For the first time since awakening, Albus granted him a small smile across his features. “I’m delighted to hear your decision, normally I would say there is little reason to wait but I need to ask. What is it you intend to do once you return to the surface?”
Albus’ eyes were stern, turning serious for the first time since the conversation began as if he was anticipating a certain answer. Cyrus really hadn’t taken the time to think through what he was going to do once he escaped the dungeon but in truth, he had few options. The whole reason he came down here was to get stronger, but at his current place both the surface and below was too dangerous for him. If he returned to the surface world, even with a class there was little doubt he’d be hunted again. Except this time Serence or whoever else decided to chase him would not fail.
That was the answer he was looking for, Serence, Billo, the Guild master of Twilight. Those were the three people who had outright betrayed him and sought to have him killed. Cyrus wanted answers, more than that he wanted revenge. Those people also might lead him to those worshippers, but Cyrus decided not to enlighten Albus and Peluna on that subject. There had to be a reason that is status as a Void mage resulted in him being hunted without a second thought. This made the answer simple.
“I’m going to slaughter Serence and his party, once I’m done with them, I’ll go after the Guild master next. They’re the reason I’m here, I’ll find out why.” Cyrus said with an unusual conviction, leaving no room for any other reason in his eyes.
Rather than scold him or lecture that conviction, Albus chose not to comment on the subject. “Very well, follow me. Your training begins now. It would be good if you first saw your teacher in action so you’re aware of the power gap between levels and those with a class. As you further your level, the number of stat points you receive will drastically increase.”
Albus informed him as they wandered out the exit of his home and into the dungeon itself. The air around them was warm, getting hotter with each passing second until they arrived in a large open cave. The heat was searing onto his skin at this point as they stood upon a cliff face. The drop down to the level area below was no less than 100 feet with no staircase in sight. Down below there were several caterpillar-like behemoths, their circumference alone had to be at least 15 feet and were as long as a school bus on their own. This didn’t even account for the fact that each of their thousand legs were sharpened like swords, ready to cut apart any who would dare challenge them.
“Please tell me we’re not taking on those things.” Cyrus exhaled a breath that he didn’t even realize he held.
“Of course not, don’t be silly.” Albus laughed as if it was a stupid idea.
“Then what are we do-“
“I’ll be killing them while you watch.” Albus stated as if it were obvious, smiling at the clear dumbfounded reaction on Cyrus’ face. Without warning, he jumped off the edge of the cliff and descended towards the ground. He didn’t even slow down as he hit the floor with a loud thud. His impact sent visible waves through the air, as if the force weighed down several tons.
The landing caught the attention from two of the closest caterpillars. Neither of them hesitated, both of them barreling towards him with a speed that didn’t match their size in the slightest. For all their movement, Albus didn’t move an inch, instead choosing to stand in place while his impending death grew closer.
Remembering his identify ability, Cyrus looked towards the coming caterpillars and made to check their status.
*Great Worm – Level ???*
*Great Worm – Level ???*
Both of them were high level creatures and Albus was by himself. In a flurry of movement, Albus moves his hands outside his robe and several dark spears appeared over his head. Each of them was brimming with dark power before shooting like thrown spears into one of the Great Worms. It screamed in pain as its face was stabbed and reared itself to a halt as if sizing up its opponent for the first time.
The other Worm showed no signs of stopping and barreled into Albus with a cloud of smoke. The entire area where he had been standing was misted over from the impact. The smoke didn’t need to clear to reveal where Albus was, the injured Great Worm finding out firsthand as Albus stood in front of it. This shouldn’t have been possible, unless the man was able to move faster than the eye could see. He had just moved over 50 feet in less than a second.
His hands crisscrossed in front of him again before a black lightning shot out of them and pierced right through the center of the standing Worm. A large gaping hole in the place where flesh should be. While the Worm cried out in surprise for the second time, Albus did not hesitate as a shadowed sword appeared in his hand and he leaped towards the head of the Worm. This had been no small jump, as he rocketed high enough into the air to meet the Worm head on and stabbing it in the head.
Its cries were finally silenced as it fell over backwards and went still. Ceasing all signs of life as Albus stood upon its stomach like the fight had been worth nothing to him. The other Great Worm seemed to sense the danger it was in, turning around as if making to run away but there was little chance to do so. Albus held his arms out and dozens more of those dark spears appeared all around him, shooting out as they pierced the body of the Great Worm all over. More spears kept appearing as if Albus had a never-ending supply of magic at his disposal, only stopping when the worm was finally dead.
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The sight was one to behold, one small man in robes was able to swiftly extinguish the lives of these massive creatures without even trying. He looked back up at Cyrus with what could only be described as a stupid shit eating grin that said, “I told you so.” This however, gave Cyrus far more faith in his new teacher than he had before. As if he had teleported, Albus suddenly appeared back up on the edge of the cliff next to where he was standing.
“Okay, so maybe you were more impressive than I took you for. You don’t need to look so smug.” Cyrus remarked, still looking at the dead worms in awe.
