Walking into the 'Big Gold Tooth' Tavern, it was surprisingly quiet here, lacking the usual bustle of a tavern.
The explorers here sit at their places, either talking to their companions beside them, quietly eating, or keeping to themselves, with even the chatter being careful not to disturb others.
Suddenly stepping into such a civilized and quiet tavern made Kane a bit unsettled at first.
As soon as he sat down at the bar, a dwarf dressed in suspenders, bare-chested, with no hair on his head, and an orange beard walked over.
It's obvious his beard was meticulously groomed, characteristic of dwarves.
Jumping onto a stool, the dwarf, with a pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth, said to Kane in a deep voice, "Young man, I believe you've noticed. This place does not welcome noisy individuals. If you're looking for hustle and bustle, you'd better head to the tavern upfront—the Grand Flute."
"Of course, I enjoy the quiet here very much. It would bother me if it were too noisy," Kane reassured.
"Haha, that's good," he said, his stern face breaking into a smile, revealing a gold tooth on the left side.
"Let me introduce myself, Burton, Burton Flamebeard, owner of Big Gold Tooth Tavern," he extended his hand to Kane.
Kane reached out, shook his hand, and said, "Kane, Kane Lafray, an ordinary explorer."
"So, young man, what do you need?"
"Food, any recommendations?" Kane just arrived, and this place is still quite far from Lion City, almost reaching the limits of teleportation range. "Certainly, if there's a room available, I'd like one as well."
"Ha ha, how could we not have rooms at a tavern near the dungeon entrance," he said, handing Kane a finely crafted key, and then added.
"For food, I recommend today's special—dwarf-style roasted beef leg, freshly grilled. You are quite lucky, aren't you?"
Then he winked at Kane.
Seeing Kane nod, he jumped off the stool and went to the kitchen to bring food to the guests.
It wasn't long
before he returned
Kane started gnawing on the beef leg.
Beside him, Burton poured himself a cup of wine and suddenly said to Kane, "You haven't been an explorer for long, have you?"
"Why do you say that?" Kane turned his head curiously.
"First, your age," he shook his pipe "Secondly, you don't seem to have any companions with you."
Kane understood the age part because, in this world, the minimum age to become an explorer is 16; one cannot enter the dungeon before 16. Kane had just turned 16 last year, nearly 17 now.
He does look quite young
But why is it strange to be without teammates? Isn't this world full of lone adventurers?
"Why say having no teammates makes one look like a newcomer? What if one is just a solo adventurer?" Kane asked, trying to understand.
The dwarf laughed heartily and said, "It's hard for explorers to manage without a team. The dungeon environment presents a multitude of monsters, one might not see them all in a lifetime.
The various types of dungeons require different special skills. Even if one develops comprehensively, they will encounter foes that are tough for them to handle.
Without a team, one would find it difficult to advance. Take, for example, the Crystal Arena here, defeating the monsters on the 15th level alone would be arduous. It lacks efficiency, lacks meaning, and yields no benefit."
"That's true indeed," Kane agreed, listening to the dwarf explain so much.
The dwarf kept his head down, stuffing tobacco into his pipe, speaking without lifting his head, "Every warrior is a valuable asset to the world. Giving up one's rare talent for vague reasons to become a solo adventurer
would only waste one's hard-won talent and invite unnecessary danger."
After saying this, Burton the dwarf jumped off the stool and returned to the kitchen.
Was he referring to explorers? Or was he talking about himself?
Nonetheless, it's certain that this dwarf seemed like a hidden master.
Finished the remaining beef leg in a few bites, Kane went upstairs to find his room.
Teammates, one step at a time.
For now, just rest peacefully.
The next day
Dungeon entrance
"You really want to go in alone? I suggest you form a team first." The clerk at the stone gate advised, seeing Kane ready to enter alone.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm just exploring the first level first, and reliable teammates are hard to find," Kane said, a bit helpless. Advancing without teammates is indeed challenging.
Hearing him say that, the clerk suggested, "Why don't you leave your basic information with us? We'll post it on the notice board for finding teammates.
Maybe someone will reach out to you by the time you come out. Rest assured, we'll filter out any explorers with a problematic background."
Kane thought it over, this could work, so he said, "Sure, what information do I need to provide?"
The clerk took out a form from under the desk and handed it to him.
Looking at it
Name, gender, specialties, positions suitable for, and contact address.
Thinking for a moment, he started writing down
Kane. Male, specialties include strong versatility in skills, qualified for long-range attack, scouting, and non-enhancement support roles.
"Well, hope you return safely, and may the mist bless you," the clerk said as he archived the form.
Entering the stone house at the entrance
From outside, this stone house did not look big, but it turned out to be just the entrance to the underground.
Descending the stairs, the space opened up brightly once the stairway ended.
The spacious hall had nothing but the stone portal in the middle and lighting lamps.
There were explorers sitting on both sides of the hall, seemingly ready to continue with their exploration after resting.
Beside the teleportation stone was a team with bowed heads, with one female team member quietly sobbing.
People around just glanced with empathetic eyes before returning to their own tasks.
If one dies inside the dungeon, they can't even retrieve the corpse; it will forever rest within the dungeon.
Kane was seeing this kind of scene for the first time, and it was hard not to empathize, creating a sense of alertness in his mind.
The dungeon is truly dangerous, but that won't be my fate.
Stepping slowly onto the stone platform, he disappeared into thin air.
The familiar darkness and dizziness followed.
Regaining status on the starry floating stage, Kane proceeded through the fog gate.
Dim lantern light swung in the narrow corridor, and at the end were rust-stained iron bars.
The fire's projection cast clawing shadows through the bars and onto the ground.
"Armor constructed, Knight Armor"
The first thing to do after entering a dungeon is apply armor.
Walking slowly toward the end, as Kane got closer to the bars, the iron bars gradually rose with a rumbling sound.
Stepping out of the corridor, instant cheers erupted around him.
Kane instantly became vigilant, surveying the surroundings.
It was indeed an arena reminiscent of Ancient Rome, yet its size was absurdly large.
Just the field in front was about the size of two football fields, surrounded by tiered stands from the base to the top.
The stands were enveloped in mist, making it hard to see clearly; only vague silhouettes flitted around, and waves of sound echoed.
The tremendous sound waves lasted nearly a minute, even after they ceased, echoes still surrounded the area.
Once it went completely silent, the ground shook.
A large pit opened at the center of the arena, emitting dazzling radiance.
A giant hourglass emerged, and as it rose, Kane could finally see its entirety.
The entire structure was polished crystal, reflecting the surrounding light. The sand in the bottom container emitted a soft glow, with gold bells on both ends and a white ring halo encircling the middle aperture.
The hourglass halted in mid-air.
Then suddenly reversed
The reversal triggered the bells on each side.
"Dong"
A crisp bell sound echoed.