Chương 95: Deeper Into The Dungeon

The dungeon is going great so far. There have been plenty of things to dramatically stab. Several interesting pieces of loot to memorize the runic patterns of. A plethora of mana cores, which have been quietly absorbed into my growing stockpile of wealth. I did dedicate some of them to my ring, bringing the charge up to 0. 5%, but even accounting for that loss, I am currently sitting on just over one hundred Tier Two swarm-type mana cores.

Which is apparently the technical term for this type of monster, according to Avelyn. Still. I am now reasonably wealthy. At least wealthy enough to not worry about food and lodging for a decently long time. Convenient. Speaking of Avelyn… I glance to my right. The holy Foxkin is skipping across the frozen path beside me.... She noticed me picking up a cool rock. Embarrassing. I blame the fox instincts. In my defense, the rock was objectively excellent. Anyone claiming otherwise is simply incorrect.

Therefore, I was not undignified for picking it up. The undignified ones are the people judging me. Although Avelyn was the only witness, and she didn't really judge me. If anything, she seemed to understand completely. Naturally. It was a nice rock. She glances back at me, and smiles brightly. Then she points at another rock resting nearby on an island. A similar composition to my own. Similar coloration. Similar texture. Potentially even the same geological formation. I click my tongue. Teasing me. Unacceptable.

A few seconds later, I glance at the rock. Purely for academic reasons. Avelyn's smile widens, tail swishing in amusement. My own tail flicks in profound offense. … Can't control it. Right. My tail goes still. I take a slow breath. And carefully shove the memory of last night's conversation into a mental box labeled Problems For Later, placing it somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind where I don't have to look at it. I have no intention of opening this box. It is an excellent box.

Avelyn drifts slightly closer as we walk. I glance at her briefly. She doesn't say anything. Neither do I. She simply remains there, matching my pace without comment. My ears soften slightly. … I have absolutely no idea what emotion caused that reaction. It feels unfamiliar. Concerning. Note to self: join the Adventurer's Guild and use the Archive to research Beastkin body language. I immediately move the task to the top of the list. Eventually, the cavern comes to an end.

A massive opening yawns before us, carved directly into the stone wall. At least, it does for me. The glowing crystals and luminous moss that illuminated the rest of the dungeon are completely absent beyond the entrance, leaving the passage swallowed by absolute darkness. A shame, really. My eyes continue their stubborn refusal to acknowledge darkness as a meaningful obstacle. I can see perfectly. And…

"It's a hole." The group turns toward me. Rin blinks.

"We can see that." I point further ahead.

"... Beyond the hole. There is another one." A vine unfurls from my thigh, a silvery dahlia blooming at its tip as it extends into the darkness. Gentle starlight spills outward, illuminating the passage ahead. Fifteen meters into the tunnel, the floor simply ends. The opposite wall remains solid stone, while the path forward consists entirely of a colossal shaft descending into the depths below. We approach the edge and peer down. The dahlia's light fails to reach the bottom.

To everyone else, the abyss appears endless. To me, it merely appears inconvenient. The shaft is mercifully straight. I can see the bottom clearly.

"... Fifteen kilometers. Give or take." Silence follows. Several people glance at me. I blink. Then condense a sphere of starlight in my hand roughly the size of a baseball and casually toss it into the abyss. Everyone watches. The sphere falls. And continues falling. And continues falling. Nearly a minute later, it is still descending. I gesture toward the hole with quiet satisfaction. My point has been made. A majority of the party immediately turns toward Sylrae. The Wingkin closes her eyes.

A long suffering expression settles onto her face.

"I am only doing one person at a time." Marek nods solemnly.

"Thank you. Unfortunately, it appears to be our only option." Sylrae pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Having you thank me when you're twice as heavy as everyone else combined feels wrong." Marek scratches the back of his head awkwardly. Sylrae sighs before stretching her wings.

"I'll start with the lightest first. Lyn?" I finally tear my attention away from the abyss. Because I have just come up with a significantly better idea. A far funnier one. My gaze drifts toward Avelyn. She blinks. Confusion flashes across her face. Then understanding. Then immediate horror.

"Wait." She takes a step backwards.

"Lyn." Another step.

"You aren't actually going to—" I smile. Polished, elegant, and entirely unsubtle. Time for retribution. Teasing me is unacceptable. Avelyn immediately turns and attempts to flee. Unfortunately, she is competing against me. I catch her in a single step, scooping her into a princess carry before she manages to escape more than a few meters. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. This is the most dramatic way of holding her, after all.

