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"Don't get left behind! Speed up!"
The Loki Familia advanced, leaving the 28th Floor behind.
From the bottom of the Great Falls, one could see trails of lamps and magical lights shining along the edges of the precipice as hundreds of adventurers returned with their supplies and well-earned loot.
Amidst those people was Silver, who had been banished by Riveria as punishment for his previous actions. He could do nothing but walk beside the others with his hands in his pockets, a little frustrated from being denied the right to even watch the frontline clear the way forward.
Whenever he got the chance, he'd look down at the shining lake covered in a faint layer of mist, 'I wanted to see it at least once.'
In the off chance that Amphisbaena spawned earlier than expected, Riveria stood behind with her apprentice Lefiya, Ais, Bete, Tiona, and Tione to face it. Those might sound like low numbers, but Riveria alone was more than enough to take it down if needed, though perhaps with some difficulty.
Ais and the others were there mostly for the experience and to help Riveria control its movements, to cleanly take the beast down as quickly and smoothly as possible to prevent it from causing mayhem.
Different from other Floors, the Water City was considered a single floor to some degree, allowing monsters to move between them rather effortlessly through the network of caverns and underground rivers.
The same applied to Amphisbaena, for as soon as it were able, it would make an escape. And few, if anyone, would be able to go after it.
To prevent it from ambushing not only their own, but other adventurers, the Loki Familia would stay behind and slay it, claiming its loot and bounty, giving the area some semblance of normalcy for the next month until its fateful return.
…
'There's really nothing to do.' Silver thought as he looked ahead
He had been thrown in the middle of a bunch of porters, their massive bags swaying left and right as they walked in a line or at most beside one another, their bags too wide to fit otherwise.
Silver would often find himself annoyed at the clinging of the objects they carried, or being slammed in the face by them as their holders turned around faster than he could react.
He sometimes felt they did it on purpose, that this was his punishment, ordered by that old elf, and couldn't help himself from thinking of his eventual revenge. One he planned to execute with a certain red-haired goddess.
'One day I'll grow strong enough to prank her too and get away with it on my own.'
But until then, he had to hold himself back. After all, the bruise on his head still tingled from where she last slammed her staff on. And that was her holding back.
/Sha sha…/
/Clang…/
/Roarr…/
The distant echoes of battle and the roars of monsters were drowned out by the sloshing of flowing water and everyone around him. And while yawning from having spent his last night awake, he followed them quietly like a mindless zombie.
The return to the 18th Floor was thus utterly uneventful.
…
/Three hours later…/
/SPLASH!/
"Tiona! Don't jump in the water! I tell you the same thing every time!"
The young Amazon flew from underwater, spilling water everywhere as she spat a big mouthful of water into the sky like a fountain, "Haha! Finally, a bath… ghaa?!"
/SPLASH!!/
Tione slapped the water, sending a massive wave crashing down on her that sent Tiona flying out of the river and into a nearby tree…
Line watched it all unfold while holding tightly onto her glasses, "They sure are energetic…"
The girls beside her all agreed.
'Maybe I should've bathed sooner…'
/Rub rub…/
On the bank of the river next to its shores, Ais stood next to a few tall boulders, bathing herself with a white sponge and a bar of black soap where the waters were shallow and calm.
Next to her were a few other girls who wanted a bit more privacy, but they continued to chat away unbothered.
"… so what do you think of him?"
"The new guy? He's an odd one."
"Mn?"
Ais' ears perked up as she heard their conversation. She momentarily stopped bathing, stepping closer to the edge of her bolder to hear their conversation better.
She knew what this was, the legendary thing Loki would often talk about and she would often hear whenever she bathed in the Manor.
Girly gossip.
She did not understand what was so appealing about it, but perhaps with age, Ais would often find herself listening to it…
"Isn't he quite handsome?" A young Elf asked with a giggle
Her friend sighed, "A good face or not, he's not my type."
"That's just because all Amazons like strong boys!"
The Amazon shook her head, crossing her arms underneath her plentiful chest, "That's not true, I have a friend from another Familia that likes them short and cute. It's no lie she likes Pallums."
The young Elf slapped the water, "She's a deviant!"
But her friend just laughed, "Don't let Tione hear you, I won't defend you if she comes running at you."
"Ugh…"
She smiled, "I won't deny that he's interesting, far more than the other boys, I can at least hold a conversation with him and laugh a little. He's very entertaining."
"Between the captain and the others, he's closer to the captain than any of them could ever be."
She looked at her nails, "But ask me again when he becomes Level 4 at least." She added as she rubbed her hands and passed some soap over her face
The Elven girl crossed her arms, "You sure have high requirements!"
And the Amazon lady brushed her long dark hair aside after cleaning her face, "I just want a man that can keep up with me. Be it in here… or in bed." She added with a smirk as her friend's face grew red in embarrassment.
"Oh? I forgot you elves only mate in the woods, forgive me for staining your purity~"
"We don't mate in the woods! I was born in Orario! I'm a city Elf!" The girl exclaimed out loud as her face turned even redder
She pointed at her friend's face, "And stop talking as if you're experienced! I know the only experience you have comes from those magazines of yours you keep hidden under your bed! You were also born in Orario to top it off, so stop acting like those tribal Amazons that came from the Southern Desert!"
Her face paled, "What?! When did you find out about those!"
The elf puffed her cheeks as she looked away, a little guilty for having revealed such a secret, "Erm… E-Everyone in the dorms knows about them! I read the new one you bought a few days ago with Narvi the other day, and she passed out from embarrassment!"
"WHAT?!"
"…"
'Handsome?'
Ais had never thought about it before. What did it even mean for a man to be handsome? And what exactly made him interesting over the other boys?
She sought answers within their conversation, 'I can't really talk with Bete, but I can talk a lot with Raul… Most of the time.'
'Does that make Raul more handsome than Bete?'
She also thought of their other words, and eventually formed her own conclusions, 'So a man has to be stronger than a girl, good to talk to, and small to be handsome? Hum…'
'Isn't that just Finn?'
Finn was indeed considered extremely attractive, not only as a guy, but for his species as a whole.
The Little Prince would be a rather good describer of how most saw him…
For better or worse, Ais found herself questioning things better off ignored…
/SPLASH!/
"?!"
/SLAP!/
"GUOHA!!"
All of a sudden, Tiona jumped from the shallow waters, startling Ais so much that she slapped her face as an instinct, sending her flying back into the water.
/Splash!/
"Gasp! Arg! That hurt, Ais!"
"I-I'm sorry, Tiona!"
Ais apologized as the Amazon emerged again, her right cheek faintly red with Ais' palm imprint…
"C-Can I help you?"
'She startled me… why am I so sensitive?'
"Can I have some soap? I kind of lost mine." Tiona asked as she rubbed her face
Tione exclaimed in the distance, "That's because you can't stop for once!"
"It's your fault that mine washed away!"
Ais smiled, "You can have it, I already… eh?"
When she looked at the bolder, she saw only a faint layer of water over it, and as she turned her head, she saw her bar of soap float into the distance, directly to the small waterfall that led into the lower woods.
"Oh, no!"
"Eh? What's going on?"
"My soap…"
Tiona followed Ais' gaze… "Ahh? Crap! I need that soap!"
/Jump!/
Tiona jumped after the soap under the curious gazes of the other girls, swimming after it as the soap washed away over the waterfall.
"Arg! No!"
As she swam to the edge, she saw Riveria gently soaking her shoulders near the edge of the waterfall, looking at her with questioning gazes as the Amazon jumped over the edge…
"What are you…"
But her words came to empty ears as Tiona went into a free fall, successfully grabbing the soap as she fell to the lake below…
"Haha! I got… huh?!"
