"So what exactly was all that abuse I just went through for…?" Tom asked.
"Oh come on," Drake laughed, "That was hardly abuse."
"I have bites in places I didn't know I had! Not to mention insect juice!" Tom rebutted, throwing his arms into the air.
"Don't be so dramatic, a little blood never hurt anyone," Drake scoffed.
"Maybe for you… But I'm normal! I'm not used to being covered in… whatever this is…" Tom lamented.
"He does have a point there, bro," Bjorn agreed.
"Are you calling me abnormal?" Drake asked, raising a brow.
"We're both freaks, don't even play," Bjorn laughed, giving a chuckle.
"Ok, fair. But he's a tank and he needs to get used to it. I was babying him during the Goblin Invasion, but the monsters are getting exponentially harder and numerous. Not just Tom but everyone needs to deal with it," Drake sighed, "I've been too protective of everyone…"
"Awe he really does care," Chelsea snickered.
"Sure, I do," Drake turned, telling Chelsea flatly while looking into her eyes, "Some more than others though," he said smirking and looking over to Claire.
"I-i…." Chelsea tried to say, then frowned.
Too far? Drake thought.
"I would think so, but she can not complain. She knew from the start you and her were a long shot. I am still surprised you are even entertaining the other one," Natto sighed.
What do you mean? Drake asked, turning back and looking at the massive ice door that still blocked the Ant's last Hive entrance.
"Well, for instance, do you even know the where abouts of where Claire is on the outside? Once the tutorial is over she will be taken away from you and placed back to where she was previously, the same as you. Do you think a class such as her would not be coveted, let alone safe?" Natto explained.
Drake flinched.
Ok, I see your point. But are you really telling me to not become attached to people I've spent so much time with? Drake thought.
"Of course not, I know how sappy and soft you truly are Drake Wallen. Just do not be surprised if not everyone you hold dear will be here once the tutorial has ended. I just….. I just hope you are prepared for the reality of the world."
I understand…. Thank you Natto, but that is what this whole thing is about, I'm doing my best to prepare them all for it.
"But you can only do so much Drake, you must see that…"
Drake paused, not wanting to really answer the last question. A touch on his shoulder pulling him out of his conversation with Natto.
"Are you alright?" Claire asked, "That was a pretty big spell you used earlier…"
Drake smiled, "I'll be fine. What about you, how are you feeling after using your new buff?" he asked.
Claire smirked back, "A little tired, it does take half of my mana to cast, but looks like it was worth it."
Drake looked behind her, seeing Sherry, Hudson, and Amir still picking up the monster corpses and skill stones that peppered the ground around the area.
"Yeah, seems like it. AOE's always give me chills," Drake smiled.
"Chills?" Claire asked.
"Back in the day when I used to play games, AOEin was the only way to do anything in my game of choice. Every time you would be on the brink of dying, only a sliver of health on every pull. Dying then didn't mean really dying like it does here, but still gave me a rush every time," Drake explained.
"Did you used to play games a lot, Mr. Shot?" Harley asked.
"Yeah, I loved games. It's where I met a lot of my closest friends actually. In a game, everyone is from a different background, has different experiences, looks and sounds different. But that doesn't matter in the game, or at least it didn't used to. All that mattered was game skill, how well you could perform your task. And could you do it better than the other guy," Drake laughed, "I miss those guys. From back then…. Hope they're doing alright."
A small pause in the conversation was filled by a slightly depressing feeling as Drake looked down reminiscing for a moment, before pulling out a black die from his inventory.
"Well enough being worried about those two, I'm sure they're fine. Game like system like this, they probably have all Legendary skills and are breezing through their tutorials. Now, what weapon are we going to get?"
[Quest Complete! Subjugated 500 of 500 Tyrant Ant Reapers [F Rank]
[Accept Rewards?]
[Yes/No]
[Experience Earned, 1,200,000 TP Earned]
[Please roll for Weapon Rarity]
Drake rolled the die in his hand, the glass-like surface cool and smooth on his fingertips.
Throwing it out the die bounced against the ground eventually tumbling into the ice door that held the Ants at bay, their chittering and scratching behind it doing little to break the thick sheet.
THe die rolled back, stopping on 10.
"Damn, was really hoping for a 20…." Drake cursed, clicking his tongue.
"You do know 20 is hard to get right?" Chelsea said incredulously.
"Always aim high. Dream big or don't dream, I say!" Drake scoffed, picking up the die, a staff dropping to the ground out of a mote of light.
"Damn, I already have a staff. And this one is only uncommon…" Drake sighed, stowing it away.
"So what now?" Julia asked, looking at the door with the rest of the group.
"Well, honestly?" Drake said, still looking at the Ants behind the ice door, "I'm surprised the Guardian isn't breaking through the door for one…. And," Drake looked over his shoulder to Bjorn, "We still haven't seen the big bad boss since the first time we came here. Which is really starting to bother me."
"So? We going in?" Bjorn asked.
"I'd like to, but I don't think everyone is ready yet. And there are still variants that we haven't faced yet inside I'm sure," Drake thought aloud.