"Lyn!" She struggles. I continue walking.

"Lyn!" Her tail has fully puffed up. I continue walking.

"Lyn!" The edge draws closer. Behind us, the rest of the party has gone completely silent. Rin looks fascinated. Sylrae appears strangely intrigued. Marek looks like he's trying to determine whether this qualifies as a rescue operation. I perform a small curtsy. The motion is admittedly somewhat restricted by the golden Foxkin currently attempting to escape my arms. Nevertheless. It counts. I declare that it counts.

"I have devised an alternative solution. We shall meet you at the bottom." Avelyn freezes.

"... We?"

"Indeed." Under the increasingly concerned gazes of the party, I step off the edge. For a brief moment, there is silence. Then gravity remembers we exist. Avelyn's scream pierces the cavern as we drop. Apparently, she has decided that struggling is no longer an effective strategy and instead wraps both arms around my neck in what is very clearly an assassination attempt. The shaft rushes past us. Cold air howls against my face.

Our hair streams behind us in a long banner, and both our tails trail through the air as gravity eagerly attempts to introduce us to the bottom several kilometers below. I reduce my gravity to fifty percent. Three additional vines emerge from my thighs, bringing the total to four alongside my dahlia vine. … I pause. Right. I was the light source. Which means I have just abandoned the rest of the party in complete darkness. I think about this for several seconds before shrugging. Zeke is still up there.

Although this does raise an important question. How exactly is Sylrae supposed to transport everyone down? She will have to carry Zeke every trip so he can provide illumination, navigate a fifteen-kilometer abyss in complete darkness, or bring them all down at once. Honestly, I am unsure which of the options sound worse. Tragic. My vines lash outward. The tips slam into the shaft walls and immediately burrow into stone, carving furrows through the rock as they begin bleeding off momentum. Our descent slows rapidly.

The screaming wind fades. The walls stop blurring. A few seconds later, we hang motionless in the middle of the abyss, suspended thousands of meters above the bottom. I pat Avelyn's arm.

"... Breathing." She blinks, then immediately loosens her grip.

"Ah. Sorry, I—" The apology dies halfway through. A pout rapidly replaces it as she remembers that this situation is, in fact, entirely my fault.

"That was mean." My tail swishes. It was also extremely funny. And dramatic. And an entirely appropriate response to being teased about the rock. Overall, I consider the operation a complete success. Ten out of ten. … … Stars above. What am I doing? The thought appears without warning. I stare at the vines holding us in place. At the endless darkness stretching below. At the Foxkin currently hanging onto me. I have known Avelyn for less than two days. Less than two days.

And my response to being mildly embarrassed was apparently to pick her up, carry her to the edge of a fifteen-kilometer drop, and jump. Because it would be funny. Because it would be dramatic. Because… … Can't control it. The words surface immediately. Avelyn said Beastkin can't control their instincts. Being dramatic is one of those instincts. As are pranks. My stomach twists. I don't like where this train of thought is heading. Not even slightly. The silence stretches. My gaze drops to my hands.

They are cold again. This is becoming a recurring problem. It had been years since I felt this before I entered the tutorial. … I don't like this either. Avelyn notices immediately. Of course she does. Her eyes widen. The annoyance vanishes. Concern takes its place in an instant. Then her grip tightens slightly around my shoulders. Just enough that I notice. … There is that feeling again. The weird one. The one I still don't have a name for. My ears lower slightly. Avelyn notices that too. Naturally.

I mentally add Research Beastkin Body Language to the list for a second time. This is clearly an issue that requires investigation. My vines loosen and we continue our drop. We descend in relative silence for about a minute. The only sounds are the occasional crack of stone as my vines bite into the shaft walls, shedding momentum in controlled bursts before releasing and extending further down. Eventually, Avelyn speaks. Her tone is casual. Conversational. As if she hadn't nearly strangled me to death a minute ago.

"So, what are you planning to do after we clear the dungeon?" I tilt my head slightly.

"I have no complex plans at the moment. My current objective is to register with the Adventurer's Guild and explore the town." Avelyn's tail immediately begins swishing. Apparently the mention of her hometown is enough to activate some deeply rooted Foxkin response.

"Would you mind if I gave you a tour when we get back?" she asks.

