Chapter 20: Leaving The Royal Estate
The Royal Dungeon.
It was one of the 9 Great Dungeons, popularly known by many as a property of the United Human Alliance.
The 9 Great Dungeons were spread out throughout the four Continents, and out of all of them, the Royal Dungeon was the only one remotely close to proper civilization.
No one in their right mind would build a city so close to a Dungeon, considering the dangers associated with it.
However, the Royal Dungeon was an exception.
It was sealed from the outside by a special seal, preventing anything within from escaping.
The difficulty of the Royal Dungeon was also considered to be one of the lowest.
The upper floors had weak to no monsters at all, and the lower one got in exploring the Dungeon, the higher the chances of encountering more powerful creatures.
Since Monsters were the major thing that Dungeons were known for, unenlightened people were likely to write off the Royal Dungeon.
However, it was good for one more reason.
The Minerals!
The Royal Dungeon was very rich in minerals and materials. The Mana Particles that filled the place coalesced to form Mana Crystals and other precious minerals that the Nation coveted.
As a result, the Royal Dungeon was a treasure that was well-coveted.
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'I'm going to check it out today!' Rey told himself with clenched fists of determination.
This was currently his fifteenth day in this world, and he had gotten immensely sick of the training regiment his Beta Group were subjected to.
Of course, the requirements had already gotten higher, and the training had become more rigorous, but he had never been so bored in all his life.
'I've been putting it off for too long because of my preparations, but I think I'm finally ready.'
Rey purposed within himself to check the place out after class.
'While everyone is returning to their rooms, I'll go to the Dungeon.'
"Faster! You can do it! Faster push-ups!" A voice suddenly pierced his ears, and he realized he was still in the second of 100 pushups.
He could see a bunch of people around him giving out, so Rey also pretended to be exhausted.
His arms became all wobbly, and he began to make heavy breaths.
"Huff... huff..."
He forced sweat to drip from his body as he nearly rolled his eyes and continued his push-ups.
'When will this end?'
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[Hours Later]
Training was finally done for the day, so the Otherworlders returned to their rooms.
While everyone did this, Rey activated his [Stealth] Skill and managed to escape any eye that could be looking at him.
'I doubt anyone would be paying attention to me, though.'
Once he broke away from his classmates, he made his way to the Royal Dungeon.
'The Dungeon isn't in the Palace Estate, but instead at a different site at the other end of the Royal Capital.' Rey thought as he took his measured steps.
He could only wonder why they built it so far away from the Palace.
A few thoughts came to mind.
'In the case of an accident or outbreak of monsters, I suppose the Royal Council will be safe.'
The monsters would first have to traverse so many people before reaching the higher-ups.
'Then there's also the issue of mining and production.'
He had learned all about the value of Dungeons—the Royal Dungeon especially—when it came to Mineral Resources.
Mining was a messy job, and such an intensive and rough work wasn't befitting of the Palace.
It was like building a factory close to the White House, or something like that.
'The Royal Dungeon is in its own vast compound, surrounded by all the facilities used to purify and refine the minerals.'
That meant it was going to be guarded, of course.
However, Rey had the best idea on how to infiltrate the place.
'This should be fun!'
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Leaving the Royal Estate was easier than Rey imagined.
He had always looked upon the walls with a sense of dread upon first arriving here. He wondered what things would look like beyond the walls, and now he could find out.
By simply using Justin's [Mimic] Skill to turn into a bird, and the [Flight] Skill to properly adjust himself to the rigors of flying for the first time, he quickly got the hang of things.
He couldn't maintain [Stealth] any longer, but there was no need for him to.
Now that he was a bird, hardly anyone paid him any mind, and he was able to fly above and beyond the walls.
Finally, he was free!
'This... this is...!' Bird Rey widened his eyes as he looked at the world beneath him.
The Royal Capital stretched on for a few miles, and it was surrounded by tall walls.
The walls didn't seem as luxurious as that of the Royal Estate, but they were so far, so Rey couldn't tell very well.
As for the buildings he laid eyes on, they were just as he expected them to be.
Even if he had never been out before, he had spent time reading surveys and a bunch of other materials that involved descriptions and even sketches of the Royal Capital.
He even managed to get his hands on a map of the entire city.
He did this to be able to properly understand the terrain, so he wouldn't mess up in any aspect of his plans.
'Real life is different from sketches or recordings through Magic. It still has some details I missed from the recording.' Rey thought to himself as he flew.
The people, for one, were far more than he accounted for.
'It's daytime, so I expected to see a bunch of people. But not to this extent.'
The Royal Capital was crowded—at least, the places that Rey could see.
'Just how will the rest of the cities be?'
If the most prestigious city had such an influx of people, Rey didn't want to begin imagining how the slums would look like.
Of course, he already knew some data about what to expect.
'Humanity wasn't always united in H'Trae. After the Dragons destroyed some of their territory, and monsters occupied other areas, they banded together.'
As a result, the new Nation had to occupy every citizen of the nations under the Alliance's banner.
With limited territory and so many denizens of the United Human Alliance, Rey could see a bunch of problems arising.
'The nation is currently facing an Economic Crisis.'
That was one of the reasons they summoned Rey and his classmates.
'If the current situation persists for a few more years, the entire Alliance will collapse.'
He had studied the numbers, and based on the knowledge of his previous world, he knew full well how important a State's economy was to its continued existence.
It was difficult to see how a bunch of teenagers from another world could even solve a problem as complicated as this.
However, Rey knew why they were here.
'All of these problems are complex, but they all stem from a single issue.'
The Dragons!
'If we eliminate them, then there will be more resources to exploit.'
More land. More Minerals. More power.
In the end, the destruction of the world's enemies was necessary for the greater goal of economic stability.
'Look at me overthinking. When did I become such a scholar?' Rey mused within himself as he looked ahead.
'Looks like I'm almost there.'
It had taken him a while to get a hang of a bird's eyesight and coordination, but the [Flight] Skill really helped him out in more ways than one.
Since this was a medieval world, tall buildings were a rarity—even in the capital.
As a result, Rey was able to fly without too many restrictions.
By flying above all the buildings and charging straight for the Royal Dungeon—which existed at the very edge of the city—he was able to arrive relatively earlier than he expected.
'Alright! I've crossed the first hurdle.' He smiled with his beak curled upwards.
'Time for the second phase.'
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
See you in the next one. Sorry for the info dump.