[Leader′s Parameters Updated:
Experience points of your fighters:
89 000/ 200 000.
Total passing score for the 36th floor:
1 800/10 000.]
[Participant 137′s Parameters Updated:
Race: Dark Elf.
Rank: 14.
Strength: 88,900 (+49 800).
Dexterity: 86,700 ((+49 800).
Endurance: 105,700 (+62 500).
Magic Resistance: 81,200 (+49 800).
Cursed Welfare: 2.
Mana Perception: 86,000 (+51 850).
Intelligence: 104660 (+72 500).
Mental Strength: 90,200 (+53 900).
Regeneration: 93,500 (+60 500).
Skills:
Spectral Familiars (Level 23), Spiritual Weapons (Level 36), Poison Arrows (Level 35), Shadow Steps (Level 33), Shield Of Light (Level 7), Breath Hypnosis (Level 26), Steel Claws (Level 25), General Armor (Level 32), Aura Enhancement (Level 6).]
[Participant 137, half of your accumulated experience has been channeled into strengthening the following skills:
1. Sound Attack (Level 19).
2. Melee (Level 27).
3. Dragon Scales (Level 35).
4. Bone Mountains (Ur. 22).
5. Fiery Threads Of The Abyss (Ur. 33).
6. Ignition (Level 35).]
Breathing heavily, I leaned against the frigid wall and cast my gaze upon the corroded ceiling.
No, this won’t suffice.
The ever-increasing consumption of Spiritual Stones for subsequent stat increases left me feeling disheartened. I had nearly depleted my stock of High-class Stones, and over 70,000 common ones had vanished. Although my absorption speed had elevated to a new level, such extravagance was disconcerting.
A repugnant odor emanated from my swarthy skin, and my abdominal muscles clenched, suppressing the fiery side effects of my abilities. Drops of sweat beaded on my skin and fell onto the dark mass pooling on the floor, generated by the pores as I moved.
A full week had passed.
The Leaders’ meeting was looming, and I had to reach the Fifth Level in just two days
Coughing up a clot of blood, I wiped my jaw with a handkerchief and pushed myself to my feet, swaying unsteadily in multiple directions.
[A new mission has been updated.
Mission: Save the Fugitive.
Condition: Assist a human woman in escaping from a Fourth-Level residential area.
Reward: 10,000 Points.
Do you agree to accept this mission? Yes. No.]
An unexpected voice caused me to stumble, nearly sending me crashing onto the bed.
[What’s a human doing in a fighter’s residential area?]
[I have no more information than you do, but it seems the lady is in distress.]
[So what? I’m already exhausted from a lack of proper sleep.]
Stretching out on a cool sheet, I peacefully closed my eyelids and savored the silence.
Eh.
[Where is she?]
[In the House of Cards. Oh, mission update. Save the Runaway and the Human Cub. The reward is 12,000 Points.]
A human cub as well? No, forget them.
I rolled onto my back and was on the verge of drifting off to sleep when the creature imprisoned in the basement let out a thunderous roar, pounding on the walls of its cell and rattling my room.
Right.
“ARGH.” I jolted awake, activating Ignition to cleanse my body of dirt. I hastily donned a shirt and flung open the door.
The corridor stretched endlessly, and the staircase seemed to extend maliciously, in accordance with the law of annoyance. In one of the flights, I discerned a white silhouette leaning halfway out of a half-open door. Mina, roused from her slumber, wore nothing but a nightgown, her bare legs wrapped with the tip of her voluminous tail. She peered sleepily with amber eyes, blinking in surprise as I passed her with an irritated expression.
“Lea... der?... Leader! Ah.” The door slammed shut with a loud thud, muffling her hysterical screams.
After descending another flight, I reached the fighters’ resting area. Uchi, draped in a stiff washcloth, swore vehemently, emitting thick steam as if he had just emerged from a bath or a hot spring. His carapace and midsection were covered by a towel, and when he noticed my sardonic glance aimed at his torso, the elder grew even more indignant.
“Do you think there’s nothing there at all?”
His words were drowned out by the giggles emanating from the half-open bathhouse door.
“Oh, our mighty general, where are you? Hee-hee-hee.”
The old man’s angry facade froze, replaced by an embarrassed grunt. “Hmm. I was interrupted by this unfinished beast, and I was just about to get down to business.” As if to affirm his words, he began to untie the towel’s knot.
“GYA-HA-HA-HA.” A muscular Gosha emerged from the door, a single pink towel affixed to his head with two buns on the sides. “Yes, he simply didn’t have time to pounce on someone.” He doubled over, clutching his stomach and shaking with silent laughter. “He slipped and rolled over...” A well-aimed towel strike to a delicate region silenced Gosha, who had fallen to his knees and grasped his injured area. “Gh-H... The monster.”
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Coughing up purple-tinged blood with froth at his mouth, Gosha remained facedown, hips raised. A pair of sharp claws gripped his ankle and dragged him back into the room filled with steam. “Oh, our mighty general~”
I placed my fingers on my temples and didn’t say anything, or rather, I couldn’t find the words to comment.
