Chapter 34: From Discovery To Exploration - Part 1

"You're still not going to tell me what you did earlier, Lynn?" "Of course not. After all, a secret is what makes a lady more mysterious and attractive, Mr. Arezu." The conversation about Gwen's party and their goblin-slaying quest ended with a lingering mystery: the whereabouts of the strange, evolved goblin after Gwen escaped injured and poisoned, while her Minions were captured by the goblin horde. The identity of that evolved goblin was definitely something to be concerned about—but what Arezu found more intriguing was what Gwen and her Minions had witnessed Lynn doing. Whatever it was had left them terrified and unwilling to tell him a thing. Even now, during the first night watch shift with Lynn, she still refused to tell him the truth. "Putting aside my mysteriously attractive self, isn't there something else you want to ask?" She was clearly trying to change the topic, Arezu thought, watching her across the campfire as she smiled innocently. Regardless, Arezu wouldn't force her to say anything she didn't want to. And honestly, he didn't have anything else in particular to ask. Seeing the doubtful look on his face, Lynn moved to sit beside him, then leaned in even closer to whisper in his ear—clearly wary that others might still be awake and listening. "Aren't you curious about Ms. Haughty's overpowered strength?" Gwen was about the same height as Lynn—roughly 160 centimeters—and shared the same petite figure. "You're being rude. I'm more slender and have a much better figure than she does," Lynn remarked, interrupting his thoughts, clearly reading his mind. Putting aside Lynn's vanity and Arezu's attempt to hide how flustered he felt when she whispered to him, there was only one explanation Arezu could think of for how Gwen had been able to effortlessly lift and hurl a two-meter-tall Orc like it was a small Goblin. "Isn't she just naturally strong?" Arezu asked in a low voice, not wanting others to hear them gossiping behind Gwen's back. "Ms. Haughty may be a skilled fighter, but she's not naturally strong," Lynn replied, picking up a stick and beginning to write something on the ground. "As for the secret behind her incredible physical strength..." The answer she wrote clearly shocked Arezu—but what surprised him even more was the question of how Lynn had figured it out, assuming she was right. Seeing his expression shift from surprise to anxiety as he read what she'd written, Lynn leaned in close again and whispered in his ear. "Kneel before me and worship me forever, and I'll tell you everything," she said in a sweet but teasing voice. Her sudden whisper made Arezu instinctively back away, his face turning red as he failed to hide his embarrassment. That reaction clearly pleased Lynn to no end. "My, my... I didn't know you were that innocent, Mr. Arezu." "I don't know what you're talking about, Lynn." Their night watch ended with awkward silence on Arezu's side and plenty of teasing from Lynn. By the next morning, their group resumed their hunt for the Orc's nest. But as they ventured deeper into the northern forest, what they discovered wasn't an Orc nest at all—or at least not what Arezu and the others expected. Lynn, however, seemed unsurprised, as if she'd known all along what they were about to find. "What a surprise... Who would've expected to find a Dungeon this close to the capital?" Lynn said. She's definitely pretending, Arezu thought. Before them lay the ruins of what appeared to be a long-forgotten town. The structures had collapsed and were overgrown with massive, ancient trees. But despite the strange aura in the air, Arezu couldn't understand what made this place a Dungeon. "It's because the Dungeon's domain has already been established, Mr. Arezu." Lynn answered him proudly, wearing a smug smile—not because of her knowledge of Dungeons, but because she was sure she had just answered the unspoken question on his mind. Trying to ignore her smugness, Arezu looked over at Gwen's party to confirm her claim. They all nodded in agreement, and Gwen offered a simple explanation: "You can feel it too, right? The strange mana in this place." Even with the eerie atmosphere, what was more surprising was that a Dungeon this close to the capital of the Eileen Kingdom had gone undiscovered for so long. "Isn't it strange that no one noticed it until now?" Arezu said. "Like I said—ignorant yet perceptive, Mr. Arezu." "Then please enlighten me, Lynn." Pleased that Arezu humored her dramatic flair, Lynn began to explain. According to the tale she had told him before about the Seven Curses, Dungeons had started appearing mysteriously during the ancient era when humanity was said to have reached the pinnacle of magic. In the present day, Dungeons typically emerge or resurface in the ruins of those long-lost civilizations. So why hadn't this one been found earlier, despite being so close to the capital? "The Dungeon Core was probably dormant for thousands of years, until just a few days ago," Lynn said, stepping closer to the ruined wall. "Dormant?" Arezu repeated, puzzled. "It means it was asleep, Mr. Arezu." "But even if the Dungeon Core was dormant, wouldn't someone have found it if they'd thoroughly searched these ruins?" His question made everyone stare at him, dumbfounded—as if he'd said something incredibly foolish. Flustered by the judging silence, Arezu turned to Lynn, silently pleading for an answer. Clearly delighted by his reliance, Lynn struck a proud pose, hands on her hips and chin held high, before answering. "Listen well, Mr. Arezu. The ruins you're looking at right now weren't here until a few days ago."