Kover Dungeon,
Briarhoard, Rosendun.
10:23 p.m. 16 th Banem 1092.
BOOM!
A massive battle in which hundreds of adventurers faced off against thousands of cambions neared its conclusion at the Kover Dungeon’s final floor. The dungeon’s numerous entrances converged at this floor, pooling together the strength of all the adventurers, and the enemies were worthy of the number.
2000 Cambion Regulars.
200 Cambion Captains.
20 Cambion Generals.
2 Cambion Royals.
Even with Kashi and Leila’s help, there was no way the Maggots could handle that massive number on their own, so they had to collaborate with the other guilds. Luckily, Kashi took on the Cambion Royals while Leila and other guild leaders occupied the Cambion Generals, allowing the other adventurers to contend with the Cambion Regulars and Captains.
The battle was incredibly tough and raged on for over four hours, during which there were many losses. But Kashi eventually managed to knock both Cambion Royals unconscious. Following this, he assisted the fight against the generals, quickly bringing those battles to a close. Then, the guild leaders, led by Kashi, reinforced the other adventurers to slaughter the remaining cambions.
“WHOOO!”
“YEAAHH!”
The Hopeful Maggots and many other guilds happily cheered when the final cambions of Kover dungeon fell to their knees in surrender. The dungeon clearance quest had finally ended!
As usual, Kashi sent the unconscious demons to his inner world for submission. This trip had netted him two Royal Cambions, 30 General Cambions, and just over 1000 Regular and Captain Cambions. The size of Kashi’s inner world increased, and he received a permanent +17 increase to his Strength stat and a +50 boost to his Charm.
Kashi accepted the changes with a slight nod and then turned to look at the giant crystal floating at the hall’s end. The daeben recognized the mana crystal, as he had seen similar ones in Aygorzi. He had given one to Lunette as a gift, while Aygor left the second as a power source for the city’s defenses.
Kashi walked up to and then examined the crystal, eyes brightening when he spotted thin threads running from the crystal to an array formation on the ground. Kashi was by no means an expert on arrays, but he could recognize a couple of runes within the array. He concluded that the array was responsible for replenishing the cambian forces. Whether it was a portal to the Netherworld or a simple spawning system, he could not tell for sure.
Kashi took a small parchment and quickly traced the array formation, making a mental note to pass it on to Jade for experimentation. He placed the finished portrait in his inner world, and only then did he use [Inspect] on the crystal.
Kashi did not use [Inspect] to begin with because, in L.N.E, those who relied too much on the game’s systems never saw the full picture.
Dungeon Core
Congratulations! You have made it to the end of this dungeon and have contacted a dungeon core. Destroy this core to prevent more monsters from spawning.
Warning: This dungeon will cease to exist after the core is destroyed!
Warning: For 12 hours, Monsters will not spawn as long as humes are within 100 meters. After which, 1000 Cambions and 3 Royal Cambions will be summoned at once.
As expected, the table did not show the full picture. Information about the nature of the mana crystal and the array was missing.
“It is hard to believe something so beautiful can produce such horrible creatures,” Leila mused as she walked up to Kashi’s side.
“In the animal kingdom, the more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is,” Kashi replied with a thin smile and then looked at Leila. “The clean-up?”
“We reached an agreement with the other guilds,” Leila nodded as she looked over her shoulder. “The loot has been neatly divided.”
“That’s good,” Kashi acknowledged and then asked with furrowed brows, “How many did we lose?”
“Four dead,” Leila reported, “Many are severely injured, but our priests will have them good as new in a few minutes.”
Kashi’s brow shot up. “I’ve meant to ask: Do we have a system for those that die while on quests. After all, it’s not like they can get their characters back – not anytime soon at least.”
“Yes, we do, in fact,” Leila replied with a proud smile. “They can return to the guild anytime with new avatars and receive ample compensation for their sacrifice. Also, if they want, they can rejoin the guild without the examination process and join the ‘level-carry’ program free of charge.”
“Oh, you really do think of everything,” Kashi praised with an embarrassed chuckle as he returned his attention to the Dungeon Core.
