Caiman watched Origami’s departing figure, sensing a faint trace of spatial power.
It was no secret among adventurers that monster merchants possessed the spatial attribute.
Although monster merchants were walking treasures and rare neutral monsters, that didn't stop some adventurers from attacking them for various reasons.
Through such encounters, the combat capabilities and elemental attributes of monster merchants had been confirmed.
“Is that guy really just a monster merchant?”
“How much of what he said was true, and how much was a lie?”
Caiman cut off his train of thought.
Regardless, the information Origami had provided was extremely helpful.
It was precious intelligence regarding the Forbidden Fire.
Moreover, beyond the fire itself, there was information about this dungeon—the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, a mysterious place that had suddenly appeared on the border, unlike any other dungeon.
Just as the adventurers had speculated, the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was indeed a sort of prison.
Prisoners existed here.
Every one of them had been sentenced to eternal imprisonment, confined within the well forever.
Of course, not everything in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was a literal prisoner.
Or rather, the concept of a prisoner here didn't necessarily apply only to living beings.
The Forbidden Fire—what the monsters here called the fire of sin—was also one of those “prisoners,” eternally confined within the well.
The uniqueness of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment lay in that very word: eternal.
Rather than a mere prison, “sealed land” was perhaps a more accurate description of this dungeon.
Caiman took a swig of an alchemical potion, wasting no time in recovering his strength.
He gripped the Forgotten Hero tightly, wary that Origami might return for a sudden attack, while he couldn't help but ponder.
Was the Well of Eternal Imprisonment truly just a small-scale dungeon?
Had the Grey family misjudged it?
The theory that another medium-scale dungeon wouldn't appear near an existing one wasn't an absolute rule.
Furthermore... shouldn't the danger level of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment be re-evaluated?
Dungeons weren't just sources of resources; they were also potential disasters.
While most dungeons were relatively docile, containing only knowledge and treasure, some harbored crises that could spill out into the world.
These could manifest as ice tides, flame disasters, tsunamis, or monster disasters.
If the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was a prison, what else was it holding besides the Forbidden Fire?
In truth, with the Forbidden Fire’s capacity for mad destruction, the fire itself was already a disaster.
“...No matter what, I have to get my hands on that fire first.”
The craving for the Forbidden Fire burned deeper in Caiman’s heart.
At the same time, a wave of heartache and resentment washed over him.
Though he had tried to distract himself from the harsh reality...
The Cinderguard hadn't dropped a single thing!
The Candelabra, the loot that should have been his—everything had been snatched away by that bizarre monster merchant, Origami Mane!
Sigh. Should he wait here for his subordinates?
No, those elves were too dangerous. He couldn't wait here; he had to move to the next floor and establish a base.
The spatial forces within the Palace Labyrinth had scattered the knight order, a development that had completely blindsided Caiman.
This chaotic separation had left him in an extremely vulnerable position.
In dungeon exploration, such losses were usually within acceptable limits.
But now, the greatest threat was that group of elves!
They possessed enough power to kill Claude, a fourth-rank Holy Light priest.
A force that dangerous and hostile to the Grey family was hiding in the shadows of the dungeon.
His scattered knights stood no chance; they would be picked off one by one.
His only option now...
“I have no choice but to admit my failure and request reinforcements from the family.”
Caiman had no idea why the elves were hostile toward him.
As a knight commander, he had not yet reached the absolute inner circle of the family.
He didn't know about the greedy sins that stained the Grey family’s bloodline regarding the elves.
In his eyes, these sudden elven intruders were likely accomplices of Zeno.
They were creatures of sin!
They were an evil force that had stolen the Grey family’s magical artifacts and now sought revenge—despicable, audacious bandits.
With his body mostly recovered thanks to the potion, Caiman headed toward the passage to the next floor. He began his descent, disappearing from the tenth floor's boss room.
...
Meanwhile, deep within the Palace Labyrinth.
Five elves stopped before a wall and destroyed the core hidden within it.
The wall crumbled and vanished into black smoke, leaving behind a thumb-sized cube-shaped stone that hummed with a trace of mana.
This was a drop from a wall monster of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment.
“Another wall monster, then.”
Eomer picked up the drop and stowed it away. He manipulated a vine, sending it snaking into the dark passage ahead to sense any danger.
Once he confirmed it was safe, he led the team forward.
“The structure here is different from the rest of the labyrinth. It seems to be some kind of room.”
The elven mage in the group quickly sensed the mana composition of the area.
The mana density in the air was remarkably low.
Eomer touched the wall.
An obvious damp chill seeped into his palm, but he felt no mechanisms or traps. There was no immediate danger.
Ever cautious, Eomer kept the vine scouting ahead as they slowly moved deeper.
Nephalian drew her rapier, staying close to Eomer’s side. Her pointed ears twitched as she stayed alert for any threat.
Her ear, which had been damaged during the fight with Claude, had already been healed by Eomer’s holy arts.
“Stop. There’s something ahead.”
Eomer raised a hand, signaling the team to halt.
The vine ahead had brushed against something.
The elven heavy warrior quickly raised his shield and moved to the front of the group.
Nephalian stayed close behind him, her grip tightening on her rapier.
The team advanced warily until they finally saw what the vine had touched.
“What... is this?”
It wasn't a living creature.
It was a cage—a worn, ancient thing, like a birdcage, standing only half as tall as a man on the stone floor.
Inside, a lifeless mummy was curled up, its hands and feet bound in shackles.
The sight reminded Eomer of a certain punishment from the undivided Mahr Kingdom of a millennium ago.
Prisoners were confined in cages where they couldn't stand, forced to remain curled up.
They would live in these cramped spaces for years—sometimes over a decade—until their organs withered and their bones deformed.
Even if they were eventually released, their twisted bodies left them unable to care for themselves, doomed to die in excruciating pain.
Only cold-blooded humans could have devised such an utterly barbaric punishment.
Rate on N.U.
