Chương 66: Chapter 65: Perfectly Stable

The clouds along the horizon had turned orange-gold, and the sky was gradually darkening. Cyrus walked at the head of his party, his face completely expressionless as they inched forward with the line waiting to enter Rockspring Town. The other four members of his party trailed behind him. Blake and Sanna had their heads together, whispering to each other. Cyrus could not make out what they were saying, nor did he have the slightest desire to.

Ever since they had left Blackstone Town, the two of them had somehow made up. They had hardly stopped bickering along the way. If Darm had not finally lost patience and cursed them out, they probably would have kept at it all the way to Rockspring Town. Darm followed silently at Cyrus's side. Cyrus glanced over. The corners of Darm's mouth were turned slightly downward, and even his shield was dragging along the ground, scraping faintly with every step. There was only one possible explanation. He was hungry.

"Once we're in town, should we find somewhere to eat first?" Darm immediately straightened. He lifted his shield off the ground and raised it back into position. His face quickly returned to its usual expressionless state, and then he gave a firm nod. The nod was emphatic enough for Cyrus to notice without even turning his head. Jessup, meanwhile, brought up the rear with earplugs in, quietly leafing through his spellbook as he walked. As they drew closer to the gate of Rockspring Town, Cyrus let out a sigh.

This was not like him. In the past, when had he ever bothered paying attention to how his teammates were doing? If someone was not useful, he simply replaced them. Cyrus ran a hand through his hair in irritation. Just then, the line moved forward, bringing him up to the guards for inspection. He pulled his adventurer badge directly from his coat pocket and casually handed it over.

"High Bronze... Never thought an adventurer at your level would come all the way out here." The guard looked Cyrus over with some curiosity but did not ask any further questions. He quickly returned the adventurer badge. After asking the guard where he could find a restaurant and the Adventurers' Guild, Cyrus casually thanked him and led Darm and the others toward the restaurant. In the end, the group stopped in front of a small restaurant called the Sheepfold. It was run by an elderly couple.

As soon as Cyrus and the others stepped inside, the couple greeted them warmly and led the five of them to an empty table in the corner. Before long, bowls of steaming soup filled with large chunks of mutton were brought to the table and placed in front of them. The owner had not even had time to walk away before Darm lowered his head and began eating in great mouthfuls, completely ignoring the looks of those around him. Cyrus quietly called out to the owner.

"Sir, could I ask you a few questions about the dungeon?" The gray-bearded owner paused. He glanced at the handful of other customers in the restaurant, then stopped beside the table.

"Well, wouldn't it be quicker to ask the Guild about that sort of thing? I'm not an adventurer." Cyrus merely looked at him in silence. After meeting his gaze for a moment, the owner eventually waved a hand helplessly.

"All right, all right. Ask away. But if any customers come in, I'll have to go take care of them first." Cyrus nodded, then asked,"Have there been any strange disturbances around the dungeon lately?" The owner stroked his beard and thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Haven't heard of anything." He paused, then added,"Truth is, Rockspring Dungeon's always been stable. It was already there when I was a boy, and in all these years, I've never seen anything strange happen there."

"I see. Thank you for your time. We've already held you up long enough, so let's settle the bill first." The owner immediately broke into a delighted smile and lowered his head to calculate the total.

"Five silver coins and ten copper coins. Ah, just give me five silver coins." Cyrus took six silver coins from an inner pocket and placed them directly into the owner's hand without even counting them.

"S-Sir, you gave me too much—""Consider it payment for the information. Just keep it." Without waiting for the owner to respond, Cyrus turned back to his mutton soup and began eating. The smile on the owner's face grew even brighter. He returned to the counter. A short while later, he came back carrying a basket filled with wheat rolls.

"Haha, take these and have them with your soup. They're on the house." Cyrus looked at the owner in mild surprise, then reached out and accepted the basket without protest. Jessup, seated beside him, tilted his head slightly and studied him for a moment.

"You seem to be in a good mood." Cyrus gave a quiet snort. He raised his bowl and took a long drink of the hot soup before tilting his head back slightly and looking at the flickering firelight on the wall.

"I just think this place isn't bad."

"You've really changed quite a bit, Cyrus."

"I don't need the commentary, Jess. Eat your bread." After finishing their meal, Cyrus and the others left the Sheepfold. By then, the sun had nearly disappeared below the horizon and the streets were growing dim. The Adventurers' Guild, however, clearly did not close this early. On the way to the Guild, Cyrus pulled a scroll from his pack and unrolled it beneath the lamps flickering to life along both sides of the street.