But as she fell, something even more bizarre came into sight.
"Silver?!"
/SPLASH!/
"…"
Sitting on a boulder sticking out of the waterfall, Silver faintly opened his eyes as he saw someone call to him.
"… What just happened?"
A voice immediately came from above, "Ignore her, she's just causing a scene as always."
"Uhum…"
And he closed his eyes once more.
/SPLASH!/
Tiona emerged again, eyes full of questions.
Thus, Silver's existence was brought into the light.
…
Tione grit her teeth, "You knew?!"
"I did. I felt his presence quite quickly, in fact. The magic particles in the air were behaving quite strangely, and as I investigated them, I found him sitting over there." Riveria replied as she slowly dried herself by a tree
"And why didn't you tell me? I was showering with a boy right next to me!"
Riveria rolled her eyes, "Not right next to you, beneath you."
"That doesn't make it any better!"
Tione looked down at the waterfall from the edge of the woods, kneeling on the ground with a sharp expression.
"Did you see anything? I'll kill you if you did?"
Silver remained calm, legs crossed, "I haven't left this spot in over an hour, miss. I've been meditating here longer than you girls have been on the floor."
"Several others have come to shower while you were all down there. And even if I wanted to, I wouldn't even know when you'd come shower or if it would be here."
Riveria turned to her, "See?"
"Well… then could you kindly… get out!"
"That's not very nice, is it, sis?"
'This is kind of on me, isn't it?…'
Seeing how her sister didn't seem to mind it much and how Riveria, of all people, seemed fine with him down there, Tiona's head heated up to such a degree it overloaded her own thoughts… "How can all of you act without care? I… you know what, I don't care. I just want to take my bath and leave."
'This guy just pops in and out from nowhere; he's not going to peek, then so be it, I might as well treat him as background furniture…'
"…"
'It's hard to mind your own business these days… I should've chosen another waterfall.'
Silver remained in his position, unmoving.
"I suppose she's right, though." Silver added, "I should've left when you came to me."
Riveria sighed, "I also carry part of the blame. But she's being too sensitive about it…"
'I was the one who told him to stay there. I felt better knowing where he was than not knowing.'
'She's a young lady at the end of the day, she's very sensitive about these kinds of things… or rather, is it because the boy has a stronger presence than most that makes her even more self-aware?'
And then the corner of her lips rose, "If you had actually peeked on us, you wouldn't be breathing anymore."
""…""
Tiona and Silver grew so very still…
"… I don't think I can continue my meditation. Is it fine if I leave?"
'I can't calm my head anymore.'
"It's fine, I've already finished bathing."
Tiona kept looking down from the edge, "But what are you doing, anyway?"
"Meditating. Or trying to, at least…"
She tilted her head, "I've seen Riveria and the others doing that a few times…"
"What he's doing isn't the same time. A Mage's meditation is meant to help them grow their Mind and help them get a better understanding of their own magic."
"What he's doing… is a little different. He's not training his Mind-Tunning method." She added after taking a glance down the waterfall
Tiona smiled, "I don't get it."
"I know."
"Hey!"
After that, Silver vanished from the rock, and the day passed on just like that…
…
/About an hour later…/
"S-Seventeen thousand Valis?! Why is it so expensive!" Lefiya exclaimed as she looked at a bottle of perfume on a merchant's cloth
The merchant, a middle-aged man with a straw hat, merely glanced at her for a second before shrugging, "It's quite the bargain, actually. You don't find this kind of thing around here."
"It's clearly just a cheap surface perfume!"
Tione put her hand on Lefiya's shoulders, "Take it easy, Lefiya, you know how they do things around here."
"Mumumu… fine, I'll take it!"
"Deal."
…
"You should've tried to bargain a little, he would've reduced it to fifteen thousand if you pressed him a little."
"W-What?! Why didn't you say so?"
Tione smirked, "Well, we all have to learn from our mistakes."
"So mean…"
Rivira, the famous, or rather infamous, town of adventurers on the 18th Floor of the Dungeon
Unlike the orderly streets of Orario, Rivira possessed neither planning nor elegance. Its countless wooden buildings had been raised wherever space could be found, constructed from timber harvested from the surrounding forests and expanded countless times over by generations of adventurers.
Though what little remained of those had long since been stripped away over the countless times it had been rebuilt. Some counted the numbers, but the true figures only a few knew.
By the Guild's own sources, the town had been rebuilt well over three hundred times, with its most recent dismantling having occurred no more than a week or two ago.
New structures leaned against the shattered remains of the old ones, watchtowers overlooked crooked dirt roads, and entire sections of the settlement appeared as though they had been built in a single night… because they had.
Using the massive tree at its center as a base, Rivira seemed like a city built at the foot of a massive… wooden precipice.
Yet despite its appearance, Rivira thrived. It served as the first true refuge within the Dungeon, a place where weary adventurers could rest, resupply, and recover before continuing their descent if they needed to.
Naturally, such convenience came at a price. Food, equipment, medicine, and even a place to sleep often cost several times more than they would on the surface, and the merchants of Rivira were not known for their generosity when dealing with desperate customers.
Its residents justified such practices with little shame. After all, they were the ones who patrolled the surrounding floors, hunted troublesome monsters, maintained the settlement, and ensured the area remained safe enough for others to enjoy its protection.
Though whether that truly justified their prices remained a matter of debate, and how much of it all they could claim as their own work was even less of a conclusive matter.
Most adventurers would simply call them opportunists, and in many ways, Rivira itself reflected that reputation perfectly.
(Image)
Lefiya looked at her newest bottle of perfume and cried, "Sigh… I'm tired. I want my bed…"
But her attention was soon drawn elsewhere…
"H-Half a million! I can't go any higher!"
"Five hundred and fifty thousand, and I'll throw in this drop item."
"FINE, just leave me alone!"
"That voice…"
Lefiya turned to her left to see a hooded man selling a drop item to another merchant whose face was between black and blue.
'Seems like I'm not the only one being scammed here… humph! Serves them right!'
"Hm? Isn't that Silver?"
"What?!"
Lefiya's gaze snapped back at the hooded man as he snatched a bag from the merchant's hand, walking down the street with a satisfied smile as he whistled away.
Her eyes narrowed, within the darkness of the hoodie, a pair of silvery glints flashed past her…
"…"
'It is him!'
"Heh… sucker." Silver mumbled as he stopped walking, noticing the girls looking at him
Tione smirked, "And I took you for a good guy. Looks like you weren't just a goody two shoes boy after all."
Silver threw her a smirk of his own, "When in Rome, do as Romans do… besides, the people here are a bunch of cheap stakes. They sell necessities for the price of gold, and try to undercut you when it comes to buying materials and other Dungeon byproducts."
"If you don't play the game, you end up scammed." He said as he looked at Lefiya, causing her to tense as her ears fell
Silver looked away, "Can't say I like it though, I prefer better methods of raising funds, but I need the money, so it can't be helped."
"Beggars can't be choosers."
'I still have to pay for the materials…'
Lefiya couldn't take it though, "You! You just sold that Raider Fish Fang for half a million Valis!!"
"Awesome, right?" Silver said as he stuffed his chest
"That's not something to be proud of! Don't you know no shame?!"
Silver tilted his head, "Does shame put food on the table?"
"Wha…"
He smiled, patting her head, "You're a good girl. Most wouldn't bat an eye, but you're kind enough to care. Keep at it."
/SLAP!/
"D-Don't pat my head! That space is reserved for A… none of your business!"
Silver laughed drily, "Whatever you say."
"So? Was it worth it?" Tione asked as she crossed her arms
"It always is… With this, I've made four million Valis from selling half a million Valis worth of materials."
