The Night Watch Post on the Trade Route
The still night sky was adorned only by the soft chirping of insects.
Kane appeared on the Teleportation Stone Disc.
The soldier on night watch was drowsy, startled awake by the sudden teleportation activity.
He relaxed upon seeing it was the Explorer, casually greeting him,
"By the Mist, why are you back so late?"
Kane smiled and replied, "There was a small unexpected incident, but thanks to the Mist's blessing, it went smoothly."
"You better be careful then."
After exchanging a few words with the soldier, Kane headed towards the inn.
The soldier watched Kane leave, then glanced at the Mist Council flag nearby.
Only then did he notice something alarming, and he turned to shout,
"The Dungeon has dissipated!"
Kane, already striding towards the inn, didn't hear the commotion he left behind.
Lying on the bed at the inn, he inspected the two items dropped by the Thief Leader.
[Opera Assassin's Token]
[Consumable]
[Color: Copper]
[Attributes: Learn - Assassin's Martial Arts]
[Explanation: A token for the roadside assassins of the Opera House. Finally stepping onto the stage - a roadside assassin.]
So that's what he meant by his last words. I really don't know how to evaluate it.
But in any case, I'm not sure how valuable this Martial Arts knowledge is, as I don't really need it.
He looked at another item, a round gemstone like the night sky.
[Breathtaking Starry Sky]
[Gemstone]
[Color: Copper]
[Attributes: Slightly increases - Charm]
[Explanation: When the Dungeon dissipated, the night sky shattered first. The shattered sky turned into this treasure.]
A luxury item, given that description, attributes, and means of acquisition.
It's definitely a luxury gemstone, no doubt about it.
Struck gold, I might have really struck gold this time.
"Hahahaha."
Kane couldn't suppress the smile on his face, and his laughter grew increasingly uninhibited.
"Sleeping or not at this late hour, laughing so happily, did you strike it rich?"
Someone upstairs yelled a complaint.
Hearing this, Kane stifled his laughter.
Exactly, just saying it would drive you mad.
Then he tossed and turned in bed, trying to fall asleep.
Noon
The sun had already found a good spot in the sky.
The commotion outside the window persisted, and there was a racket outside the door as well.
Kane covered himself with a blanket.
He had woken up just recently; maybe he was too excited last night, causing him to wake up this late.
Tossing and turning in bed, clearly unable to sleep, but unwilling to get up.
Lying sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Suddenly, he sprang out of bed like a carp.
Caught the bed off guard, taking it by surprise.
Got up successfully.
In the adjacent single toilet, he washed up and dressed neatly.
Came to the hall.
The entire hall was crowded with people, not a single seat left, and many were standing, drinking.
He went to the bar, checked out, and returned the key to the owner.
"Ah, that Dungeon has finally dissipated. I thought it would last a bit longer."
The innkeeper's face was already flushed from drinking by noon.
Half-drunk, he continued, regardless of whether Kane was listening, "I heard there's a Dungeon at the border too. Should've given up this inn and rented some land there first."
A Dungeon at the border, could it be the one Kane first ventured into? This news piqued Kane's interest.
"Border Dungeon? When did this news come out?" Kane asked the owner.
The innkeeper was only slightly drunk, not yet incoherent. He patted his face, sobered up a bit, and said,
"The news just came yesterday, saying a Dungeon appeared at the border. Seems dangerous, but the gains are good.
Who knew this Dungeon here would dissipate today?" He took another swig of alcohol, rambling on,
"Back then, I had a keen eye. Hearing about this Dungeon, I didn't hesitate. Hey, don't go, I'm not done yet."
Kane waved his hand and got up to leave, ignoring him.
Sighing, the innkeeper could only turn his attention to the nearby waitress, about to speak.
The waitress didn't give him a chance to speak, walking away with an empty platter without a backward glance.
On the street, Kane saw the Dungeon entrance being dismantled, with the surrounding vendors moving their goods.
Groups of Explorers headed towards the Teleportation Stone. Kane picked up his weapon and strapped on his backpack, following the crowd forward.
The Teleportation Stone area already had a long line.
Explorers waiting in line started chatting out of boredom.
A young man who looked fairly young spoke to Kane, "Are you an Explorer too? You look quite young."
Kane turned to look at him and said, "I just became an Explorer."
"How old are you?" He paused, realizing his question wasn't very polite, then added,
"I became an Explorer at 17, and now I'm 22, still messing around in Copper Dungeons, those well-mapped, low-risk Copper Dungeons. Sigh, seeing you reminds me of myself before." He sighed as he talked.
"You're not that old, acting like an old man," responded another young person, looking as young as Kane.
"Sigh, let's not talk about it. Do you know who the last one to enter the Dungeon was? I heard from the soldiers it was cleared last night," Brother Sigh changed the topic.
"I don't know," Kane replied expressionlessly.
"I planned to find a team and make this Dungeon my first official clear, but it got cleared today," said the young man.
"Yeah, the nearest novice Dungeon still takes a few days to reach, even by Teleportation Stone," another stranger tried to join in the chat.
As the chat group grew larger, Kane quietly exited the conversation, waiting for his turn to teleport.
Amidst the chatter, he teleported back to Sokayamas.
He walked through the Explorer's House, first heading to his rented room to drop off his backpack.
Taking a few items obtained in the Dungeon, he planned to browse the equipment shop.
Arriving at the Explorer's House,
The Dungeon map on the second floor was crowded with people, seemingly searching for something.
"Yesterday a new Copper Dungeon opened, and today Sokayamas' iconic new Dungeon dissipated," Adoma stood next to Kane, her voice crisp and energetic.
Kane glanced at her, but didn't respond.
Adoma widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Kane, aren't you curious? Aren't you interested in the new Dungeon's information?"
Then, with a proud look and lowered voice, she said, "I have exclusive information about this Dungeon, see how impressive that is?"
Kane looked at her with a dead fish stare, thinking strangely when did we become this familiar, why didn't anyone notify me?
Seeing that Kane wasn't curious, but having such information without sharing was unbearable for Adoma.
She could only talk to herself, "It's a red-marked Dungeon, recommended for Explorers with fire damage methods.
And it's best to be skilled at climbing trees. But the boss at the end is very unadvisable to provoke, just farm the small monsters. Don't think about clearing it," seeing Kane was indeed listening, she continued, "Although dangerous, the Dungeon's rewards are substantial.
I heard even the small monsters drop things. So despite the danger, many still go to explore."