[AN: There's different fonts so audio listeners beware. Things might sound weird. Enjoy!]
A cold feeling. Lack of warmth. As if all the heat in you is drained away in one single moment. An unsettling pit in your stomach, coming from an awful realization. Yin kept waking up to those sensations after her message. And though she remembered nothing, the echoes of how she felt stayed with her a few seconds after she awoke. She treated it as a premonition and focused on her daily routine.
Every day, the class would train. The more capable received training from Meld. That mainly included Yin, Kouki, Ryutaro and Shizuku. Kaori wasn't a physical fighter, so she was trained by other mages. As for Yin, Meld soon discovered how capable she was, when during their third sparring match, she nearly knocked him out. Of course, she was holding back, otherwise she would be able to soundly defeat him.
In general, she held back when sparring with Meld, Shizuku and Hajime. On the other hand, she completely crushes Kouki, Ryutaro, Daisuke and his two friends. For the rest of the class, it varies. Any boy looking at her lewdly? Knocked out. Anyone annoying her too much? Face in the dirt. Oddly enough, it never really damaged her popularity. It continued this way for three months. The class had developed enough to consider sending them out to clear the beginning floors of the nearest Great Dungeon. Yin had been anxiously waiting for it, and today was the day.
Meld had gotten orders the previous day to mobilize the class, which had been given the name 'Hero Party'. That day, they were all given good equipment and led by Meld to the Great Orcus Labyrinth. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, the class began to set up camp and take a break from the long walk.
'Finally. I was getting sick of smacking Kouki and Daisuke around. Managed to teach Hajime what Shizuku's father taught me. Wing Chun, Taekwondo and some Karate could go a long way in developing his fighting style. Better than mine anyway. Keep having to fight my instincts when I use any martial arts..' Yin huffed, securing her metal vambraces that felt oddly strange to wear.
Yin and Kouki had been given the best equipment. Kouki, in his heroic full plate armor stronger than the knight's armor. Yin's armor mainly consisted of her vambraces, tassets and greaves that paired with her form fitting red robes and undershirt.
It suited her. But still, it didn't feel right. Yin had not been feeling right since they began their journey to the Great Orcus Dungeon. She tried to think of anything else other than the rising discomfort she was feeling. She noted how Hajime and Kaori were almost flirting as they traveled inside the dungeon. Noted how murderous Daisuke looked. Noted how her fists easily pummeled the monsters of the beginning floor. But one thing remained present despite it all.
THUMP-THUMP THUMP-THUMP
The increasing volume that both felt and sounded like her own heart. The smell and feeling in the air only fueled its intensity.
THUMP-THUMP THUMP-THUMP
Like a distant drum beat. It almost didn't feel real. But as they descended the floors, it only grew stronger, more intense. And this was still the beginning floors.
THUMP-THUMP THUMP-THUMP
Kouki delivered a killing blow to a reptilian monster. Kaori and two other mages casted a flame spell than annihilated a larger beast. Yin's hands felt hot as they ripped the head off a monster. Luckily, nobody had called her out when she momentarily stopped holding back. Her eyes were unfocused even as Meld congratulated them and decided the monsters they were facing were small fries. She knew further down, it would intensify.
And so they continued on.
THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!
Yin focused long enough to spot Hajime using transmute to trap a wolf monster before stabbing it in the head.
'Good.. keep your guns secret. When we return to the surface, you can go as nuts as you want.' Yin nodded at Hajime, who smiled back proudly.
THUMP-THUMP!
And then they reached the twentieth floor. Kouki and herself acting as the tip of the spear. Kouki gave it his all, of course. But Yin was acting mostly out of sheer agitation. The ambient mana was making her body react strangely. Muscles contracting, bloodflow speed going up and her bones were cracking. As if it was almost excited.
THUMP-THUMP!
Daisuke tried to win Kaori over by getting a Grants crystal she said was pretty. Meld yelled at him to stop it. It was a trap. The party was teleported to a massive bridge overlooking an abyss below. Then, another teleportation circle appeared.
"Urgh.." Yin nearly doubled over, clutching her chest.
THUMP-THUMP!! THUMP-THUMP!! THUMP-THUMP!!
She felt the beating echo through her body. Her blood rushing resounding in her ears. Her muscles tense and ready to strike.
Immediately, Kaori, Shizuku and Hajime went to check on her.
"Hey, Natsume-chan!?" Shizuku panicked.
"I'm.. Fine.. Focus on.." Yin stood up, falling once again.
"Easy.." Hajime helped her stand.
"A demon emerged from the circle.." Meld grimly stated.
"You kids.. turn back and run away..." Meld ordered.
"Wait Meld-san, we'll help you fight-" Kouki started.
"Fool! Just do as I say!" Meld barked back.
Yin was barely paying attention. The beast hardly proved a threat to her. It was her own body's reaction to all the mana that was her top priority. She almost felt as if she'd burst.
THUMP-THUMP!! THUMP-THUMP!! THUMP-THUMP!!
They ran, but another teleportation circle appeared in front of them. Monsters blocked the only way out. Shizuku and Kouki took charge of the group, while Kaori supported Yin on her back and barely kept up with everyone else. Hajime was hard at work trapping the monster ane dealing damage. He had brought out his prototype magic pistol and shot the Behemoth in the eye, blinding its right eye.
Though, being a prototype, it lacked any good material and was just a bit better than a nine millimeter pistol from Earth.
Hajime ran and the magic squad all cast their spells at the wounded Behemoth. But then, a fireball struck him as he nearly arrived to safety. Hajime Nagumo fell into the Abyss, his shocked face staring at Daisuke, who had fired the spell.
