6.6K words.
This is just what I was unable to add last chapter. I took a day to edit it and post it, so here it is.
Peace!
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/Clap!/
The camp grew busy as the call to advance was issued. People ran left and right, smiths packed their equipment, supporters stuffed their bags…
"Oi… Girls, stop playing around, its time to get to work."
"Finaly! I was itching to do something." Tiona said as she jumped from her seat
Gareth sighed as he adjusted his horned helmet, "Then you could go help the others pack things up instead of loafing here."
"Anything but that…"
"If she helps them, they'll end up finding socks inside potion bottles."
"Sis! So mean!"
Tiona walked to her sister, as her sister pushed her aside, only for Gareth to pull them aside.
"… Enough of this, get your arses moving to the exit… and while you're at it, have you seen that boy? I've been looking around him for a while and haven't seen him anywhere."
The sisters looked at each other and shook their heads, "Last time I saw him was after Riveria scolded him."
"I wouldn't really call that a scold, but I'm the same as her." Tione added as she shrugged, raising her hands
'He said he was going to take a rest, is he sleeping somewhere, perhaps?'
"I'm more curious about where Bete went. He usually spits a little around the lower ranks before we move on… you know, the usual Bete thing?"
Gareth crossed his arms, "He'll be fine, I talked with him earlier today. Bete went around Rivira a bit to see how things were going, and after that I think he went down to the 19th Floor."
"Huh? Why would he go there alone? I thought we weren't allowed to do that!" Tiona complained as she too wanted to "play" down below
"I let him go there for a bit, let out some steam."
Tione tilted her head as she understood where he was coming from, "Won't he end up tired? I won't cover for him if he can't work."
"Just leave him be, you two. He's the last one you should worry about when it comes to sticking to their responsibilities. Compared to him, you two are far less reliable." He replied as he walked past them
""Rude.""
As the sisters grumbled at the dwarf, echoes of a slight commotion rang from deeper in the camp. Not the usual cries of battle, but of surprise and even slight concern.
"… I have an inkling he's back."
Gareth pushed Tiona's face aside, "Let's go check it out."
Tione pointed at her chest, "We?"
"You can stay here and continue to do nothing, or go help me do something for once."
"Your words do sting, old man! You speak as if we did nothing all day long."
Gareth sneaked a peek at them in silence before walking away.
"Say something!"
…
Back in the camp, around its edges, a small crowd had gathered around another.
"What's going on here?" Gareth asked as his eyes fell on Silver
Silver laughed awkwardly, "That's what I'm trying to find out. Everyone swarmed me all of a sudden."
A chienthrope turned to face Gareth, "We need to get things packed, you know? You've been missing, and I almost went crazy looking for you."
He looked at his scroll and tapped it on Silver's chest, "We're about to run late so help me for a bit with your… storage magic."
Silver scratched the back of his head. He looked at everyone around him, piles of boxes and other items waiting to be stored… and couldn't help but sigh internally.
'I knew I shouldn't have played around the Middle Floors…'
"You heard him. And when you're done here, come find me in the central tent." Gareth added as he exhaled faintly
Tione and Tiona approached them from the side.
"Where were you, anyway?" Tiona asked as she stepped into the ring
/Fwoosh…/
Silver opened his portal, allowing everyone to start working… "I was on the Middle Floors passing time."
The others went silent…
"Who passes their time in the Dungeon?" Someone whispered as they walked past Silver
"Someone not right in the head…"
"Hey, I heard that!"
"Aren't you Level 1? What were you doing going there alone?" Tione voiced as she crossed her arms
Tiona jumped between them, "It's dangerous!"
"I was hunting… what else would you do in the Dungeon?"
'I know of a few things though…'
""…""
Everyone went silent, but as the shock settled in, Silver chuckled loudly, "That said, you reminded me of something."
"Speaking of things to do in the Dungeon… my grandparents were quite unique on this front."
He smiled mischievously as he crossed his arms, looking into the distance, "Back then, they used to come all the way to Rivira to have fun. You see, one of these lakes has a hidden cavern inside, so they used to get quite busy…"
"We didn't ask!" Tione exclaimed as she tapped her forehead
The others agreed, although some of them seemed interested…
"I think it was right over there…" Silver mumbled as he narrowed his eyes
"Don't ignore me!"
