Turning back time by approximately 49 minutes, Zenith, along with his recently acquired knowledge, appears back in the familiar cave system with a small pile of ash, stinky leather armour, a huge wooden club, and a small, glowing door.
“Alice, which Floor are we in?”
((Floor#52/218 of Koarleina. I’m actually surprised a new Floor was added in just a few short hours. Must be because she saw you appear in the 52nd floor and one hit a level:176 Troll.))
“….She?”
Zenith tilts his head in confusion as he hears Alice’s words, all the while proceeding towards the stairs to the next floor. Of course, it being his first time in Koarleina, although he had nearly spent 11 years in the Dungeon Safe Room, not to mention the 52nd Floor was never even entered by those of the Sentient Race before, Zenith had absolutely no clue as to where the stairs were. One way of finding that would be by using a detection spell or by simply spreading his senses, immensely buffed by a twenty digit Dexterity, which could probably easily include the whole dimension if he were to be careless enough to release his control over them, effectively making him omniscient, at least in Gogam.
However, that is unnecessary with Alice who had a level:10 clearance. The System is, as to be expected, omniscient, although not omnipotent, and it has in its records the details of every single incident, from those as small as the birth and death of microorganisms to those as huge as wars between Worlds and invasions of the Abyss. And with a level:10 clearance, Alice is entitled to every last word and letter in the System Records. Of course, being the only one to have achieved both a level:9 and level:10 clearance, Alice is also the only one with access to this knowledge. Zenith too, since Alice is his Priority Guideline.
And Alice, even while speaking, creates a small glowing blue arrow head pointing his way to the stairs.
((She, as in Koarleina. I told you, didn’t I? Dungeons have souls and sentience. And the name of their persona is the same as the name of their bodies, the Dungeons themselves. And the Dungeon Spirits have complete control over their bodies. For example, she can quite literally make a trap right below your feet, though the mana required to make that trap would easily be detected. And she is similar to the System inside the Dungeon, omniscient, though she can’t access your Status since you have such a sturdy mana shield covering you.))
“Haha, it’s not a shield. It’s more like a physical manifestation of my mana. My mana is so dense and so large in quantity that it appears like a shield or a shell. And as for why I’m not dispersing it, well, if mana of this Density is dispersed, the sheer force of dispersal is enough to turn continents into craters. Not that I mind, but….”
((No, please! You might not mind but I do!))
“Hoho?”
Zenith mutters, with a tinge of amusement in his voice.
“So, you don’t want your hubby to be called a murderer, is it?”
((Wha-what!? N-no! Of course n-not! I-I….I just don’t want to get my salary cut! Right! If my Priority Host commits deeds punishable by the System, I-I’ll get my salary cut!))
“A cut in salary huh?”, he chuckles, not exposing her obviously pathetic attempt at trying to hide her embarrassment. Thinking to himself how she so closely resembles those people that are in a small island country in a time so long ago during the twenty first century called ‘Tsundere’, he could only helplessly chuckle.
“Right…..so, anyway….do I actually need this secondary class anymore? I’m pretty sure I can make you a body even without it with just the skills and knowledge I have now….although, it’ll take a while to collect the materials needed.”
As a part of Zenith’s newly acquired knowledge, the following is the composition of an average adult human. Of course, that is excluding life force and a soul.
43,000g oxygen, 16,000g carbon, 7,000g hydrogen, 1,800g nitrogen, 1,000g calcium, 780g phosphorus, 140g potassium, 140g sulphur, 100g sodium, 95g chlorine, 19g magnesium, 4.2g iron, 2.6g fluorine, 2.3g zinc, 1g silicon, 0.32g gallium, 0.68g rubidium, 0.32g strontium, 0.26g bromine, 0.12g lead, 0.072g Copper, 0.06g aluminium, 0.05g cadmium, 0.04g cerium, 0.022g barium, 0.020g tin, 0.020g iodine, 0.020g titanium, 0.018g boron, 0.015g selenium, 0.015g nickel, 0.014g chromium, 0.012 manganese, 0.007g arsenic, 0.007g lithium, 0.006g mercury, 0.006g caesium, 0.005g molybdenum, 0.005g germanium, 0.003g cobalt, 0.002g antimony, 0.002g silver, 0.0015g niobium, 0.001g zirconium, 0.0008g lanthanum, 0.0007g tellurium, 0.0006g yttrium, 0.0005g bismuth, 0.0005g thallium, 0.0004g indium, 0.0002g Gold, 0.0002g scandium, 0.0002g tantalum, 0.00011g vanadium, 0.0001g thorium, 0.0001g uranium, 0.00005g samarium, 0.00002g tungsten, 0.000036g beryllium, and an extremely small quantity of lutetium. Ah, also, female bodies have 2.3g Iron within them.