“We just have to destroy this, and it’ll be over,” Leila said, as she too looked at the Dungeon Core. “But, it seems you have something else in mind.”
Kashi chuckled, “Well, destroying it would be a waste, don’t you think?” The daeben’s eyes lit up as he clenched his fist. “I have an idea. It won’t be too late to destroy the core if it doesn’t pan out.”
Leila’s brow rose. “What’s your plan?”
Kashi grinned as an excited glint flashed in his eyes. “If this is the dungeon core, what do you think will happen if I put it in my world as is?”
Leila’s eyes widened. “You can’t be thinking… in front of all these people?”
“A secret is only powerful because no one knows it exists,” Kashi replied. “But sometimes, to hide a secret, you have to expose thousands more.”
“Can you give a straight answer?”
Kashi laughed as he replied, “The straight answer is the secret.” With those words, the daeben launched himself over the mana crystal. At the apex of his jump, he extended his hand and poured his entire mana into the portal that appeared.
WOONG!
Fueled by the daeben’s mana, the portal rapidly expanded to a radius of five meters. Kashi did not dare ‘pull’ on the dungeon core, for fear of damaging the array, and instead ‘dropped’ the portal onto the mana crystal. As the daeben fell to the earth, the portal swallowed up the mana crystal, along with a small portion of the ground.
PING!
Numerous notifications rang out in the hall, alerting the warriors of the quest’s success. The quest did not care whether the core was destroyed or transported, as long as the dungeon ceased to exist. Since Kashi had forcefully seized the core into his world, the Kover Dungeon would no longer have any cambions spawning. In the future, some bandits or monsters might make it their home, but there would never be a case of cambions spawning from this dungeon.
Cheers once again rang out as the EXP from the quest’s completion pushed numerous adventurers past the threshold to a new level. The adventurers were more than satisfied with the exploration. Between the loot and the XP, they’d gained more than expected.
Meanwhile, Kashi, oblivious to the cheers, paid attention to the system prompt that appeared when he swallowed the dungeon core.
Inner World Dungeon Acquisition
Congratulations! You have absorbed a dungeon core into your inner world, which has led to the creation of a new dungeon. Analysis of this dungeon core has revealed it to be a Cambion dungeon core.
Residents of your world can now seek out these dungeons to increase their strength and level up.
Warning: If the dungeon is not regularly cleared, a monster tide will occur. Please note that lifeforms borne from dungeons in your world cannot be subdued, as they are born with immunity to the world’s suppression
Warning: Lifeforms designated as ‘gods’ in your world may not access the dungeons, as their power will destroy the dungeons.
Congratulations, after surpassing 10% progress, you can now view your total progress towards a complete world.
Inner World Progress: 10%
“Any changes?” Leila asked as she walked up to Kashi.
“Nothing much,” the daeben replied and then proceeded to expose the details of the prompt he just received,
“This could work in our favor,” Leila mused as numerous calculations ran through her head. “Like you’ve explained, spending one minute under Yggdrassil’s branches is better than five hours spent under best priests. Since that’s the case, the best place for our guild members to undergo tough training will be in your world. We just have to steal a few dungeon cores to set up dungeons in your world.”
“Then anyone who gets injured during the training only has to leave the dungeon to get healed,” Kashi completed with a fascinated expression. “It’s a brilliant plan.”
Leila’s brow rose. “I was sure you’d thought that far when you chose to steal it.”
“No, that’s not it,” Kashi refuted with an embarrassed smile.
“He saw something shiny and wanted it for himself.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Damn it!” Kashi shouted as he jumped forward and then turned around. As expected, Shadow stood there with the signature blank gaze.
“I should have known it was something like that,” Leila muttered with a sigh. She looked at the disgruntled daeben and warned, “Do not go around putting just anything in your world. You never know what trouble that could cause.”
“Do not waste your breath,” Shadow warned as he cast a judging glare at Kashi. “He’s the type to get bitten a thousand times and never learn.” After those words, he looked at Leila. “It has been a while, Leila. I haven’t had a chance to properly greet you.”
“It’s nice to see you too, Shadow,” Leila greeted with a warm smile and then proceeded to tease him, “You have become a lot more talkative since we first met.”
