Chapters 104-105

I've decided to do without an editor starting from chapter 106 forward since it's, sadly, slowed me down too much. It was a very formative experience, though. We'll catch up to the 25 chapters in a week or so. Cya tomorrow.

Chapter 104

I look around and move a few steps forward, deciding to take the lead in the discussion.

“I need to know what level everyone here is at, first,” I say. “I really don’t think we should split up into smaller groups at all.”

“Okay, what makes you say that?” Vyrrak asks, stepping back, giving me space to take control of the conversation.

“Even if you guys can punch through Peak-Platinum or even Early-Diamond monsters, you would be expending too much power to keep up that level of output for the whole dungeon. I think we should all move as one cohesive unit. If I can get to know what everyone’s Roles and strengths are, we could easily form one large team of Champions supported by our Squires that will continually rotate through fresh fighters as we delve. If we manage our time and energy well, we will either fall prey to the hordes of monsters attacking us or take too long to complete this Quest. If we waste weeks—or heaven forbid, months—we might fail our courses back at the Academy. Vice Principal John said it’s our responsibility to manage our time. I think this is what the Vice Principal was hinting at when he told us to manage our time.”

Everyone nods at my words, but a silence hangs in the air. Finally, Princess Iskara speaks up.

“I’m a Support,” she declares.

Everyone looks at her with eyes widening in disbelief.

“In any normal group, I’d be considered a Breaker,” she explains. “But my Class’s primary function is to empower myself and others. My specialty is physical buffs, which also makes me a strong hand-to-hand fighter.”

“I’m a Dagger,” Vyrrak says curtly.

“I’m a Breaker,” Asterion says, almost disappointed after finding out that both Iskara and Vyrrak don’t simply rely on their overwhelming power to fight.

“I’m a Shield,” Kai says.

“Me too,” Sabrina Margrave agrees.

“Breaker,” Orrivane coughs. “I can’t really do much else. My spells are too… destructive. I’m almost useless outside of combat.”

“I am the same,” Boomgar says, slapping his chest. “But I don’t specialize in small attacks like the mage here,” he continues, pointing at Orrivane. “I’m a Breaker of Hordes.”

“Breaker,” Kaelrik says curtly, looking at me.

“I’m a Guide and a Support,” Zibrek sighs. “My specialty is in Magical Engineering as you might already know.”

I can sense a hint of dissatisfaction in the Goblin girl’s voice. I expect it’s because she thought she would lead this group since she’s the only Champion to say she is a Guide so far.

In total, it looks like we have one Support, one Dagger, four Breakers, two shields, and two Guides, including me.

I listen as all the Squires explain their own powers, and then I look back at Lancelot and the Elves.

I need Lancelot to become stronger quickly. He’d be an excellent Breaker. With the Elves being a Dagger, Breaker, and Shield respectively, we’re almost a balanced party. Perhaps, if we work on our coordination, we could jump directly to Monster Felling 401 soon.

*

A few hours Later in a secluded cave

“Do we know if they are coming yet?” Malrik, a man clad in black robes with a tightly contained Diamond-Rank aura, asks.

“They’ve just disembarked,” Taron, Taron, an enormous man, as wide as he is tall, with an aura that lags just behind Malrik's in strength, replies. “I can sense it, the Generation of Legends is coming. The divination was successful, sir.”

“Good. They will have no idea what is going to hit them. They will never have experienced the kind of traps we’ve set for them in the Dungeon. Who are these Champions, anyway?” Malrik spits on the ground. “They’re all spoiled brats with no idea of how the world really works. As soon as our Lord wakes up, we’ll regain our rightful place in the world.”

With blood spilling from his palm, Malrik makes several hand gestures and, with a twist of his mana, causes blood mirrors to manifest around them. The blood mage’s constructs show multiple-angle views of clear images of the Champions as they enter the Tomb of Fate. 

Malrik looks down at the parchment in front of him, reading the hastily scrawled notes contained within.

“Those three,” he says, pointing at the three leading the group, “are the Infernal Princess, the Dragonkin King, and the Highblood from the Tribe of Stars.”

Then he frowns, squinting harder at the blood mirror.

“Who’s that other kid at the front with them?” His eyes scan the parchment, causing his frown to deepen when he can’t easily find the information. Fortunately, his ability to feel their auras from the mirror enables him to investigate further.

“It isn’t the Void Mage, nor the swordsman. Is he Kai Valemont, perhaps? But why would he be leading the expedition?”

“No, sir,” Taron replies, “the Valemont Champion is the one with the large sword on his shoulder. Up the back there, the one who looks like a brute.”

