For the next few days, Zane let his Servants split up to clear out all the rooms in the Dungeon. For a D-Rank place, it was quite large—a signature trait of the Catacombs-archetype. To search every possible chamber for enemies would take a while, but while Zane wanted to return to the surface as soon as possible, he also wanted to maximize the benefits he could gain from this Dungeon—after all, he would most likely never be able to come back.
And besides—he needed to be as strong as possible to face the looming threat that guarded his way back to the surface anyway.
To maximize time efficiency, Dahrka and Azakiel plowed through the various chambers of the Dungeon, while Zane spent his time cooped up in the Training Dungeon to practice and master certain techniques like his bladework, as well as to simply reflect and think. Since he gained all of the EXP they reaped, that was hardly a concern.
Over time, he also attempted to feed Scarlet some more of his blood, but strangely enough, the Dragon did not want it. It would seem it needed more time to digest the blood from before, even after a few days. Abnormal for sure, but Zane didn't really understand Dragon anatomy, so he wasn't one to talk.
Now, it had been nearly a week since the beginning of the clean-up regime, and the remaining Dungeon monsters had just about all been cleared. Azakiel, returning from his Hunt, kneeled before Zane and made his report.
Zane nodded. "I see… it's about time we confront it."
Naturally, the chamber he spoke of was the illusory golden cage, now revealed to be a basement cellar of sorts. There was quite a powerful presence lurking inside, and to be honest, Zane didn't even know if the two of them were ready to take it on together—but he had to try. After all, that was their way out of the Dungeon. Opening his System, he glossed over his status screen, just to check on the progress he'd made over the past few days.
[Status]
[Zane Silverdale]
Race - Vampire | Sex - Male | Age - 25
Titles | [???, Bearer of the Immortal Blood Body, Ascendant]
Level 16 | [Progenitor] | EXP: 250/1,600
Specialization: Omnipotence
Physique: Immortal Blood Body
[STR: 63] [DEF: 48] [AGI: 60] [INT: 60] [DEX: 40]
Skills: [Devour II] [Regeneration V] [Soul Detect I] [Blood Mark I] [Sanguine Resurrection I] [Fire Mastery I] [Cartography V] [Invisibility II] [Teleportation II]
"Gawr…?" Scarlet tilted its head, sniffing a fight in the air. Zane, glancing at it perched on top of his shoulder, gently placed a finger to its mouth and let it lick him affectionately.
"We'll go tomorrow, Scarlet. For now, let's rest and prepare."
The Dragon nodded in agreement, and sighing, Zane leaned back in the stone throne he'd been sitting in.
He'd said 'tomorrow' just now, but in reality, down here in the catacombs, it was difficult to keep track of exact intervals of time like that. In fact, Zane had long forgotten how long exactly he'd spent down here, and could only give about a rough estimate.
In fact, the only reason he knew that the one-week deadline was approaching was because of the increase in Taken enemies he'd been seeing—enemies who'd been corrupted by the mysterious energy that begins to appear in Dungeons after five days of initial opening, known as the Scourge. The corruption process usually took about a day, so Zane could be confident in his calculations.
As such, Zane also knew that tomorrow would be the last chance he had. At the one week mark of a Dungeon's opening, if it had not closed and the Dungeon party had not returned, the Hunter's Association would send a rescue party in. That meant Zane would almost be guaranteed to be able to make it out of here alive, but it also meant that he wouldn't be able to reap the rewards of slaying the Dungeon boss all by themselves.
Zane spent quite some time thinking about what to do. He'd sensed the monster in that unexplored chamber before, when he'd obtained the [Cartography] skill. It had been no joking matter, and without a doubt, it would be stronger than anything Zane had ever faced before. Ultimately, however, he settled on a plan—he'd attempt the fight first, just to gauge the enemy's true strength level and abilities. Then, if he deemed the battle winnable, he'd go all-out—and if not, well—he'd retreat and wait for the rescue party.
After all, in the end, survival—living—was what was most important to him. That was the promise he made with his friend, and he intended to fulfill it.
Closing his eyes and furrowing his brows, he rested his head against his fist, and pondered.
'The creature inside that basement… I really hope it isn't who I think it is.'
*****
A few hours of rest and preparation later, Zane and his Servants set off in the direction of the basement cellar.
There was no telling what kind of monster they would face in there—but Zane knew one thing for sure: it was strong. Terrifyingly so. His equipment was adequate, he thought, but it wouldn't save him if he let the creature land a good attack.
Soon, they arrived before their destination. The moment Zane got near to the entrance of the staircase leading downwards, he could feel it—the cold, ominous energy lurking in the air, belonging to an entity of pure death and darkness. The last time he'd been here, shivers had crawled up his arm. But now, that was no more.
Now, Zane was ready—and stronger than ever before.
Even if he ended up under-leveled for this fight, he really didn't have much of a choice to begin with—his current strength was the maximum he could reach within this Dungeon, since there were no other enemies to slay. The Training Dungeon could provide combat experience, but not any actual levels or power.
In other words, this scenario was already the best one possible for Zane. He had to fight either here—or never.
"This is it, Scarlet. The final fight we'll be having for a while. Make it a good one."
In response, the Dragon let out a determined growl—it was ready too.