog. As Lakar said, I saw a stone bridge and a raccoon dog that were big enough to cross at once.

The raccoon held up a large piece of paper with numbers written on it from the other side as if touting a guest.

“I think it says 3?”

We started debating what the number 3 might mean.

“Isn’t it possible for 3 people to cross the bridge at once? First three people get to the other side, then one comes back and takes the two.”

Aria’s plausible words made Kane refute.

“It could be crossing in 3 seconds.”

“Your legs are a bit long for that?”

Lacard brushed off Kane’s objection. It certainly seemed impossible to cross the bridge in three seconds.

“Then, as Arya said, why don’t we cross the street in groups of three? Me and Luna will stay here.”

Everyone agreed with my opinion, and walked across the stone bridge starting with Lakar, who was at the front.

At that moment, the number 1 floated above the raccoon’s head in the air, and both sides of the stone bridge collapsed slightly.

“What, what?”

Knowing that a trap had been triggered by the sudden change, La Car hastily pulled his body back.

Then the bridge, which had shrunk little by little on both sides, stopped.

Aria, who was watching him, said.

“Is it necessary for 3 people to go up at once?”

“Maybe. Let’s try it.”

As Lacard, Aria, and Kane nervously put one foot on each leg at the same time, the number 3 floated above the raccoon’s head.

After confirming that her legs weren’t shrinking, Kane put both of her feet on the bridge with relief. The number changes to 4 and the legs begin to shrink.

“Wow! What, what!”

A startled Kane falls behind her, freeing her legs. Lakar and Arya also hurriedly retreated.

“I don’t think this is… ?”

Arya spoke in an uneasy voice at the sight of the stone bridge reduced by half compared to the first one.

What is the secret of the bridge? As she was contemplating, Luna, who had been watching her quietly, suddenly opened her mouth.

“Al, okay.”

“Really?”

Arya was surprised, and she turned to look at Luna.

“It wasn’t 3 people, it was 3 feet. You have to have three feet touching the stone bridge.”

Everyone immediately understood Luna’s explanation. Most of these problems are difficult until you hear an explanation. If you listen to simple hints or explanations, you will know right away.

“Then let’s have one person stand on the bridge and one person use one foot to cross.”

If you do that, your legs will have three legs. According to my opinion. I, the rearguard, stood on the bridge first, and Lacard crossed the bridge one step at a time.

When I moved, I was worried that taking one step off for a while would shorten my legs. It was a fleeting moment, and it seemed that the bridge would not completely collapse until we crossed.

When everyone safely crossed the stone bridge through that method, the raccoon danced happily. Just as he let out a sigh of relief that he had solved the first problem, the dancing raccoon suddenly let out a scream-like sound.

When I was embarrassed by the raccoon’s screaming so much that it hurt my ears, Lakar suddenly decapitated the raccoon with a sword.

“What are you doing!”

Aria shouted, startled by Lakar’s actions. Arya’s shock was even greater because the raccoon dancing her was so cute that she let her guard down and was watching.

While I was staring at Lakar’s sudden action, Lakar swung his sword and wiped the blood off the blade, and spoke in a low voice.

“… Late.”

Rakar’s words were barely finished. A grotesque sound spread through the walls of the cave.

“Kerreuk-!”

A lot of footsteps and cries made us aware that the goblins were approaching.