William looked at the clear blue sky above him, for a brief moment before looking at the Marshland in front of him.
Just like the System had informed him, the first floor of the dungeon was very spacious and extended for miles.
The map in his status page was still shrouded in darkness, but it was slowly clearing up with each passing minute.
Scadrez and the Angray Birds had split up in several directions to help explore the first floor of the dungeon. This allowed William and the System to identify the first batch of monsters that they were about to face.
When William saw the monsters that spawned on the first floor of the dungeon, he wasn’t able to stop his lips from twitching.
The reason? He was quite familiar with this monster because it was the typical beginner mob in most RPG games.
“Slimes…,” William muttered. “Blue Slimes.”
William looked at the jelly-like creatures who were approaching them very slowly. He still didn’t know their abilities, but if his guess was correct, these low-level monsters wouldn’t pose much of a threat to them.
Fenrir and the trollhounds immediately charged forward to engage the slimes. The trollhounds bit them and the blue slimes exploded in their jaws like gelatin.
< Gained Exp Points: 1 >
William wasn’t surprised by this outcome. Afterall, a single slime couldn’t possibly give that much experience, especially to their current numbers.
So any experience points that the Half-Elf, his Familia, his Herd and the members of his King’s Legion gained by killing monsters inside this Dungeon would automatically be shared by all of them.
“Go and explore the first floor,” William ordered. “All of you group up in teams of four and above. If you find anything suspicious let me know.”
The members of his King’s Legion voiced their agreement and they formed their teams to explore the first floor of the Dungeon.
Ella stayed behind to accompany William, Ian, and Wendy. This was a new Dungeon, and she didn’t feel safe leaving the Half-Elf behind.
When the four of them were about to choose a direction to head in, the System notified William that the exit of the dungeon had been found.
Just as the name suggested, the exit of the Dungeon led to the outside world. It was different from the pathways or stairways that led to the second floor of the dungeon.
William didn’t hesitate and led his group to where the exit was. The ones that discovered it were the Angray Birds as they flew around the skies of the Dungeon.
When William arrived at the location, he found a shiny teleportation gate that seemed to be untouched by the passing of time. He didn’t know how old the Dungeon was, but the structure he was seeing in front of him looked so clean that it made him doubt his understanding of Atlantis.
Even so, he was curious to see what the outside of Atlantis looked like.
“Stay close to me,” William said as he looked at Ella, Ian, and Wendy. “I don’t know what is on the other side of this gate, but no matter what happens, let’s stay together.”
Ella, Ian, and Wendy nodded their heads in unison.
William took a deep breath before taking a step towards the teleportation gate. Ella, Ian, and Wendy followed behind him.
After a brief moment of discomfort that could be felt right after using a teleportation gate, William, Ella, Ian, and Wendy found themselves standing on a structure overlooking a domed city that seemed to be submerged under the water.
The water above their heads was as dark as the night, but the fishes that swam overhead glowed with their own source of light.
This scene looked so surreal that the two ladies standing beside William weren’t able to stop themselves from gasping in shock from the beautiful sight.
However, William felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end because he sensed a powerful presence that was looking in their direction.
At the same time, the glowing fishes scattered and swam away as if fleeing from something. With its source of life gone, the Ancient City was shrouded in darkness.
Suddenly, Ian’s body glowed as she transformed to her original form. Shock crossed over her face, but it only lasted for a short moment. Her beautiful face suddenly became expressionless as she turned around to face William.
“Who are you?” Ashe asked in a voice that didn’t belong to her. “What are you doing in this place?”
The voice that came out of Ashe’s lips sounded so ancient that it sounded very hoarse. It was as if the owner of the voice hadn’t talked to anyone for a long time and it was finding it hard to form the words properly. Even so, it carried a sort of intimidation that demanded answers.
Right behind Ashe, a giant glowing red eye appeared in the darkness. This giant eye looked down on William as Ashe opened her lips to repeat her questions.
“Who are you?” Ashe asked. “What are you doing in this place?”
Ella looked up at the Giant Eye and gave it a glare. Immediately, the owner of the Giant Eye focused its attention on the goat standing beside the red-headed boy whom it was talking to.
Half a minute later, it refocused its attention to William. This time, the voice that came out of Ashe’s voice wasn’t as intimidating as before. Nevertheless, it still demanded answers.
“My name is William and the lady you are possessing right now is my lover,” William answered in a respectful manner. He could tell that this beast was very powerful, so making it an enemy was out of the question.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t use her as a medium to communicate with us,” William pleaded. “I’m sure that I have the ability to talk to you regardless of the language you use.”
William didn’t know how this creature was able to take hold of Ashe’s consciousness and body. But seeing Ashe’s expressionless face looking back at him made his heart ache.
The creature seemed to think for a while after hearing William’s words. Moments later, it released its hold on Ashe, which made the latter lose consciousness.
William hurriedly caught his mermaid lover and held her tight. He immediately created a pink lollipop and unceremoniously placed it inside her mouth. This was the only thing he could think of in order to cure whatever conditions Ashe might have suffered during her possession.
The System also scanned her body to check her vital signs. After doing several tests, it had assured William that Ashe had just lost consciousness since the readings of her body and mental states were all normal.
William sighed in relief as he held Ashe in a princess carry. He then stared at the giant red eye that continued to observe them from outside the dome of Atlantis.
In that dark and silent world, a series of clicking sounds reached William’s ears. The beast was communicating with him using its own language, without relying on a medium.
Due to William’s skill, Wild Empathy Mythic, he understood what the creature was trying to say. However, he didn’t answer it right away because he was busy looking at the information that was provided by his Appraisal Skill.
——
< Leviathan >
— Guardian of Atlantis
— Sovereign of the Ocean
— Demigod
— Primeval Beast
— Threat Level: Calamity (High)
— Cannot be added to the herd
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
—–
After he finished reading its information, William felt that he was about to suffer from a migraine. He didn’t expect that just by visiting Atlantis, he would come face to face with one of the most elusive Demigods that resided in the world of Hestia.
