Chapter 131 - First Dungeon (3)

There were a lot of things about night creatures that no one knew. Especially their pack mentality. They were supposed to be wild mutated beasts who did not care about anything. However, that was far from the truth. For some strange reason, some of the species between the night creatures cared about each other enough to live in packs.

No one knew the reason behind this as most of the time night creatures followed a strict hierarchy in which those at the lower rung were constantly killed by the creatures above them. But for some strange reason, everything the werewolves knew about the night creatures became void once they were inside a 'dungeon'.

Unlike in the wild, the night creatures rarely if ever, fought amongst themselves. Instead, they behaved like a collective mind and did their best to exterminate the intruders. This was the reason why the beasts found inside a dungeon were much more dangerous than those found in the wild.

Also, the night creatures that lived inside a 'dungeon' were individually stronger than the same species found in the wild. The reason behind this was also not known to anyone. But the most popular belief was that when a night creature evolves, it becomes stronger which hence motivates the other creatures to do the same and they follow the evolved beast.

Thus being around the evolved being might expose them to some unknown radiation or aura which made them stronger. As for what was a dungeon... well, it wasn't exactly known either. But the brightest minds across the world had come up with one absurd explanation.

It would seem when a beast evolves, it decides to either isolate itself from the rest of the world or make a region where its dominance is unquestionable. They often hide in places such as caves or abandoned cities where their power slowly grows more and more.

This region then becomes crowded with the beasts who decided to follow the 'boss-level' beast's footsteps and is called a dungeon. Also, these beasts had a weird habit of collecting and in some cases generating rare gear and weapons which can be obtained after conquering a dungeon.

No one knew whether this theory had any credibility, but then again the adventurers did not care about it in the least. As long as they get paid enough, they would venture into the deadliest environments without a second thought.

This was the reason why after a dungeon had been cleared out, scholars and scientists went on an exploration trip to figure out the secrets hidden in those places.

"Well, that's all we know about dungeons and stuff." Virgil said while stroking his beard, "Do you need anything else?"

"No, that'll be enough. Thanks, Virgil." Ashton absent-mindedly replied while gazing down into the abandoned city they were contracted to clear out.

Lavina was also known as the city of monkey ghosts. It was a weird nickname but as Virgil explained why the city was nicknamed like that Ashton could see it making sense.

The forest around the city was once populated by monkeys who had mutated into night creatures called Monklins, which were essentially dead monkeys and hence the weird nickname of the city.

Apparently, right after winning over the humans in the region, the werewolves had tried to establish their own city in the middle of the forest. Everything was going great... until one day mutated beasts showed up there.

Since the city had been surrounded by forest, it was obvious there would be animals in it. Animals that would have mutated and turned into night creatures thanks to the virus. Back then, the night creatures whom the werewolves had fought were pathetically weak.

Therefore, they thought even if the creatures attacked them, their forces would have easily pushed them back. However, to their surprise, their overconfidence led to the demise of every single soldier, man, woman, child and human slave.

The creatures they fought were extremely agile and dominated the field instantly. However, the victory of the night creatures was short-lived as the back exterminated most of them, though it took them months to do so.

"You might be thinking if the night creatures were exterminated, why are we here?" The archer joined Ashton gazing over the ghost town while the knight watched them from behind.

"I wasn't." Ashton immediately replied not once looking in the direction of the platinum blonde woman, "Judging by the size of the forest, it's not possible to exterminate all of the creatures in just a few months. They must have missed some creatures who continued to reproduce and as a result, we're here now."

"You're not completely wrong. The soldiers did exterminate all the creatures they could find but it would appear the creatures have hidden breeding grounds." Renee, the archer continued while fidgeting in the black tank top she was wearing, "Every two years, Monklins, the indigenous night creatures reappear and an extermination quest is issued with a side exploration quest."

"Finding the hidden breeding grounds." Ashton completed what Renee was about to say.

Under the guise of an exploration quest, this was just an extermination quest where the participants were required to clear the area of any hostile presence. For an extermination quest, this quest of exterminating the Monklins was a highly rewarding quest.

'Also, this quest is perfect for someone like me.' Ashton was barely able to maintain his stoic expression as a thought crossed his find.

With his heightened [Perception] skill, it was easier for him to try and find this hidden breeding ground which was supposed to be filled with rare gears and riches. Even if it wasn't, the reward for finding and clearing the so-called breeding grounds was more than enough for someone like Ashton.

But more importantly, since they had to cover a lot of area, thus they would have to individually take over a part to clear by themselves.

Which meant as long as he was careful, he could feast upon the beasts and level up his genes without any problems. Also, since the Monklins only appeared at night they would have to hunt them at night as well. Which meant the darkness would further help him to protect his secret.

'Now, all that's left to do is wait for the sun to disappear.. Then the feast will begin.'