Chapter Three
[Identification Complete]
[Name: Desolate (Sealed)]
[Weapon Type: GREAT SWORD (Growth Weapon)]
[Stats: Increases Strength by 100% and Constitution by 20%]
[Active Skills: Weight Manipulation | Mountain Cleaver]
[Weight Manipulation: The wielder can actively manipulate the weight of the weapon.]
[Minimum Weight: 100 kilograms]
[Maximum Weight: 5,000 kilograms]
[Mountain Cleaver: Increases attack strength and attack speed by 100% and transmits vibration energy when used.]
[Current Rank: Iron Rank]
[Maximum Growth Stage: Gold Rank]
[Method of Growth: Blood Sacrifice]
Carl couldn't help but grin like a fool when he saw the information displayed before him.
He had just made a huge windfall.
"He has gone retarded."
The others who had been watching Carl couldn't help shaking their heads when they saw him suddenly grinning like a fool.
Even Alex couldn't help thinking the same thing.
Carl didn't pay any attention to what they were saying. His mind was completely occupied with what he should do next.
He wanted to bind the weapon immediately.
But he couldn't.
Not here.
The only way to use a Growth-Type weapon and unleash its full potential was to bind it to oneself by dripping one's heart's blood onto it, thereby unsealing it.
However, Carl knew that if he did that now, he would attract unwanted attention.
And that would be extremely unfavorable.
Everyone would covet a Growth-Type weapon.
After all, such weapons granted insanely powerful attribute boosts and possessed abnormal skills that ordinary weapons could never compare to.
If he were to go through the process of unsealing Desolate right now, it would be no different from a chicken flaunting its strength in front of a tiger.
He would simply be courting death.
And Carl had no intention of dying a meaningless death.
Therefore, he decided to wait.
Once they entered the dungeon, he would find a way to slip away from Alex and his so-called team members.
Only then would he unseal the weapon.
The thing that disappointed him the most was that he couldn't use the active skills without unsealing Desolate.
...
"Let's get going."
Alex spoke with displeasure before turning around and walking toward the dungeon gate.
The others followed him.
Carl followed as well, although he was forced to drag the Great Sword behind him with all his strength.
The massive weapon scraped against the ground as he walked, leaving a long groove behind him.
Alex frowned when he saw how slow Carl was.
His patience quickly began to run thin.
"Give him the storage bag you're carrying so he can put his Great Sword inside."
Alex spoke to Chris, who was walking directly beside him.
Chris was currently at the Meridian Refinement Stage, making him the second strongest member of their small group.
He simply nodded.
Chris walked toward Carl, who was still struggling to drag the massive sword.
He took the second storage bag tied around his waist and opened it.
He pointed it toward the Great Sword.
The massive weapon immediately disappeared into the storage bag.
Chris then tossed the bag toward Carl expressionlessly before returning to Alex's side.
Carl smiled when he saw Chris walking toward him.
He had already expected this.
Alex was clearly becoming annoyed because Carl couldn't keep up with the rest of them.
When Chris tossed the storage bag toward him, Carl caught it and immediately inspected the inside.
There was more than enough space to contain his 1.8-meter-tall and 30-centimeter-wide Great Sword.
More importantly, the storage bag reduced the weight of anything stored inside to only ten percent of its original weight.
Apparently, this was one of the lowest-grade storage bags available.
Storage bags were divided into three grades...
Low Grade, Mid Grade, and High Grade.
Even though the one Carl currently possessed was only a Low-Grade Storage Bag, owning one was still considered a luxury for someone living in the slums.
Carl couldn't help but smile slightly.
At least he no longer had to drag that monstrous sword around.
...
Soon, they arrived in front of the golden gate with the massive letter F engraved upon it.
The guards immediately stopped them.
Alex stepped forward and showed them his Outer City resident identification.
This was because only people from the Outer City, Inner City, and Commercial City were normally allowed to conduct dungeon runs.
It was extremely rare for someone from the slums to lead a dungeon raid.
The moment the guards saw Alex's identification card, their expressions changed.
A kind smile appeared on their faces as they allowed the group to pass.
Alex returned their smiles before walking toward the gate.
He stretched out his hand and placed it against the golden surface.
A strange vibration suddenly resounded through the air.
It sounded as though something was about to tear through space and emerge from the other side.
Then...
A swirling vortex appeared at the exact spot where Alex had placed his hand.
The vortex was wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.
At the same time, a translucent panel appeared in front of Alex.
[Do you want to enter F-Rank Dungeon: Goblin's Lair?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes."
Alex's voice was calm.
[Designate your team members.]
Alex then entered the names of the members of his team.
Once he finished, the panel disappeared.
Alex gestured for everyone to enter.