"There are so many places I want to show you. There's a bakery that makes amazing apple pie, and a little market square that gets really lively during the afternoons, and—" She cuts herself off and smiles sheepishly.

"I may be a little excited." My tail swishes.

"I would appreciate a local guide." Her ears perk.

"Perfect. I'll show you all the best places." She pauses.

"Anything beyond exploring the town?" Hm. I consider the question for several moments.

"That mountain range in the distance. I want to go there. Perhaps not right away, but at some point in the future." Avelyn's tail immediately begins swishing harder, and her eyes practically sparkle with excitement.

"Right?! They look so cool! I thought the exact same thing when I became an adventurer, so the first thing I did was use the Archive to check them out." She pauses, and her ears droop slightly.

"Turns out they're called the Desolate Mountaintops. They're a Grand Dungeon. The recommended strength for even the outer fringes is Tier Four at a bare minimum." A small laugh escapes her. The self-deprecating kind.

"I don't think I'll ever make it that far." A sharp bolt of annoyance shoots through me. This girl had a Rare class at Tier One. Something even I failed to accomplish. I am not a fan of her underestimating herself.

"Take Pride in your achievements." The words leave my mouth before I fully think them through. My tone comes out colder than intended. Sharper. More commanding. Avelyn blinks.

"You possess an Epic class. You underwent Aspect Alignment and emerged stronger because of it. When you were afraid, when you were in danger, you continued moving forward instead of breaking." I glance down at her.

"If reaching those mountaintops is something you genuinely desire, then you can do it." Avelyn looks up. And for the first time since I became tier two, someone actually meets my gaze. Directly. Her perception does not slide away. The moment stretches for a few seconds.

"I guarantee it." Only then does her gaze finally drift elsewhere. A small smile appears on her face. A genuine one.

"Thank you, Lyn. Hearing that from you gives me a lot more confidence." I nod solemnly. As it should. Then a realization strikes me. A deeply concerning one.

"Avelyn." She tilts her head.

"Yes?"

"What color were my eyes?" She blinks. The answer clearly begins forming. Then stalls.

"They were..." Her brow furrows.

"Dark?" A pause.

"Green?" Another pause.

"No. That's not right." She stares at me for several seconds, visibly trying to remember. Trying, and failing. The confusion deepens. Then, gradually, it begins to fade. Unnaturally. The same way a passing thought loses momentum when something more interesting presents itself.

"Huh." Her tail flicks once.

"That's weird." A moment later she brightens.

"Anyway, I have a few plans after the dungeon too. Would you like to hear them?" I blink. That was an incredibly concerning sequence of events. She met my gaze. Held it. Long enough that remembering my eye color should have been effortless. Yet the memory simply wasn't there. More concerningly, whatever alarm that realization should have caused never seemed to fully form. The confusion lingered for a few seconds before simply... dissipating.

As though her mind could not find anything solid enough to attach concern to. Highly suspicious. I consider the matter for several moments. Then decide that investigating it right now would accomplish very little.

"Sure."

"So basically, I plan to complete a few more quests around Bramblegate before accepting an escort contract heading toward another kingdom. One that borders the human kingdoms""A new kingdom?" Avelyn nods, though her ears droop slightly.

"Ironvale. An emergency notice was posted to the Archive recently. A plague has started in the dungeon beneath the city, and it's spreading through the population." The uncertainty vanishes from her expression as she speaks. Her molten gold eyes shine with determination.

"I want to help. Holy magic is one of the best counters to plagues and corruption, so that's where I'm headed." A small smile appears on her face.

"Actually, most of the group is going there as well. That's why we teamed up in the first place. Zeke is leaving once we reach his home city, but everyone else is planning to continue on to Ironvale." She falls silent. For a few moments, only the sound of rushing air and scraping vines fills the shaft. Avelyn fidgets slightly. Then speaks again.

"I was wondering..." She glances up at me.

"Would you like to come with us?" Her ears flick nervously.

"Officially, I mean. Join the party." She laughs awkwardly.

"At least for a while." A pause.

"The Desolate Mountaintops are probably too much right now. Even for you." A sensible assessment. I am prideful, not suicidal. Usually. Avelyn continues before I can respond.

"I just think..." Her voice softens.

"I think you'd like Ironvale. And I think you'd be able to help a lot of people there." She presses the tips of her fingers together.