He looked at the sky, "I'm honestly baffled at my skills, I didn't know negotiating would be so… easy."
'I thought I had grown rusty, perhaps I have… But to these rookies, isn't that still enough.'
""…""
As Silver posed, Tiona and a few other girls approached them, "Sis, Lefiya… hm? Who's that… oh, Silver!"
Following her were Line and Ais, who held a few items in their hands.
Seeing that, Silver raised an eyebrow, "So you girls came here to shop a little, hm?"
"What's that to you? Humph!"
Tione smiled as she put her left hand under her chin, "Just a little pastime as we wait, nothing too serious."
"I like to window-shop every once in a while, but the things here are a complete letdown, so I mostly come here to make sure they don't get scammed."
Lefiya threw her a glare, "You're not good at it from the looks of things…"
/Chuckle…/
"If next time you don't buy it, then my work here is worth it."
/Puff…/
She then snatched the perfume and puffed it a little around her neck.
"H-Hey!! That's mine! Buy yours!" Lefiya said as she cried a little
"Just treat me a little this time, a girl has to get their smell right after all. I can't return to Captain smelling like a wet dog, can I?"
"… Do I smell like a wet dog?" Lefiya asked as she looked at her hands
Tiona and Ais also looked at each other as if asking the same thing, while Lise smiled helplessly.
Silver smirked, "Do you need confirmation? I can give you my opinion."
"Ah?…" Then Lefiya realized what he meant, "D-Don't ever smell me!!"
Silver burst out laughing while the others chuckled, but Ais kept sniffing her hair.
'Do I really smell like a wet dog? Should I ask someone with experience?'
For some reason, Bete popped up in her head… 'I'll ask him later!'
The eventual scene of Ais asking Bete if he knew how to get rid of the smell of a wet dog out of her hair would send the poor werewolf on a business trip to acquire a new shampoo…
…
After meeting with the others, Silver stopped scamming the scammers and returned to the camp with them, talking and laughing on the way back.
And as soon as they got there, they were called back, or rather, Ais and the others were.
Silver wasn't yet part of their group.
…
/Growl…/
It found itself chained, welcomed by darkness once more.
/Huff!/
Its heavy breathing echoed within its claustrophobic cage, its chest, usually heavy beyond measure, had grown light, almost as if it weren't there.
A strange emotion, to not feel pain, to not feel discomfort. For once, it had returned to its original state, the feeling of being "whole" like it had once been before it met… the "creature".
Its tormentor, the one who took it from the caverns it had been born in and tortured it for longer than it could remember and perhaps even… its whole life.
It did not remember the world outside, it did not remember how it felt to walk without metal binding its hands, to have a muzzle over its lips, and a mask obscuring its vision.
The feeling of nails puncturing its body was still vivid, of having its blood drained and exchanged with something so cold that it felt its skin freeze and crack.
Warmth… how long had it been since it felt anything like it.
/Crunk…/
This heat that spread around its body. It beckoned it, having awakened it from its unnatural slumber.
Strength… the creature thought, or perhaps, that was its idea of whatever emotion it wanted to convey. Although somehow, as it looked ahead, it felt those feelings to be correct, albeit they remained foggy and inconclusive.
/Pull…/
It tugged at the chains, stepping forward, yet once again, it was welcomed by darkness as its head crashed against stone.
Dust fell on its eyes, on the mask covering them, and its lips trembled.
/Pull…/
/Crack!/
That wasn't right, that wasn't what it wanted.
That's right, it was finally remembering… what it was supposed to do, what it was.
/SHATTER!/
The creature pulled and pulled. The walls behind it shattered as the chains that once bound it were pulled from the walls of its cage.
/Gleam…/
With it, the creature also cleared its vision, and for the first time in a long time, it saw what it had longed for… for what seemed like a lifetime.
Light.
/Touch…/
It gently touched the source of the light, the crack in its cage reflecting on the depths of its black eyes, and amidst the flurry of emotions it felt, a semblance of thought formed.
'Escape.'
/Boom…/
It punched the walls, and its small world trembled.
/Boom…/
It punched again, unrelenting, unwilling to spend a single second more in the abyss.
/Boom!/
/Boom!/
/Boom!/
…
Each punch grew heavier, faster, with greater conviction. Even as the skin on its knuckles tore, even as its bones seemed to crack, it kept punching, digging a hole through the boulders.
It cried, it roared, for the light grew stronger with every punch it threw forth.
And the pain… only helped it remember it was truly alive.
/SMASH!/
/CRACK!/
/Shine…/
Finaly, light came pouring in, and when it did, the creature's eyes shook, tears of pain rolling down as it was unable to take it all at once.
Yet… never once did it hesitate. Not even a flinch as it stepped forward.
It had been taught that. To survive, to not feel pain, the only path it knew… was to walk ahead.
"…"
For a moment, it saw the reflection of the creature that had tormented it for so long, but alas, it was only a mirage in the light.
/Step…/
An albino creature crawled out of its cage, emerging into the light once more. Its dark eyes, tained by the shadows of its past, slowly turned crimson as it determined what it wanted to do.
Reborn anew, it cried out its vented emotions:
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRR!"
And to its cries, something replied.
/Crunk…/
The Dungeon's walls parted open, and a crooked tree, like the ones on the 12th Floor, cracked open.
A large twig, crooked yet strangely straight, fell down before it.
/CLANG!/
An extremely sharp tip dug into the ground, waiting for its wielder…
/Grab!/
The creature took it with surprising familiarity, as if it had done so a thousand times before. It remembered how to do it, having done so within this life… and countless others.
The crooked spear welcomed its grip, as if its sole purpose had been to meet its palm.
"Huff…"
/Crackle…/
It breathed sharply, the cold air brushing past the ground, forming tiny ice crystals that shattered under the weight of its own feet.
Black horns and pale skin, and a slender figure unlike its compatriots…
"…"
It wanted only one thing… to find the one who was missing, and end things once and for all.
/Step…/
And so, free at last, the albino creature stepped beyond the light and into the darkness again, leaving the shell it once called its home, behind, never to look back.
/Crackle…/
A cold wind blew through the Dungeon, freezing everything in its path.
…
"… moving on…"
Finn and the other members of the vanguard stood around a circular table in the central tent.
/Shua!/
But his words were interrupted by a sudden newcomer.
"Captain, we have a serious issue!" Raul exclaimed as a bead of sweat fell down his forehead
"Raul?"
"A group of wounded adventurers has just returned from the Middle Floors. They've all mentioned that a strange Minotaur is rampaging through the Floors, killing everything in its path!"
"A strange Minotaur?" Gareth asked as he raised an eyebrow
Bete clicked his tongue, but said nothing as Raul continued, "There are no confirmed casualties, but it was last encountered on the 15th Floor. The group that reported it was all composed of Third Class adventurers, and they were utterly decimated!"
"The only reason they were alive, according to them… is that the Minotaur left after they played dead."
"Playing dead does nothing to stop a monster from killing you." Riveria pointed out as she crossed her arms
"What about the people of Rivira? What have they said about it?" Finn asked as he furrowed his eyebrows
Raul's expression went grave, "I've sent someone there, but I doubt they'll do anything while they're busy rebuilding."
Gareth grunted, "A beast rampaging through the Middle Floors does nothing for them. Once they stop receiving supplies, they'll move to take it down in the blink of an eye."
"But until then, we can't just let it do as it pleases." Finn added as he straightened his back
"It's a little sooner than I expected, but its not too bad either."
He turned to the others, "Get ready, we're moving up to take it down!"
Tiona tilted her head, "What about Goliath?"