“….this’ll be a pain to gather them all….guess I should pay the lab another visit….”
Zenith was no saint, and if stealing is how he would get his hands on those materials, some of which have to be synthetically prepared, then he would joyfully be a robber. Again, one must keep in mind, that Sorcerers and spellcasters are, at the end, nothing short of beings who wish to warp reality to suit their needs. These beings who, if spoken in religious terms, twist and corrupt the creation, a blasphemy to God, are in no way to be considered virtuous. Sure, they might seem kind or patient, but one can rest assured that in such cases, they are either dealing with an extremely eccentric spellcaster, or possess something that said spellcaster believes to be important, or it is nothing more than an act that said spellcaster amuses himself with.
Virtue, to a spellcaster, is like asking a carnivore to eat a salad with an extra serving of lettuce for lunch. Quite unappetising, one must agree, at least not until some one puts a lot of, and I mean a lot of, mayo on it. I personally like sweet onion flavoured, but that is besides the point.
Right that moment, as Zenith finally found the rugged, stone stairs to the next floor, Alice solves his seemingly difficult problem.
((Actually….Dungeon Cores are capable of creating materials out of mana. Even the System does not know how that is done, but Dungeon Cores can do it. That’s one of the reasons why Adventurers enter Dungeons.))
“Oh? Come to think of it, I’ve been meaning to ask….how much can you tell me ‘bout these Dungeons?”
((Lots, actually. Enough to last till your walk to the last floor.))
And so began a long, long talk between Alice, a being who could be considered all knowing, and Zenith, who simply absorbed the new knowledge while secretly soaking in his dear’s voice, etching it in his heart. Truly, a lost case, this one.
((Lets see….for starters, people think that Dungeons are a way in which The Abyss invades the World’s, but they are actually mistaken. Monsters in Dungeons have nothin to do with the Abyss. They are creatures of pure mana created by the Dungeon Core itself, and that is also why they disappear and disperse as mana when they are killed, unlike the monsters in the wild.))
“Disappear?”
((W-well, that’s how it normally happens….I actually have no clue as to why ashes of that troll remained when you killed it….))
“Oh, those ashes? That’s burnt carbon in the air. I was wondering how such a huge body turned into so little ash. So that’s why….but still, it’s really….incredible. To think monsters in Dungeons disappear after being…wait, then why did the wooden club and the stinky leather armour remain behind?”
((That’s the main reason for why Adventurers and those of the Sentient Races go into Dungeons, because of those Drops. Those are special belongings of the Monsters, that aren’t considered a part of the monsters themselves, like equipment. And coins too, sometimes. No one knows how, except the System and the Dungeon Spirits, but most monsters, instead of dropping equipment, actually drop coins. Copper coins, Silver coins, and some even drop Gold and Platinum coins. And a few special monsters, the so-called elite monsters, even drop Jewel coins. As for why, well, no country, be it a small Kingdom or the largest of Empires, mint coins. All coins are obtained from Dungeons alone. Because all coins are engraved with certain special magic that glows when mana is passed through them. Makes counterfeiters obsolete.))
“Huh….so the entire world’s economy runs on Dungeons….so what about the treasuries of the Kingdoms and what not? How are the coffers filled?”
((The Army makes multiple raids into lower floors of the Dungeons. It also counts as effective battle training, especially since not only are Dungeon Monsters capable of cooperation, the wired terrains of the Dungeons themselves serve as good training. While Koarleina is a cave type Dungeon, quite a common one, there are other Dungeons that have floors filled with water and a few islands, floors with flowing magma, floors with hurricanes and tornadoes twisting around, floors with thunderstorms and hailstorms, and even floors with forests and jungles and artificial sunlight and all.))
“Well….that’s amusing. Maybe we’ll go and check around these Dungeons together after your body’s done. It’ll be a date.”
((Wh-Da-Date!? W-who would go on a d-date with you!?))
In but a moment, the calm, gentle, and pleasant to hear voice of Alice turned to a panicked, embarrassed, and rather cute sounding one. Chuckling at how easy and especially fun it is to tease her, Zenith diverts the topic, much to Alice’s relief.
“And? Anything else?”