"It's.. time.." Yin got off Kaori's back and leapt after Hajime, shocking the party even further.
The last thing she heard was Shizuku scream her name before blackness encompassed her entire vision.
Seconds, minutes, maybe even hours later, she awoke. Her aura was broken. And it wasn't regenerating. Almost like it was blocked from doing so. Any energy she had, felt like it was being trapped in her chest.
"Vernal.. would say my boobs are trapping it with the mass.." Yin nearly laughed, if she wasn't feeling and hearing the strange, rythmic sensation pulsing from within her body.
πΏππππ-πΏππππ
Yin felt her fingers curl, sticking into the viscous black liquid beneath her. Black, like the darkest ink. The entire place she found herself in was dark. She raised her hand to her face, realizing something.
πΏππππ-πΏππππ
She was crying. She didn't know why. But it felt like something inside her finally gave way.
"Kh.." Yin croaked out as a strange mix of emotions hit her in full force.
πΏππππ-πΏππππ
Anger, Pain, Sadness, Hatred, Helplessness, Happiness, Embarassment, Joy, Love, Pity, Fear, Bravery, Empathy, Emptiness, Sadistic joy.
πΏππππ-πΏππππ
Every single one. Every combination. It was a spiral of madness.
πΏππππ-πΏππππ!! πΏπ³ππΈπ»!! πΏπ³ππΈπ»!!
So she did the only thing she could do.
"Ahaha..."
She began to laugh.
"Ahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!" Her hands pressed into her face, a glow radiating off her being.
An umbral, purple light shining like a star in the Abyss. It became brighter and brighter, yet still keeping the same dark hue.
"Hehahahahahaha!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" The tears continued to cascade down her face, despite her laughter.
The monsters nearby brave enough to check what the disturbance was were met with a swift end.
CRACK!
She stomped a monstrous centipede's head in, her laughter continuing.
[Level up!]
The system notification was ignored.
The energy grew, consuming the residents of the floor. Not even in the thick tar were they safe. Hungrily, it reached further and further.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.."
πΏπ³ππΈπ»-
CRACK!
Yin stopped in her tracks, her feet covered in evaporating tar. The emotions all blurred, converging to a single point within her chest. The last, powerful emotion she recognized seemed to give her clarity in the temporary madness. Desire.
For strength. A simple reason, but the reason for why that strength was just too important. And though she had picked up more and more reasons, she only ever needed her first and only reason. A blonde haired girl appeared in her thoughts.
"Yes.. No more of this. I'm done with that chapter of my life. Not going to be blinded by it.." Yin took a deep breath as the rampant umbral colored energy receded back into her chest.
CRACK-CRACK!
"I value this chapter too much to be blinded by the previous one. Begone." She ordered.
RUMBLE!
An aura of oppression and magnificence burst forth from within her. The magic within the dungeon greedily being devoured to fuel it. An invisible feeling swept through the dungeon, from the very top floors, to the deepest layer. The aura slammed through the main entrance, flooding the surrounding area like an unstoppable tide.
Nearby, a tribe of Rabbit Beastkin suddenly stopped and looked at the horizon where the Great Orcus Labyrinth was located. As if some divine or demonic presence had announced itself to the world. Multiple groups of people, demons, Demihumans or even strong enough humans felt the arrival of something extraordinary. The world was going to change. But the effects of this announcement would only be felt later.
Yin looked at her hands, her eyes now perfectly attuned to the darkness in the labyrinth. Her hands grew black scales all over them that stopped at her upper arms. Her nails, now five centimeters long, gleamed a light silver. Apart from those noticeable changes, she felt her new heart finally settle down within her chest.
[Dragon Heart Awakening completed! MP: 1,000,000/1,000,000
'Dragon Trigger' mode available! Effect: Physical stat boost: 30%, Ignition costs no aura and immunity to fire.
Element unlocked: Fire, Darkness, R#$% (Partially locked)]
'What was that last part again? God damn I feel drained.. Felt like how Asian parents should feel after their supposed trips up two mountains and fought tigers to get to school.' Yin huffed in amusement.
She deactivated the new form and felt her aura begin to recharge. Though she was hit with a new feeling.
Grrrr~
"Oh. I'm hungry as hell.. How long've I been down here anyway? What do I even ea-" Yin stopped as she stepped on the carcass of a huge black bug.
"Oh hell nah.. Where's Hajime at? He at least ate more edible-looking demon beasts.." Yin sneered at the disgusting corpse of the bug monster and began walking down the slimy black tunnel that made up that floor of the dungeon.
She noticed some ores stuck in the tar-slick walls and collected them, remembering the dungeon was pretty much any crafter's wet dream. Having multiple valuable ores and minerals Hajime would use for his guns. She wouldn't waste the materials.
"Mechashift railgun.. Greatsword? Spear? Glaive..? I could make a gunlance.." Yin muttered to herself as she walked to the beginning of the dungeon floor.
She noticed she was feeling a lot more like herself, or how she should have been. Yin felt more animated, more complete, more alive. As if, before, she was only taking small, shallow breaths. Whereas now, she could fully breathe in. She felt like a better version of her previous self.
She thought about her changes until she reached the dungeon floor above the one she had just been on. She immediately noticed the small dip in mana quality. That, and the odd looking rabbit running at her fast.
Fast, for most people that is.
CRUNCH!
As soon as it came within five feet of her, Yin grabbed the demonic rabbit by the neck and snapped it with a flex of her fingers.
"What a good dungeon this is.. Food delivers itself riiiight to me~" A toothy, hungry grin appeared on her lips.