“I have no choice in the matter,” Shadow lamented with a shrug. “I find tormenting Kashi to be more fun than keeping silent.”
“Is that any way to treat your Great Guildmaster?” Kashi protested with an angry frown, to which he was met with condescending gazes from both Shadow and Leila.
“Our great Guildmaster, who nearly died twice from eating candy he picked up off the street,” Shadow mocked.
“Our Great Guildmaster, who doesn’t know the names of more than ten people in his own guild,” Leila added.
Kashi grimaced, feeling like rocks had been piled on him, but quickly retorted, “Shadow, that is what one calls a risk-taker. A brave guildmaster ready to face any danger to protect his guild, and Leila, you clearly do not understand the bond I have with the department heads. It’s because I trust them so much that I don’t need to know too many people. Trust!”
There was a brief moment of silence, but then Kashi burst into laughter, unable to stomach the bullcrap he was selling. The daeben’s laughter broke the dam for Shadow and Leila, both of whom broke into light chuckles.
The trio laughed for a short while before Kashi finally regained himself and said, “Whatever. Now that we’re done with this dungeon, it’s time to start rounding up everyone for this trip.” The daeben looked at Leila and asked, “Do you know where Stryke is?”
Leila tapped her chin and then replied, “Stryke is on the southern islands. The resort and amusement park’s preparations are nearing their end.”
“Good,” Kashi said with a nod. “Everyone else is in Merriheim. I’ll drop by Merriheim to pick them up, then go pick up Stryke.”
“You’ve never been to the southern islands, though,” Leila pointed out. “It’ll be a long journey without your teleportation.”
“I may have never been to the islands, but,” Kashi said as he took out a painting of the Norcha Outpost. “I still have a painting of Norcha. On Drixlia, it should only take a few hours at most from Norcha.”
“You are well prepared,” Leila said with a hint of praise in her voice.
“Of course, I even have rope,” Kashi replied with a cheeky grin as he took out a bundle of rope from his inventory.
Leila rolled her eyes. If they were alone, she might have choked Kashi with that rope. The sight alone made her recall unpleasant memories of Razznik seriously lecturing her on the importance of rope for every adventurer. The wisben buried her feelings and instead passed out a few instructions to some Maggots and then returned to Kashi’s side. “Alright, I’m ready to go anytime.”
Kashi nodded and then opened a portal, which Leila, Hogosha, Shadow, and Larsial entered. The daeben then took out a painting of Rine’s Bar and ripped it in half. A bright light encompassed him, and by the time it disappeared, the daeben had vanished from view.
Rine’s Bar,
Meilfour, Merriheim.
10:40 p.m. 16 th Banem 1092.
Kashi walked out of Rine’s Bar with his hood drawn up to cover his face. Other regions were still fine, but his popularity in Merriheim was high to the point of being severely detrimental to traveling. The daeben made sure his hood was securely fastened and then jumped onto and dashed across the rooftops to avoid the busy, jampacked streets.
Sentries on the rooftops glanced at Kashi as he burst past, but luckily they recognized him and made no efforts to stop him. The daeben thus continued unimpeded until he reached the Emporium. As always, there was a long queue to the entrance, but Kashi snuck in through the VIP entrance.
Kashi confirmed Lunette’s location with a staff, and then made his way to her changing room. Luckily, this time, the guards recognized him and quickly knocked on the door to announce the daeben’s presence.
No sooner had the guard mentioned the word, ‘Kashi,’ did the doors burst open, revealing an excited Lunette. The songstress’s blue eyes sparkled with delight when they landed on the awkwardly smiling daeben.
Kashi pulled down his hood and raised his right hand, unsure of how to react to the excitement, “…Yo.”
“Yo,” replied Lunette as she burst out in sweet laughter.
Kashi scratched the back of his head, a genuine smile on his face. He did not know why, but simply listening to Lunette’s laughter cleansed all the stress he’d piled up over the past few days. Not only was he no longer thirsting for battle, but he even wanted to take a few days off and just rest. It was something he only felt when he was around Lunette. True Peace.
