Lore-wise, the core of dungeon creatures have other important uses as well, mainly the Oriens Empire’s Magic Tower performs research with them. Most notably, they’d used the core of a Thunderbird to generate electricity for the empire’s technological benefits, enabling them to mimic some of the basic modern appliances.
And considering the fact that in-game lore has now essentially become as important, or even more important than game mechanics, harvesting Arachne’s core will prove beneficial one way or another.
Even if she couldn’t use its abilities, the giant scythe, Presence of Death, still has some usage. Crowfest cleaved through Arachne’ waist, severing the head from the abdomen. Typically, a monster’s core is located around the center of their body, so this was a good place to start looking.
”There.” RetiZn pointed towards an ambiguous orb surrounded by green liquid and flesh, his keen eyesight instantly spotting the boss’ core. As she knelt down to pluck out the fist-sized sphere, Crowfest raised her eyebrows in surprise at his quick discovery. “I played FPS games until I’m near-sighted, you bet I’m at least gaining a skill from that.”
“Another blessing in disguise, huh?” She smiled as she rose from the floor, whisking the boss’ core into her inventory. “You don’t have to wear glasses anymore.”
“I actually wear contacts, but I get your point.”
“Alright, since we’ve done everything we need to do…Let’s get out of this smelly place.” Crowfest suggested, willing the giant scythe back into her inventory alongside her Darkwing Mantle. When the two of them stopped in front of the portal, she placed one hand on its swirling mass, letting a mysterious force pull her through. “OH! You can’t call me Crowfest when we’re out there, okay?”
She managed to speak just in time before she disappeared. RetiZn turned around one last time, and followed her lead soon after.
…
[Exiting the
[TIPS! Some Dungeons have special environmental effects. For example: the Tutorial Dungeon doubles the amount of EXP gained by slaying monsters! Be sure to pay attention to your surroundings!]
…
As soon as they felt their feet touch the ground, their eyes squeezed shut from the blinding light of the sun. Their senses soon returned to them, and the sweet aroma of the flowers nearby brought back the feeling of familiarity. Ruelle opened her eyes first just in time to see that her maid, Lilia, had taken notice of them.
”My lady!” The brunette’s hazel eyes glistened with tears as she rushed towards her. Ruelle took a glance around her surroundings, first noticing that the portal behind her had already disappeared, and that many of Salvador’s knights had come on scene, judging by the scarlet lion crest engraved on their armor.
“Lilia,” She didn’t expect to play into her role immediately after returning from the dungeon, but she put on the calmest smile she could. “Please don’t cry, I am alright, Lord Silas protected me.”
Silas glanced at her briefly, though his attention got snatched away by the sight of Einar, his knight, dashing towards him with widened eyes. “Young master, are you hurt!?” A hint of anxiety leaked from his quivering voice.
“I only twist my ankle, don’t worry,” Silas adjusted the grip on his staff, wanting to lighten up the knight’s mood, he flashed a grin. “Hey, I have to at least come back alive so you can keep your job. Stop fretting so much about this and call the knights back.”
“How can I dare not worry for my master’s safety?” His attempts proved futile as Einar’s frown only deepened at his words. “I’m glad to know that you’ve only sustained minor injuries, but both you and Lady Ruelle just got swallowed by a dungeon…”
In game, there may be millions of players who could enter and exit dungeons as they please. However, this world no longer operates like a game, Dungeon Regime’s lore stated that only a minor percentage of the population can enter dungeons, and that the in-game system doesn’t exist to help these people at all.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
The chance of them getting caught up in an Impairment and surviving is already miniscule, but them living and then exiting the dungeon?
To the people of this world, it sounded utterly impossible.
“We got lucky, that’s all.” Silas shrugged, glancing at Ruelle for a moment. “…The monsters in there weren’t too difficult for us, and we managed to find ourselves some weapons to fight them with. I’m serious, Einar, we’re okay.”
Seeing his master’s earnest look, the knight let out a defeated sigh. Einar turned to the others waiting nearby, and signaled for them to leave. “…Marquess Salvador will be returning from the battlefield soon, young master. Please rest up in the meantime, when he learns of this incident, he will definitely summon you for an audience.”
“Oh by the way,” Ruelle suddenly spoke up, garnering their attention, though she seemed more focused on Silas than anyone else. “Our engagement party is next week, right? Can I stay at your estate until then?”
“???” Silas stared at her with widened eyes, surprised by the sudden revelation. The plot of the engagement party had completely slipped his mind until now.
