Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 64 Adventurers Still Need to Help Each Other

Chapter 64: Chapter 64 Adventurers Still Need to Help Each Other

"Sun... Warrior?"

Leon savored this unfamiliar name. He knew what the sun was—it was hanging in the sky. But what was a Sun Warrior?

It sounded like someone who took the sun as their faith, just like how the people from the Holy Light Church always call their knights Holy Light Knights.

Somehow, it conjured up in his mind the scene he saw at the bonfire, that person referred to as the Sunlight King Gwyn.

Could it be related to him—no, related to Him?

Speaking of which, Drew returned from death and immediately ran to the Magic Association in the nearby city without even resting. Leon genuinely worried whether he might drop dead on the way.

But Leon also really wanted to know what the scene at the bonfire actually meant.

"Go on,"

Maru began to narrate her observations:

"A certain item known as Summoning Hook Finger Medicine has been gaining popularity recently. There’s a place in the swamp where every time you go in, you can reliably find five or six of them. I even figured out the exact location,"

She said with pride: "It’s said that after using Summoning Hook Finger Medicine in the Dungeon, you can see golden and red Summoning Marks. The golden ones represent assistants who can temporarily become comrades and explore the Dungeon with you, while the red ones are called fighters, who you must battle as soon as they are summoned,"

...Are there really people idle enough to summon adversaries in such an underworld-like Dungeon?

Disliking the fact that they’re not dying fast enough?

"Wait, wait, let me catch my breath,"

Leon rubbed his temples and showed a confused expression, asking:

"These so-called assistants and fighters... are they all real, living people, or what?"

"What’s their purpose in helping or fighting adventurers, and what’s in it for them?"

"Why are they able to leave behind Summoning Marks, are they using some special items?"

Maru opened her mouth, but couldn’t find the words for a long time, finally puffing up her cheeks and saying:

"How could I possibly know all that,"

"I thought you were so confident..."

Maru slumped onto the sofa and said:

"I just knew about the news a bit earlier than you, boss, how would I know what their purposes are or what items they use,"

"But one thing I can confirm is that those people are all indeed real and alive,"

Leon raised an eyebrow "How so?"

"Because a lot of people have met their assistants in real life,"

Maru thought for a moment and said: "There’s an Elf named Steeran who’s been quite the topic of conversation recently. She is one of the Sun Warriors, and it’s said that the news about the Summoning Hook Finger Medicine was spread by her,"

"Steeran?"

——————————

Steeran sat at the entrance to a fortress in the swamp region, on a small stool she brought herself.

A golden glowing Summoning Mark lay at her feet, awaiting the call of a destined summoner.

At her waist hung a short dagger, and on her back a longbow and arrows. She had once again donned her classic attire, the only difference being a bronze medallion worn on her chest, depicting a sun with a human face.

Though the expression on the sun was quite serious, the overall look was... somewhat abstract.

This medallion was the insignia of a Sun Warrior.

And she was the first Sun Warrior born from the Sain Dungeon.

Everything started not so long ago.

That day, after reuniting with Gong Qiying, she heard from her companions about the delicacies area.

Then, a large influx of people swarmed into the food district, and the number of quests related to that area surged. Naturally, their team took on many of them and for a long time were busy clearing these quests, earning a substantial amount of money.

By the time Steeran finally managed to free up some time and wanted to seek out Gong Qiying again, she could no longer find his Summoning Mark anywhere.

Ever since she delivered the magical materials he needed as requested, she hadn’t seen Gong Qiying again, which made her quite depressed.

But then she thought about it, Gong Qiying was always traveling around; he probably left Bed City to go on adventures elsewhere.

Although she was somewhat reluctant to let go, she guessed that was where their fate ended. She hoped that one day they might reunite somewhere...

After that, she and her Morning Wind Team committed to exploring the intermediate level of the Dungeon, but regrettably, due to a lack of brute strength, they always died of all sorts of bizarre deaths.

For example, they were pitifully beaten by a giant White Ape and several monkeys wielding Dual Blades...

Or there was the time they saw a cute yellow Monster resembling a little mouse, but as soon as they approached, they were electrocuted with 100,000 Volts, charred on the outside but tender inside...

There was also the time they killed a strange Monster that looked like a chubby black creature, only for them to inexplicably die along with it, and Steeran still does not understand the principle behind it.

The answer is that the Geng Ghost used its life-linking ability.

After numerous deaths, the whole team lost their motivation, sinking into depression.

They just couldn’t beat the challenges. Truly, they couldn’t beat them.

The only current solution for breaking through was leveling up at the bonfire. But there’s a problem—

Gong Qiying designed the stats so well that for someone like Steeran, who is of average strength among adventurers, to level up even once she would need to wipe out the entire swamp area’s Monsters and include a few fat brothers from Sick Village.

You see, she had only leveled up about ten times, and now she was stuck?

To level up again, you must go deeper into the Dungeon to slay more Monsters, like in the intermediate level. The souls dropped by these Monsters are worlds apart compared to the ones from the upper levels; one Double-bladed White Ape is worth two fat brothers.

So why, after adventuring in the intermediate level for so long, had their strength not increased?

Because after death, the number of souls carried is reset to zero, unlike in games, where they can be picked up again...

They rarely managed to return to the bonfire with enough spiritual power for leveling up; they mostly just died out there.

That was truly tragic.

However, not long ago, Steeran found a new way to enhance her strength.

During an adventure in the intermediate level, she was separated from her companions and by chance discovered a cliff at the edge of a forest.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, she could see the rising Sun in the distance.

She knew this Sun was just an illusion created by the Dungeon, but as the sunlight pierced through the gloomy clouds and cast its light upon her, she felt an overwhelming warmth and brilliance, involuntarily developing a longing for the Sun.

At that moment, Steeran suddenly remembered Gong Qiying and something he said during one of their encounters, which she didn’t understand at the time.

"Praise the Sun!"

Later, Gong Qiying explained that it was a phrase often spoken by a hero he had met.

He mentioned that those who believe in the Sun are good people—they delight in helping others, give hope to those in dire straits, and aspire to become avatars of the Sun, using their own light and warmth to comfort others.

At that time, Steeran wondered if Gong Qiying’s help was also due to his belief in the Sun. She never did ask him about it.

At the cliff, she saw an altar with a statue long-destroyed and unrecognizable. But as she approached, a line of text suddenly appeared:

[Do you wish to make a pact and become a Sun Warrior?]

She chose "yes" amidst her confusion and thus attained a Sun Badge and a withered Hook Finger, which could be used to draw a Summoning Mark and allow others to summon her.

This further solidified her belief that Gong Qiying was a Sun Warrior.

Although she couldn’t see him anymore, the scenes of Gong Qiying helping her were still vivid in her mind. So, Steeran thought, perhaps she could help others as well?

Therefore, she drew a Summoning Mark in front of the Stone Statue Ghosts’ gate, wanting to assist those who couldn’t get past this obstacle.

Then, she discovered an unexpected delight—

Helping others defeat bosses awarded her a considerable amount of soul rewards.