Kapitel 20: Dungeon

Warden ended the last of the dire wolves with Xiv on his shoulders. A couple of the wolves managed to flee, as he was unable to give them a chance, but the rest weren't so lucky after encountering the duo.

Most of the wolves were equivalent to copper ranks, so they were a no-go for Xiv to deal with. If push came to shove, the boy might be able to handle one of them, but that was after taking severe damage.

Even though Warden had killed over a dozen wolves since the morning, his attributes didn't grow as much as they did in the beginning. That told him growing the attributes would become even harder the higher the number reached.

With a mental command, he summoned the status page to check on the improvement.

___________

[Warden]

Race: Human (Prime/Corrupted – 27%)

Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] … [Redacted]

Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]

Disposition: Chaotic

Rank: [Broken Calamity]

Attributes:

[Strength: 37.3]

[Mind: 13.2]

[Spirit: 74.9]

[Recovery: 99]

Abilities:

[Imbuing: Copper- 17%] [Left Hand of Calamity: > 5%]

_____________

Only his strength was improving swiftly through harvesting energy from slaying creatures; the rest of his attributes remained pretty stagnant. Warden didn't have the whole story, but it was probably related to the essence he received from the harvested energy. So far, he hadn't seen a trickle of improvement in Recovery, which was worrying. Perhaps low-grade energy wasn't enough for higher attributes to grow; that seemed more likely. Warden had to test this theory further; unfortunately, he had not encountered even a single Iron-rank creature after the one that wreaked havoc in the village.

Warden collected the beast cores, even though Little Cupcake should have been gone by the time they reached the village to consume them. Meanwhile, Xiv collected the hearts, which would provide profound nutrients to anyone who consumed them. Actually, for the duration of Warden's stay in the village, he had been eating just that. Of course, he was among the few who ate them cooked; the rest, including Xiv, had devoured them raw, no matter how unpalatable they tasted.

"Should we go back now?" Xiv asked, finishing his task. He had sustained slight claw wounds from the battle, but they were far from life-threatening.

Warden shook his head. He hadn't planned on returning so soon. Although hunting would have been more productive if he were alone, he was also training Xiv through the experience. Whatever the boy gleaned from observing their battles was on him; that was something that couldn't be taught by anyone.

"Let's go a few more kilometers," Warden said, turning towards the familiar path he had come from. The place where Warden had awoken was about thirty kilometers from the village, and they were more than halfway there. For one, Warden wanted to search the area for any clues about himself. Although he had been there for over a day and found nothing, he needed to be sure.

"Xiv, do you know what lies beyond the wilderness?"

"The Southern wilderness expands all over the south as far as we know," Xiv said. "Much of it remains unexplored. Even high-ranking adventurers aren't keen on venturing there with the elves—"

"Elves?" Warden's eyes widened.

"Hmm, they're human-like but tall, with pointy ears and—"

"I know what an elf is," Warden snorted. "I was just surprised to hear about elves. So, you were saying there are elves somewhere in this wilderness?"

"Maybe," Xiv replied, less certain in his answer. "Deep in the wilderness, probably."

"What else? What other creatures are there?" Warden inquired. "Orcs? Goblins? Fairies? Draconians?"

Xiv expressed a lack of knowledge with a shake of his head. "In old tales, there used to be giants and their archrivals, Vimads... But those were stories of forgotten times. Nobody has seen them for hundreds of years."

So far, with the help of Liam and Xiv, Warden managed to piece together a brief outline of the world. The mainland was mostly ruled by humans, with prominent powers including the Sivian Empire, Kingdom of Tul, and Republic of Imar. However, the ten Arcane Academies played a major role in politics and social welfare. If a nation sought to interfere with another, it had to contend with the academies first, or there would be no interference. This system nearly abolished direct war between nations, though it didn't prevent clandestine schemes.

Warden had little interest in these political matters for now. His immediate concern was addressing the issue in the village. After that, his sole focus would be on resolving the mysteries in his own mind.

"So, Xiv," Warden asked, "have you planned what you'll do once the problem is solved?"

Xiv shook his head, as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. His family was no longer in the village, but leaving seemed uncertain for him.

"I suppose with my class, I could make a decent living in any town or city," he muttered. "But I don't know if I'll ever leave. Or if I can leave."

For a young boy who had lost his family, determining his place in the world was undoubtedly challenging. Xiv didn't appear to have overcome the loss yet.

"How was your family?" Warden asked, as the sun hung overhead.

"They were good people," Xiv said after a long pause. "Far from perfect, but everything a son could ask for. Mom was stern, always telling me it was because Dad was too lenient with me. Someone had to rein me in. She didn't like me playing with weapons, but Father still taught me how to shoot an arrow, how to hold a spear..."

As Warden listened to Xiv, a deep sense of loss welled up within him. It wasn't because Xiv's story resonated with him, but because Warden couldn't know the state of his own family. His appearance could suggest he was in his twenties or over fifty, considering the magical enhancement of lifespan and youth he had learned about. Warden wished it were the former, as that would leave some chance of his family being alive and well.

Warden was just about to call it a day after meandering for hours, but suddenly a peculiar tingling sensation held him in place.

His left palm, where the dark spiral marks were carved, itched in intensity. More importantly, the void energy in the Palace of Toil stirred in the presence of something familiar in the surroundings.

"Warden?"

"Hmm, maybe I'll find something worthwhile after all." Warden picked up pace. "Stay close to me and don't leave my shadow."

The more Warden moved, the sensation intensified, and within a couple of minutes, he found the source of it all.

"What is it?" Xiv asked, wheezing, breathless.

"Xiv my boy, I think I found the Dungeon."

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