Arriving outside the dungeon of the [Commerce Ruins], a sentinel post has been established here, relying on the dungeon.
All around are simple wooden buildings, arranged in an orderly manner.
On the streets, there are only a few ordinary people. Most people coming and going are explorers wearing armor and holding weapons.
At the entrance of the post is a large shop, filled with basic swords, armor, healing medicines, bandages, and marching rations, catering to novices.
Standing at the doorway, one can easily see the mist entrance stone platform not far away, the same kind Kane stepped on when returning from the Wolf's Den.
It is introduced that this stone platform serves to stabilize the mist entrance, preventing unnecessary accidents by shifting the entrance nearby.
This small post almost meets the most basic needs of explorers.
Arriving in front of the post's only tavern, he looks at the tavern's name, "Three Little Pigs."
It's really a nostalgic name.
He pushes the door open and enters, the tavern's unique atmosphere instantly enveloping him.
There are loud quarrels, men's laughter, women's scolding, and some off-key singing.
Finding a relatively quiet corner to sit down, a lively freckled girl, wearing an apron, approaches.
She places a menu listing the tavern's dishes and drinks in front of Kane and asks,
"What would you like, sir? Today's items are all on this list."
Kane orders some bread and steak, along with a cup of fruit wine, returns the menu to her, and says,
"I also need a good single room."
"No problem, sir, please wait a moment."
With that, she turns and walks towards the bar.
Soon she returns and places the food Kane ordered on the table, then hands a key to Kane,
"This is the key to the room upstairs. You can rest anytime, sir. If you need anything else, just call out loudly."
Kane takes the key and expresses his thanks.
Delicately savoring his dinner, he also listens to the conversation around him.
"I heard this post has been here for five years?" a young explorer asks.
"Almost, there should be about four months left," answers an explorer who, by his equipment, doesn't seem to be a novice.
"The commerce route is about to crumble," voices from the four explorers at the adjacent table carry over.
"A novice-level Copper Dungeon lasting this long is already considered quite tough."
"It's really a pity, there haven't been many novice-level dungeons in years."
"If there aren't any novice-level dungeons in the coming years, the newcomers will suffer."
The brave games truly never deceive.
Indeed, taverns are great places for gleaning free information.
Finishing his meal, Kane takes the key to the bar, pays the owner a gold coin, and heads to his room on the second floor.
He sets his equipment down and soaks in the room's private bathtub, which has been thoughtfully filled with hot water.
After washing, he lies on the bed, contemplating the dungeon information here.
A silent night passes.
——————————
Morning.
Kane arrives at the mist entrance.
He registers his basic information with the sentinel nearby.
These details aren't meant to gather data but primarily to inform one's relatives of one's death, if necessary.
Exploring has never been a stable profession, with the annual death rate always high.
He steps onto the stone platform.
With the familiar sensation of weightlessness looming,
he once again sees the familiar starry sky. However, the position of the stars has changed, likely because the star beneath his feet now differs from previous coordinates.
He passes through the Mist Gate of the dungeon.
It's nighttime inside the dungeon. In the Copper Dungeon, the sky's day-night changes are hard to see.
This time, the dungeon's initial appearance feels quite ordinary; just a winding road leading into the distance.
On either side are sparse trees, and the moon and stars in the sky look no different from those outside.
Kane feels a bit letdown, mainly because the first dungeon's initial sight was so breathtaking, leaving a lasting impression on Kane.
Why does a dungeon have the property of being inaccessible once cleared? What's the purpose? To prevent farming, perhaps? Even allies are restricted.
He shakes his head, focusing on the dungeon. Even in a simple dungeon, carelessness is not an option.
When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses all its strength.
"Armor is made, Knight Armor."
Exerting magic power, he forms a huge lump of Transparent Play-Doh, shaping it into various armor plates, which transform into steel.
Then, these plates assemble into a suit of armor hovering over him, specifically molding a leopard head at the shoulder armor position, though only he can see it.
You might think a hunter wears leather armor, but a hunter actually layers cloth armor inside heavy armor.
Confirming his defenses are decent, Kane begins to slowly walk toward the trail's end, where the boss is located.
After all, this is a novice-level dungeon, even if it's Copper.
A green-marked Copper Dungeon is the best choice for the first time, and this dungeon has already existed for nearly five years.
Who knows how many people have cleared it, with inside information thoroughly stripped, like pulling off underwear.
Besides, the dungeon isn't complex; the fastest way to pass through is to just keep moving forward along the path.
The monsters within the dungeon appear in groups along segments of the path, so there's no need to look for them.
Kane walks along the trail, swinging the long spear in his hand.
He has yet to use this weapon properly, having secretly practiced some techniques recently.
Resolutely, he decides to temporarily switch from archer to lancer in this dungeon.
Soon enough, Kane senses malicious gazes around him, so evident that he doesn't even need to rely on Eagle Eye to recognize them.
Kane stands still, adopting a defensive posture.
Seeing Kane stationary, the wild creatures seem aware that he's discovered them, so they no longer conceal themselves.
The nearby shrubs rustle, and numerous shadows leap into the air, illuminated by the moonlight.
As they land, the moonlight reveals it's a pack of wild wolves surrounding Kane, searching for an opportunity to raid.
Thus, under the moonlight's witness, man and wolf confront each other.
The pack of wolves initiates the attack first; a wolf lunges forward, its mouth wide open, targeting Kane.
Following its lead, the other wolves rush towards Kane from all directions.
Despite this, Kane remains calm, his spear thrust like a dragon, piercing the lead wolf's mouth like lightning.
Then, the spearhead carries the wolf's carcass, sweeping towards the airborne wolves, sending them all flying.
The sweeping force smashes the wolf carcass towards other wolves still seeking their chance.
He then grips the spear single-handedly, sidesteps to avoid a wolf attacking from behind, using his free hand to catch it in mid-air.
Using the momentum, he slams it into the wolves just swept away, now the entire pack of wolves is pushed back.
Kane doesn't give them a chance to catch their breath, pursuing relentlessly, his spear thrusting into the pack of wolves, leaving them no time to organize another assault.
Now, it's only Kane dancing alone, and the wolf pack can merely cheer with their blood and lives for this dance of triumph.
The only spectators sit upon the pitch-black night sky, with the bright moon and the stars as its sparkling courtiers.
As the wolf pack's applause fades,
the spear's gleam scatters the warm blood from his body.
The spearhead remains bright under the moonlight; this is the final note of the dance tune.