"… Buwahaha! Kid, you really have no breaks, do you?"
Gareth slapped his back again, "Help them get things in order and go meet us back in the tent. Don't be late, alright, unless you want to hear Riveria nag again."
"… And you two are coming with me."
Gareth held onto their shoulders and pulled them along, their legs sliding on the ground as they went away…
"… How long are you guys going to stand there?" Silver asked as he turned to the others
/Sha sha…/
Everyone scuttled along, and the expedition's camp was quickly dismantled.
…
As the rest of the supplies were packed, Silver made his way to the central tent where Gareth and the others awaited, a faint headache throbbing at the back of his skull.
There, he found Gareth, Finn, and Riveria standing on different corners of a large makeshift table, turning their heads to him as he stepped inside.
"Excuse me…"
Finn smiled, "You're here, just in time."
He looked at Riveria and Gareth, who were already in their battle clothes.
"I'll be having you accompany Gareth and Riveria to the 28th Floor. Can you do it?"
"Do I have a choice here? I'll do it anyhow."
'That's the furthest I'm willing to go either way. I'm not confident in making out of the Middle Floors in one piece, much less stepping into the Lower Floors.'
"Good, that saves the effort of dragging you with me." Riveria said as her lips curled ever so faintly
Silver and Finn smiled awkwardly at her statement, with Silver breaking the silence as he looked away.
"… So, uh… anything else I can help you with before we go?… Sir?"
"That was all. But don't feel pressed, if you feel like stepping back this time, no one will complain."
Silver looked at Riveria, and Finn cleared his throat, "She was joking just now."
"I don't remember joking."
As Finn scratched his head, Gareth stepped out of the table, pulling Silver along, "I'll go rally the others."
"Thanks, Gareth… now… shall we continue what we were discussing before?" Finn continued as he cleared his throat
Riveria closed her eyes, already accepting whatever Finn was about to propose before even hearing it, "I'll keep an eye on him, you don't need to worry."
"I'm in your debt, you've taken a weight off my chest. This expedition is proving more complex than I originally expected, and not for the usual reasons."
"Rather than worry about the expedition, we should worry about what will happen once we return." Riveria pointed out as she looked at the maps on the table
"This kind of thing will spread, eventually. I'm more worried about Loki's reaction to this news than anything."
'Or rather, I'm worried about what he'll do once she starts pestering about it… because I have the impression he'll go along with her antics.'
Finn's eyebrows furrowed, but he exhaled quietly as he walked away from the table, "I'm thinking about that too… but we'll have to continue this conversation later."
"Once we meet again, you can tell me if your worriers are founded or not." He finished with a smirk as he stepped out of the table
"Very well. I'll be on my way… see you later Finn."
"Haa… see you later."
Riveria stepped out of the tent, leaving the pensive pallum behind.
…
The vanguard advanced, and the last traces of the crystal-lit canopy faded behind them, swallowed by a dimness that seemed to swollow light at every corner.
The change announced itself through scent before anything else. Damp soil thickened the air, layered with the slow decay of leaves and sap. It carried none of the openness of the forest above, settling into an eerie standstill, as if they had been thrown inside a vivarium.
The stone walls were slowly overtaken by wood, making it seem as if they had stepped inside a massive tree trunk. The walls were overgrown with moss and small plants, some of which shone faintly with warm lights.
Silver felt momentarily disoriented by the lights, but adjusted quickly enough as they stepped out of the narrow hallways and into the 19th Floor itself.
(Image)
/Crunch…/
The ground yielded slightly beneath each step. The firm stone was all but gone, giving way to packed earth threaded with roots, their growth uneven and incessant everywhere he looked.
Some pressed upward into ridges that disrupted the path, others curled along the surface like veins exposed.
Boots brushed against them with dull, fibrous friction, and every now and then a faint crack followed when older growth gave under the weight of their steps.
'I'll have to change my pacing a bit…' He thought as his boot got caught up in another root
Even as he walked forward casually, Silver felt his feet clump in the roots and vines at least once every ten steps, something the others didn't seem to mind at all as they walked with grace amidst the unruly ground.
