For The Greater Good-World 1: A Corrupted Cove || World//Zero ||

32. The Fourth Kingdom

Soon enough, the fourth dungeon was opened. The third was still closed, but at least now Alec could progress.

Even though he technically wasn't allowed to go into the third dungeon, as he was without his mentor and he was breaking the rules, he still managed to get that quest checked off, as he still completed it. Now he and Cal, using the Waystone, teleported to the blue crystal and walked further down the path, on their way to find the fourth dungeon.

A few days to himself seemed to have made Cal calm down a little, as he wasn't yelling at Alec anymore. However, he still was upset about him going into the third dungeon by himself, even though he kept telling his apprentice that he moved past that and that it didn't matter anymore, much like with what happened with the Crab Prince. While the young swordmaster still felt a little awkward being around him, he at least tried to pretend that he didn't notice the tension between him and his mentor and followed him down the beaten down path.

The path led them closer to the cove, where Alec could still see the sand and the open ocean. However, much like the Boarwolf Forest, this part was shaded by tall palm trees and somewhat bordered with big and spacious rock formations. On their way to their next dungeon, he and Cal passed a number of different types of crab species, including a few that Alec hadn't seen before. The earth and the electric crab he recognized, but there were very deep red ones that had faded black claws and brown shells, and appeared to have tiny hills on them. They took no mind to the boy, however, and clipped at the tall grass with their pinchers. His unnamed fox kit looked at them curiously but otherwise didn't disturb them.

Then, further up ahead on the path, Alec saw a pressure plate, much like the one he saw by the windmill in the Snake Fields. This must've been another dungeon! It was put between two tall rock formations, and next to it looked to be empty cages meant for catching fish and other sea creatures. On top of the wall of rock, he also spotted what looked to be a sand castle. It was big compared to Alec, but it definitely wasn't any taller than the surrounding rock formations around it.

"Here's your fourth dungeon, Alec," Cal announced when they got nearer. This one's very much like your first dungeon. Do you know why?"

"Uh..." Alec looked around at his surroundings before looking up at his mentor. "It has...crabs in it?"

"Exactly," Cal said. "And you know how you've met the Crab Prince before? Well, now you're going to meet the King."

Alec's eyes widened and he gulped. How was he supposed to take down a crab king?! He could barely take down the Prince!

"Don't worry," Cal told him. "I've seen your improvement, and I think you've got this one in the bag. After all, you've beaten two corrupted dungeon bosses. How hard can it be?"

Alec swallowed again, getting worried. After his feud with the Crab Prince, he absolutely did NOT want anything to do with giant crabs anymore. But, this was one of his quests. And he couldn't move on unless he completed it.

As if it would muster up all of his courage, Alec took a very deep breath through his nose before nodding to his mentor. Cal ushered him onto the plate, and a portal opened up. Alec was the first to step through, and Cal followed in after him. They looked to be walking right into the tropics, as he saw palm trees towering over the grassy yet sandy cliffside and saw the ocean from where he was. There was also a waterfall going down the hill beside him, creating a river of sorts before continuing down the cliff, creating another waterfall. There was a clean barrier preventing him from going any further down the dirt path, and peering through it Alec saw about three earth crabs there waiting for him, across the river.

"Alright," Cal said behind him. "Good luck."

Once he was ready, Alec unsheathed his sword and approached the barrier, his pet following him. The barrier disintegrated, allowing him to spring into action. He leapt to the earth crabs, inflicting damage on the first one with a swipe of his sword before damaging the second. When he got around the third, he took a strong step and swung his sword, and a blue crescent sliced through the crabs easily. He saw them turn red and their shattered parts spiral into the sky, and his pet watched as they faded away. It met Alec's gaze and peeped at him.