It was a contract issued by the Adventurers' Guild, tasking them with traveling to Goldwheat Town to investigate and deal with a local dungeon that had begun behaving abnormally. His gaze lingered on the words "Goldwheat Town" for a moment before he rolled the scroll up again and returned it to his pack. They had only happened to pass through Rockspring Town on their way to Goldwheat Town. Judging by what the owner of the Sheepfold had told them, there did not seem to be anything unusual about the dungeon here.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Still, since they were already here, Cyrus intended to stop by the Guild and check the recent entry records. He also wanted to confirm whether the parties listed there had returned before deciding if they should leave first thing tomorrow. The Adventurers' Guild was not far from the restaurant. It took Cyrus and the others less than ten minutes to reach their destination.

However, compared with the Guild building in Blackstone Town, the one in Rockspring Town was only a single story tall and much smaller. There were pitifully few clerks and adventurers still inside. Cyrus even spotted one clerk already asleep with his head resting on the counter.

"What a quiet, easygoing place." Sanna swept her gaze around the room, then stretched and muttered under her breath.

"Haha, Blackstone is still better. There are more people there, and it's a lot livelier. Though I guess we can't go back now." Blake casually chimed in beside her. Cyrus felt his heart tighten slightly at those words. If he had not been so eager to make a quick profit back then, perhaps he would not be dragging the entire party from place to place now. But he kept his face completely blank. If he dared show even the slightest reaction now, Blake would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to push his luck.

What would be left of Cyrus's dignity as captain then? Not that there was much of it left anyway... Cyrus quickened his pace toward the counter. The other four scattered through the Guild and found places to sit and rest. This sort of thing almost always fell to Cyrus anyway, and he'd long since gotten used to it. He deliberately chose a clerk who was still awake.

Although the man was not asleep at the counter, he was completely engrossed in the book in his hands and did not look much more diligent than the other clerks. Still, at least Cyrus would not have to figure out how to wake anyone. He walked up to the counter and lightly tapped the tabletop. At the sound, the clerk jolted in his chair. The book flew from his hands, only to be caught again in a frantic scramble. After confirming that the book had not fallen to the floor, the clerk visibly relaxed.

Only then did he look up at Cyrus with an apologetic expression.

"Haha, sorry about that. The Guild has been so quiet lately that I didn't notice you." The clerk put the book away in a drawer, briefly straightened his clothes, then placed both hands on the counter and gave Cyrus a standard professional smile.

"How may I assist you, sir?"

"I'd like to review Rockspring Dungeon's recent entry and exit records." The clerk hesitated, then gave Cyrus a troubled look.

"It's not that I don't want to show you the recent records. It's just that hardly anyone has been going to Rockspring Dungeon lately." The clerk stood and rummaged through a cabinet crammed with documents. When he returned, he was carrying only a few thin sheets.

"These are all the records from the past ten days or so." Cyrus accepted them and began reading carefully. Ten days ago, several hundred adventurers had still been entering and leaving Rockspring Dungeon every day. Over the past few days, however, that number had dwindled to only a handful of parties. According to the records, not a single adventurer had entered the dungeon yesterday.

"That's quite a difference."

"Tell me about it." The clerk sat back down and propped his chin on one hand.

"Rockspring Town isn't far from Blackstone Town. Every adventurer who heard the news ran over there ages ago. Gern was the only stubborn fool who refused to believe Blackstone Dungeon was as good as the rumors claimed."

"Gern?" Cyrus looked up from the records.

"Is he still in town?" The clerk waved a hand and tilted his head with a laugh.

"Haha, bad luck. You came too late. Gern and the others left for Blackstone Town two days ago."

"Didn't you just say he didn't believe the rumors?"

"The youngsters with him must have kept pestering him to go. He probably only agreed in the end because of them." As though something had suddenly occurred to him, the clerk reached out and tapped the records in Cyrus's hands.

"Oh, right. I was the one who registered them when they entered Rockspring Dungeon three days ago." Cyrus's gaze immediately returned to the sheets of paper.

"Was there anything unusual about the dungeon that day?" The Guild clerk straightened and thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. They left the dungeon that same day, and before leaving, they never mentioned anything being wrong inside."

"Thanks. Does the Guild have any rooms available tonight? We have to leave for Goldwheat Town first thing tomorrow morning."

"Of course. We have plenty of empty rooms." The clerk stood with a smile.

"You're on a Guild mission, aren't you? In that case, you won't have to pay for your lodging tonight." Cyrus thanked the clerk, then turned and called the others over. Together, they followed the clerk toward the guest rooms at the back of the Guild. Cyrus walked at the front with an expressionless face, but his fingers were unconsciously tapping against the side of his thigh. Just as I thought. Slipping that in was the right move.

That saved us another night's lodging and nudged the profit from this mission a little higher. Hah. No. Don't smile. If something this small is enough to make me smile, even I'll lose respect for myself. ◆ ◆ ◆ Blackstone Dungeon, inside the Core Chamber. It had been three days since Rayne and the others completed their run through the almshouse. As for Harlan's group, two full days had passed since the white orb tricked them into the trap cave, and they still hadn't come back.