"We'll leave it to the Second Strike to take care of it. We'll move forward to the Upper Floors ahead of them."
Bete finally had enough, "Can't we leave the small fry to them and take Goliath instead?"
Finn smiled, but grew serious soon after, "It's not much, but I have a bad feeling about it."
Gareth turned to him, "Is your thumb aching again?"
"Yeah."
"Then it must be pretty serious. Very well, let's clean the place up and move on." Gareth said as he turned to Raul
"Go call the boy to help settle everything down. If he's late, tell him I'll shove him on the ground this time."
"Yes, sir!" Raul replied as he saluted, running outside
However, despite their best searches, Silver wouldn't be found.
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Crack…/
Silver stared at a massive hole in the Dungeon's walls… "Ahhhh crap…" He muttered as he looked inside, shining light inside with his right hand.
Noticing the broken chains, his already serious expression tensed, "I knew something was wrong, but that darned Minotaur I heard about was actually mine? How did it break free?!"
'Do you know how much I spent to get these made? I spent a few nights awake making some of these too!'
As he waited for Finn to announce their return, Silver ended up overhearing the adventurers who came down from above. The moment he heard them mention a strange Minotaur, his heart sank.
Not willing to believe his conjectures to be true, he immediately climbed up, yet… his deepest worries were proven true.
"This is really bad. The only reason I put this temporary lab at the extreme outskirts of the Middle Floors was because of its distance to the central paths… How long has it been since it broke free?"
"Half a day? Or did it run all the way there by luck?"
Regardless of the truth, there was no more room for speculation.
Unwilling to be the cause of a bystander's demise, Silver dashed after it, diving into the Middle Floors.
…
/Fwoosh!/
Silver flew across the Middle Floors.
"Come on… just where could a two and a half meter tall Minotaur even go?"
He tried following its trail, but it wasn't easy. It broke off in multiple sections, like the result of the Dungeon sweeping through the area, or perhaps it had grown more intelligent than he expected.
Even then, following its trail wasn't a solution either, for who knew how long it would take to trace its movements. So instead, he tried to predict where it would go.
/Drip…/
"Damn."
Silver arrived at yet another brutal scene. True carnage spread around him.
Minotaurs, Hellhounds, massive bats, and other common creatures of the Middle Floors stood scattered before him, their limbs spread all over the place as blood pooled over his feet.
'Always so brutal, where did it learn this kind of thing? Ahem… right…'
This wasn't his first time coming across such a scene, but there was one thing that always caught his attention whenever he encountered it.
/Crack…/
The small ice shards spread across the ground, 'There should be no monsters with such abilities around here. In the first place, is there any monster in the Dungeon with such capabilities?'
He looked at the small shards of frozen blood and clenched his teeth.
"What the hell happened from the last time I saw it to now?"
/Crunk…/
"HUFF!"
The ground shook.
"… Speak of the devil…"
A creature half-stepped into the light from the edge of an intersection, looking through its corners with a gaze unlike that of any other creature Silver had encountered so far.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, he wondered what he was even looking at.
The pupils of the creature sharpened, and it pulled itself beyond the intersection, approaching him…
A "red" Minotaur stepped forward, holding a bloodstained spear in its right hand. Its body was filled with wounds, and most of its white-blue fur had been stained red.
In its left hand was the head of another horned beast, one far larger than itself… its spine still connected to it as it was dragged on the floor.
Silver recognized it, a somewhat rare monster of the Middle Floors, a Wyvern.
"Haha… phew, I finally found you."
Silver got to his feet, looking the creature up and down. It was lean for a Minotaur, almost unnaturally so. Pale fur soaked red, and its black horns chipped from numerous battles.
Its human-like hands gripped a crooked spear with trained familiarity, a Nature Weapon, Silver assumed, although how it got its hands on it was beyond him.
If its appearance didn't already tell something was wrong with this Minotaur, then unlike the savage beasts Silver had encountered before, its posture remained slightly bent, one foot over the other, as if it were ready to dash forward at a moment's notice.
Its eyes kept tracing Silver, taking note of his physical details, showing intelligence far beyond other monsters.
/HUFF!/
Its cold breath washed over the ground, casting faint ice everywhere it stepped.
'So that's where the ice's coming from.'
The answer already took shape on Silver's lips, "Mino-Tan, you've become an irregular!"
'The experiment was a success! I've created an irregular monster!'
Those words were the final straw. The creature's breathing slowly grew erratic as its chest heaved up and down, faster and faster…
It opened its maw, displaying its white, horse-like teeth for all to see.
"Ha… haa… ROOOOOOOAAAAAARR!"
/SLAM!/
A horrendous cry shook the Dungeon, so strong the ice cracked and blood beneath its feet was pushed away by the air pressure alone!
The Minotaur slammed its free hand over its chest, the impacts strong enough to quake Silver's own chest as if they were connected.
It slammed the walls and clawed at them as if in pain…
/BOOM!/
Then immediately after, without a single sign, it dashed forward, frame low, almost as if it were charging…
But that wasn't it. The beast kept its body low as it ran, clutching its spear as it grew ready to skewer everything in its path!
"!"
Silver was surprised by its explosive power. He knew it would've grown stronger, but this speed…
/FWOOSH!/
"?!"
Silver moved to block its charge, but that was when the creature… pulled its lips back once more.
Time froze as Silver watched the Minotaur smile, and before its pure white teeth, the creature shoved its spear down and kicked Silver on his chest, sending him flying across the caverns!
/BOOM!/
"ROOOOOAAAAARR!"
As Silver slammed against the far reaches of the cavern, the beast cried out in victory.
/FWOOP!/
"HUPP!"
But it was far from over. In the blink of an eye, Silver reappeared above the creature, striking down with a spear he took from the Loki Familia's stash!
/CLANG!/
However, yet again, he was surprised. The Minotaur, despite being struck through its blind spot, still managed to tilt its head and block the spear with its horns.
/Growl…/
The beast growled as its eyes fell on Silver…
In that short, yet prolonged moment…
"I'm screwed…"
'I might've taught it too much.'
/TWIST!/
/CLANG!/
Mino-Tan twisted its head, pulling the spear along as it turned its right hand, piercing Silver with momentum as he was stuck above it!
He blocked the spear with his own, being sent crashing against the ceiling from the recoil alone!
"GUAH!"
'Such power…'
/BURST!/
Mino-Tan didn't let Silver breathe. It threw the Wyvern's head against him with speed rivaling that of a Level 2 adventurer before turning to the side…
/CLANG!/
It anticipated Silver's movements, capturing his spear moments before he pierced its chest.
"Okay. This might be a bit…"
How could a monster anticipate teleportation?
The answer was quite simple. It wasn't predicting his abilities, but Silver himself. And the moment he realized that…
/LIFT!/
/CRACK!!/
It lifted the stolen spear and struck it down with enough force to snap it in half. Seeing it all unfold after letting go of it, Silver made a mental note to repay Finn for all the damages.
/THROW!/
With another violent throw as the shattered spear flew past his face, the battle began in earnest as Silver pulled another weapon from his pocket space.
"ROAAAAAARRRR!"
…
/Twitch…/
Meanwhile, not far below, the Loki Familia's vanguard ran throughout the Dungeon.
"… Do you really think he pulled a leg on us?" Lefiya asked as she ran after everyone with everything she had
Tione replied with a snort, "For his own good, he better wish he didn't."
"He wouldn't do that!… I think…" Tiona added as she grew suspicious of her own words
"He didn't." Ais reassured
Gareth sighed, "At least one of ya trusts the boy."
As they spoke, Riveria turned to the one running before them, "Bete."
He replied almost instantly, "Can't hear a thing, they're not here."
