The entrance of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques was bustling with people, with adventurers of all walks and species coming and going ceaselessly. Near the gate leading to the dungeon, stalls had been set up selling strong armour, strange weapons, and even stranger potions. You never know what you’ll need in a dungeon.

  Everyone looked to be hard at work, but Pos could tell that the atmosphere was wrong. Despite the number of people, the area was not lively. Instead, people were tense. Normally, this was something to be expected at the entrance of a dungeon. Even the most carefree of adventurers becomes tense when entering a deathtrap. However, Pos could see that this was different. People weren’t tense because of the dungeon. They were tense because everyone knows this was the calm before the storm. Pos felt the same, and his mood dropped further.

  His party reached the front of the queue and Pos saw the same human guard from before in front of them.

  “Oh, it’s you lot. I thought all of you would be taking a break after the haul last time.”

  Pos was not surprised the guard recognized them. Although the card did not sell as high as he had hoped, everyone still knows the party that found the treasure. Adventurers were a gossipy bunch.

  “We took a quest, and it’s not complete.” Nog replied with the hint of a sigh.

  “And if the rumors are true, it might be safer in the dungeon than out here.” Vorma added.

  Now it was the turn of the human to sigh. Rumors about the attack on the Manfedis had spread fast. The human guard shook his head and read from the scroll in his hand. The party answered that they understood the risk. Unlike the first time, the human guard did not bother to say anything else and just stepped aside. The party of dwarves walked into the tunnel without a word.

  Once they were inside the tunnel, Umdar reminded everyone on the plan. “Same as before. We go in and meet on the second floor. This time, there will be no detour. No hunting of treasure chests, and no entering of secret rooms. I don’t care if a mountain of gold appears in front of you. You ignore it. We go in, and out. As quickly as possible.”

  Pos cursed under his breath. He didn’t hear the [Knight] complaining when he took his share of the gold from the auction. Before Pos could say anything out loud, voices could be heard behind them. Everyone turned back to look at the entrance of the tunnel. Arguments between adventurers weren’t uncommon, but almost no one wanted to argue before entering a dungeon. That wasn’t just bad luck, it was stupid.

  You don’t want to run the risk of bringing bad blood into a dungeon.

  Pos was wondering which hothead was doing it when he saw a bunch of humans entering the tunnel. That was surprising because the Guild kept tight control on the number of people entering and by rights, the next group should only have entered after Pos’ party had been teleported to the first floor. However, it did not take long for Pos to see why the rules had not been enforced for this party.

  The party of humans walking down the tunnel was well-armed, and Pos could immediately tell that they were high levelled. What he could not tell was whether they were adventurers or guards, because walking in the middle of the party was a young human he recognize. It was the young master from the Baggio family, the one throwing gold like water at the auction.

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  The young Baggio looked poise and regal, but soft. He did not look nervous, but he did not have the looks of someone who had the scars of looking death in the eye. He was no adventurer.

  The party of humans surrounding him was different. It wasn’t so much the armour and weapons they were carrying, but the way they walked, the looks on their faces, and the coldness of their eyes. They looked like proper adventurers and their levels were much higher than Pos and his party of dwarves.

  “Hey! Stop right there!”

  Brave and stupid Nog stepped in front of the party of humans. Pos could see a few scowls on the faces of the humans, but the young Baggio just smiled.

  “Oh. Hi there, are you the party before us? Not to worry, just let us enter first. You can enter after us.”

  “Why should we?” Nog reply was almost a growl.

  “I'll give you fifty gold.”

  Nog's eyes bulged. The group of humans laughed.

  A human female who looked to be the leader of the party of human adventurers spoke. “You don't want to mess with the Baggio Family.”

  “Fifty gold is nothing to the Baggio family,” the young master added.

  The dwarven party looked at each other for a moment, and they were all in agreement. The warning from the humans was clear, and for fifty gold, they could wait for awhile. They gave way without a word.

  The humans walked pass them. Pos saw the human woman look back at him and threw a pouch to him with a wink. The humans went on ahead, and when they went pass the bend that signalled the true entrance of the dungeon, the dwarves sighed in relief.

  “Fifty gold,” Nog muttered. “What a joke. Paying that much just to get in front of another party? Are they crazy?”

  “Yeah,” said Umdar. “I don't like them. I heard of that party. The Unrelenting, they have a bad reputation. We shouldn't have given way to them.”

  Pos looked at the [Knight] and briefly wondered what he meant. Others were wondering about different matters.

  “Are you saying you don’t want your share of the fifty?” Vorma asked.

  “I never said that,” Umdar quickly replied. “Just wondering why they want to go into the dungeon that quickly? Fifty gold just to cut in line seems excessive even for a Baggio.”

  Pos thought that was a good question, Nog did not.

  “Who cares? It’s no business of ours. Let’s get going.” Nog said with a scoff.

  Pos just shrugged. Once again, the [Berserker] was right. It wasn’t any of their business.

  The party began walking, and soon reached the bend in the tunnel. The moment they passed it, the black fog enveloped them, and Pos found himself on the first floor of the dungeon. He immediately began running. After three previous visits, Pos knew what to do and reached the end of the floor with ease. That’s the thing about dungeons. They may be death-traps, but the dangers could be mitigated if an adventurer knew what to expect. After a few delves, even danger could become routine.

  Pos was the first member of his party to reach the second floor. Several parties of adventurers were already waiting around the central pillar, but the Baggio party was not one of them. Pos had half-expected this. No reason for the young master to buy their way in front of his party just to wait on the second floor. However, Pos soon noticed an oddity.

  None of the waiting parties looked displeased or angry.

  Pos had a bad feeling and looked over to the three openings. The opening to the Lake Room was covered in magic and there was a line in front of it as usual. The opening to the middle room was clear, indicating no one was attempting the room but the opening to the Bamboo Forest was covered in magic. There was a party inside!

  Pos cursed. The Baggio party had entered the Bamboo Forest Room, the room his party was supposed to clear. Considering the levels of that party, they were going to get the first clear. His party was too late.

  His party had failed their quest.