Sorry for the delay.
We continued from where we left off, Silver's first venture into the Dungeon after the New Year.
Peace!
7.5K words.
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Silver left the Loki Familia's manor without much hassle.
With everyone busy, man and deity, there wasn't much an outsider like him could do. In the end, his role was simply that of a porter, even if an oversized and overpaid one.
Hestia followed in silence post her short meeting with Loki, her eyes darting around as if expecting something to jump after her. From her disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes, he could tell what had transpired in Loki's office without needing to hear it from her.
With the documentation now finished and the "goddess" talk over, Silver proceeded to resume his old schedule.
After dropping Hestia midway to the Guild so she could move on with her day, he crossed the streets and alleys of northern Orario and made his way to the ever so busy Guild.
There, he deposited and validated his contract before meeting with his precious friend…
…
"You look like you're about to die." Silver pointed out as he looked at Loiju
Loiju, looking like a zombie, raised his head to stare at Silver after collapsing on the couch of a private room, "I do think… that midway through this week I died and was resurrected somehow." He said as his hands trembled.
"… You sure you're fine?"
"I am… I think… I stopped feeling anything after my seventh cup of coffee."
"… How long have you been up?"
"Oh? You misunderstand… I slept fine yesterday. You came to me, remember? It's just the work… this rhythm is killing me, and when things are about to slow down, something else happens."
"What happened now?" Silver asked as he exhaled faintly, taking a sip of the tea he brewed
"Just your standard overwork. The problem is that since the School District arrived, I haven't been able to rest properly. And now that we're reaching the cleanup period, I can't begin to imagine how hectic things will be."
"Cleanup period?"
"Just as it sounds. The Dungeon has been left alone for far too long. We make do by sending a few adventurers from time to time to clean up the floors, but the lower you go, the harder it gets to do so."
"The floors are brimming with monsters, way more than usual. Weeks of reduced adventurers led to this… we had ten reports of enhanced monsters just around the Upper Floors in the past week alone."
"We can't keep sending Second and Third Class adventurers to clean things up every time either. It's too expensive… but we make do. In the next few days, expect a bunch of commissions to pop up regarding those things as everyone goes back to work."
"Do we have any available? I'm a bit short on cash right now…"
Loiju raised an eyebrow, "Weren't you going to work as a porter to the Loki Familia? How can you still not have enough money on you, Goliath-Slayer?"
"What's with the fancy title?"
"That's how people have been calling you. Or rather, not us but the other adventurers around. Word is you stole the credit for the slaying of Goliath and now others are calling you that as a joke."
"Just what I needed then, another bothersome thing to keep track of… anyhow, how many commissions can you throw at me this time around?"
"You really don't care, huh? Well… we have a large pile of commissions on the counter. I've taken a few, but this time, I really suggest you keep things civil. Avoid the Middle Floors for the time being."
"What happened?"
Loiju sighed, "There has been an increase in the number of deaths around the area before the Under Resort. We've tried to contact the adventurers working there, but Rivira… has been destroyed."
"What?"
Shaking his head, Loiju shrugged, "It happens from time to time. Rivira isn't a bastion. At best, it's a ragtag town… it ends up destroyed every once in a while."
"While no monsters spawn on the 18th Floor, a lot tend to make way from the 17th and 19th Floors. I heard they love the fruits around the forests, so yeah… With the increase in monster density, more than usual rushed into it and with most adventurers that usually work there gone… the city fell."
Loiju waved his hand in the air, "I bet it'll be up and running again in no time. Those guys would never lose the chance to scam adventurers at a time like this. The new year is when many parties make resolutions for the future and grow ambitions… it's also when casualties pile up… for the aforementioned reasons."
"But what about the deaths? What's the cause of it?" Silver asked as he grew a little interested
Loiju sighed again as he noticed his expression, "It seems a strange monster has appeared on the middle floors."
"Some say its an Enhanced Species, while some say its an Irregular, although there isn't any proper description of the monster. They just say that only blood remains from his foes… and their screams echoing in the quarry."
"Regardless, a capable enough Familia has taken the commission to deal with it. A few others are currently investigating as well, so there shouldn't be any more victims, but..."
"What I'm trying to say is… until then, please avoid going deeper than the 13th floor."
Silver thought for a moment before giving him a nod, "I'm more concerned about making money than adventuring, anyway. So I'll avoid getting into trouble."
"That's all I wanted to hear… should we?…"
"Before that, you said the Loki Familia is going on another expedition, care to share a bit more about their past experiences?"
"Shouldn't you know that, given you just contracted with them?" Loiju asked as he almost shoved his pen down Silver's forehead, "It should be just more of the same. The Loki Familia goes on a raid every few months or so." He said as he crossed his arms
"They even do minor expeditions from time to time to raise funds and the levels of their recruits."
