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After leaving the kids with Ruby while I keep an eye on them using my clones within their equipment, we decided to walk back into town.
"This damn dungeon better be worth it, it cost us almost our entire funds!" said Draugann.
"It will grandma, don't worry," I said.
"Don't call me grandma, I am not your grandma!" complained the old woman.
"Haha, I missed Draugann whining… Everyone was so gloomy when you were sleeping." Said Benladann.
"I-I wasn't gloomy! I knew he would wake up…" said Draugann.
Tsundere Grandma…
The people were watching over us, not just me, but Benladann as well. After all, she was exuding the power of a Rank 3 Mana Core, her power was admirable, the two of us were not to mess up with it!
I carried Skadi and Uller with me as well, they were acting like normal weapons, but I would let them go wild when we get into the dungeon alone. Huginn and Muninn were calmly resting in each shoulder of Frost, they already had their tamed monster collar, so no one should tell me to not bring wild monsters inside. And certainly, they might try to take out their eyes with their sharp beaks if they are yelled at.
Yuki was still being looked a bit worse, but her Rank 2 Mana Core was still quite respectable by others, they only just found it very weird that a non-slave was so strong within the beast-kin tribe. I guess ice giant supremacy goes hard in these lands.
I do wonder though, where do beast-kin originate from? System, any clues?
<Answer: Some theories could be that they originated from a monster race that grew intelligent and evolved into them, therefore their children would be born as their evolved forms. Yuki is the proof that certain monster types can evolve into beast-kin if given enough time and met the criteria needed, which is often high intelligence and high mana and magic stat, which Yuki had. Another theory was that their creation comes from an ancient god. Perhaps one of the more mysterious Vanir gods could have created them, as they were highly related with nature and wild beasts, it can't be possible that they just created the elves and fairies. And the last theory is that they originated from an ancient, reincarnated person that had a Unique Skill that either let him become a beast-kin of various races or to evolve normal animals and monsters into beast-kin, spreading the tribes…>
Wow, alright, you're good at having theories.
<I am also quite intrigued. The origins of most intelligent races are explained within religion, but beast-kin are nowhere to be seen within this.>
Very true, that's why I was wondering where they came from, they already existed when the Dream Fox Demon Venerable was born after all, and were widespread, although treated as a plague and something humans loved to enslave and kill, almost treated as monsters…
<We would need to investigate further, perhaps your next mission could be entering a library within this city.>
Oh, yeah, maybe.
Ah, we are here.
We reached the area with the dungeon entrance to the Rank 3 Dungeon.
Two guards of Rank 2 were standing at the entrance, and there was even a Rank 3 Elder that welcomed us.
I guess you gotta keep this dungeon entrance well-guarded, it is way more dangerous than the other dungeon.
We have finally reached the place we had actually come for… So many things happened before that…
"Now that we are here, let's get in," said Benladann.
"Ah, hello, Elder Drake, we had been waiting for you, you've reserved the entire week for you this time around, isn't it? We appreciate your support." Said the Elder of this sect, a greedy smile emerged on his old lips.
"Yes, we did. Now let us enter, this place belongs to me for the rest of the week." I said boldly.
"Yes… Please, go on… Remember though, 50% of your gains will be ours." Said the Elder, provoking me.
"I know, old man, now move."
"O-Old man?!" he roared.
"Aren't you old? I am right."
"…Well yes! But…"
"Just move." Said Benladann, her aura of darkness fused with her Char Skill, a gleam of pink and black light reached the man's eyes, he felt a strange fear and also the instinct to obey.
"Y-Yes, please go on!"
We finally were left to walk inside, that annoying Elder was really here to just annoy me or something?
Or maybe seeing the combined auras of two Rank 3 such as us made even a single Rank 3 tremble? Heh, whatever is the case, I don't think we are weak for any of these stupid elders to bully us.
Sorry cliches of Xianxia novels, but in here it won't apply.
We quickly entered the dungeon as we passed through the vast initial corridor that led to the vast interior.
Unlike the other dungeons, this dungeon was completely different.
When we got inside, we didn't found a labyrinth maze made of bricks and covered in ice.
What we found inside was…
"A forest?"
Yuki looked around, everyone did.
We looked at the sky, there was a sky. We looked at the floor and our surroundings, and there was just an open field.
It was all green grass. The sky was clear and there were even clouds and a glowing sun above the skies, warming the place.
The trees were tall and made up an immense forest darkened by the shadows of the tall trees.
"Are we sure this is a forest, and we just didn't teleport elsewhere?" asked Benladann.
"This… I really don't have an idea…"
<Report: You've entered the Rank 3 Dungeon. This Dungeon is of a higher level of power. The Dungeon Core has developed the ability to create an artificial biome inside, resembling a large forest, the entire dungeon has approximately ten floors, each floor with large and realistic biomes. The sky is made through magic and it's not real, there are invisible walls if you walk away from the forest far enough, however, the trees are genuine and so is the grass and everything growing on it.>
Amazing… It's like a pocket world within a dungeon.
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