((*cough* *cough*….r-right…s-so….umm….*cough*….T-the Dungeons have different environments and eco-systems, which also causes quite a few researchers to come to them and explore them. And as I said before, Dungeon Cores are capable of creating matter from mana, regardless of its rarity. Copper, silver, gold, platinum, jewels, steel, zinc, iron, tungsten, tin, mithryl, orichalcum, adamantite, meteor rock, anything. Even liquids and gases. And Dungeons sure use this to their advantage. There might be a few bars of gold in some treasure chest in an inconspicuous corner of the first floor, a few ingots of gold hidden inside cracks in the wall in the tenth floor, a few orichalcum and adamantite headed arrows used in traps in the thirtieth floor, beautiful jewels hidden within some inconspicuous chandeliers and torches in Boss Rooms, you name it. And these resources, which are literally unlimited and inexhaustible unlike those found in the outer world like in mines, are the main reason for why Adventurers raid Dungeons.))
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Then why don’t they just, you know, kidnap the Dungeon Core and the Dungeon spirit and be done with it?”
That was Zenith’s first thought, as well as what he had already decided he would do. If a small crystal ball, which Alice had long ago said would be what a Dungeon Core would look like, can actually make anything with just mana, then he sure as hell would love to get his soft yet dreadful hands on a few of them. Not to mention, Dungeon Spirits sound like they would make terrific guards, what with their infinite stamina and near invulnerability to mental attacks. That, and Zenith was also quite curious on whether he would be able to use the Dungeons Cores’ Creation magic as well. The System might not have been able to accomplish it, but it’s not like it would be the first thing he had done which the System couldn’t, right?
((Yes, well, this is actually something like common sense, but if a Dungeon Core is moved from the Core Room, a tremendous wave of monsters would be spawned. And by tremendous, I don’t mean just a few millions. I mean over half a billion monsters. Although these monsters disappear in just a short 24 hours, it’s still more than enough time to decimate entire nations. Just imagine, over 500 million monsters rampaging around, slaughtering all that come into sight.))
“Is that scary?....sure, it’ll probably take me at least a trillionth of a second to wipe out 500 million monsters….no wait, if I stop time, wouldn’t it essentially take me 0 time to wipe them all out?”
((*cough* *cough*….a-anyway, as I said, Dungeon Cores are formed when a piece of soul and a trace of thoughts and emotions collide together just as a pulse of mana is about to pass through a mana channel, and once a Core is formed and a Dungeon Spirit is born, the mana pulses in that particular Mana Channel are all absorbed by the Mana Core. So when a Core is displaced without its permission, the channel is disturbed, causing a sudden surge of mana. And this mana results in the birth of those hundreds of millions of monsters. And it’s even worse if the Cores are damaged. The only reason the mana is converted into monsters is because of the Dungeon Spirits’ and Cores’ interventions. If the Spirits and Cores actually perish, the mana would surge in its most primal and purest form, wiping out anything and everything in a spherical area of nearly 6,000 miles in radius.))
“Ahh….a mana cataclysm huh?....I’ve caused more than just a few of them when trying out new spells….hehe, I still remember the faces of those few humans studying the solar system when I ended up wiping out Pluto off the Stellar Map.”
((….you wiped out a planet?....when testing new spells?))
“*cough*…hehe…I-I was young….and ignorant….”
For the first time, Zenith felt embarrassed, and he couldn’t help but cower under Alice’s obviously reproachful voice, lowering his voice till it’s nothing short of mumbles. Coughing awkwardly, he tries to change the topic again, which worked, to his relief.
“S-so, a-anyway, you said the resources is one of the reasons for Adventurers to go into Dungeons?”
((Ah, Yes, that’s right. The near infinite resources is one reason, and the ecosystems and terrains are another. Some Adventurers and even elites of the Army sometimes raid Dungeons for training in anti-monster battles, and also for a chance to fight in different terrains. Then there’s the fact that different monsters need different flora to survive. While the Dungeon Monsters are created from mana, their sustenance is still either plants, or those of the Sentient Races. Mostly those of the Sentient Races, since there are very few herbivore monsters in existence. And for certain special herbivore and even for the growth of omnivores monsters, as well as for the wildlife that would serve as the carnivores’ food if those of the Sentient Races don’t die often, there are several sorts of plants and herbs in the Dungeons. And that is regardless of the kind of climate that persists outside the Dungeon. The outside could be a Desert, and the Dungeon could have underwater floors and large batches of seaweed. In fact, even the City of Adventurers, Sofia, which is a City in the inner parts of the Continent, has a Dungeon where there are several underwater floors, and that is where it gets its marine products from. There is also a Dungeon with a semi volcanic terrain from where several Rare ores are collected.))