"As the strongest Familia focused solely on Dungeon exploration, the Guild endorses them with items, Valis, equipment, and the like to facilitate the exploration of lower floors, and so far things have been looking good."
"All of their expeditions last year were major successes. No casualties, and I think they reached the 47th Floor? The Guild usually presses the Loki Familia to reach new depths every expedition, but that is but a formality."
"That's quite deep. I wonder what kinds of monsters there are down there?"
Loiju shook his head before he could even finish his sentence:
"Unfortunately, that's classified information… anything related to the Deep Floor is classified information until a Familia reaches an equivalent Rank to tackle those challenges."
"It's not about keeping it a secret. It's about preventing others from being discouraged. Which goes to say how incredible the Loki Familia is."
"They've long grown past the point of being able to reach new floors every few months. Especially now that they're reaching the end of the known Dungeon."
"It's too dangerous to force them into a situation where failure means loss of honor… goddess Loki would throw a fit if anything happened to their children because of pressure from our side."
"You seem to speak from experience…"
"I do. I was there to witness the fallout of her displeasure with Guild sanctions many times before. Sometimes I even feel as if I can hear her screams in the hallway whenever she gets mad at the head."
"I tend to despise that pig, but in moments like this I can understand why he's the head. Only someone with such thick skin would be able to remain intact from the constant strikes of all these displeased deities."
"It's a commendable trait if anything."
"Now uh… where was I? In their last few expeditions, the Sword Princess became Level 5 and so did a few others, and in the last expedition, they trained some new blood and a few leveled up, so they think they are ready to explore deeper than the previous time."
"I see. That's interesting to know, thanks for the info."
"Keep your head straight down there. The last thing I want to hear about is that the sole casualty from their Familia came from an outside force."
"So much for the confidence you have in me…"
"You're the idiot throwing yourself around the place and causing trouble. Do you think things would've been fine if you'd brought Goliath's Magic Stone to trade?! Have some sense!"
"I really needed that money though…" Silver said as he considered hunting it again
"I'll give you some good commissions, just don't back hurt again… Speaking of getting hurt, you look far better today, how's your "training" with the Knight of Knights going?"
"That is a long story…"
As they left the private room, Silver narrated his past few days to Loiju.
…
/SPLAT!/
/CUT!/
As he crushed a goblin's head with his gauntlet, Silver turned to collect the fallen drop items around him.
"There certainly are more than usual." He mumbled as he sucked all the items into his pocket space
'Way more than back during the Winter Festival.'
He crouched down to grab a long goblin nail, "Man… at this rate, how long until I pay off all my debts?"
'The life of a breadwinner is a hard one…'
He looked into the distance beyond the mists of the 12th floor… 'Should I?'
'I did say I wasn't going to… and none of my commissions are located on the Middle Floors…'
Silver adjusted his helmet as he checked the time by pulling a wristwatch from his pocket space, 'I'll finish my work first and move along later.'
/Crack…/
The Dungeon's walls cracked as a pack of Silverbacks formed around him.
"Just in time."
He raised his left hand and pointed it at the wall.
/BURN!/
Fire engulfed his gauntlet before a bullet of fire flew and collided against a Silverback, exploding with a powerful echo!
/GROWL!/
The Silverback fell back with its chest in flames and charred, but it didn't die.
'The strength of the Plasmids is noticeable. The Stat increase is nowhere enough to make them comparable to standard magic, but we're getting there.'
/THUD!/
While he was surrounded by the Silverbacks, a large orangish lizard stepped from the fog.
"That's another one crossed out. Do me a favor and drop what I need, will ya?" Silver said with a smile as he looked at the infant dragon
/ROAAR!!/
The infant dragon began its charge, but Silver remained unimpressed, "Is it slower, or am I faster?"
/Fwoosh…/
/SMASH!/
While he chuckled, two Silverbacks approached him from behind and smashed their hands down, crashing against him!
/Boom!/
Their fists collided against a translucent dome above Silver's hand, and before they could react, he turned to fog, escaping through the gaps of his armor as the Infant Dragon ran through him, crashing into the giant silver apes!
/Fuom…/
While they fell on the ground, Silver reformed on the side, his right hand pointed forward as his skin split open, three lines, one in each side of his forearm and underneath it, ignited with energy…
/BLAST!/
A projectile flew from within his palm! The bullet pierced through the two Silver backs and the Infant Dragon, slaying them in an instant!
/ROAR!/
The other Silverbacks circled him, coming in and out of the fog as they looked for an opening. But Silver wasn't interested in playing around with their theatrics.
/Grab/
He reached for the fog and grasped the white beard of one of the apes, pulling it down before grasping its neck and tensing his body.
