Chapter 120: Harpy Eagle Underground Dungeon

Dawn came quickly.

When Zaid opened his eyes, the sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the distant mountains. The light didn’t reach the window, so it was dark inside.

Erick and John were already awake.

They ate a quick breakfast, and before dawn had fully broken, they left the hotel and walked out of the city.

Today, they weren’t interested in sightseeing. They had only one goal: to hunt in the Harpy’s Dungeon.

It was relatively far from the city, though it only took them an hour to walk there.

The dungeon wasn’t a portal; it was a natural formation that stretched beneath enormous mountains and, over the years, had been claimed by a mad beast.

It worked exactly the same as all the dungeons inside the portals, and if you didn’t kill the beasts completely, they would gradually come back to life. That’s why it was so well-known among the lower ranks—especially Ranks F and E—who hunted in the vicinity of the first floor.

People had already gathered around the dungeon; they’d been there since the night before. Many of them had been there for weeks or months, trying to level up or advance in rank.

No one was on their own. Everyone was in groups of five or six.

Groups as small as Zaid’s, Erick’s, and John’s were unusual.

"Are we going to clear the entire dungeon, or will we focus on the first few floors and the surrounding areas?" John asked.

Erick had the same question, so he looked at Zaid.

"I’d prefer to clear the entire dungeon," he said, pointing to Valia on his shoulder. "She needs to eat some beasts; I think a Harpy would be just the thing for her."

"Eat a beast that big? I mean... Do you want to find her lunch and dinner for the next three years?"

Zaid laughed. "I have no idea. She said she couldn’t eat it in a few seconds."

"..."

"..."

The entrance to the dungeon had formed in the rock, and they descended a natural staircase to its first level.

Zaid looked at his friends and nodded at them. "Let’s not even think about it."

John swallowed hard. "I’ll give it my all," he muttered.

Erick got excited. "Let’s go to my first dungeon in this strange world!"

The three of them went inside.

The entrance was less crowded than Zaid had expected, but there were still several hunters coming and going. Some were hunting beasts; others were carrying materials on their backs.

Other hunters were dragging beast carcasses up the stairs.

Then there were the groups who could barely walk because of their many wounds. They had faced dangerous creatures that were clearly far stronger than they were.

Zaid watched it all for a few seconds. Despite the late hour, there were so many of them...

’Just as you’d expect from a dungeon as famous as this one,’ he thought.

The three of them finished entering, and the change was immediate.

The light peeking in from outside disappeared behind them and was replaced by a faint natural glow coming from small crystals embedded in the walls.

The dungeon sloped downward naturally. There were no built walls or straight paths. They were enormous caves leading somewhere.

The floor was made of sand and stone—mostly the latter. The walls looked as if they had been eroded over hundreds of years.

"First floor..." John swallowed hard. "It doesn’t feel like a first floor."

Although he was the most familiar with these places, he felt the pressure ahead of him.

Zaid looked ahead. He could hear something—a low rumble of battle, along with growls and other sounds. He drew his daggers and smiled.

"Time to get moving," he murmured.

Just as he said that, a pair of yellow eyes appeared among the red ones. Then another pair. And another.

At first, only their eyes were visible; then their bodies came into view.

Desert wolves, quite large. They had yellowish-brown fur and bodies covered in layers of sand that wouldn’t fall off. Their claws were long, and their fangs could easily pierce human flesh or bone.

"Rank E, guys. I’ll leave you injured, so get comfortable," Zaid laughed, and his body vanished right in front of them.

He unleashed his full power. The wolves thought they were the hunters, but since they were in a small pack of seven, Zaid was able to do whatever he wanted with them.

They were barely Rank E, Levels 13 or 14. They couldn’t withstand Zaid’s strength of 160. His daggers pierced their necks, killing two of them instantly.

[You have killed...]

[You have gained +10 PE...]

[+10 PE...]

[+20 PE...]

The system messages flashed, heightening their excitement.

The other five were wounded, and Erick and John appeared beside them.

Erick took out two.

John took out three.

The bodies fell heavily onto the sandy, rocky ground.

The two looked at each other, in shock.

"Quite a bit weaker than I thought," they murmured.

"Don’t get complacent. I caught them off guard; the next battles won’t be so easy," Zaid replied.

They looked at him with unreadable expressions.

"You just killed two with a single blow... Zaid, what level are you, really?"

"Level 11. Why?"

"There’s no way you’re level 11, Zaid!"

"Tsk, not trusting your friends is definitely a bad thing," Zaid grumbled.

But he immediately noticed movement. "Get ready. There are a lot more of them this time," Zaid braced himself, standing in front of the two of them.

’Valia, you’ll have to help me.’

’Okay!’

In front of them, a pack of desert wolves appeared.

Five... Ten. Fifteen. Twenty...

"That’s a lot," John said.

Erick frowned. "Can you handle them, Zaid?"

Zaid scoffed. "Sure, if you guys help me and we fight alongside Valia. But I can’t promise we’ll come out unscathed."

"Hey, guys..." John interrupted their conversation. "I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but look behind you."

Zaid turned around. "Even though we haven’t walked very far..."

Behind them, coming from other directions, were ten more of them.

"Now there are definitely too many of them," Zaid smiled nervously.

"Should we run?" Erick asked.

"I think we should," John said.

Zaid looked at them as if they were idiots. "What the hell are you talking about? We’re obviously going to fight!"

"Are you crazy? Against more than 30 Rank E beasts? We’re going to die!"

"It’s precisely because there are more than 30 of them that we have to fight! Can you even imagine how much PE and ME that all adds up to?"

Silence fell over the group of three for a moment.

Erick and John looked at the beasts behind them.

"We’ll take care of these. Whoever kills all the ones on their side first should go help the other side."