Valerian, The Legendary

Chapter 363: Moonshine.

Valerian stood beside the lady and said, "Then tell me more about the dungeon."

Shiba shook her head and said, "The dungeon is like a cage where you get to fight with the world’s horrors. These beasts are unlike normal animals; they die and vanish. After a few hours, the same beast will spawn in the same place."

Valerian raised his eyebrow in surprise and asked, "Is that so?"

Shiba nodded, "The dungeon is like a tower, but the floors go deeper under the ground. They do not have any sun or wind in there, but you can breathe. You can locate water sources in there if you follow the map."

Valerian asked, "How does mapping such a place help?"

Shiba smiled as she answered, "We dungeoneers all have one dream, to reach the last floor and find the door to the other world."

Valerian became alert and asked, "What do you mean, the door to another world?"

Shiba replied, "Although it is just a legend, it is still fun to look forward to. It is said that if someone can reach the last floor and defeat the floor boss, they can go to another world."

Valerian asked, "How many floors are there?"

Shiba answered, "One hundred. After all these ages, we have only managed to clear to floor seventy-eight."

Valerian asked, "What do you mean by one hundred floors, then? How do you know how many floors are there?"

Shiba looked at the sky and replied, "The legend says that the people used to venture into the dungeon on their own, causing a lot of people to die, and everyone was despairing. In these times of need, one man formed a small group with his friends.

They ventured deep into the dungeons and went through the hundred floors. The day they managed to pass the trials, the sky turned golden, and the high gods congratulated those people. They were granted one wish, although the people do not know what they asked for, none of them were sighted ever since."

Valerian nodded, and his doubt deepened. Shiba asked, "Why are you so interested in the Dungeons?"

The young man shook his head and said, "I am not interested in the dungeons but the gateway to another world."

Shiba was surprised, and Valerian said, "You should get some sleep. We will need to hurry in the morning."

The lady nodded and returned to rest with her team while Valerian maintained watch of the surroundings. The night passed by uneventfully, and the sun came up.

The Captain seemed to have healed by now. His wounds were shallow, so moving was not a difficulty for him. Viney hunted for food and was on the move again after a meal. Valerian was not weak, but he did not know the way. So, he followed the trio in the back.

Valerian was not impressed by their speed or anything because he was still at ease and could go on for a long time if he was to run at this pace. He asked, "How long will it take us to reach the city at this pace?"

Shiba replied, "Five days."

Valerian clicked his tongue and said, "Too long."

Shiba was confused, and Viney was dissatisfied by his reaction, but the Captain said, "Indeed, actually, other parties use beast mounts, but we do not have them."

Valerian did not comment any further. He did not wish to call anyone weak and pretend to be a master at everything. These people were considered good. Suddenly, Viney said, "Shit, it is the wolf gang."

The trio stopped, and Shiba asked, "What now?"

Valerian came to a stop too, and asked, "What is this wolf gang?"

Shiba replied, "They are a group of notorious people who thrive upon robbing other Dungeoneers. It is a common saying in our circle, and one must never encounter the wolves in a dungeon."

Valerian nodded and asked, "So, will they trouble you?"

The Captain shook his head and said, "Trouble will not sum it up. The patrol leader of the wolf gang wishes to court Shiba. They have tried to be forceful about it, but in the city, we have allies and support of the general public that still scares them."

Valerian sighed and said, "Scum like this is ever present."

Viney and the rest nodded, and Shiba commented, "I wish to kill them."

Viney nodded forcefully, but the Captain shook his head in denial. He said, "We do not have enough manpower. They travel in packs of ten."

Valerian thought briefly and asked, "What is the price for killing a person in the city?"

The three were shocked, but Valerian said, "Either we kill them or detour. Do not waste time."

Shiba said, "They have beast mounts. We will not be able to outrun them."

Valerian sighed and replied, "This is all the more reason to kill them. If you people are scared, I will do it."

Viney was surprised by the confident expression on his face, but the other two perceived this situation as something else. They could tell Valerian was someone who had killed before. His hands were stained with the lives of many people.

They were veterans and could tell if the man before them had killed someone or not too. Earlier, Valerian’s fluency when taking down the two of them was evident enough to show that he was a killer.

Shiba took half a step back, and Valerian perceived that she felt threatened. He sighed and said, "You do not have to worry. I will tell you everything when I am done with these people."

The Captain and Shiba exchanged a glance before nodding. Viney replied, "You are doing this on your initiative, do not think about asking us for money."

Valerian shrugged and rushed away. The three decided to take cover in the trees and monitor the situation.

...

After twenty minutes, the trio was riding four black wolves. Valerian tamed these beasts, confirming that his blessings from Vita were still working. The wolves were kinder to him. The people still could not understand how Valerian dealt with these people so quickly and even tamed these wolves.

Viney said, "We can flex now. We have beast mounts."

Valerian replied, "Do not think too much. These beasts can return to the forest once they take us close to the city. The people will recognize them, and then they will know that we killed the patrol group. Do you wish to be chased that much?"

Viney fell silent, and the other two realized that Valerian was correct. The main unit of the wolf gang in the city would come after them if these wolves were to show up.

...

Two days passed, and finally, the four of them reached the end of the forest territory. The wolves moved away, and the four reached the city gates. The place was called Moonshine City.

Valerian was perplexed by the reason behind such a name, but Viney told him, "The city was called Dungeonera, but that was too depressing. Later it was renamed after one of the five people who passed through the gates of the other world. Moonshine, the archer."

Valerian nodded and gazed at Viney as he asked, "So, are you aspiring to be Moonshine?"

Viney nodded forcefully, and Valerian shook his head. The young girl furrowed her brows and grabbed his collar. She asked, "Why did you shake your head? Do you think I am not worthy?"

Valerian made her release the grip and said, "It is not that you are not good. It is just that I would like to be myself. Make me a person who leaves my own mark in the world."

Viney stood there in a daze. She did not expect Valerian to say something like this, but her heart skipped a beat when she heard this. The young man did not say much later and moved through the crowd. He was moved naturally as if he had been to the city before too.

Shiba and Captain followed behind him. After a rough tour, Captain said, "Valerian, that is the guild. We can find the forging room here."

The young man turned to look at the side and said, "Alright."

Captain led the team through the crowd, and they came to the building. The exterior of the place was very low-key. It did not seem to be a prestigious place. Valerian was observing everything keenly.

He noticed this three-floor building was bustling with people who looked like warriors. Yes, they looked like warriors and did not seem like warriors. Shiba said, "These are all dungeoneers."

Valerian nodded, and then his gaze landed on a board. Viney said, "That is where all the tasks are posted. We go to the dungeon and find the various things mentioned in the note and then come out of the dungeon and present it to the manager. In return, we get a reward."

The young man nodded as he looked forward to the moonshine city.