A familiar glass cave covered in bright lights greeted me as soon as I walked through the portal and opened my eyes. Unconsciously, I felt hesitant. Maybe it was because the last time we were here, we had fought for our lives against Dreadfear.
«I... only have to stab one person...?».
«You... will become... a great... warrior...»
Damn sea.
No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't sure he could forget that day. I didn't want to go through something like that again. However, as long as I continued exploring the maze, it was almost certain that one day I would find myself in a similar situation again.
«Sir... what's going on?
«…No es nada».
I quickly composed myself after noticing Erwen's worried look and went to see the other members of my clan, although only Erwen and Missha were nearby.
Missha, she's been quiet for a while. Still not comfortable with us?
«Missha.»
«...¿Ah, si?»
«We should go. You're OK?»
«Sí...»
For some reason, Missha was just responding to me in a strangely awkward and calm tone these days. But I shook my thoughts and set off. Our first destination was going to be the monument located in the center of the Crystal Cave. There we would meet with the rest of the clan. This time we had divided into two teams.
...I need to increase our clan membership as soon as possible.
The reason we were forced to split this month was our number. Our clan now had a total of seven members, so we had to split into a group of three and another of four. Still, if we exclude Auyen, we could have had six.
...Although we might need a navigator.
After much discussion, we decided to include Auyen this time. We considered it necessary to prepare for any eventuality, since we did not know what to expect from this new map. Some environments needed a ship and a navigator to traverse them, such as the sixth floor.
...And if we don't find the hidden area this time, we'll have to head to an upper floor anyway.
Back in the city, I read all the books related to the hidden areas that fell into my hands and learned that they all had something in common: the hidden area always appeared on the same floor where the achievement was unlocked. A good example was the achievement of the King of the Elves.
The Elf Archer, Armella Powell Merhenia, and her companions defeated the Coordinator, Gregory, and opened a hidden area of the maze.
Hidden Boss Gregory the Coordinator had a low spawn rate and could only be found if you kept climbing the Tower of Heaven instead of heading to the fifth floor. After being the first to defeat him, the Elf King's group unlocked the Labyrinth of Larcaz, not to mention what were essentially three other distinct hidden areas on the fourth floor.
In any case, that wasn't important. The important thing was that on the seventh day, the first floor of the maze would close, so if we didn't find anything by then, we would have no choice but to head higher.
«...There are many people here».
When we reached the heart of the cave, the place was packed with adventurers. The bustling scene contrasted with the usual tranquility of this area, but I figured it wasn't that strange. This was the first place any clever adventurer looking for the hidden area would look. For example, most of the adventurers present wore high-quality equipment and proudly displayed the emblems of their clans.
Still, there are more people than I thought...
As we entered the dark zone, the adventurers who saw us rushed to clear the way for us with astonished faces.
«Look, it's him».
«Es Bjorn Candel...»
«Of course, even he's looking here first ...»
They continued to look at me like I was some kind of celebrity. But some instead looked at me with a competitive gleam in their eyes.
«...Do you know anything because you have unlocked the area?».
«He got here first. That must mean something has to be hidden here, right?».
In this situation, being famous was a disadvantage.
«Missha, don't be left behind, and make sure you stay close.»
«Oh... si...»
As we continued walking along the dark path, we finally reached the cavern that housed the monument to the Last Great Sage. Again, countless adventurers were gathered around him.
«Oh! It's Bjorn! Is here!»
«You are finally here.»
«It's here, Captain.»
As soon as we arrived, we met up with the second team, who were already there waiting. The first thing I did was ask Amelia for an update.
«Did anyone find anything?»
«Not yet. It seems that the wizards of the other clans are doing something, but they haven't found anything yet.»
«Ya veo... »
As we approached the monument, the magicians gathered in front of us quickly cleared the way.
¡Tragar!
Everyone fell silent immediately, eyes wide open as they drank my every move, clearly waiting for me to give them some kind of clue. The truth is that it was hilarious.
I have no fucking idea either.
It was strange to be in front of this monument again. The last time I saw him, there was an altar to the witch in this very place. What other secrets does this labyrinth hide?
With that idea in mind, I began to read the text of the monument again.
[The Last Great Sage, Diplan Groundel Gabrielius. In honor of his great first step].
It was the same text I had read countless times before.
So the text didn't change...
After that, I scanned the monument with a keen eye, but once again, I couldn't find anything suspicious or different. The same thing happened when I touched the stone. After finding nothing, I returned to my companions to discuss the situation.
