Becoming The Strongest Using My Would-You-Rather System!-Chapter 42 - Travel And Mission

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the third day, Theo stood in front of a bus stop with a spear on his back and comfortable clothes specially created for dungeons on.

"Finally," he muttered, watching the bus approach in the distance.

As it came to a halt and opened its doors, he stepped inside.

His gaze swept across the rows of seats before quickly locking onto a familiar figure in the back.

Owen already had his hand raised, waving him to come over as their eyes met.

"Morning," he said as Theo threw himself on the chair next to him.

Theo let out a small yawn while nodding. "Yeah, good morning."

His gaze swept over Owen, noticing proper clothes before his gaze fell on some strange kind of sledgehammer.

"That’s going to be your weapon?" he asked, tilting his head.

Owen smiled, nodding as he held the sledgehammer with both hands.

"I want to crush some real skulls with this thing," he said, mimicking a swinging motion. "And it suits my affinity really well too."

Theo fell silent for a moment.

It was indeed a good fit, not just for his earth affinity, but also with his overall hot-headed temper.

"I see you got a nice spear yourself," Owen said, raising both eyebrows as he stared at the beautiful forked spear. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Yup," Theo said, letting it rest on his shoulder. "It works like a charm."

Owen leaned back in his chair, resting the hammer against his leg again.

"Good," he said. "Then you won’t slow me down."

Theo looked at him for a moment, then let out a chuckle as he shook his head.

"Keep talking like that and you’ll be the first one I leave behind," he said lightly.

Owen snorted. "Yeah, sure."

The bus rumbled softly as it picked up speed, the city outside slowly starting to thin out.

For a moment, the two of them sat in silence.

Owen still had a smile plastered across his face, but Theo noticed subtle tremors in his hands from nervousness.

’It’ll be his first time,’ he thought. ’But I have no doubt he’ll settle down once after his first kill or two.’

He’d calmed down really fast after his first few kills too, and with Owen’s personality there’d be no way that wouldn’t be the same for him.

Just then, Owen reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Alright," he said, tapping the screen a few times. "Let’s go over this properly."

Theo snapped out of his thoughts and nodded once.

"It’s an E-rank dungeon," Owen continued. "Forest-type terrain and creatures."

"The primary creatures are wolf packs and goblins, their ranks ranging between F and E-ranks."

Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered the information.

"Both are pack hunters," he said calmly. "You’ll have to be careful you don’t split off from us."

Owen glanced at him for a moment, clearly taking the words to heart, then he scrolled down slightly.

"What do you think about the last thing mentioned here?"

Theo pursed his lips together, a hint of hesitation flickering past his face.

"You mean the reason why we’re exploring the dungeon?"

Owen nodded.

Theo leaned back, his gaze drifting for a moment before returning to the screen.

"According to Iris, the dungeon is privately owned by her family," he said slowly. "But lately something’s been off inside."

He paused. "And we’ll be going in there to check it out."

Owen frowned slightly, his grip on the phone tightening just a little.

"...Off how?" he asked. "Like... dangerous off?"

Theo glanced at him for a moment, then shook his head lightly.

"It happens all the time," he said calmly. "Creatures are still living beings. They don’t all act according to one pattern."

Owen stared at him for a second before letting out a slow breath.

"...Right," he muttered. "Yeah, that makes sense."

The tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

Then, just as quickly, a wicked smile spread across his face.

Without warning, he jabbed Theo in the side.

"So," he said, grinning, "you’ve pulled a rich girl, huh?"

Theo blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden change.

"...What?"

"Private dungeon?" Owen continued, raising an eyebrow. "Her family has to be incredibly wealthy."

He didn’t stop there.

"She has to be pretty to get your attention too, right?"

Theo recovered and let out a deep sigh.

"It’s not like that," he said.

Owen’s grin only grew wider.

"Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all say."

Theo rolled his eyes, turning his gaze back toward the window.

"...You’re an idiot."

Owen chuckled, leaning back in his seat again.

"Maybe," he said. "But I’m not wrong."

After some time passed, the bus came to a halt just outside the city.

Theo stood up first, adjusting the spear on his back before stepping off the bus, Owen following close behind.

The moment they stepped outside, Owen’s eyes immediately locked onto something ahead.

A large, dark military vehicle stood parked by the roadside, its armored exterior reflecting the early morning light. A uniformed soldier stood beside it, his eyes locked on them.

Owen slowed down for a moment.

"...No way," he muttered.

Theo glanced at him briefly.

"I told you."

Owen let out a low whistle, his gaze still fixed on the vehicle.

"You weren’t kidding," he said. "A private dungeon... and they’ve got military transport too?"

Theo didn’t respond, already walking towards the car.

After a second of hesitation, Owen quickly followed.

As they approached, the soldier stepped forward, his gaze briefly scanning the two of them.

"Theo Lane and Owen Carter?" he asked, voice firm.

Theo nodded politely.

"Yes, that’s us."

The soldier stepped aside without another word, holding the back door open for them.

The two of them climbed in without hesitation, the heavy door shutting behind them with a dull thud.

As they sat there, Owen admired everything around him, clearly having the time of his life.

Theo smirked and turned to him.

"Wouldn’t it be funny if this wasn’t a military escort and we were being kidnapped instead?"

Hearing that, Owen froze.

The soldier in the front cleared his throat, glancing in the rearview mirror with a sharp gaze.

Moments later, the engine roared to life and the car started moving.

As the city grew smaller and smaller behind them, dense forests started surrounding them as they slowly drove up the base of a tall mountain.

Owen leaned close to the window, his earlier excitement now mixed with a hint of tension.

"...This is it," he muttered.

Theo smiled faintly, though his heart also started beating faster.

’I wonder how a dungeon looks on the inside,’ he thought. ’From all I’ve read, they are supposed to be magical.’