Tione was frustrated, "We've run through the entire 16th Floor and not seen a thing! All this trouble for a damn Minotaur…"
"According to the report, it was last seen on the 15th Floor, so we should start there." Finn added as he followed Bete
"Understood!" Tione replied almost immediately
""…""
"But why would he disappear at this moment?" Lefiya asked as she held her staff close to her chest, "I hate to admit it, but he's done everything we've asked of him without a mistake."
"What else would he be doing? Is it really not possible we missed him in Rivira?"
Gareth laughed, "I wouldn't be surprised if he went to Rivira to scam someone."
"He already did that earlier in the day…"
"Buwahahaha!"
"Old man, stop screaming!" Bete exclaimed as his ears twitched
"… I also agree its unlike him, but let's focus on this first." Riveria added as they reached the staircase to the 15th Floor
Her eyes sharpened, "Regardless of why he's missing… I'll have a lengthy discussion with him afterward."
"He's in for a bad time…" Tiona said as she smiled awkwardly
Her sister sighed as well, "Makes me a little less upset with him, just a little."
/Twitch…/
"Wait." Bete said as he stopped
The moment he said so, they all stopped making any noise.
/Twitch…/
/Twitch…/
Bete's ears twitched as they moved around. If he focused a bit more…
"… I found it. Or at the very least, it's a very loud Minotaur."
"Alright!" Tiona exclaimed as she raised her fists high, "Maybe we can return to fight Goliath at this rate."
"Leave it to the dog to sniff someone out. You never miss when it comes to this."
"I'M NOT A DAMN DOG!"
"Haha… Bete, guide us to the target. Before it gets to someone else." Finn asked as he stopped them from clashing again
"Tsk!"
They ran towards the 15th Floor, leaving nothing but dust behind.
…
/Step step step…/
"…"
'Left? No, that leads to a dead end. Forward? There's a hole in there… just jump over it!'
Bete ran forward with everyone after him, zooming through the caverns without a single concern for those behind him.
"I-I can't jump over it."
"Sigh, hold tight, Lefiya." Gareth said as he grabbed the young Elf, jumping with everyone else
"KYAAAA!"
"Oi! Can't you choose a better path, Bete?" Tione complained as she ran after him
"Less complaining, more running!" He exclaimed as he stopped
He looked left and right… before his eyes shot open.
/clang…/
"Hm?"
"I think I heard something…"
Tiona and Tione looked forward as well, while Gareth raised an eyebrow, "Oi, Finn…"
While Riveria sighed, Finn smiled awkwardly, "I heard it too."
Ais' eyes narrowed…
"I think we've found our missing person." Finn added as the ground shook
/BOOM!/
…
/ROAAARR!/
/Sparks!/
The Minotaur advanced relentlessly, its spear carving wide arcs through the corridor as Silver retreated step by step, deflecting strikes that carried enough force to split the Dungeon apart.
It was a brutal exchange. The beast's wide arms were too long to be contained within the cavern's frame as they slashed and tore at the walls, drawing deep gashes that spiraled down its length as Silver kept running back, jumping and kicking as he defied gravity and human reflexes to keep up with the beast.
/CLANG!/
Sparks erupted each time their weapons met, illuminating the blood matted into the creature's pale fur and the countless scars covering its frame.
…
"Wh… what is this?!" Lefiya exclaimed as she reached the others
Everyone stood side by side at the other end of the hallway.
Tiona was the first to speak, "Something's wrong with it. That's not an ordinary Minotaur."
"Was it the pale fur that made you suspicious?" Tione asked with a smirk as she put one hand on the wall
"You're such a pain!"
"An Enhanced Species, perhaps even an Irregular." Riveria said after observing the changes
Bete grunted, "… It's too fast for him, even when he strikes it back, he can't land a fatal hit."
"At this rate…"
…
/PIERCE!/
Amidst its flurry of strikes, Silver slid past one thrust and answered with a slash aimed at its neck, only for the beast to twist its body at the last moment and catch the blow against one of its black horns.
The impact echoed through the cavern like a hammer striking an anvil, and before the reverberation had faded, the Minotaur's free hand slammed into his chest.
"GAH!"
Silver felt the air leave his lungs as he was driven backward through a stone pillar, stone splintering around him as he rolled on the ground, while the creature stalked forward through the debris with the same unnerving calm it had displayed since the moment they met.
Silver bit his lips and did something quite bizarre. His skin changed in real time, turning gray before he stepped onto the walls, phasing through it.
"ROOOOOOAAARR!"
/BOOM!/
The Minotaur struck the walls with immense anger. Breaking everything in its sight in a maddening rush…
/PIERCE!/
/CUT!/
Silver stepped out at the critical moment, piercing its eye as the creature violently pressed its palm against his head, pinning him against the wall!
/CRUSH!/
But as it crushed Silver's head, it noticed its body turn to stone as the real Silver appeared right before its bleeding eye:
/SLASH!/
Silver cut at its eyes, and the Minotaur bent its head back, causing Silver to cut its nose instead.
/BITE!/
It bit onto Silver's arm, pulling him from the wall and throwing him backward before charging after him like a berserker.
…
Meanwhile, the Loki Familia watched in disbelief, having seen only the last few moments of their exchange, but that was enough to prove this was a battle Silver was putting his all into.
"Oi! Shouldn't we go help him?!"
"Yeah, this is…"
Tione and Tiona showed the most concern out of them all. While Lefiya remained in utter disbelief.
But Gareth didn't budge an inch, crossing his arms instead.
Finn also put his spear down.
"He's going to die, that is no ordinary Minotaur." Bete pointed out as his eyes sharpened
He bit his lips, "I'll admit he's no lower-class adventurer, but that thing…"
/ROAAAARR!/
The Minotaur's roars echoed down the cavern with enough power to make even Lefiya flinch a little. She already thought them to be quite intimidating, and this one was especially daunting to look at!
That alone proved the Minotaur, albeit not there yet, was fast approaching the strength of a high Level 2 adventurer, perhaps even higher.
To poor Lefiya, whose strength was the lowest among them, it might have reached her if not surpassed her, which was an unbelievable thing to consider for a Minotaur.
"But… isn't something wrong? I've never seen a Minotaur fight like that!" Tione said as she looked at the creature's sharp movements
The beast kicked, pummelled, blocked, and twisted its body with movements one would only expect to see from a Martial Artist. It was rough, perhaps even a childish reenactment of combat, but Ais felt it all too familiar.
'It's like watching that Goblin try to copy me.' She thought as her hand remained on her blade's handle by her waist
Tiona scratched her head, "There's… almost something familiar about it…"
That was all she needed to hear, "Is it… copying his movements?" Ais asked, not believing her own words.
Bete denied it almost immediately, "No, it's not copying him…"
'This darned thing knows what it's doing.'
…
/CLANG!/
The corridor erupted into a storm of sparks as Silver's spear collided against the Minotaur's, the impact forcing both of them apart before they immediately crashed together again.
Metal screeched against the petrified wood, their relentless assaults shaking dust loose from the ceiling above.
"Ugh!"
/SLASH!/
/CUT!/
Every exchange left new gashes on Silver's body as he found himself pushed not only in raw power, but in technique as well.
No matter how skillful he was, at this moment, he found himself with an opponent whose fighting style mirrored his, and even if at an utterly rookie level, the monster's raw speed made it nigh impossible to keep up.
Usual tactics became useless before its intelligence, and trading blows for injuries didn't work either, given its thick hide and condensed muscles.
He didn't even have the time to use his Plasmids, several exchanges occurred before he had the time to draw it out.
/SPARKS!/
Neither was willing to surrender an inch. Silver's spear traced one deadly arc after another while the Minotaur answered with brute force and frightening precision for a monster, its black horns diverting strikes that should have pierced flesh as a cascade of stone and sparks rained around them.
