~The day before…~
I stared at the city in awe, trying to process what I was seeing. Eventually, I simply shook my head and looked around.
“Shops… Restaurants… etc…. All in trees… Wait, what if something catches fire?” I mumbled, making an attempt to imagine what that would look like.
Unfortunately, I imagined it a bit too vividly and I immediately shook my head even more vigorously.
“Jason? Are you okay?” Treia asked, clearly concerned as she stood in front of me. “You look like you’ve seen some sort of terror of the world.”
I nodded. “I’m okay. I’m just not used to everything being so loud. Never went into the Capital city much.”
Treia pouted. “Seriously? I told you to go many times! I’ve even gone with Mia a few times.”
“Yeah, and she ate everything you let her, huh?”
Treia gave me a helpless look in response and I shook my head. “You spoil her too much.”
“Hey, I have too much money for my own good,” she argued. “Might as well spend it somewhere. It’s not like you’ll take it. By the way, how were you able to pay for that apartment back in Mayflower.”
I coughed. “Uh, secrets of the trade,” I muttered, getting a very vivid flashback to me and Leah raiding an abandoned treasury back in the Void.
Treia eyed the air suspiciously, noticing the few Crystals I had in my back pocket strangely toss themselves into a portal behind me.
“What?” I asked innocently as I pulled out another muffin, handing it to Mia.
“What type of muffins are those and why do you have so many?” Treia asked as Mia bit into it, one hand around my neck to keep herself in my arms.
I sighed. “Double-chocolate chip. I made… a lot. I also have the money to keep buying ingredients. So, I just have like a few hundred that Mia can eat.”
“When did you even make that many-?”
I shrugged. “Over time. It takes Mia a while to eat an entire batch since she only has between seven to nine a day.”
“How many do you make in a batch?!”
“About twenty. Do you want one?”
Treia glared at me as I pulled out another muffin and held it out to her. When she didn’t take it, I shrugged and bit into it. She then sighed.
“That’s far too much sugar,” she mumbled. “You’re never going to have enough space for more food.”
“As the great Miana once said, ‘There’s always space for food.’”
~~~
I watched as Mia piled food onto our plate, the cook and Treia watching us in horror.
“How the hell do you two eat so much?” Treia complained.
I gave her a smug look. “I like food as much as Mia. I’m just not as direct. Plus, you said you’d cover it.”
“Just because I said I’d pay-”
Ignoring her, the two of us began to eat.
Fifteen minutes later, Mia and I finished the plate, still hungry. I pat Mia’s horn as she hopped up into my arms and tried to keep herself awake as she digested her food. However, as we went through the city some more, she fell asleep, her hand gripping my cloak.
Shaking my head, I covered her with my cloak and we continued on throughout the city.
The city was actually quite expansive, stretching for what I assumed was several kilometers (Yeah, I’m going to switch between miles and kilometers, try and stop me Americans, with your pride and joy: the eagle. Or nukes, in the government’s case…) wide, being large enough to house the entire population of Elves. According to Treia, there were more smaller towns throughout the forest.
“Those towns are the homes of the Forest Rangers, who make sure there’s balance in the forest and prevent any fires from spreading, which is a huge danger. There’s also a rainforest that many of the Elves don’t go to, even though it’s technically part of the Kingdom.”
I snorted. “What are the chances the Dungeon’s there?”
Treia grimaced. “Probably, seeing as no one’s found it.”
“Wait. The Dungeon… didn’t that Lucas guy say something about {Corruption}? I think it had something to do with the Queen-”
I froze in place, Treia stopping right next to me. “Why would the city be bustling if {Corruption} running rampant? And isn’t the Queen infected with it?” she whispered.
I quickly pulled out Systie from my pocket, who woke groggily.
Whaaaat? I’m trying to rest- wait, why are you panicking? She flew out of my hand and shook herself. What-
I mentally shared all the information we’d put together with her and she seemed to fill with worry.
But I haven’t sensed it whatsoever? But then why would that boy say that it’s common knowledge? It’s like… he lied to us for some reason.
“Yeah. But I think there is something wrong with this Kingdom. If they allegedly know about the Corruption…”
Why are they walking around as if the world’s all fine and dandy?
***
I have a really bad feeling… Systie mumbled, trying to figure out what happened to her screens for the umpteenth time.
Her Manager groaned. “You’ve been saying that for months now. The boy is fine… probably. One of the {Corrupted} Dungeons went offline, which is probably his doing. However, whatever’s messing with your viewing of him probably has to do with that. He must have Purified and Awakened the Dungeon Core somehow.”
Systie stared at him, her hand just about to hit the screen again. WHAT?! That shouldn’t be possible! Are you saying he’s going to let it eat all of the Dungeons until it surpasses me?!
“All things considered, it’s the best course of action. However, there’s another problem.”
WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT?! She wailed. I don’t wanna be eaten!
“Remember that High Abyssal? She’s hit Level 125 and is currently on track to Aurora. Plus, you technically will be perfectly fine if you’re ‘eaten’.”
Systie looked back at him from her short-lived tantrum. Eh?