"Well, are we safer with you or out here?" Megan asked.
"Good question," Drake sighed. Tapping on the ice door with his finger absentmindedly.
Drake took a moment looking at the remaining time they had left.
[Current Time Remaining in Tutorial: 41 days 13 hours 45 minutes 12 seconds]
We have a decent amount of time still, but the Prince Quest is what is bothering me… Drake thought.
"I advise against bringing anyone not beneficial or necessary inside with you then. As you have said there could still be powerful variants within still that they are holding in reserve," Natto explained.
You think they are smart enough to trap us? Drake asked, surprised.
"I know they are. You are dealing with monsters that are close to breaking through to E-Rank if not already there. The difference from F to E is not something only quantifiable in stats. Race passives increase, intelligence, skills even, depending on your race's purity," Natto warned.
And you didn't want to tell me this earlier?
"I did! Did I not warn you to kill that oaf?"
Is that even the same?
"Of course it is! The Titan race is one of the primordial races, meaning it is of the highest order, just like the others! Changing to one will have effects on that person and their abilities beyond what you can imagine. I implore you Drake, this is not the same as the King."
Drake pursed his lips, thinking on the warning.
Do you think I can at least escape an E-Rank? And there's still no guarantee that they have even ranked up. Shouldn't there be a quest or something for stuff like that? Drake asked.
"For Mana vessels yes there is. But for Monsters, they work on an entirely different system and can forego that all together. All a Monster requires is experience," Natto explained.
So it's like an anime power up? Instant huh… Well, that's a little unfair… Drake grumbled.
"That is a horrible analogy, but yes it is instant. If a monster was to gain enough experience while you were inside the Hive, I fear you would stand no chance, even at your current status. And the rest of your so-called party? They would be wiped out, Drake," Natto said flatly.
"Then there's only one thing to do then," Drake said, sighing.
Drake placed his whole hand onto the door this time, melting a small doorway into it, before stepping through quickly. Then filling it back up instantly, "Guess we're going it alone for now."
------------------------------------------------------
"Drake! Drake?!" Claire shouted, slamming her fists onto the ice wall, "What is he doing?! He said we were all going to go together!"
"He must have been talking to the little Miss…"" Bjorn suspected, "She must have told him it was too dangerous, so he decided to go in by himself to see if she was right."
"What? Can't you just break the door down?!" Claire shouted at him.
"I could but what good would that do?" Bjorn siad, crossing his arms, "If he thinks that anyone here would be in danger if they followed him right now I'd have to agree. Everyone besides him and I are still under level 20, most of you are not even combat proficient classes. Wait," Bjorn said, breaking from his explanation, "Where's Theo?"
----------------------------------------------------
"Impact!" Drake roared, throwing a fist through an Ant's head, his other arm aimed behind it as a burst of air and ice shot out from the combination of magic circles, pelting the Ants in the tunnel.
"Still no Guardian…. Just runts… And no new variants yet. Think we're in the clear?" Drake asked.
"You have not gone deep enough Drake, it has only been a few minutes. Do you really miss your companions that much?" Natto asked snickering.
"Oh you like our quality time alone that much? I didn't know you cared like that Natto," Drake countered.
"If I could be rid of you I would…" Natto sighed.
"Aw don't be shy now, it's only us here!" Drake shouted, his voice echoing in the tunnel, before it was overtaken by the chittering of ants once more, "Ok I lied, us and some insects, but close enough."
Drake leapt forward, summoning two disks of water on either side of him, using his wind endowment to speed himself up and wade his way through the massive clutter of ants, the spinning blades doing their job of thinning the pack.
A third blue magic circle formed at his feet, summoning water all around him blocking the insect splatter as he went.
"I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Now I don't worry about getting any on me," Drake chuckled.
"While I am sure you are impressed with yourself. We still have a problem," Natto reminded.
"Problem? But things are going so smoothly. Oh…" Drake said, understanding her meaning.
"Exactly. It should be going anything but smoothly. I fear there is more to it than just a Variant Queen. This may have more surprises behind it than we are prepared to deal with. Again I advise you to give up… But I know you will not," she sighed.
"Glad we got that out of the way then. So, how far should I be going down?" Drake asked, stopping at an intersection of tunnels.
Ants on every side of him, he still breathed easy. After such a long marathon of clearing out and then doing so again of the field above for the other Hive Entrances, these few minutes felt like a breeze.
"It is a bit annoying that I can't use fire though, love blowing stuff up…." Drake grumbled, his water-like bubble shifting into another disk as he sent all three down different tunnels, slicing through Ants with ease as they went.
Drake suddenly raised a brow. Feeling his spell cancel.
"That's new…." Drake said in a low voice, his head turning to the right tunnel.
"Was your spell canceled?" Natto asked unsure as well.
"No, it felt like it was…. Absorbed?" Drake said, unsure himself.
He quickly raised his arm, throwing another disk of water down the tunnel, only to feel the loss of his spell again, but this time hearing the impact of the disk.
"That can't be good…" Drake mumbled.