There was a second reason that travel was relatively safe. The arrival journey required you to go upstream, whereas the return had you go downstream. Not only was it faster, but it was relatively quiet. Once clearing the island, the ship was naturally taken away by the current. At this speed, it’d only be about ten minutes until we reach back to where we started. In comparison, it took thirty minutes to reach the dock going upstream.

“I mean what I said earlier.” Alysia suddenly spoke up.

“Hmm?”

“There aren’t enough Dungeon Divers, and the countries don’t take them seriously. They are the true threat that this world faces. Some people use them as profit, or as training grounds, but every year, hundreds die in the dungeons, and thousands perish because of things that were grown out of dungeons. This world would be a better place if they didn’t exist!”

“Her brother died in a dungeon.” One of the girls whispered to me.

Alysia blushed but acted as if she didn’t hear it, “We need more skilled Dungeon Divers, but we won’t get them unless we work together and train. The countries must all work together, or one day all that will be left in this world is dungeons. You must find the will to continue to dive deeper, even after obtaining your goals.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dungeon Divers must put their lives on the line when they go into a dungeon. Few are willing to make that journey, but those that are usually are looking for something. They want fame, wealth, or power. Dungeons will gladly provide it as long as you survive. That creates a problem, though. Once obtaining what they want, Dungeon Divers no longer have any drive to continue.

“Once they are rich or famous, or are a high enough level that they can walk the surface and dominate everyone, they see no reason to dive deeper and continue to risk their lives. That is the true reason that so few are able to dive deeper than level 50. It isn’t for lack of ability, but lack of will. They convince themselves that the Great Dungeons have been around long before they were born, and there is no need to destroy them.

“Some even go so far as to wanting the Great Dungeons to survive. Entire markets are built around the continued existence of certain Dungeons, and if these Dungeons were ever defeated, the people who benefit from them would become enraged. So, you can understand, the dungeon life is a difficult and lonely path.

“I don’t say this because I want to scare you — quite the opposite. I hope you continue to dive deeper. Perhaps, you will actually end the curse of a dungeon one day. Even if you just stopped one, you’d have done more than what most people who call themselves Dungeon Divers have managed in their entire lives. However, if you took up the code… to always dive deeper into the unknown, to grow stronger and stronger until even the Great Dungeons fall… well, that is the path of Titan’s Fall.

“That’s the meaning of our group’s name. Many think it’s because we are Osteria who have the blood of giants. No, the titans we seek to destroy are the Great Dungeons. Only when the Titans fall, can humanity finally rise out from their grasp.”

“That’s kind of poetic.”

She blushed even more. It seemed like Alysia was a girl who got embarrassed easily. Or maybe it was just because it was so apparent due to her light skin and freckles.

“So…” She straightened up. “Will you do it? Will you promise to try to defeat dungeons in earnest? To try to end the curses that blight this land?”

Her words had a feel of oath to them like this was something very important to her. I could only give a helpless smile and nod.

“I might take out a dungeon or two.”