end, I had an appointment to keep, so I was eventually forced to depart. Hestia had crawled back into bed after making a shocked sound when she saw the hourglass. Her side of the bed was still damp from our activities -- I needed to get some sheets, and that new bed I was wanting because I was tired of having my legs dangle off the side. Actually, while I was at it, I should start looking into getting a new place as well.
Still, after everything, I felt good as I approached the Guildhall. Coming clean felt good. Even better, Hestia reacted better than I could have imagined.
I didn't see Lili in the central plaza, so I walked up the steps to the Guildhall to see that it was practically deserted. A skeleton crew working the Guild, while not a single adventurer to be seen, nor Lili. I was a little early, so I guess she hadn't arrived yet.
I looked around the Guildhall, wondering what I should do to kill some time before my eyes lingered on a board that covered the far wall. I noticed it before, recognizing it for what it was, but I dismissed it since I couldn't do anything on it. Even still, with nothing else to do, I walked over to inspect a board covered in dozens of sheets of paper.
Quests. Requests for items, to investigate something on the deeper floors, recruitment posters and so on. Anyone could put up a quest for just about everything it seemed. As I expected, most of them revolved going down into the deep floors -- requests for ten minotaur horns, thirty orc hides and so on. Nothing for the upper floors, either because they were quickly taken or whoever wanted them got them themselves.
Idly, I reached out to lift one to see another quest underneath it, only for a screen to fill my vision.
Quest: Retrieve Blue Papilio Wings
Objective: Go to the seventh floor to find a Blue Papilio, kill it and bring pack the drop item.
Reward: 5,000 exp. 25,000 valis.
Hold up. You wait one fucking second. Was this why I wasn't getting random generic quests every three seconds for mundane tasks? Because they were locked behind this crap? And what was with those rewards? 5,000 exp? I killed a man for that much exp, and all I had to do to get the same amount was kill whatever the fuck a blue papilio was?!
I...I don't even…Well...at the very least, I found another source of exp. With new interest, I poured over the quests, trying to find one that was on the sixth floor or above. No such luck. I found another for the seventh floor, to get 100 killer ant mandibles for 20,000 exp and 50,000 valis as a reward. But nothing for the sixth floor.
"Good morning Mr. Jericho!" Lili returned, sounding extremely chipper for this early hour. I got up at this time most days, but that didn't mean I liked to do it. I needed at least three cups of coffee before I became anything recognizable as a human being. That God- er, gods for Gamer Body. "Are you looking for a quest to take?"
"Er, good morning. And yeah, " I confirmed, looking down at her. "But, it looks like there's nothing above the seventh floor.
Lili nodded, adjusting the straps to her backpack. I was never going to get over how odd it looked seeing a small girl like Lili lifting a bag like that with utter ease, especially when I struggled with it so much yesterday. "There won't be, but if Mr. Jericho is fine with taking quests that don't involve the Dungeon, then he can always visit a tavern and most tend to have a quest board."
I guess that was another reason to check out the Hostess of Fertility.
"Well, it's something to keep in mind, I guess," I said, taking one last look at the quest board before turning away. I needed to start taking quests, the sooner the better. If it was possible to catch up to the amount of exp I needed every day, then that was it.
"Lili is all set! Lili will admit that she isn't used to waking up this early -- does Mr. Jericho always come this early?" Lili asked as we walked towards the Dungeon.
I shrugged my shoulders, "I haven't been an adventurer long enough to call it a habit, but I'll probably usually come around this time. If that's okay?"
Lili nodded, "Lili is really impressed," she said, sounding impressed but I got the feeling that she wasn't beneath the facade. "Did Mr. Jericho start this early yesterday?" When I nodded, she continued to gush, "Mr. Jericho really is an incredible adventurer! Lili wishes she big and strong like Mr. Jericho instead of being a weak pallum!"
And it was never going to stop catching me off guard when she said really depressing stuff like that in such a happy voice.
"Lili tried to be an adventurer, but she didn't have any talent for it, that's how Lili became a supporter instead," Lili said, giving me a smile as she craned her head to look up at me. I knew what she was doing too -- she was trying to drum up pity, to tug at my heartstrings. And it was working.
"Well," how did I navigate this minefield? "If you'd like, maybe I can try to help you with that?" I offered, though it sounded a lot like a question. "I mean, I can act as your backup-" I would have continued but Lili was already shaking her head no.
