Chapter 174 Dungeon Exit
Xavier then turned around as he walked towards Star and Mira who were already walking towards him.
"If you could kill it, why wait and take your time?" Star asked as she got closer.
"Because I'm human, one mistake and one slip and I'm gone, I can't take any chances, even with a weak elemental like this one," Xavier answered, a tiny smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm lucky I didn't try to dodge and go towards that door, I would have been met with this, there's no way I would have survived" Mira muttered as she looked around the dungeon.
This was indeed the last floor, as even after the ice was gone, the exit on the other side was not an exit; instead, it was a wall. The ice elemental probably made the exit to get people far away from the entrance that they came from.
"So I guess we're done here, let's get a move on then" Star spoke.
"Are you in a hurry? You do know we'll be traveling for a long time. I'll use today to get supplies, and we'll leave tomorrow morning," Xavier replied as the three began walking towards the exit.
"Mari, I thought you said something about a dungeon crystal, and the dungeon is cleared after the crystal is destroyed?" Xavier asked her.
"That in your hand is the dungeon crystal, I can easily sense the Mana" Star replied and Xavier nodded.
"So you're leaving, I thought you wanted to go to the city?" Mira asked.
"The only reason I wanted to go was to climb the dragon mountain hoping to get one. I already got one, and it seems I made the right choice," Xavier answered.
"Ohh...and how did you get a dragon to follow you" Mira asked and Star turned towards her, "I meant no offense, it's just that I'd like to be a dragon rider"
"You should go to the dragon mountain, your heart is too pure, you'll definitely have a companion, but you also have to be careful with your words while you're there" Star spoke.
"I should go... while I'll love to, I don't want to risk my life doing it, too many people I know have died, I can't risk my life"
"Then you shouldn't go, dragons like strong and powerful companions, they know your worst fears, so thinking of something like that would disqualify you for some dragons," Star spoke.
"So dragons are just picky?" Xavier asked.
"They're not picky," Star replied calmly. "They're proud. They don't want someone weak holding their reins. They want equals, not drawbacks"
Mira nodded slowly. "Makes sense... but I don't think I could face one. I'd probably freeze the moment it looked at me"
Xavier chuckled faintly, "Then you'd be food before even asking to be a rider"
Mira gave him a sharp look. She had completely thrown away the fact that Xavier was human; she didn't even see him that way anymore. All she saw was someone powerful and kind, and also a male who was good at sex.
"You're not helping, I think I'm starting to consider it" Mira muttered.
"I wasn't trying to," Xavier smirked, walking ahead of them.
They walked further through the dungeon. The walls on the path they came were no longer frozen, cracks forming as the ice that once filled the chamber melted away.
"A dragon telling me I have a chance is reassuring, but I'm still afraid. What if I meet a bad dragon, someone different from you?" Mira asked.
"If you had met me, I wouldn't have looked at you twice before leaving, fear would never help you. If anything, fear makes you weaker around them. A dragon smells doubt. It makes them lose interest."
"Scary," Mira muttered under her breath.
"It's only scary if you think too much," Star replied, brushing her hair back as she glanced at Xavier.
Xavier raised a brow as he saw her but didn't comment. He just kept walking, his hand still gripping the glowing core of the ice elemental.
'I wonder how much of an increase this core would have, but it wouldn't really matter that much since my Mana has improved significantly, but I'll keep this around just in case'
[Inventory]
Xavier finally opened his inventory and placed the core inside. With his [Arcane Siphon], he couldn't think of a situation that would make him need the core, but still, he stored it.
The group finally reached the outer path, where there were eight different paths, and then continued forward, not looking at any of them.
"Which of these paths did you explore?" Mira asked Xavier.
"There are all dead ends, nothing in there.. also since the dungeon is done, would you come here to harvest more crystals?" Xavier asked her.
"I still intend to keep it a secret, especially if the crystals I got are worth a lot of money. There's one I found, and I hope it's what I think it is. If so, then I don't even need to come back," Mira replied.
"Ohh, it's that expensive?" Xavier asked.
"Yes, it has a ton of use and it's very scarce, I just don't know if it's the same crystal till I check...so after here you're going back to the human continent?"
"Yes, I just hope the kingdom is still standing and my parents are alive" Xavier muttered.
'If the kingdom has been destroyed then for sure my dad is dead because he's not going to let anything happen while he's alive'
The group reached another path, and this was where they faced a wave of golems. As soon as they stepped out of the path, the golems began forming out of the earth at the other side of the dungeon.
The stone golems here were bigger but slower and weaker. Xavier didn't even see them as an obstacle, more like things to be killed as he walked forward.
Mari didn't even try to fight. The last time she passed here with Xavier, they had divided the fighting, but now that she had seen both Xavier's and Star's power, she didn't even want to compete.
Five golems stood walking towards the group slowly and Star stepped forward as the golems turned their attention to her.