“Mana is what keeps you breathing,” Albert began to teach us. “Not just breathing, but also keeps your heart pumping.”

  We knew that one. Mana was that thing which kept us alive. But if this lesson was so profound, why didn't we learn this at the academy?

  Albert, as if reading my thoughts, looked at me.

  “What do you think the academy is supposed to do for you?” he asked.

  I didn't have an answer to that.

  Everyone knew that the academy was for those who wanted to be adventurous but didn't have the means to go through military school. It was a basic education with only the points that were most vital for those who went to risk their lives every day.

  “The academy,” Albert continued, “has only the value you put in it.”

  “I know that,” I began, trying to chase away the cold feeling in my bones. “So, what you mean to say is, if I used the time more wisely and made use of the free material, I would have been better off?”

  Albert nodded. “You see, schools are all well and good. I'm not saying that we should all turn into dropouts.” He even winked at me, which was strange. Albert never winked at anyone.

  I guess he had this rare moment of kindness.

  Kindness not typical for him, or maybe I just didn't know him well enough.

  “You see,” he continued, “if you're not willing to put in the work, it doesn't matter how good your school is or how many textbooks are available.”

  “One does not simply learn only in school. One does their own research on the topics they are interested in. And if they're not interested? They don't do the research.” I bowed my head in shame.

  All that time, I hadn't done a single hour of research.

  The only thing I did was my homework, only to go out after classes and pick up another gig.

  “But it's not too late,” Albert continued. “The Guild Master Hans wants to give you another chance, doesn't he?”

  “And you can trade knowledge,” Albert continued. I had no idea what sort of knowledge I could trade with him. It wasn't like I was an expert in anything.

  My only redeeming point was that I tried to find a way to better myself.

  But was that even enough?

  Tine stared with me. He knew my grades, knew more about me than most people did. We were in the same class, even if I didn’t get his name.

  “This is not about you,” he said. “This is not about me, either. This is about protecting those who can't protect themselves.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Put like this, it was very heroic. But I had no idea if I could protect anyone. The only thing I could do was shoot with a bow.

  “I heard about your idea,” Albert continued, this time looking at Constantine. “About the idea that we should all become acquainted with the dungeons, that we should find a way to do quests for them.”

  Constantine’s lips turned up.

  “But you know, there are many murder cores,” Albert continued. “And we can’t ignore them.”

  “No, we can't,” Constantine agreed.

  It was very strange for him to agree to such a thing. I had no idea why he would do it. Didn't that undermine his goal?

  “But those dungeon cores are not our main concern,” he continued. “They can be dealt with when we get the other dungeon cores on our side. And not just that, but we as adventurers can offer the Dungeon Cores a reward.”

  I blinked. This was the first time I had heard about such a thing.

  “And what could we possibly offer to the dungeon cores?” Albert asked, his focus was intense.

  That was a question I also wanted to ask, but I held my tongue.

  “What can we offer them?” Constantine began. “We can offer them our skill set. We can offer them a place in our guild, protection.” Albert nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

  “But that doesn't mean they want us to offer them these things. Don't you agree?” the older adventurer asked.

  He unrolled his old map, showing us a couple of dungeons.

  “Look at this map,” he said. I read the name of the dungeon: The Animated Mushroom Dungeon. “This dungeon likes to take out something of every adventurer that comes to it. Things like new schemas for both mushroom and animals alike.”

  That didn't sound so bad, I thought to myself. After all, what were a couple of schemas?

  “This dungeon,” he said, pointing at a dungeon which looked as old as time on the map, “this particular dungeon does one of two things. If you are not careful, it will enslave you and turn you into an undead. But if you are careful, you can ask it for a valuable bone, a skill book, or even access to its library. We know that there's one.”

  “So that was a very useful dungeon to get a contract with,” Albert continued.

  “But, you know, that dungeon isn't a saint. It refuses to give you anything if you can't force it to give you something. In a way, it's a dungeon which does one of two things: kill you or cheat you. And if you manage to get out of the dungeons in time, then you will, of course, end up with a lot of money. But if you can't do that, you're going to die.”

  “You have to reconsider one thing. These dungeons have lasted for centuries. No amount of adventurers raiding them has ever produced any result.”

  “If you refuse to do as the dungeon says, then you are the dungeon's enemy. And if you are the dungeon's enemy, then you will, of course, be killed.”

  A shadow fell over his face.

  I froze. Was this really how things were going to be?

  “But there should be a third option,” Constantine began, “The dungeon just wants some mushrooms. We can get it as many as it wants.”

  Albert let out a soft chuckle.

  “You know, Tine,” he said, though it was unclear whether he was speaking to me or Constantine. “You were very tenacious during the academy days. And not to mention, you were also my favorite mentor during the botanical classes.”

  I began to blink at Constantine. He could do farming and herb growing?

  “But that's not something you should let get to your head,” Albert continued. “After all, if someone tells you that a dungeon is dangerous, then you should listen to them.”

  “No,” Constantine was not going to listen to anyone. Of that much, I was certain. “You just don't want to see the world at peace!” he snapped.

  I was skeptical, but Constantine looked into my eyes.

  “We will test our theory. We will go to the Dungeon of Animated Mushrooms.”

  Albert clapped his hands together.

  “I can't let you go alone. You're just going to end up getting killed,” he said, as he rolled his old map back and gave it to us. “And you will take this as a thank you for not letting me do anything rash.”

  Albert then clapped us both on the back, and said, “Now, let's just continue our mana lesson!”