As they stepped into the open expanse, the walls spread out in broad, curving stretches of wood, their surfaces marked by deep grain that spiraled and bent without pattern.
In many places, the bark had split, revealing darker layers beneath, some more than just crevices, but pathways into the unexplored unknown.
From this floor onward, much of the Dungeon remained unexplored, and if one didn't plan their path carefully, they'd soon find themselves somewhere outside of the known world.
A living floor that was constantly changing, for no matter how precise the Dungeon's self-regulation was, whenever the forests burned and were destroyed, their next iteration would never be equal.
Always growing and reshaping… if one weren't careful, their retreat path would soon be overtaken by wood and vines.
As Silver looked around, Bete's ears shifted left and right so quickly he could barely see them. Albeit his usual annoyed expression was plastered on his face, Bete's work as a scout was one he took very seriously.
Silver also tried to listen, but there were simply too many sounds for him to pinpoint. The leaves and the wind, their boots and the ground, the shuffling of bushes and the trees, the echoes of monsters, and the cries of birds and insects…
Silver's gaze fell on a nearby tree, thin fungi clung to its damp surfaces, their pale caps clustered in layered shelves, while strands of vine-like growth stretched between protrusions, some torn, others newly formed.
A broken husk lay half-sunken near the roots, its surface split open and hollowed from within, as if whatever had emerged from it had long since moved on.
Silver found it fascinating, for it was an insect he didn't recognize at first…
"Hm…"
"I wouldn't touch that one if I were you… Without Abnormal Resistance, I'd say you shouldn't touch anything, actually…"
A green-haired girl with short, moss-colored hair stepped next to him. Atop her head, a pair of green bunny ears flopped faintly from time to time as she listened to her surroundings.
(Image)
A small bag stood on her back, together with a map she held strongly in her hands.
Her tone was light and somewhat hesitant, a shy girl by nature, she still approached him with care, knowing that Silver, for all he could do, remained Level 1 at the end of the day.
She reached out for her bag and procured a small, purple vial, "You'll have to drink these from time to time. It's a basic antidote, but it'll protect you."
"From here until the 25th Floor, the air itself will poison you over time. If you feel strange, just tell me and I'll hand you a potion… but still, don't touch anything, and if you smell anything unusual... drink another, just in case."
Silver took the vial and smiled, "Thank you, I will."
'I just don't have to touch them, is it?'
After Silver faked drinking the potion, shoving it inside his pocket space when no one else was looking, he reached out for the fungi with telekinesis, and sealed it inside a glass pot for later.
"Didn't Rakta just tell you not to touch anything?" Lefiya asked as she approached Silver from behind
He shrugged, "I'm not touching it, am I?"
She pouted, "It still counts!"
The vanguard group had increased in size. Now, aside from the original members, two Elves and one Hume Bunny kept them company as they ventured into the depths.
"Can you step aside? There's another strange mushroom on your feet, and I kind of want to collect it if you wouldn't mind."
"Wh…"
Lefiya looked at her feet, but the moment she did so, Silver flicked her nose and walked away as she stepped back, stunned.
"You fell for the oldest trick in the book." Gareth joked as he walked past her as well
Even Ais seemed to chuckle as Tiona smiled at her, embarrassing her.
"Ahh…"
As Lefiya recovered her bearings, she clenched her teeth and puffed even harder as Riveria sighed on the side.
/Shua…/
A strong wind brushed past them. The air carried a faint bitterness, not as fresh as one would expect from a forest, leaving an aftertaste sharp enough to linger at the back of the throat for quite a while.
As they walked, Silver realized they were in an opening high above the central section of the forest. Like a floating island hung by pillars, it was a small patch of greenery above the canopies.
The passage extended forward in slow turns and uneven rises, its shape resisting any logical sense of direction.
/Buzz…/
The faint buzzing of insect wings reached Silver's ears. He quickly turned to face it, but the moment he did, it was already too late.
A bullet pierced through the air, and his body tensed as his Plasmids instinctively reshaped his body to protect him, but in that split second, something flew before him and slapped the insectoid into a thousand pieces.