Had they always been like this?
“Come on.” I turned upon hearing the voice, spotting a stalwart silhouette in the dimness. The carapace emitted a faint glimmer in the candlelit ambience. Short, red-tipped tail and red ears completed the ensemble. Ah, today must be your worst day, old.
We descended another flight of stairs, and Mina caught up with us. On the penultimate floor, we encountered Chang Qing, ascending from the castle’s training grounds.
“Leader,” he acknowledged with a nod, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Well, at least someone was diligently training.
We exchanged nods and began descending together, a curious crowd of us.
The henchmen stood before the metal fence, peering curiously into the narrow gaps of the locks.
“Stand aside,” Mina instructed from my side.
“Y-yes!” When the four of them saw us, they knelt.
Outside the door, panting heavily, one creature lay on its stomach while another leaned against it. The long fur of the latter was stained with blood, its crimson eyes ablaze with bloodlust. However, when they met my gaze, they dimmed slightly, and the creature transformed into a familiar face—Gena.
“Leader. I came to calm him down and found that he had already dug a hole under his chain,” Gena explained, kicking a twisted rod lying nearby.
“Were you trying to escape?” As I approached, I noticed the injured paws of the restrained creature. Its claws were not just broken; they were practically shattered.
Understandably so, considering that the soil here was enchanted for detaining prisoners.
The echoes of the past resided in everything Shorty Joe had been up to.
At first, I had cared for the creature as if it were a pet, but I soon realized that this abnormal being was inherently aggressive. Thus, I decided to confine it here until I could unravel all the secrets of Frankenstein’s enigmatic body.
Exhaling, I lightly squeezed the drooping ears of the beast, its eyes filled with terror and supplication.
[Is there a possibility of a connection between the Mission and this creature?]
[We won’t know the exact relationship until we encounter this woman. However, there might be traces of human blood in the creature’s body. One moment, please.]
The download initiated once more. A guttural growl shifted into a plaintive whine as I released my aura.
“You’ve leveled up,” Uchi declared, raising his voice.
“Yes. Fighting the Bloodthirsty proved to be beneficial,” I acknowledged.
[Verification completed. No traces of human aura, cells, or blood were found.]
Splendid.
[Participant 137, the Runaway target is one kilometer away from your location. Do you accept the mission?
Yes. No.]
The creature stirred beneath my hand, attempting to rise on its wounded paws. It trembled all over due to the restraining magic.
“GRAAAAH!”
Aerial attacks descended upon the nearby creatures.
I pressed my hand against its bulging forehead and said, “I’ll help.”
Huge eyes peered at me from under half-closed lids. The narrow muzzle pressed its nose to the ground, and the beast eagerly shook its ears.
Did it want me to ride on its back?
Standing unsteadily on its pinkish skin, I approached its neck when Gena inquired, “What’s your plan?”
“He wants to go for a walk. I believe I’ll take him for one.”
“But...” Mina squinted against the wind as the creature unfurled its leathery wings.
“It will be challenging to leave through here,” Gosha added, observing the distant flight of stairs.
“We’ll exit through the tunnel.”
“We don’t have a tunnel,” Uchi remarked, lifting his head as the beast stood to its full height.
[The target is 997 meters away from your current position. You have accepted a mission to rescue a Runaway and a Human Cub.]
A Spiritual Weapon materialized in my hand. With a flash of steel and a deafening roar, a hole appeared in the wall.
“Now we do,” I retorted before vanishing into the newly created passage.
After approximately five hundred meters, as we exited the castle grounds, I began to dig upward, simultaneously sealing the empty space behind us with compacted soil.
With a loud bang, we broke free.
The fresh air filled my nostrils, and I sneezed from the dust as I gazed at the pristine landscape. The entire island had transformed into an enchanted forest, illuminated by the gentle glow of the solitary moon.
“CATCH HER!” A distant voice echoed.
I patted the beast’s hide and signaled for it to descend. Distinct footprints marred the snow-covered ground.
How had they reached the island?
Squinting, I scanned the barren trees and began releasing my mental tendrils.
“THEY MUST BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE,” a deep, hoarse voice declared. Frowning, I descended to the branch where two silhouettes hid and draped an invisibility cloak over them.
“WHO’s THERE?” A burst of fire shot toward my face.
Catching the fiery projectile, I ruthlessly tore the spell apart with steel claws. “This seems to be my question.”
The mage tumbled backward, trembling.
“The Leader of The Infernal Legion,” announced a creature with large ears adorned with gold rings, stepping into the light. “I apologize for our intrusion into your territory.”
Bowing his head, he lifted his cunning eyes. “Have you seen two humans here?”
“Humans? And they’re still alive?” grinning, I leaned against the tree trunk and said coldly, “Roll over so that your heels sparkle.”
