After clearing the dungeon, Aslan's legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the ground, landing heavily on his buttocks.
[You have received some experience as a reward]
[You have reached level 4]
[You have reached level 5]
"That was dangerous… One wrong move and I could've lost my life…"
He placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heart pounding violently, almost as if it was trying to escape from his body.
As he rested and tried to steady his breath, a golden shimmer caught the corner of Aslan's eye, drawing his attention and prompting him to focus on it.
He slowly rose to his feet and approached the level 6 goblin's corpse, where a golden pendant lay beside it. Kneeling down, he carefully picked it up.
The pendant appeared to be the type that could open, and when Aslan gently pried it apart, it did, revealing a small, delicate picture nestled inside.
Though the picture was badly worn and faded, he could still make out three figures standing close together—a man, a woman, and a small child.
The faces of the woman and the child were too damaged to recognize, and even the man's face was barely discernible.
As he stared at the photo, an unexpected wave of sorrow surged through him, and before he realized it, tears were streaming down his face.
"Huh? What is this?" Aslan murmured, wiping away his tears in confusion. "Why… why am I crying?"
[The dungeon will be closing in 5…4…3…]
[You are now being returned to your world.]
Before Aslan realized it, he was back in the park and seated on the same bench, as if he had never left.
He looked around and saw the same people he'd noticed before entering the dungeon, still in the same positions. However, over an hour had passed since he entered the dungeon.
This could only mean one thing. While over an hour had passed for him inside the dungeon, time in the real world had barely moved, if at all.
Suddenly—
[Sensing an anomaly, several Gods cast their gaze in your direction]
[Unable to find anything out of the ordinary, the Gods departed as suddenly as they came]
[A certain God focuses their gaze on you for a split second before departing as well]
God's Grace served not only as a system to aid Awakeners, but also as a form of entertainment—a channel through which Gods could appear at any moment and spectate the Awakeners, watching them as if they were part of a grand, living broadcast.
Although some might view it as humiliating, many Awakeners welcomed the attention since the Gods could bestow blessings, grant quests, and offer valuable treasures to those who caught their interest.
Some exceptionally gifted Awakeners had even risen to the rank of Apostles—chosen representatives of the Gods, granting them unfathomable power, status, and influence on Earth.
[??? sends a private message: If you wish to trample on the Gods that treat humans like toys, continue the path of the All-Encompassing.]
"Why are you helping me…? Aren't you a God, as well?" Aslan couldn't help but ask after reading the message.
[??? sends a private message: Not all Gods are the same. Just as not all humans find entertainment in the same things, we Gods have different hobbies.]
Aslan didn't doubt the nameless God's words. It was already well known that some Gods viewed humanity's plight with sympathy, yet were powerless to intervene directly, able only to offer aid through God's Grace.
[??? sends a private message: If you continue the path of the All-Encompassing, you'll eventually learn the answers you seek.]
"What even is the path of the All-Encompassing?"
However, the nameless God didn't respond.
Aslan looked at his palms, which were still sweating from his earlier adrenaline, and thought to himself, 'As long as I can continue to slay monsters, I'll follow whatever path you want me to follow.'
Some time later, Aslan left the park and went to the library, a place he frequented as an orphan to pass time since it was free and anyone could walk inside without being questioned. He still needed five more levels to complete his quest, which meant entering another dungeon, but with little knowledge of how they worked, he knew he had to educate himself first.
Inside the library, he grabbed a book named 'Introductions to Dungeons' and immediately went to work.
According to the book, dungeons are created in the aftermath of an invasion, manifesting only after the invading forces have been defeated and the area cleared. These dungeons continuously spawn monsters within, but the creatures cannot leave their confines,
making them ideal for Awakeners to hunt and gain experience.
However, dungeons come with their downsides; treasures are rarely found within, and the spawn rates are really slow.
Because of this, all public dungeons are regulated by the Awakeners' Association, making it difficult for ordinary people like Aslan to enter.
Private dungeons also exist, but they are typically owned by the powerful and wealthy, often by Clans, private organizations founded by Awakeners. The Awakeners' Association is technically classified as a Clan, but unlike others, it is jointly operated and overseen by governments across the world.
By the time Aslan finished reading, he had learned a few key points.
Firstly, while public dungeons are free and theoretically open to all, access requires navigating a lengthy approval process, and even then, entry is not guaranteed, especially for people like him.
If he wanted to enter a dungeon and level up quickly, he should join a Clan. Unfortunately, Clans are very exclusive and tend to only recruit talented Awakeners. A newbie like him essentially had no chance of being recruited even by the lesser-known Clans.
This left him with one feasible choice, and that was to look for a party that had already been approved to enter a dungeon. However, this was easier said than done.
"Haaa…"
Aslan placed the book down with a heavy sigh.
"Haaa…"
A similar sigh sounded beside him, prompting Aslan to turn his head.
At the same time, the person next to him glanced over, having heard Aslan's own sigh.
Aslan raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw that the person sitting beside him was wearing a full helmet that completely concealed their head, resembling the kind worn by knights in medieval times.
While it wasn't unusual for Awakeners to carry their armor and weapons openly, this individual stood out by wearing only a helmet while the rest of their body was dressed in ordinary clothes.
When Aslan glanced down to take in the rest of their outfit, he realized the individual was a woman.
Ignoring the two large melons on her chest, his gaze continued to lower until it landed on the book she had been reading.
"Dungeon for dummies…" he subconsciously read the title out loud.
The woman also examined Aslan's appearance before her gaze landed on his book.
"Introduction to dungeons…" she muttered.
"..."
After a moment of awkward silence, the woman spoke in a gentle, somewhat bashful voice, "Are you also preparing for your first dungeon?"
"No, I have been inside a dungeon before," he subconsciously responded.
"How was it? You must've been nervous, right? How did you overcome such a feeling?" she bombarded him with questions.
Aslan tried to recall what he felt when he first entered the dungeon and said, "Honestly, I don't know. It just happened."
"It just happened…? You're much stronger than I, who can't even stand before a dungeon without shaking uncontrollably," she sighed.
"I think you just need someone to give you a push, just like someone did for me," he said.
"I see… Thank you."
The woman stood up and gave him a polite bow before leaving with her book.
Aslan remained in the library longer to study more about dungeons and Awakeners.
Once he could no longer ignore the rumbling coming from his stomach, Aslan left the library to find something to eat.
He looked inside the pouch given to him by Nurse Joy for the first time to find a few hundred dollars inside, which could easily feed him for a month if he spent it wisely.
He walked around until he found an affordable restaurant and purchased a bowl of plain noodles for a dollar.
After eating just enough to curb his hunger without feeling full, Aslan returned to the park from earlier and lay down on an empty bench to rest.
"I'll try looking for a party tomorrow…" he murmured, his voice barely audible before sleep swiftly claimed him.