"Urg… I hate these floors, everything's so slimy." Tione claimed as she shook the goo-like remains of the monster she had just slapped into oblivion
As he watched the insect be dismantled into nothingness, his face, which had been covered in veins and dark patches, immediately went back to normal as Silver rubbed his eyes.
"… Thank you."
"Don't mention it, we take care of our supporters. Isn't that right, Rakta?"
"Y-Yes!"
"We'll protect you." Ais claimed as she looked into the distance, hair swaying in the wind
"…"
'Is she posing or is it a coincidence?' Silver questioned as he looked at her
Lefiya stood on the side, envy in her youthful eyes, as she too wished Ais to declare she would protect her. Was it not a mage's dream to have a powerful knight stand before them?
Gareth stepped forward, leading them, "Shall we? Where first, Rakta?"
Even for experienced adventurers, traversing these floors can be difficult. And while Gareth and Riveria were more than capable of doing so with their eyes closed, they had a path to stick to.
In these ever-changing floors that rarely stick to their original shape for long, a mapper like Rakta was their only hope of following a straight path through these woods.
"Let's get a bit higher so I can get a better look at the surroundings. But I think I already know where to go." She replied as her ears perked up above her head
Riveria followed Gareth as she approached Bete who had already climbed high onto a tree, "Anything strange up ahead, Bete?"
"No. I can hear others fighting in the distance, but they aren't in danger."
"Just the usual, then… Oi, don't stand around like that, keep up with us." Gareth said as he turned to Silver who was currently crouching near a tree
Lefiya took this chance to approach him again, "Are you a kid to dig around in the dirt?"
Silver glanced at her quietly before smirking…
"… One is never too old to dig around… one can even say we men were made to dig around bushes." He said without turning back as Gareth, Riveria, Bete, and even Tione coughed out loud
"What does that even mean…"
Ais too was confused, and Tiona looked away in awkward acknowledgement.
"Forget that, hold this for me real quick." Silver said as he handed her something, putting it on Lefiya's hand before she even had the time to react
"W-What… don't put things in my…"
/Croak…/
A small brown frog turned to face her, and before she had the chance to react, it jumped right onto her face…
"KYAAAAAA!"
Lefiya screamed as she fell back, foaming.
"Tsk! Scream one more time and I'm throwing you down there myself!" Bete exclaimed as his ears twitched
"It's just a small tree frog… stop being dramatic, Lefiya." Riveria said as she crossed her arms
She brushed the frog from Lefiya's hair with her staff, gently putting it back on the bushes.
Then, her sharp gaze then fell on Silver, "Do that one more time…"
"I apologize, her reactions are just too entertaining."
"…"
'That's the exact same smile and reasoning Loki gives when she pranks her… Indeed Finn, I'm afraid this excursion might be a bit more complicated than I originally imagined.'
"Can we get a move on? The mosquitoes are starting to get annoying." Tiona said as her hands flew around in the air, slapping whatever came too close to her as they left afterimages behind
Silver opened his inventory and passed a small glass vial to her, "Just apply some lotion, here."
"This is?"
"Repellent? Never used it before?"
She scratched her hair faintly, "Well… I never bothered to bring any with me…"
Silver looked at her clothes, an over-glorified piece of swimsuit, and smiled awkwardly, "I can tell."
For the first time in a while, Tiona frowned, "I feel slightly insulted…"
"Erm… Bete's already gone…" Ais said as she looked to the side
Tione tied her hair behind her back, "… We can talk on the way. Let's catch up to him before he throws another fit."
/Caw!/
Under the cries of dozens of exotic birds, the Loki Familia's vanguard ventured deeper into the 19th Floor.
…
"… Haa, really? Why do you keep grabbing everything? What's so interesting about a bunch of rotting leaves?" Tione asked as she saw Silver stuff another mushroom into a glass pot and throw it into the void
"You know that over half of all raw ingredients used in potion making come from these floors alone, yes?"
"That I know, but from as far as I can see, you haven't grabbed many of them."
Silver scoffed, "If only we could come upon them that easily… then I wouldn't have to worry about money ever again."
'I'm still studying herbology, so I've probably ignored many valuable materials… but that's not an issue.'
