Chapter 12: The Lake in the Middle of the Night

"Master, we've arrived..."

I weakly looked at Eura, who looked at me with a worried expression.

I jumped down with haste and emptied the contents of my stomach onto the ground. Eura quickly moved towards me to hold my hair back and rub my back soothingly.

Once I was done, she handed me water and wiped my face with a wet cloth. "Are you feeling better now, my love?" she asked gently.

The entire trip on the carriage made me remember how much I hated traveling long distances with a bus.

I nodded weakly and took a deep breath. As I exhaled, I felt Eura's soft lips on mine. Her kiss was the perfect remedy for my nausea. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

As we pulled away, Eura looked deep into my eyes and smiled knowingly. "I knew that would make you feel better," she said with a playful grin.

"Get a room, you assholes."

I turned around to see a woman leaning against the nearby wall, smirking at us.

Eura blushed and playfully punched my arm.

"Ignore her," I whispered before turning to face the woman.

"Can we help you with something?"

The woman chuckled. "Just wanted to make sure you lovebirds won't be late for the expedition,"

"Does it matter if we're late?"

"Well, if you're fine returning empty-handed, then by all means, take your time."

The woman rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving Eura and me alone once again.

I took out a fish to feed the giant spider who drew the carriage.

I don't exactly feel okay leaving her behind, but I doubt the dungeon expedition members would be okay with me bringing a monster inside.

Eura and I watched as the giant spider eagerly devoured the fish. "I hope she'll be okay while we're gone," I said with concern etched on my face.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," She reassured me. "Besides, we'll be back before you know it."

Eura and I made our way toward the entrance of the dungeon, taking one last look at the spider before entering.

[You have entered the B-rank dungeon "The Lake in the Middle of the Night"]

It was as if we had entered a different world. We found ourselves on the shoreline of a lake, the water reflecting the moonlight and illuminating the surrounding area. The sound of crickets and other nocturnal creatures echoed throughout the area, creating a sense of serenity and peacefulness.

Eura drew her weapon while I tried to walk toward the lake.

Bang! An oppressive force repelled me backward. I flew back several feet and landed on my back, groaning in pain. Eura rushed to my side, her weapon still drawn as she surveyed the area.

[You cannot approach the lake as a magical barrier prevents anyone from getting too close.]

"What the hell was that?" I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my back.

Eura rushed over to me, concern etched on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Does that mean we have to follow another route?" I asked, wincing in pain as I tried to stand up.

Eura nodded, "It seems that way. Let's try going around the lake."

We set off on a path that led us through dense foliage and towering trees, making our way gradually around the circumference of the lake.

As we walked, we noticed a campfire and structures in the distance.

"Is this... a settlement of monsters?" I whispered.

Eura nodded grimly. "Most likely."

"Should we take them down one by one, or do we go for a direct assault?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

Eura considered for a moment before answering. "I think a direct assault would be better, master. It would be faster, and we could take them by surprise."

"Yeah..."

Still, why haven't we seen the others? Does this dungeon have multiple starting points?

We made our way towards the settlement, keeping as low as we could to avoid detection. The structures turned out to be huts made of wood and rocks, with crude weapons lying around.

As we got closer, we heard the sound of laughter and chatter.

It was a strange sound to hear in a place like this. We expected the monsters to be more violent and aggressive, but instead, they sounded like they were having a good time.

Several names that were mostly [Troll Grunt] and [Troll Noncombatant], hovered above the monsters.

"Sword Dance: Decapitation"

Eura rushed towards a Troll Noncombatant and decapitated it with one swift strike of her sword.

The laughter and chatter turned into screams of terror as they scrambled for their weapons and charged at us. Eura and I fought back to back, our weapons slicing through the air as we took down the monsters one by one.

A Troll Grunt lunged at me with a club, but I sidestepped and thrust my knee into its side. It let out a guttural roar before collapsing onto the ground. I stomped on its head, crushing it into an unrecognizable bloody mess.

Eura and I continued to fight like this for what seemed like hours until no monsters remained standing.

"How did you like my dance, master?" Eura asked, panting a bit.

"Not bad. I like your bloodthirsty demeanor. Let's check the settlement and see if there's anything of value we can find."

We searched the huts, finding some food and a few coins. There were also some weapons and armor, but most of them were beyond repair.

Finally, in one of the larger huts, we found something interesting: a map etched into a large piece of wood.

"Master, look at this."

So we are in the northwest settlement of trolls. On the center was a marking of a large circle. It must be the location of the boss or something. To reach it, we'll have to pass by multiple settlements, pass a small river, pass multiple settlements again, then reach the bridge.

"Master, maybe we can find the other adventurers and join forces with them?"

"No, I'm not sharing the loot. If they want to come, they can come on their own. This boss sounds like the only thing of interest here, so let's go."

We left the settlement and continued on our journey, following the map carefully.

As we walked, Eura couldn't help but ask, "Master, why do you always have to be so greedy? We could be stronger in numbers."

"There's more to it than just the loot. We're in an isolated place filled with monsters. The perfect place for a random spontaneous backstabbing. I will never put my trust in someone other than you."

Eura's face softened at the mention of my trust in her.

"I appreciate the compliment, master," She blushed.