However, Silver was far from over with his tricks… and the battle quickly devolved into a violent struggle for momentum.
Whenever Silver forced the creature back with a well-placed strike, the Minotaur answered by throwing itself forward once more, caring little for the wounds accumulating across its body.
Their weapons and limbs collided again and again, each impact echoing through the tunnels and beyond…
/Shua!/
Silver had enough, his left hand shone with blue sparks, thunder taking shape between his fingers.
The Minotaur watched them with an intense gaze full of emotion, and in the blink of an eye…
/LIGHTNING!/
A bolt of lightning flashed across the caverns, striking the beast straight in the left, wounded eye!
/Flash!/
Silver didn't waste the chance, he flashed forward, piercing at its feet!
/SWING!/
That was the monster struck sideways. One eye closed, it slashed Silver in half, shocking the onlookers!
/SLAM!/
But Silver's body merely turned to mist, giving him the chance to stab under its armpit with a dagger he took from his pocket space!
/Growl…/
Yet the Minotaur did not show even an ounce of pain. It looked forward as it recovered its stance, its gaze fixed on Silver as he drew distance.
/Crouch…/
Mino-tan crouched in a stance everyone was quite familiar with…
…
"It's about to charge… but it shouldn't be much of an issue to him." Gareth said from afar
"…"
Finn, however, kept quiet.
Lefiya put his hands before his mouth, "Why is he smiling?"
…
"Heh."
Silver smiled, taunting the beast with his right hand.
"HUFF!"
/DASH!/
/BOOM!/
The albino Minotaur kicked the ground with all its power, the after-impact of its feet collapsing the passage behind it as it covered a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
But where the others expected him to evade, Silver did not. He raised his spear and widened his stance.
Lefiya's jaw hung loose, "!! H-He's not…"
But it already happened.
/BURST!/
""!!""
In the moment of impact, the Minotaur did yet another insane move.
It slapped the ground, using its momentum to push itself from the ground onto the ceiling. From there, it kicked the ceiling, crashing against Silver with far more strength than before.
/BOOM!/
It landed with a terrifying reverberation, pinning Silver down as the ground beneath them caved in, sending them into the darkness!
"W-What the hell?!" Tione exclaimed, still unable to believe what happened
Like watching a frog get onto its feet and walk away…
Tiona was also flabbergasted, "Can a Minotaur even move like that?"
Bete's eyes were as wide as they had been in a long while…
"We have no time for that." Riveria said as she ran after them
"Right!"
The others followed Silver and the Minotaur, diving into the darkness below.
…
/Shua…/
Silver opened his eyes with an intense feeling in his stomach, and the hustling of air in his ears.
/Float…/
He controlled his fall, slowing gliding down towards what he could assume was the 16th Floor, although it could very well still be the 15th.
In the Middle Floors that came up and down in this labyrinth of white stone, it was often hard to tell where each floor stood. The staircases dictated where they ended and began, but sometimes, one could burst through a wall and step right into an area accessible only by crossing onto another floor.
/FWOOSH!/
"?!"
A spear cleaved the fog like a javelin, puncturing the stone behind him as he barely avoided being struck by it.
"Huff… thanks for giving it back to me." Silver joked as he held onto his stomach
/Crunch…/
Mino-tan stepped through the dust cloud, crushing the rubble beneath its feet. On its stomach, a large bleeding hole led to the other side of its body, Silver's fatal strike.
It was his specialty to trade one wound for another.
/Land!/
At that moment, someone landed before him. Her golden hair flowing gently around her.
Soon after, the others landed around him, "Oh, hey guys." He said as he greeted them with a slightly bloodied smile.
"Don't "hey guys" us!" Lefiya exclaimed as she stomped the ground
Gareth stepped forward, "Need some help?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, very much."
"Hm? Ahhh?!"
Before them all, Silver took off his shirt, handing it over to Lefiya who was frozen solid at the sight.
"This thing always gets in the way… Alright, pit stop over." Silver declared as he walked past Ais
He looked at her, "Thanks for the concern, but go find your own little adventure, yeah?"
As he walked away into the silent Minotaur, he continued, "Finn, I'm sorry, but I broke a spear, I'll pay for it later."
For a moment, Finn didn't know what to say, but then he burst out laughing, "Hahaha… really…"
"I'm deducting it from your pay."
Silver smiled, walking ahead.
"Is this… really okay?" Tiona asked as she put her arms behind her back
All they could do was watch this Level 1 adventurer seemingly walk into his death.
But Finn smiled, "Didn't you hear him? He has a debt to pay."
"But that…"
/ROAARR!/
""!""
The battle ensued, shattering their conversation shut.
…
"Alright, thanks for waiting. Time for round two."
That said, the beast did not wait out of courtesy. As it looked ahead at the adventurers waiting in the distance, its body froze with an indescribable emotion.
No, it was one it knew very well… fear.
Especially as its gaze met the golden-eyed adventurer. The moment she appeared, it was as if the entire world had been cast aside, leaving only her before him, and right next to her, death.
However, as soon as Silver stepped forward, Mino-Tan's gaze fell down once more.
As they stood in a silent stare-down, Silver struck first. His fingers shook, and his nails parted open as his skin brightened more and more…
/FLASH!/
Blinding light ignited, yet just as quickly, the beast swung its spear down!
Silver stepped into the creature's reach just as the Minotaur's spear descended, the weapon grazing his shoulder as he twisted beneath it and drove his own into the beast's side.
The strike dug deep enough to draw blood, yet before he could exploit the opening, a hand closed in from the side and shoved the shaft sideways with such force that the weapon nearly escaped his grasp.
/Fwoop…/
/PIERCE!/
Using the momentum of its own strike, Silver pierced into the air beside him, opening a portal directly behind its head!
The creature's ears reacted first, trembling as it turned its head and wrapping its horns around the spear!
/PULL!/
It pulled at the spear, but that was what Silver wanted.
/PUNCH!/
Silver pulled back his hand, and delivered a fatal uppercut straight into its chin as the beast lowered its head, and at the same time, held onto its chest fur.
"HUPP!"
""!""
/SMASH!/
Silver lifted the Minotaur while it was distracted with simple physical might and his Plasmids, slamming it down before raising his hands and pulling at a loose stone, having it crash down against it.
/BOOM!/
"UGH!"
Yet that wasn't enough to deter its wrath. The beast's right hand dug into the ground and lifted it, sending boulders hurtling at Silver with far more speed than his own!
He managed to evade some, and block others, but his forehead and shoulder were still struck by them, rupturing his skin.
Silver slid into the distance, wiping his lips and forehead as blood dripped over his eyes… until the Minotaur parted through the dust like an arrow.
/FWOOSH!/
Silver barely avoided the charge, throwing himself aside as the creature crashed into the corridor's wall, shattering stone and sending fragments raining across the passage.
"HUFF!"
Yet even amidst the cloud of dust and debris, the beast never lost sight of him. Its crimson eyes remained fixed on his silhouette, following every movement as it tore itself free from the rock and immediately thrust its spear once more, forcing Silver back onto the defensive before he could even regain his footing.
/SLAM!/
It swung its spear sideways, sending him flying across the cavern as he gritted his teeth in pain.
Like when he faced Hogni, the Minotaur's sheer speed was beyond his ability to modify his own body.
Unless to predict its movements or as a preemptive strike, using his Plasmids wasn't a possibility.
"B-Bah!… Cough!… I think I spat part of my lung with that one." Silver jokingly mumbled as he wiped the blood off his lips
'It's fast, far faster than other Minotaurs. Has it evolved to be faster at the cost of some strength? That can't be it either… its far stronger than an ordinary Minotaur as well.'
