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We set out into the maze again, leaving the carnage behind us.

“I hope everyone else got out fine.”

I wondered if feeling remorse justified my actions. The truth was that I risked everyone’s life, choosing a path that was narrower and riskier for my own selfish reasons.

Emotions over logic.

If I was sitting between a screen I’d never have made this decision.

“Slow down, lad.” Krag was behind me to the right. “The wounds are not getting any worse.”

Krag had just enough mana left over to heal Skaris’ legs, closing the wounds shut. The scaled lizard wasn’t in any danger of bleeding out. His breathing was still shallow and his eyelids trembled in the fitful sleep Krag had placed him in.

Everything below his thighs were gone.

24 Hours. That was how long we had to get Skaris the treatment he needed. After 24 hours… not even the most powerful of healers could regrow his legs.

“There could still be monsters about.” I answered Krag, shifting Skaris’ weight on my shoulder. It was hard to balance him, without his legs the center of his weight was slightly off.

“I didn’t see any.”

“I smell them.” I lied. There would be monsters in the maze sooner or later… they were only absent because my party had slain so many of them. They’d respawn and in our current state, I didn’t want to face our chances.

“I don’t smell anything.” Track quipped. “Didn’t know a human’s nose was better than mine.”

Freaking beastman, always ruining everything.

“You must have a shitty sense of smell then.” I shot right back. I imagined the blue-furred feline warrior glaring at the back of my head.

“Then we should find one of those temporary shelters. After regaining our strength we should regroup with the others-”

“If we find one, we should.” I lied again. There were no more Temporary Shelters spawned by the Twilight Maze once Phase 2 was over. Which meant no more method to regenerate mana faster.

We were trapped with monsters, no way to regain our strengths, out of mana and most of all, trapped in this dungeon until we figured out how to deal with the Gi (夔). The only bright side to all this was the fact that we’d manage to kill the first one.

Speaking of which, I had been able to stow both of its drops into my Dimension Ring. Which meant that-

“Then we should check our supplies. Go over potions, especially the mana ones.” Track suggested.

“Fine.”

We found a quiet little spot. Seeing me put my nose to the air and sniffing, trying to see if any monsters were tailing us, Track did the same. Though he seemed to rely on his hearing a bit more.

“We’re saf-” I began.

“No monste-” Track interrupted.

Why was it that I got the sense that Track was watching me and competing with me?

Krag must’ve picked up on it. “Set him down here lad. I can look him over while you two look over the potions.”

Setting Skaris down next to Krag, I opened up my dimension ring bringing out two whole health potions I had scavenged throughout this whole ordeal. No mana potions. Track brought out three health potions but he too, was out. He shrugged when I looked at him.

“I told you, Slaveborn. That was my last one.”

I looked at Krag.

“I shoved my last one down Dibo’s throat when that second monster got the drop on us, I did.” Krag examined Skaris, opening his eyes one at a time and checking on the leg-stumps. “Your friend won’t be dying on us anytime soon. You know the time limit for limbs, lad?”

“24 Hours.” 24 hours felt so long when we had been hunting; just farming for EXP and picking up drops. But now that number was a timer on when Skaris’ life as a warrior would be over.

My goal was clear: get out of this dungeon in 24 hours.

To do that, I needed to find the other party right away.

Packing up my potions, I made a motion to stand up when Track did the opposite.

He lay down on the floor and folded his arms behind his head like he was underneath the shade of a tall tree on a hot summer’s day.

“...what do you think you are doing?”

“Resting.” He answered easily, opening one eye lazily. “Or were you just going to drag us around the maze with no clear goal?”

“We need to regroup with the others-”

“You said there might be monsters; wouldn’t wandering around be dangerous?”

“So you’d rather sleep here and be a sitting duck?”

“No, I’d rather not. But sitting here and getting our only Priest the rest he needs to recover what little mana he can, even if it’s a pathetic amount in this shithole of a dungeon, sounds smarter than whatever you had planned.” Track closed his eyes again.

“Or did you have a plan in mind to magically find the others?” He finished.

