Chapter 72: Inside the Yellow Dungeon

They had to wait another thirty minutes.

Following procedure, everyone’s name was confirmed again before they were asked to wait, directed towards a covered seating area.

"Rest while you can. We’ll call you when they’re ready." Lex said.

Leon sat down, as did the rest of the students.

There wasn’t much else for him to do, so he placed his bag beside his feet, drank some water and watched the professionals speak with the local staff.

Four professional summoners would be entering the dungeon with them, along with Lex.

The man who had travelled on the bus was standing over a route diagram with the site supervisor, tracing one section with his finger as they spoke. Another professional was testing a radio, while a woman carrying a short spear waited close to the dungeon entrance.

The fourth was sorting through the equipment they would be taking inside.

The twelve students had been divided into four groups of three. Leon looked at the assignment he had been given.

Caleb Ward and Nolan Reed.

Both were third years.

They were seated together a short distance away, looking at something on Caleb’s phone while they spoke. Leon picked up his bag and walked over.

"You’re with us?" Caleb asked after looking up, moving his bag from the empty seat beside him.

"Looks like it." Leon replied with a nod, his tone not overly warm, but not distant or cold either.

"Caleb."

"Nolan." The other student added.

Leon nodded and sat down after introducing himself also. They already knew who he was, so there wasn’t much reason to introduce himself again, but he figured he would to stay polite.

"We’re following the blue markers." Caleb said as he turned his phone slightly towards Leon, showing him the route diagram. "The numbered branches have been surveyed, but we only enter them if we’re told to."

"All right."

"That section looks wide enough to bring everything out." Nolan said while pointing towards a larger part of the route.

Caleb nodded.

"What are your summons?" Leon asked.

"Mine’s a Greyhorn Boar." Caleb replied.

"Wind Hawk." Nolan added. "I’ll keep it above the group whenever there’s enough room, if the tunnels are small, that might be limiting for me. I’ll be relying on you guys if that becomes the case."

They didn’t speak for longer before the two returned to discussing where their summons would work best, alongside other things.

They had clearly fought together before. Leon listened for a while before looking towards the other groups.

Linda had been placed with a third-year girl named Mara and a second-year student called Iris.

Seth was grouped with Evan and Tessa. He was still explaining things to them while they waited, and neither of them seemed to mind listening.

The final group consisted of another third year and two second years.

There were twelve students altogether. Five second years, four third years, Seth from the fourth year, and Leon and Linda from the first year.

’At least there should be enough room when we reach that wider section.’ Leon thought as he looked back at the route diagram.

He wasn’t bothered that Caleb and Nolan were mostly speaking to each other. They were discussing something useful, and Leon had no problem listening. Not to mention, they were definitely friends and this was the first time meeting them. He could also tell that they were trying to be cool and not bring up anything about the tournament or his summons, which he was also very ok with.

The thirty minutes passed without much happening.

Once everything was ready, Lex called the students over.

The final checks took less time than the registration.

One of the staff members gave each group a local radio, with Caleb taking the one assigned to their group. Another worker checked their lamps before handing Leon a small one that could be clipped onto the strap of his bag. These were special lamps made of illuminating stones that shone quite bright for their size.

"Relay one. Check." The professional who had travelled on the bus said into his handset.

A voice answered clearly.

He changed the setting and repeated the call. Another response came through, followed by a short exchange that didn’t last long.

"The route relays are working." He told Lex.

Lex nodded and gathered the students.

"Gareth leads." He said while indicating the professional. "Stay behind him unless you’re called forward. Your groups remain together."

Gareth briefly raised one hand so everyone knew who Lex meant.

The woman carrying the short spear moved to the rear of the group. The other two professionals would remain along the sides of the student column, watching the branching passages and moving to whichever area needed support.

Lex would remain among the students.

"Three short whistle blasts means withdraw." He continued. "Move back along the marked route with your group and follow the rear guard. The same instruction may also come through the radios."

Lex looked over the students once.

"Ready?"

Several answered, while the rest nodded.

With that, there was no more hesitation, Gareth entered first.

Caleb moved when their group was called, with Nolan following behind him. Leon crossed through the dungeon entrance last among the three.

As soon as they crossed to the other side, the first thing they noticed was how the air on the other side was cooler.

Leon’s shoes landed on uneven stone, and he quickly moved away from the entrance so the people behind him would have enough space to enter.

A broad passage stretched ahead before becoming narrower where the rock walls leaned inward. Pale mineral lines along the walls gave off enough light to see the first part of the route, but farther ahead, the path disappeared into darkness beneath a large overhang.

Gareth switched on his lamp and began moving.

Leon clipped his own light onto his bag strap and followed the others.

Nobody had summoned anything yet.

The students already had to adjust their spacing to pass through the first narrow section. Bringing out a Greyhorn Boar or Linda’s Yeti would have made moving through it much more difficult, though, not impossible, and there was no reason for the others to waste Spirit Energy maintaining their summons while the professionals were still covering the group.

Leon didn’t have that problem. He could leave his undead manifested without consuming his own Spirit Energy, but he would still have to walk around them in the narrow passage.

Not like he could have them out anyway, so he left them inside his summoner’s space.

The first blue marker was fixed beside a turn, with its arrow pointing beneath the overhang. A white plate beside it identified the smaller passage branching away to the right.

Gareth checked around the bend before leading them forward.

The naturally lit part of the route ended there.

Leon’s lamp revealed loose stones across the ground, a shallow dip in the floor and the backs of Caleb’s boots ahead of him.

A small relay unit had been fixed high on one wall. Its indicator became visible when Leon’s light passed across it.

Caleb tested their group radio when instructed, otherwise, remained silent like most.

Lex’s reply came from farther behind them, and the group continued moving.

The passage opened into a chamber wide enough for the students to spread out before narrowing again beyond a cluster of tall rock formations.

Leon looked into one of the side tunnels as they passed, but the blue arrows continued farther ahead. One of the professionals remained at the junction until every student had crossed before rejoining the group.

Several parts of the route had blind bends where Gareth slowed down to check what was ahead. Other sections were low enough that Seth had to warn Evan about the top of his bag.

The ceiling rose again farther inside, while the walls widened into a large stretch that continued beyond the reach of Leon’s lamp.

Pale mineral seams provided light in uneven patches. There were several openings along both sides of the route. Some were only narrow gaps between the rocks, while others led into smaller chambers with white route plates fixed beside them.

’The air might not be damped like the last dungeon, but this terrain sucks. This is more like a cave than a dungeon.’ Leon thought to himself. He just wished he wouldn’t have to be forced into the fate of a cave diver... anything but tight spaces.

A moment later, Gareth raised one hand, bringing the group to a stopped.

A scraping sound came from somewhere ahead.