An overall comprehensive evolution. It had truly surpassed its limits in every single segment, albeit not enough to become as strong to a Level 2 as it was to a Level 1 adventurer.
Had it grown into such a menace, Silver wouldn't be alive right now.
Silver looked around, finding himself now rather close to the entrance of this cavern section… From his body's own responses, he understood that his injuries were getting critical, enough to hinder his own physical capabilities.
His skin might heal superficial, but it wasn't fast enough to keep up with the damage. It only did enough to hide the accumulation of injuries underneath.
He needed a potion to fight at full power… yet part of him wanted to keep going as it was.
/Twist…/
His body contorted and twisted, his muscles trembling beneath his flesh. He forced all his wounds shut, and braced himself for impact.
/Step…/
Finaly, his opponent caught up to him.
/Baddum…/
His heart sped up, "Haha… man…"
A feeling unlike any other. Watching the massive monster approach him, the lingering aftertaste of iron as his own blood stained his eyes red…
Amidst such chaotic moments, Silver found his mind the clearest it could ever be.
(Image?)
/Burn…/
The hieroglyphs responded, breaking through the divine barrier. And as the sacred chalice burned with the eternal flame, the will of humanity to never lay down fueled its flames ever higher.
/Step step…/
"Mu… Mu… MuuUUUUU!"
/CRACK!/
/FWUSH!/
Perhaps sensing a change in its opponent, the Minotaur suddenly dashed, throwing its spear to the side as it ran like a bull on all fours!
Faster, faster… in a maddening rush that put aside all in its path but him.
/Inhale…/
Silver took a deep breath… and welcomed its charge head-on with a crackling impact of his own!
"ROARR!"
/BANG!/
Like a bull, the Minotaur hit Silver's stomach with its head as it roared fiercely. However, the angle was so perfect that Silver wasn't punctured by its horns!
No... Silver moved his body so he wouldn't be punctured by them.
/CRACK!/
His ribs shattered, his skin darkening by the second as his lips parted open…
"BLERG!"
Silver vomited blood as he was carried back deeper into the room like a sandbag!
'Even by diminishing the impact by following its movements… it still hurts like hell!'
Immediately as he was carried, Silver's hands turned white, ready to strike at its most vital point, 'Fall and never rise back!'
Gritting his teeth, he launched a counterattack. Yet, his transforming body immediately changed back as his eyes flashed back behind him.
'I need to raise my…'
/BOOM!/
Mino-Tan slammed him against the wall, dragging him along it as they went deeper into the cavern!
/BAM BAM BAM!/
Each step of the Minotaur broke the ground, thundering across the cavern as its speed continued to rise.
Retaining his consciousness amidst the onslaught, Silver looked back to see where the beast was taking him, and an idea formed at the back of his mind.
A dark hole leading further down appeared at the edge of his vision. And as they reached its edge, Mino-tan's feet halted as it swung its head upward, trying to launch Silver down the hole…
However… Silver's hand reached the ground first.
/Freeze…/
"MU!"
/THUD!/
The moment it was about to stop… it slipped on ice! The very ice Silver had just made!
Without being able to stop, they fell into the darkness once more.
…
/Back at Babel, around the same time…/
Hestia sang a light hum, "~Hum hu hum~... ~I sold an expensive sword~... Hephaestus is sure to give me a bonus!"
'Maybe this time I can treat Silver to dinner! That's the sole reason I've begun working!'
Her expression changed, 'But I feel that each time I haggle these prices… I haggle a part of my soul with it… haaaa… Maybe I should've just let Silver pamper me like he told he would.'
Hestia thought about the scene of an ever-present Silver always meeting her every need… and for a moment, her already fragile determination wavered.
But she quickly shook her head as she waved her hands in the air, dispelling those frivolous thoughts!
To clear her head, Hestia cleaned the surrounding equipment with a duster as she hummed a terrible song in happiness for having sold a 50 Million Valis sword, one of the most expensive, non-commissioned equipment they had.
"~My paycheck will be bigger than… then what?... Hm..."
Hestia placed her finger on her mouth as she thought… 'How much will I gain? Heh!'
'Once Silver comes back, I'll give him a large gift to him my appreciation for his work! Just a cake on his birthday and a pen wasn't enough to convey my feelings!'
'He bought me so much, even a nice house… but then he left, so minus points to that!'
"Silver… you make things so difficult!"
…
/Shuaa…/
Three seconds after they fell into the hole… Silver opened his eyes in a hurry as he felt the wind brush against his back once more.
"Huff…"
'Phew… I blanked out for a moment there.'
'All of that beating I received in my childhood was good for something, thankfully my resistance to fainting is high…'
"Pftt!"
As he thought that, he spat an empty bottle from his mouth! It was for only a moment, but Silver took out his highest quality potion from his inventory and drank it right before the Minotaur sent him flying!
Silver never sucked something with more strength than the potion he drank within that half-second...
'I wanted to finish this with my strength, but that matters little if I'm dead.'
/Fwush fwush.../
The wind brushed against his hair, it had been around ten seconds since he had started to fall...
"Wait a moment..."
'This can not go on!'
Silver finally realized what was happening! He was free-falling towards the 19th floor!
And there was a Minotaur on top of him!!
/Grab…/
"HUP!"
Silver grabbed the Minotaur's horns and kicked him away using all of his remaining strength!
"MUU!"
The dazed Minotaur also recovered its focus as it tried to kick Silver as well, however, its legs weren't made to kick like that, so he missed Silver's head by a palm…
"MUUU!" It screamed as it fell past him
"Ugh?!"
At the same time, Silver felt immense pain all over his body after he kicked the Minotaur away... even the adrenaline coursing through his body wasn't enough to hide it any longer.
"My body is all messed up…"
He looked down, 'Just how deep is this? Is this one of those holes connecting past Rivira?'
'It's my first time seeing one of them. They only exist at the very edges of the Middle Floors.'
Silver used telekinesis to levitate while he also pushed the Minotaur down, accelerating its fall!
His objective wasn't to kill his enemy, but to give him enough time to recover.
/ROOOaaaarrr…/
The Minotaur soon disappeared from his sight into the darkness of the hole below… after a few seconds later...
/BANG!... ANG!... Ang!... ng.../
The sound of the impact echoed in the hole for quite a while.
"... Harf… I need a place to rest a little…"
'All these impacts must've ruptured quite a few vessels and tissues… Just looking at my chest, it doesn't take much to tell my skin shouldn't be blue.'
He looked over his shoulder, flinching as he did so, 'I don't even need to look at my back to know the damage it caused…'
…
After a minute, slowly descending into the ground... Silver stepped onto the 19th floor.
/Land…/
/COUGH!/
Silver used his abilities to expel all the dirt that had accumulated inside his body. Especially his lungs, healing as much as he could in the process.
With his excess Mind reserves, that was the little he could use it on.
Spitting black saliva on the ground, Silver wiped his nose clean, "I'll have to rest for at least one or two days after this…"
He then took the chance to look around, confirming his suspicions. The walls, ceiling, and ground had turned into wood, looking as if he had entered a large tree.
The only source of light was strange, moss-like plants that radiated blue light.
/Inhale…/
"The smell… yes… the poison lingering in the air… but… it's a bit thicker than I expected."
'Could I have fallen somewhere beyond the 19th Floor?'
However, his focus soon moved elsewhere.
He looked around, but failed to find any monsters, "Where is that Minotaur? I went through all that trouble to evolve it… the last thing I want is to lose its loot."