Under his skin, his muscles shifted and expanded. In just a moment, Silver pulled the giant beast and threw it against another before channeling an orb of lightning with his left palm and throwing it in their direction.
/THUNDER!/
/SMASH!/
As the lightning echoed in the caverns, he moved to the last Silverback and merely punched its guts, the impact so great the creature thumbed back into the Dungeon's walls before Silver slew it with a sword through the eyes.
/Poof!/
Clapping his hands, Silver watched the Silverback turn to dust, "Cough…"
He then looked at his armor lying on the ground, 'That's why I usually don't wear armor. It restricts my movements, and I have to spend more energy to move it around than wearing nothing.'
"But I need to get used to it, I'm afraid."
'When I venture with the Loki Familia, they'll frown if I go around half naked, won't they? Sigh…'
Silver collected his loot before pulling out his notebook and crossing another commission for retrieval of Infant Dragon drops.
"I'm done here, let's move caverns."
He walked around the fog ridden caverns, going from one large area to another.
But as he entered another room, he reached for his nose.
"This smell… blood?"
'This isn't the smell of monster blood though.'
He looked around and soon found its source.
Huddled together in the cavern's corner were several corpses. A fierce fight seemed to have happened here given their disorderly condition.
Silver immediately became invisible and muffled his body.
Immediately after, he tried scouting for possible enemies, but he found nothing. So he went to check on these people.
Crouching down next to them, he frowned, "They're cold, but the caverns here are quite damp already... hard to pinpoint how long they've died."
"Multiple slashes in critical areas… they bled to death. It's too clean and small for the claws os most monsters in the area."
'Their equipment is fairly damaged. I recognize some of the materials, Upper Floor monsters wouldn't be able to damage them so easily… but there are no signs of bites and tearing normally caused by early Middle Floor monsters such as a Hellhound.'
He came to a grueling conclusion, "It was a fight between adventurers… or a monster wielding a sharp blade."
"Hum… a Cristal Mantis? No… that doesn't create these patterns."
'It could be a mutated humanoid monster, one able to wield equipment.'
He looked around with sharp eyes, "Their loot… where is their bag?... I wager this Pallum was their supporter, but I don't see their supplies. Was it taken?"
'Was it a robbery?'
"Was it really a person?"
He took another look around but didn't find much on the surface.
"The place is really bloody… poor bastards."
He thought about what his advisor told him before, "When the Dungeon devours their bodies… yup, this scene will look just like what he described."
'They aren't that cold either… their muscles aren't relaxed yet… Looks like I was just a tad too late to see this so-called monster and possibly save a few lives.'
He stepped back and gave them one last glance before he turned around and continued on his way.
'Rest in...'
But he stopped midway.
"Hum… I could try reading their hieroglyphs..."
'I'm by no means proficient in it, but I can make sense of a person's Level and some letters…'
Silver went to one adventurer, one that was lying upside down near a boulder.
'Sorry for this, friend.'
/RIIP/
He ripped his clothes, revealing the man's back, "Thankfully their deity didn't hide it."
'Gods tend to hide the Status of their children, albeit through some circumstances, the Status can end up popping right back up, or it could just be that the God likes to have it seen.'
'I particularly do not mind Hestia's symbol on my back, I find it quite cool to some degree.'
On his back was a symbol he didn't immediately recognize. It was a strange horse galloping on a plate. But what mattered was what was written around it.
The numbers shocked him, "... Level… Level 3?! Shiiiiit! What the fuck killed you all?" He asked out loud as his face paled faintly
'He doesn't seem that hurt. He most likely fended off whatever struck him but was eventually overwhelmed and hit with a single critical strike right in the neck… the strange thing is that this injury isn't that fatal, a simple healing spell or potion would've healed this.'
'Most adventurers would bring one for such emergencies.'
"So whoever did this is around this level of power… to take down a party with a Level 3…"
'What about his Stats? Let's see… Strength is at G, Vitality H, Dexterity G, Agility H, Magic I… He should have been a recent Level 3. Not a newbie, but certainly not a veteran.'
'It also kind of depends on his skills and other factors… he could have been a Level 3 for years and only had those stats for all I care. He's what one would call… below average.'
"I shouldn't linger more than this… Wasn't there a reward for this kind of info?"
'To think I'd be so pressed for money I'd consider hauling bodies… when was the last time I did something like this? Was it when I was in that weird parallel world? I was forced to dig graves to study their unique powers…'
He shook those terrible memories away, "Let's confirm the names and levels of the others and bring them back to the Guild."
"And of course..."
/KATCHIN!/
Silver took a nice photo of the man's back with his portable camera, showing all of his stats and a few others around the "crime scene".
He did the same for each member before storing their bodies inside his pocket space. Lastly, he buried their belongs with stone manipulation as a way to record their final moments.
