I spent a full day riding on the back of the light dragon.
We finally made it to the entrance of the Great Ello Dungeon.
Since we could travel in a straight line over forests and mountains, we should have arrived much faster than we would have on foot.
I gazed at the entrance of the Great Ello Dungeon visible in the distance, using my clairvoyance skill.
"As expected, there are imperial soldiers there."
At the entrance of the Great Ello Dungeon, inside a fortress that had been built there, numerous imperial soldiers could be seen.
The Great Ello Dungeon was essentially the only means of connecting one continent to another.
Therefore, if the Demon race were to invade, they would have to pass through this great dungeon.
The fortress visible ahead through my clairvoyance would serve as the last line of defense in the event that the Demon race crossed the Great Ello Dungeon.
That said, it was virtually impossible for the Demon race to cross the Great Ello Dungeon.
The dungeon was so vast that it would take a lifetime to get through without a guide, and its structure was a complicated, labyrinthine maze.
On top of that, many troublesome Monsters inhabited it, making the difficulty far too high for a military invasion.
In the first place, a situation where the Demon race had pushed all the way to the entrance of the Great Ello Dungeon would mean that the Kasanagara Continent had essentially fallen into their hands. At that point, the Human race would already be in dire straits.
Throughout all of history, there had never been an era where the Demon race wreaked such havoc.
While the future was uncertain, I didn't think the Demon race would be capable of such devastation anytime soon, nor was it likely that they would cross the Great Ello Dungeon.
As such, the fortress's primary role was focused on dealing with Monsters that wandered out of the great dungeon.
The dungeon housed many unique Monsters found nowhere else.
The fortress's current purpose was to prevent those creatures from being released into the outside world.
And inside that fortress were imperial soldiers from another country who, under normal circumstances, should not have been there.
That meant one thing.
They were sentries stationed to prevent us from entering the Great Ello Dungeon.
"What should we do?"
At Kathia's words, I pondered.
A frontal assault wasn't impossible.
But that was a last resort.
I didn't want to do it if I could avoid it.
"Would it be possible to sneak in and somehow get past them?"
The teacher proposed this while looking at me.
She was counting on the effect of my Stealth skill.
The Stealth skill had evolved from the Camouflage skill.
Its effect was, quite literally, to hide something.
Like Camouflage, using this skill didn't change one's appearance.
It simply made it harder for other living beings to detect through their senses.
Combined with my Hiddenness skill, it became extremely difficult to be found.
And the excellent thing about this skill was that I could choose the target to apply it to.
Not just myself—I could apply it to other people and objects.
Even to skills.
I kept my Stealth skill constantly applied to one particular thing.
It was my Taboo skill.
This way, even if someone used Appraisal on me unexpectedly, it would be harder for them to discover that I possessed a Taboo skill.
When the time came, it would be found out, but it was still far better than nothing.
I shook my head at the teacher's suggestion and declined.
Stealth would fail when it failed.
If the opposing party had a perception ability higher than my Stealth skill, they would see through it in an instant.
The old mage we fought in the royal capital was a perfect example.
That old man had clearly perceived our hidden forms high in the sky.
I didn't think there were many people of that caliber, but if
A half-baked infiltration relying solely on skill power felt dangerous.
"I have an idea. Follow me."
Highlins offered a new suggestion to us, who were at a dead end.
I couldn't think of any other approach, so we silently followed Highlins's directions.
Highlins led us to a small village located near the entrance of the great dungeon.
On the way, Highlins told us about this village—it was apparently a settlement that had formed around merchants and innkeepers catering to people who entered the great dungeon.
From outside the village, we could indeed see shops selling preserved food, antidotes, and other essentials for the dungeon.
There was also an inn large enough to accommodate a big group, far grander than what a small village would seem to warrant.
We moved stealthily along the village's outer perimeter, keeping out of sight.
There might be people within the village who were connected to the imperial soldiers, and more importantly, we were currently fugitives.
After creeping along, we arrived at a house on the outskirts of the village.
It was considerably large compared to the other buildings.
Highlins knocked gently on the door.
"Hello there. Who might you be?"
A middle-aged man appeared from inside, and the moment he saw Highlins, his face showed surprise.
"It has been a while."
Highlins bowed his head.
The middle-aged man, seeing Highlins's demeanor, glanced around warily.
"Please, come inside for now."
Invited by the middle-aged man, we entered the house.
"This gentleman here is Goief, a dungeon guide. He's helped
"I am Goief, introduced by way of your acquaintance. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Goief, the one standing here is Julius's younger brother, Shurein."
"I'm Shurein. Pleased to meet you."
As Highlins made the introductions, everyone greeted him in turn.
Goief listened with a gentle smile, but this man was not someone to be underestimated.
It was hard to tell under his clothes, but his body was remarkably well-trained, and behind his seemingly gentle eyes, his gaze was narrowed as if appraising us.
It made sense that Highlins addressed him with such courtesy.
He was not someone who would be easy to handle.
"Now then, Goief. I'll get straight to the point. Currently, we've been falsely accused of a crime and are being pursued by the empire. We want to cross the Great Ello Dungeon and reach the Kasanagara Continent to settle this matter, but the entrance is surrounded by imperial soldiers and we can't get in. With your help, would it be possible to get us inside the dungeon?"
At Highlins's words, Goief fell into thought for a moment.
"I understand the situation to some extent. When I heard the story that Highlins had plotted to overthrow the nation, I thought something was off from the start."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief at Goief's words.
It seemed Goief had no intention of being hostile toward us.
