Lawrence hadn’t just found out about the micro-dungeon in the past couple of days.
In fact, it had been more than a week since he first learned about it.
He’d been preparing ever since—gathering supplies and gear for the expedition, including (but not limited to) silver-plated weapons for undead enemies, crossbows, lighting equipment, water, antidotes, food, and other provisions. He even prepared tools for special terrain: lockpicks, climbing ropes, and reconnaissance kits.
Next came recruiting the team.
He reached out via letters to several former apprentice acquaintances—most of them fairly capable. The past week was spent waiting for everyone to arrive, since not everyone could drop their current quests at a moment’s notice.
As always, the first meeting place for their temporary exploration party was a tavern.
Wormwood Town, Oak Barrel Tavern.
Maybe it was just the local flair, but even the tavern here had a faint herbal scent in the air. The fragrance made what should’ve been a rowdy place feel a bit serene—Gauss thought it reminded him of a wine bar from his previous life.
He pushed open the door and scanned the room.
In a corner booth, he spotted Lawrence sitting with a few unfamiliar men and women—most likely the other dungeon explorers.
“Let me introduce you—this is Gauss, spellcaster. Extremely capable,” Lawrence said as he pulled Gauss over for introductions.
The others had already heard from Lawrence that another apprentice spellcaster would be joining. But when they saw Gauss’s youthful, almost delicate appearance, they instantly assumed he hadn’t been adventuring for long.
After all, a seasoned adventurer wouldn’t still have that kind of clear skin.
They exchanged glances, silently wondering:
Was this some rich kid friend of Lawrence’s tagging along for fun?
Of course, they were wrong.
Gauss had grown up in a farming family and looked nothing just a couple months ago. But with consistent food, better living conditions, and steadily increasing attributes, he’d gone through a bit of a glow-up.
He could feel their skeptical looks but didn’t flinch.
Adventuring was all about strength, and Gauss believed that no bottom-tier adventurer could outmatch him anymore—so he didn’t care what others thought.
He greeted them calmly and confidently.
That calm demeanor earned him some respect. The others dropped their assumptions—for now—and began introducing themselves.
After everyone spoke, Gauss took stock of the team:
Including himself and Lawrence, there were seven members.
Two were warrior apprentices: the human Liam and the half-orc Zorc.
There was the rogue apprentice Edith, the bulky cleric apprentice Adrian, the ranger apprentice Bianca, and finally, the spellcasters—Lawrence and Gauss.
Aside from Lawrence, who looked a little worn from wine and women, the rest were clearly solid fighters. One glance at their muscle tone made that obvious.
Gauss was pleased. He wanted teammates he could rely on.
After half a day of group training, Gauss quickly grew closer to the others.
They were surprised—and impressed—by his performance in drills.
What kind of spellcaster was this guy? Strong, fast, skilled with both offense and defense... and he even had solid swordplay?
His skillset seemed to exceed the typical apprentice template.
None of them asked how he trained. That was his business. All they needed to know was that he was on their side.
“Gauss, want to hit the tavern again tonight?” the half-orc Zorc clapped him on the shoulder, laughing heartily.
Most half-orcs were like that—straightforward, quick to act, and fond of strength.
You could always read their emotions on their faces.
And right now, Zorc’s face was pure warmth and friendliness—unlike last night, when he was the coldest one at the table.
“I’ll pass. We head out tomorrow, so I’d rather stay sharp tonight,” Gauss said, a bit stiff from Zorc’s overpowering body odor.
“Haha, fair enough!” Zorc wasn’t offended—he even nodded in agreement.
Lawrence watched the exchange, massaging his temples.
He wasn’t that close with Zorc himself. In his memory, Zorc was impulsive, blunt, and often rude—yet here he was being completely reasonable.
It made Lawrence glance over at Gauss again.
Of all of them, Lawrence was the most surprised. After spending days with Gauss, he thought he had a good grasp on the guy—only for Gauss to pull out even more skills during the morning drills.
Now Lawrence felt lucky he’d invited Gauss. Probably the best decision he made.
The micro-dungeon was some distance from Wormwood Town.
The party met early and traveled by wagon provided by Lawrence’s family’s herb business.
No one talked much—everyone just rested during the ride.
The scenery grew more barren the farther they traveled from civilization.