"Phew. That was hard. May you all rest in peace. I'll bring you all back home."
/Step step.../
It seemed Silver had taken a little too long in this place and now others had arrived. A group of five adventurers loomed in the distance…
'Someone's coming. Time to put my armor back on and book it.'
/Shua…/
/Crunch…/
A party of adventurers appeared from the fog.
"... I smell blood." Said one of the adventurers, a tall weretiger
'And something else.'
(Image)
"Looking at the surroundings, there must've been a fight in here recently. Look at these marks on the ground." Another added, a chienthrope girl as she sniffed the air
(Image)
"Those mounds… are those graves?" The third member asked as she stepped out of the weretiger's back
She was a tiny pallum girl with a cute magical witch hat. Which was quite cute.
(Image)
"Be careful Meryl, it isn't safe for you to step out yet." The weretiger claimed as he looked around warily
"... Reveal yourself!" Their fourth member, a beautiful blue haired girl claimed as she threw some colorful powder in the air
""!""
The entire team of five went into formation, with the tall and strong weretiger on the front, the Chienthrope girl on the left and the blue haired girl on the right, while the wizard Loli stayed in the middle.
And lastly, a tall elf with a nice hat stayed at the back with his bow drawn
"Cough... this fucking powder… COUGH! What the hell is this?"
Silver stepped out from behind a rock, "It's a misunderstanding... cough…" He said as he put his arms up
The blue haired girl, or rather, Asfi's expression changed faintly while the other four gripped their weapons tightly.
'This voice… Why is he here? Isn't he a Level 1 adventurer?'
Before Asfi could speak and clear up the situation, the weretiger stepped forward with his large sword:
"Who are you and why are you here?"
Silver cleared his throat as he tried to clear the dangerous powder from his nose, "... I am an adventurer from a small Familia. Just like you five, I smelt blood and found the bodies of the adventurers, so I buried them."
But the weretiger didn't believe that.
"... Your hands are too clean."
"…"
'He is perceptive…'
"I washed my hands." Silver claimed as he coughed faintly
""...""
"#!... You must think I am some kind of idiot..." The man replied as he gnashed his teeth
Before the situation went awry, Asfi stepped forward, "Calm down, Falgar, he is telling the truth."
"But, captain..."
"It's okay, let me talk from here on out."
"You can take your helmet off, I know who you are. Captain of the Hestia Familia."
Silver smiled as he took it off, "I suppose this is the first time we meet formally, isn't it?" He asked as he looked at her, "I met Hermes a few times before but didn't have the chance to greet you."
Seeing his face, the elf's eyes widened. He seemed to recognize Silver.
Silver greeted him with a nod. He remembered seeing him the last time they met before the New Year when he visited Hermes to inquire about a few things… it was a brief encounter, but both had good memories.
"He's not bad looking." The chienthrope girl said as she smirked
"Lulune…" The pallum girl whispered as she sighed
"Pardon their rudeness, they are all on edge, and you can probably understand why."
"Of course."
"Well… allow me to formally introduce myself then. I'm Asfi Al Andromeda, Captain of the Hermes Familia."
"Mellios Silver, Captain of the Hestia Familia." He greeted her back as he gave her and everyone a nod
"I don't, really."
Asfi nodded as she took a small noteblock from her shirt, "Alright, let's start the questions. Do you know those adventures?"
Silver shook his head, "No"
"Did you hear or see them fighting?"
He shook his head once more, "I was making my way to another region when I smelt the blood. I did not hear any sound. The fight most likely ended as soon as I came here… that was… around nine minutes ago?"
Asfi frowned, "... How did you make a hole for several people in nine minutes?"
"..."
'All of these people are so on edge. I should've just left, but I let curiosity get the better of me.'
'Do I just say I dug a little hole to store their belongings? Ah, whatever.'
"It's easier if I show you." He said with a sigh as he pointed at the ground
"Open... sesame?"
A hole slowly opened in the ground near them, exposing the damp dirt underneath.
""!""
"Is that?.."
"My magic."
Asfi frowned but didn't press further. She put her notebook on her chest before clearing her throat.
"Cough! In any case, this event is over... thank you for the cooperation. Don't worry about the investigation reward. Once we go back, I will report about your help, and you should be able to collect the reward money by tonight."
"Thanks! Good luck, everyone." Silver said as he bowed
'How am I going to explain the bodies then?… Ah, whatever.'
He waved at them and left.
…
After Silver left…
"... Was this fine? I still think he is suspicious." Lulune said as she looked at Asfi
"It's fine, I know him well enough not to suspect him."
'He wouldn't be able to do this much, anyhow… but some of his words irk me.'
"Oh, you do?!"
