Magi: Hiraeth

2: The 23rd Dungeon

The 23rd Dungeon

The 23rd dungeon that was raised in the peaceful Kingdom of Xue has been the source of anxiety of the serene land. People were aware of how dangerous dungeons are. The people of the Xue Kingdom are allowed to leave the country once they've reached the right age to travel.

They always brought back numerous records from the places they travel to. Thus, the Xue kingdom is knowledgable about the world despite being isolated and unknown for so many centuries; and now, there stood the thing that causes wars around the world. A dungeon that has the power to destroy this peaceful land.

One lad, however, took on the quest to achieve the power of kings.

"...ouch." winced the white haired girl named Yukiko as she rubs her forehead. "So this is what a dungeon looks like." She stood up and picked up her bag and her sword.

The place was bright because of the huge fire colored group of crystals growing in the ceiling of the cave like place.

"Well, well~ It seems that we have our first challenger!" Said a playful male voice. It resonated through the whole area. "To be a king means being able to stand on your own feet despite everything, refusing to surrender, knowledgable and witty. Confident and has the power to rule. Plus, we want a king who is not dull or boring. Going here only means three things. One, you desire wealth. Two, you want to achieve the power that you need. Three, you want to die immediately~ I hope it's not reason three! I want to play with a beautiful lady such as you~"

The disembodied voice sure sounded jolly and excited about seeing a person.

"Oi! Your tone is disrespectful and your compliments are half-hearted!" She removed the mask from her face and moved it to the side, exposing her green eyes. "Tell me, what is your name! I am Yukiko of the Kingdom of Xue. The land which you disturbed!" She introduced herself.

As if it didn't hear her, the voice continued on rambling.

"Your country is awfuly cold during winter and even if it's spring I'm sure it'll still be cold. Good thing you have volcanoes or I'll bring an active one myself. I am Niai, the quiz master of this dungeon and aide of Aini-sama. Enough chit chat! Let us start the game and we'll see if you can become king."

The place then turned into nothing but a plain bricked room of the golden color of sand, fire torches on the side to light the room. There appeared a door with a riddle.

The girl read the riddle written in ancient scriptures and you can almost see a bewildered look on her face. She sweatdropped a bit before sighing.

"..are you kidding me? The answer is man. A human being." She answered almost immediately.

"W-What?! How did you answer so fast! I made this one myself--- did you use a cheat?!"

"It's so easy. What walks on four in the morning, two at noon and three at night. The answer is a human. Morning represents the beggining of life and walking on four means crawling, like a baby. Two at noon means a grown man who reached the peak of being able to walk. The peak of life meaning noon. Three at night meaning the end. Three means walking with a cane for support due to old age. This is like the oldest riddle in this world." She wrote the answer on the door.

"Are you sure you've been preparing, Niai?" She asked him as the door slowly opened. "I'VE HEARD THIS RIDDLE WHEN I WAS BUT A CHILD YOU KNOW!" she added as she runs inside a cave. She yelled so the voice can properly hear her.

"I'll get you next time, lady!" He yelled in delight. "You're fun!"

-----

The place was filled with obstacle courses that requires logical thinking and pop quizzes. Few monsters come out just to surprise her but they don't bring her any harm, which confused her at one point since it was said that vicious monsters try and kill you as soon as they see you. Guess some are eccentric and weird as this one.