"Just because an item isn't used for something known, it doesn't mean it has no uses. Someone has to figure that out… and it just turns out my hobby is "potionmaking"."
"You know potion making too?!" Lefiya asked as her eyelids twitched
'Just what can't you do then?!'
Silver nodded, "I know quite a bit about it, but I'm still studying it. I'm not confident in selling anything, so I often just make potions for my own use." Silver said as he took out a book and flipped through its pages
"Hm?… Wait a minute… this book! It's from the School District!" Lefiya claimed as she pointed at him, "What are you doing with one of those books?!"
"D-Don't tell me you… stole it?!"
"… Stop making a fuss, this is a copy I made."
"How can a copy be so perfect?"
Silver closed the book once he confirmed the species of the mushroom he had just found, and the moment he did so, the book turned into a bunch of twinkling lights that scattered in the wind.
He had the twinkling lights fly right into Lefiya's face, making her sneeze as he yawned.
"You see, that book was never real. I copied it and it now lives as nothing but a construct inside my body, ready to be pulled out whenever I feel like it."
"What?… T-That can't be true…"
'Is that even possible? I never even knew those words could be used in the same sentence…'
She wasn't the only one pondering over his words, for Riveria was also deeply interested in everything he said and did.
Meanwhile, Silver conjured another book, and gave it to Lefiya, "Does this book feel real to you?"
She looked at the book as if her soul had been stolen from her body. One stolen book was one thing, but for several of them to go missing isn't the kind of thing that would be overlooked.
If Silver had really done so, then the news would've reached her before the expedition one way or another… so she was forced to accept it.
But that left another question at the back of her throat… 'Why does he have copies of these books in the first place? Is he… is he actually a student too??'
"What I find curious is how, despite passing through this place so many times, you don't bother to understand what stands around you."
Silver reached out behind a tree and pulled out a small red lizard. It had two small horns poking out at the back of its head, and its striking green tongue fluttered in the wind as it hissed at him.
"Don't you find any of this interesting?"
""…""
Lefiya and the other girls looked at the lizard, and all of them had similar thoughts…
Riveria sighed, while Gareth pushed a large tree from their path, widening their trail as they carved their way through the woods.
"It's… cute?" Ais asked as she put her hand forward, only for the lizard to bite her gauntlet
She lifted it and looked at it with curiosity, not really understanding what Silver found so interesting about it.
"Something tells me you don't like it… fine then, I'll have this guy all to myself then." Silver said with a scoff as he reached out for a bush, pulling out a large bunny with greenish fur
It tried kicking them away, but all it did was struggle in vain… so it cried out sharply.'
"KIIII!"
Tione looked at the bunny and tilted her head, "… Rakta?"
"That's not me!"
Seeing Ais longing for the furry creature, Silver sighed, "Here, hold it for a second."
Her expressing brightening by the second, she took the rabbit into her arms and patted it.
As the creature's fluffy reached her unarmored finger, a feeling of peace, the kind she never felt before in the Dungeon, reached her…
/Kick!/
But as she was distracted by her emotions, the rabbit kicked her chest, fleeing toward the horizon as it soon dove into the bushes.
"Ahh… Rabi-Kun…"
""It has a name?!""
Ais was left devastated as she bade farewell to her lifelong partner.
…
Silver and company continued on with their expedition.
While it was habitual for the others, to Silver, all of it was new and exciting. New and exotic flora, the unique animals that prowled the woods, and much more.
Even on this singular floor, Silver saw more diversity than anywhere in the Dungeon combined. It truly was worth its name as the Large Tree Labryinth, producer of much of the Dungeon's wealth.
He collected and catalogued what he could, storing whatever materials and exotic items they came across. He tried to join in the fights, but even with his stats, Silver was met with disappointment after disappointment.
Perhaps in other cases he would've been able to fight some of these monsters, but down here, they came in the dozens, and before the greater goal, Riveria and Gareth weren't going to let him go and risk himself.
With Riveria around, even if he wanted to, Gareth couldn't stop the strict elf from having everyone behave, which allowed them to descend smoothly, albeit in a somewhat quiet manner.
