"Over here. Stay quiet."

"Miu?"

The Goblin hid behind a collapsed pillar as something crawled down the hallway. The Slime beside him stared at the creature as it tore open the body of a Troll with its sword.

By now, they are 10 floors below Arachnea's labyrinth and he was just a stone's throw away from reaching the deepest parts of the dungeon. Monster corpses littered every hallway and dark corridor while horrors that wrapped itself in shadow guarded key entrances that lead to the inner parts of the vast structure.

The Goblin knew of these things from the books he read. They were nothing more but shadows given life by magic and bound with the will of some powerful spell. They are Shadow Fiends, a type of summon made from the shadows cast by one's soul. He shuddered at the thought of what kind of person could do such a thing, for Shadow Magic is a magic that drained the soul of its user.

The Shadow Fiend continued to tear at the corpse while the Goblin readied the only thing that can kill such things. It didn't even see him as he jumped out of his hiding spot, his hand already pointed at it as he said the spell.

"[Flash]!"

The Shadow Fiend glanced up at the sound of the Goblin's voice and its body immediately burned up in the light that shot out from the Goblin's hands.

The Goblin landed with a soft thud as the creature in front of him melted into a black puddle in the ground. He let out a scoff as he looked down at both the sludge and the dead Troll. They were easy enemies to deal with if you brought any sort of light with you down in the dungeon. The stronger it is, the better. He walked over the Troll and poked at it with his claw.

Its wide body was covered with hair-like growths with its chest torn open and a heart sliced up into tiny pieces. Its green head was lying a few feet away from the body with a trail of blue blood following after its severed neck. He guessed that the Shadow Fiend must've beheaded it quickly in an ambush before it made sure to properly kill it by stopping its heart. His foot stepped on the Troll's hand while he searched for anything valuable on it. Trolls are known for moving even after they died and that was the last thing the Goblin wanted while he went through its corpse.

"Miu? Miu?"

The Slime approached the corpse while he grumbled angrily for the lack of anything useful. He failed to notice the Slime as it began to crawl over the Troll's open chest.

It sucked up the regenerative blood of the Troll quietly while a part of its body entered its body. The liquid that made up its body changed into a more corrosive one while it digested the blood and muscles of the corpse. The Goblin heard a hissing sound below him and he looked down to see the upper half of the Troll's torso dissolve within the Slime's body. 

"Miu!"

The Slime happily made noise as the left shoulder and the neck of the Troll melted instantaneously as it fed on its corpse.

The Goblin jumped away in surprise as various arms and appendages shot out of the Slime and into the Troll's limbs. Muscles were torn apart and melted while smaller "arms" sucked up every drop of liquid that leaked out of it. This was the first time the Goblins saw the Slime devour something like this. But it seemed content on feeding only on the Troll and it left the Goblin alone as it tore open the right leg of the corpse.

"Very messy."

"Miu? Miu..."

He heard the Slime drag what's left of the body as he walked over to his moving chest. He looked back at the melted mess that was the Troll's corpse and shuddered. The Slime was weird, but at least it's a nice Slime that left him alone.

The wheels of the chest rolled over some of the liquid and melted flesh on the ground while the Goblin ignored the gurgling and hissing sounds that came from the Slime beside him. At least it carried the lantern over their heads with a long tendril as they moved through the corridors. Thanks to the liquids and the body it consumed, the Slime had grown to nearly half the Goblin's size after eating the corpse on the ground, yet it still continued to be docile and friendly towards him. 

Putrid smells and decaying corpses were littered everywhere as the shadowy creatures that killed them watched the two of them closely. They could not approach the Goblin so carelessly while he stood close to the lantern's light. The creatures made no sound as they reached out for the light in front of them, only for their hands and weapons to melt as the light shone upon them. His nose crinkled as they passed by the heavily rotted corpse of some humanoid monster. He gagged a bit in his mouth as his sharp sense of scent picked up the foul odor and he immediately quickened his pace.

"Very close now. Do not stray."

"Miu..."

The Slime dragged its blue body beside him. It couldn't help but feel sad that he could no longer sit in the Goblin's shoe due to the size of its body, but it felt happy to lift the lantern that kept them alive. Then the sound of something shrieking with a pained howl made the two of them halt in their tracks.