“Wait. It can’t be, is that the False Champion?” Malrik’s eyes stop on the last entry on the report.

[Jacob Cloud: passed the Champion’s Selection through sheer luck. The Champion with the weakest power level of the Generation of Legends. Role: Guide. Power level: Peak Gold-Rank. Infernal Class Set based on the Hellfire’s Sword Skill.]

“He’s just a Peak Gold-Rank?” Malrik says, stunned. “Is this a joke? Did we somehow get faulty intelligence again?” He says, waving the scroll in Taron’s face angrily.

“No, sir. I’ve double-checked all the information contained within. Cloud is definitely weak. All sources point to him being the most useless Champion from this generation.”

“And they let him lead? How arrogant,” Malrik sighs. “They must really believe that our dungeon is going to be a cakewalk for them. They mustn’t know that we’ve already made extensive preparations for this moment. I’m glad we can finish this mission early, as the very first bridge they cross will spell their doom.”

*

We bypassed a large city and settled outside the Tomb of Fate.

From the outside, the Tomb appears as a gigantic black portal inside two massive stone doors carved into the side of a mountain. The whole look of it is extremely ominous.

Since we already have all the supplies needed for this mission, I look at everyone and jump into giving directions.

“My team,” I say, looking at Lancelot, Althir, and the other two Elves, “stay behind me.”

“I would like Sabrina on my right and Kaelrik on my left. Followed by Asterion on one flank of the group, and Kai on the other. Boomgar, Orrivane, and Zibrek, I’d like you holding up the rear. Zibrek, you have great eyes, right?”

The Goblin girl nods.

“Okay, can you make sure nothing sneaks up on us? If you see anything, alert everybody. If we encounter large threats, we’ll adjust our positioning on the fly. Everybody else, unless specifically named,  you’re to surround and escort our core group. Are there any questions?”

“Cloud, we are meant to protect the Princess, not some—“

“Princess,” I say, turning to Iskara. “Are you ok with my arrangements?”

Iskara nods and shoots a withering glance at Eliskar, who shuts up immediately.

“Alright, then, here we go.”

I move to enter the portal and look at Sabrina.

“Ladies first,” I smile cheekily, gesturing for her to enter.

Sabrina Margrave shoots daggers at me with her eyes, but she’s beaten into the Dungeon by Princess Iskara, who casually steps through the portal without protest. Not wanting to be one-upped, Sabrina Margrave follows immediately after her.

I follow them through the portal and feel my eyes widen as I witness the most apocalyptic scenario I’ve ever seen.

There are black clouds that flash with lightning above us, which are complemented by an oppressive presence from this place. One by one, we appear on a large platform made of black stone. In front of us, there is a creaky rope bridge connecting to what appears to be a basin at the foot of a tall, dark mountain range.

The surrounding landscape is desolate and barren, and is mostly rock with no greenery in sight.

“The Tomb of Fate is starting to feel like an apt name,” I mutter to myself while scanning the surroundings for threats.

“Boss, are you sure you actually need me for this mission?” I turn while Lancelot continues. “Can’t I just go home? I actually have this terrible stomachache. I’m really sick, boss. I swear. You’ve got all these Champions, you’ll be fine.”

I grab Lancelot by the collar of his large shirt as he starts backpedalling toward the entrance.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I tell him. “You told me you wanted to get stronger, didn’t you? Then be quiet and compose yourself. All the weaker monsters are going to be handled by the Squires and our Party, so get ready.”

As soon as everybody has come through the portal, I notice Vyrrak stepping forward.

“I’ll go scouting,” he announced, moving towards the bridge.

I look at the bridge with more attention and manage to place a hand on his chest to stop him from moving.

“One second.”

Grimoire. Analysis.

[Analyzing]

[Mediocre Bridge (Cursed)]

[Curse of the Weary (True Diamond Rank Skill) - Level 79]

[Curse of the Weary: once it strikes the target, it slowly seeps into their blood, muscles, and bones, draining the target and empowering the curse further until the target is left with no mana and stamina.]

*

“Look! They’re about to step on the bridge!” Malrik says, rubbing his hands together gleefully, while watching the Champions.

This is how he killed all the Knights who had entered previously. They didn’t have the presence of mind to go back to the entrance before his Curse sapped them of all their energy, instead choosing to continue along the bridge. Curse of the Weary has a secondary effect on people’s cognition, with their thoughts growing more clouded as they become more tired. That’s what made so many people try to push through.

And even though there are a Dragonkin, Infernal, and Highblood in the party, Malrik knows that they’re not immune to Curses of his strength.

