Chapter 87: Chapter 87 Rivalry
"What was the name of the dungeon again?" Oliver asked.
Right now, he was riding inside a carriage together with Flora and Travers’ group. The carriage was currently moving alongside a river deep within the forest.
"Barking Tree Dungeon. It’s a Rank 5 dungeon, the highest-ranked dungeon in our region. Of course, that excludes the Rank 10 Mooncrest Dungeon that appears once every five years." Brie explained.
’Sorry, girl... but that dungeon is already gone for good.’ Oliver thought.
"Barking Tree, huh? I think it’s already been around a year since I last raided that dungeon together with Lambert and the others. It really brings back memories." Oliver smiled while reminiscing about the past.
"I’m honestly jealous of you, Oliver. You registered as a hunter at only twelve years old, yet you were already joining expeditions and raids with senior hunters. Even though our Hunter Ranks are technically the same."
Travers admitted while leaning back slightly inside the carriage. He genuinely acknowledged Oliver’s achievements.
The three of them were among the newer residents who had migrated into town several months after the tragedy involving the Apostles.
Most of that was thanks to Oliver’s father, who had worked diligently as mayor to attract smaller villagers and traveling families to settle within the town. Unlike Robert, the former mayor, who intentionally kept the town small so he could monopolize the profits and wealth for himself.
"It’s really nothing special. Sooner or later, all of you will also become great tamers and hunters." Oliver said casually.
"But one year ago... did you fight the mutated version of the boss?" Rusti suddenly asked while peeling the skin of an apple with a knife.
"Mutated?" Oliver frowned slightly. "I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure it was just the regular boss. Wait... don’t tell me you guys actually fought the mutated one?" Oliver asked in disbelief.
Travers and Brie awkwardly nodded their heads.
’What a bunch of idiots! No wonder Balmund was so angry earlier. Even I would scold them if I found out about that.’ Oliver thought.
Within the Ashville Tamer Guild, there was an important rule established personally by Guildmaster Nolan. If anyone encountered a mutated boss, do not engage it. Escape immediately as fast as possible.
That rule had been created five years ago after the mutation rate of dungeon bosses sharply increased following Oliver’s taming of Husk.
Since that rule was established, the number of casualties and serious injuries among hunters had decreased dramatically.
And now, a group of novice hunters was trying to challenge something that dangerous.
"Huh! It’s just a mutated boss. What else can it even do? We’ve already raided the Barking Tree Dungeon dozens of times as part of a large group. The only reason we got injured last time was because we weren’t properly prepared. But now we already know what we need to do." Rusti scoffed.
’I seriously hate this guy. Fine then, let’s see whether you can still stay arrogant in front of the boss later.’ Oliver thought while glancing at him.
After that, everyone stopped chatting and began checking their equipment in preparation for the raid.
Meanwhile, Oliver glanced toward the Bloomvine Bracelet currently equipped on his wrist. The bracelet possessed a delicate and elegant design made from vines, with a beautiful pink flower blooming at the center.
---
[Bloomvine Bracelet]
Rarity: Rare [Blue Card Frame]
Type: Accessory
Archetype: Bloomvine
Stats:
WILL: +80 (+80)
Effect:
If a Bloomvine monster is active, double this item’s stats and increase healing effects by 30%.
---
Thanks to Flora currently being active, the bracelet’s effect had doubled it’s WILL stat to 160. WILL was an extremely important stat for healers and support-type tamers. It affected healing power, buff strength, elemental resistance, and resistance against status effects.
"It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It really suits you." Flora suddenly said while looking at the bracelet on Oliver’s wrist.
Oliver simply nodded in agreement. Although the design looked somewhat feminine, Oliver honestly did not mind. As long as the equipment was useful, he would wear it without hesitation.
Soon, they finally arrived in front of the dungeon portal. However, they were not alone. Another carriage had already arrived there earlier, and a group of three people was currently chatting nearby.
Their attire immediately stood out. All three of them wore uniforms with matching colors and designs, along with a crest depicting a griffin-like creature embroidered upon their capes.
"Urrgh! Students from the Academy of Coligny. What are they doing here?" Brie muttered while looking at them with annoyance.
’Academy of Coligny? Isn’t that the Tamer Academy belonging to the local duchy? That’s actually the academy I’ve been hoping to enter.’ Oliver thought while observing the three students carefully.
Oliver had already discussed the matter with his parents before. He genuinely wanted to enter an academy. One of the greatest advantages of graduating from a Tamer Academy was obtaining the title of Master Tamer.
And Master Tamers possessed special privileges including the right to freely enter most dungeons located within the territory governed by the academy.
The Academy of Coligny was currently one of Oliver’s top choices. There were several reasons for that.
First, it was relatively close to his hometown, requiring only around five days of travel. Second, compared to many other academies, it provided far more opportunities for commoners rather than only favoring nobles. Third, the academy fees were considerably cheaper. And lastly, it was ranked among the top ten academies within the local duchy.
’This is actually a good opportunity to see how capable the academy students are.’ Oliver thought inwardly.
"Hey, what do we have here? A bunch of village kids playing around." one of the students laughed mockingly while stepping forward. He had a somewhat bulky build, along with red hair and freckles covering his face. His name was Ovan, a second-year student from the academy.
"It really feels like déjà vu..." Oliver muttered quietly.
"Go play somewhere else. We’re currently here on a mission."Jermain said coldly. He was the tallest among the three and possessed purple hair.
"Yeah. We’re currently waiting for our teacher before entering this dungeon." Lakshmi said.
She had darker skin and long dark-blue hair.
Travers and the others immediately looked hesitant after hearing their words. It was because they could clearly sense that the three people standing before them were genuinely strong. Meanwhile, Rusti simply clenched his teeth in anger.
"What a bunch of cocky brats we have here. Fine then. How about this? Let’s see which group defeats the boss first. The losing side then will kneel before the winners."
Suddenly, Flora stepped forward and spoke while slightly lowering her hood, revealing part of her beautiful face.
Ovan and the others were immediately startled. It was because first, they had not even realized there was such a beautiful woman within Oliver’s group. And second, they had just been openly challenged.
"Fine then! Let’s do it! But don’t come begging for help or blaming us if something bad happens." Ovan said while cracking his fingers confidently.
Normally, Oliver would immediately stop Flora whenever she acted recklessly. But this time ,he was genuinely pleased.
"Good job, Flora. Let’s see what they’re really made of." Oliver said with a smirk on his face.