One after another, they stepped into the vortex.
Carl entered before Alex.
Alex followed last.
...
INSIDE THE DUNGEON...
A flash of light erupted.
Carl, Alex, and the others appeared inside a wide canyon.
They were inside a massive cave surrounded by oil lamps, while numerous smaller cave entrances could be seen scattered throughout the surrounding walls.
The moment they appeared, a system notification suddenly rang out.
[Detected that one of the participants possesses an E-Rank Trial Stone.]
[Dungeon Mutation Triggered.]
[Goblin's Lair → Goblin's Kingdom]
[Note: As a special dungeon, if the dungeon is not cleared, all individuals currently inside the dungeon have only one fate...]
[Death.]
The atmosphere immediately became heavy.
Before anyone could react, another notification appeared.
[Attention to all current dungeon participants.]
[The different spaces within the dungeon have been linked and have become a small world.]
[All participants can now encounter one another within the dungeon.]
[Deadline: 7 Days]
[Happy Survival.]
Silence.
Carl was stunned.
He had never expected something like this to happen.
The words spoken by the entity known as the Dungeon Overseer continued to echo in his mind.
A Trial Stone...
This was one of the rarest resources that could drop from higher-ranked dungeons.
The chance of obtaining one was an absurdly low 0.001%.
And it only had one use.
A Trial Stone could be used to upgrade a dungeon of a lower rank than itself into a Special Dungeon.
Carl's expression became strange.
He couldn't help glancing at Alex in bewilderment.
Out of everyone present...
Alex was the only person who could possibly possess something like that.
But Carl couldn't figure out how he had obtained it.
Even Alex's father, the Guard Captain of the Outer City, couldn't possibly use such a treasure for himself.
If word got out that he possessed a Trial Stone and had used it for his own benefit, he would undoubtedly attract the attention of countless powerful people.
A Trial Stone was coveted by everyone.
If someone powerful discovered that you possessed one, refusing to sell it to them could result in death.
At best, they would force you to hand it over.
Unless, of course, you possessed enough strength to protect the treasure and deter those coveting it.
But there was another important reason why Trial Stones were so valuable.
When one was used to upgrade a dungeon into a Special Dungeon, it would also cause a special treasure known as an Epic Chest to appear.
The Epic Chest contained a random Epic-grade object, with the possible rewards depending on the rank of the Trial Stone used.
There was even a recorded case of someone obtaining a Talent Potion capable of increasing a person's talent by two entire grades, all the way to S-Rank, after using an A-Rank Trial Stone to upgrade a B-Rank dungeon.
Carl's eyes narrowed.
That was an unimaginable treasure.
But if that was the case...
Why had Alex brought him here?
Carl still couldn't figure it out.
Why had Alex insisted on forcing him to enter the dungeon with them?
Before Carl could think any further, Alex spoke.
"Seems like we're both lucky and unlucky."
Alex deliberately feigned surprise.
"We actually happened to stumble into a Special Dungeon."
He looked around before continuing.
"Let's go ahead and unite with the other participants we can find. According to what I've heard about these types of dungeons, we only have up to two hours before the goblins start attacking everything inside the dungeon apart from those of the same race as them."
Alex's expression became serious.
"Let's stay alert. We shouldn't act recklessly, otherwise we might attract the attention of the other wandering goblins."
"It would be a nightmare if they called for reinforcements."
He said the last sentence with such seriousness that it was obvious he wasn't joking.
Carl, Charles, and the other two simply listened without saying a word.
"You all also have to follow my every order."
Alex's gaze briefly landed on Carl.
"And don't panic and run away."
He then turned toward the other two members.
"Justin and Jack."
"Lead the way and act as scouts."
The two nodded.
Carl looked into the distance.
There, towering above the surrounding landscape, was a massive structure that resembled a castle.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"That should be the so-called Goblin Kingdom."
He muttered under his breath.
"We're heading south of that castle in the distance."
Alex pointed in the direction of the massive structure.
The group immediately began moving.
As the weakest among them, Carl walked in the middle.
Charles and Alex walked behind him, while Justin and Jack took the lead as scouts.
Not long after, they encountered their first enemy.
A team of patrolling goblins.
There were twelve of them in total.
Each goblin was no more than 1.5 meters tall, and they carried a variety of crude weapons.
Some held stone spears.
Others wielded stone clubs and stone axes.
Carl immediately focused his attention on them.
The Identification Panel appeared before his eyes.
[Goblin Patrol Captain]
[Rank: F-Rank Elite]
[HP: 200/200]
[Description: A type of goblin known for its strength.]
[Goblin Warriors]
[Rank: Common F-Rank]
[HP: 100]
[Description: A type of goblin known for its throwing skills.]