After five more days of idling about, interspaced with the occasional spar, Cairn nearly punched his fist into the air and shouted out loud when he and Kaia arrived at the Guardian's Chamber, finding purple text hovering over the enshrined chest. And then, he used Insight...
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Name: Torvah
Species: Mimic
Gender: None
Age: 0
Title: Greed's End(Becomes more aggressive the more wealth its prey possesses)
Class: Trove Lord(Epic)
[Attributes]
Level: 27/60[Trove Lord(27)]
HP: 99,601/99,601
MP: 12,382/12,382
Str: 89
Agi: 71
Vit: 499+404
Int: 168+136
Dex: 93+75
Cha: 100+81
Talent(s): [Golden Doppelganger(27/60)], [Treasured Carapace(35/58)], [Resilience(32/55)], [Molten Blood(30/50)], [Magic Intolerance(19/48)],
Skill(s): [Gold Casting(MAX)], [Muddling Mist(MAX)], [Frenzy Pheremone(MAX)], [Devour(8/10)], [Lunge(7/10)], [Tongue Lash(5/10)]
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"Fuck..." muttered Cairn, prompting Kaia to ask, "What's the matter? Is it too powerful...?"
"Now I understand why that Leona chick made such a big deal about us not having a Mage," grumbled Cairn, turning to Kaia to clarify, "This thing can emulate the abilities of the people it fights and is extremely resistant to physical attacks..."
"Ah..." uttered Kaia, her ears drooping slightly as Mage had been among her choices for Class Advancement. She knew they needed one, but as they already had Tarou and could always recruit Asim's sister, Zarah, she wanted to follow the path chosen for her.
"I'm going to rush it..." muttered Cairn, causing the hair along Kaia's arms and shoulders to stand on end as she asked, "Are you certain?"
Shaking his head, Cairn's expression hardened as he muttered, "We don't have much of a choice. I said I wouldn't allow any harm to befall you, and this is the best method to develop my Talents and learn what it's capable of..."
"Then...I shall pray for your success..." muttered Kaia, bumping Cairn with her head.
Exhaling a soft chuckle, Cairn caressed Kaia's head and mused, "No need to pray. Rather, you should pity the Trove Lord. I might die a dozen times before, but it's only a matter of time until I secure victory..."
("I just need to git gud...") thought Cairn, retracting his hand from Kaia's head and stepping into the Guardian's Chamber with a grim resolution on his face. He wished Mr. Boomy was still in good shape, but even without it, he was certain he would think of something...eventually.
With such convictions, Cairn approached the still-disguised Trove Lord, whipping out his Shadowsilk Queen's Stinger. After familiarizing himself with the weapon for the past two, going on three weeks, he had come to understand just how broken a 5% chance of completely ignoring defense was. So long as it triggered while he was targeting a vital point, he could decapitate foes, cut through armored carapaces, and even slice through metal like butter. Thus, while the Shadowsilk Queen's Stinger only had 25 P.Atk, it genuinely didn't matter so long as he got lucky.
Seemingly realizing that Cairn wasn't planning to open it, the Trove Lord activated its trap, sealing off the Guardian Chamber as it abruptly opened its lid-like mouth to spew out a veritable geyser of liquid gold. Fortunately for Cairn, he had somewhat anticipated this after reading the description of the Gold Casting Skill. The Trove Lord liked to cover its still-living prey in a layer of gold before swallowing them, so when it lunged forward and opened its mouth, Cairn raised his Aberrant Aegis and used Shield Bash, temporarily 'freezing' the thousand-degree liquid mid-air.
Understanding he wouldn't get many chances, as the Trove Lord was much faster than him, Cairn charged forward and underneath the liquid gold, ignoring the heat radiating from it as he chained together a second and third Shield Bash. Each simultaneous use was less effective, but he only needed a split second to stab the Shadowsilk Queen's Stinger into the Trove Lord's body, praying for a miracle.
"Fuck...!" exclaimed Cairn, his arm filling with 'static' as he struck where he believed the Trove Lord's heart to be located, only to be repelled by its incredibly durable carapace. At nearly the same moment, the Trove Lord regained its mobility, lunging toward him with a mouth that looked like the interior of a furnace...
In the brief moment before the Trove Lord's attack reached him, Cairn did something that would have stunned anyone else present. He unequipped all but his Ookami's Visage and the Training Collar, expediting the rate at which he would burn to death and preventing the unnecessary loss of his equipment's Durability. Then, he got to learn first-hand why some argued that death by fire was one of the most painful ways to go...
*You have received 1,442 damage!*
*Warning! You have been trapped within the Trove Lord's maw!*
*You have received 398 damage!*
*Ding! Your Pain Tolerance has increased! Current Rank: 23*
*Ding! You have acquired Fire Resistance! Current Rank: 1*
*You have received 459 damage!*
*Ding! Your Pain Tolerance has increased! Current Rank: 24*
*Ding! Your Fire Resistance has increased! Current Rank: 2*
*You have received 592 damage!*
*Ding! Your Pain Tolerance...*
*You have received...*
...
..
.
Staring down at the Trove Lord in his phantom form, the monster slurping up what remained of his body, Cairn shuddered violently. He had thought his increased Vit was a blessing that would allow him to endure a plethora of attacks, and he was right. However, when you were being burned alive, 'enduring' was the last thing you wanted to do...
Shaking his head, Cairn sardonically remarked, "At least I got a few Ranks of Pain Tolerance and Fire Resistance..." before exhaling a dry, somewhat ominous laugh. He had thought about it during and after his battle against the Slime Priestess, but if he willfully subjected himself to fire, ice, acid, poison, and magic, he could potentially become impervious to all but the most niche forms of damage...