"Mr. Jericho is very kind, but it's okay. Lili just doesn't have the talent to be a strong adventurer. Maybe in the next life, the gods will bless Lili with the strength to be one," Lili dismissed with a shake of her head.
"I…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say to that. I could hardly grab her by the shoulders and tell her to stop being depressed and believe in herself. For starters, we met each other once. Bonds were quick to form in combat, but not that quick.
"Jericho!" A woman's voice interrupted me before I could say anything, I looked over to see Eina waving me down as she walked up to me.
"Oh, hey," I greeted, giving her a smile that hid my nervousness. I knew exactly what she was about to say before she said it.
"Good morning," Eina greeted before turning to Lili, a pleasant expression on her face that couldn't hide her suspicious eyes. "Are you his supporter, miss…?"
"Lili's name is Lili, and she is Mr. Jericho's supporter," Lili confirmed with a nod of her head, looking at me with some confusion. That pleasant smile on Eina's face turned downright deadly.
"I see. And, why would a rookie that's only been an adventurer for three days, who should still be on the first floor, need the help of a supporter?" Eina asked, her tone sharp as a blade. It must have been because each word was a different cut into my soul with how she was looking at me.
"Ummm," I started, looking absolutely everywhere but at her, "a rookie adventurer that's going down to the sixth floor?" I answered, bracing myself. It seemed that I was going to get yelled at this morning, and Eina didn't disappoint in that regard. Unfortunately.
"The sixth floor?!" Eina shouted, bringing the few people that were in the Guildhall to turn their attention to us. "You've been going down to the sixth floor? Since when?" She demanded, but something in her tone told me that she knew exactly when I went down. "Since. When?" She repeated when I failed to answer.
"Uh," I started, my gaze drifting over to the Dungeon, wondering if it was worth it to just make a break for it. "You know. The other day…" Did I really have to take this? Wait, I don't think I did. I didn't have to stand here and get yelled at-
"You mean the day you went down there in nothing but a blanket?!" Eina shouted, the growing fury on her face cutting off any thought of telling her off for yelling at me.
"Mr. Jericho went into the Dungeon wearing a blanket?" Lili questioned, making me look at her with no small amount of exasperation.
"It's a long story," I avoided the question before turning to Eina. "And...yeah- But!" I hastily continued when she took in another breath to continue yelling at me, "but I can handle it. Yesterday, I pulled in about thirty thousand valis, and I barely suffered a scratch -- see," I pointed out, gesturing to my pants that were still stitched together, revealing no skin.
"Lili can vouch for Mr. Jericho," Lili offered, giving Eina a nod, "Actually, Lili thinks that Mr. Jericho could go down to the seventh floor with his abilities."
Eina turned on the smaller girl, her glare so sharp it probably would have taken off some health points if she aimed it at me. Lili just smiled back sweetly, which took the edge off Eina focused fury. "Are you saying that a rookie adventurer should go down to the seventh floor, where killer ants spawn? The rookie killers of the upper floors?"
That might have been a rhetorical question, but Lili nodded all the same as my mind raced. Did she actually think I could make it on the seventh floor? But...hm...I had wondered about my stat points since they lacked the letter grade that Danmachi went by, but hadn't the game system before I arrived here said something about syncing?
I figured I was able to advance so fast was mostly because of my height, natural strength, and the monsters I was up against being so weak I could step on them to kill them. But that didn't explain the jumps in power I was experiencing. Did my stats not match up with the typical falna system?
Or...was I overthinking it, and it was the quality of my enemies that made it so easy for me to advance and Lili was lowkey trying to get me killed?
"Lili might not look very reliable, but she's been as deep as the eleventh floor," Lili said, earning a shocked look from Eina. "Lili believes that Mr. Jericho can go to the seventh floor, but if he does get overwhelmed, then Lili promises that she'll make sure that he returns," Lili stated and what I wouldn't give to have Hestia standing next to me to see if she was telling the truth.
I had no idea where I stood with Lili other than I made a really, really awful first impression then kinda made up for it by slitting the loot evenly. What I did know was that she hated adventurers and I was an adventurer.
Though, thankfully, that seemed to take the wind from Eina's sails. She searched Lili's face for any hint that she was lying before she let out a sigh, turning her attention back to me. "I...can't stop you from going down there, but have you at least done the reading that I gave you to prepare for it."