“Lad, I understand your worried about your friend. But your judgment is impaired right now. Yer scared.” Krag spoke slow, like he was trying to soothe me. “Track is right. We need rest. Time to sort out our thoughts. Time to recover.”

“We don’t have time!” I didn’t say this out aloud however. Because… they were right.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I was being rash. Irrational and illogical. Precisely the line of thinking that got us in this mess in the first place. But that line of thinking had saved Skaris in the end and even Krag. There was no way Krag didn’t know that, so I glared at him. Krag flinched.

“1 hour.” I finally allowed.

“6 hours.” Track countered.

My teeth gritted audibly. “...4. I’ll stand watch for 2 hours. You two can split up the 1 hour watches.”

“That’s fair I’d say.” Krag peered at Track then back at me. “Lad… did you get a chance to pick up what the boss dropped?”

I found myself smiling. “Yes.” Things had been crazy but never too crazy for loot.

Opening my Dimension Ring, I brought out the items.

“!!!!!”

“That’s-!”

“Aye! We hit the jackpot!”

A small blue crystal, elongated in shape that fit into the palm of my hand.

A Fracture Splinter.

And the other item… a Plurality.

“This dropped here?! From a Grade 8 boss?!”

Pluralities could range anywhere from accessories like earrings and bracelets to a two-handed sword. Many of these items, which could be considered ‘graduation’ items –meaning the end-game set you’d wear– were extremely difficult to match. Because you could be farming for a helmet but just as easily end up with a pair of boots. Then there was the fact that there were thousands of them… well; I had better luck swinging my sword and hoping for a [Jackpot] than hoping for a build-specific [Plurality] to drop from a random boss.

The saving grace? Bosses Grade 5 and higher had a drop pool of Pluralities of about a 100 or so each.

1% chance to get what you wanted. Better than nothing. Once again, a mechanism put in place by MSS to keep you from being too overpowered during the early-game stages. A Snowball Prevention if you will.

But I had lucked out on this one.

[Lunar Shield - Crescent] (Plurality).

A beautiful white sheen ran across the otherworldly metal shaped like a waning crescent moon. It was a little smaller than the size of my torso, which was considered a ‘medium shield’ in this game. Because the shield was shaped like a crescent moon with two wicked edges on either side, it was hard to call this a 'shield' per se. There was precious little area to defend yourself with.

But that was the whole point of this [Lunar Shield] (Plurality).

[Lunar Shield - Crescent Moon] (Plurality)

｢ [Lunar Shield] raises [Attack] with every instance of [Lunar Gauge] fill up due to damage taken ｣

｢ [Lunar Shield] raises [Defense] with every instance of [Lunar Gauge] fill up due to damage dealt ｣

｢ [Lunar Gauge] fills up when certain amount of damage is taken or dealt ｣

｢ Once [Lunar Gauge] is full, transform to [Lunar Shield - Full Moon] ｣

This was one of the shields I’d been considering as a candidate. An attack buff when I took a certain amount of damage and a defense buff when dealing a certain amount. Then there was the fact that once its gauge was full, I could transform it into its Full Moon form which came with its active abilities, [Tidal Force] and [High Tide].

You see, I’d been thinking long about the type of Cores I’d absorbed and what kind of Knight I wanted to build my body into. I hadn’t decided on the details yet but one thing was for sure. [Ujo] with its [Arcane Masochism] would be the foundation for which I built everything around. [Hateful Wound] wasn’t the greatest of abilities but [Arcane Masochism] more than made up for it. Because the essence of a Knight build lay in the fact that they could be on the frontlines, soaking up damage and dishing it out.

The [Lunar Shield] could rectify a lot of the weaknesses in my current build, namely the slow start. It gave me an [Attack] and [Defense] boost the moment I started trading hits. Plus, with a shield, I could abuse chip damage to control how much damage I took. Not only that… [Tidal Force] and [High Tide] worked beautifully with [Arcane Masochism].

I needed this.

Slowly, I looked around to see what Krag and Track were thinking.