“Glad you understand who you’re going to be learning from, you should be able to get stronger after I teach you, provided you’re still alive.”
“That’s not ominous or anything” Cyrus mutters, following Albus back to their humble abode.
The walk back was quiet, the scene from before had been replaying in his mind over and over again. All of the movements Albus had made were simple but extremely effective. If you had power, there was no need for flashy and complicated steps in a fight. He had taken a direct route to his opponent each time and faced the Worms head on. Neither of them stood a chance or was able to hit him a single time. Cyrus could only wonder what would be considered a true challenge for the monster of a man.
Something had been bugging him for a while though; Cyrus decided that now would be a good time as any to ask what lingered on his mind. “Albus, why are you staying underground? Someone as strong as you surely would be pretty rich on the surface.”
Albus narrowed his eyes, as if the topic was unwelcome but his voice portrayed the opposite. “Like you, I had disagreements with the guild and the powers that remain above it. They did not betray me though; they just outright tried to kill me. If I was to return to the surface out of hiding, I would surely be hunted and kill by their agents.”
That was disturbing, knowing that there were many individuals strong enough to make this monster of a man go into hiding. He sounded more than sure that his death would occur if he were to return above. At least that explained why he was hanging out down here.
“Sorry I asked that must suck. How high of a level were those worms you fought by the way?” Cyrus asked, attempting to change the subject.
The smirk on Albus’ face said it all before he even spoke the words. “They were levels 190 and 198.”
The pair fell into a comfortable silence during their walk, finally coming back to the homestead. Peluna was sitting on one of the benches outside; she had set out a few plates of steaming… monster. Whatever creature it had been maybe even one of those Great Worms it was not a roast chicken on a small plate. It had been over a day since he’d last had sustenance. In the garden, Cyrus had been living off of mostly fruits and vegetables, so meat was a more than welcome sight for him. His stomach growled in excitement as him and Albus took a seat together across from Peluna.
“Thank you for the meal Peluna, it feels strange not having to be the one to cook after all this time.” Albus told her gratefully.
“It does smell delicious, thanks for the meal.” Cyrus agreed, not wasting any time and digging into the grub in front of him. The meat was packed on to a bone, so it was little different than eating off a drumstick or something similar. It was cooked to perfection and the meat practically melted in his mouth. An unintentional groan of happiness slipped from his mouth, drawing humored stares from the two companions besides him.
“I’m glad you’re both able to enjoy it, I used to cook for my siblings all the time.” Peluna replies, her smile is there but it seems sad for whatever reason. As if she is reminiscing on the past or otherwise. She too begins to eat, the three of us a merry band of unwanted misfits by the world above. The silence down here is a blessing; Cyrus could tell why Albus decided to live here even if it wasn’t entirely by choice.
The trio ate until their bellies were full, meaning their plates were nearly licked clean. Cyrus was more than satisfied, this meal having been the best he had eaten in the months that he was stuck on this god forsaken planet. At least now he was gaining some semblance of happiness, even if it was only for a moment. The silence was abruptly destroyed when Albus cleared his throat.
“Now that we’re all full, it’s time to discuss your next steps. As it is, the two of you are little more than cannon fodder in the face of enemies, human or monster. I’ll be training the two of you to work together. By fighting me, I’m sure that I’ll be able to raise your levels to 30.”
Peluna tilted her head at his statement, confused. “How would that raise our levels? Don’t we need to kill monsters to raise our levels?”
“There are more ways than one to raise your level. Support classes like yours raise their level by supporting the combat classes when they fight, not just by obtaining a kill. When you get your class, you can raise your level further by killing things or by fulfilling whatever purpose your class is. Alchemists gain levels through potion making and herb gathering for example. These routes are far slower though, killing enemies is the fastest and most surefire way to continue leveling up.”
“I have a feeling I know where this is going. Please don’t tell me we’re going to be fighting you.” Cyrus asks with a defeated sigh. The question was pointless, as he already knew the likely answer.
The smile on Albus’ face only brought horror to his own, Peluna was practically mimicking him. She had clearly been able to tell that the robed man was a monster in his own right, being able to live comfortably in the depths was no small feat. Albus chuckled to himself, finding the energy to stand up and walk over to a flatter area in the cavern.
Against their best judgement, Peluna and Cyrus followed suit, glancing at each other with a knowing look. Using his magic, Albus waved one of his hands down and the rock beneath them flattened, the surface becoming far smoother and the fighting area looking more or less like a small arena.
“Your goal will be to land a hit on me. If you two are able to hit me, then you’ll be ready to leave. Until that time, I suggest you try with all the strength you’ve got.” Albus said smugly, his hands underneath his robes and a relaxed yet alert gaze on his face.
“You ready Peluna?” Cyrus asked behind him.
“Not at all, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out… eventually.”
Cyrus drew his rapier, pointing it at the still opponent in front of him and charged. His dexterity taking affect after just a moment of quick motion. Just as quick as he reached Albus, the world turned upside down as he landed on his ass.