"Mu…"
The pained yelps of a bull reached his ears. And following them, Silver was quick to notice a tall creature walking towards him…
However, it was limping, one of its legs broken… Not only that, but its two arms were bent unnaturally, it must've used them to cushion its fall, or so he determined.
It was in a very bad shape, to say the least. And although he wasn't looking any better, without it being able to lift its weapon, it was of no threat to him.
But its eyes… they still burned with determination as it slowly walked towards Silver, even as blood dripped from seemingly every part of its body.
Seeing the creature tread towards him reminded Silver of himself, and so, he dropped any thoughts of ending this fight easily.
To the very end, he would treat this monster seriously.
"... You sure have a lot of determination."
'I don't understand. Why is it so focused on me?… I thought monsters like this weren't supposed to have such emotions. They can feel fear, but this… what the hell is this?'
'Revenge?'
"Huff…"
The creature exhaled as it stopped. It took one step, getting into position for a charge… Even the insects stopped chirping, and the moss seemed to dim in its presence.
Its broken leg trembled; however, it soon stabilized as the Minotaur's determination peaked.
For better or worse, this was its final charge.
"Phew..."
'Mino-Tan… I have nothing propelling me into fighting it. It will die soon, its injuries anent something that it can heal on its own. I could just wait for it to die and pick the loot later.'
"However…"
'Why is my hand trembling?'
Silver clenched his fists, "You helped me train for a long while, might as well grant you your last wish."
/Crack!/
Silver put one of his legs forward, crunching the wooden ground as he stepped into it.
'This is goodbye, my training partner.'
/Shine…/
Silver's hand beamed with light as the Minotaur slowly walked forward...
"... r..ro…roo... roooOOARRRR!" It screamed as he ran forward once more!
/CRACK!/
/BAM! BAM!/
It ignored the injury in its leg as it charged faster than ever before!
"I can not deny it... this is crazy."
'However, I couldn't feel more alive.'
The beaten boy looked at the menacing beast, its eyes red with bloodlust as it aimed to take his life.
/Glister…/
Brown light could be seen forming behind the boy, like stars in the night…
He closed his fist as red energy enveloped it.
/BAM! BAM!/
Lightining…
Fire…
Ice and even the rocks on the ground.
And more... Chaotic energy spun around his right fist as he entered into a stance.
Silver eyes couldn't be firmer in his decision of taking the beast head-on like he had done time and time again. Even if it was illogical, Silver had already steeled himself into becoming an adventurer, not just any adventurer...
/BAM! BAM!/
To challenge his limits, to seek what had never been found before… until the very day he passed away.
Even if he were to die now and open his eyes in another body… he'd do it all over again.
With a damn euphoric smile on his face.
He poured his all and beyond, the afterglow of his path so far into his next strike.
"ROARRRR!" Screamed the Minotaur as it crashed against the boy's fist
"AHHHHHH!" Screamed the boy as he punched the Minotaur's head
The only thing that mattered to both of them at that point was their enemy.
/BOOOOM!/
The resolution to this relationship was at hand.
…
/FLASH!/
/BOOOM!/
The Loki Familia ran after the fallen boy and beast, but as they reached the hole, a flash of light pierced the darkness!
Tiona ran with Ais, stopping at the hole's edge, "What happened? I don't see a thing."
"Is he dead?" Tione asked as she tilted her head
"Don't curse him!"
"…"
Ais looked down in silence, Lefiya beside her, still holding onto the battered shirt he had thrown at her before.
She'd often look at Ais to gauge her reaction, but in the end, it was nothing but silence. Perhaps… almost too much…
Gareth put his axe down with a half-worried expression, "I can't hear anything. Alright, Finn… I'm going first… hm?"
But then, from the shadows, a figure slowly rose from below.
In a weaving pattern, Silver floated to the surface, using the walls to propel himself against gravity as if he were underwater.
His right hand loose beside him, charred and broken, he held onto the wall with his left one, pulling himself along its surface.
"Ah! He's alive!" Lefiya exclaimed in a half-relieved, half-surprised tone as Ais also exhaled faintly
Tiona and Tione cheered as Gareth grunted with a smile. Bete snickered as he looked to the side, somehow feeling a tint of pride and relief as Riveria shook her head at his display.
Finn also smiled, 'Really now, such a troublesome kid.'
"Huff…"
Silver pulled himself onto the edge as Gareth stepped forward to pull him back, "You look like you went through hell and back, boy."
And indeed, the entire right section of Silver's body was covered in varying burns, each more intense than the last.
Cuts and bruises were plenty, so much so that it was hard to find a patch untouched, and his right arm… it was a miracle his forearm was still attached.
With the bone revealed, the sheer impact his arm had taken pushed the bone out through his elbow, and his fingers had been clumped together in a manner Gareth couldn't describe as anything but minced meat.
"I'll… be fine… huff…"
Silver bled onto the ground as Riveria stepped forward, "Leave the words for later, let's get you patched up."
Despite everything, Silver chuckled… "Can I… get an Elf's blessing?"
""…""
"Haha…"
Silver laughed and coughed blood, mangled on the ground as everyone else watched him in utter disbelief.
Those were his final words before he lost consciousness.
However, as he did so, he was reminded of the image he saw at the end of it all...
...
The final moments replayed themselves behind Silver's fading consciousness.
The Minotaur had already been broken by then, the resulting clash utterly crushing its skull along with much of its shoulders and chest. The force of the collision had caved the monster inward, while utterly vaporizing everything else that stood in his fist's path.
The full release of Silver's magical power had surged through his arm at the moment of impact.
Lightning burst from the point of contact in violent arcs, crawling through shattered stone and splintered wood alike while frost raced behind it, flash-freezing everything the discharge touched.
The corridor had become a storm of blue-white light and crackling thunder.
/THOOOM!/
The Dungeon itself seemed to tremble. The Minotaur's massive frame was launched backward like a broken doll, tearing through rock, timber, and ice as fragments exploded in every direction.
Chunks of stone spun through the air, wooden beams snapped apart, the very floor beneath them collapsed under the violence of the exchange, hot flames spreading into the depths of the ancient wood, far beyond sight and into the depths of the earth.
As Silver's vision rang and the world swayed around him, he forced his head upward through sheer stubbornness alone, and what he saw next was impossible.
/Crack…/
The air ahead twisted. Not with heat or magic, but something indescribable to the current him.
The very fabric of the world seemed to fold inward upon itself, as though an invisible hand had pinched reality between its fingers and pulled, creating a point of infinite light, through which an image flickered from beyond.
A thin crack appeared in the darkness. At first, it was no larger than a strand of silver light suspended in midair. Yet as Silver watched, the fracture widened soundlessly, splitting open until it struck the ground.
… Like a lightning bolt frozen in midair.
/Shine…/
Brilliant white radiance leaked from the opening, illuminating the shattered corridor in unnatural hues as fragments of impossible scenery flickered beyond its surface.
The edges rippled like disturbed water, yet the space within remained impossibly deep, stretching far beyond the confines of the floor.
He gasped for air, reaching out to the crackling window. But as his hand made contact with it, the visage crumbled, collapsing into itself, leaving nothing but rumbling air behind.
"It… can't…"
Silver gasped for air as his injuries intensified. Without a choice, he turned around and left for safety.
But at the corner of his mind, he was certain that what he saw had been, without a shadow of a doubt…
A Tear.
…
.
.
.
Notes
Thanks for reading!
This is about the end of this arc. Next chapter should very well end this Volume, and potentially the start of a new one!
I already know how I'll be starting the next volume, but as I was planning, I think I'll first go with the side chapters before moving on to the brunt of it.
Thanks to all that came this far, I'm rather happy with how everything went, Silver will be continuing his journey soon!
Peace!