“Come on,” Lunette beckoned as she grabbed Kashi’s hand and pulled him into her room. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. I bet it’s been exciting.”
Kashi let himself get pulled into her room and then looked around. It seemed blue was Lunette’s favorite color. The walls of her room were painted to resemble a backdrop of a daytime sky, with a few exotic birds flying through the clouds. Her dresser and mirror were sky-blue, creating a beautiful contrast against the white sofa beside the door.
Lunette pulled Kashi onto the sofa and then sat down beside him, repeatedly pressing him for the details of his latest trip.
Kashi smiled, let himself relax, and began to narrate the events of his trip without leaving out a single detail. He started with the eggs in Suvron Gate, to Kira’s state, and finished with the growth of his inner world.
Lunette hung on every word, her emotions fluctuating as Kashi narrated. She cried when Kira’s state was brought up, panicked when Kashi talked about the Marilith, and frowned when she heard about the Chaos Order’s atrocities. By the time Kashi finished, his hand had gone several stages of grief, being twisted this way and that by the anxious Lunette.
Lunette’s tears caused something to rise within Kashi’s heart, and before he knew it, he instinctively reached out and gently wiped her tears. “Hey, don’t worry. Nothing happened. I’m pretty strong, you know?”
“I know you’re strong,” Lunette muttered, bowing her head. “But that’s why I’m scared. Because you’re strong, you’ll keep looking for stronger people to fight. I’m scared you’ll one day meet someone you can’t beat.”
“Don’t worry,” Kashi consoled Lunette as he reached out and patted her head. “If I can’t win, then I’ll run away. I won’t do something stupid and throw away my life. I have too many things to live for.”
Lunette raised her head, puffy red eyes gazing at the daeben with hope. “You promise?”
Kashi grinned as he ruffled her hair. “I promise.”
“Hehe, you can’t break a promise,” Lunette warned as she grinned through her tears.
Kashi looked at Lunette’s puffy eyes and the grin meant to reassure him despite her fears. An unfamiliar but powerful emotion swept over the daeben. He cupped the songstress’s face in his hands and gently wiped her tears. However, unlike the last time, Kashi did not release her but stared intently into her eyes, trying to understand what this new feeling was.
“…Kashi?” Lunette called, her face turning red with embarrassment.
Lunette’s sweet voice broke the dam of hesitation in the daeben’s mind. Kashi instinctively drew closer to Lunette, his head leaning down towards hers. Lunette’s eyes widened in shock, but then she quickly shut her eyes and tilted her head upwards in anticipation.
‘Surrender.’
Kashi was only inches away from Lunette when a voice from another lifetime rang in his head and made him freeze. Surrender. Kashi did not know why, but he felt like if he went through with this, he would truly be giving everything of him over to Lunette. She would be his world and the only thing that mattered. From another standpoint, it could be said she would hold complete control over him.
‘I love you, Suzu...’
If Lunette loved him, then life would be perfect. Kashi believed he would be the happiest man in the world.
‘You are a mistake! I wish I never gave birth to you!’
But if Lunette did not love or ever stopped loving him, then Kashi knew that the power she held would be enough to destroy him.
WOONG!
Kashi’s heart plummeted, engulfed by a terrible fear. Never had the daeben been so afraid. Not even the prospect of death could terrify him this much. However, somehow, the thought of Lunette one day looking at him with those eyes frightened him so much he did not dare move an inch further.
Lunette felt Kashi’s trembling hands and opened her eyes. Her heart bled in pain when she saw the worry and fear in Kashi’s eyes. She smiled as she clasped her hands around his and leaned into his palm.
Kashi grimaced and retracted his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said and made to stand up, but Lunette quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her chest.
“It’s fine,” Lunette consoled as she ran her fingers through Kashi’s hair. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere, and my feelings will never change.”
Kashi’s eyes trembled as he listened to her heartbeat. “…Promise?”
Lunette smiled as she bent her head and kissed Kashi’s on the crown of his head. “I promise.”
“I see… That’s good,” Kashi muttered as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Let me stay like this a little longer, please.”
