Katherine POV:
“My Lady, as I explained earlier, this is the 28th Floor of the dungeon.”
A Sentri Warrior accompanied me down the wide road. His whole unit followed close behind and cut down any threats that they believed would do me harm.
“I am grateful for your assistance.”
His lowered head revealed grey scales covering his back. Muscles that had been honed, not through objective reflection but through violence, quivered once they met my gaze.
It was disheartening.
“In front of such beauty, I could only submit. If you are looking for a challenge, you will find it on the higher floors.”
The slight curve of my eyes accentuated the spreading of my lips. Our arrival inside the dungeon disregarded standard procedure through the removal of the Safe Zone. What greeted me instead was widespread destruction that had little respect for nature or life in general.
Sentri surrounded me seconds later before parting ways for a Sentri Warrior. He dropped to one knee, and the Sentri followed his example. Though perplexing, it was rather fortunate that no blood had to be shed.
“Why must you hunt humans?”
“I... would leave them alone if they all looked like you. However, a more realistic answer would be because Sentri are conquerors. You humans love war and we do too.”
I refrained from commenting on his remark since his words held a deep truth to them. The mausoleum was representative of those they had slain, and this desolate city was the result of the path they took to conquer.
A purpose.
There was a purpose to everything in life whether one would want to admit it or not. The Sentri didn’t conquer for the sake of conquering; there was a goal behind it. If I were to draw from Experienced Scout Byeol’s report, then their systematic method of combat would reflect itself in the way they developed as a species.
Thus, the Sentri favoured war because it led to a growth they chased after with fervour. No other reason could describe their love for the eradication of another.
“Your party members have to be between the 1st and 30th Floor, so please cheer up. Sentri gladly accept their death as long as it’s in combat.”
My theory was complete with the addition of this statement. The growth they sought after was the improvement of their style of fighting, which would also explain the vast diversity it contained.
“Can you prioritise finding a man named Shun, please? He has black hair and eyes.”
A glimmer of tension washed over the Sentri Warrior’s face, tightening the muscles in unison. His weight shifted to his back foot before he parted his lips again.
“Someone... precious to you?”
“Yes. He is my friend.”
I knew that time had to be used with wisdom, but I couldn’t abandon those that were suffering. Everyone had boundaries, and I tried to respect them in accordance with my morals.
But Shun’s pain wouldn’t only hurt himself. It would extend to those that cared and wished for his well-being.
He was in need of support right away.
A female Sentri sprinted down the fractured road. She dropped to one knee in front of the Sentri Warrior and took a few seconds to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
“Bujir! Several Floor Bosses are fighting against an unknown man!”
Bujir rested a hand against his chin. His eyebrows concaved toward the centre, knitting the layers of skin into a small bundle.
“Without notifying their superiors? What does this man look like?”
An accumulation of blood gathering in her cheeks caused her complexion to darken. The Sentri’s dim yellow eyes darted around the area before resting on the exposed infrastructure of a nearby building.
“H-Honestly, he is very attractive!”
She swept a few grey strands of hair behind her ear. The Sentri’s infatuation came from the feat she had witnessed, not from inappropriate desires.
“...Okay? Describe him, Nijli.”
Bujir glanced at my reaction first before his anger deepened. The new look in his eyes prompted Nijli to cough several times.
“I think his hair was black, and he looked very coo—“
“What Floor?”
“The 20th Floor.”
Bujir turned to face me and bowed his head. His courtesy was magnified by Nijli doing the same.
“That may be the man you are looking for, my lady.”
I gave them a soft nod, but the situation was more dire than I expected. In a way, Shun held traits similar to the Sentri: both chased after improvement. Only the means to achieve those fruitful results differed.
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“You both have been a great help to me. Please do not turn your weapons toward humans any longer. I know your kind desires growth, but there is no greater challenge than overcoming oneself.”
Bujir’s eyes widened while my cheeks rose. He bit his lip in a struggle to deny himself. To be a conqueror did not mean there had to be victims. The Sentri partially understood this through the exchanging of knowledge in a controlled environment.
Nijli’s shaking fingers interlocked with Bujir’s. She supported his leaning frame in a manner befitting a younger sibling. Her aid assisted him in the recollection of his composure.
“...Take care, my lady.”
“Please do the same, Bujir.”
I gave my thanks to the other Sentri before sprinting down what remained of the road. A silent breeze carried me forward as I navigated toward the exit Bujir had pointed to on the map.
It was unreasonable to assume the other dungeon monsters would show me such favour. The smooth skin between my eyebrows wrinkled at this sudden thought.
When I first joined the party, Phoebe provided a brief tutorial on dungeons. She emphasised that monsters possessed a kill-on-sight mentality, and that even if a conversation was to be had, it would always end in a fight to the death.
The Sentri’s behaviour contradicted this.
“...Are dungeons perhaps evolving?”
***
Aiden POV:
“...”
I fled across a wide street before performing a sharp turn to the right. The caved-in buildings created narrow alleyways in multiple locations that monsters used to ambush others. I crouched down against the brick wall and erased my presence.
Three Sentri Warriors skidded to a halt 20 seconds later. The distance between them and my current location was 25 metres. Wind speed sat within an 8 to 12 mph range, indicating a gentle breeze that would affect the battle by aiding the use of both the Wind and Fire Ki Nature.
“Tch... He broke through to Jikki during the ambush.”
“Idiot! I told you he’s not normal, Lerj!”
“...If I were human, I would want his seed.”
A solemn silence swept over the street. Beads of sweat formed on my brow, not from the perverse remark, but from the focus needed to ensure they wouldn’t find me.
