Chapter 369: The Karimal Sealed Dungeon

She left the room and headed to the guild’s archives.

There, she checked out a book containing detailed records of Bongisto’s dungeons.

Carrying the book, she returned to her inn.

Hulim Heyerar began flipping through it carefully.

Several hours later.

“Found it—this must be the dungeon.”

After cross-referencing data on all dungeons surrounding Bongisto, Hulim locked onto one in particular.

“The Karimal Sealed Dungeon—seals Karimal, a High-Rank Demon who survived the last great war. This dungeon is not open to the public; only regular cleanup quests and monthly seal inspection quests are issued for it.”

“And the next seal inspection is set to begin at noon tomorrow......”

“This has to be it.”

Having confirmed her target, Hulim returned the book to the guild and began preparing for the exam the next day.

......

That night.

Deep within the Karimal Sealed Dungeon.

“Sethis—you’re here again. Could it be time already?”

Karimal’s voice echoed through the dungeon.

“No, not yet.”

“Then why have you come?”

Karimal asked, dissatisfied.

“An unforeseen incident has occurred. The plan must be moved forward.”

“What happened?”

“The Adventurer's Guild has caught wind of my actions. While they likely haven’t realized the core of the problem yet, if we continue as scheduled, they’ll inevitably interfere with our plans sooner or later. I have no choice but to accelerate things.”

“I remember your original plan—you intended to trigger uprisings in all dungeons and bring down that annoying city nearby? What consequences will this early start have?”

“There will be consequences, of course. The original plan to force the ‘Adventure King’ to focus on saving the city by destroying Bongisto is no longer feasible—we don’t have enough time.”

“......Then wouldn’t that free up the ‘Adventure King’ to act against us?”

“It would. But don’t worry—though the plan has deviated slightly, I’ve adapted it accordingly. He won’t get a chance to interfere, and you’ll be able to break free ahead of schedule. The only regret is that we won’t be able to touch that city for the time being.”

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“Really? I can be free soon?!”

Karimal asked excitedly.

“The city doesn’t matter—hurry up and tell me what to do!”

“It’s simple. I want you to start assaulting the seal immediately. As for me, I’ll activate the backup plan during this time. But you must keep an eye on the timing. Tomorrow will bring many distractions, and by then you......”

Sethis proceeded to explain the revised plan to Karimal in detail.

“Understood—leave it to me!”

Karimal assured him firmly.

“No time to waste. I’ll make a move first. You begin as well.”

With that, the black mist that was Sethis vanished into the depths of the dungeon.

Shortly after he left—

Boom......

The seal deep within the dungeon began to tremble.

Under Karimal’s full-powered assault, combined with the measures Sethis had secretly planted earlier, the dungeon’s seal started visibly cracking.

“I’ve waited so long—I can finally escape this hellhole! Hahaha......”

Boom! Boom!......

The cracks in the seal widened gradually. Yet no one outside was aware of this unfolding crisis.

......

The next day arrived.

Having packed her gear and collected the two days’ worth of rations she’d asked the inn to prepare, Hulim left Bongisto and headed toward a relatively remote dungeon.

After several hours of travel, she reached the Karimal Sealed Dungeon.

As a dungeon not open to the public, there were barely any adventurers in the vicinity.

It wasn’t until she approached the entrance that she spotted someone waiting there.

It was Dimik, the chief examiner of the exam.

“Well done—truly a prodigy. It seems such trivial puzzles are child’s play for you.”

Seeing Hulim arrive, Dimik nodded in approval.

“Wait here. Once the other two arrive—or by noon, whichever comes first—you won’t need to wait any longer.”

“Understood.”

Hulim replied, then found a spot nearby and sat down.

After roughly half an hour—

A figure clad in full plate armor, carrying a large sword and a massive shield, appeared in the distance.

“Looks like I found the right place.”

Terrag said as he reached the entrance.

“Good. You wait here as well.”

At Dimik’s gesture, Terrag walked over to stand near Hulim.

“Greetings.”

“Greetings.”

They exchanged a brief greeting, then fell silent, waiting quietly. Terrag even began maintaining his equipment on the spot.

Another hour passed.

As noon drew near, the last candidate appeared on the horizon.

“Did I make it in time?”

Farna Kegris called out.

“Yes, you’re not late.”

Dimik shook his head, then added, “Alright, everyone’s here. Gather around.”

The three stood before Dimik.

Looking at them, Dimik said, “Impressive. At the very least, you all possess the information-gathering skills a High-Rank Adventurer should have—not just brute strength.”

“Time is pressing. Let me explain the specifics of the exam.”

With that, he pulled nine crystal orbs from a backpack.

“I won’t elaborate on the details of this dungeon—you should have learned them during your research.”

“Your task is to inspect the nine seals scattered throughout the dungeon. If any seal is compromised, use these Seal Orbs to replace them.”

“You have a full day to complete the task. With three of you, that’s three orbs each—one for each of the three seal locations you’ll be responsible for.”

“Remember—don’t exceed the time limit. Failure to inspect all three locations or arriving late will result in an immediate exam failure.”

“In addition, I must warn you: this dungeon is extremely dangerous. You’d best avoid combat and proceed cautiously. Most importantly—do not enter the innermost core seal chamber. It is far too perilous; without Rank A strength, entering there is suicide. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with your exam task.”

“That’s all. Have you all remembered? You may ask any questions now.”

Dimik glanced around at the group.

No one responded.

All three remained calm and composed.

“Excellent attitude,” Dimik nodded in satisfaction, distributing the Seal Orbs to each of them.

He then walked to the entrance and dispelled the barrier shrouding it.

“Once you’re ready, you may enter.”

Hum......

As the barrier faded, Farna was the first to step forward, heading into the dungeon.

Shortly after, Terrag and Hulim followed suit, entering the dungeon one after another.

......