It came from the apparition that appeared down the hallway. A Wraith let out a shrill scream as it charged at them from the darkness. Its spectral arm raised a bloody sword while the Goblin pulled out the dagger from under his cloak. He dodged the Undead's attack and stabbed at its body. White mist exploded everywhere as the spirit of some poor adventurer tried to grab his face. [Light] made quick work of the tormented soul as bright light shot out from the Goblin's claws.

"dDdddIiiidiiiieeeeee.... Diiiieeeeedddd."

Its misty hands swiped at him as it disappeared with an unearthly moan. The Shadow Fiends around him looked at him⁠—even if they had no features on their shadowy faces⁠—while he uttered a prayer of peace in Goblinspeak.

"Let's go."

The Goblin pushed the chest forward while the numerous figures around him followed closely. The Slime did its job of holding them at bay with the lantern's light pretty well, and the Goblin is thankful for that.

Years of studying and roaming the dungeon made its dangers clear to him. Unlike the vengeful Wraith that just attacked them, the things that clawed at the edge of their light were not Undead. They are far from it. These things never die, nor do they increase in number. He knew that these things can only patrol the last 20 floors of the dungeon and that they cannot touch any sort of magical light. A Shadow Fiend struck at them, only for its sword and arms to melt away under the light of the lantern.

"[Flash]."

The blinding light cleared the entire length of the corridor of any Shadow Fiend. He let out a sigh as he looked at the map in his hand.

"Go right."

He murmured to the Slime while he watched the shapes surround them once more.

The door to the room was plain. It didn't need to be fancy and he liked his doors plain and simple. Dark shadows surrounded him while the Slime held his moving chest inside of its body. He scratched his head as he tried to remember the words he needed to say. If the Slime had eyebrows, it would have raised one at him as the Goblin muttered loudly to himself.

"Tir- No. Not correct... A... Arih... Arik? Ah! Aroak tir Ilu Surgakan!"

Glowing runes appeared all along the door's frame while he nodded to himself. The Shadow Fiends around them stared helplessly as they backed away from the door.

Those runes aren't perfect ones, but they did their job. It was a simple spell that kept darkness and ill-will away and it was something he made himself. So he was very proud of his accomplishment. He pushed open the door and looked at the empty and dusty room behind the wooden door. It's not much to behold, but the two of them can't be beggars in this place.

It was a room similar to his old room but it had two fountains this time. There was no old chandelier in the center of the room, but the ceiling and sides of the room were filled with orange and yellow crystals that glowed brightly. He nodded and closed the door behind them, and the Shadow Fiends on the other side banged against it for a few minutes after that.

He didn't bother to unpack the moving chest. He could see brown and yellow mushrooms growing near and around the fountains in the room. He pulled out his dagger and he cut off a few stems to feed himself. He didn't need to worry about running out of food since the mushrooms in the dungeon grow quickly. The Slime dropped the moving chest near the table as it sat close to the fountain.

"You... You hungry?"

The two crystals in the Slime's face turned towards the Goblin while he held a brown mushroom in his hands. It shook its upper half in an effort to shake its head. It was still weird talking to the Slime, but at least he understood its attempts at communication.

"Oh, okay."

The Goblin smiled as he washed the mushrooms in the fountain. Once he was satisfied, he walked over to the table and placed them down in a line. With a wide and eager smile, he charred each of the mushrooms with a low flame that came from the tip of his finger.

The surface of the mushrooms blistered and browned under his [Flame] Spell. He could smell the nice, earthly aroma of the brown mushrooms while he could taste the sweetness of the yellow mushroom's scent. After the mushrooms were sufficiently charred, he immediately ate the brown mushroom with a smile on his face. The Slime just watched as the strange Goblin ate his meal with a look of delight on his face.

She let out a sigh⁠—or at least a Slime's equivalent of it⁠—while she sat beside the fountain. She couldn't really sit in the water of the fountain since too much liquid will dilute and kill her. But at least the area around it is moist and humid enough for her liking. She kept the warm lantern by her side while she continued to watch the Goblin.

He was very... strange. She never saw a Goblin before, but the Slime that she came from had memories of Goblins from above the dungeon. It was natural for Slimes to keep some of the memories from the Slime they split off from, but she found it odd that she could think like this. Do Slimes like her even exist? And why did the Goblin not kill her earlier? 

She closed her eyes while she thought quietly to herself. The Goblin is a Goblin, but he's not a regular Goblin. She is a Slime that can think, so is she even a Slime? She wondered if the Goblin had the answers to her questions and if he won't kill her like the other things in the dungeon. Her eyes swirled around her head as she tried to answer her own questions.