"I-" I started, a lie on my tongue, but I hesitated to say it. That hesitation cost me. Eina frowned at me, pushing up her glasses and giving me a disappointed look.
"I see. Misha said you were serious about this," she commented, earning a small wince from me. That was...fair, I guess.
"I meant to read them, but there just hasn't been much time," I protested, "I've been in the Dungeon for about twelve hours every day, and when I get back home I'm spending time with Hestia."
Eina's lips pressed together into a small frown, then she nodded slowly, apparently accepting my excuse which made me warier than reassured. "I understand," she said, "you're the first member of a new familia, so it's understandable that you're feeling overwhelmed…" She trailed off and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a but coming.
"But," she continued, "these are things that you have to learn, Jericho. Especially when you don't have a senior to teach you. If there's not enough time, then you have to make time!"
"Well," I started, frowning at her. She wasn't wrong, not really. I just had higher priorities -- gaining exp, Hestia, earning Lili's trust and providing for my familia. There just weren't enough hours in the day.
"I'll do whatever I can to meet you halfway," Eina offered, her expression serious. "I can tutor you, offer lessons, explanations, whatever you need to survive down there. But I can't help you if you don't try to help yourself."
She really wanted to help me. My excuses for not accepting it felt hollow -- how much exp could I gather in two hours? A couple hundred? Maybe a little more? I was already so far behind the amount of exp I needed to gain to level up in sync with the canon timeline that a couple of hundred exp was just a drop in the bucket.
If they were that important, then I just had to make up for the lost time.
"Okay," I agreed with a nod, seeing a smile tug at the edges of Eina's face. "I'll cut my day short by a few hours. Around...threeish?" I offered, getting a firm nod from Eina. She visibly relaxed, the tension easing out of her posture.
"Threeish it is," Eina agreed, her smile becoming a lot friendlier in nature. "I know I'm being pushy about this, but I'm doing this for your own good. I hope that you know that," Eina said, getting a lopsided grin out of me.
"Don't worry about that," I dismissed with a shake of my head. "To be honest, it's probably a good thing that you are pushing the issue. It's not like I'm avoiding reading about the Dungeon, but I have so many other priorities it got bumped down the list."
"I understand," Eina said, offering me another smile and a nod, stepping out of our way. "I'll see you at three. Just...please, be careful."
With that, we made our way into the Dungeon, passing through familiar halls. As soon as we hit the second floor, I looked down at Lili to catch her looking up at me. "Does Mr. Jericho want to carry Lili again?"
"If it wouldn't be a bother," I said, dropping to a knee so Lili could climb on. Rising to my feet, I felt the difference between today and yesterday. It still felt like Lili's pack was filled with bricks, and I still had to hunch over to avoid her strangling me, but I could lift her with more ease. Walking was still a struggle, though.
Picking up the pace, I started to jog through the tunnels, the Dungeon offering up minimal resistance to let me delve deeper into it. A goblin jumped out of a shadow, only to be skewered as I passed it by. We didn't bother picking up the monster stones from the first couple of floors anymore. With my map open, it didn't take us long to pass through the third, fourth or fifth floors.
Arriving on the sixth, I already felt my legs burning with exertion, my breaths were deep but under control even as a sheen of sweat formed on my forehead. "Does Mr. Jericho need to take a break?" Lili asked, hanging off my neck.
"I'm good," I told her, picking up the pace as I began to head towards the unexplored parts of the floor, still searching for the entrance to the seventh floor. I heard the sharp sound of the Dungeon walls cracking to give birth to monsters. "Lili-" I started, only for Lili to let go of me so I could fight unimpeded.
A war shadow emerged from the shadows, a lone eye turning towards me as three others appeared behind it. I raised my sword, rushing towards the first and it lunged to meet me. Its three claws slashed at me, only to feel the bite of my new sword as I swung at its arm. My blade felt like it was moving through cement or tar, I was able to cut through it but it was hardly a clean cut. The offending arm fell to the ground, but before it hit, I switched my grip to hit the monster with the backswing.
I slashed at its hip, intent on bisecting the monster, but again it felt like I was cutting through tar. I was forced to grip my sword with both hands to force my sword through. As the two halves hit the ground, I moved on to the other three.
