"I don't mean to pry, but I know you're aware of what it means to carry red hair. Yours is exceptionally bright, even among those with crimson locks. Having hair like that... it means you've been touched by a spirit. There is a curse upon you," Sinta explained, her voice wavering slightly as if she were trying to soften the blow so he wouldn't take offense.
"A curse?" Edard shook his head firmly. "No one has cursed me, and I don't believe any spirit has ever touched me."
"Well, I hear you. I'm not one of those judgmental types either, and I don't put much stock in all that talk of curses. But you know how people are, especially among us adventurers—you'll never stop hearing those kinds of rumors." As she spoke, she moved closer to him, showing no sign of fear. It was clear she was a veteran of the road.
At that moment, Edard subtly merged his body with one of his clones. He remained in a state of high alert, ready to counter any sudden attack she might launch.
"Aren't you going to start asking the important questions?" Edard prompted.
Sinta simply smiled, arching an eyebrow. "You're an adventurer, and so am I. We came here to reap the riches of this dungeon, to gain years of extra longevity. That's all I know, and all I care to know. Everything else is secondary. The only thing that matters is what each of us brings to the table. My classification is healing—I have the art of restoration. What about you?"
As if fearing he might reject her offer, she reached out and pointed toward Rusi, the girl on his back. "I could even try my healing arts on her."
Most people wouldn't just see her as a corpse; I mean, who carries a dead body around unless they have to? Even if your classification were a Necromancer, your business would be with the dead, wouldn't it?
"No, it's fine. It's not like that," Edard replied, trying to keep his lack of world knowledge hidden. "Is this the only place one can obtain extra longevity?"
Fortunately, she didn't catch onto his ignorance. "If you're having doubts or just want to know, I don't come from a great guild or a noble house. For someone like me, unclaimed dungeons like this—the ones that don't belong to the powerful families—are my only chance."
"Hm." Edard paused. This confirmed that longevity could be harvested from within dungeons. He wondered if this applied to both unclaimed dungeons and those already owned. He recalled how he had siphoned energy from a hundred locations, some of which belonged to established clans and tribes. Some, like the one called Lupi, seemed to have been abandoned or non-existent.
"Fine. So, how exactly does one obtain the longevity?" Edard pressed, needing more detail. "And why are you just standing here?"
Sinta cut him off, her eyes widening as she finally took a good look at the girl's face. "Wait! Isn't this... the missing princess?"
Edard went rigid. "Missing princess?"
Before he could react, he sensed something coming. He raised his hand as if to shield himself from something falling from the sky. At that exact moment, two powerful warriors plummeted to the earth, landing right in front of the dungeon entrance. They wore long white robes and tall blue hats—garments unlike anything Edard had seen in his previous world.
Each warrior bore a crest depicting a giant ostrich with massive, sharp talons and two sets of powerful wings.
"House Faira... The Great House of the Faira tribe!" Sinta shouted, her hand trembling as she pointed at the emblem on their chests.
Ever since the Global Dungeon League established laws banning the use of Edge-Gun portals near dungeon entrances, everyone was forced to travel by foot or beast to reach a site. The Faira were a noble house capable of flight, owing to their absolute mastery over the Air Element. The wind itself seemed to serve them, which explained why they were the first to arrive.
Sinta felt a mounting dread; she knew many eyes were already fixed on this new dungeon. If she had known that Edard had literally stolen these dungeons from the Great Houses and dragged them here, she would have realized that a storm of powerful houses was already on the way.
Before Edard could fully process the arrival of the Faira, another figure appeared from behind a nearby ridge. This warrior wore oversized, earth-brown robes reminiscent of ancient sorcerers and a black hat. Despite the distance, he seemed to close the gap in a heartbeat. On his chest was an emblem of a stone statue wielding a massive, double-edged greatsword. The blade was designed with such cruelty that even a glancing blow would shred flesh.
"The Bayir Tribe!" Sinta cried out again, her body shaking. As a low-level adventurer, she was never meant to cross paths with such elite houses. They were worlds above her.
These two factions were likely the closest to where the dungeon had manifested. Their presence suggested that the Great Houses had dispatched their scouts immediately, outrunning the official Dungeon League investigators.
Neither side paid any attention to Edard or Sinta. The two factions simply stared each other down. Edard found this brief reprieve helpful; he didn't want to draw attention, especially after hearing the claim that the girl on his back was a missing princess.