Owen had initially worried that the dungeon's revenue would drop sharply as a result. But as he stared at his current Soul Energy total, rainbow-colored light flashed nonstop across the surface of his core.

"I! Am! Rich!" Owen let out a cheer and raced around the Core Chamber at high speed, leaving one streak of azure light after another in his wake. Had anyone managed to reach the Core Chamber beneath the ruined church, they would have thought a massive party was underway. [Soul Energy: 176, 852] This was all the Soul Energy Owen currently possessed. And astonishingly, the vast majority of it had been earned in only the past three days. Honestly, the result had already far exceeded his expectations.

Or rather, if other dungeons could operate the way he did, they would have no need to rely on killing adventurers. They could still obtain enough Soul Energy to keep themselves running. Owen gradually calmed down, and the rainbow-colored light across the surface of his core faded with it. He slowly drifted back to his usual spot above the stone pedestal.

"There has to be something else behind this..." Owen stared at the number before him, his voice gradually growing quieter.

"If those demon cores can obtain energy the same way, then there has to be some other reason they still insist on killing adventurers..." But that was only Owen's own speculation. Perhaps he had been wrong from the very beginning.

"Forget it! I can't figure it out!" Owen quickly shoved the unanswered question to the back of his mind.

"Better figure out how to spend this hundred and seventy thousand Soul Energy first!" He happily resumed humming a tuneless melody, then called up the system panel and opened the interface for Core Advancement. [Soul Energy Required for Core Advancement: 120, 000] [Proceed with Core Advancement?] [Yes/No] Owen looked at the cost of advancing his core, then quickly calculated how much Soul Energy he would have left. A little over fifty-six thousand.

He would no longer be nearly as flush as he was now, but it should still be enough to work with. Besides, the sooner he completed the advancement, the sooner he should be able to unlock more new functions, right? Owen did not hesitate for long. With the dungeon's Soul Energy income now extremely stable and that unease still lingering in the back of his mind, Owen ultimately decided to advance his core immediately.

"Please! Give me some amazing new functions this time!" Owen stared at the system panel with anticipation.

"Like letting me change the terrain even when people are still inside the dungeon!" Owen pressed the button with his mind. The next moment, energy began flowing into his core in a steady, unbroken stream. That warm sensation returned. His entire core seemed to fill little by little, leaving him with a sense of fullness unlike anything he had ever felt before. Owen slowly descended onto the stone pedestal and lay there without moving.

As the energy continued pouring into him, the light across his core grew brighter and brighter, soon bathing the entire Core Chamber in azure. At the same time, the shape of Owen's core began to change. His core had previously resembled an angular chunk of broken stone. Now, its surface smoothed out and its outline gradually contracted until it resembled a hexagonal gemstone. The light radiating from his core did not stabilize until the advancement was complete.

Owen's core was now cleaner and more translucent than ever before. Even his looks had gone up a few tiers. He lay quietly on the stone pedestal, feeling his consciousness drift farther and farther away while his mood grew increasingly relaxed. It was as though the burden that had weighed on his heart for so long had finally been lifted, if only for the moment.

He had somehow been transported to this world, unable to speak to anyone as his true self, and had even drawn the attention of some eerie entity of unknown origin. He had not felt this relaxed or comfortable since becoming a dungeon core. Owen had no idea how much time had passed before he finally wobbled back into the air.

"Mmm..." He circled reluctantly above the stone pedestal.

"If only I could feel like this more often." Owen temporarily closed every interface and spent a little longer savoring that wonderful sensation. Only then did he call up the system panel again, ready to see what new functions this advancement had unlocked.

"I'm ready!" Owen cheered, his voice brimming with excitement once more. The moment the system interface appeared, a series of advancement messages filled his vision. [Core Tier Increased to Tier Two.] [Tier-Two Core Authority Unlocked.] [Advanced Management Functions Unlocked.] [This ■■ and the ■■ System once again congratulate you on setting foot upon the path to becoming a true ■■■■.] [Management Sprite, you have received a new letter. Would you like to read it now?] Owen was still swaying happily from side to side when he noticed the new-letter notification. His entire core suddenly froze. Who would send him a letter? Those demon cores. That was the first answer to appear in Owen's mind. But... what if the letter had been sent by some other existence? Perhaps there really was another dungeon core in this world that was as kind as he was. On the other hand, those demon cores might also be able to do something to him through the letter.

Owen hesitated, unable to make up his mind. In the end, he decided to set the letter aside and leave it unopened for now. He was not yet ready to face whatever it contained.

"Phew... Anyway, let me see what functions opened up after the advancement first." Owen scrolled farther down the system interface with a thought. When he saw what came next, he froze for a heartbeat, then let out an earth-shaking cheer.

"Yes! I can finally change the terrain while people are still inside the dungeon!" Owen flew an excited lap around the Core Chamber.

"... Although there is still one tiny little restriction."