"And we'd like having you around." Ah. There it is. My expression turns thoughtful. She is, of course, correct. The Mountaintops are currently beyond me. At a bare minimum, I need another advancement. Perhaps Tier Three. Possibly higher. I am a prodigy, not a miracle worker. My tail flicks haughtily. Decision made. However, I do not answer immediately. Instead—"Are you sure you should be making this decision without consulting the team leader?" Avelyn freezes, then emits a small squeak.

"... I forgot." I successfully suppress a giggle. Barely.

"If the group agrees, then I would be happy to accompany you." Obviously. Traveling was always the plan. Using escort contracts to ricochet across the world while steadily growing stronger is an entirely reasonable strategy. Especially when the destination happens to be a plague-ridden capital city with a dangerous dungeon underneath it. That is objectively the sort of place an adventurer should be going. Avelyn's expression undergoes a fascinating transformation. Excitement arrives first. Then relief.

Then triumph. Then a small amount of smugness. Her ears perk fully upright. Her tail achieves what can only be described as spiritual enlightenment. Then she notices. The smugness evaporates. Embarrassment rushes in to replace it. The Beastkin instincts within me immediately suggest that her ears are to be patted. I resist. Victory. The conversation drifts naturally after that, eventually settling on Earth and its technology. Avelyn proves surprisingly interested. Particularly in our explosives.

Which is concerning. She reacts with fascinated curiosity to most of the discussion, only to look genuinely horrified and slightly disgusted when I explain the concept of nuclear weapons. As she should. Eventually, after nearly eight minutes of controlled freefall, the bottom of the shaft finally comes into view. My vines tighten. Stone cracks beneath their grip. Our momentum bleeds away steadily until our descent slows to a crawl.

A few moments later, our feet touch the cavern floor as lightly as though we had stepped off a curb. I set Avelyn back on her feet and take a moment to examine our surroundings. Well. At least I won't need my dahlia vine down here either. The cavern is illuminated by the same luminescent moss as the underground lake above, its pale glow spreading across the walls and ceiling in winding patterns.

Crystal formations jut from every surface, refracting the light into shifting ribbons of color that dance across the stone. The tunnel itself is enormous. A little under a hundred meters wide, and about half that in height. More than enough room for highly concerning aerial maneuvers from either myself or Sylrae. Very convenient. Bioluminescent insects drift lazily through the air, their soft lights bobbing amongst the crystals like floating stars.

The constant hum of their wings blends with the distant dripping of water, creating a strangely peaceful atmosphere. I inhale slowly. The air carries the familiar scent of damp stone and cave moss, accompanied by the faint metallic tang of subterranean life. Then I nod solemnly. Very nice area. Eight out of ten. Astra Nocturne appears in my hand.

"Blessing!" Golden light washes over me.

"Horizon Slash!" The wall to my left explodes. Stone erupts outward in a violent shower as something massive tears free from the rock itself. The creature resembles a worm. If worms were horrifying. Rows upon rows of serrated teeth fill a circular maw large enough to swallow me whole, stone plating covering most of its body as it lunges forward with terrifying speed. Fortunately. I was already swinging. The void-black blade lashes out towards the monster. The creature's charge redirects before it can make contact.

I chain the movement into a spin. My foot plants. Stone cracks, and I launch forward. My arc completes. Astra Nocturne carves deep into its body. All four of my vines lash out immediately, attempting to pin it in place. The monster simply breaks through them and pulls away from me. Its armored body twists violently as it tries to burrow back into the wall. A holy lance crashes into its side before it can escape. Hallowed Ground activates, and strength floods my limbs. I Astral Veilstep. Distance folds.

One moment I am several meters away, the next I am beside it. I chain a slash into a leap, the blade carving clean through its neck. Surprisingly, it doesn't die. Rude. All four vines regenerate along my thighs. One slams into the ceiling, launching me back toward the monster while the other three crack through the air like whips, shattering chunks of stone armor from its body. I strike again. Then again. Then several more times for good measure. Eventually, I reduce the creature to a manageable number of pieces.

Five, to be exact. At that point, it finally decides to die. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ You have slain Stonemaw (Level 68 | Tier 2). A slight experience bonus has been awarded for slaying a monster 6 levels above you. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ My eyes widen. Level sixty-eight. That is uncomfortably close to seventy, and seventy is the level Marek predicted the stampede would occur at. Which means his estimate was wrong. The dungeon is accumulating mana faster than expected.

I stare at the system notification for several seconds. Then let out a slow breath.... This dungeon dive just became significantly more time-sensitive.