Head strikes seemed to be the most effective against these monsters, I thought as I thrust my sword at the oversized eye of one of the war shadows. It bobbed out of the way, the edge of my sword cutting its face. But that was fine. I lashed out with a fist at another when it lunged at me, trying to seize an opportunity. My fist slammed into the side of its head, my reach far greater than its, and as it lost its balance, I skewered it with my sword.
By that time the other two were on top of me. I backed off, dodging a swipe at my chest before backing off another few steps. My chest was protected, by my legs weren't. They were what I had to worry about. Sucking in a low breath, I attacked the closet war shadow. I swiped at its head, only for it to duck underneath. That was fine, I figured as I threw a knee at its head.
It smacked into its giant eyeball, crushing it. At the same time, the other war shadow swiped at my thigh. My sword was in position to absorb the worst of the attack, but I felt pain flare in my thigh as its claws bit into them. Snarling, I stabbed the monster through the chest, grabbing it by the head to slam it against the Dungeon wall, hitting the last war shadow, knocking it off its feet. When the war shadows head cracked open like an egg, I finished off the last one.
20 exp right there.
"Is Mr. Jericho alright?" Lili asked, appearing from behind me, sparing a glance at my leg. I inspected the cut, seeing that it was little more than a flesh wound that took off a single point of health, I gave her a nod.
"All good," I told her, looking out at the tunnels in front of us. Lili grabbed the monster stones with practiced ease, spending less than two minutes to do all of them. It was a small break, but I appreciate it before Lili retook her place on my back as I continued to jog through the tunnels, my sword at the ready.
"Did Mr. Jericho get a lot of stat points for carrying Lili?" Lili asked as I ran, surprising me. Yesterday, I was the one that had to make idle conversation.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, keeping my breathing even. Who would have guessed those years in cross-country would have paid off? I spotted another monster crawling out of the walls. A goblin. "Hold on," I said, jumping up to come down on the monster, crushing it underfoot.
"Ah, Lili shouldn't have asked that. Falna is supposed to be super secretive," she informed, probably thinking that I didn't know. "Please forgive Lili's rudeness!"
"Eh, it's all good," I dismissed the issue, turning a corner, "but, yeah, I made a bit of progress." How much progress, I wasn't certain anymore. I thought I was still a scrub level newb adventurer, but if my stats had more weight than normal, then I wasn't sure where exactly I stood.
"...Mr. Jericho, when Lili said statuses are secretive, she meant that Mr. Jericho shouldn't say anything about his." She commented lightly, earning a huff from me.
"It's not like I'm listing out how much I gained, or anything. The reason you asked was that you noticed I was able to run with you longer, right?" I shot back, keeping my pace and breathing even. Four steps breathing in and four steps breathing out. "But...Lili, did you mean what you said you thought I could make it on the seventh floor?"
Lili didn't answer for a beat of silence, "Lili thinks that Mr. Jericho could, but it would be a bad idea." She answered slowly, her tone carefully even to give nothing away. "Mr. Jericho's swordsmanship is very...erm…"
"Bad? Awful? Sucks?" I offered, thinking that much was true. Unless the times me and my brother beat the ever-loving shit out of each other with lightsabers counted, I never held a sword before coming here.
"So, she would be worried about Mr. Jericho not being able to kill the killer ants fast enough since if they have a chance to release pheromones as they're dying, they'll attract a swarm. But, Mr. Jericho is also super strong, so he might be able to cut through the ants exoskeletons." Lili said, ignoring my suggestions, but confirming them with her lack of a comment.
I nodded at her words, turning another corner before being forced to take a hit in the chest from a frog shooter. My hand darted out, grabbing the tongue, and yanking it towards me. I stomped on its head, the eye breaking apart like jello before I moved on. All the while, I pondered what she said.
Images of a cavern filled with ants came to mind from a scene in the anime. Dozens of ants, like what you see when you poke an anthill, only the ants were the size of people. I wouldn't be able to do anything against numbers like that. But, if it was a few at a time...if hacking at the exoskeleton didn't do the trick, then I could always just start stomping on them since that always seemed to do the trick.
"...Could you tell me their weak points?" I asked, mulling an idea over. I was so far behind where I needed to be, it went so far beyond not being funny that it looped back around to be hilarious. I needed exp and, unless I want to start murdering people, then I needed better sources of it. Quests would give me a ton, but the floors I had to get to to do them were out of reach. I could fight on the sixth floor practically naked if I could go into the seventh, then I should.
