"Boss....what is this?.. aren't wearing a metal armour much better than this thick cloth armour?...".( Karl)
Karl was wearing the new Combat vest I gave him, as he keep slapping on the vest all he hears was a dull sound of fabric rustling, I can see why doubted my choice of equipments. It's understandable, to him my choice of gears, was kinda weird in this world standards.
"Ahh..... that wasn't your normal cloths armour....hmm,..I think it's easier to show you ...okay, now use your axe and chop my stomach..make sure you don't miss okay..".
" Huh?..but?...I just sharpen my axe.... Boss I don't think, it's a good idea.....".( Karl)
"Mehh~~ just do it.....".
"Well....HHAAAKKK!!....[ BBBAAMMM!! ].....Boss!!.....huh??..wait what???..".( Karl)
He did swing his axe on full strength. But all it did was cut the fabric layered on the vest, the armour plating still intact without any scratch. Of course he worried for a second, but the sight of his full power swing doesn't even damaged anything shocked him even more.
"See..this armour is what I called Kevlar, it can withstand more than 1 ton worth of impact, it's bullet proof, tear proof,... let's just say..compare to your normal metal armour this thing is far more superior..."
"Seeing with my own eyes, it was unbelievable.. I'm sorry for doubting you boss, even though I'm a seasoned blacksmith, this is the first time I see a non magical armour with an exceptional defense power like this...".
"Nah, don't mind it.. it's a good mindset to have doubt on everything...by the way, good hit..right in the middle...I guess you have recovered completely....".
"All thanks to Boss looking after me....".( Karl)
Karl only took 1 full days to recover Completely, the skinny dwarf that I save before has changed to an healthy, good looking, buffed Mountain Dwarves. Karl was actually an intellectual kind, he shows great interest on many of the items I use. Since he has become on of my loyal subjects, I teach him about various subjects, he was easy to catch up but sometimes he was kinda sceptical, that's why I decided to use a more practical approach.
By the way, both of us right now we're wearing full Special ops combat gears. Although it wasn't a big deal for me but, seeing a 120cm red bearded dwarf wearing a full Special ops combat gears, with multi-functions goggle on his head, black tactical combat vest, and arm with a Mossberg 590A1 pump action shotgun and 2 SOG Tactical tomahawk on his back. In all Honesty he looks cool, not everyday you can see Dwarves in modern combat attires, Which also made me chuckle a little bit.
"Okay now, today we will head straight to floor 200...so we have to climb 50 floor....even though, I have promised to save your friends, I cannot jeopardize the safety of you and me just to hastened things up...".
".....I understand boss..".(Karl)
"Listen Beardy, we cannot rush...we don't have any solid information on the enemy and the whereabouts of your allies, if we rush ahead there's a probability that...we might missed the enemy..and they might come for us from our back... that's why we need to carefully secured each floors..so that we don't miss any friends or foes....".
This time, Karl doesn't look dejected as before. In a situation like this communication is important, I'm not the kind of guy, that act alone at first, then in a crucial time expose the plan in order to look cool. My plan was to clear 50 floor in one day, by clear I mean sweep clean. We will stop and rest at floor 200, then continue to clear 50 floor again the next day, repeat the steps again, until we find Karl freinds location.
"By the way, Karl is all the floor from here to upstairs have the same floor plan?..".
"This ring like floor plan will end at 100th..after that it will changed to a whole different design, floor 100th to 1st, all of it will have at least 20 room each floor... Don't worry boss, i remember them all...".( Karl)
"Good, here take this...in this is Dimensional Storage bag..in here I prepared bullets, foods, water and some other things.... remember, that Shotgun only have 7 rounds of shot in it, once you used all of them..you need to reload again... I've shown you how to do it last time right?..".
"Yes boss!..[ CAK! KACHAK!]..".( Karl)
"Good, always aim for the head...always....now, we will head in the different ways, I take right you take left, secure every room, and kill all enemies, if one of us arrived at the staircase the first one will wait....Next, it was this black box, this is called walkie talkies, push the button on the side to talk, after you finish release the button..we will used this to communicate with each other...if you stuck called me, if get to the staircase called, if you find something called me...got that?..".
"YES BOSS!!..".( Karl)
"Good....then, I meet you at the staircase..good luck Beardy..".
Both of us were ready to commence the operation, so after I finish with my breifing, I remove the [ Immortal Barrier Stake] and both of us leave the room and split up. Although the floor was design like a large ring, it was still large area to cover alone and certainly it's time consuming if we move together and make round on each floor. Splitting up was the only acceptable plan, but it was still risky, not for me but Karl, he is after all still a lvl 50 with average status of 100, I hope with the gears I gave him, he can survive or perhaps grow stronger than before.