While others found it monotonous, with the Amazon sisters sighing in either frustration or boredom, Silver was having a lot of fun.
He observed their fights, large beasts akin to bipedal bears prowled the woodlands, their strength and endurance equal to that of a minotaur's, but far more agile and intelligent.
Giant boars taller than Silver, their charge demolishing everything in their path as their ivory tusks were like tree trunks the size of battering rams…
Red and green scalled Lizardmen that fought in groups, ambushing and working together, capable of rudimentary swordsmanship and martial arts... and many more unique creatures whose mere toxic breath would put Silver in a coma… which they almost did as he stubbornly tried to follow them with nothing but his bare body.
There were simply too many dangerous entities here, which was why the Guild recommended parties of Level 2 adventurers to stand together and to possess sufficient potions to detoxify themselves.
In these forests, even Level 3 adventurers would find themselves pressed to solo the region and press onward, much less a Level 1 like him.
Silver persevered through the floors without drinking a single antidote, treating the experience as "resistance training"… safe to say he wasn't looking good midway through the journey.
As the hours passed and Silver slowly found himself more and more tired, his forehead tensing with every step, they reached the next pivotal point of their journey!
And right on time, for Silver almost collapsed right then and there from overexertion…
…
/SHUAAAA!!/
"Huff…"
'I haven't done this much cardio in years…' He thought as he drank a plain cup of cold water
As the hours stretched on, the rhythm of travel began to settle into Silver's body. The constant shifts in footing, the need to watch every step, the ever-present tension of unseen threats, all of it accumulated.
What had first felt vibrant and endless now pressed in from all sides, the forest was no longer a place to observe, but something to endure.
As they reached the end of the 24th Floor, they pushed into a vine ridden staircase.
And as they left the confines of the forest, the wooden walls around them splinting and crackling as Gareth pushed them all aside, the passage widened gradually into an immense expanse as he forced open a way forward…
At first, it was subtle, roots thinning, the walls pulling back just enough to allow easier movement. Then the ceiling rose, the dense canopy of interwoven wood giving way to vast, arching structures that stretched far beyond the reach of their light.
With each step, the air changed. It cooled gradually, the dense weight of the forest giving way to a light, almost too open environment, making one feel exposed and lost.
/Shaaaa…/
A distant vibration followed, faint at first, then steadily growing until it threaded through the stone beneath their feet, shaking every so slightly…
By the time they reached the final stretch, it was no longer distant, it now roared in their ears, making it almost difficult for Silver to hear his companions right beside him.
The source soon made itself apparent…
/SHUAAA!/
Water dominated everything. It fell in immense curtains from heights that vanished into shadow, entire rivers spilling over jagged cliffs in a continuous, thunderous descent.
The impact below sent up dense clouds of mist that rolled outward, swallowing the lower reaches of the expanse and clinging to every surface in a constant, drifting veil.
The sound pressed against them from all directions, not a single source but a layered collision of countless torrents striking stone. It filled the air, settled into the body, turning breath and thought into something that had to push through its weight to even form.
The ground stretched along the edge of that immense fall, carved into uneven platforms of sharp dark rock, slick with moisture.
Thin streams broke away from the greater flow, cutting across the terrain before vanishing into the drop below.
Every surface bore the mark of water's persistence, smoothed edges, carved channels, surfaces worn by the endless erosion of time.
(Image)
Light fractured through the mist, faint at first, then sharper where it caught along the falling water, bending and scattering into shifting hues that moved with the currents. It illuminated the expanse unevenly, revealing sections in clarity while leaving others obscured behind layers of drifting vapor.
The forest was gone, in its place stood something wider, louder, and far less forgiving. A gargantuan series of waterfalls welcomed them, the largest of them well almost half a kilometer wide, and likely twice as long. Fed by countless other streams.
This was one of the Dungeon's wonders… one of the many Silver wished to witness, just like the Under Resort.
The Great Fall, marking the beginning of the Water City, spanning from the 25th to the 27th Floors…
They stepped out of the passage, directly facing the large waterfall.
Silver reached the edge of their platform, bending down in hopes of seeing its feet, but to no avail, "I heard it goes all the way to the 27th Floor, is that true? I can't kind of see the end with all this mist."