Asfi sighed, "I met him a while ago… but let's leave that for later. We have to hurry… before others are affected as well."
""Ok!""
…
Silver continued to complete his commissions on the 12th Floor, his focus on nothing but making as much money as possible.
Meanwhile, deeper than where he stood, a group of adventurers went through an immense hurdle...
…
/CLANG!/
/CLANG!/
"AHH!"
/CLING!/
Two people fought fiercely in the white quarry caves of the Middle Floors.
One of them seemed to be a girl in knightly armor, while the other seemed to be a guy wearing light armor and a distorted wooden mask.
But this guy held a strange sword in his hand. It was wooden and distorted, with root-like appendages that drilled into his arm.
/CLANG!/
They clashed multiple times, but the girl was eventually overwhelmed, and her blade was knocked back across the cave.
"... Bastard."
She looked at her bloodied hands filled with cuts. The mere pressure of her enemy's strikes was enough to blood her palms.
She bit her lower lip as she pulled her broken helmet off, 'I didn't manage to protect them, and now what? My body will vanish in these caverns?'
She had the urge to cry. Without her knowing, silent tears fell down her cheeks.
"... I am sorry for this." The man with the wooden sword said as he raised his arm
/Swush!/
/Clang!/
But hooray! A hero had come!
A tall weretiger with an enormous sword blocked the strike!
"Looks like we found our monster!" He said with a smile as his sharp teeth grit harder
"HUPP!!"
He swung his sword sideways, launching the killer into the air.
"Urg!"
/Boom!/
As the man collided with the ceiling of the Dungeon, a single thought passed by his mind:
'This guy's strength… so they finally sent a Level 4 my way!'
"Riwo Flare!"
From behind the weretiger, the Pallum wizard chanted a spell and cast a large wave of fire that covered the man as he fell from the ceiling.
Unable to evade, he raised his wooden sword before his chest, and as he did so, the sword trembled as a hundred branches spewed from within, covering the rest of his body.
/BOOM!/
When the flames covered the ceiling, a small explosion echoed as he went hauling across the area
"Leave it to me." Said the Elven archer as he pulled his bow
/Draw…/
/FWOOSH!/
A perfect shot flew through the air, slashing across the flames and ash. It precisely struck his stomach, breeching the half-broken wooden barrier.
"Dammit!"
'That's why I didn't want to come all the way here again!' The man thought as his charred eye skimmed through the area behind his broken mask
His left hand reached out for the ground…
/Crack!/
/BAM!/
Out of nowhere, several serpentine creatures burst out of the rocky ground, blocking the party's vision of their target as he ran away to the Upper Floors.
/FWOOSH!/
Another arrow pierced through the air, but it was blocked by one of the serpentine creatures, who took the arrow as if it was nothing!
"What?!"
As the three "serpents" slithered to them, they stood upward, revealing their heads. Only then did the party realize that their opponents weren't exactly serpents, but flower buds.
/Open…/
The flower buds at the tips of their bodies opened, revealing the true nature! Multiple mouthfuls of sharp teeth!
(Image)
"I'm going to faint…" Meryl said as she clenched her staff
Lulune's eyes sharpened… "Tsk! The target is escaping!" But then her expression fell, "Just what are those things?!"
The weretiger's eyes shook, "It seems something is happening with the Dungeon. And now of all times…"
"Let's deal with these things first!" Asfi said as she stepped forward, several potions already in hand
"Formation!"
""Yes!""
…
"COUGH!"
/Splat!/
The masked man crawled on the ground, spitting blood as he gasped for air.
"Urg… this fucked-up situation… my skin is burned, my stomach has a hole in it and I didn't get the magic stones in the end... great, just great."
'I should've just bid my time a little more.'
/CRUNCH!/
As he laid his back against the wall, he took a magic stone from a hidden hole in the ground and chomped it!
He devoured the whole magic stone, and as he did so, his injuries quickly began to heal!
"If the Lower Floors weren't hell right now…" He mumbled as he shook his head, "Now's not the time to cry."
'I was the one who thought it would've been easier to steal from others than hunt monsters. All because I wanted to speed things up… I'll have to return and let things cool for a while.'
He thought about the things he had seen, 'They'll beat me up for wasting those three Violas… but what can I say? I told them clearly what I wanted, and if I can't get that… I'd rather die.'
He pushed himself off the ground, his body still weak and decadent, "I can't return right now; the lower floors are blocked, and with those bastards on my tail…"
'There's only one solution. To get to one of the hidden passages near the surface… and I need to get there before those people get to me.'
He looked at his body, 'My condition truly is deplorable. I can barely deal with Level 3 adventurers on my own without the Violas… in this condition, I might die even if I encounter a Level 2 adventurer.'
