Nine silhouettes could be seen running after a moving vehicle, constantly eating its dust.
Their faces dark and their stomachs churned with embarrassment. Of course, these were none other than Vera's subordinates.
Back at their master's territory, though they immediately followed after their master, who would have thought that Roy would whip out a buggy from thin air? Not only that, he only permitted their master and Dio entrance...
Now here they were, running after the moving vehicle, not daring to slack off lest they be left in the dust.
"Why the hell is there a working and functional vehicle in Arcana? I thought that was meant to be impossible!" a young man called Hendrix voiced the question they all held in mind.
The elder mage replied, "It's meant to be impossible... For him to be able to have fully functional modern tech with him, then things aren't so simple."
Pondering for a moment, eye flickering suspiciously, he added, "Weak as he may be, this Lord isn't so simple."
"Whatever he has in his sleeves, strength matters most overall," a lady spoke defiantly. She was called Gerda, one of the earliest comers to Arcana and a blood relative of Vera.
While the nine were discussing amongst themselves while sprinting, all of a sudden the buggy revved furiously as the exhaust shot out sparks of nitro bursts, directly catapulting it almost out of their sight.
They all quickly kept their mouths shut and put more effort into catching up.
Meanwhile, in the buggy, Vera couldn't help but sigh helplessly. She could obviously tell that Roy sped up on purpose.
After moving across various regions, they had already reached a forest of colossal trees with crowns so wide and close together that they blotted out the sunlight, making sure that within their foliage only darkness reigned.
With the only source of light being the buggy's headlights, which burned through the abyssal darkness illuminating the surroundings, even that wasn't enough as the pervading darkness remained thick at the boundary of the illumination.
Roy had no choice but to slow down movement upon getting here.
"Dio, are you sure this is the way?" Roy inquired with a frown. He couldn't imagine anybody venturing into these woods — who knew what sorts of horrors it held within?
Dio, on the other hand, nodded vehemently. "Yes, the only reason I ventured into this region back then was because I was being chased by a vicious beast herd boss."
"So how do we find our way to the dungeon in such blinding darkness?" Vera asked. She couldn't fathom how they were to navigate their way through such a place.
For the first time, Dio smiled. "Indeed, back then I felt despair the moment I entered this forest, but it gets better as you move ahead. No worries."
Roy's brows furrowed. "Wait, no beasts around here?" He noticed that apart from the towering trunks of trees illuminated by light, there was nothing else — no beasts in sight.
Dio nodded. "Yes, back then the moment I entered the forest, the herd boss gave up the chase immediately... I don't know what it is, but there is something in this forest that's deterring beasts."
Vera found this baffling. The only thing that deters beasts is fear of death. Even then, some of the rabid creatures would happily brave the danger.
The only thing she was sure of that could totally deter all beasts was another overwhelmingly powerful Variant Beast.
The instant she had this thought, her guard soared. As she gazed at the eluding darkness warily, she couldn't help but feel a chill creeping up her spine.
But very quickly, her worries of a monster lunging furiously from the depths of darkness to attack them faded as something miraculous happened.
They seemed to reach a juncture where their light couldn't illuminate further, and following Dio's instructions, they continued moving without slowing.
And like venturing out of a dense fog, they passed through the curtain of darkness only to be met with an ethereal, beautiful world on the other end.
A world filled with a neon haze and luminescent glow across the surroundings. Illuminating bugs roamed the area, adding to the beauty. The flora glowed, tree barks casting a greenish fluorescent haze.
It was a breathtaking sight. The forest became a literal natural paradise straight from fantasy — well, technically they were in a fantasy world.
But the sight before them really cemented that reality.
In the distance, a tree stood, its trunk comparable to the width of a building, and its height unknown as the trunk towered through the thick canopy of other colossal trees.
"That's our destination!" Dio announced, pointing at the very same tree — to be exact, the base, which was obscured by neon pink petaled vines that draped all over the base as though some kind of curtain.
They all quickly got off the buggy, which immediately vanished from sight.
Vera stood by the side with her nine subordinates behind her, and Roy stood with Dio leading the way.
And indeed, the vine was acting as a cover for an opening which was basically the entry to the massive underground dungeon.
The moment they passed through the curtains of vines, they were met with a steep winding staircase which seemed to be naturally formed with soil and roots.
A chime rang out.
[Dungeon of Night Serpents detected!]
[Quest issued!]
[Quest: Clear Level 30 Dungeon!
Details: Host has ventured into a dungeon way above his level. Do the impossible, clear the dungeon personally, throw the limits of power into chaos, and be rewarded specially.
Warning: Chances of death are high! Recommended level for dungeon attempt is Level 28, while Host is at Level 3. Proceed with caution...]
Roy's expression hardened, but not a hint of hesitation could be discerned from his heart. He was resolved to see this through.
No — he had to see this through. This might be the only way to boost their chances of overcoming the looming calamity!
After sorting his thoughts, he took bold steps trailing down through the steps, with the others following behind.
Their eyes flashing with all sorts of thoughts and decisions...
...
Meanwhile, the moment Roy and company ventured into the dungeon, a vague silhouette stealthily made its way into the clearing.
"To think Lord Lux was right to send me to keep tabs. That bitch Vera actually got her hands on a dungeon!"
"Tch! I have to relay this quickly. Master mustn't miss out on such an opportunity..."
With that, the silhouette turned and quickly made its way out, their eyes gleaming with vicious excitement. To think they discovered a dungeon so easily... Lord Lux would definitely be pleased.