"It does, and that's where our destination lies." Riveria replied as she stood beside him
"…"
"You can't jump."
"I didn't even say anything."
She rolled her eyes, "You think I don't know what you're thinking? You'll die before even reaching the end."
She pointed at the waterfalls, "They might look calm, but thousands of monsters live in those waters."
"From here on out, safety isn't guaranteed even for those girls over there. If you feel like jumping, you'll end up swarmed by thousands of Iguazu in no time, so let's skip the mystery and not cause trouble."
"Those annoying things…" Tione said as she brushed her hair
Tiona looked away too, "Don't make me remember."
Silver turned to the crystal-like waterfalls, his thoughts shifting.
'I wasn't going to jump now, but I'll have to postpone it to another time.'
Cold sweat running down his forehead, he reached out to Rakta, "Can I have one of those antidotes? I feeling a little lightheaded."
"Of course! I'm surprised you didn't ask for one sooner, you have quite the resilience."
"It's nothing really, maybe I should thank my grandparents for this."
/Pop…/
As Silver drank the potion, Lefiya raised an eyebrow at his statement, "What do your grandparents have to do with this?"
"Phew… well, its quite simple. My grandparents, like many out there, were far too doting on little me."
"Many of them had dangerous professions, and that was reflected not only on my parents, but on me as well… so they were pretty adamant about my survival."
"From an early age, they did everything in their power to prepare me for anything that could shorten my expected long life."
He looked away, reminiscing of the past, "They used to microdose me to help me build resistances, I can't say its comparable to Abnormal Resistance, but it should be halfway there."
'Regulating my body with Plasmids helps too, although some poisons are far too strong for me to work around with. I've avoided playing around them exactly because of that.'
'Wouldn't it be too easy also? That's not the path I want to take… but certainly an option in an emergency, just like when gramps tried to stop me.'
'Toxins are my most lethal weapon right now.'
Tilting his head, he closed his eyes, thinking of the past, "When was the first time… I actually don't remember, I've been doing it since I was very young."
""…""
Lefiya wanted to say something, but she opted not to, her face merely paled as she looked away.
Silver walked to Gareth and tapped his shoulder, "Well then, uncle, I'll be trusting you to bring me down safely… because I don't think I'll be able to do anything from here on."
The Water City was full of monsters Level 2 adventurers would barely be able to handle, and with its unique environment and conditions, even parties composed solely of Level 3 adventurers would be hard-pressed to advance.
According to the Guild's own metrics, unlike the 24th Floor, which required an adventurer to be Level 2 with basic abilities of at least C to explore it, the 25th Floor required them to be between A to S to even attempt it.
For a Level 3 adventurer, developing their basic abilities to H or higher was the safest bet if one wanted to explore the area, even then, safety was far from guaranteed.
"You can count on me for that…"
"But before that, open up the storage; it's time for a wardrobe change." Gareth said as he tapped Silver's chest
"On it… are you guys putting the Undine Cloths on?" He asked as he knew what he meant
Silver opened the vortex portal, even though the others had grown somewhat used to it, Rakta, Lefiya, and Riveria still found it fascinating.
'No! It's not cool at all!' Lefiya thought as she pouted… again…
"… You putting a swimsuit too?" Silver asked as he turned to Gareth
""…""
Just the image of the hairy dwarf on something like that… made everyone, even Bete, tremble in fear.
"#! I'm fine like this, the last time I put on some beach trousers was in Melen, now beat it and go fetch their clothes so we can keep going!"
"Okay okay…"
Silver stepped into the swirling vortex…
…
When Silver returned with a large box, the girls got together and slowly picked out their clothes.
"No peeking, you remember what I said last time." Tione said as she looked at Silver
Silver scoffed, "I've never peeked at a girl bathing in this life! I said that before."
He raised his hand and pointed at the corner.
/Crunk…/
Before everyone's eyes, several large folding screens fell before them.
"Thank you." Tione said with a chuckle as she walked behind the folding screens
Tiona was the second to follow her, more curious about the screens then anything else.