'I'll have to make do with some Upper Floor monsters, but those won't heal me much.'
"Urg…"
/Step…/
As he made his way across the corridors, the man couldn't help but remember the faces of all of those he had killed…
Bitting his lip in self-loathing, he put his bloodied palm on the Dungeon's wall, 'I am sorry… I just needed the magic stones… if everyone just listened to me…'
'I hate fighting people, if I could, I'd take the stones and leave, but… but whenever I fight, her voice… her darned voice…'
/Chuckle…/
The masked man felt as if he could hear laughter coming from the dark.
…
/Pierce!/
Silver punctured the chest of an Orc with his ice spear, looking intently at the ground as the Orc's body turned to dust.
/POOF!/
His feet brushed at the fallen dark dust, "Did it drop?... Finally… I can cross this commission as well." He said with satisfaction as he exhaled in relief
'Orc hide sure was hard to get today. I feel like I've hunted a hundred of them to fill the quota.' He thought as he stored his loot
'I've never worked so fervently before… not ever since I became an adventurer. I've already finished enough commissions for a whole week. If not for the Guild being overrun with due dates, they wouldn't even allow me to carry this many at once.'
He pulled his notebook again, "Let's see… Orc Hides… Silverback Fur… Infant Dragon fangs…"
He went through a long list of items before stopping.
"The only thing left is this. Hunt Blue Papilios… that's going to be a pain."
He raised an eyebrow as he put his notebook away, 'Blue Papilios are rare monsters. I haven't seen one despite the monster density. Should I go to the 7th Floor where they first start appearing?'
"This mission is also a pain. They want me to collect the powder from its wings? To gather powder from a butterfly monster's wings… I know its used in medicine, but people sure throw some troublesome jobs to adventurers without guidance."
'Should I just shake them off like a salt shaker into a pot? Would that even count as a drop item though?…'
"Ahhhhhh!"
Silver's thoughts came to a sudden halt as he heard a scream coming from somewhere deeper in the mist.
"The ground's shaking again… another Infant Dragon? I don't need them anymore, but… money is money…"
'I didn't come here today to train, anyway. Gotta pay the bills…'
Silver stepped into the fog.
…
/Crunch…/
Silver finally reached the source of the screams. It was a group of adventurers running away from a large reptile.
"Called it, another Infant Dragon."
'This team is quite coordinated, they're dispersing well, and I don't see that many monsters around. They likely hunted the monsters around and set up retreat paths.'
'Teams like this live long… longer than usual.'
'Should I step in? Act cool while I'm at it? Hm… I can't see if there's a pretty lady in there…'
As his stupid thoughts got the best of him, the party dispersed in the mist and his senses, soon vanishing into the forest.
/Growl…/
The infant dragon kept running after them, but after a while, it turned around and started patrolling the area, looking for other prey.
Seeing this, Silver raised an eyebrow, "I'm actually quite interested in basic monster habits. How do they differ from ordinary animals, and how does a creature with supernatural abilities move in its natural habitat? That kind of thing."
'Once upon a time I took the habit of being a wildlife photographer… it didn't last long and that was… a long time ago. Maybe I should go back to at least taking those pictures…'
He cracked his neck, "Anyhow, it's my time to shine... ?!"
/BAM!/
Out of nowhere, the dragon's head twisted in an unnatural manner as the fog split open by a moving shadow!
/POOF!/
There was no recovery from such an injury, the massive beast fell to the momentum, its limp head crashing against the ground as it turned to dust.
"…"
'Quite sudden.'
As Silver stood on watch, someone stepped out of the cold fog. It was a young man in tattered and bloodied clothes… looking around warily before he crouched down to grab the magic stone.
Silver's eyes squinted, 'I feel like I know this guy…'
But before he could finish his thoughts, he did something unbelievable…
/Crunch!/
The magic stone in hand, he lifted it to his mouth… and crunched it between his teeth, munching on it like some hard candy.
'W… What?'
/Crunch… Munch.../
He completely devoured the fist-sized magic stone in a few bites, turning around and leaving without taking another glance at the dropped items.
Silver looked at his back as he vanished in the fog, 'Right... let's just ignore that. I have enough issues as is… yeah.'
He lightly shook his head as he maintained his Plasmids, hiding in the scenery, 'If that is what I think it is… it's best to ignore it. I don't want to get involved in it anytime soon.'
'The real monsters lurking in the Dungeon…'
Silver stayed put for a few more minutes before he walked out of his hiding spot and made way to another section of the caverns, intending to fully ignore everything that he saw today.
'I never thought these people were active so openly… but I suppose anything can happen in the Dungeon.'
'Might as well take a detour to the Upper Floors.'
/Fwush!/
"!"
However, as he walked away, Silver suddenly heard the air being cut before him!
