Chapter 10 - Progress at a cost

After a... eventful night Kei woke up to continue his adventure. He prepared a breakfast of bacon and more tea. Breakfast was awkward, Akame didn't speak her face red the whole time. Any time anytime Kei would catch her looking at him she would hurriedly look away. Kei was captivated by her cuteness. Kei thought it was her power getting stronger, or was it something more? They started their way farther into the dungeon, Kei had been in the dungeon for what he assumed almost three months. His skills have improved by leaps and bounds. [Kei motto, Age 16, Weight: 33kg, Height: 185cm, Race: African, Japanese, Class: Hero, Skills: Berzerker, environment adaption level 1, awareness, Eye color: grey, Element: wind, EP 5 ] with the new skill he had better senses and more awareness and he noticed the experience appeared on the plate he didn't know the purpose of it but assumed it was important. He also noticed that his physical appearance changed, he didn't have a mirror but he could tell he was taller and his hair was in his eyes. He didn't know how Alexander would contact him but he decided to just carry on. Kei and Akame trudged on Kei noticed Akame still having trouble with her weapon and made a mental note to train her as soon as possible. As they went it kept getting colder Kei had his environment adaptation so he was mostly fine but Kei needed to make more clothes for Akame, they fought more spiders and wolfs but the new deadliest addition was snow bunnies they were not your average cute rabbit.(EN: all I can think of is Monty Python and the holy grail) They were about 90cm tall with powerful legs, red eyes, and 7cm teeth set in a powerful jaw. "AWWWWW look at the cute bunny," Akame said as she ran to pet one it jumped at her bearing its teeth at her, Kei quickly pulled his knife and sliced it. Blood splattered all over Akame and she started crying, but Kei planned to make a boring stew yes a plain old stew nothing else around afternoon... After another few hours of traveling, they came to the end of the floor, Kei and Akame rested and ate before they went into the stairs to the next floor. They went down the stairs the temperature dropping to -5° Celsius frost covered the walls and it was pitch black dark Akame nestled against him for warmth and security as they descended. The stairs came to an end and they came to a floor that was too dark to see, suddenly the room started to light up with the torches that are on the wall. It was a circular room 60 meters in diameter, the walls and floor were smooth stone covered in frost. The door to the next floor was across the room, except there was one problem. In the middle of the room was the floor boss, a Frost dragon (eastern style) about 30 meters long, its skin was covered in frost blue scales, it looked as if the dragon had been around longer than the earth itself (whiskers, etc). The dragon awoke and started moving around. Its breath caused the air to freeze around it. It noticed them and roared and started to engage in the fight. It charged them head on and they rolled to there sides to dodge it, Kei tried to stab through its scales but the knife just rolled across them. The dragon turned to Kei its focus now on him, Kei was frustrated that the knife was not as good as the blacksmith foretold and he drew his second knife dual-wield style. The dragon warily assessed Kei while Akame was groveling in the corner trembling. The dragon stormed at Kei, again Kei fended it off with his knives he discovered its whiskers were like daggers and the dragon used them as whips. Kei kept blocking them till one whipped across his torso it made a deep cut from his right curved downward and back to his left collar bone. Kei yelled in pain as he received the cut, he grabbed the whisker and tried to cut it to no avail. The dragon whipped its tail around to hit Kei, Kei held on to it as it hit him putting his knives under its scales to hold on. The dragon thrashed around trying to dislodge Kei, Kei eventually was flung off and hit the stone wall back first. Kei coughed up blood as stood up, he had lost one of his knives in the dragon and was stuck with his good one. The air turned cold as the dragon flew into the air and arched its back as its nostrils steamed. It suddenly blasted Kei with frost breath, he barely had time to dodge as the frost blasted to the side of him encasing his left arm in ice and partially freezing his leg. The dragon swooped down its mouth open, Kei shoved his knife into its mouth to stop it from closing. As the dragon bit down the knife shattered spraying blue blood as the dragon ran away hissing. It prepared another frost attack when Akame cried out "NOOO" the dragon startled released its attack only partially freezing Kei. It turned its attention to Akame, she just cowered in fear as it charged at her. Kei's mind went blank as he saw her in danger, her brainwashing finally took control of his mind. His only thought was protecting his master, his berzerker powers activated as he burst out of the ice as he charged at the dragon. It went and hit Kei with its tail breaking his ribs but he just got up again and continued fighting. He ran under the dragon and grabbed the soft part of its stomach ripping the skin and flesh until the guts of the dragon washed over him. The dragon cried in pain as Kei disemboweled it. The dragon's body glowed as it disappeared leaving behind its scales. Kei felt a surge of power as he leveled up but he didn't register it as he completed his goal. His mind only filled with the purpose of serving in his master. He collapsed on the ground from his injuries, and the last thing he heard was "now that won't do" as he slipped out of consciousness.