«Versyl, have you activated Voice Control?».
«Yes, it is activated».
«Very good.»
«Yandel, have you found anything?»
«Not yet.»
There were a lot of things I wanted to check, but considering how many eyes there were on me, I couldn't do anything. Everyone here might revere me as a great hero, but the truth was that I wasn't that special... or kind enough to help them all.
«So, let's go».
I decided to come back later, when there were fewer people. However, just as we were about to leave, someone approached me.
«Baron Yandel». The man had a sword, brown hair and a strong build. I looked at him, wondering who he was, and he greeted me with aristocratic deference. «My name is Marnus Stilico. I am the leader of the Ninth Team of the White Ivory Clan. It is an honor to meet you, Your Honor».
Ah, so that was the emblem of the White Ivory Clan. They were one of the four largest clans left.
«Versyl, apaga el Control de Voz por un momento.»
«Sí.»
«So», I asked politely once Voice Control was turned off, «what do you want to talk about?».
The guy immediately slipped into a careful proposal. «If you have any information about the hidden area, we would like to buy it at a reasonable price».
Wow, I was wondering what you wanted. But was that all?
He had received countless proposals in recent weeks to purchase information about the hidden area. If memory serves, one of the cards I ignored had actually been from the White Ivory Clan.
«Information, you say...» Even if I had something to give, I would never sell it for money. Still, I pretended to sincerely consider his offer before asking him a question I had in mind. «Is the captain of the White Ivory Clan also here on the first floor?»
«...I'm sure it's still here, but it's probably not close».
«So, are you also looking in the suburbs?».
«No, of the nine teams that make up the White Ivory Clan, we are the only ones in charge of exploring the hidden area».
In other words, apart from these boys, the rest of the clan had headed straight to the upper floors as usual.
«I'm surprised. It seems like you're not putting much resources into the search.»
I decided to act as if I was worried that they wouldn't offer much money for my information, seeing that only one of their teams was assigned to explore the hidden area.
«No one in our clan takes this matter lightly», he was quick to say. «Unfortunately, due to our war contract with the palace, we simply cannot dedicate all of our resources to exploring the area at this time».
«In other words, does war come first?».
«Yeah. If this area can be found in a few days, our team will suffice. But equally, if it's not easy to find, then there's no reason for us to go all out from the beginning. Our clan is not the only one that approaches the issue in this way. I'm sure the other clans do something similar too».
«Ya veo.»
«So... will you sell us information...?»
It was time to end this conversation. «I'm sorry, but I won't.» I had already heard everything I wanted to hear from him.
«...I see. Yes, thank you for kindly lending me some of your precious time».
Once the conversation was over, we turned our backs on the monument and left the center of the cavern.
This war is surprisingly useful.
I was worried that the entire first floor was flooded with adventurers, but further from the center, it was relatively empty. Most of our competitors must have been entangled in war. That meant that even if the entrance ended up being easy to find, we wouldn't have to worry too much about losing our share.
«Bjorn! Where are we going now?» Ainar asked enthusiastically.
«On the outskirts...»
It was finally my turn to show off some skills I hadn't used in a long time. The faster we found this place, the more treasures we could enjoy.
***
Dungeon and Stone was possibly the most hostile game to the player I had ever played. You had to bang your head against the keyboard to defeat their bosses. The different levels and Rifts you encountered were packed with all kinds of strange mechanics that made it a pain to overcome. Additionally, there were too many hidden elements in the game, to the point that you were starting to wonder if the goal of the game was to search for them.
I could be ranting about how hostile the game design was for three days straight, but at the same time, the main reason I got hooked on the game was that same hostility. Those days, I had been fighting unbearable boredom every day, and the only thing that had managed to catch my attention and light a fire in me had been this nightmarishly difficult game.
I haven't looked for a hidden feature in a while.
What made Dungeon and Stone difficult were these hidden elements. In essence, your ability to progress through the game depended entirely on how many hidden features you knew about. If you didn't know anything about them, it was practically impossible to advance through the floors like in most games. That's why I got into the habit of looking for hidden features every time I played. It had become as natural to me as breathing.
If he saw a statue, he looked for a way to break it. Whenever I moved, I made sure to keep my character close to the wall while I pressed the buttons. If something seemed even remotely suspicious to me, I would cast all kinds of magic on it. He even burned, froze, and dumped the bodies of looters to see if there was a reward for doing so.
