Chapter 588 Dungeon
Archer and the four girls stood before a large swamp overtaking the forest, which baffled them. Zarina was the first to comment. ''This shouldn't be here. The swamps are down south, not in the north.''
Nala agreed with a nod before Archer spoke. ''Somethings changed here. The mana feels wild and chaotic.''
As he finished speaking, his Aura Detector pinged as something exploded out of the water, making the girls jump back, but Archer grinned and summoned his claws.
With a swift swipe, he decapitated the lunging beast while sidestepping the attack. It dropped to the ground with a loud thud, causing dust to fly everywhere.
Once it settled, the others joined him with curious expressions. Talila was the first to inquire as she took out her bow. ''That thing appeared out of nowhere.''
The others agreed, but Archer shook his head and explained. ''It was there the whole time, waiting to attack. They are ambush beasts who hunt by doing this.''
Teuila smiled as she spoke. ''They are also in the Aquarian Kingdom. We call them Lurkers. But the meat is delicious. You should take it, Arch.''
He smiled before storing it in his Item Box. After doing that, he remembered to empty it into his lair. He looked at the four girls and asked. ''Do you ladies mind waiting here for a few minutes?''
They nodded while Zarina just stared at him with a deadpan look. Archer teleported into his lair below the treehouse, ignoring the redhead and her moody ways.
In the brightly lit cavern of Archer's lair, Illuminated by the soft glow of enchanted crystals embedded in the walls, he stood amidst his ever-growing treasure horde.
With a satisfied yet greedy expression, Archer gazed upon the vast expanse of wealth that stretched before him. His lair was a treasure trove of accumulated riches from various quests, adventures, and conquests.
Stacks of gold coins formed small mountains, and gem-encrusted artifacts sparkled in the ambient light. The treasure hoard extended far back into the cavern, standing just shorter than Archer.
The gleaming wealth seemed to have a life of its own, casting shadows on the cavern walls. Archer's keen eyes traced the lines of golden goblets, ancient tomes, and ornate weapons littered the floor.
He walked deeper into the hoard, and the air carried whispers of the stories behind each piece. A king's crown from a millennia ago, a relic from an unknown kingdom lost to time.
A jeweled scepter that once was held by a long lost emperor that he found in one of the enemy royal family's vaults during the Mediterra war.
After looking around momentarily and getting lost in greed, he closed his eyes and expanded the lair. A shake was felt throughout the domain as it grew massive.
The horde now looked tiny compared to the extended chamber, and he wanted to ensure he had enough room to store more treasure. Once that was done, he emptied the Item Box, which caused a loud crash.
Lots of gold coins flowed out of it for a few minutes. This caused a loud noise that hurt his ears. Afterward, he walked toward the gem room and emptied all the gems he looted.
Once Archer finished that, he left the domain and rejoined the girls standing around as they kept an eye on the water. He saw a few Swamp Drake bodies lying around.
When he reappeared, Teuila, Talila, and Nala smiled while Zarina's blue eyes watched him with an unknown expression. Archer greeted the three girls with kisses and gave the redhead a charming smile.
He approached the water and sent a mana wave to search for the Swamp Drake nest. After a few minutes, he picked something up in the center of the swamp.
It looked like a cave, which confused him. He turned to Zarina and asked. ''Do you know this area?''
She shook her head. ''No. I know that a swamp is not meant to be up north.''
Archer nodded before explaining to the four. ''Well, there looks to be a cave at the center of the swamp where the beasts are coming from or their nest.''
Teuila's eyes widened, which caused his attention, causing him to ask in a concerned tone. ''What's wrong, Teuila?''
"It seems a similar incident occurred to a neighboring region of Aquaria. Out of the blue, a lake emerged and rapidly expanded. By the time the kingdom attempted to handle the issue, it was already too late. The once beautiful forest had become overrun with thousands of powerful beasts," Teuila shared, recounting the tales of traders she heard years ago.
When Archer heard this, he nodded before activating his Shadow Prince skill and transforming into his new form. When the girls saw that, they stepped back as they felt an ominous feeling wash over them.
Zarina was the most affected as she started trembling, but Archer reigned in his Aura and apologized to them. ''Sorry, girls. Still not used to this form, it will take some time.''
Nala, Teuila, and Talila nodded and calmed down, but the redhead was still panicking. The lion girl walked over to her and reassured her that nothing would happen to her.
When Archer saw this, he turned his attention to the swamp and summoned his shadow creatures, but nothing happened, which confused him.
But all of a sudden, they appeared all around him and stretched throughout the forest, shocking him and the girls encircled by the shadow creatures.
''They are protecting you. Pay them no mind.'' He said to the four before ordering them to hunt the Swamp Drakes and any other beasts that inhabited the swamp.
''Bring their bodies to me, my shadows!'' Archer called out as the shadows rushed off to fulfill his orders.
Teuila watched as the creepy-looking shadow creatures dived into the murky swamp water, and shortly after, chaos erupted as dead beasts were thrown onto the shore.
Archer went around collecting them with his shadows before following the creatures. He slaughtered hundreds of beasts as he approached the cave in the center.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at the entrance of a dungeon. The distinctive mana from the area caught his attention, and it reminded him of the time he stumbled upon one down south when he was thirteen.
After seeing that, he got to work and started butchering the Swamp Drake and eating their hearts once they were dead. It took him and the shadow creatures a couple of hours to clear everything.
Once Archer was done, he returned to the waiting girls, sitting down and chatting, and when he suddenly appeared in his shadow form, it made them jump.
He laughed before Teuila walked over to him and playfully punched him when he returned to his humanoid form. He greeted all the girls apart from Zarina, who watched him kiss them.
Archer turned his gaze to the redhead, causing her to step back, but he approached with a teasing smile and spoke. ''Do you want a kiss? I'm sure you'll love it.''
Zarina got angry and snapped. ''No, I don't want a kiss from a boy with dozens of women fawning over him. Playboy!''
He started chuckling before responding. ''No need to insult me, Zari. I was only messing with you.''
''Stop calling me Zari! It's Zarina.'' She barked out.
After teasing the redhead, he turned back to the swamp, wondered how to clear the water, and decided to evaporate it using Mana Manipulation.
With a wave of his hand, he created a heat wave made from pure mana that washed over the invading swamp, boiling the water to nothing and leaving the ground below dry as a bone.
Once Archer did that, the five of them started walking toward the dungeon entrance, and they soon heard a creepy sound coming from it, which spooked Nala out.
He turned around to see her tail straight, and her ears were facing forward as she listened for something. Archer noticed her body was tense, like she was ready to attack at any moment.
The others stopped walking as he approached her, grabbed her hand, and brought her back. Nala shook her head and looked at Archer with a worried look. ''That place is evil and full of death.''
Talila nodded before speaking. ''The mana doesn't feel right to me. It feels like an infection.''
Archer agreed before asking the four girls. ''Do you want to come with me or return to the college?''
No one spoke or stood there, so he assumed they wanted to accompany him. So the group started walking again until they saw the dark entrance.
Without wasting time, he quickly sent Ella and the others a message, telling them he found a dungeon. Before they entered, the half-elf asked him not to go in because he would find trouble.
Archer reassured her they would be fine as they stepped into the darkness. The four vanished and reappeared in a chamber that was lit by torches.
As they started looking around, suddenly, something warned Archer to send the girls away, and that's what he did: he activated the tattoos.
Nala, Teuila, and Talila vanished from the spot but still saw the lurking beasts in the shadows lunge at them.
[If there are any mistakes, point them out, and I'll edit it. Thanks]
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