/BAM!/
A large sword appeared from the fog, slashing vertically at where Silver once stood!
It struck the ground below, creating an impact so great the fog itself dispersed in swirling vortexes!
As everything calmed down, a voice echoed behind the blade as a figure was made apparent in the mist, "I missed?"
He reached for his waist and covered his face with a half-broken wooden mask…
"I was sure there was someone in there. I even took the effort to hide on another path…'"
He looked around but saw no one. Getting impatient, he grabbed his blade and raised it to his shoulder, "Come on now, stop wasting my time and show yourself."
He waited for a reply... yet nothing reached out to him. Only the echoes of crickets and the Dungeon's natural ambience replied.
He sighed, "If you aren't going to appear, then I will need to make you show yourself."
"..."
Meanwhile, Silver looked from the side, hiding behind a boulder as he perfectly mimicked its texture, 'I've done this once before today… I really shouldn't linger more than this… but man… I can't shake off my curiosity.'
The man held his blade as placed it before him, "~It has been opened, gate of purgatory~" His declared as his voice echoed in the caverns
/Shuaa!/
The fog dispersed under a wave of intense magic power, one great enough to make Silver rethink his actions thrice…
A blue magic circle, shining in ominously deep blue, flickered beneath him like fire in a bonfire.
"!!"
'With magic this intense… at least Level 3?
"~The keys shattered, its guardian set free and its lord slain~"
From the ground, an enormous sword made of blue light formed. It covered the shape of his original blade, mantling it like a hologram.
He reached out for the blue sword's handle with his other hand, "~The fire that punishes the dead, now unleashed to burn creation~"
His chant was long and clear. But from his expression peeking out from the shattered mask, Silver could tell the man was fighting the urge to collapse from exhaustion.
Connecting the dots wasn't difficult. No matter how strong this man was, he was moving on fumes… and with it, a dangerous thought drilled its way into Silver's psyche…
"~Beneath Elysium, the cursed yearn for salvation~"
"~He is the unseen one, lord of hell~"
At that moment, Silver raised his right hand and pointed it at the masked man…
"~He declares, his faithful obeys!"
"…?!"
The moment he was about to finish his chant, he reached for his throat as he felt the words clog up between his teeth.
/BURN!/
As the magic circle dissipated beneath him, the intense magic power that found itself without a valve to drain went berserk!
The ground burst with towering flames that burned everything to ash in an instant! Amidst the chaos as his mind split apart and his body burned alive, he ran backward to avoid the brunt of the backlash.
But as he jumped back, he felt immense danger coming from behind him. In a last-ditch effort, with his still-burning hand and melting blade, he twisted his body and blocked an immense sword threatening to split him in half!
/CLANG!/
The roles reversed, Silver found himself annoyed at his opponent's quick-thinking.
"Tsk. You have some reflexes."
"Ugh!…"
From the mist, his opponent revealed himself. A dark knight with a broad greatsword pressed down on his wailing body.
/Grunt…/
The man merely grunted in pain, still unable to utter a single proper word, 'Where did this hunk of iron come from?!' He thought as he tried to remain conscious
Silver taunted him further, "Arent you a little enthusiastic? Attacking without warning and immediately casting a spell? Makes me think you're up to no good."
"..."
"Oh yeah, you can't talk. Let me fix that for you."
/Snap!/
The moment he felt his throat "clear up", the masked man jumped backward as he used his left hand to wipe out the dancing flames on his right arm with a single swipe.
He looked at Silver and smiled awkwardly.
"You know how it is, friend… you can never be too careful in the Dungeon."
"I have to keep my guard up, you know… the Dungeon's especially unforgiving these days."
Silver remained upright, "I would've given you the benefit of the doubt had you not ambushed me."
"Look, man… I just came out of a grueling fight and was on edge. Can we forget this ever happened and move on?"
'My head's still spinning, and those bastards could catch up at any moment… I took too long to recover a little and now this? They could arrive at any moment!'
"Eager to leave now, are we? What made you reconsider leaving before? Someone in such a hurry sure had time to set up an ambush on a detour… but at least you had the manners to pick up the magic stone, did you?" Silver asked as his tone shifted
Understanding his meaning, the man's eyes sharpened, "... So… what of now?"
'I knew it, he saw it… nothing goes right, dammit!'
Without hesitation, Silver pointed his sword at him as he took a stance, "It's pretty simple. I will subjugate the monster."
"What monster?"
/Giggles…/
The masked man heard laughter coming from the Dungeon, but as his eyes trembled, he clenched his teeth.
'Shut up…'
"You know full well what you are." Silver claimed as he wound up his Plasmids
Feeling the magic fluctuations underneath the knight's armor, the masked creature's lips trembled.