This is one of his most powerful Curses available at Diamond-Rank. He received the Skill as a Blessing from his Lord, to recognise the sacrifices he made for Him.

“They will soon be drained, and we’ll be able to make short work of them. We’ll use the strong karmic bonds from their blood to wake up our Lord sooner than anticipated!” Malrik laughs like a crazed man, with Taron smiling from the side.

When only the Guide of the group, the False Champion, and the Dragonkin step closer to the bridge, Malrik and Taron look questioningly at each other. When they’re followed by only the Goblin Engineer, they start questioning aloud.

“Why are they waiting? Should we have made it more convincing by repairing the bridge more?” Taron asks.

“It’s a Dungeon-made bridge,” Malrik frowns. “Plus, they can secure themselves with ropes of their own before crossing. Heh, whatever. The Goblin Champion is an Engineer. She’s probably just making sure of the structural integrity. But she has no way of catching that there’s a True Diamond Curse placed on it. The moment they touch any part of the bridge, the Curse is going to stick to them and start infecting their blood! AHAHAH!”

However, as seconds become minutes, Malrik grows more and more suspicious of their behaviour. He again makes a series of complex hand signs, causing sound to start coming through the blood mirrors that surround him.

“—I’ll take care of it.”

He hears the Dragonkin say, and then he sees the young man open his maw and spit a veritable ocean of fire over the bridge.

“WHAT ARE THEY DOING?!” Malrik says, dismayed.

Dragonkin fire is so powerful that it can actually destroy Curses. Curses are like Enchantments, but their subtle nature makes them easily destroyed if you can perceive them. But no one there, no one below a True Diamond-Ranked Knight, should have been able to detect the Curse!

The bridge disintegrates under the Dragonkin’s terrifying fire, and so does the curse.

The remaining Champions all stand there for a moment as if waiting for something. Malrik and Taron watch, stunned as the Goblin girl raises her hands, causing runes to appear around her. In an instant, the stone starts bending from behind them, and it forms a beautiful, arched bridge between the starting platform and the Dungeon proper.

“HOW DID THEY KNOW?!” Malrik howls, trembling with rage.

“WHATEVER! IT IS NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE SO MANY MORE CURSES AND TRAPS LAID OUT FOR THEM! THEY’LL BE TAKEN TO THE ABYSS BEFORE THEY EVEN REALIZE IT!”

At that point, he noticed the False Champion staring straight into one of the mirrors and smiled at them, almost as if he could see them through his constructs.

But Malrik knows that’s impossible. His blood magic is far too refined for anyone at mere Gold-Rank to notice such a thing.

Chapter 105

The Champions all look at Jacob, stunned by what had just happened.

Apparently, someone had cast a True-Diamond curse on the very first bridge that led further into the Dungeon. Vyrrak, Iskara, and Asterion, who all have had extensive training in curses, checked with curse-detection artifacts they carry at all times, and it showed that it was Curse of the Weary. 

Seeing that Jacob had somehow perfectly identified a True-Diamond Curse has completely changed their collective assessment of him. Even Vyrrak, who has previously considered electing Jacob as their leader to be a gamble, can’t help but feel vindicated by his actions.

A Curse of this magnitude would have debilitated their entire team, making them vulnerable to death and worse.

After crossing the bridge that Zibrek had conjured, the Champions stopped to have a discussion about strategy.

“We have to completely re-evaluate the threat level of this dungeon,” Vyrrak says, glancing over at Jacob. “This curse was cast by someone. It’s not something that a Dungeon of this size could spawn naturally. Not even a True-Diamond Dungeon would have this level of curse at its entrance, as the Mana is far too thin.”

Iskara looked troubled at his words, but says nothing, leaving Asterion to nod at Vyrrak, prompting him to talk.

“There’s only one group of people whom I’d expect to be this vicious. Not mercenaries or bandits,” the tall, blond man shakes his head.

“That only leaves Cultists,” Vyrrak says, causing several Champions to cringe away from him.

“Huh,” Jacob scratches his head. “Who are they? I’ve never heard of Cultists before.”

“First of all,” Iskara explains, “whenever someone refers to Cultists, we’re talking about a very specific Cult. They are the most famous, dangerous, and powerful Cult around.”

“Oh, those bastards?” Boomgar spits on the ground.

“The Cult of Asmodeus,” Orrivane, the Void Mage, says precisely.

“For everyone who doesn’t know,” Vyrrak says, “the Cult of Asmodeus follows the tenets of the Monster God, Asmodeus, who’s believed to have spawned all monsters and Dungeons in the world.”

