No adventurer had ever entered the third floor of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques.

  Considering that it has been months since the dungeon was discovered, this was highly unusual. Most adventurers tried to go as deep as possible in their delve, as it was a commonly known fact that the treasures on the lower levels were more valuable, and there was a certain prestige in being known as a deep delver.

  The Adventurer Guild advised against delving too deeply, but adventurers were never the most obedient of people. Some adventurers even made it a point to go against the directives of the Guild as the first to complete a new level of a dungeon usually get rewarded by the dungeon core. Considering the time frame, usually adventurers would be around Floor Five of a dungeon by now. That was not the case for the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques.

  The Guild said not to go deep, and most adventurers followed the order because anyone who hadn’t was not heard of again. This was a testament to how dangerous the dungeon was, and every adventurer was waiting for the first idiot to disobey the order and survive to talk about the ordeal.

  It’s good to have fame and prestige; it is better to have treasure and be alive to enjoy it.

  So, it was with some irony that Pos was now on the third floor of the dungeon. And he was here along with over twenty other adventurers.

  The group had run through the Bamboo Forest Room without issues. There were no traps, monsters, or Boss in their way. When they reached the end of the room, the gate to the third floor was opened, and the group just ran straight through. For a floor that had given adventurers so much trouble, it was kind of anti-climactic, but Pos did not have time to complain. He just ran as fast as his short legs could take him.

  When the group reached the third floor of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques, they found that it was a maze, a hedge maze to be exact. Hedges three times the height of a normal human made up the walls of the maze, and much like the Bamboo Forest Room, the floor was brightly lit with fake sunshine and the chirping of birds in the air.

  Pos was glad to see that it was a maze.

  Mazes and labyrinths take time to navigate, and even with their head start and higher levels, the Baggio party will need time to get through it. Things were easier for Pos’ group. His group wasn’t looking to beat the maze; they were tracking the Baggio party.

  Luckily for the group, they had a few Classed with tracking abilities. Two [Hunters], a [Tracker], and a [Stalker] meant they were right on the trail of the Baggios. Much like the Bamboo Forest Room, the group did not face any traps or monsters, and Pos heard more than a few of the adventurers openly wondering if this was normal for the floor.

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  The answer came when the group caught up to the Baggio party.

  The group saw the Baggio party after turning a corner, and they were fighting. A plant monster with thick roots and a giant flower head was blocking the party, while branches protruding out of the walls of the maze were attempting to grab and impede the members of the party. Unlike the group, the Baggio party had monsters to fight. Or at least, monsters that tried to fight them as the Baggios made quick work of the monsters.

  The swordsman of the Baggio party swung his sword, and the thick roots of the plant monster were cut into two. The archer shot an arrow, hitting the plant monster on its flower head, and it exploded into pieces. The mage shouted at the branches that pushed them back into the walls. Pos heard someone grasp, and understood why. He knew that the Baggio party was too strong for the dungeon, but it was one thing to know something and quite another to see how outclassed they were.

  Luckily, they weren’t alone. The dungeon was with them. Despite the level difference, dungeon monsters plus over twenty adventurers would give anyone pause. However, the location wasn’t ideal. Pos’ group has a number advantage, but the path in the maze was only wide enough for four people to walk side by side. Not wide enough for them to swarm the Baggios, and -.

  “Stop in the name of the Adventurer Guild!”

  Pos turned, open-mouthed, at the adventurer who shouted. It was the old human adventurer who thought the dungeon quest could be a trap of the dungeon core. Despite his misgivings, the human adventurer had joined the group to chase after the Baggios. Now, Pos wished the old adventurer hadn’t.

  The Baggio party turned at the shout, and there were looks of surprise when they saw the group. The presumed leader of the party, a human female archer, stepped forward.

  “Barwin, that you? What are you doing here?”

  The old adventurer, whose name Pos now knew, stepped forward to answer. “I’m trying to stop you from making a big mistake. Jessica, what in the name of the Great Stag were you thinking taking a quest to destroy a dungeon?”

  The looks of tension on the faces of the Baggio party told Pos that his feelings were right. They were here to destroy the dungeon core!

  “Barwin, I don’t know what you are talking about.” The human archer denied. “This is just a delve, to go as deep as possible. No one is here to destroy the dungeon.”

  Pos stepped forward. “Jessica, is it? Well, I got a quest from the dungeon core saying otherwise.”

  “What nonsense is that? And who in the name of the Four Winds are you?” The mage of the Baggio party asked incredulously.

  “I am Pos, the Discover of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques. I hold a Dungeon Technique from this dungeon, and this dungeon just told me that some adventurers are here to destroy it. And guess what? Your party just happens to be in the dungeon.”

  “Dungeons don’t give out quests!” The dark knight of the Baggio party said grimly.

  “This one does.” Pos countered immediately.

  “Now, now, there’s no need to argue.” Barwin tried to calm everyone down. “Jessica, the matter has already been reported to the Adventurer Guild. They are going to be very interested in this matter.”

  “Is that a threat, Barwin? I just told you we’re not here to destroy the dungeon. You rather believe a Trick Dungeon than your follow adventurers?” The human archer asked, a dangerous smile on her face.