Before he could give an answer, Lilia spoke up first. “But my lady…shouldn’t you return to the estate and inform Marquess Peregrine? Sir Einar had already sent a letter too…”
”Then send another one,” Silas responded instead of Ruelle. Having made his final decision, he will play along with Crowfest’s plan. “It’s more convenient this way. She can rest exactly where I can see her, and the engagement party is held at my estate anyway.”
Einar made a face. “Young master, you two may be engaged, but living under the same roof is a bit…”
“What’s wrong with it? We’re going to get married in the end anyway,” Silas shrugged, glancing to his side to see Ruelle struggling to contain her grin. ‘Maybe this is a bad idea,’ the thought briefly crossed his mind, but he continued, sounding as confident as he could. “I’m going to nurse my fiancee back to perfect health. Why? Are you trying to get in the way of my pure…love…?”
He may have stuttered at the end, though luckily none but one cheeky Crowfest noticed it. She decided to support his play and spoke up, placing a hand across her injured shoulder. “I bumped my shoulder when he saved me from a monster. I’m grateful for his sincerity, Sir Einar, please let me stay at the estate.”
“I think it should be alright, Sir Einar.” Suddenly, Lilia joined in too, giving the knight a bright smile with her eyes practically sparkling. The two of them had yet to fully analyze Lilia’s character, but Crowfest remembered briefly about her being an absolute sucker for romance. “If Lord Silas wants to express his sincerity to Lady Ruelle, we shouldn’t separate them!”
Einar looked far from convinced, though Silas noticed a hint of hesitation in his demeanor. Seeing an opportunity, he quickly grabbed hold of it. “No…? But why not?” Silas put on the most desperate and disappointed look he could, staring at his knight like a child begging his parents for a toy.
[The effects of
Einar cringed, though not for the reason they thought. “Okay, okay!” Defeated, he could only let out a long sigh as he placed one hand against his temples. The frown on his face never ceased. “…Just please don’t ever make that face again.”
[‘Einar Alston’ is unaffected by
“That’s great!” Lilia clasped her hands together, preventing Silas from experiencing any more humiliation for the time being. With her smile now brighter than before, she turned to Ruelle. “My lady, I’ll return to the manor and personally inform your father. Please do not worry and leave this to me!”
Ruelle returned the maid’s enthusiasm with a calm smile, fitting for her character as a timid flower. “I would appreciate that Lilia, thank you.” She directed her next words at Einar. “Sir Einar, could you please escort us to the estate? I feel bad for making Lord Sillas stand with his injured foot.”
“Ah,” It seemed that Einar had forgotten about his lord’s twisted ankle, though he quickly covered up his mistake and responded to Ruelle with an understanding nod. He casted a hesitant glance at Silas. “…Do you need my assistance, young master?”
“No, it’s alright. I have my own walking stick.” As if to prove his welfare, Silas took several steps forward, dragging the Sapphire Staff along with him.
Einar stared at Silas for a moment. “…What is it, might I ask?”
‘No you may not’, he wanted to say, but refrain himself from doing so, instead he gave the knight a casual smile. “It’s Lady Ruelle’s, we found it in the dungeon.”
While he just lied straight to Einar’s face, it sounded believable enough that he simply let it go after an acknowledged nod. He turned around and guided the two nobles to their carriage; the same one they’d used before. It had a moderate, yet imposing design, much like everything else belonging to the Salvador family. Hanging in display for everyone to see, Salvador's signature red and gold flag decorated the exterior of the car.
When they had taken their seats, silence weighed heavily in the air around them, until eventually Crowfest bursted out laughing. “That was so unnecessary, Rez! What was that? Did you try to use
He knew she would never let his embarrassing moment slide. Hiding his heated face in his hands, he mumbled a bad word under his breath, but the insult only made Crowfest shriek even louder. “Will you just shut up for once?”
She shifted in her seat, leaning her back against the window and placing one leg up on the cushion. Someone might mistook her for a gangster if they didn’t know any better. Wiping a tear from her eye, she finally stopped laughing, although her wide grin still remained. “Okay, I had a good laugh…But in all seriousness, we should properly prepare for the engagement party. This banquet is our opportunity to fix Silas’ reputation.”
Rez lowered his hands, letting them fall to his lap. “…Acting, yeah I can totally do that.”
He might have sounded sarcastic, though Crow knew that he spoke out of sincerity. It became easier for her to read him now that they’d spent some time face to face. “I know you can. What you did earlier was good already, so just keep that up.”
Soon, their carriage started moving, and Silas couldn’t help but dread the things to come.