“It’s not just a belief,” Asterion says slowly, with his characteristic deep voice. Everyone who’s looking at him can tell he’s tense, which is strange coming from someone who usually appears composed and calm. “Asmodeus is an actual God who can reincarnate and appears throughout different eras. He’s the most powerful Evil Divinity there’s.”

“Asterion’s people are sworn to fight all Evil Divinities,” Zibrek mentions to everyone else. “The Highbloods have killed several Gods and their reincarnations throughout the eons, including Asmodeus.”

“We should probably retreat,” Asterion says solemnly. “This is not a threat we can—“

“The Cultists here are only at Diamond-Rank. I think it’s a level of threat we can handle,” Jacob cuts him off, making everyone turn to him.

“How can you tell?” Vyrrak asks.

Jacob raises his eyebrows. “The signs on the Curse, the way they’re cast… my Master taught me about Curses as part of my training.”

“You can cast Curses?” Iskara says, taking a step back.

“No, I can’t. But I’m… something of an expert on detecting Curses and traps.”

Asterion breaks his silence by inhaling deeply, speaking with barely contained anger, “If they’re at the Diamond Rank, it is my duty to hunt them. Vyrrak, Jacob, I have to find them, interrogate them, and then destroy them. If this truly is the Cult of Asmodeus, this could be connected to his resurrection.”

“Jacob,” Vyrrak says, moving his eyes slowly from Asterion to Jacob, “what Rank are they, exactly? Can you tell?”

“They’re extremely weak,” Jacob says, getting close to Vyrrak. “You know, there are many who could cast this Curse at Early Diamond-Rank… or even Intermediate… Advanced and Peak. But I think they’re at the very beginning of Diamond-Rank. They’re definitely weak Early-Diamond Rankers.”

The Dragonkin is confused for a moment because Jacob gave him an especially strong squeeze after saying ‘Intermediate.’

They are looking at us right now, and Jacob can tell. Vyrrak suddenly realizes, almost freezing and looking around for the threat. However, he remains calm, moving closer to Asterion.

“Brother,” Vyrrak says, getting close, whispering a few words that no one else can understand.

“You speak Highblood—“ Asterion is about to finish before he smiles widely, and looks at Jacob with a surprised expression.

*

“Look at them!” Malrik laughs out loud. “These kids think that because they managed to destroy this Curse, they can take us on! Us, Intermediate Diamond-Rankers! Do they have any idea what we can do to them, Taron?!”

The large warrior smirks and nods back at Malrik, “They’re Champions, Malrik, that’s why they’re proud and stupid. They already know we are followers of Lord Asmodeus, but they are continuing through the Dungeon without knowing how strong we really are. Even if that kid is able to detect more of your Curses, we can just wait for the waves of monsters to tire them out before killing all the Squires and taking the Champions as sacrifices.”

“Their arrogance will be their demise,” Malrik responds, smiling.

Malrik and Taron currently sit in an underground cave system. The Blood Mage turns away from the mirrors and goes through a corridor until he reaches several cells filled with abducted civilians, waiting to be sacrificed, sitting in tattered clothes, their skin bruised and their eyes glassy.

“We’ll use these for the Heretic. They can’t resist trying to be heroes and helping everyone. Let’s wait for them to stumble, then they’ll serve themselves to us on a silver platter.”

*

The Cult of Asmodeus is dangerous, Jacob Cloud. Do you really want to face Intermediate Diamond-Rankers with a bunch of Gold-Ranked kids?

They’re all capable of putting a hole through an Early Diamond-Ranker, I reply, as we slowly advance in formation through the black, rocky basin between the mountains. The sky rumbles with thunder ominously as we continue along the path.

 That’s ballsy, Cloud. But remember to be careful, you’re gambling a lot on people you don’t actually know. Highbloods are unpredictable and follow only their own rules. You don’t want to rely on them during times like these. This Vyrrak is clearly hiding some connection to the Academy, and the Princess might still hate you.

As we’re advancing, a pack of gigantic wolves with stone skin suddenly surrounds us.

[Stone Wolf - Level 250]

They’re all around Level 250, and there must be a few dozen of them.

“Kai, Sabrina, make sure to protect everyone else,” I say, and then I move forward with the Elves and Lancelot. “All Champions, don’t engage unless the Wolves attack you.”

[Grimoire Analysis]

An overlay created by the Grimoire shows me that the joints of these wolves are really fragile.

*

Iskara and the other Champions watch with interest to see what kind of power Jacob Cloud has. From what he has said, he’s only as strong as a Peak Gold-Rank fighter. He might be capable of fighting an Early Platinum Rank monster by himself, briefly.