Sitting back up, Systie pulled up a screen of the High Abyssal girl, who was currently reading a book from inside the warp gate, muttering under her breath.
“I really hope that this ‘Jason’ didn’t mess anything up. Mom’s gonna be mad if he gets himself killed,” she grumbled. “Why’d I have to look for him? Plus, his sister likes him more.”
The girl then flipped herself over in thought. “Then again, he is supposed to be my husband at some point. Might as well be the first person to find him.”
The Manager blinked. “Well, this is a turn of events. Guess this chapter of his story isn’t about the Dungeons at all.”
***
That night, I sat next to Mia, who wore a white and light blue dress that, strangely enough, didn’t clash much with her actual self. Instead, she seemed to just take it in stride, following Treia while copying everything she did, to Treia’s amusement.
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I simply watched the two of them while trying to not blow myself up from the volatile Runes I was working with. After a near-explosive mistake, I decided to focus all my attention to the Runes, pressing as much Mana into the small orb as possible.
Eventually, I sighed in relief and carefully placed the orb into my Storage. “Well, that thing will certainly kill me if it explodes remotely close to me,” I grumbled, pulling on my twitching ear.
Treia, who heard my mutter, glared at me. “Why are you always making destructive things?”
“If I go down, so does everything else in a mile radius,” I simply responded with a shrug.
Even Mia gave me a flat stare, unimpressed. I raised my hands up in defeat. “Look, it’s called an ADK, After-Death-Kill. Can’t be too cautious.”
“...I’ll have to say no. Two things might happen if I die. Well, three, but the two I’m mentioning are most likely, based on the limited information. One-”
“Jason, have you even gotten remotely ready for the dinner?” Treia interrupted.
I stopped mid-sentence, focusing on my Cloak. It warped around me and became a suit and exactly matched Mia’s dress.
“Yes.”
Treia glared at me while Mia squealed and launched herself into my arms, rubbing her horn up against my hand.
“Cheater,” Treia grumbled as I pet Mia, who was settled on my lap, enjoying herself as I rubbed her horns.
~~~
The moment I stepped into the large, practically empty dinner hall, I got an uneasy feeling, almost like I was stepping back into the Mayflower Dungeon, as it was now called. The Dungeon was coreless, yet was still filled to the brim with Beasts. According to records, Dungeons that had their cores taken or destroyed could regrow them in time, given that there was enough ambient Mana to do so.
I shook my head, focusing on the dinner table while making sure to hold Mia’s hand tightly, who was practically drooling at the smell of food. With a small smile, I patted her head with my other hand, causing her to swallow her saliva and look up at me.
she complained.
She let out a dramatic sigh, catching Treia’s attention for a moment. Treia simply shook her head before looking forward again. As we reached the table, I instinctively sat on the opposite side of the table, across from Treia. She raised her eyebrows.
“You know where to sit in formal meetings?”
I shrugged. “Nope. Just following what feels right, Princess.”
She frowned before realizing that I must have sensed someone entering the room, which I didn’t. She nodded before sitting down herself. I placed a cushion on the chair next to me, elevating Mia high enough to reach her plate. With the small semblance of politeness, she didn’t immediately grab the nearest food to her. She looked at me with a pleading look in her eyes. Sighing, I handed her a muffin, which she promptly unhinged her jaw and stuffed the entire thing down her throat, locking her jaw as she swallowed. Treia looked at her in horror, having never seen it happen before.
<...Don’t do that in front of the Queen, okay?>
Mia looked at me strangely for a moment before nodding. I rubbed her horn before looking around the hall for a moment.
The dining hall itself was kinda… bland, to say the least, yes, the plates and silverware were ornate, the chandelier slowly swayed above, lighting the entire room. The walls had the occasional picture frame of people I didn’t recognise, but other than these details, that was it. Honorable mention : The plates and “silverware” were made of a hardened wood material which I felt that even if I tried as hard as I could, I probably couldn’t break without using [Void Armor].
After this short inspection, Systie nudged my head. She’s coming. She’s definitely {Corrupted}, so expect her to be wary. Also, don’t try to fix it, Jason, you’re definitely not at that level of precision.
I nodded as the door to the room opened and, with little delay, both me and Treia stood. Mia looked up at us for a few moments before following our lead.
The Elven Queen strode over to the large chair, looking at the three of us in turn, her eyes falling onto Mia for a few seconds longer than either Treia or me.
“Why is… a child here?” she asked, clearly not feeling the need to be formal.
I blinked. “She’s my Bond,” I said simply, not giving any more information.
Apparently, that was enough as she sat down at her chair. Treia followed her lead and I copied her, mentally signaling to Mia to sit as well. Systie burrowed herself deeper into my outgrown hair that I only made sure to cut my bangs so I could see, therefore, my hair was basically a dark bush that Systie felt the need to always curl up in.
I looked over to Treia, who still hadn’t even touched any of the food, then to Mia, who was clearly getting tired of waiting to eat.
After another minute of silence, the Queen said, “Let us eat.”
I immediately made sure to make Mia’s plate for her, as to stop her from simply grabbing all the food in the near vicinity. Systie poked out of my hair to look down at the food longingly before nuzzling back into my hair.