In the standoff between them, the longer they took, the worse the masked man became as he grew paler by the minute.
The adrenaline and remaining fumes that moved him along weakened. If he didn't do anything now, he'd really collapse right then and there.
'Curses… do I have to beg that monster for help?'
The man could feel it, the looming attention of something deep beneath the earth… watching his every movement.
"Go on… do it." The voice said beside him
But even as covered right eye darted to the side, all he saw was the twisting white fog…
'No… I'll never… get out of my head!'
He denied it fervently, wishing to keep what little of himself he had left. But he made a vow to himself when he fell down into the abyss.
Even if he had to sell his soul, if he was given the chance to claw his way back to the surface, then…
/Crunch…/
""!""
In the extreme distance, fast-approaching footsteps resounded in the fog-ridden caverns.
'Monsters?' Silver thought as his focus was momentarily broken, 'No, these are…!!'
"Purgis Flem!!"
/BOOM!/
The masked man suddenly turned into an afterimage as he vanished from sight, piercing a hole through the fog that led straight into the dark hallways of the 12th Floor.
Seeing this speed, a bead of cold sweat fell down Silver's forehead.
'That wasn't magic… some sort of Skill trigger? A Skill that grants him a massive stat boost or maybe even…'
He shook his head, 'I've toyed with fate enough for one day… it's the first day of the year for damn sake.'
Listening to the fast-approaching footsteps, his thoughts continued flooding his mind as he stepped back into the fog.
'Whatever this is, something big is brewing… and I don't like to see unlabeled concoctions…'
Before the approaching team could arrive, Silver became one with the surrounding fog, his heavy armor dissipating like ice on hot water.
/Shua!/
Soon after, the group of adventurers arrived on the scene.
/Sniff!/
"The smell of blood is strong here." Lulune claimed as she looked around intently
The Elven archer looked at the cracks on the ground as his long ears twitched, "… Looks like there was a battle."
"Are we too late again?" Asfi asked as she stepped out of the fog
/Sniff!/
"Not by much… the smell is strong… and uh… /Sniff!/… there's this familiar smell…"
She looked around the cavern before looking in another direction, "It went that way."
The Weretiger frowned, "… Looks like we have two leads now."
Asfi shook her head, "No. We stick to the plan. Let's go, before we lose them for good!"
""Yes!""
The Hermes Familia party ventured onwards after the masked man.
…
/Later…/
/Crunch…/
/Drip…/
Stepping over a cockroach, the masked man found himself stumbling his way across the sewers…
"Haaa…"
His eyes empty and his body failing him, all that was left of him were the dried-up red marks on his palm, any blood left on him having long run bare, not even enough to stain the walls anymore.
His thoughts blank, he thought of nothing but moving forward… more… more…
/Step…/
/SLAM!/
He finally collapsed, unable to move any longer… but then… his right arm reached forward, and he pulled himself forward.
Never give up, never stop moving… he seemed to cry to himself inside his mind.
/Step…/
An eternity seemed to have passed, yet he hadn't moved an inch.
But his pitiful attempts were finally answered.
"Disgusting." A woman's voice echoed in the sewers before him
"Why do I have to take care of this pathetic cock-sucker?"
Her tone vulgar and her vocabulary even dirtier, she stepped out of the darkness with an oil lantern in hand.
A young woman with medium-length pink hair and heavy yellow eyes.
Her body hidden by a large brown cape, she spat on the man's back before shoving her foot on his head to see if he was still alive.
/Whispers…/
A person clad in full white approached her from behind and whispered something to her, much to her annoyance.
"If it aint you sucker's lucky day?~…" She said sarcastically as she took a large magic stone from her robe and dropped it on the sewer water beside her
She crouched near the seemingly dead man, "Go on."
"Eat it… you damn creature."
/… Move…/
The unresponsive man moved with surprising determination. With his greatly injured left hand, he reached into the sewer canal and pulled the magic stone from the dirty water.
With little hesitation… he ate it.
"Hehe… hehehe… good! That's how a cockroach such as you should fucking behave!"
Her sharp and eerie laughs echoed in the sewers, reflected only by the twisting lights of the lamp.
"Grab this loser for me. We're sealing off this passage once we go through it."
"This fucker caused enough trouble as is for us to risk it all." She said as she got up, not paying him any more heed
Her eyes were elsewhere, at the end of the tunnel… the world beyond the sewers, "We have some rats coming after us. A perfect chance for a meal, I'd say… but these rats are a bit too fat."
"Fat rats have owners." She claimed as she walked away
/Grab…/
The clothed follower grabbed the masked man and followed her into the darkness.
Not long after, the light of their lamp extinguished in the distance.
…
.
.
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Notes
Thanks for reading!
The next chapter shouldn't take as long, hopefully...