Ren simply couldn't come up with a solution at this point. He decided he would ask Miach when he returned.
Ren stopped the shadow and decided to have it return to him. He watched as it turned into a more incorporeal form and merged back into him.
Ren felt like a whole again. His missing stats returned as he let out a sigh of relief. The whispers began echoing in his head once again, but Ren felt like they were a bit more passive.
Ren wanted to leave to dungeon for a bit. He wanted to buy a sword for the shadow. He and the shadow could essentially be a two man party.
Ren left the dungeon and returned to the pharmacy. He hadn't carried enough money with him to buy a good sword.
"Welcome to the Blue- Ren?"
"Hey Naaza."
"You're back early."
"There's something I forgot."
"Hmm?"
Naaza was a little confused. This was something Ren had never done before.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah."
Ren found his stash of coins and took out 50,000 valis.
"I'm going back out."
"Make sure you stay safe."
"Of course."
Ignoring Naaza's concern, Ren headed to a blacksmith. After a quick transaction, he headed back to the dungeon with two swords in hand.
The line to enter the dungeon was noticeably longer than before. It was frustrating to have to wait, but that was the procedure.
One of the things that kept him busy in the line was spotting characters from the series. It didn't do much for him anymore, but it did pass the time.
Ren eventually got into the dungeon and rushed down. The shadow manifested itself upon command, grabbing the sword that Ren had bought for it.
Ren decided to head to the 5th floor. This was when stronger monsters appeared. However, he did need to be careful since they were significantly stronger. Most Level 1 adventurers die between the 5th and 7th floors.
After killing a few dungeon lizards, Haruki and the shadow entered the 5th floor. The walls were a light brown with much more light in the room.
Ren quickly ran into a war shadow.
'The newbie killer itself.'
Ren and the shadow stepped forward, ready to meet the monster. The war shadow lunged, swinging its hand.
Ren dodged and the shadow dodged, avoiding the monster's knife-like hands. The monster slashed again. Ren parried, leaving the shadow to perform a low sweep. The monster staggered.
'We can do this.'
The two circle the monster, attacking it in waves. The monster retaliated, attacking in wild and unpredictable strikes.
Suddenly, Ren stumbled, causing the monster to leave a gash across his shoulder. The shadow pierced the monster's side.
The shadow staggered as it bled, its movements weakening. They fought on in a desperate clash.
The two pressed their advantage, leaving no room for the monster to attack. In a final lunge, Ren and the shadow drove their blades deep into the monster. The monster shuddered and fell apart, leaving behind a finger blade.
Ren sat on the floor panting. He pulled out a potion and drank it. The shadow stood beside, watching.
Ren stood up as the wound stopped bleeding.
"Let's go."
The shadow surprisingly nodded, though Ren didn't see the action as he walked ahead.
At this point, Ren wouldn't be surprised by this. The shadow seemed to have basic intelligence that would allow it to act outside of his instructions.
The two continued to hunt monsters. Their coordination steadily improved, and their thoughts fell more in sync.
It began to feel like there was no delay between Ren and the shadow.
Eventually, Ren began to feel a little tired. This was the first time he had gotten this many injuries in the dungeon.
Ren quickly dismissed the shadow as he decided to leave. As the shadow merged back into his body, Ren felt an overwhelming exhaustion engulf him.
'Is this exhaustion from the shadow?'
Ren quickly came to a conclusion. He couldn't even hear the shadow's whispers.
'I need to leave.'
Ren knew he had to be fast. He could feel that he was close to passing out. His breath grew heavy as his knees weakened.
Just as he was about to collapse, Ren saw a familiar face in his peripheral. A smile appeared on his face as his eyes closed.
"REN!"
That was the last thing Ren heard as he lost consciousness.
...
"Hmm?"
Ren awakened groggily. He could feel that he was moving.
"Oh, you're awake?"
"Bell?"
"You shouldn't push yourself like that. What were you going to do if there was no one around to help you?"
"I understand."
Ren smiled as Bell admonished him. This was one of the only people who shouldn't warn him about the dangers of dungeon diving. If he wasn't wrong, Ren should have just finished his rampage on the 6th floor.
"How did you end like this?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
Although he was being carried by Bell, Ren could still see the blood stains and the torn clothes on Ren's body.
Bell reddened a bit. He had gotten carried away and ended up on the 6th floor.
"I came across a group of monsters on the 6th floor. You?"
"I was testing out one of my skills. I'll show you one day."