"Why do you have folding screens inside that… whatever that is?" Lefiya asked as she looked at him suspiciously
"… Why do you wear a bra when you have nothing to show? I don't know, I just kind of have them."
"#!!! RUDE! For your knowledge, I have a B-Cup!" She exclaimed as she puffed her chest and face as she tried to appear bigger
Silver clapped, and pulled our a bottle from his pocket space, giving it to her.
"What is this?…"
"Plain milk, you'll need it."
"#!!!"
Before she could burst with the next string of curses, Rakta passed by her with Ais and held onto her arms as she blocked her mouth, "E-Excuse us…"
And as she stepped behind the folding screen… Lefiya exclaimed, "I'm pretty large for my age!"
Silver then sneaked a peak at Riveria, who was looking at him with her usual stoic eyes, "Maybe the future isn't so bleak for you after all…"
/BONK!/
Riveria slammed her staff on Silver's head, "First strike." She said as she sighed faintly.
"That hurt… on both a physical and emotional level… Anyhow, aren't you going to put yours on?"
"I don't need an Undyne Cloth." Riveria claimed as her eyes grew cold
Silver scratched his head as he looked back at the box, "Are you sure? There's still one box with your name here."
Her persona was shattered as surprise took over, "… What?"
Riveria looked inside with confusion as Gareth approached as well. She took out the neatly folded clothing and unraveled it…
"PFFT!"
Bete, who was looking from the side spat out loud as he looked at Riveria's clothes… and Gareth had to turn around to hide his smirk.
Riveria's eyes went hollow as she stared at the piece of cloth so thin even Amazons would be embarrassed to wear it in public, "What… is… this…"
She immediately understood how this came to be, and for a moment, she cursed Loki with all she had.
…
"Atchiu! Phew… it sure is cold these days…" Loki mumbled as she rubbed her arms
She then smiled mischeviously, "I wonder if Riveria saw my gift, tehehe…"
'I picked that one weeks ago! If only I could see her face…'
…
"Loki…"
"I can turn around, don't mind me." Silver said as he turned to face the waterfalls with Gareth
"… I'm not wearing it!"
…
As the girls walked out of the folding screens, now all in their Undine Cloths, they witnessed a strange scene of both Silver and Bete kneeling on the ground while a pile of ashes burned next to them.
No one asked what was going on, for they soon marched onwards into the distance…
"… Nice bikini." Silver said as he looked at Lefiya
"It's not a bikini! It's an Undine Cloth, mage battle dress!!" She exclaimed as she slammed her staff on the ground, shattering the earth
Stone splinters flew by his face as she did that, and for a moment, Silver was reminded that this girl… was Level 3, and more than capable of folding him like a sheet of paper.
Even then, he smiled as he looked away, storing away the folding screens, including the now empty glass of milk, "Whatever you say…"
Shortly after, they vanished into the caverns.
…
/Step step…/
/Chattering…/
A man opened his eyes in the dark, clutching his blade as if it were the most beloved thing in the world.
Footsteps echoed in the lightless halls, and his frozen body immediately responded, "They're here. My fated encounter, her divine decree shall be enacted." The man said as his eyes flashed
His hands drifted across his face and down the lenght of his blade as he swung it in the air, almost as if dancing.
He unsheathed it, "Within the darkness, I must vanish. For her happiness, everything else is meaningless."
Holding tight onto the blade, he stepped out of darkness, only so half his body appeared before a glowing crystal.
He posed once, then twice, as if reenacting a drama for no one but himself…
"Today, I shall test the valor of her newest champion."
Then, silence reigned… but only for a moment.
/Shine!/
A black magic circle flared beneath him, "~Unleash, king of the magic sword~"
"~Compensation of reason, offering of fresh blood. Until the end of the banquet - slaughter~"
"Dainsleif!"
/Flare!/
The magic was completed, dark aura and smoke covering his body as his posture grew rigid and tall.
The knight lifted his mask, covering his face, and despite his thug-like appearence, the aura of a mighty knight remained.
"Now we wait."
The champion of darkness stood at his post, waiting to perform the divine's command.
…
.
.
.
Notes
Next chapter will be a complete one, so that's why I didn't mean to just build from this since I think this ending is quite decent.
That's about it, bye!