"Miu... ( = ^ = )"

She let out a groan since even the question she asked herself made her head hurt. Then she returned to being a small puddle of blue goo beside the fountain. 

She will think about these things later. For now, she will sleep.

----------------------------------------

"H-Heavens... You're alive."

The receptionist stared at them while they ignored the many murmurs and stares thrown at them by the crowd. Minutes earlier,  the Adventurer's Guild of Arenhein was filled with noise and shouts coming from the rowdy and hot-blooded adventurers found within. It all disappeared the moment when three adventurers, all of them looking like they have seen better days, entered through the front door. 

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The lounge went silent as the people that were resting after a day of doing mundane and normal quests saw Stefan. They immediately knew that something was off when the receptionists did a double-take on them.  So everyone in the guild went silent and watched the team that they all thought died within the confines of the dungeon. 

"Where's the Guildmaster? I want to talk with him."

"O-Of course! Of course! Sir Ste-"

"Just Stefan. I will need the Guildmaster, a private room, and your best appraiser. I will also need some new clothes for my companions and for me as well."

Stefan spoke with a serious tone. Semilia shook her head at his attempt to look cool, but Stefan just ignored her scoffs.

The receptionist bowed her head apologetically while the other staff fumbled over themselves at the sight of Stefan. Everyone in the room knew that something was off about them while the more veteran and senior adventurers were just stupified. Stefan Hendrickson, a former Gold Ranked adventurer that was presumed dead, stood at the reception desk with his team.

A more senior receptionist ran up the set of stairs at the back of the reception hall. Stefan looked as she disappeared up the second floor of the building while another receptionist attended to them. Stefan ignored the murmurs he heard about them being dead and the racist slurs being whispered about Semilia. He was about to ignore them like always when he heard a comment that made his blood boil.

"By the Gods... He's letting that girl walk with her bare ass exposed. Not that I mind though."

Riel heard it as well and she clutched what remained of her robe from the waist down. The only fabric left after those foul Undead tore it apart were the black panties that reeked of piss and dread. 

"I wonder why that mage is travelling with that former Gold Rank? And what's with the damn Low-Elf? God, that damn Low-Elf should've just died down there. That leader of that Green Slayer team or something should've been the one that made it. World could do well with less of their kind."

"Tch. Just looking at her makes my blood boil. Those damn things should just return to the forests where they came from. And that damn mage reeks of piss. Fucking disgusti-"

Stefan walked over to the two of them with a cold look in his eyes. They didn't even see the clenched fist that he made as he grabbed the bottles of wine on their table.

In the blink of an eye, his fist cracked the nose of the young man on his right while his other hand smashed the bottle over the other guy's head. Every other adventurer in the room shot up to their feet as he threw the man on his right onto the table with a loud slam. His fist pummeled the face of the already unconscious adventurer while the other man clutched his bleeding head.

"H-Hey! Stefan! That's enough!"

Semilia grabbed Stefan's shoulder and pulled him away from the barely breathing adventurer. Another adventurer also pulled him away from the table while the rest rushed over to treat the man.

"Hooo... Already causing trouble after you returned?"

Stefan's bloodshot eyes swivelled towards the old man that looked over them. He stroked his fiery red beard while a Senior Receptionist called for a Healer to treat the injuries of the two.

He watched them all from the second floor with a serious expression while Stefan breathed heavily. His expensive-looking robes and the sigil on his chest made his position and identity clear to everyone. He was the Guildmaster, and this was his guild. Behind him are the office and the private rooms adventurers could use to do business. Usually, he rested and read the books in his office, but the frantic knocks of his niece and the sounds of a fight made him leave his room.

"Guildmaster. Sorry for the... trouble I caused."

Stefan wiped away the blood on his knuckles while the Guildmaster chuckled at him.

"I heard everything, you know? My ears are sharper than my eyes. Anyways, what are you all doing? You should be escorting these heroes into my office for a proper congratulation! I'm not paying you to gawk at three tired souls in the reception hall! Move!"

The staff scurried away as a receptionist ushered them away from the still unconscious adventurer and towards the stairs. The Guildmaster hummed a pleasant melody as he entered the room adjacent to his office. Stefan cussed under his breath as the three of them followed the Senior Receptionist. Those around him looked away from him as they passed, and he ignored the glares and uneasy stares that were thrown at his back.

