Chapter 103: Flower
The screeching wail seemed to shake not just the dungeon but also their bones.
Everyone covered their ears from the sudden attack, and for a moment, the dungeon rumbled. Dust drifted down from the ceiling as it continued for several more seconds.
Still, every adventurer was ready for any enemies that could appear. Their weapons were raised as they monitored the surroundings.
However, after the wail stopped, it was only followed by silence.
Indeed, no movement sounds or skittering of various Dungeon Beasts toward them. The sound had just faded after several seconds...
After a few moments, someone finally spoke.
"There’s no swarm of beasts at the very least." Victor muttered.
"Hey! Don’t jinx it!" Emma scolded as she worriedly looked at the couple of paths ahead of them.
Thankfully, there were indeed no signs of danger coming at them.
"What... what was that?" one of the rescued adventurers whispered hoarsely while clutching the wound on his shoulder.
"This is the first time this has happened..." Drosk muttered.
"Yes... I’ve never heard a cry like that before in this dungeon." Hale added.
Of course, Drosk and the others had guesses about the source of that wail.
"If I had to guess... That was an Elite Beast deep inside. He muttered."
Compared to Feral Beast, Lesser Beast, and Greater Beasts, the Elite Beasts were creatures on a whole new level. They weren’t just slightly stronger than Greater Beasts. After all, they were beasts capable of controlling their Beast Cores really well.
They could normally use Special Spells or Skills without much issue.
Emma’s brows knit together as she wiped blood from her dagger. "Or worse. It could be that the dungeon’s Boss Room was uncovered. Sometimes, they say, when a Boss stirs awake, the dungeon itself responds."
The thought immediately made them nervous.
Even the wounded adventurers shivered as they knew that if the Dungeon Boss was challenged, the intensity of the Dungeon Beasts would be stronger.
They could only hope that whoever discovered it first wouldn’t dare to challenge it immediately.
Nonetheless, nobody suggested leaving. They had all come this far. Abandoning the exploration right now was unthinkable. But the tension lingered as they made sure to be careful from now on.
For now, they turned to the more immediate matter.
The adventurers they had saved were in bad shape.
Two men bled heavily from shoulder and leg wounds, while a woman leaned against the wall, pale but still clutching her staff.
Thankfully, their group wasn’t unprepared. Their packs were filled with bottles, herbs, rolls of bandage.
Rayven watched silently as Drosk and Hale helped bind a gash across one man’s thigh. Victor stood guard as he monitored the passages ahead of them.
Emma, on the other hand, crouched beside the wounded swordswoman, helping her sip from a small flask.
The rescued adventurers passed their own supplies around.
They were grateful that Drosk’s team didn’t dip into their personal stores, which had already been running thin.
When it was done, the leader of the battered group, a tall man with black hair, approached. He walked with a limp, but his bearing was still steady.
"Troy..." he introduced himself.
He then placed a hand over his chest in a gesture of thanks.
"I owe you our lives."
He then turned into his satchel, pulling out a small pouch that jingled faintly.
With both hands, he offered it to Drosk.
"Five gold coins. It’s not much. This is for saving our lives and the money you’ve spent on those lures. I cannot let your aid go unpaid." He said.
Drosk immediately liked the man after hearing this. He was at least considerate enough to compensate for the money he spent on those Lures.
He also didn’t ask for too much since if they were also in trouble, he wanted to be saved without making him broke as well.
Drosk checked the pouch in his hand, then gave a curt nod. "Thank you... Next time make sure you have an escape item like a smoke bomb or something."
"We’ll keep it in mind." Troy replied.
Rayven, standing off to the side, thought the price was laughably small compared to what had been risked.
Five coins for saving half a party from being torn apart by Skitterfangs? But he kept the thought to himself.
When the rescued adventurers were steady enough to walk, Troy bowed slightly.
"We’ll retreat from here. May fortune follow you deeper."
The two groups parted ways.
***
Once they were gone, Emma broke the silence. "So. Elite Beast... Boss Room... whichever it was, that sound means this dungeon’s not going to stay quiet much longer."
Drosk sheathed his sword and nodded.
"Which is all the more reason to move. Our path is to the flower chamber."
Victor liked this idea and prayed that they could get the flower...
"Right. The bloom doesn’t last. If luck’s on our side, we’ll make it before anything else stirs."
The group reorganized quickly as they tightened their formation.
They moved cautiously now, because of that wail throughout the whole Dungeon.
Still, as they moved deeper, the air became damper with the thick smell of moss.
Rayven walked near the rear as he trusted his teammates to lead the way...
Well, he was also hoping that he wouldn’t be spending any more Gold Coins.
"We’re getting closer..." Drosk said as they passed another cleared chamber with a partly collapsed ceiling.
They continued along the path, which had various sources of light like glowing stones, glowing moss, and torches placed by other adventurers.
At last, the passage became familiar to everyone except for Rayven. Furthermore, the faint scent of something sweet and floral had finally drifted through the air.
"Ohhhh~ It’s the chamber..." Emma whispered...
She then silently prayed that the flower was already blooming!
It bloomed here only at unpredictable times, and they had only been lucky once... Ever since then, they had never seen it again.
But as they drew nearer, a strong pulse of mana coming from the chamber had attracted their attention.
Drosk and the others looked at each other...
’Is this it?’