The rest of the group gave curt nods in agreement with Loyd's warning, their expressions sober.
After all, the word dungeon rhymed with danger, in a way that is.
"Bart, stop thinking with your stomach, will you?" The voice came from a blonde woman with twin-tails, a bow strapped to her back and a quiver of arrows nestled beside it.
Ah, the typical elf.
Oh wait, no no... Human.
Her weathered leather armor clung neatly to her figure, the snug fit emphasizing the lean curves beneath.
Beside her, the man named Kelen stole glances at her whenever he thought no one was watching, eyes narrow, expression lewd.
Ilya caught it instantly. She stepped in, pulling joyce closer and shooting Kelen a sharp look. "Can you stop gawking people like that, Kelen? Show some respect."
She kept her voice low but Loyd heard it too, and before things spiraled into something unpleasant, he stepped up like the leader he was, his presence snuffing out the tension.
"Tch. Noisy brat." Kelen fell to the back of the group, muttering beneath his breath. His eyes didn't leave the women's backs. "Sure, she's got a mouth on her… but damn, that ass"
He licked his lips, obscene thoughts flickering across his face.
Above, Mize observed it all in silence, floating high, half-wrapped in breeze and stillness.
Amusement gleamed in her eyes, and her hands propped up her chin.
The group made their way to the guards stationed at the dungeon's entrance.
After a few short exchanges and payment of the entry fee, they didn't enter right away.
Instead, they lingered, checking gear, adjusting armor, going over battle tactics.
It was the usual, rehearsing every little details.
Mize remained where she was, listening in casually as bits of their conversation drifted upward.
Then she heard it, Green Star City.
Her brow arched, lips curling slightly. "So that's where they're from, huh?"
The name was new to her. "Must be the nearby city Elias mentioned once… interesting. I should go there myself soon"
She chuckled softly, her gaze sliding back toward the shifty-looking man who'd been eyeing his teammates earlier.
"He reeks of trouble," she muttered, tilting her head. "A slimeball with some very obvious intentions."
Then her voice turned mocking, though still honey-smooth, "Judging by how stiff they were with each other, it's clear they didn't team up willingly. And based on their conversation, they were assigned into this team by th adventure guild, interesting"
She snorted, her crisp laugh echoing softly above the field. "How generic can you get?"
Twisting in the air, she crossed her legs mid-hover, arms folded as a smirk played across her lips.
"Liam probably won't mind if I poke around outside for a while," she mused. "Besides, I'm strong enough to handle whatever this region throws at me. Even if it's another Lord, I'll overwhelm him with sheer power alone"
[Host, it would be in the best interest not to test the villain anger's limit]
'it's fine, you are overthinking things. Besides, I won't get caught the same way as before'
[That's dangerous]
[Please be careful, Host. Your husband isn't the only one in this world with golden fingers.]
"…"
"Right," she exhaled, rubbing her forehead. "I keep forgetting that little detail."
Living in the safety of her domain had dulled the edge of caution.
Here, everything followed her will under Liam's gentle care. But out there? That was a different story entirely.
Time passed.
As Mize had predicted, more and more Awakeners began to show up.
At first, small groups. Then solos. Then clusters of unfamiliar faces.
Their strength hovered around tier 1 to tier 3 realm, all kinds of weapons and robes fluttering in the wind.
She studied them idly, noting that their professions were mostly standard: healers, swordsmen, mages.
The usual crowd. A few stood out, though, individuals whose presence didn't quite match the standard mold.
And almost all of them, without exception, were from outside her territory.
That thought lit a spark.
"We should start our own academy," she murmured, eyes narrowing in thought. "Train our own Awakeners… raise them right under our system."
"Wow, I am getting more and more brilliant aren't I?"
The idea bloomed in her mind, like a lightbulb being turned on.
Without delay, she conjured a scroll from thin air, conjuring a quill next.
She scribbled a rough draft of the proposal, concise but brimming with details.
Folding it into a clean envelope, she turned her eyes toward the castle in the distance.
With a flick of her wrist, the envelope soared upward, spinning once before vanishing midair without a trace.
