Chapter 64: *Lack of knowledge*
Kevin nodded; he had already guessed that when the vortex turned white, it meant the dungeon had been looted. As Axel said, no need to be a genius to figure it out. He then asked, "What about the others?"
Axel smiled and continued his explanation while eating his sandwiches, "The purple ones are extremely rare here; normally, they appear closer to the capital. According to the observations of the Academy of the capital, a purple vortex remains open for only 7 days. There are many more treasures inside and many more powerful monsters. It is recommended to go there with a minimum of 30 fighters of average strength.
The fire artifact sword that I have, I found it—or rather, I took it by force—in a purple dungeon. It was the only time one had opened near the Sun Sect, and of the 30 fighters, only 22 came back alive. Five of the survivors were so traumatized that they decided to quit and leave the Sun Sect. Even though the loot was much better compared to other dungeons, the losses were far too great, and the leaders of the Sun Sect decided to forbid anyone from entering if another one appears."
Kevin then asked him, "Then, can we really go with just two other people?"
Axel nodded and said, "If those people are Alan and Erik, that shouldn’t be a problem. We just need to find good weapons for Erik that will allow him to increase his stats. I was only at the beginning of my third year when it happened; I was still quite weak back then. Actually, I was weaker than Erik’s level now, but after that dungeon, everything changed for me. I guess my stats went up exponentially after that, and thanks to that sword I snatched from the dungeon boss’s hands, all of my fights have become a lot easier than before, and I have continued to progress very quickly."
Kevin asked him, curious, "Why did they let you keep that sword?"
Axel winked at him and said proudly, "Exceptional reward for exceptional courage and bravery."
Kevin laughed heartily, but he could understand why they had done that. Axel was probably already an excellent fighter, and after this traumatic experience for many of them, the leaders had surely wanted to do everything to keep Axel among them. Well, if Axel was so sure that they could do it, then Kevin would trust him; after all, he had been inside a purple dungeon before, and he knew that Axel wouldn’t put their lives on the line just for some treasures.
Axel then said to him, "As for the red ones, we have no information on them; all the expeditions sent inside them never returned. It’s strictly forbidden to go there, and they are all located near the border with the demons’ territory. The only thing we know about them is that they stay open for 4 days."
Kevin nodded and asked, "What if we’re still inside the dungeon when the vortex disappears?"
Axel shook his head and said, "I have no idea, babe, but when the dungeon is about to close, the disturbance in the spiritual energy becomes greater, and usually, the walls of the dungeon start to shake. It’s enough to give you time to get out of there."
Kevin had one more question for him, so he asked, "Axel, do you know why the System identifies the monsters inside the dungeons as demons?"
Axel chuckled and asked back, "Don’t tell me that whoever possessed this body didn’t know that?"
Kevin pouted and said, "It’s not my fault that his knowledge was so poor."
Axel caressed his cheek and said to appease him, "It’s okay, I’m here to teach you everything you need to know."
Kevin nodded and waited for his explanation. Axel said to him, "In fact, it’s relatively simple. The ones we call demons have a humanoid form; they look exactly like us and are very powerful. The demons that we fought in the dungeons and the magical beasts are the weaker ones, and the demons inside the dungeons are commonly called ’monsters’ by everyone.
Then come the Superior Demons; they are smarter and stronger, and they generally live in clans. The humanoid demons I told you about earlier are the Pure Demons; they are the strongest among them and live exactly like us. In their territory, they have many prosperous cities, and they also have a king...
Well, they have never succeeded in breaking through the border, and I have never seen one with my own eyes, so I can’t tell you much about how strong they are."
Kevin nodded at what Axel had just told him; it seemed like this world was much bigger and more complex than he had imagined. When he had made enough progress and didn’t feel so weak anymore, he would take the time to go to the library and read as many books as possible. Knowledge had always been the key to power, and power was the only thing that could keep them safe.
Once they were done eating, they walked over to the blue vortex, and Axel asked him, "So what does the System say about this one?"
Kevin opened the System’s holographic screen and read the messages to Axel.
[OPTIONAL QUEST 3]
Team up with Axel and kill the dungeon boss.
- Reward 1: 15 Stat points
- Reward 2: 10,500 gold coins
- Reward 3: Medium grade box × 1
Axel then said to him, "I tend to agree with the System; this dungeon should have the same difficulty level as the last one."
Kevin nodded, "Let’s go then!"
Axel took his artifact sword and went first, Kevin then took his daggers, one in each of his hands, and immediately followed him. The interior of the dungeon still looked like a cave, and the only passage was lit by torches of purple color. Axel said to him with a smirk on his face, "I have been in this kind of dungeon before, and usually, they are filled with dead knights controlled by wizards wearing red robes. Those wizards can summon them; it’s dark magic, and dark magic is represented by purple color, so you have to kill the wizards first before taking down the dead knights.
Of course, it can still be a totally different kind of monster too. I just have that sense of déjà vu that bothers me."
Kevin smiled and asked him, showing that he completely trusted him, "How are we supposed to kill dead knights?"