*Ding! You have acquired Corruption Resistance! Current Rank: 1*
Feeling marginally calmer after receiving Corruption Resistance, Cairn ceased his mad laughter and floated toward Kaia's proximity marker. It was a little embarrassing to be returning so soon, but he knew he would have the last laugh so long as he didn't give up...
...
..
.
Fortunately for Cairn, or perhaps not, the Trove Lord would not despawn when the Dungeon changed forms, only when it was killed. Thus, so long as another group didn't show up to hunt it, he could keep challenging it as often as he pleased. The problem was that the Den of Greed was a fairly popular Dungeon, so it wasn't long before a Party of four, consisting of a Mage, two Swordsmen, and a Priest, showed up to snatch his prey.
"God fucking dammit...!" shouted Cairn, punching the wall of the Dungeon full force after he and Kaia arrived at the Guardian's Chamber after short rest, only to find it was empty.
"I didn't die sixteen fucking times to leave this shit hole empty-handed!" he screamed, seemingly oblivious to the fact his hand was broken.
Grasping Cairn's hand with both of hers, Kaia held it up and used Light Healing as she softly but firmly asserted, "Then we will stay until another one spawns..."
Exhaling an agonized sigh, Cairn looked to Kaia, his expression crumpling as he said, "But it's been three weeks...if we're unlucky, this fucker could take an entire month to spawn..."
"Then, what do you want to do...?" asked Kaia, continuing to hold Cairn's hand even after it had been healed. She had also grown weary of the Den of Greed, but as she and Cairn had grown closer in the past few days, she wouldn't mind prolonging their stay another week or two.
Staring down at his hand and what lay beyond it, Cairn's thoughts began to wander before he shook his head and said, "We need to return before your medicine runs out..."
"Then let us return," said Kaia, smiling as she released her hold on Cairn's hand. They both knew what would happen if she ran out of medicine and went into heat, but while their relationship had improved, Cairn had more than a few apprehensions about taking things further. Not just because he didn't want to betray Elle but because he wasn't a furry and didn't want to limit her options due to his possessiveness. Thus, after one last look at the Guardian's Chamber of the Den of Greed, Cairn and Kaia began their return trip to the Capital...
...
..
.
After a day and a half on the road, Cairn and Kaia arrived at the Rainy Day Inn around mid-afternoon, the former making his way to Elle's and Mari's workshop while the latter greeted Reine and Felix.
Though he was taken aback by how expansive the basement of the Rainy Day Inn had become in just a few short weeks, Cairn only looked around long enough to spot Elle in the middle of sewing together pieces of black leather, her tongue poking out as she focused all her attention on making sure the spacing was perfect.
"Hwaaah~!?" exclaimed Elle, surprised when Cairn suddenly picked her up and tossed her onto his shoulder. Confusion and frustration briefly marred her face, but after realizing that Cairn was the person kidnapping her, she exhaled a titillating laugh and remarked, "Someone's excited~."
Making his way past Kaia, Reine, and a laughing Felix, Cairn carried Elle to their room, kicking open the door and tossing the giggling Dwarf onto the bed. When he did, Elle immediately spread her legs wide, the fabric of her onesie leaving little to the imagination as she framed her crotch with her hands and asked, "Is this what you want~?" in a teasing tone.
"That's right..." replied Cairn, crawling onto the bed and propping up Elle's legs with his thighs. Then, rather than disrobing her, he expertly unzipped her onesie, undid the flap of her hand-made leather undergarments, and sheathed himself inside her in a single go. She wasn't as wet as usual, but she had little trouble accepting him, laughing gaily as she reached up and said, "Kiss me, you goober."
And so he did. That, and much, much more...
...
..
.
In the wake of a nearly three-hour 'marathon,' Cain and Elle were relaxing in the bath, the former recounting everything that had transpired in the Den of Greed while the latter sat in his lap, doing her best to pay attention but periodically getting distracted by his dick and balls.
"Sounds like you went through a lot," said Elle, staring up at Cairn as he pulled her hands away from his crotch, restraining her wrists.
"Do you not care that I practically destroyed your pickaxe...?" asked Cairn.
"Yeah, but in the process, you defeated the Slime Priestess, right?" asked Elle, smiling as she added, "I'd rather Mr. Boomy go out in a blaze of glory than sit in your Inventory or on some display. Besides, you brought back its remains, right? So long as I have the base, I can easily reforge it. Easy peasy."
"Right..." muttered Cairn, releasing his hold on Elle's wrists and wrapping his arms around her slender but incredibly tough body. She giggled a bit when he did so. Then, resting her hands atop his, she leaned back and remarked, "You have that serious look on your face. If there's something else you have to say, then just say it."
Shaking his head, Cairn assured, "It's nothing serious. I just had a lot of time to...introspect while in the Den of Greed..."
Blinking in surprise, Elle left Cairn at a momentary loss as she asked, "Did you and Kaia do it~?" with a cheeky, bright-eyed smile. She didn't appear even remotely bothered by the notion that he and Kaia might have fucked. If anything, she seemed happy...
"We didn't..." answered Cairn, causing Elle to immediately deflate, a long, clearly exasperated sigh emanating from her throat. She enjoyed Cairn's affection quite a bit, but now that he had returned, she wouldn't have as much time to focus on increasing her Tailoring...
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(A/N: Cairn can't catch a break xD...)