16 The Secret Dungeon

Step. Step. Step

Several sounds of footsteps could be heard near the abandoned works in a cave.

It was late and the sun was already setting, fading farther and farther into the huge blue sky covered in with white clouds.

Four people walked straight ahead without pausing for a second as they watched several groups enter the place they were going. This was Rayman's Cave, the place where Traymon's abandoned mines were located.

That place was a dungeon that suddenly appeared, scaring the residents of the nearby region. The monsters that came out of it were fierce, voracious and certainly bloodthirsty, hunting down anything living that wasn't part of their race.

Shortly thereafter, despite the place being considered an infested region and being extremely dangerous, many people volunteered to face these vile creatures. They sought to strengthen themselves and, above all, search for that forgotten treasure that was said to have been lost in those parts.

Some time has passed since the dungeon emerged in the world, and even after two long years, no one, not even the best adventurers and members of proeminent orders of knights, had been able to find such a forgotten and hidden treasure...

This lasted for a short time, for four months ago, when the 'blessed ones' were summoned to this world, the situation once again favored the search for that forgotten treasure that people talked about. People were scattered in huddles over those regions once forgotten and abandoned by the people, making small villages like Woodion and Lifeart come alive again, as they struggled to fortify themselves and go in search of the reward that was described in the legends across Acaris.

The 'blessed ones' had suddenly appeared, popping up in several giant cities, huge kingdoms and quiet villages scattered across the western continent. It was not known whether any 'blessed ones' had been transported to the eastern continent, but if such misfortune had occurred, the inhabitants of the West land only prayed that this person's soul would rest in peace.

In the beginning there was a huge problem for the blessed to be recognized as allies, and many rulers suspected that this all was a trick of the demons, who had already been at war for hundreds of years with all humanity and some sub-races spread in Acaris.

However, the system itself, which allowed all races and living beings to become stronger, sent a message that described the situation in detail and said that those beings that suddenly appeared were not the beginning of the end, but the beginning of a new era of prosperity for those who faced the demons.

These 'super heroes' of the people emerged like the wind, and began to fortify themselves at an amazing speed, leaving professional royal knights and great adventurers completely stunned by it. After all these events, many powerful people with great talent and potential to become legends were beginning to materialize from all over the world, even in the race of the hostile enemies of the human people and their allies: the demons.

With the advent of these beings who will eventually become the champions of each species, surely the world will once again fall into despair... Or is there still hope? *

''We're here, folks.''

Lucas raised his right hand and closed the book he was reading with a low thud, a guide to how the region worked and where all things stood. He looked around, noting the three people staring at him and the huge squads passing by his side to enter the abandoned mines in search of the treasure described in the book he had read earlier.

When he was done looking at the three, he pulled out four half-broken stone pickaxes from his inventory and threw three to his companions. Everyone held them tightly as they were watched with eyes of extreme curiosity and judgment by the other people in the mines.

Lucas and the others walked for a few minutes, stopping beside a decrepit stone wall with a massive 'Five' marking, that indicated which part of the abandoned mines they were in.

''It's here. Don't ask questions and just start digging, we need to get into the dungeon as soon as possible."

The group nodded to Lucas' speech.

Lucas might not express it, but he was overjoyed to have confirmed that the entrance hadn't been discovered yet. Which meant that no classifier had had the chance to explore the secret place, or remembered of that dungeon; that would with no doubt be of great help in the beginning for the low levels.

KAPANG! KAPAAANG! KAPAAAM!

Lucas and the others were swinging their pickaxes over and over, sweating buckets from the extreme heat of the cave. Lucas seriously thought it would have been good for him to have had plenty of water before he started, but now it was too late, and think about it wouldn't help at anything.

"Hey, are you guys okay?", a stranger who appeared standing next to Fists asked.

The stranger had straight brown hair and gray-black eyes with a chiseled face and a square jaw. He was standing in front of Fists, who looked at the man with disdain for being shorter than her. That guy looked like exactly the kind of person Lucas would have ignored without hesitate, and normally would have avoided in his old world, since in Lucas's own personal and life experience, that type of person was the typical 'Two Faces'.

''I was watching you digging the mine for a while. I noticed that you, brown hair guy, is extremely pale, if you want, I can ask the healer of my group for help.", the stranger offered, pointing at Lucas.

The three members of the group looked in Lucas' direction, searching for a suitable answer to the man's offer. The young man then said with a motionless expression on his face: ''It's okay, I'm pale from the effort I've made now, but it's no big deal. So don't worry about it.''

Lucas lied blatantly, as he managed his mind and bot, not to send that annoying guy away in a not-too-friendly way. He waved lightly for the others to continue digging, and so they did.

KACANG! KAPAANG!

The sounds of pickaxes making contact with the stone floor resounded once more.

Ignoring those annoying noises, the stranger's eyes roamed over Lucas's body with concern. Lucas was extremely thin, having a slender and weak-looking body, he had some muscles but they were quite shallow and therefore not easily identifiable, and at this point, his pallor and the state of his appearance made him look incredibly weak.

Lucas ignored him. He no longer cared about the man's presence there, even if he ended up seeing the entrance to the secret dungeon, it wouldn't make any difference to the young man.

''Well, if anything happens, Ill be wandering through the mines. If a strong monster attacks you, or someone messes with you, you can come without hesitation and ask me for help." The stranger said, smiling with a genuine expression of happiness.

Lucas returned the smile, which made Ket, who knew the boy's real nature, feel extremely uncomfortable and shiver a little.

''If they ask what you're doing here, or if they mess with you and I'm not close enough. Tell'em you know Viego. I sincerely wish you all the best in what you're doing." The man introduced himself and placed his hand out.

Lucas looked at Viego's outstretched hand. It wasn't the first time someone had played a good samaritan, and treated him with equality and kindness, he had many experiences on earth that showed that this type of person would change quickly to their true nature.

"My name is Hades," Lucas replied as he shook Viego's hand, having once more propped the pickaxe against the stone wall.

As soon as they released their hands, Viego turned and walked away in the same direction he had come. Lucas then took advantage, and picked up the pickaxe, starting to hammer the wall with extreme force once more.

KAPAM! KARAAPAM!

The stones began to fall to the ground one after the other, and the smile on Lucas' face grew even wider than before. From the wide hole they had dug, a relatively dim light began to escape, illuminating the faces of Lucas and Fists, who were closest to the wall.

He looked around at everyone as Ket recited something under her breath and some strange golden symbols hovered in the air.

[Use of an ability has been detected.]

[User 'Brightest Light In Heavens' used defensive magic!]

[For the next 20 minutes, you and other targets affected by the spell will take reduced damage.]

[For the next 20 minutes, your stamina and resistance will be increased by +10]

As soon as these messages appeared, Lucas looked at them with satisfaction. It was almost as if he'd sated all his cravings in his miserable life while he and the others equipped themselves with every item they had at their disposal.

''Here we go.''

Lucas said, as he walked with the other three into the secret dungeon entrance.