Ch.90Book of Adventure

April 5th, 10 AM, the day of the dungeon exploration. After checking out of our lodgings, I headed to the client’s mansion at the appointed time. When I arrived at the reception room, Hector and two men were already there.

“Oh, welcome! I see you’ve brought five people.”

“Finally here, are you? Couldn’t have bothered to move a bit earlier?”

I don’t appreciate his condescending attitude, but I do think arriving early for appointments is commendable.

Even if his reason was simply to arrive before us so he could throw barbs our way.

“It’s still two minutes before our appointment time. Barging in too early at someone else’s home is also inconsiderate.”

“You should have had information to relay to the client before starting the job, no? Well, I’ve already explained everything, so you should be thanking me.”

“Hmm… did you explain it properly?”

Jessica eyed Hector suspiciously.

Fair enough. If I were the client and hired someone for a dungeon investigation only to be told they’d split into teams to compete against each other, I wouldn’t be pleased either.

I wonder if the client knows that the reason for this competition is an apology for insulting behavior and sexual servitude?

“Mr. Jones explained everything in detail. You’ll split into two parties for more efficient exploration rather than eight people crowding a narrow dungeon, then provide me with both teams’ findings? That’s quite generous of you.”

“Think nothing of it, Mr. McClain. It’s more comfortable for us to move with members we’re used to working with. However…”

“I understand. You asked me to evaluate which team’s data is more accurate and valuable to determine each party’s contribution. As the client, I promise to judge fairly.”

That Hector, he’s cleverly disguised the reason for splitting the parties to manipulate the client.

Even if he wins the bet, he won’t be able to comfortably demand a night with Jessica. I can’t understand why he’s so obsessed.

He’s probably planning to cancel the sexual slavery demand out of consideration for me and just demand Jessica acknowledge her inferiority.

‘Well, I have no intention of losing this bet either way.’

Hector’s party members were both humans, one armed with a double-barrel shotgun and the other with a revolver and cutlass.

Since humans can’t fight monsters with ordinary melee weapons, that cutlass is likely a magical tool or artifact.

“Now then, I’ll guide you to the dungeon. Follow me.”

The client led us not outside the mansion but to a corner room at the end of a hallway.

It was an empty room except for a bookstand against one wall with an expensive-looking book on it.

The curtains covering all the windows were likely meant to conceal the book’s existence.

“Mr. McClain? You said you’d guide us to the dungeon, but this place is…”

“I understand your confusion. But do you remember when I asked for discretion regarding the transportation method to the dungeon yesterday?”

“Ah. Could it be that book…?”

Seeming to understand my implication about the transportation method, the client nodded and picked up the book from the stand, holding it out for us to see.

“The Book of Adventure… ‘The Secret Labyrinth and the Brave Challenger’?”

“This book is a spatial transportation grimoire. When you open it and read the activation spell on the first page, a gate appears leading to the dungeon entrance.”

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“Long-distance instant transportation magic has never been discovered before. If someone could decipher this grimoire’s formula…”

“I considered that as well and secretly hired magical scholars to attempt deciphering it. Unfortunately, they told me this grimoire is impossible to interpret with current magical theory.”

If one could freely use spatial transportation gate magic and monopolize it, they could make far more money than just using it as a round-trip ticket to some unknown dungeon.

I wanted to examine the book closely to see if there were any arcane words written somewhere, but McClain returned it to the bookstand and positioned himself between the adventurers and the book before continuing.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to touch or examine this book in detail. Your job is simply to enter the gate I open and explore the dungeon.”

“Will the gate remain open until we return, or is it one-way once we enter?”

“The gate remains open for one hour once activated, and cannot be reopened for 72 hours after closing. Also, the actual location of the dungeon remains unknown.”

“So if we enter through this gate and fail to return before the next one opens, we’ll die from timeout in some unknown wilderness…”

“That would be the case. Therefore, the duration of this request extends until you return through the reopened gate. Rather than rushing to complete your investigation, prioritize returning safely. If necessary, I’ll commission second or third investigations.”

Prioritizing adventurers’ safety over results isn’t simply out of goodwill.

It wouldn’t be in the client’s interest to have casualties from reckless exploration, increasing the number of adventurers who know about the grimoire’s secret.

No need to voice that thought and upset the client, though.

“If both parties are ready, I’ll open the gate.”

“Wait. We brought a pack horse outside the mansion. Can animals pass through the gate too?”

“It should be possible, but… you can’t take a horse into the dungeon anyway, so why not leave it in my stable? I’ll instruct my staff to take good care of it.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather bring him along. Repacking would be troublesome, and he’s been through thick and thin with us.”

As McClain said, the pack horse can’t enter the dungeon interior, but I’d rather have Ancestor waiting outside the dungeon than leave him at this mansion.

In the worst-case scenario where we can’t return through the gate and are stranded, we could quickly build a cart for Ancestor to pull, allowing five people to ride and travel through the night to reach some western town.

Hector and his two companions’ lives? That’s not my concern.

“Hmph, bringing mud-covered hooves to dirty the mansion interior—I wonder who’s being inconsiderate now.”

“Hahaha, it’s fine. If it increases your chances of success, I’m happy to have my staff clean the floors.”

With the client’s consent, I followed a servant outside to bring Ancestor in.

I felt a bit guilty seeing the deep hoof prints in the hallway carpet, but it was necessary for our party’s safety.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, perfectly.”

“Hmph, we’ve been ready from the start.”

“Then I’ll open the gate. Though it normally stays open for an hour, I’ll close it as soon as all of you have passed through.”

“When and where will it reopen?”

“Three days from now, April 8th at noon, at the same location where the gate first opened.”

So our only opportunity to return to Riverside through the gate is between noon and 1 PM on April 8th.

I don’t know how complex the dungeon interior is, but we’ll need to calculate our movements to ensure we return to the gate location in time.

“Across time, beyond the horizon, to the unknown land hidden in the mirage.”

As the client recited the spell with the open book, a glowing blue circular gate appeared before us.

We couldn’t see what was on the other side, so it would be best to enter in combat formation, but before I could suggest this, Hector led his two companions through first.

“Wait, Hector!? Sigh, so reckless…”

“Can’t be helped. Let’s go in too. Seth, Jessica, me with Ancestor, Phyllis, and Mina, in that order.”

“Got it.”

“I wish you good fortune. I look forward to hearing good news.”

With Mr. McClain’s send-off, we passed through the gate one by one to find a sheer cliff rising several dozen meters on the other side.

At the base of the cliff was a dungeon entrance pulsating with purple light, awaiting adventurers’ visits. At the top of the cliff stood what appeared to be part of a castle or a cylindrical tower.

Though I had no evidence, I sensed that passing through this dungeon might lead us to that structure atop the cliff.

“Let’s examine our surroundings a bit before entering the dungeon.”

“Hmph, waste time if you want. We’re heading in first.”

After responding to my suggestion, Hector entered the dungeon with his two companions.

“He’s certainly impatient. Shouldn’t a mage always analyze situations calmly?”

“What should we do? Should we go in too so they don’t get ahead of us?”

“No. Let’s investigate the surroundings first as Will suggested. We can’t take Ancestor into the dungeon anyway.”

This is a strange place we’ve arrived at through a spatial transportation grimoire, and it’s our return point that we must come back to in three days.

Let’s not be swayed by Hector’s party’s movements. We should secure the safety of our surroundings first, then methodically explore the dungeon.