They were ushered into a large room where a young boy sat upright on the small bed beside the window. Stefan looked at the bandages that wrapped around his arm, or what's left of it after the amputation. The bandages around his shoulder were fresh and still wet with medicinal ointment and Healing Potions while a young girl washed her hands in a bowl of tepid water. 

She had silver hair just like the boy but it flowed freely over her back instead of being tied in a shirt ponytail like her brother's. Her hazel-brown eye looked at Stefan as she wiped her hands dry with a clean towel while her brother blinked at the young mage standing behind Stefan.

"I-It's you... It really is you."

The silver-haired girl brushed away her long bangs to the side of her face. It revealed a black eyepatch underneath as she took a closer look at Stefan.

"You guys survived... How? How?! I saw you go down the other way in the dungeon..."

"Ameera, please. Calm yourself. T-They just got out of the dungeon. I'm sure they don't want to talk about that right now."

The young boy clutched the bedframe with his left hand as he pulled himself up to a more upright position.

"But... I can't believe it. You got out of the dungeon without any major injuries. Did you also run into those shadow things? How about the traps?"

"N-No. We took another route in the dungeon. But..."

Stefan glanced away from the girl as she tapped her eyepatch anxiously. 

It was hard to look at them. Stefan just couldn't bring himself to look them both in the eyes. The boy was covered in stitches with fresh scars all over his chest and left arm while the girl's face had a large scar that ran over her cheek. He turned to the Guildmaster as he inspected the bookshelf he placed in their room. His hair and beard looked like flames under the light of the lantern and to be honest, he looked very silly in that tacky robe of his.

"Orien, Ameera, have you been studying?"

He patted away the dust from a book he picked up from the shelf while the young girl rolled her eye at him.

"I enjoy the books you and the Council of the Tower have provided for us. Ameera, on the other hand, prefers training over reading."

"Tch. Of course, I need to practice my swings! The Guildmaster and those Mages are up to something!"

Stefan and Semilia turned towards the Guildmaster as he read through the pages of a child's storybook. He let out a sigh as he closed the pages with a loud snap.

"Well, we are up to something. After those accounts you gave us and the disaster that happened, we knew that there is something wrong with the dungeon. That's why I brought these three immediately to your room as well as... Reveal yourself, Shadowmancer!"

"Oh my... How long have you noticed my presence?"

From the Guildmaster's shadow rose a robed figure. She had thick, black robes that heavily obscured her face while a veil of shadows hid whatever was beneath her hood. The openings of her sleeve pulled back slightly to reveal a hand with a dark complexion wrapped in shadows and magic.

"A Message Spell from one of your mages. I presume that Elf is gonna come by as well?"

"Of course he will come. He sent me here to see why the Watch rode out this morning. To think that we there were still people clinging to life down in that dark pit..."

She turned towards the two siblings, both had looks of distrust directed towards her.

"They are recovering well, I suppose."

"Thanks only to your and the Mages' help. Although, I do wonder... Why did the Mages of the Black Tower suddenly take interest towards two young children?"

The woman simply shrugged it off and smiled at the young boy in front of her. Her eyes filled with pity as she looked at the wrappings around the stump that was once his arm.

"Who knows? Anyways, I would like to congratulate the small team that managed to claw themselves out of the dungeon this morning. Stefan the Stained Sword, you did well in escaping that shadowy place... Do you have anything you would like to declare? Perhaps your friend over there can tell us what is hidden inside that relic behind her."

Stefan scowled at the mention of one of the titles he was given. He hated that one as much as he hated Aralusian Berries, but he held his tongue out of respect for the woman's position as one of the respected leaders of this city. Semilia looked at him and him at her as she slowly pulled out the large bag she was hiding from the woman's steely gaze.

"One of the treasures we managed to find within the dungeon. A Bag of Holding containing..."

Stefan looked at the bag his companion was holding and he wondered if he should risk getting taxed heavily by the guild.

"A-A lot of precious materials. We would like to get it appraised in private if it's possible."

The Guildmaster looked at Semilia and the bag she held in her hands. The three of them were the only ones in the room who had an idea of what that bag contained, but the Guildmaster could tell from the looks on their faces that they had something beyond valuable within that bag.