These Stone Wolves are Early Platinum-Rank monsters – and pack monsters at that – so everyone is curious to see how he’ll fare and whether they’ll need to intervene.

Any of the present Champions could make short work of these monsters, so they’re all eagerly waiting to see whether the guy, whom everyone calls the False Champion, either proves or embarrasses himself.

“Lancelot, grab their attention!”

Lancelot dashes forward with a nimbleness that belies his size. His skin glows golden, and he starts slapping his chest, emitting a series of loud roars that attract the attention of all the wolves.

“Elyndor, create barriers to funnel the monsters away from the group, trapping them together with Lancelot.”

Elyndor immediately follows my orders—he’s the Shield out of the three and creates a series of powerful barriers that could contain even an Advanced Platinum-Ranked monster for several minutes.

“Ithriel, aim at the joints of the bigger ones, cripple them quickly, but don’t waste time killing them! Just take out their legs!”

While Ithriel disappears from sight, Lancelot has managed to entice the entire pack of Stone Wolves with his large belly and taunts. Every Wolf is clearly salivating at the idea of taking a bite out of the guy.

“Why did Jacob choose that guy as a Squire?” Iskara asks Kai, getting closer to him while keeping a watchful eye on any stray Stone Wolf who might attack the group’s Squires or attendants.

“Our Family offered for Jacob to be adopted, which would have granted him access to a far more powerful Squire, but he found that guy, Lancelot, on the streets of Ytrial when he came here for his registration. He took a real liking to him. That Lancelot has been trying to get a Knight to hire him for a few years—unsuccessfully, as you might imagine. I really don’t know what Jacob sees in him. The last time I saw him, he didn’t even qualify to be a Squire before Jacob Tutored him.”

Iskara raises her eyebrow at that and turns back toward the fight. The most impressive thing is that this Lancelot has managed to draw the attention of all the monsters and is now fighting them head-on.

Despite his Skills, however…

“Is he crying?” Iskara asks, confused.

“PLEASE, DON’T EAT ME!” Lancelot cries, with mucus and tears running down his face. “PLEASE, PLEASE! I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!”

Even the Stone Wolves are confused by the cries of the fat man in front of them. The crying man is shouting and wailing so hard that several wolves whimper because he’s hurting their ears.

“PLEASE, I’M TOO YOUNG AND I’M STILL A VIRGIN! PLEASE, DON’T KILL ME!”

“Lancelot, stop that. You need to focus on the battle!” Jacob shouts at the fat Squire, who just keeps crying, trying to backpedal away from the monsters rapidly.

While Ithriel has started closing in on the Stone Wolves, the monsters have already surrounded Lancelot and are about to pounce.

“Althir, get ready!” Jacob says, looking at the Breaker of their team, who nods and puts himself shoulder to shoulder with Jacob.

The Stone Wolves have gotten tired of the antics of their succulent target, and the first one suddenly jumps at high speed toward him.

“NOOO!” Lancelot raises his fat arm, and the Stone Wolf opens its mouth and chomps down, already tasting the delicious meat that’s going to be his next meal.

But, to everyone’s surprise, when the Wolf bites down, its teeth break. Lancelot’s skin, still glowing golden, has not even been scratched by the attack, and instead, has completely shattered the jagged teeth of the Stone Wolf.

“AAAAH! GO AWAY!” Lancelot cries so loudly that everyone is flabbergasted. “YOU’RE HURTING ME!!!”

Hurting you? Everybody thinks. You’ve just condemned that Stone Wolf to drink his food for the rest of his life! What hurt! You should be taken in for animal cruelty!

Flailing around, Lancelot casually smacks the Stone Wolf’s mouth. There’s an explosive burst following from the blow, so the neck, skull, and part of the Stone Wolf’s shoulder are reduced to pulp.

“AAAH! SO MUCH BLOOD!” Lancelot cries, trying to wipe away the shower of gore he just created. “EEW!”

Every single Champion, is looking at Lancelot with bulging eyes. No one is able to look away.

Jacob intervenes with a brief explanation, “Fatty is our strongest fighter. His strength and constitution are already Intermediate Platinum-Rank. The last month of training has really helped!”

Helped? Last month?! That’s what everyone’s thinking.

If this Fatty has trained for only a month, and what Kai Valemont said is true, would it mean that he went from being nobody to becoming an Intermediate Platinum-Rank? Can a mere Squire really grow at that speed?!

What Squire?! Everybody thinks. This is a Champion in disguise!!!