Krag’s eyes were clouded over with greed. Fuck.

But I knew the dwarf. He either wanted to bring back the shield to his Forge –what they called their temple– or sell it. If he wanted to sell it, it was simple. I’d simply just owe him money. If he wanted to bring it back to his temple for his god, Smith, for the sake of following their beliefs of offering rare items to the smith god… Well, it didn’t have to be this exact shield.

So I wasn’t worried about Krag. It was Track whom I was worried about.

Track’s eyes were harder to read. But from what I’d experienced so far with the swordsman… if I said I wanted it, it felt like he would want it simply because I wanted it. Like a mischievous cat who just wanted to annoy you.

I saw Krag and Track study each other more than me, the same way I had just done.

Another battle was about to go off. It was only different from the previous battle because this one would be done against each other and with words, in contrast to blades being drawn against a monster.

“So… I see you got the Fracture Splinter you wanted after all, lad.” Krag stroked is beard, an infuriating habit that both he and Dibo shared. “Why don’t you put it away in your Dimension Ring before a monster wanders by or something? Mmm?”

Of course. Dibo must’ve told Track and Krag about the bet.

Damn it. Krag was going to use the fact that I already had the Fracture Splinter as a bargaining chip to get me to relinquish the shield. Still, I stowed the Fracture Splinter into my Dimension Ring. What’s fair was fair, it was the boon that I had won fair and square.

So now, that left three of us with the shield.

Well, there was no point in wasting time. Skaris was on a time limit.

I cleared my throat, signaling the start of our negotiations. “I’d like the Shield. As you can see,” I gestured at my empty shield arm. “I’ve lost mine and the other loots in this dungeon broke down just as quickly.”

“You can use it for the duration of the expedition, aye, I don’t mind at all. But I would like to throw my lot in there as well.” The dwarf priest mentioned. "Besides, we still have other members to consider."

“I can talk to the others. I'm talking to you two right now. If you want it simply for the gold, I can pay you.”

“...Aren’t ye a former slave, lad?” Krag raised an eyebrow. “I know yer penniless.”

“I’m good for it.” I stared straight at him. “You know I am.”

Krag sniffed. “Aye… I’ve never seen anyone use [Aura] at your age. By the forge, I’ve never seen someone outside of Turina use [Aura] at all. But still, I know that yer an adventurer and fighting in the colosseum to boot. You got twice as much chance of dying than anyone else I know. How will I know you can pay me?”

“I’m good for it.”

“...How?”

Damn, he was like a stubborn old dog that got ahold of his favorite toy and refused to let go. Were all dwarfs this greedy?

Just Priests probably.

“I have friends if all else fails.” I finally muttered.

“Aye… that you do.” Krag nodded in understanding. We both knew who I was talking about: Yousef.

“Would paying you your portion of the market price suffice, Brother Krag?”

“Aye. You and I are good then.” Krag slipped out of the conversation, leaning on one of the maze walls and sitting down. Like he was readying to watch a movie.

Of course. He probably knew Track better than I did. He knew what was coming.

Before I could mentally prepare myself, Track spoke. “I want the shield as well, Slaveborn.”

“You don’t even use a shield!” I shouldn’t have yelled but something about Track just rubbed me the wrong way. I’d never been a cat guy… though that’s probably offensive to him.

He shrugged. “Looks shiny. I like shiny things.”

Even Krag scoffed at that one.

“That’s bullshit.” I snarled. “Just name what you want Track.”

Track slanted his head, pretending to think. “I think I want the shield. It’s a Plurality. Right, Krag?”

“Aye. [Lunar Shield]. Saw it in the [Compendium] back in the temple.”

Of course the Forge would have a [Compendium]. [Compendium] was a series of encyclopedias for items existing in this world. One for each item of each rarity. Well, at least I got one piece of information. If I ever wanted to take a look at the [Compendium] for Plurality Shields, the Forge was where I should go.

“Track, don’t be difficult.”

“How come you call Krag, Brother Krag but me just Track? Call me Sir.”

“...Sir Track.”

