Chapter 32: You Better Not Go Inside

Raegar deflected the arrows just as a group of goblins rushed out of the darkness and charged in his direction while letting out wild screams. This caused him to think while his body screamed in pain, 'Tier One monsters, not too bad, but I need to end it quickly.' When one of the green humanoids got close and let out a wail as it went to stab him with a shabby-looking spear, he parried the attack before slipping into the monster's guard and ramming his blade into its head. Seconds later, Raegar hurled the other blade, striking a goblin archer just as it raised its bow to fire. Before he could catch his breath, a horde of creatures swarmed him, their guttural snarls closing in from all sides. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed a few Lightningfire Blasts from his depleted Aether Pools, the explosions of crackling energy and searing flames tore through the attackers, sending charred bodies flying. As the dust settled, he summoned his daggers. Raegar's breathing was heavy as his body screamed out for rest, but he pushed himself forward and started attacking the goblins by throwing his blades at them while using Stormfire Bullets. He fought relentlessly, his blades slicing through the horde until the last monster fell with a lifeless thud. As the battlefield fell silent, his strength gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. But the growing pain made every movement agonizing. Clenching his teeth, yet the ache refused to be ignored. Soon enough Raegar fell asleep after pulling out a blanket and wrapping it around himself. *** ''What do you mean, more dungeons are opening up all over Kaldorra? I'll fly to the palace to see the empress myself,'' Griffin demanded as the messenger trembled. The man saluted before leaving the Vaelthorne manor, while the older man stared at him before a soft voice reached his ears. ''Do you have to keep terrorizing Dahlia's servants? You're going to stain your reputation more than you already have, you old git.'' ''My dear wife, do you always have to insult me?'' he teased, turning to the smiling woman with mischief in her eyes. She giggled softly, her voice warm with affection. ''Of course, it's my way of showing you that I still care,'' she replied playfully. Griffin let out a chuckle before his expression grew more serious. ''I need to see the empress,'' he said, his tone shifting. ''If dungeons are popping up across the continent, it could cause serious problems.'' He looked at the blonde woman, concern flickering in his eyes. When Elysia heard this, she questioned with a worried tone, ''What about Raegar? He's in Bloodfang Forest. What if one opened there?'' 'Oh shit,' Griffin thought as his mind raced to his grandson. Without hesitation, he responded, ''I'll contact Vlad and have him send someone to check on him.'' With that settled, the older man turned to his wife, sharing a brief but meaningful glance before bidding her farewell. Then, without another word, he soared into the sky. The wind rushed past him as he made his way toward Dawnfire Palace. Half an hour later, Griffin landed in the courtyard when he saw the imperial guard guarding the carriage that had stopped. The door opened, and a woman stood there with a knowing smile as she stepped out. ''What brings the Lion of Dawnfire to the palace? The old man is resting out back with his wives,'' she said with a giggle. ''It doesn't surprise me with him,'' Griffin said with a smile. ''It's good to see you, Dahlia. I've been hearing about you all across the empire. It seems Alexander's decision to make you empress over the first prince was the right one.'' Dahlia's face lit up with a radiant smile. ''Thank you for the kind words, Griff,'' she said warmly. ''But tell me, what brings you here?'' ''What's the plan about the dungeons popping up? And do you know if any have opened in Bloodfang Forest?'' he questioned, with a concerned glint in his red eyes. The empress picked up on his worry and answered honestly, ''I believe there were half a dozen Rank A and B dungeons that have opened across the Nytheria Kingdom. I've sent an army to help them contain the threat.'' Griffin's face paled, 'Raegar! You better not go inside one of them, you little shit. It will kill you,' he thought. Dahlia noticed this, only to remember some news she heard weeks ago. ''So it's true, you sent him into Bloodfang,'' she stated with knowing amber eyes. ''He wanted to go there himself and was even excited about the prospect of fighting monsters all the time. The boy is relentless about growing stronger,'' he replied with a sigh. ''I hope he doesn't enter one because he isn't ready for it. The monsters there are different compared to the ones outside.'' She nodded in agreement before offering, ''Come help me clear the southern S Rank Dungeons. They are causing many problems for the Duke down there and he won't stop complaining.'' Griffin nodded and joined Dahlia in the carriage as she questioned, ''So your grandson is the first Tetraarch, which caused waves among the nobility, but his vanishing made them forget, just like the fickle creatures they are.'' Following that, the two of them continued talking as the empress said they could go check out Bloodfang Forest as it's in between the Dawnfire Empire and Nytheria. He was excited to clear the S Rank Dungeon as it's been years since the last one. *** In the meantime, Raegar stirred awake, letting out a deep yawn. His body still ached, but the pain was far more manageable than before. ''At least I can fight more,'' he mumbled as he pushed the blanket aside. Moments later, he rose to his feet, stretching his sore muscles before glancing around, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. 'Where am I?' he wondered, but shrugged when coming up with nothing. Raegar closed his eyes and sensed the pure Aether in the more potent air than the energy outside, causing him to mumble, ''Am I in a dungeon? It explains where the goblins came from.'' He scanned the floor and noticed several Tier One cores scattered around. Bending down, he picked them up, rolling one between his fingers as a thought crossed his mind. 'If I collect enough of these, I can trade them for gold.' After that, he quickly gathered the remaining cores before sitting down and closing his eyes. He focused inwardly, drawing in the surrounding Aether. The energy flowed into him like a steady current, replenishing what he had lost. Raegar's body tingled as the power slowly built up, restoring some of his strength, as he couldn't gather much. Following that, he started walking down the tunnel while readying his daggers and soon came across a chamber with goblins milling about as others ate. A smile appeared on his face as he charged one of his blades with the remaining lightning Aether. When the dark metal started vibrating, he threw it into the center of the place and a blinding explosion erupted. The monsters recoiled in shock as Raegar dashed forward, his blade slicing through the air. With seamless movements, he unleashed a barrage of Stormfire Bullets into the horde, each shot erupting in fiery explosions that sent goblins screeching in agony. Smoke and embers filled the chamber as he tore through the monsters. Their cries echoed through the chaos, but Raegar remained relentless, cutting down anything that dared to stand in his way. Blood drenched the dungeon floor by the time the last goblin collapsed. Raegar took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as the adrenaline slowly faded. Surveying the aftermath, he pieced together the strength of the monsters he had faced. 'A Rank E dungeon... just a beginner-level one with Tier One Monsters inside,' he thought with a sigh of relief. While the fight had been intense, Raegar knew he wasn't up against anything stronger, eased his tension. With that in mind, he straightened up and readied his weapons before looting all the Aether Cores littering the floor. By the time he had moved on, he had collected fourteen cores, which made him happy. 'No wonder I used to loot everything when I gamed,' he mused while holding the feint brown orb. Moments later, Raegar absorbed the Tier One Monster Core, curious to see how much Aether it would add to his reserves. As the energy seeped into his body, he frowned. The increase was barely noticeable. ''Not worth it,'' he muttered, shaking his head while thinking. 'I can gather Aether quickly on my own, but how do I reach Vapour? I need to join Drakenwood to grow stronger and explore gates and dungeons.' Following that, he continued traveling through the dungeon while fighting dozens of goblins, and improving his skills. [Drop some powerstones, comments, and gifts to help the novel grow; I appreciate all the support you can give]