"I'm back!" Raven shouted as he entered the castle.
He took off his cape, revealing his pale skin and pitch-black hair.
On the other side of the room, was a woman dusting off an old wardrobe.
Her hair was light red.
She was wearing tight black pants and light armor that covered her upper body.
The woman, just like Raven, looked human, at first glance.
"Quicker than expected. Mess anything up?" She said, without turning towards Raven.
"Tsk. A cold welcome. Again. Why are you always the one greeting me?"
"This place is always a mess. Either dusty or dirty because of you. Why would I be anything but cold towards you?" The woman answered.
A tail covered by red scales dangled lazily behind her.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Bam-
"No. No, no, no, no. You did not." The woman said as she heard the sound produced.
"What?"
She turned around, revealing her slit pupils and golden eyes.
A small part of her face was covered by scales. Just above her right eye.
The scales blended in nicely with her skin.
A descendant of Mythical Beings known throughout the entire world.
Mythical Beings known even in worlds they do not reside in.
Beings who dwelled in a certain city.
A city at the Land of the First Kindled Inferno's center.
The city, was called Draconia.
And the red-haired "woman" had been named after that city.
Although she did prefer to be called Nia.
Despite the grandiose origins of her name, she preferred Nia.
Perhaps because of those grandiose origins.
"You..."
Her eyes fell on the unconscious Mark.
The next second, the temperature inside the whole castle seemed to rise by a few degrees.
"Why did you bring him here?" The coldness in Draconia's voice made her words resonate much more powerfully through the room's heating air.
"Huh? What do you mean? You sent me to watch over him while he was outside." Raven answered, slightly surprised by the reaction.
"Yes. So? I'll repeat myself. Why did you bring him here?" Nia said, as she took a step forward.
Her step was light, but it felt as if the whole room shook because of it.
"Well... What was I supposed to do with him?"
A burning red Aura started oozing out of Draconia's body.
Her red hair started flowing upwards.
'Where the... Hell... Am I...?'
It seemed being thrown to the ground by Raven had woken him up.
The next second, Nia took a deep breath to calm herself.
"You were supposed to put him back inside." She answered before raising a hand towards Mark, who had barely opened an eye.
[The Spell "Deep Sleep" has been cast on you.]
Draconia started walking away, and Mark fell into a slumber.
"Huh? Why? He already exited though?"
Raven followed her.
"Barely. He still has a lot to do in there."
"But what if he dies like that other Candidate?"
"Then, just like that one, he wasn't worthy. Our Master has made those ten Dungeons for those ten Candidates. If they can't make it out alive, then they'll just die in there. We're not desperate enough to bring in some immature... Ugh! Do I have to explain everything?"
"Tsk. I know that but... They have so much potential. He's only a couple of weeks old. Do you have any idea how long it took me to be as strong as that guy is now? Well, not that long, but not weeks either. The fact that not only Greed but also Gluttony flows in his veins... We could make him very strong just by-"
Draconia cut him off immediately.
"No. We can't. And we won't. Our Lord already talked about this. The first step to getting stronger is to survive. If they can't survive, they can't get stronger. Feeding them might make their bodies stronger, but that newfound strength won't help them survive. They need to acquire it by themselves."
The two walked side by side.
"I get that, but-"
"If you get it, then bring him back in there before he wakes up. It would be a pain if he starts feeling resentful towards us."
Warp-
"Indeed."
A calm voice resonated.
Although it was calm, the voice was chilling and sharp.
Originating from someone seated on a throne.
Behind that person, were windows that let light into parts of the throne room.
The throne, itself, was shrouded in darkness.
Two eyes shone through.
"What? Why are we...? Master." Raven quickly got over the surprise and kneeled.
Draconia, too, kneeled before explaining,
"I cast Space Magic to bring us here. I'm surprised you didn't notice. Pardon us, my Lord, for the sudden intrusion."
"Raven, rectify your mistake. Draconia, don't let his impatience and negligence rub off on you." The one in front of whom they kneeled said.
