"Shinji, the nearest town is at least a day's journey from here... what are we going to do?"
Asked a boy as he looked at Shinji. When he turned around, Shinji recognized his friend, Fuyuki Yamamoto. In truth, the word "friend" barely applied to their relationship. To Shinji, both his teachers and his classmates were just pieces he could manipulate as he pleased.
In the end, no matter what he did, none of them would dare to go on their own. After all, Shinji was the chosen hero of the goddess of the sun and light, the one who should be able to lead them back home, or so it should be.
(So, why... why did Saemi go with him?)
Shinji thought as he clenched his fist. What Shinji felt for Saemi was love, or rather, it had been love at first sight when he saw her, quiet but charming, a bit innocent but also lovely. All of Saemi's qualities and imperfections had made Shinji fall in love with her, reminding him of the past, specifically the time he started confessing to Saemi.
(This reminds me... she used to reject me, didn't she? I remember one time when I was so disheartened that I decided to go to another country in the hope of forgetting her. However, unexpectedly, before leaving, I decided to make one last confession, and she accepted. I was so happy in that moment that I can't even remember the expression Saemi had on the day she accepted my confession. Well, if she accepted, I'm sure she was happy)
Shinji thought as a gentle smile formed on his face, but this smile quickly vanished when another face appeared in his mind. With this face, his aura became more intense and powerful, but soon it subsided. At the moment, Shinji had the task of reaching the town, and although he hadn't thought much about it, his goddess told him that he was the second group to arrive there.
This could only mean that Makoto had arrived first. Although Shinji didn't know how, at least he felt relief thinking that, if that was the case, Saemi would also be safe. Now, all Shinji needed was to gather information, so he sent Fuyuki to find out the location of the nearest town. With his ability, Fuyuki could cover long distances in a matter of seconds, which was immensely valuable in their current situation.
"Let's head towards the town. Furthermore, considering the presence of so many monsters around, it's possible that there are people willing to buy them. Let's collect all we find and confront them until we reach the town. We might get some money to sustain ourselves in the city for a while"
Shinji said as he got up. Upon hearing his words, Fuyuki simply nodded in agreement.
"You can do whatever you want, but I won't play house with you guys. I'm going after that damn Makoto, and I won't rest until he begs for forgiveness"
A voice echoed, catching the attention of Shinji and Fuyuki, who turned in the direction of the voice and found Baji.
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"Are you sure? If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but know that we won't take you back if you do"
Shinji said, staring at Baji seriously. Upon hearing these words, Baji took heavy steps in Shinji's direction.
"Since when do I need your help for anything? Don't get me wrong, Shinji. If you're not going after Makoto, then there's no reason for us to be together"
Shinji uttered, stepping away towards a different path than he had initially planned to follow.
"Well, the choice is yours, but are you sure you know where you're going?"
Shinji asked, looking up at the sky. Night was approaching rapidly, making it essential to find a place to set up camp for the night.
Hearing Shinji's words, Baji let out a laugh and turned his gaze back to Shinji.
"I have my tricks, you don't need to worry about me. Instead, worry about yourself. You and I know that this group is going to fall apart soon. Many have useless skills, and the rest are too injured from the last battle against the hydra"
Saying that, Baji turned once more and began to walk, leaving those words hanging in the air.
"Your biggest mistake, Shinji, is thinking that you're strong enough to control everything. You and I know that everyone has their limits"
After uttering these words, Baji disappeared into the trees that surrounded the forest where they were.
***
It's been quite some time since my comrades and I entered the Arclight Dungeon. I say 'some time' because I'm not exactly sure how long. It's a bit challenging to have a sense of time when all we see around us is fog. No matter how much time passes, the sky remains cloudy, as if it's about to rain at any moment.
However, the time we've spent in this place has been quite interesting to me. I managed to acquire some skills from the monsters we defeated along the way. While pondering this, I closed my eyes once again, and then my status appeared as a clear image in my mind.
[NAME - MAKOTO TATSUYA]
[AGE - 16]
[GENDER - MALE]
[RACE - NETHERBORNE]
[MAIN CLASS - APOSTLE OF GLUTTONY]
(ACTIVE ABILITIES) - [SHADOW TELEPORTATION] [SPIRIT MANIPULATION] [PARALYZING MIST] [ICY MIST] [STORAGE] [INTIMIDATION] [TELEPATHY] [STEEL THREAD] [ULTRASONIC WAVES] [MIMICRY] [CLONING] [WYVERN WINGS] [UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE] [FUSION] [FERTILIZATION]
(PASSIVE ABILITIES) - [WEAK POINT PERCEPTION] [SENSORY PERCEPTION] [RESISTANCE TO PHYSICAL ATTACKS] [REGENERATION] [UNDERWATER BREATHING] [UNDERWATER VISION] [POISON RESISTANCE] [AIR SPEED] [TEMPORARY RESURRECTION] [PAIN TOLERANCE] [CURSE RESISTANCE]
(ACQUIRED MIMICRIES) – [HUMAN] [KRAKEN] [HYDRA] [WYVERN] [SKELETON] [GHOUL] [GHOST]
The new abilities I acquired after defeating some of the monsters found in this dungeon are as follows, Temporary Resurrection, obtained after using Gluttony on a skeleton, Pain Tolerance, gained by using Gluttony on a Ghoul, and finally, Curse Resistance that I acquired after using Gluttony on a ghost.
As the names suggest, these abilities are quite basic, but depending on the context, they can be incredibly powerful. Temporary Resurrection, for example, brings me back to life after death. The only drawback of this ability is that it can only be used once a day. In fact, I think it would be excessively strong if it weren't for that limitation.
Pain Tolerance, as the name implies, reduces my physical pain sensation, although I'm not sure if it applies to mental pain. Lastly, Curse Resistance, as the name suggests, makes me more resistant to curses. Honestly, this ability has proven to be extremely useful in this dungeon.