“...What is wrong with you, Paroya?”
“I... don’t know myself, Kiyuj.”
Unlike other Sentri Warriors, Kiyuj had streaks of purple through her flowing grey hair. She wore what they called an Uwagi with a layered black vest underneath that only exposed her collarbones. A black piece of clothing covered the back of her hand in a triangular shape, which hooked around Kiyuj’s middle finger.
Parts of her attire bore resemblance to Shun’s Shinobi form, though the style was different enough to tell them apart. The Floor Bosses retreated, and that brought me to my main concern: change.
‘...Is it Shun?’
I shook my head right away.
‘I shouldn’t be so suspicious of a friend. It could be the dungeons themself evolving.’
This would lead to the ranks of all dungeons increasing, and that meant more Dungeon Breaks. If I added Byeol’s concern about the recent difficulty spike to my calculations, then not only were my worries reaffirmed, but Central Guild needed to be informed of this matter in detail as soon as possible.
‘...’
I climbed the wall by using the uneven grooves for support before vaulting over the caved structure. I flipped to the roof of a nearby building when my eyes narrowed.
Kiyuj stood in its centre, examining her purple fingernails. Once her eyes left their unique design, four other Floor Bosses surrounded me.
I grabbed the spear from my back. Ki wrapped around me in silence; the focus remaining on their movements.
“Don’t rush it this time!”
Kiyuj splayed her hand to grab a black spear formed from Ki before cracking her neck. The other Sentri Warriors held swords that became more evident with the slow circular formation the monsters employed.
“...Kiyuj.”
We locked eyes once more.
“Don’t address me like we’re close, Aiden.”
The lack of a Safe Zone was dangerous. It meant preparations had to be adjusted upon arrival. However, a lack of a Safe Zone and the random dispersal of party members was critical.
The 25th Floor welcomed me with Kiyuj’s spear, aimed toward my left eye. We had fought dozens of times during my descent to the lower Floors. I used our exchanges to gauge the average strength of the Floor Bosses and confirmed that if all variables remained within a suitable range, the calculated risk my friends would encounter was low.
“...I feel a strange tension between you both. Maybe... Kiyu—“
“Paroya, if you don’t keep your mouth shut, I’ll kill you myself.”
Paroya blinked a few times before nodding her head. She had large eyes and hair styled into two looping braids. Out of all the Floor Bosses, she was the least committed in her attacks toward me.
Kiyuj spun the spear around her fingers, and I did the same. Her plump lips curved into a smile that made most male Sentri trip over their own feet.
“Sentri Style: Spear Thrust.”
A calculated strike, aimed toward the pit of my chest, welcomed another round of battle. It was Kiyuj’s preferred method of closing the distance since the thrust would increase movement speed and attack power based on the space covered. For Kiyuj, her maximum range was 10 metres.
The boost to the aforementioned physical attributes resulted in a max multiplier of 1.5x. That would increase to 3x if the Spear Thrust was successful in hitting the target.
I deflected the tip of her spear with the shaft of my own. Kiyuj rolled with the momentum into a flurry of further thrusts.
“Sentri Style: Sword Blitz.”
Paroya’s sword flashed forward. Arcs of light accumulated from the blurring of her hand that was parried away by my spear. The Sentri Warriors moved in, and rapid strikes ripped apart the surrounding area.
The battlefield expanded from my movements that forced their formation to change. I kept track of each one, choosing to counter only when there was a secure opening. The longer the battle, the more accurate the calculations became, and the greater the chance the results I needed to achieve became a reality.
‘...There.’
The wind wrapped around the rapid motion of my forward thrust. The gentle breeze aided this accumulation enough to force Lerj’s parry to be off by 3 centimetres. With his reactions bypassed, his Ki Armour was all that was left. It failed to stop the pointed head from ripping—blasting a hole through his exposed shoulder.
“T-tch...”
Lerj recoiled backwards: his HP dropping by 1/4 when I splayed my hand behind me. Several barriers of wind pushed back two of the Sentri Warriors, aiming to capitalise on my focus. I spun past Paroya’s crushing sword swings, kicked off her head and flashed in front of Lerj, trying to recover.
“!”
The reflection of a spear shooting toward his head could be seen in his bright yellow irises. Whether his life was flashing before his eyes or not, it wasn’t factored into the equation.
‘...Again.’
Kiyuj parried the blow for him, but this outcome was favourable too. The spear fell, and my instep smashed against its base. It tore open Lerj’s left shoulder before I transitioned into grabbing the air with both hands.
It coiled around me, releasing powerful gusts of wind the moment I stretched out my hands on either side. Everyone was shot backwards when a feminine voice talked over the blowing gales.
“Sentri Style: Spear Wind.”
Kiyuj’s spear glowed. It flashed in my direction, slicing through the obstacles in its way. I flipped backwards to avoid the hazardous winds that erupted out of its tip, but her mastery over the spear constricted the movements I could make.
My palm opened while weaving through all of their strikes. Even with the reduction of space, they would still need sufficient room to utilise their formation.
Observations were only observations. Damage began to pile up on my body in those few seconds that I was weaponless. That changed once I grabbed hold of a new spear.
“...Kiyuj, watch out.”
My eyebrows furrowed to the same angle as the spear. The destroyed beams vibrated from the complete release of Ki.
“I’m going to get serious soon.”
Her eyes shone, but what I believed was ecstasy arched them into a delirious state. Kiyuj’s purple lips spread out before parting.
“Kill. Him.”