The result of doing that for almost a decade was the discovery of countless hidden elements. Oh, and of course, I gained some expertise to track them effectively.
The thing is, I haven't invested in ways to find hidden traits.
I didn't have any characters nearby with incredible luck or essences specifically adapted to the search. In fact, I had trained all my current companions to specialize in combat. After all, before last month, I was confident I had found all the hidden features the game offered.
Luckily, now I can at least read the ancient language...
Well, if the hidden area didn't require the ancient language to find it, then it was a useless skill.
Hit!
Still, what else could he do? If you didn't have teeth, you just had to chew with your gums.
The birth.
Hit!
As I used to do when playing the game, I got as close to the wall as I could and hit it as I went. It wasn't just me either; The whole clan did the same.
Hit! Hit! Hit!
It was a symphony of hammers, daggers and spirits attacking the walls of the Crystal Cave.
«Ohhh! This is fun! Just like a festival!»
Everyone apart from Ainar seemed reluctant, but they still diligently carried out my orders.
«Even if you hate it, there is no other option! This is the standard way to find a Gabrielius» Achievement.
«... Standard mode?»
«I read it in a book before!»
As we continued our way through the Crystal Cave, I was forced to continue making similar excuses to Versyl, as she did not know that I was an evil spirit.
On top of that, whenever we encountered certain areas, we made sure to do a very thorough check. The three-way crossing, the pond next to a large rock, any unusual patches of moss or puddles of water we found... and that's just to name a few.
For the most part, the topography of the Crystal Cave changed each time the labyrinth was reopened. However, there were some things and places that always remained the same.
And usually hidden features are found in places that don't change.
We continued hitting the walls as we wandered through the caverns and finally reached the dark area outside the cave.
¡Fwooosh!
Of course, the portal leading to the Goblin Forest had already been opened by other adventurers. We looked around, but there didn't seem to be anything suspicious nearby.
Damn, it wasn't next to the portal either.
So we decided to split up and search the outskirts on our own for a while before meeting again.
Day one, day two...
Time continued to fly without any change. Then, with only two hours left until the third day began, something finally happened. Erwen discovered a small clan of about twenty people gathered next to a certain passage, trying to prevent people from accessing it. As if they had discovered something and tried to hide it.
«I thought I should tell you first of all, sir, so I didn't approach them on my own. I kept my distance and made sure they didn't see me».
So that's the situation...
«Bien hecho, Erwen.»
I took my team to the place Erwen described. When we arrived, we saw some adventurers who seemed to be on guard, blocking the entrance to a passage.
Step step.
I approached them without bothering to hide my presence, and the adventurers guarding the passage recognized me almost immediately. They raised their weapons, but both their words and their actions oozed hesitation. «Stop! Q-Please stop there... Baron Yandel...»
Yes, it must be hard to be rude to me once they recognize me.
«I'm passing through. Is there a problem with that?» I asked, still approaching them.
The adventurers' caution turned into visible fear, and they desperately tried to convince me to turn around. «We are camping here... and according to the unwritten rules of adventure... I must humbly ask you to please leave...».
Ha? Do they really expect me to believe it when they act so suspiciously?
«Unwritten rule... What is that? Don't use such complicated words on me!» With that, I charged forward and made my way through them.
«It-Wait...!»
«N-You can't...»
In the end, all they could do was watch me make my way through their training. And as soon as I sped past them, I ran into fifteen other adventurers who were gathered by the wall. Everyone shuddered when they saw me, as if they had been caught doing something wrong.
There was great silence.
«What's the point of all the fuss around here... eh?». Suddenly, a man stuck his head out of a very small crack in the wall and his eyes widened as he met mine. «U-Uhhh... Are you...?»
«I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Are you the captain here?»
«That's right, but...»
«What's there?»
«Oh, uh... there's nothing here...»
«Hey. That doesn't seem to be true.»
While smiling at him, he closed his eyes and shouted: «We found this place first!».
Well, geez, that made it sound like we were the bad guys here.
«So they found this place first...»
«Yeah. And stealing the achievements of other adventurers will damage your reputation...»
«Did the adventurers you met before tell you the same thing?»
«...What? What... what do you mean...?»
Exactly what I said.
«¡Ay! ¡Aaargh!»
I grabbed him by the hair and ripped him off the wall like a radish. «Your sleeves. There is human blood in them. Whose is it?»
It still hadn't dried well.