“So….near infinite resources, ores, experience for levelling up, herbs, good study material for scholars, good for training….damn, Dungeons sound like paradise now. But what do the Dungeon Cores and spirits get from tempting those of the Sentient Races to invade them?”
((More thoughts, more emotions, and more souls. Though and emotions are necessary for creating monsters, while the traces of souls of those that have died in the Dungeon are useful in creating more, intelligent species.))
“Wait, the Dungeons can create humans and Beast kin and the like?”
((A rather confidential piece of information, but yes, they can. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, those of the Sentient Races are normally quite weak, without proper education to utilise their intelligence, few Dungeon Cores and Spirits create them.))
“Huh…I guess that make-“
*kyaaa!!!*
Before he could even finish his sentence, a shrill, terrified shout reaches Zenith’s ears, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise.
“A….woman? A girl in her teens?.....this is the, what, one hundred and ninth floor?”
((This….Ahh! She’s a magician who used a random teleportation skill! And she’s both drugged and exhausted! And there are over three Ogres before her! Quick! Go save her!))
“A skill?... not a spell?”
Zenith tilted his head in confusion, before he disappeared. And with a sudden boom, the ground beneath where he had been standing moments before rippled, cracked, and broke, before the shockwave spread to the walls, shattering them into rubble. In but a moment, the walls and the floor of the Dungeon, which are said to be nigh indestructible, incomparable to even adamantite and mithryl in terms of physical and magical hardness, shattered and broke down till it’s nothing more than dust, and that was only after a small part of Zenith’s agility and strength stats taking effect.
“Ahhh! G-go away!”(Emilia)
‘Shit! I’m dead! I’m so dead!’
Fear rippled through her heart as she saw the three Ogres approaching her with curled up lips and their disgusting fangs showing themselves. As she stared at their lower bodies, which had a disgusting tower of sorts, she couldn’t help but tremble. If it had been any other day, just imagining what would happen next would cause Emilia to blush furiously, yet now that she herself is in such a situation, her body trembled as she became pale with fear.
‘Fucking bastards! It’s all their fault! Fuck! Assholes! Beasts!’
Emilia is a Rank D Adventurer, a so-called veteran among Adventurers. She, and her little sister Ari, had been abandoned by their village due to a drought, sold as slaves. Unluckily, or perhaps luckily, their caravan had been attacked by monsters, and the slave trader died. Their slave crests, which didn’t even allow them to run away, faded to a light grey, and the two siblings, along with several others, could escape. Some of them died, eaten by the monsters, but the sisters managed to run.
And run they did, for several weeks, until they came to Sofia City. As the City of Wisdom and Adventurers, Sofia, which is also a Dungeon City with its six Dungeons, it had a fair share of gentle and kind people, and the two little ones could somehow survive. Emilia later became an Adventurer, and with the help of a good friend she made, a receptionist in the Adventurers Guild Headquarters Eleanor, she had somehow raised herself from a Rank G to a Rank D. And with her income, which was pretty low at first, she and Ari managed to buy a small house in Sofia as well, one that was pretty close to the Guild.
And her promotion to Rank D and the celebration for buying their house was yesterday. Indeed, since the house was bought on a small loan, Emilia was quite determined to work even harder to repay their debt and somehow earn enough to get the slave crests from herself and Ari removed. Truth be told, the two had been hiding their crests from everyone they met, in fear of being captured. After all, once marked, one only needs to drop a drop of blood on the crest to make them their slaves, unable to ever disobey their masters.
And in the entire city, Eleanor is the only one who knows of their plight.
Just this morning, when Emilia had cheerfully come to Eleanor to get a good quest, and the two besties were busy chatting about some unnecessary topics, she was invited to a party, a Rank C party, and a pretty famous one at that. Famous for their brutality, that is.
The ‘Green Skulls’, as they called themselves, are a party of human males, degenerates in all meanings, who loved to rape and kill women. There were several complaints against them, yet all of them were quickly withdrawn after a few days. And it’s quite obvious what happened when the ones who had issued the complaints were found dead, ravaged even if they or their family had women among them.
And she entered their sight, it seemed.
Would Emilia agree? Yes, for she had no choice.