“How about Lord-”

“Don’t push it.” I growled. He cocked his head at me and I finished lamely. “...Sir.”

I really wanted this shield.

If I could just get the [Lunar Shield] and erase the [Lucky Beckoning Cat] Core to swap it out for my next planned Core… it wouldn’t be a lie to say that my build was 30% complete.

I was approaching this wrong. I was trying to trade for the shield but Track didn’t want a trade. He was exactly what he looked like, a Cat. What I needed wasn’t something that he wanted equally as much, but something he wanted more. Something to distract him with… something flashy.

Now what could a battle maniac like Track want…

Better yet. What could a beastman who used dual swords and was on the Wind Evolution path want the most?

“I can tell you a Twin Sword Plurality with wind attributes… plus the best place to farm for it”

Track froze like I just dangled catnip in front of his nose.

“Got him.”

“...How would I know you’re telling the truth?”

“We can have Krag go back to his temple and check to see if I’m telling the truth. Confirm it with him. If I’m lying… you know where I am. Come to Miltus and we can settle the ownership of the Shield some other way. Naturally, you'll get your share of the gold for the [Plurality] of course.”

“And how would a former slave come by this information?”

I smiled and shrugged, knowing that the shield was mine. “I wasn’t born a slave, Track. Maybe I was born in a family of Knights. Maybe I’d been adventuring since I was a child. Or maybe the Orcs had a [Compendium] of their own.”

“What’s important is whether you believe me or not.”

His pupils were dilated. Breath was quickened.

“What is it?”

I smirked, stringing him along. “Do we have a deal?”

He yowled and I almost jumped out my skin. Krag actually did jump. Ever hear cats fighting in the middle of night? It doesn’t sound like animals. It sounds like some otherworldly ghost, screaming and dying; something high pitched and just alien that sets our hairs on end.

“By the forge, I never want to hear that sound again.”

“...Add that into the deal.” I muttered. I was with the Priest on this one.

“You… are infuriating, Slaveborn.” He let out a breath, somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. “One more condition and you have a deal.”

“What is it?”

“I know you are bringing the Fracture Splinter to Marc Pointell. That he has promised you entry into the next Fracture.” He flashed his canines. “Make room for me.”

I’d expected something along these lines. Unlike Krag, Track was young and had a sense of adventure in his eyes. He was ambitious.

“I’ll try my best.”

“Then you have a deal.”

We quickly traded grips.

Finally, I bent over and picked up the Shield. I felt like a kid who’d been pining after a Gacha figurine for months, spending all his pocket money just to finally get the ultra super rare limited time figurine at the last second at the most unexpected moment. Flipping it over, making sure it wouldn’t touch the ground or get scratched –which was impossible, all Pluralities came with the [Indestructible] option– I slipped my hand through the loop.

I felt my body grow stronger, faster. My mind becomes sharper and my senses seeming to work just a bit better, though not to the extent as the body. Of course, it didn’t just come with its passive abilities. It provided a minor boost to my [Physical] and [Mental] as well.

“...Once Kyrian gets his 4th Mana Core, he can learn [Bind] and bind this item to me.” I had the shield for all of 5 seconds and already I was as possessive with it as a boy with his first girlfriend. “If I’d been even half as possessive with my ex as I am with this shield…”

“If you’re done with admiring yourself, tell me.” Track pushed.

“You’re looking for a boss-class monster by the name of [Usacheop (雨師妾)].” I didn’t even bother looking at him. Too busy admiring my shield, how its silvery surface reflected the light in all sorts of ways. Was it glowing? “You can find her in a dungeon near the Delirious Jungle.”

“...That’s a grade-5 boss class monster.”

“I never said it’ll be easy.” I shrugged.

The swordsman scoffed, turning over on his side. Within seconds he entered this strange dozing state in which his eyes were half open, ears twitching every once in a while. Krag leaned up against a wall and began to sleep, snoring sporadically. I turned my senses to Skaris.

Labored breathing. Body feverishly hot.

After 4 hours… 20 hours.

20 hours or Skaris would never wield his spear ever again.

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