Chương 26: [LD-1] 25. Return

XXV Return We decided to head back to the cafeteria. Not only would the wizened guardian give the others a few levels, but this room was compromised. A monster could jump out of the tunnel entrances at any moment. The issue was that not everyone could move yet. Worse, pushing through the dungeon with too many people at the same time wasn't a good idea—the passageways were too narrow for a solid formation, and travelling in an enormous group could attract enemies that we weren't in any condition to fight.

So we went in parties of eight.

"Sorry," Alexa said.

"You'll need to make the trip while your leg's not fully healed yet." Because I was part of the 'elite' group of fighters amongst the students. Which was basically our previous group of Shota, Evans, Douglas, and Alexa. They would escort all the groups to the cafeteria, then make their way back on their own. I wasn't making multiple trips since someone had to stay in the cafeteria with the first group of students that arrived.

"Don't worry," I said.

"I can manage." Emily had looked at my foot. Everything was in place—the muscles simply needed time. Alexa nodded.

"Then is the first group ready?" I was sitting on the ground, in the same spot Kiba had left me, and used Cull to push myself to my feet. My gaze paused on Roland, who checked his gear a final time. The earth mage was the highest level of the gathered students outside of the elite force and Lily, so he'd provide the most combat power if anything ambushed us in the cafeteria. His defensive arts would also give me space to close the distance.

But the reason I paused was that he glared at the President while half-heartedly checking his belt. It was a strange light that glowed within his pupils. A dark one. One that— He caught me staring and blinked. The light went with the movement.

"Ready," he said and joined the others near the exit. He was careful not to look in my direction again. I frowned.

'What the hell was that about?' A shake of the head tossed the concern away. It was strange. But it wasn't dangerous…I hoped. My gaze swept the room for a matter I did care about.

'That idiot, he's still gone.' No one knew where Kiba had disappeared to. Seriously. I understood why he was mad—I would be, too—but couldn't he have retreated to a corner of the room so I knew he was alright? I sighed.

"He'll be fine," Emily whispered.

"A few grunts won't be enough to take him out." Despite her words, she sounded concerned as well.

'She's part of the reason he fled, after all.' That said, he caused this himself, so no one else could really be blamed.

"You're right," I said.

"Let's hope he doesn't run into anything worse." We joined the others and prepared to leave. Our journey through the dungeon was uneventful. Only once did we run into a squad of grunts, who turned tail the moment they saw our level. The death bolt whirred and drilled a hole through the back of the slowest goblin's skull. [Goblin Runt - lvl. 4] slain! Experience awarded appropriately. Alexa ripped her blade from another's back and turned on me.

"You're quicker." My spell had finished before Shota's drones had fired—to the chagrin of the heir.

"I've been experimenting," I said. With the width and breadth of the technique. How fast I spun the bolt, how much mana I poured into each one. Varying these factors allowed me to change the cast time—either creating a deathbolt that formed slowly but had more impact, or the opposite.

"But it still uses too much mana," I groaned. She chuckled.

"No mage of our level can get around that." My chest deflated. True. Everything we did was a mana sink. Cull trembled in my arms as that thought completed. I twirled the blade, so the marking that'd lit up before faced me. My weapon had served me very well. Better yet, it was the sole reason I was alive. Learning how to use it was at the top of my priority list. But that was easier said than done. I'd never used a melee before in my life, and right now, it was my stats doing the heavy lifting.

I honestly shouldn't even be able to kill a grunt if we were speaking strictly weapon skills. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

'What to do…' My attention flicked back to Alexa, who, as always, went through the bodies for a monster core. Instead of digging through their corpses barehanded as she had done before, she cut open their backs with deft and precise strokes, then poked around using her blade. …Maybe…

"Hey, Alexa." She rotated my way.

"Can I ask you something?" I said. We were back in the cafeteria. As discussed, Roland and the other students immediately began meditating beneath the wizened guardian. I'd watch over them as they did. The student council president linked her hands like a little girl receiving a present from her father.

"We'll begin your training the moment I return, okay?" she said. At that, my lips pursed. Alexa was enthusiastic about my proposal. A little too enthusiastic, if you asked me. She was literally wiggling her feet! But I inclined my head, for the opportunity was too good to pass up.

"I cannot wait. Please be careful on your way back." She nodded fiercely, then left the room with the others. The hum of mana roiling through the air filled the room. Other than, though, the cafeteria was quiet. I was the only one not meditating, so I was essentially by myself. I scratched my head.

'Is' there anything I can do?' I had to keep an eye out so I couldn't meditate myself. But sitting still and doing nothing wasn't— A pulse in my core drew my attention away. That sensation…

'Kil!' I wasted no time in linking my hands. The eye shot out of the rift formed between my fingers. He passed me up, which had me looking at his back.

"Kil!" I called.

"I'm glad you're back." I couldn't explain the flood that passed through me as mere relief. It felt like I'd just retrieved Bentley from the doctor after the dog had gone through life-threatening surgery.

"Ha…ha…" Kil muttered.