What if a killer ant gave 10 exp? Killing the same number of war shadows earlier would net me 40 exp. The spawn times increased, so I would spend more time fighting them -- if I increased my stats enough, I could fight with Lili on my back and grind them even further. Stats were the priority, but if I could avoid falling further behind the daily exp need, then I would.
"Their necks, legs, and eyes are weak points. The legs more so to disable a killer ant to make finishing it off easier," Lili answered.
"And how long does it take for a swarm to gather?" I questioned, thinking I could do that easily enough. Chop off heads, stomp on them if I couldn't, or take out the legs before doing either above.
"It depends," Lili hedged, "the pheromones attract killer ants that are nearby after a few minutes. Swarms don't really happen until you reach the lower floors or you're near a pantry." Lili explained, eliminating my biggest worry. If I wasn't going to face down a hundred of the buggers, then I was feeling pretty confident about my odds.
"...Are we near the entrance?" I asked after a moment of thought.
"...we are. Just up ahead, and turn left then right. Is Mr. Jericho sure about this?" Lili questioned as I picked up the pace. I nodded in response, taking a left and spotting the right.
"I won't explore too far. I'll hang around the entrance for a quick escape," I told her, thinking over the plan again. There could be some resistance when we try to retreat, but, for the most part, I could run through whatever the Dungeon threw at me. The ants weren't likely to follow me up, but even if they did, I was certain I could outrun them.
"If Mr. Jericho is sure," Lili agreed as I finally laid eyes on the entrance to the seventh floor. I looked down at it, an innocent-looking hole in the wall with steps carved downward. I lowered myself, letting Lili hop off my back while a hand went to the satchel to pull out a stamina potion. I downed it in a single gulp before I found myself walking down the steps, Lili a step behind me.
Then, I set foot on the seventh floor for the first time.
I took in the new floor. It looked nearly identical to the sixth, except for that the color had changed. The floors lost the bluish hue to them from the glowing crystals in the wall, revealing everything to be a dull yellowish-brown. The stones overhead were yellow in color, acting as a fluorescent light almost.
"Mr. Jericho seems very happy," Lili noted, adjusting her strap.
"I am," I agreed, smiling faintly, my eyes peeled for trouble. I was on a new floor, fighting new monsters, and hopefully making leaps forward instead of baby steps.
"Most adventurers spend at least a year getting to this floor," Lili reminded lightly. And I did it in less than a week.
Before I could make a comment back, the wall cracked in front of us, a killer ant pushing itself through. It looked like the ant in the Ant-man movie, I noticed as I rushed towards it. Except its exoskeleton had an almost glossy sheen to it underneath the light and its black eyes were the same color as the deepest, darkest pit in the depths of hell. It was a lot larger than the other monsters I fought so far, standing tall it would be around 5 feet, though it was the same size as Lili when it stood on all its legs.
No sooner than it freed itself from the Dungeon wall, I fell upon it. Lili's words were fresh in mind. I swung at its head, where its thorax and head met and felt my blade sink into it. It caught halfway, almost like the war shadows before, but this time it was something hard that stopped me from decapitating it in one go. Even with my sword buried in it, the ant lunged at me, intent on biting down on my thigh, and it would have managed it if I hadn't jerked my leg back.
Clenching my teeth, I forced my blade through, cutting through what looked like a bone to do it. Its head fell to the floor, its body still half into the Dungeon wall. I summoned my status with a thought, eager to learn how much exp they were worth.
Jericho
Level: 1
Progress to level 2: 6,735/1,000,000
Strength: 11 (+4)
Endurance: 30 (+1)
Dexterity: 24 (+1)
Intelligence: 4 (+2)
Sense: 19 (+3)
Development Abilities:
Physical Resistance: The user receives 3% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.
Skills:
Gamer Body: The user's body is that of a video game.
Massage: Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity and Strength stat.
Kissing: An intimate act between lovers that, if done well, can bring pleasure to the target. Effectiveness is determined by the Dexterity and Sense stat.
12 exp. They were worth 12 exp. Dear lord, that felt good. Oh, man...12 exp. More than double any monster offered up until now. 12 exp...whew. That...that was almost as good as the orgasms I had this morning. I mean, I would still have to kill several thousand of them to meet my daily quota, but, at the moment, that 12 exp felt so, so good.