‘Emilia, oh beautiful Emilia, you’re the super rookie that recently bought a house, yes? And I heard you have a cute little sister as well. You’re quite a bad older sister, aren’t you? Leaving your little sister unguarded in your home……’
Did she have a choice? Obviously not. So she could only steel her heart, ignore Eleanor’s warnings, and agree. And she knew what would happen to her too, especially when they suggested going to the thirty fourth floor of the Dungeon.
‘Maybe….I can kill them….somehow…’
That was the only thought that let her stay calm and not freak out, even as the four men looked at her with unhidden lust. Even as they grabbed her ass or squeezed her breasts, that was the thought that kept her from screaming and running. Even as they laughed at her with their cooked voices as they went deeper and into more remote areas of the Dungeon, that was the thought that kept her from breaking down.
Yet, when that moment finally came, when in a dark, damp corner of the Dungeon, she felt her head spin and her vision cloud over, she was entirely unprepared.
‘I was drugged!’
The thought sent shivers down her spine, as she shook uncontrollably. Looking at the four men who had already undressed, and who were reaching their filthy hands towards her body, she finally started crying.
‘I’m so sorry….I’m sorry Ari!’
And she used the skill that had saved her life more times than one, (Lucky Teleport). A skill that lets her teleport to a random place, one based entirely on her luck.
‘Please! Some one! Save me!’
But now, she could only resume her crying, as she stared at those three Ogres approaching her with eyes full of lust.
‘Why!? Why am I so unlucky!?’
She cried. For the first time since she had promised never to cry as she looked at her scared, frightened little Ari on that day, she cried tears of despair, of hopelessness.
‘Why!? God! Can you hear me!? Why must you do this!? What have I done to deserve this!?’
‘Why were I and Ari abandoned!? Why should people like them, monsters like them exist? Why are you letting me die!? Why are you forcing me to leave Ari alone!?’
‘Why!? Just why! Answer me! If you truly exist! If Gods truly exist!’
She shouted, screamed in her mind, as her vision cleared up slightly, the drug loosing effect. Yet she couldn’t do much more than sob, with monsters several hundred levels above her own before her. Instead, that only made the sight of those approaching Ogres more real, making her tremble.
‘If Gods aren’t imaginary!’, she screamed, ‘If Gods truly exist! Then someone! Anyone! Please!’
And as if in answer to her shouts and screams, as if in response to her wish,
“Why, hello there miss.”
A soft, melodious voice reached her ears, as she shook in response to it. And heavy footsteps of the approaching Ogres vanished, and a faint smell of fire and ash reached her nose. Her eyes shook, before they opened slowly, revealing a pair of wet and bloodshot pupils.
And yet, even as a small trace of hope appeared in her heart when she heard that voice, she froze, her mind blanking out, as she saw the scene before her.
’…..white…..’
A pair of pure white eyes stared at her, with a hint of amusement and curiosity flashing within them. Those eyes matched well with the small smile and the undeniably handsome face of their owner, so handsome that even women would feel envious. Long white hair hung freely till his shoulder, hair that was as white as snow. And his skin, unblemished by any dirt or otherwise, was as fair and soft and smooth looking as porcelain itself.
His physique was lean, yet neither was it skinny. Tall, yet not too tall. Without an ounce of fat, there were only muscles that seemed to be so perfect, that even those sculptures by the grumpy Dwarves cannot be compared to them. As if chiseled with perfection in mind, a body that could only be described as ideal was before Emilia’s eyes.
Yes. A body. The body of a young, unfathomably handsome man, a man who seemed to be in his early twenties, a white haired, white eyed man with a gentle, charming smile, and with none of those Ogres that had frightened in sight, other than three piles of ash. A man, who made her think of those stories of Knights in silver armour galloping on white horses, whisking women like her away from danger.
Her frozen mind and heart shook, as her colour changed once more. From her original healthy pink to pale white, and now to a tint that would put a ripened tomato’s to shame.
“Pervert!!!”
*slap*
And Zenith, who had instantly burned the three Ogres to ashes and was looking at the beautiful damsel he had saved, could only stare at her, dumbstruck, as she clutched her palm in pain, her eyes watering up again. He slowly, very slowly, reached out to the cheek that had been slapped just now, though his 20 digit endurance only served in the other party being pained, and suddenly muttered,
“Ahh….I forgot….I’m still naked….”
*slap*
A sudden sound could be heard, yet Zenith didn’t even need to think, since he could pretty much guess that it was the sound of her little vixen wife face slapping.
((….I’m suddenly getting second thoughts for my future….))