"Right side clear. Waiting at the staircase. Beardy report. ".
"[ Left side clear. Heading to your location boss. ]". (Karl)
On the contrary, the first 10 floor wasn't like what we were expecting, we practically strolling without any problems. I was hoping to get some action. After 2 hours we're already at the floor 340 going to floor 339.
Right at the start, I see movements on in front of 2 on my right and 2 on my left side. I hold a my fist up, and point left as I turned to my right. As I turned back at Karl, he immediately noded and Cover my left.
[ BBBANGH!! BAANNGG!! ]
" Target down.".
[BAANNGG!! BBAANGG!!]
"Target down..".( Karl)
"Hmm..not bad Karl,..looks like you already learned the sign language...good job buddy..".
"Haha...it was hard at first but..now that I've gotten used to it, it was easy....this Shotgun kick back is making my shoulder numb..".( Karl)
"You get used to it...okay, go left...I see you at the staircase..".
"Got it boss..".( Karl)
This time I started to see some Ferals roaming, but the numbers was still low. On my side I only encounter 10 including the 2 I killed near the staircase. It doesn't take long before I got to the staircase, nothing can stop me actually, because the moment I saw one, I will shoot them in the head. As for Karl, I can hear his gunshot, he missed several times since I heard about 24 gunshots, after 30 minutes he arrives near the staircase.
---------------------. -------------------------
2100 pm. Floor 190th
"Karl. Report. "
Like usual, I was waiting for him at the staircase to floor 180th. We've going on without rest for about 15 hours straight since the morning, at first I was kinda worried about Karl, because the numbers of Ferals we encounter keep increasing, and each floor they got stronger and stronger. Also, there's not only a mountain Dwarves ferals, but also other races, there's Orc, kobolds, beast race, and even an elf, all of them were mixed in the crowd of those mindless ferals.
" [Boss. I'm approaching the staircase.]...Boss I'm here!...ha~ fu~...sorry I'm late again..".( Karl)
Karl slowly walk towards me while waving his walkie-talkie in the air. Looks like he was tired, he's panting, it seems I have to call the night.
" Don't worry about it... let's end this for tonight..we continue ascending tomorrow.. let's go..".
Just like before, we took one of the empty room beside the staircase and set our camp for the night. Karl was no longer stunned by all the things I brought out, instead he treated it like it's normal. Right now he even knows how to use gas stove and maintain the guns. As both of us finally settled down and relaxing ourselves, I have Karl boil hot water for coffee.
"So how was it today?...".
"It was good,....got a bit sad...but, it has to be done...they have fallen...so, obviously I have the responsibility of correcting them...".( Karl)
"Things happen my friend... remember, that Ferals is the same as the fallen and monster...treat them as such... don't think too much about it....so how many have you kill?..".
" 143...I was actually shocked by how many I can kill, I'm not even hurt... seriously boss, this Guns of yours was extraordinary..Dwarven Musket can even compare to this....also, I think I have leveled up.....".( Karl)
"Of course you are...That's because you've been killing ferals beyond your own levels, and in a large quantities... obviously you would level up.....if this kind of circumstances continues for tomorrow, probably you will level up even more...oh thank you..."
Karl handed me my canteen filled with coffee, we continue to talk about what happened today. After dinner, both of us turned for the night. There's no need for night guard because of the [ Immortal Barrier Stake]. Thinking about today, the only one who got dropped items upon killing was me, as for Karl what he got was the items and equipment from the ferals he killed.
--- Next Morning ---
Once again we started the operation at, 0700 am, same as before we separated into left end right, this time I took the left side and Karl on the right. The situation is the same as before, to me, if I saw Ferals I kill them. On Karl side, he seems to be improving, by the sound of his gunshot I can tell his accuracy and speed getting better.
" [ Boss. I'm at the staircase. ] ".( Karl)
"[ Roger that. I'm on my way. ]...looks like someone feeling giddy..".
5 minutes later I meet Karl on the staircase, he looks kinda happy to be able to beat me once. Once again we repeat the same routine, climbing up steadily. Both of us right now was on the 120th floor, we took a lunch break around 1345 pm, currently I'm at level 130 and Karl was level 65.
I decided that we will continue to ascend to floor 101, camp for the night there and start again for the next day. Since the floor plan will changed starting from 100th floor, we need a whole new approach as how to move.
--2356 pm--
" Boss..your coffee..".( Karl)
"Thank you...'slurp'...hmm, you getting good at this..".