“Alas, we cannot comply with your request,” the creature replied respectfully, stepping forward. “This is the Caretakers’ directive, and even you cannot disregard it.”
For a moment, our auras clashed, and the creature effortlessly resisted.
Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a portly sheep adorned with talismans and artifacts.
“Hm. Then I shall go elsewhere, so that you can complete your inspection of my territory before dawn and return from whence you came.”
“Of course.”
The beast rested its front paws on the branch where I stood. Slowly climbing onto its massive shoulder, I settled down and yawned.
Two silhouettes sat behind me. The wings tossed a handful of snow toward the nearby monsters, and we soared into the dark sky.
The monster remained, still wearing the same friendly smile.
“And where are you from?” I inquired, gazing straight ahead.
“From The Lower,” the woman responded.
“Where are you going in this state?" I asked with a touch of irony.
“To The Black Market.”
[If I send them there, will the mission be completed?]
[Yes. The conditions specify an exit from the Fourth Level.]
“Why did you save us?” The child’s voice was filled with disbelief.
“I felt like it. After a grueling training session, I stepped out to the serenade of winter birds, saddled a gallant horse, and went for a leisurely ride,” I replied, exhaling a puff of steam into the cold air.
“Just like that?” The boy sought more details.
“I’ll arrange for you to be escorted out by the merchants. This cloak will only conceal you for a day, so don’t delay. Your aura, breath, and presence are completely hidden.”
“Thank you,” the woman began to ask something but held back.
“How will you send us?” The boy moved closer, inquisitive.
I shrugged, feeling an aversion toward humans.
Recalling the horrors of working in the Lower Arena and the sight of children’s flesh, I spat bitterly. Still, I answered, “I will hand the artifact to the merchant and tell him that the recipient awaits you at the Black Market. I won’t accompany you; your lives are entirely in your own hands.”
Chubby fingers reached out to touch a lock of my hair. “Beautiful.”
“Kaen, don’t touch without permission,” the woman chided, her voice filled with fear. “No, don’t touch it at all!”
“But...” The boy received a smack on the head, puffed out his pink cheeks, and buried his face in his knees, leaving his wide deer-like eyes visible.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” the woman said, biting her lip.
Damn it. This cloak is connected to my consciousness; I see and feel everything happening inside. It makes me feel like a pervert.
I slapped my forehead, exhaled deeply, and then glanced down at the beast beneath me. “You’ve already paid me.”
“What?”
---
“So the recipient is at the Black Market?” A rotund toad-like creature scratched the back of its head.
“Yes. I’ll attach the necessary talisman. When you encounter it, the object will shine scarlet.” I marked the runes on the lid of the box and then looked out at the floating ship.
The Black Market was like a river skirting the First Levels to the Fourth.
That’s all I had to do.
The woman and the boy watched me intently as I negotiated with the vessel’s owner. As a parting gesture, I connected the Spectral Familiar to the artifact and the invisibility cloak.
When I emerged into the open sky, I lay back and gazed at the twinkling stars.
[The mission to rescue the Runaway and the Human Cub is complete. The reward has been received.]
[Participant 137.]
[Yes.]
[You hinted at something else when you talked about payment, didn’t you?]
[Indeed.]
[So what was it?]
A blue cat materialized beside me, its pupils dilated. I stroked its fluffy, round head and replied, [The beast lacks a drop of human blood but possesses a human soul.]
“What?” The blue cat accessed the system interface and entered a command.
After a minute, it slapped its paws against the pinkish skin of the beast and exclaimed,
[YES, YOU’RE RIGHT!]
That’s not the point.
Doesn’t it frighten you that the bodies were sealed with such a gruesome method, and a human soul was implanted into a living corpse?
I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t be bothered.
No more riddles. I wanted to leave this place.
---
“Get ready,” Uchi said as he stepped into an open portal amidst a cluster of skyscrapers. The portal swayed several times, consuming dozens of creatures.
The Fourth Floor of the Third Level.
The metallic floor, the acrid scent of blood, sharp spikes piercing vulnerable parts of the bodies - they rose and fell rhythmically, like a living creature breathing.
“ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I INTRODUCE YOU TO KAI THERON, THE NEW LEADER OF ONE OF THE CREATURE ALLIANCES. THIS TIME, THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL INCREASES TO THE MAXIMUM 5 POINTS TO ENHANCE THE PERFORMANCE. PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR BETS CAREFULLY, FOR THIS BATTLE PROMISES DEATH TO EVEN THE BRIGHTEST STAR...”
The announcer’s speech flowed incessantly as body parts descended into the darkness teeming with carnivorous plants. The spikes swayed, and the colossal tail lifted off the floor, revealing the bloodless face of the Third-Level Boss. Formidable.
Stretching hundreds of meters in length, it was considered a subspecies of the most dangerous monsters found in some parts of the Empire.
The fanged maw opened, and the monster roared:
The creature’s gaping maw opened, and it unleashed a deafening roar: “GRAAAAAH.”