"I am Dario of the Faira Tribe! I have come to reclaim our stolen dungeon!" a short man from the first group shouted, stepping forward.
"Your stolen dungeon?" The cultivator from the Bayir tribe laughed. "Is that the new joke you're telling? I am Kalgon of the Great Bayir Tribe, and I am here because..."
"Fourteen of our tribe's dungeons vanished two hours ago! What business do you have here? You think you can claim the dungeons stolen by some ghost-thief as your own?"
"Fourteen? Twelve, you mean!" Dario snapped back in a rage. "I despise a liar. Thirteen of our dungeons vanished two hours ago. Now you come here claiming fourteen? You're lying—it was thirteen!"
The two groups fell into a tense silence, eyeing each other with murderous intent. Both assumed the other was fabricating stories to justify a land grab. What they failed to notice in their greed was that while they argued over thirteen or fourteen stolen dungeons, only one massive dungeon stood before them. Where had the rest gone?
Dario sent a silent, encrypted message to his men: This is a matter of life and death. We will not let even a single one of our dungeons fall into the hands of our enemies. On my signal, we sprint for the entrance. Kill anyone who stands in our way.
Kalgon of the Bayir tribe reached a similar conclusion at the same time. Edard, standing to the side, was in no rush to join the fray. He was content to let them slaughter each other, but he knew the longer he waited, the more reinforcements would arrive.
What should he do? He calculated that his best move was to wait for the fight to break out, then slip past them into the entrance. Once inside, he doubted they could catch him, and even if they did, he wasn't afraid of them. To be sure, he used his skill to scan their stats.
Edard noticed the "(Secondary)" tag. He realized that a Level 1 Secondary was vastly superior to a Level 10 Primary. When a warrior breaks through to a new stage, their level resets to one, but their power multiplies as if they have started an entirely new chapter of strength.
He turned his gaze to the other leader.
Neither of them appeared stronger than Kalhari had been. Edard felt a surge of confidence; even in a direct confrontation, he could hold his own. His only concern was being ganged up on by five elites at once. He hoped to slip away unnoticed.
"You!" Kalgon barked, turning his gaze toward Edard. That one word shattered Edard's hopes of a stealthy exit. "State your name and your business here!" Kalgon brandished a heavy staff, his eyes narrowing as he tried to get a look at the body behind Edard's back.
Dario's eyes also locked onto Edard. Edard glanced at Sinta, signaling for her to speak, but the girl was paralyzed with fear, unable to utter a single word.
"Who we are is none of your concern," Edard said coolly. "We are here for the dungeon. I suggest you move aside and let us pass."
"For the dungeon?" Kalgon sneered, rotating his hand in a ritualistic gesture that summoned glowing runes.
In a flash, a massive War Hammer—two feet wide—materialized in his grip. "I might be willing to cooperate with you for just one day," Kalgon said, glancing at Dario. "I'll let you enter first if you agree to let me collect the bounty on that girl."
"Haha! I knew this chaos would be useful. Men, let's move!" Dario laughed.
"Wait! Wait!" Sinta screamed, running toward Dario's group. "Please take me with you! I'm a Healer! I can mend your wounds no matter how badly you're hurt!"
She didn't give Edard a second thought. She knew a deal had been struck for his life, but her own survival came first—a classic display of human selfishness. Dario gave a curt nod after assessing her. Having a healer for an unknown dungeon was a tactical advantage.
Sinta didn't even look back as she abandoned Edard to his fate.
Edard knew this wouldn't end peacefully. As he braced himself, Kalgon suddenly vanished, sinking into the earth. An instant later, he erupted from the ground a mere inch away from Edard. He swung his massive hammer through the air, aiming to crush Edard's skull as if the weapon had been dropped from the heavens.
Edard finally saw how the combatants of this world operated. He didn't dodge. Instead, he balled his left hand into a fist and met the hammer head-on.
CLANG!
An ear-splitting ring echoed through the clearing as the hammer collided with a fist reinforced by molten earth and stone.
Kalgon flipped backward, landing in a low crouch. It was hard to tell if the posture was one of respect or mockery.
"Hmm... forgive me. I didn't realize you practiced the arts of my House. Anyone who commands the earth is a kinsman of my tribe. That makes us brothers."