"However, I'm afraid I cannot help you."
Everyone's hopes sank at Goief's follow-up.
"Please, there must be something—"
"I'm truly sorry. My livelihood and my life are at stake here as well. I can't afford to risk drawing the empire's attention by helping you. Even if I were fine with it, the danger could extend to my family."
"I see."
Though no one could be seen, I had sensed several presences in the house, including children.
Goief had a family too.
He couldn't become our ally if it meant dragging his family into danger.
I already knew this, but facing it head-on like this drove home just how heavy the label of "traitor to the nation" that had been thrust upon us truly was.
No—just listening to us like this was better than the worst case.
At the very worst, it wouldn't have been strange for him to draw a weapon on us the moment he laid eyes on us.
"What's this? If this coward doesn't want to guide you, then how about I guide you instead?"
An old man kicked the door open and burst in, speaking to us as we sullenly stood there.
"Father!?"
"Oh, honestly. What a spineless man. What's he got to be afraid of the empire for at his age?"
The old man appeared with a bottle of wine in one hand and barged right into our midst.
"I'm this coward's father, named Basgas. I'd be happy to take his place as your guide?"
"Wait, Father!"
"Shut it."
Though not particularly loud, the voice was filled with force, and Goief fell silent.
Basgas had an impressive physique far beyond what you'd expect of an old man, radiating an aura of dominance the moment you looked at him.
He gave off a sense of strength that made me want to Appraise his Status on the spot.
"If a retired old man like me will do, I'll guide you. What do you say?"
Highlins looked conflicted, but my instincts told me we could trust this man.
I conveyed this to him briefly through telepathic communication.
I didn't miss the fact that Basgas reacted ever so slightly to this.
This man could eavesdrop on telepathic communication.
"We'd be grateful for your help."
"Yeah, yeah. Though I can't promise anything too impressive."
What a lie.
"Then let's discuss the specifics."
At Highlins's suggestion, we spent the rest of the time discussing our plan of action.
Goief apparently gave up partway through and agreed to provide backup as well.
After a day of preparation, we found ourselves at the seaside.
According to Basgas, there was a sea cave nearby that connected to the great dungeon.
Because a water dragon's lair was close by, no one used it, and it was a secret passage known only to a handful of guides.
"Listen up. Even if a water dragon shows up, absolutely do not try to fight it. You'll just be killed. The priority is to escape. The cave entrance is just a short dive down, and the interior is too narrow for a water dragon to fit through. The moment you dive in, swim straight into the cave. Got it?"
At Basgas's words, we all nodded.
We had changed into swimsuits and were carrying almost no gear.
All our belongings were in the space-storage bag that Basgas carried.
It was a magical tool imbued with the power of the Storage skill, capable of storing items in a pocket dimension.
Handing over all our possessions—including our current weapons and armor—to someone else was still nerve-wracking, but once I decided to trust someone, I believed in doing so completely. So I left everything with Basgas.
"Now then, I'll distribute the Wind Orbs. Whatever you do, don't bite down on them."
The teacher handed out small orbs, each one just big enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
These were orbs that compressed air using wind magic and sealed it inside.
As long as you held one in your mouth, air supply was no concern.
Think of them as ultra-miniature oxygen tanks.
However, as the teacher warned, if you accidentally bit down on one, the compressed air sealed inside would detonate on the spot.
Incredibly convenient, but equally dangerous.
"Alright, I'll lead the way, so everyone follow me."
Basgas placed a Wind Orb in his mouth and dove into the sea.
We followed one by one, with me going in last.
Once we entered the sea, there were almost no shallows—the water grew deep with startling abruptness.
Thanks to my skills, I could see clearly underwater even without goggles.
And there, at the edge of my vision, I spotted a massive figure approaching with effortless grace.
The water dragon Krarg.
Level 8.
Its appearance resembled something out of a dinosaur encyclopedia—a creature like the Loch Ness Monster.
I felt a chill when I looked at its Status.
Every single numerical value exceeded 3,000.
On top of that, its skills were incomparably more developed than any Monster I had seen before.
This was bad.
The others hadn't noticed the water dragon's presence yet. Only Basgas, at the front, had just reached the cave entrance.
The water dragon tensed.
That was the preliminary motion for a breath attack!?
I hurriedly moved in front of everyone and unleashed a spell.
Holy light magic.
The magic I had gained along with the Hero title.
The water dragon's breath and my magic collided, generating powerful currents in the aftermath.
Riding those currents, I was sucked into the cave.
I had to be careful not to bite down on the Wind Orb in my mouth as I was dragged along, my body slamming into walls and rocks.
A brief moment of weightlessness.
And the next instant, I was slammed into the ground.
It seemed the current had carried us all the way to the end of the cave.
"Everyone, alright?"
I took the Wind Orb out of my mouth and looked around.
There were my companions, scraped up and battered, slumped here and there in a daze.
No one appeared to be in any life-threatening condition.
That said, the teacher was one thing with her petite body, but Kathia and Ana's swimsuits had been torn in places, leaving more skin exposed than before.
To top it off, their hair was plastered against their bodies, lending them an unexpected allure.
It was incredibly hard on the eyes.
"Gah! Starting off like this doesn't bode well at all!"
At Basgas's shout, I silently agreed in my heart.
In any case, everyone was scraped up and needed treatment.
"Well, we made it inside safely. Welcome. To this world's own personal hell—the Great Ello Dungeon."
With that dramatic declaration from Basgas, I sighed and began tending to everyone's wounds.