"Yes, my Lord." The two answered in unison before quickly disappearing.
Once his subordinates left, the Lord slowly rose from his throne.
'One Candidate dead... Another has decided to live on the Ninth Floor, simply surviving by hiding and feeding on the weaker Monster. Others, still stuck on the Sixth Floor... The gamble is paying off, it seems. Still, with the life he has led before, it is no surprise. Although Shamah would argue the opposite...' Raven and Draconia's Master thought to himself, as he gazed through one of the throne room's windows.
...
Some time later,
Mark opened his eyes ever so slightly.
He looked around.
The 4th Floor's Boss Room.
Exactly where he had been before leaving.
Mark scratched his head.
Feeling a bit confused, he sat down and remembered the past events.
A feeling of irritation quickly rose.
How could it not?
Mark wanted to see this brand-new world. This Higher World.
He wanted to see what kind of future was waiting for him.
Instead, all he found was a blizzard.
But quickly, Mark remembered someone.
Someone coming to him.
Someone saving him.
While his pride was somewhat hurt, he had just been saved from certain death.
'Who was that guy?'
[Someone you shall meet one day, maybe.]
'One day, huh? He was strong, wasn't he? How soon can I meet him?'
[As soon as you clear the Dungeon.]
Mark showed part of his teeth.
'I see. Mm. So in the end, I really wasn't ready. I could barely stand out there for a bit...' He thought before lazily standing up.
The System gave no answer.
It did not need to.
After all, it was obvious what Mark had to do.
'I did think the outside world would be unforgiving and unwelcoming. I was sure of it. If this place is made to prepare me for that world, then it's obvious that the world would be as unforgiving as this place. Still, I didn't think I would be dancing with death seconds after leaving...'
Mark walked towards the huge doors that separated the different Floors.
But this time, in the opposite direction than the one he was used to taking.
***
"Oi, oi oi! Don't tell me he's going to chicken out!" Raven shouted.
He was seated next to Draconia.
In front of the two, was what looked like a digital screen.
As Draconia was in charge of monitoring Mark, she could peek at him at any time.
Raven, on the other hand, was simply passing time.
"I'm allowing you to watch, so stop talking." Draconia answered.
"I don't think he's a coward, but..."
Mark walked through the Fourth Floor's desert, the Fifth Floor's room, the Sixth Floor's tunnels, the Seventh Floor's rooms, and the Eighth Floor that was filled with Minotaur Monsters.
As he walked back, Mark remembered the different enemies he fought.
The different fights he went through.
And the Underlings he took along the way.
Mark also remembered every form he had taken.
The strong and sturdy Royal Minotaur.
The Unique Abyssal Weretiger.
The Infernal Hound's Skeleton.
The Black Wolf's Skeleton.
And before all of them, the weak and fragile Skeleton.
Above all, Mark thought of the different advantages and disadvantages each Form had.
He walked all the way back to the Ninth Floor.
"Oh. Let me write. Let me wriiite!" Raven begged.
"No. Every time you do, it's either childish or stupid. The rest of the time, you're trying to sound cool, which you always fail at."
"Come ooon! Just this once!"
In mere minutes, Mark had crossed all the Floors that had taken him oh so long to clear.
He went back to the Tenth Floor.
[Looks like your pride is hurt.]
[Don't you dare cower away.]
Mark chuckled internally at the message.
'True. My pride is hurt. But I have no intention of cowering away. No. I'm thinking...'
A Gray Wolf walked around.
Mark closed his eyes.
He focused on his senses.
All of his senses, except his sight.
Mark zeroed in on the Monster's steps.
'There!'
He threw an insanely powerful punch.
A punch that could have ended the Monster's life by grazing it.
Too bad the attack hit nothing but air.
The Gray Wolf growled.
Its claws found their way to Mark's shoulder.
'I'm thinking...'
Protected by tough scales, the Monster couldn't injure him.
'I'll take full advantage of this Dungeon...'
The Gray Wolf's claws broke upon contact.
'And train for a bit.'