Eventually, they disembarked and hiked the final stretch.
Before a cluster of stone pillars jutting out of the earth like jagged fangs, Lawrence stopped. “This is it.”
Gauss looked around. The area felt eerie, almost unnatural.
Some of the structures looked like they had forced their way out of the ground.
It didn’t make much logical sense.
The group didn’t rush in. They unpacked their gear and rested to get into optimal condition before entering.
Gauss munched on some food, restoring both stamina and mana lost from casting Mage Armor earlier.
Once everyone was ready, the rogue apprentice Edith got to work.
She scouted the area around the dungeon entrance, checking for lurking monsters or beasts.
After confirming it was safe, everyone gathered at the stone floor tiles.
Lawrence pointed to a loose one. “Right here.”
He carefully pried it loose.
With the sound of a mechanism triggering, a square opening (about two meters wide) slowly opened in the stone floor.
The tunnel sloped downward into darkness. No light reached the depths.
The first thing to come out of that thick black void was stale, heavy air.
“I’ll send my little scout in first,” Edith said, lifting a ferret by the scruff.
She stroked its belly gently—part comfort, part health check—then gave it a treat and set it down at the edge of the entrance.
She chirped a high-pitched command, and the ferret cautiously sniffed around... then scampered into the dark.
Shortly after, some high-pitched squeaks echoed back.
Edith pressed her ear to the entrance, listening.
“I’ll go in and check things out. If it’s safe, I’ll come back and let you know.”
Then she vanished into the shadows.
Gauss patiently watched her go.
Lawrence had briefed him days ago on what to expect in dungeons—especially the traps and mechanisms left behind by the ancient “Forgotten Kingdom.”
Those were often more dangerous than the monsters themselves.
That’s why having a rogue like Edith was non-negotiable. She would map the terrain, mark enemy positions, and guide the team safely.
It reminded Gauss why he only took solo commissions after his return to adventuring. Without a rogue, no amount of power could protect you from what you couldn’t see.
After some time, Edith returned with a hand-drawn map and began explaining the dungeon layout.
Gauss studied the diagram. It was a network of rooms linked by narrow hallways, shaped roughly like a tree—each node a separate encounter zone.
She had only mapped the rooms near the entrance. The rest they’d explore together.
“So this is what a ‘micro-dungeon’ looks like?” Gauss was surprised.
He’d expected something the size of a small basement.
But this was much more complex.
Each room could contain enemies, traps, or worse.
The team double-checked their gear and entered one by one.
Gauss took a middle position.
At Zorc’s request, he cast Light on the orc’s shield.
It didn’t even cost him mana—his bone staff could store up to five Light spells due to its special affinity.
Sadly, it didn’t work with other spells.
The shield lit up the passage, a soft white glow pushing back the gloom.
Even the oppressive atmosphere felt weaker under that light.
Lawrence glanced at Gauss.
There was something off about his Light spell.
He’d seen it before—many times. But Gauss’s version felt... different.
Still, now wasn’t the time to ask.
“Careful. Don’t step on that brick—it’s a pressure plate linked to a trap,” Edith warned.
Everyone avoided it carefully.
The descent continued for what Gauss estimated was over a hundred meters.
By now they were probably 30–40 meters below the surface.
At the end of the stairwell was a cramped entry chamber.
Maybe 20 square meters in size. Low ceiling. Claustrophobic.
Maybe it was the light, but several skeletons stirred and rose from the floor.
Raspy groans filled the room.
“I’ve got this,” Gauss said, stopping his teammates.
He rushed forward with his blade.
Three strikes later, the five skeletons were down.
Even a farmer could handle that kind of undead. They were no threat.
[Total Monster Kills: 110]
Gauss sheathed his sword.
His monster compendium had finally resumed progress—stalled for days due to Mage Armor training.
He stared into the dark halls branching off into deeper levels, filled with anticipation.
Hopefully, the dungeon was crawling with weaklings like these skeletons.
After all, the compendium didn’t care about power levels. As long as it died, it counted.
If things went well, he might clear the next milestone in this dungeon.
Meanwhile, Lawrence stared at Gauss, stunned.
Charging in, slicing down enemies like a whirlwind—was this how spellcasters were supposed to fight?
Something inside him quietly shattered.