After finishing Mia’s plate that was piled with some of her favorite foods, I told her sternly,
she complained, still staring at the food.
She looked at me in horror before sitting straight up as I placed her food in front of her. Patting her horn as she grabbed her fork, I made my own plate, ignoring the small talk Treia was having with the Queen.
I’m assuming that the more important things would be not spoken about at the table, so-
As I was lifting my spoonful of mashed potato to my mouth, the Queen sighed.
“Your Quest, I assume, is about the Dungeon?” she asked, making me nearly choke on my potato.
I swallowed quickly as I looked up at Treia, who looked just as surprised.
“...Yes, it is, your Majesty-”
The Queen shook her head. “No need for the formalities. Just call me Julia.”
Treia seemed to think for a moment. “Yes it is, Queen Julia.”
The Queen smiled at Treia, who gave me a befuddled look. I shrugged as I continued to eat, making sure to look over at Mia occasionally to confirm she wasn’t scarfing down her food. Then, the Queen looked at me.
“I never formally learned your name, did I?” she asked me.
I swallowed quickly. “My name is Jason Andromeda. This is my Bond, Miana.” I rubbed Mia’s hair, who looked at the Queen for a few moments before continuing to eat, apparently self-conscious at the attention.
The Queen frowned. “Andromeda… that’s a faintly familiar name…”
I blinked at this, unsure how to respond. However, Treia did it for me.
“He hasn’t been here for a long while; he only recently Integrated, so he’s getting used to how things work around here.”
“He’s from the Integration five months ago? Why exactly is he here?”
I frowned, annoyed that she treated me like I wasn’t even there. Then I shrugged, looking back to Mia, who had nudged my side. She held out her plate to me and I rolled my eyes as I took it and began to fill it again.
After handing her plate back, it was almost as if the Queen had forgotten about me as she spoke to Treia again. I finished my plate and waited for the two of them to finish, watching Mia as she chowed down. In the meanwhile, I listened to Treia speak with the Queen.
“...There were complications, however. Apart from the Dungeon, Harmony showed up. She was very… adamant about there being an Abyssal hiding out,” Treia was saying.
“The Harbinger? You still allow them to meddle with your cities? I thought Humans were smarter than that. You should know that Valkyries are only trouble,” Julia said, taking a sip of what I assumed was wine.
Treia looked slightly embarrassed. “I… don’t really have a choice in this. I’m not even supposed to be Princess, so I can’t make decisions. I wish I could, but my aunt and uncle…”
“You are a Princess. Make your own choice.”
Treia looked at the Queen, taken aback. “But, that’s like saying I could marry whoever I want to, but I just can’t-”
“We both know that’s false. You give in to others if they’re stronger than you without an argument. I made my choices as a Princess, then as a Queen. You have to be more… modern.”
Treia stared at the Elven Queen. “And who exactly is this coming from?”
I watched as the Queen laughed, taking Treia aback. “Great point. Anyways-”
She seemed to completely calm down and take on a serious expression. “-Your Quest. It’s about the {Corruption}, isn’t it?”
I finally spoke up. “A Dungeon, more specifically. Apparently, it’s becoming a large problem.”
She looked at me with a frown. “And you have a way to fix it?”
“Yes.”
“Can you purify infected people?”
“I can.”
The Queen looked at me pensively, thinking deeply. Based on what I thought her Level was-
<174.> Systie interrupted my thoughts.
-I knew she was, she was most likely thinking hard about it. Assuming my people skills were up to par-
“How do you purify other people? Are you able to do it to other races, specifically Elves? Is it a difficult practice-?” The Queen leaned towards me, some sort of emotion akin to giddiness in her eyes.
“Eh?” I blinked before shaking my head. “I mean, I can, but how many people could possibly be infected-?”
The Queen seemed to reel herself in and took a breath. “Sorry. Ever since it was found that the Dungeon was {Corrupted}, we’ve had cases of {Corrupted} people. They… don’t exactly have it easy. After a certain amount of time, depending on the Level and Tier of the person… they turn into abominations. Nearly unkillable things. The only thing we have to stop them is stored Abyss Mana that was used for testing way back in the day to see if it was possible to neutralize. Naturally, only Divinity was resistant against it, though it eventually failed as long as it had Mana to feed off of.
“However, {Corruption} seems to fear Abyss Mana or certain types of Divine Skills-”
In my head, Systie grumbled,
Systie was quiet.
“-But those are far and few between. I’m assuming you have a Divine Skill?”
“Yes. It’s called |Resonance|.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s…” She stopped, cleared her throat and seemed to take a few breaths with her eyes closed. She then opened her eyes again.
“Excuse my reaction. I haven’t heard of that particular Divine Skill in a long time. I’d assume it would be one of the most effective Skills for our case.”
“Our? Are… you infected?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
She simply nodded. I looked at Treia, who gave me a stern look. I then looked at Mia, who was still eating despite all the conversation. There were a few moments of silence as I thought about the decision I should make.
“Would you like me to help?” I asked, regretting asking already.
~~~
…And that’s how I ended up in an infirmary room for the entire day. Chapter over.
…
…
Okay fine. I’ll explain exactly what led to this… later.