"Thank you boss,..but I was honestly marvelled by the food and this 'coffee' you brought boss...never in my entire life seen, such delicacies packed in a small packages...".( Karl)
We now resting in the room near the staircase at floor 101, like as we plan. We rested here for tonight, and continue the next morning. Enjoying my usual coffee after dinner was kinda feel like routine now, each time Karl won't stop admiring the taste and simplicity of the millitary rations I brought out.
"This is just normal military ration,...hmm, oh looks like you've leveled up to level 70, congratulations Karl..".
"I guess so, I felt a lot stronger than before....not only you can bring, food's and strong weapon, but to be able to see status without using an [ Appraisal Crystals ]... you're amazing Boss...".( Karl)
New fact I learned today was, apparently normal people can't view their own status. Normally people will need something called [ Appraisal Crystals ] to view status. Karl said I was probably favored by the God's, well I do know one of them, but I won't reveal that facts willy nilly. I don't want to be some kind of a prophet in the eye of mass, it against my entire premise.
Also the fact that I received 10 free status points upon leveled up was also a rare phenomenon. Normal people usually receive 1-3 free status point and the points will be randomly distribute when they're leveled up. I was honestly feel blessed by this fact, some may said ' that's OP' or ' Cheater' , to me this is a great privileged, I loved it, there's a freaking zombies in this world, if you can get op you take it, believe me you need it.
"Boss..this is roughly how floor 100 looks like..".( Karl)
I've previously told Karl to draw the map of floor 100 up to floor 1, he handed me the paper which he has drawn a rough outline of the whole floor based on his memory. Unlike the previous ring like floor, this floor got to many room and hallway, it looks like a poorly design office floor rather than a Maze.
"... Tomorrow, we will move together.... there's a lot to cover,...".
"Okay Boss... but, why can't we just do like usual?.. isn't it better to split up, that way we can cover more places..".( Karl)
"We can but, it won't be ideal yet alone a productive one.....look here, the floor itself posses Multiple branches of hallway...it will took to long for us to provide help for each other if we both venture far from each other...beside, with only 2 people it won't possible.... Remember, there's a possibility we will meet a survivors and Ferals, It's a relief if we met just one of those 2..but what if we met both survivors and Ferals at the same time?....".
"......... sorry Boss, i should never questioned your wisdom...hah~, I can't believe how ignorant I am...".( Karl)
"It's okay Karl, let this served as a lesson... remember, nothing is as easy as it seems.. we need doubt every choices again and again... that's the only we can thrive in this world...".
For some unknown reason Karl looks even fired up than before, it felt that as if he was worshipping me in his head. It's kinda feels good but at the same time bothersome. As usual we both fall asleep at 0100 am.
--- Day 4. 0600 Am ---
" AAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!...".
" Karl wake up!....".
" Huh?!..wha?..Boss?..".( Karl)
" Something just shout out from upstairs..no need to pack up... that shout was close.. hurry get your weapon..we going to check the voice up..".
Loud shouts come from upstairs, it snap me right up. I wake Karl up and told him that we will go and search for the source first, still half asleep Karl tried to pack up, but I told him to just grab the weapon. Without delayed both of us get out and head upstairs.
"Boss! Survivors!...".( Karl)
"Got it!..go grab him I cover you!..go!..".
As soon as we get to the floor 100, I can see a pair of long bunny ears wiggling on the floor, and large wooden tower shield cover her body from head to toe, protecting her from ferals that started mounting on her, forming a pyramid of ferals that pounding and scratching on the large tower shield that protected her.
[ TATATATATATTATATATA!!!]
"GGGUUUOOOOOONNNN!!..".
As I keep my finger on the trigger, dozen of ferals heads starts to pop like a watermelons. Karl low his head as he runs towards the bunny, he grab her by the ears and drag her Out from the mountains of ferals.
" GO! GO!..DRAG HER OUT OF THERE!....HEAD DOWNSTAIRS!!....".
No longer wasting anytime, Karl starts to run towards me with the bunnykin dragged on the floor behind him. As soon as he passed by me and tap my right shoulder, I pulled the pin and throw grenade at the crazed ferals that starts to accumulate and wanting to chase after Karl. As soon as the grenade explode, I turned around and descend. I saw Karl already waiting beside the door and ready to close the barrier with the stake on his hand.
" Closed the barrier!...".
Karl stab the stake on the floor once I get inside the room, closing the barrier. The sudden adrenaline rush made both of us woke us up. we turned our attention towards the bunny eared person that lay silently on the floor.
"...........Karl, this is Bunnykin right?..".
"...Yes boss,..it is Bunnykin....it got bunny ears so, It should be...".( Karl)
"........hah~ there goes my expectations...".
Once again, my expectations of this wonderful fantasy world shattered to pieces. This world never ceased to shocked me.