More killer ants began to spawn ahead of us. Tilting my head back, I saw that the same for behind us. Since next to no one was on this floor, the Dungeon could afford to throw everything that it had at us. By the time the crowds came, the respawn time limit would have ticked by.
"Lili, stay close," I ordered, rushing forward to dispatch the monsters ahead of us.
"Lili will hold the rear," Lili informed, the twang of her crossbow echoing in the tunnels that slowly grew noisier. I don't know how it managed it, but it was pretty much a machine gun that fired deceptively powerful bolts. I heard the pained cries of the killer ants behind me, Lili would know better than anyone to quickly finish them off.
I neared the first killer ant as it rushed to meet me, its giant mandibles widening to take a bite out of my leg. I raised a foot to crush its head instead, throwing all my weight behind it. I felt a lot more resistance than I normally did, but the killer ant's head still cracked open like an egg. I paid the gunk coating my shoe no mind in favor of turning my attention to the other three killer ants that crawled out of the walls.
All three of them converged on me as they made weird clicking noises that managed to creep me out. My reach was so great that I could bring my blade down on the nearest one long before it came anywhere close to me. I brought it down on its head, my sword managing to cut through some of the exoskeleton, by not enough to kill it. Moving forward, I angled the blade down, with my weight behind it, it pierced the monster instead, stabbing it in the head.
Switching my grip, I yanked my blade free before I thrust it into one of the eyes of the second one. There was a lot less resistance there. The third lunged at me, forcing me to dart back a half step, pulling my sword free in the process. I slashed at it, my sword digging into the monster's face, lodging halfway through its eye, but that wasn't enough to kill it.
With a snarl, I lifted the monster up, grabbing the other end of my sword, before I slammed the monsters head into the Dungeon wall, my sword parallel to it. The sword dug in further, the ant lashing out with its legs, the blows that it landed were powerful, easily stronger than the frog shooters by half, but I didn't let it stop me from finishing the ant off. With another slam, I shaved the ants head in half, killing it.
The fight wasn't over, though. I turned around to see Lili still fighting off a single remaining ant. Its eyes had a lot in common with pincushions, an arrow wherever there was a chink in the exoskeleton. The ant wasn't even making its way to her, just thrashing wildly right up until I walked over to stomp on its head.
Looking around, I saw the fight was over, and only then did I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding."Whew," I let out a breath, flinging gunk off my hand. "That was kinda intense," I said, glancing at the corpses to make sure they were all dead. They were. Perfect.
"Lili thinks Mr. Jericho is more suited to this floor," Lili commented as she began to retrieve the magic stones. "The larger monsters are normal-sized monsters for Mr. Jericho."
"Yeah, they're easier to hit than goblins, at least," I agreed with a nod of my head. Once I get used to fighting them, I don't think killer ants would be any problem at all-
"But, please don't get too overconfident! This floor is very dangerous, Mr. Jericho," Lili commented, looking concerned but unworried. "It's very easy to get overwhelmed down here, so please do not stray too far from Lili. She'd really weak. Lili would die if Mr. Jericho doesn't protect her."
...It was like she could read my thoughts or something.
"I won't let you die," I told her. It was only now that I started to realize what I was trying to do. Lili hated adventurers. Not like how I hated people who didn't use their turn signals or people who crank up the bass in their cars until the entire apartment complex can feel the vibrations at 1 in the morning. She harbored a deep personal hate for adventurers and I had absolutely no idea if I was included in that. I think she was warming up to me, but...I just didn't know. "And, even if you aren't strong, you're a hell of a lot braver than me. If I wasn't built like I am, then I'd be too terrified to ever enter the Dungeon the first place."
"Mr. Jericho is very kind," Lili said, giving me a smile that I hoped was a little more genuine. I just had absolutely no idea if she meant it.
"I'm honest," I lied, turning my attention back to the tunnels. It didn't take Lili very long to finish retrieving the monster stone, and she found a mandible too. So, I just needed another ninety-nine and I would get that sweet, sweet exp.
Lili silently fell in step behind me as we walked through the tunnels. I expected it to be a constant fight down here, but there was only the occasional monster spawning. That was...kinda disappointing.
