Chapter 1057 I knew something was going to happen
[Eon's POV: ]
[{ "That snake…" }]
[{ "It's a spirit body. It's not the real one." }]
[{ "A divinity, isn't it? I knew it!" }]
[{ "More like a fragmented divinity. Something that is part of a greater whole." }]
The creature with white scales and Green eyes. The snake that was not only speaking with us, but was also giving us a difficult choice.
'For some reason… that one looks just like the mother snake I saw in the great forest when I was younger.'
It was strange, but the two creatures possessed the same kind of scales. The eyes that this one had also possessed the same kind of wisdom that I could recall from my past.
And, not only that, looking at thine one gave me a weird sense of nostalgia.
[{ "I think he is more interested in you for some reason." }] the creature had visibly flinched when he saw her.
Maybe, it found something about her more unexpected than me.
[{ "Right? I got this weird feeling that my Eyes also looked back at him. Something like finding something familiar? I don't know." }]
It was understandable.
Her special eye skill was something that had been passed on to many people throughout the history of this world ever since the Beginning of mortality.
Perhaps, the snake worshippers also had someone among them that might have possessed this skill and might have also been connected with this being?
'Five millennia are enough for a being to actually rise to the status of divinity. So, that surprise wasn't really that big of a deal. Not after the indifference that followed right after.'
The speaking snake was not an enemy, but depending on the choice we make, this one might just prove out to be an enemy or perhaps an alley going forward.
-Oooooooooooooong!
So, our choice matters a lot right now.
"Gather around, everyone." Miss Nerissa created a barrier around all three of the gates that had been opened to us so that none of us, especially the five employers that were thinking about weird things, could not do something foolish.
"Our choices are obvious."
The knight captain was now much more serious than before.
The atmosphere around us had changed completely as well.
"Since the only thing you all wanted from this dungeon was the experience, you have received your experience. There is no need to continue and risk our lives."
As adventurers, if one was presented with the opportunity to pass a dungeon with good enough loot to spend their next few months with their lives and limbs intact, then it was more than enough for them.
Greed was present in most adventurers, but they were not illogical fools.
They fought with dangers all the time. They faced death multiple times on each of their adventures.
There were a lot of things they had to be worried about. So, those who actually stay in this field for three, four, or for a few decades, know very well just how gruesome, how dreadful many of the situations could possibly be.
Those who have had dungeon experiences with dungeons of this level, would also know well just how difficult even the simple, lowest grade dungeons could become.
Mana rating was not everything. The danger contained within an unexplored area of a dungeon without any preparations was the same as going into the dragon's mouth knowing well they would be burnt alive.
"If anyone wants to challenge the next part, then go ahead. However, while I stand here, no one is going into that last door-."
"You cannot do that!"
The knight captain was serious. Continue your saga on empire
And yet, the youngest one among the employers, the boy who was good at handling Mana and possessed a high affinity with Fire element, did not hesitate to cut him midway.
"If we are here for the experience, we should all experience the whole thing. In fact, did we not hire you all to follow us?!"
The contract that we have signed mentioned that we were simply being employed by the five of them and would help them clear the dungeon.
There was no specific clause saying we must finish the dungeon completely or that we must experience everything there was in this dungeon.
That was not needed at all. But, the five of them did not seem to be understanding that.
"I-I… I agree with Sir knight! We should… we should get out of here!"
The second younger one was the timid kind who had been afraid of all the snakes that we have encountered until now.
The white snake that was speaking with us, a being that should have intrigued someone of their age, was in fact a source of deep fear for this boy.
'It almost seemed like he had had a traumatic experience with a creature like that.'
It was pretty weird that he was acting like that when the rest of his 'brothers' were unfazed by these creatures.
Still, the younger one wasn't the only one that did not want to go any further. The two older ones also agreed with the knight captain and wanted to go out now that they had seen enough.
They weren't really interested in finding a treasure or fighting something that they might end up dying to, so they were going for the safe path as their first experience.
They seemed to have seen more than what they needed and were more interested in the path of the adventurers.
They were, in fact, more interested in being weapon wielders even though their skill sets did not match with their desires.
"Can't we consider going forward?"
The orator, Johans, wanted to move forward and experience the last part of the dungeon as well.
Since they had come this far, he at least wanted to finish looking at the last section as well and see the actual dangers that they were here to see.
"That's right! We should just go ahead! We should in fact challenge the red gate!"
"Out of question!" Miss Nerissa could not tolerate even the thought of putting everyone's lives in that great danger.
'It's obviously a trap.'
The other younger one wanted to experience the challenge presented to us by Fate.
We did not know what we would find behind that particular gate, but since one's participation would mean that we all had to go into that gate, we were more prone to dangers.
She, as the guide, could not put everyone's lives into danger.
It wasn't even logically right.
"Miss guide! You are simply an employee! You have been contracted to follow what we want!"
He had the audacity to argue against her.
"Hey! Shut up, Saul!"
Even his brothers could not tolerate him acting like that so the elder ones gave him a smack and shut him up.
"You're all right. And, even though you have signed the contract, we will understand it if you do not want to follow us further.
Though, that will also mean you did not fulfil the contract to the end and we will not be paying you the amount we promised."
Johans was being logical here.
Unlike the older ones, Scarleum and Krum, he understood that there was much more they needed to see.
He wasn't afraid of the danger ahead of us like Nikki, the timid one. And he was also not reckless like Saul, the younger one who wanted to go to the last gate.
He wanted to face the next challenge like Johans, however, unlike him, he was simply being childish by wanting to put everyone's lives at risk.
"We will leave the decision up to you. Though, I propose we should at least complete this raid by going to the next section."
The next section will be a normal section which will connect to the next part of the dungeon while the third path would present us with a new challenge.
'In fact, from how the snake described it, I think we will all be given some kind of individual challenge instead of a common one.'
We might even get separated if we enter that place without preparation and with no support and no way to resist the many poisons that might be present in that place, we certainly have a bigger chance of failure.
"It's better to advance forward." That was my judgement.
We at least needed to go further and clear the dungeon so that we could get better loot and show these employers what actual hell looked like.
"Haaa…"
The knight captain looked at the five of them, then, he looked at me to see if I was confident about this or not, but he could not figure it out due to my hood and the covered head.
Still, he could feel my confidence so he nodded off and looked at the rest of the party members, at the snake above us, and lastly…
"Hmm?"
What?
"Hey…"
"Where is-."
"Hey! Hey…! What are you doing there!"
The full armoured knight, the third captain of the group, and someone whose existence I had almost forgotten about for some reason…
"No! HEY!"
He was standing before the red path.
The barrier of (tier-6) had vanished.
And, he did not show any signs of stopping.
-Oooooooooooong!
In fact, the moment we remembered his existence, he had already stepped inside the red gate.
{ "So you've chosen the difficult challenge, I see." }
And for some reason, the white snake was pleased with this outcome.
[{ "Shit…" }]
[{ "I knew something like this was going to happen." }]
[{ "We just can't have a normal experience, huh?" }]
When he entered the path, the red light inside exploded, and the rest of us were blinded by the strangely bright light.
'The next thing we knew…'
I had been separated from my group. Both of us did, in fact.