"Sure, I could arrange for someone to properly appraise the contents of that bag... But I believe that we will have to tax you appropriately for not just the services of the appraiser, but-"

"According to the agreements made with the guild. Yes, yes... My team already knows that."

"Perfect. I'll gladly take that bag off of your hands then!"

Semilia glanced at Stefan, his only response a deep sigh and a nod that told her to just give it to the old man in front of her. She hesitated for a moment, then she handed the large Bag of Holding to the Guildmaster for appraisal.

With Bag of Holding in hand, he immediately left the room and left the scarred adventurers alone with the woman clad in black robes. She sighed and looked at the three adventurers standing uncomfortably around her while the two siblings sitting in the bed near her just stared at the three strange people around them.

Stefan didn't know what to do with the woman. He wanted to check the inn they were staying at a month ago to see if they kept their items. Semilia looked like she wanted to get out of town with the treasure they got, and Riel looked like she wanted to just sleep for a week. Stefan wasn't even sure what else the guild wanted from them, and why was the Shadowmancer of Arenhein standing in front of him. To be honest, all he wanted to do was drink in silence all night in some tavern.

"So... Was the dungeon the same type as the Chorilean Dungeon? Is it a dungeon with time-bending properties as well? Please, I wish to know."

Her suddenness caught the three of them off-guard and Semilia immediately cast a wary look towards the Shadowmancer.

"I am also curious about the monsters you encountered. Undead, particularly. Also the treasures! Are there books? Vast repositories of knowledge like giant libraries or perhaps magical artifacts?"

"The only things we found down there were-"

"Mostly empty rooms! The monsters there are mostly Common Type monsters except for a Guardian Type within one of the rooms!"

"And large amounts of Giant Spiders and insects."

Azalia looked at the three of them with narrowed eyes. Their answers were clearly meant to hide something, but she knew that pressing them for an explanation will only lead to nothing. 

"Hmm... I see. This is my last question to you, Miss Elf. What is that in your pocket?"

Semilia clutched at the pockets of her shorts. After a moment, her eyes widened as her fingers felt the cold metal of gold and silver. She pulled out a gold coin she pocketed from the Goblin's room, and all eyes turned towards the carvings on its face.

"Oh. I see... I see."

In a blink of an eye, the coin was already in the hands of the Shadowmancer. Semilia gasped as she watched wisps of black shadow dissipate around her hand while Azalia looked at the gold coin with a serious expression on her face.

"Alchemical Gold forged into a coin that resembled those minted during the time of Arluk.  Where did you get thi-"

Without warning, the Shadowmancer threw the coin onto the floor before blasting it with intense amounts of Shadow Magic. Everyone jumped as shadowy tendrils lashed out violently against one another before Azalia's magic managed to overcome the foul magic inscribed into the coin.

Immediately,  her eyes darted towards the Low-Elf and Stefan while everyone watched as the coin melted into a puddle of black liquid on the wooden floor. None of them knew what just happened, but the look in Azalia's eyes immediately told them that it wasn't good. She clicked her tongue in disgust and uttered a prayer in Ir'shramae.

"Necromancy and Shadow Magic... He was right... Gods, what a disaster."

"W-What was that?!"

Stefan shouted as he looked at the grim-faced woman beside him.

"Powerful Alchemy bound with magic unknown to me... Its purpose most likely to track the people who possessed the item."

"Gah?!"

"And it seems the caster of it dispelled it just now."

They looked at Semilia's wet pockets as black liquid oozed out of it. The coins that she took from the Goblin's room now just wet stains that leaked out of her pockets uncomfortably.

"I must leave and meet with my peers. It seems that the head of our library is correct in his assumptions..."

"And... And what assumption is that, Miss Azalia?"

Stefan's voice trembled a bit, and the Shadowmancer simply shrugged her shoulders at him.

"A Mage sought eternal life to reach the pinnacle of his art. The head of our library believed that he is the thing that lies in the dungeon's deepest floor. A soul bound to the corpse of a once great Mage who has turned into one of the vilest types of Undead. Although none has ever reached his tomb, my friend believed that the Black Mage never really died, but instead..."

Her body slowly melted into the shadows and her voice sounded like she was in a rush. They couldn't blame her for sounding like that. After all, they too would be in a hurry to warn everyone after what they had just seen. The Shadowmancer sighed as she finally disappeared from their view, her final words sending chills down the spines of everyone who heard her.

"A Lich... He has become... A Lich..."