Before long, I heard the sounds of footsteps and labored breathing echo through the tunnels, getting closer with every second. I held a hand up for Lili to stop, as I got ready for a fight. I heard her cock her crossbow and take aim, the footsteps getting closer until-
To my surprise, I recognized him. A middle-aged guy, his shaggy brown hair flowing into mutton chops with two little round ears on top of his head. A thin goatee sprung up around his mouth, whispy and thin. He stood just over five feet tall, a red scarf around his neck. He looked almost identical to how he did in the anime. Everything about him reminded me of a middle-aged man that was only happy with a beer in his hand and a football game on the tv.
He came to a skidding halt when he saw us, sweat dripping down his forehead. His gaze darted to me, clenching the sword in his hand before they shot over to Lili. His eyes widened a fraction when I heard Lili suck in a low breath.
This was the guy that tormented Lili. Who beat, betrayed and left her to die in a swarm of killer ants.
"Is there a swarm?" I asked, making a show of lowering my guard ever so slightly. I stole a glance at Lili, her hood made it impossible to tell what expression she wore, but she trembled ever so slightly. Her crossbow was pointed to the ground, so I didn't think she was going to shoot him.
"There, ah, there's no swarm," Asshole the Second said, wiping his brow with his forearm. He swallowed thickly, looking nervous as all hell as he glanced at Lili again. "Just in a hurry to get back up top," He wasn't anywhere near as good of an actor as Lili was as he gave a shrug of his shoulders. Then he paused, his eyes looking away from my face down to my sword.
"Nice sword," he suddenly changed the subject- oh, fucking shit. That guy. That guy that I killed yesterday, wasn't one of the guys that laid a trap for Lili carry an Asian sword? Did Asshole the First and Second know each other? I couldn't remember, the former was such a nonentity I completely forgot about him.
"Thanks. Bought it at a pawn shop," I answered, trying to throw him off the trail. "They sell decent stuff for cheap. Can give you the name, if you want," I offered, hoping that he wouldn't call my bluff.
Except it didn't matter, did it? Lili was standing right behind me. She didn't know me. She didn't trust me. I was willing to bet all the money in the world that if Asshole the Second asked where I got the sword, she would answer. Except he wouldn't have to because, judging from that smirk on his face, he didn't buy my bullshit at all.
"Eh, I prefer quality work myself," he said with a shrug. I...what should I do in this situation? This guy definitely suspected that I murdered whatshisface. Would he do anything about it? I don't think so? Maybe? I had absolutely no clue, and that was the scary part. I didn't know what he would do with the information. Would he blackmail me? Sell me out to the familia that guy belonged to?
What were my options? I...convincing him to tell no one...or...making sure that he couldn't tell anyone?
Should I kill him?
"But, as much as I love chit-chatting in the Dungeon, I have a delivery to make. Nice meeting 'ya," he said, walking towards me with a carefree expression on his face that didn't match up at all with his hand gripping a sword at his belt.
Killing him would make sure that he couldn't tell anyone. Lili would be a separate matter, but this guy tormented her so I doubt she'd be the loose lips that sunk the ship. Not to mention the nice pile of exp I would get for it. And whatever was in that bag of his. And…but…
Last time, I was acting in self-defense. He would have killed me if I hadn't killed him first. This...would be straight-up murder, wouldn't it? Killing was one thing, but murder? In cold blood? For something that he might do? That...I wasn't so sure about.
I knew he was an asshole from the anime… It wasn't like I would be murdering a saint or anything. But, still, it was murder. Like, actual murder. Last time, I killed that guy because he was trying to kill me. Maybe I didn't have to kill him, but he had forced my hand. I didn't have a choice.
There was a difference between reacting to a guy trying to kill you and premeditating murder to kill a guy over what he might do. And I had a deep feeling in my gut that no matter what I picked, it was going to regret my choice.
I was hesitating, I realized. And that probably answered my question.
Asshole the Second didn't give me time to think it through. He kept walking, the confident expression on his face a silent challenge for me to try to stop him. And, in the end, I stepped out of the way. His smile grew when he walked by me, sending Lili a look that she refused to meet before he continued on his way.
I clenched my sword so tightly that my knuckles were white. I knew I was going to regret whatever choice I made, but I think out of the two bad choices I found myself with, I think I picked the wrong one.
....
AN: And since I know the ending is going to ruffle some feathers -- When you've realized you've made a mistake, you aren't likely to repeat it.
The next chapter is currently available on my Patreon, so if you want to read it a week early, all it takes is a single dollar in the tip jar. Or, for five dollars, you can read the chapter after that two weeks before its public release! I hope you enjoyed!
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