"You need not have worried, Master. My death—" I smiled and allowed him his moment.

"—was greatly exaggerated!" He pirouetted higher into the sky.

"The Great Kil can never die! Supplicants, you may all kneel before me!" A few of the meditating students peered at us, then glanced at each other. My palm covered my face.

"Please…don't mind him." To Kil, I whispered: "Can you not scare my fellow students? They'll think I'm some demon."

"Demon?!" he cried.

"Who would dare to call Master that?! The Great Kilrog will deal with them at once!" he swivelled and fixed one student with a glare.

"Was it you?!" The poor student jumped, quickly closed his eyes, and returned to meditating. I chuckled and grabbed the eyeball out of the air.

"Come here, you little rat."

"Ah, Master, what are you—" He fell quiet in my embrace. Then nuzzled me back. Kil sighed as I scratched his back.

"This isn't like you, Master. Aren't you more of the aloof type?"

"Exceptions can be made. Consider it your reward. Your memories really helped me." He squirmed.

"I knew Master could do it!" His eyelid closed, and I felt a presence rifle through my core.

"Oh! It turned into an uncommon skill? How'd that happen?"

'I was going to ask you about that.' I switched to mental communication. Both to give the others the peace they needed to meditate, and to keep what we spoke of private. My mouth opened to explain…but I paused.

'Can I show you my memories?' Yes! Just think of them reaaaaaal hard. I did so. My summon hummed, tilting his head this way and that. Oh…and then…ah…ah…? Master, you… he stilled both mentally and physically. You entered the Black Well? I blinked.

'Uh, yes? Maybe? I'm not sure.' He blinked rapidly.

'Something the matter?' I asked. Well, I'm not sure that's a good thing, Master. Huh? Wasn't the Black Well supposed to be my homeworld or something? How could going there be bad? You're right that you're a native of the Black Well, Master. However, there's a reason you're not currently there.

'Explain.' The entities in the Black Well are too powerful, Master. Should you teleport there as you are now, you'd become the pet of whichever entity happened upon you first, which wouldn't take long since your presence attracts Black Well denizens like honey does bees.

'But I didn't go there physically…unless I teleported without knowing.' You went there in spirit. That's the same thing. Trapping your spirit would just mean you'd lack a physical form in the Black Well, but you'd still have all of your Nox properties. I frowned.

'What would happen to my body if my spirit were trapped there?' It'd turn into a lifeless doll until you returned. My throat bulged as I swallowed. That…wasn't good. Your meeting with the Quranq was fortunate, Master. It helped that they're not known to be prone to violence or viciousness. However, I would advise not to connect with that realm in the same manner again. Not until you have ways to defend yourself. I agreed without hesitating. Then I turned to the next topic.

'Something happened—' Well, a lot happened. But one thing at a time.

'—I recovered something called a fragment.' Oh! Did you kill a summoned monster from the Black Well? The orc didn't look like one…

'We ran into a warlock that summoned it. What do I do with the fragment?' That depends on the type of fragment. Can you show it to me? I called up the system message. A darkin crystalis…those are rare. But they don't have any special requirements for being summoned. He nodded. You should be able to use it as bait, Master.

'Bait?' As a lure to call the entity back into this world. That wasn't enough for me to understand, so I had him explain further. Killing the crystalis had not destroyed it for good—its spirit had merely returned to the Black Well. What I had collected was essentially a piece of its soul. There were many things I could do with it, such as facilitate rituals or turn it into extra experience (all currently out of my wheelhouse).

However, the most straightforward option was to use the fragment to summon the beast through my Reaper's Condolence skill. Doing so would make it my summon. Whether the entity will respond to the call depends on many factors. Master's strength compared to theirs, your intimacy with the creature, and how knowledgeable you are on them to name a few. Also, even if they respond, there's a chance they will refuse the broker a deal, anyway.

'They can do that?' He nodded. This method of summoning isn't how Master would normally gain another summon—there's no need to subjugate something you already killed. Sadly, that also means no forcing the entity to bend to your will through the skill. …bummer. So no conscripting every monster I killed in the wild. I rubbed the back of my head.

'Do I need to make the decision now?' No, but there is a time limit. Try focusing on your Reaper's Condolence skill. My eyelids squeezed. Reaper's Condolence (L-I). Alien Fragments: [Crystalis (I) - Time Left: 01: 15: 45]'I see… quickly, what's the number beside the fragment's name mean?' That's the rank of the shard. Higher ranked shards are more difficult to summon and require more setup. I hummed long and sonorous. But this beast had no requirements since it was essentially an entry monster…

there really wasn't a single downside to this that I could think of.

'You said it could depend on my strength, right? Does that mean I need to level first?' Master's level is already in the right range for the monster, so I'd recommend doing the summoning first, given the time. Right.

'Then let's do it.' Yes, Master! He cheered. Please wait for me in your soul sea. My legs crossed and my mind closed out the outside world. In its place, the vast darkness of my inner domain stretched. It was time to get my second summon.