“You do need the rest,” Lunette replied as she gently caressed the daeben’s hair. Watching the silent daeben, she could not help but tease, “Would you like a lullaby?”
“A private performance from the great Lunette?” Kashi responded with a playful snark. “I would be honored.”
Lunette jokingly flicked the daeben’s forehead as payback for his tone. She then began singing after a brief moment of silence.
“Lay down your head, and I’ll sing you a Lullaby,
Back to the years of loo-li lai-ley,
And I’ll sing you to sleep, and I’ll sing you tomorrow,
Bless you with love for the road that you go…”
“Did you know?” Kashi muttered as Lunette’s song flooded him with nostalgia and memories of a child in his mother’s arms. “I originally hated this song… but somehow, it’s different when you sing it.” Kashi slumped as pent-up fatigue took over, and his head fell on Lunette’s lap. “This song… I… indeed… I… love…”
Kashi did not get to finish his words, as he fell into a deep sleep, from which old, buried memories began to surface.
A sunlit room… A pair of curtains fluttering in the wind. Right. It was summer break. Father was taking a rare break from work to spend the weekend with the family. I had just returned from Judo practice and was in pain. Mom helped massage my sore calves while dad joked about how a man should be able to withstand pain.
Mom fiercely defended me, saying her son was the strongest man in the world, while dad called me a ‘momma’s boy.’ I was too tired to go upstairs to change and could not help but close my eyes. Mom sat down by my side and rested my head on her lap. She began to sing ‘our’ song. As she sang, Father set down the newspaper and walked over to the couch. He sat beside mom, and caressed my hair, calling me his ‘little soldier.’
Mom laughs and asks who she is then, and Father calls her his ‘little songbird.’ Mom and dad laugh as mom once again starts singing. I am happy. We are all happy. I do not want to fight anymore, and mom has never smiled so brightly. Even Father is smiling, for once not stressed out by work. He has finished his project and promises he will spend a lot more time with us.
Ah… I remember now. This was the afternoon before the finals. Tomorrow we would travel to win a gold medal. But we will not make it. Mom and Father… they will die tomorrow.
Mom, Dad… I am happy. I don’t care about the gold medal, so let’s remain like this, please. If we don’t go, we won’t get in that accident, and mom… Mom would not have to look at me with those eyes…
Mom, please, only look at me like you do now. Like you love me.
Mom…
“Mom,” Kashi muttered in his sleep as tears streamed drown his cheeks.
Lunette could only imagine how much pain Kashi must’ve been in for someone like him to actually shed tears. However, she could not think of any way to help him, at least until he felt comfortable enough to upon up to her. So, she did all she could do, which was sing, and comfort him, allowing him to finally unload, even if only a drop, of the emotions that had been bottled up for years.
Meanwhile, within a white void in Kashi’s mind, Suzuki stood alone, staring into nothingness. The young man wiped his face with his right palm and then looked at it.
“As expected. It seems I still cannot cry for you, mother,” Suzuki muttered. “All I have left are the bad memories.” Despite him saying this, Suzuki’s trembling palm exposed the unease he felt within his heart. “Heh, congratulations, Kashi. It appears you’ve made me slightly more human.”
Suzuki clenched his palm into a fist and closed his eyes as the void once again swallowed him.
???
Hektor awoke to the sound of someone humming a tune that sounded like a sad lullaby. The warrior opened his eyes and looked to the source of the sound, only to find the Sword Spirit sat on the ground, its back leaning against Razznik’s blade. The spirit’s gaze held none of its normal ferocity. Instead, it appeared distant and forlorn, as if recalling some long lost, painful memory.
The sword spirit sensed Hektor’s gaze and immediately ended its hum. “So, you’re awake.” The sword spirit’s eyes regained their ferocity, and a sword appeared in its right hand as he glared at the youth. “Come. From here on out, I’ll beat the basics into your body, so you never forget. Try not to die.”
Hektor felt something was off and wanted to ask about the song the sword spirit was humming, but judging from the murder in its eyes, the youth felt his life would be in danger if he tried to pry. So, Hektor did the only thing he could. He picked up his bone spear and charged at the sword spirit with a defiant grunt…