As if there was ever a question about who she'd sent it to.
"He'll do it," she said to herself, smirking coolly. "Of course he will. He always does what I ask."
"I am his beloved! Of course he will do anything for me"
Below her, the scene continued to evolve.
The pace of arrivals quickened. Within a short span, dozens had turned into a crowd, more than a hundred Awakeners gathered at the front of the dungeon entrance.
There were more than enough space for people to gather.
Even Mize was a little surprised. She hadn't expected this many visitors in the very first week.
She extended her senses across the field. A dozen tier 3 auras stood out clearly, and a handful teetered at the edge of tier 4.
Among them were several strange presences she couldn't immediately categorize, odd professions, unfamiliar styles.
It was impossible for her to identify each proffesion that existed in this world, there were just too many, uncountable.
She glanced again at the other Awakeners' reactions to those few tier 3 beings.
Eyes full of awe. Respect.
"Must be strong, then," she concluded.
Her gaze followed the earlier group, the mismatched team she'd eavesdropped on.
They were the first to step into the dungeon.
As if that small act flipped a switch, the others quickly followed suit.
In groups, in pairs, even alone.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
The dungeon's membrane rippled faintly as they passed through, each wave of entry triggering another flash of light across the translucent barrier.
The guards stood still at the side, their eyes fixed.
Mize didn't concern herself with what might happen to them inside. That wasn't her business.
What mattered was that her dungeon worked. It was drawing Awakeners like moths to flame, and that meant it was only the beginning.
Inside, the perspective followed the group of Awakeners from earlier.
The moment their boots touched the forest floor, a hush swept over them.
They weren't alone in pausing, others who had entered just seconds before stood frozen, heads tilted up, eyes widening at the sight ahead.
"Damn… these trees are massive," someone muttered under their breath, voice low with awe.
"Yeah… What kind of biome is this? It's like walking into a haunted forest," another replied, gaze drifting across the towering, bark-wrapped giants that clawed at the mist above.
"Big trees mean big beasts, right?" Bart grumbled, swinging his mace idly. "We've got the worst luck. Let's hope the loot justifies the horror vibe."
Their murmuring lasted only a moment. With an unspoken cue, the silence broke.
The crowd began to fragment, groups peeling off one by one, each forging their own cautious path deeper into the thicket.
"We'll head this way." Loyd took point, his tone brisk.
He gestured to a narrow path winding beneath the dense canopy, and the others fell in line without a word.
The further they walked, the more distant the outside world became. Each step crunched through piles of thick, leathery leaves, some nearly half a meter wide.
Moss-covered stones jutted from the ground like buried bones, and gnarled roots snaked across their path in silent echo.
A hundred meters in. Five hundred.
Then deeper still, until any notion of distance or direction was swallowed by the forest.
Ilya walked in the middle of the formation, gripping her staff tight against her chest.
Her brows creased, eyes darting from shadow to shadow. "This biome… I've never been inside a dungeon like this before. It's… incredible," she whispered, her voice tight with awe and unease.
"New experience for me too," Bart added, the handle of his mace now damp from his grip. "And I just realized, I might have a phobia of massive things."
"A big guy with a fear of big things?" Joyce snorted behind him.
Her bow remained half-drawn at her side, fingertips resting lightly on the string, ready to fire at a moment's notice. "That's peak irony."
"Anything on your senses, Joyce?" Loyd's voice came from the front, measured, but alert.
She shook her head, her eyes flashing briefly with a faint shimmer as she activated a skill.
She scanned the surroundings again, slower this time. "Nothing. The space is wide and empty. No movement. No mana traces. It's... weird."
Kelen, who had been walking near the rear, narrowed his eyes. "Thought I saw something move way off to the left, but it vanished the second I noticed."
"Intuition?" Ilya arched an eyebrow.
"Abilities," Kelen shot back with a scoff. "Not everything's about gut feelings, Miss Hot-Head."
"Enough." Loyd cut in, raising a hand without looking back. "Keep your focus."
The bickering stopped, tension settling back in as they pressed forward, step by step, deeper into the forest's gaping maw.