Huge. That was my first impression of the Mara Dungeon.
Huge pillars, each more than two meters in diameter, lined up walls, and a ceiling that’s at least ten meters high. I had envisioned the Umeda underground dam in my previous life, but I was simply amazed at the overwhelming potential of the magical city of Mara.
Unlike above ground, where you can only barely find a trace of the building’s former self, this underground building seems to have escaped the mass destruction and retained the majestic appearance of its former self. All the pillars are carved with intricate patterns, and the walls and ceilings are decorated in some way, reminiscent of those places like cathedrals and other cultural heritage sites in tourist destinations.
I suspect that the painful marks of destruction in places were not caused by the ravages of war but put there by adventurers, scavengers, and other thieves. In fact, the eyes of the gargoyle-like statue had dark, sunken holes in them, which upon examination, left scratches that looked like they were gouged out with something sharp. Some of the wall surfaces were taken away.
Marie looked around with interest while taking in the dungeon’s construction.
I took out a parchment that was neatly folded in the old notebook Hagen left me from my pocket.
This is the map and expedition logbook of the Mara dungeon that Hagen used when he was active. I untie the leather strap and looked inside. Although we checked it several times on the road, we still compared it to the real one and filled the discrepancies one by one with the image we had on the road.
「 -Good, this definitely describes the Mara Dungeon. The depiction of distinctive carvings and decorative styles is also conforming. Thanks, Hagen 」
I let out a sigh of relief, admiration, and a bit of excitement.
I send my thanks to the dazzling old man who’s not here.
When I told him that we were going to the Mara dungeon, he went out of his way to give me such a valuable item from the back of his shop.
It’s no exaggeration to say that for an adventurer, a dungeon exploration journal and map are worth as much as their life. It’s literal. These are important and valuable documents where he spelled out his many adventures bit by bit, risking his life each time.
Unlike in my previous life, where you can just search for almost anything via the internet, in this world, even the most trivial information has reasonable value and weight. These pieces of information in my hands are heavier than the same weight of gold.
Even if Mara dungeon was a relic of the past that’s already been dug out.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s worth it.
I send my thanks to Hagen again.
「 What do you think? Can we do it? 」
Marie asks me who got next to me without me noticing.
I nodded.
「 There shouldn’t be any problems. It’s going to save us a lot of exploration time 」
「 I see. Hagen sure likes you a lot 」
The tone was a bit sullen and cold.
「 Could it be? 」
「 No, no! I’m not! Please don’t say that even as a joke 」
「 I don’t mind if you’re bisexual though 」
Being fed up with Marie’s persistent lines, I decided to take what was entrusted to me and proceed to go through the Mara dungeon. Our objective isn’t to traverse the dungeon or find some hidden treasures, but rather, to identify traces and bring back information on adventurers who have disappeared.
There has to be something found in this desolate dungeon.
We kept our heads high with this in mind.
「 Let’s go, Marie 」
「 Yes 」
She must’ve sensed that I was going full-blown adventurer mode now.
Marie nodded, breaking the joking mood.
The tranquil air of the dungeon is reminiscent of a graveyard.
In fact, the above-ground portion of the city, where most of it has returned to the sands of wilderness, was too humble to be called a tombstone for a metropolis of a million people. The dark dungeon that lies beneath Mara may be the tomb where the souls of the people of the city rest.
The cultural footprints on the pillars and walls further strengthened this feeling.
「 We don’t mean to disturb your sleep. Let us through 」
I speak words to the unknown.
I let Marie keep an eye on the surroundings and I proceed deeper and deeper into the dungeon, glancing at the notebook, and looking for traces of my friends.