Fate Alchemist - A Regression Academy LitRPG

There was a possibility that people from the academy tried to follow them. In fact, an extreme likelihood. It would take a while to activate their Oroniths, especially by Academy standards.

That meant there was just enough time to disappear into the dungeons. He took off at a sprint, pushing Wraith as fast as it would move, or as fast as his body could handle within the constraints. His tier was still the biggest limiting factor to Wraith's strength.

Finally, Prince Athllas said, "So we're looking for Dr. Arnau, right? Something happened, something dragged her down?"

"Correct!" Irmond called. "That's what I saw."

"And no one else saw it?" Athllas asked. "Not any of the workers?"

"It was fast," Irmond replied. "Just a blink, but yeah. It was, like, some…monster of some sort."

"That sounds—"

"Oh, you're breaking up. The construct is…having problems." A ruffling sound rushed through the communications construct, like Irmond was rubbing it on his shirt. "Might have to…crrrrgh…go quiet for a second."

"You made that noise with your voice." Athllas put his hands on his hips for a second, until Wraith landed next, and a shudder ran through the cockpit. "I could have you arrested for lying to a member of the royal family, you know. Are you working with Arnau? Did she put you up to this?"

"The other way around?" Kalee provided.

"Is this a ploy to enter the dungeon early and gain tiers quickly? You four do not inspire me with confidence."

"Neither do you, considering how scrawny you are," Seith said.

"Seith!" Kalee scolded.

"Yeah, but we're kinda taking you on a tour of the dungeon," Wulf said to the prince specifically. "Which you'd never get otherwise. And here, you'll have a chance to accumulate the resources you want. You could get more than just some hallucinogenic wall fungus to pawn off to Varl, you know."

"You make a compelling argument," Athllas muttered. "Make the family proud, huh?" He nodded. "If you get me killed, you will have to answer to my father."

"Then don't die," Wulf said. "Or you'll be getting us killed."

His read of Athllas might have been wrong, but considering the prince hadn't scolded any of the Lions for talking to him like that, he figured he could get away with a little disrespect.

Athllas raised his eyebrows. "I…I won't, then."

The hallway reached a corner. Wulf stopped, then turned left—also his go-to direction in his last life. This hallway, however, glowed a faint yellow. Green vines dangled from the ceiling, and at their tips, there were glowing yellow bulbs which cast a faint light around the hall. Combined, there were enough to light the hallway.

Moisture was accumulating on Wraith's visor, and the air seeping through the cracks was warm and stagnant. There were faint whiffs of rot, but the metallic, mineral scent of the caverns overwhelmed it.

He followed the hallway until they reached a stairway, then said, "But, yes, your majesty. We hatched a plan with Arnau…someone has been threatening us, someone strong. And if we don't all make it to Iron by the end of the school year, they'll give away Wraith."

"We can't let that happen," Kalee added.

Athllas nodded. "No, it would not be ideal to have a crew such as yours be replaced."

"And Dr. Arnau agreed to help us," Seith added. "We came up with this plan with her."

"Where is she?" Athllas asked. "Aside from…hiding."

"We don't know, but she's a Gold," Wulf said. "I know she can handle herself. It's us I'm more worried about. Seith and Irmond are still Middle-Coals, Kalee's a High-Copper, and you?" Wulf glanced at the prince's badge. "High-Copper as well."

"How are you going to advance a Ranger and an Artificer to Iron by the end of the year?" Athllas demanded. "Tell me your plan, or—" He paused, took a breath, then said, "Please, tell me your plan."

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"Irmond and Kalee will be easy," Wulf said. "We just need to have them take a significant role in killing any monsters we encounter. And hope that Kalee doesn't spend too much mana. It's Seith who's the problem."

Irmond snickered and said, "I know, she's such a problem—"

"Oh, your comms are working again?" Seith retorted.

"But Wraith needs weapons," Wulf continued, ignoring the two. "If we can get enough materials to make two swords for Wraith, then as long as we finish them before the end of the year, it should resonate with the Field and get her to Iron."

"It is a sound plan," Athllas said. "I will scrounge for whatever I can get to improve my connection with Varl while we are down here, then. What about those plants?" He pointed ahead.

As Wulf ran down the hallway, the vines smacked against Wraith's cockpit visor. It didn't feel like he was moving all that quickly, but it was fast enough to shatter the glowing fruits. He said, "I think those are just poisonous."

"How do you know that?" Athllas asked. "We haven't discussed that in Dungeon Delving yet."

"I…read ahead in the textbook," Wulf replied. In truth, he'd seen them a little in his past-life dungeon runs. He didn't know their actual name, and he hadn't come up with anything of his own.

The hallway arrived at a set of stairs. They were large enough to be comfortable for an Oronith to travel down, which struck him as slightly odd and a little convenient, but if humanity had been using Oroniths for thousands of years, then it was natural that the Field would adjust to continue the challenge.

He descended a flight, travelling deep fast enough to make his ears pop, then took another corner.

It was there that they arrived at their first room. Dungeons had two main components: hallways (which could encompass anything from stairways to chasms, but their only real purpose was for getting from one place to another), and rooms, where there were almost always monsters.

Sometimes, you went into dungeons for the loot, but most times, you went in search of monsters to kill, granting you mana.

This room was nearly fifteen Oronith paces long, and it had four branching hallways at its sides, too. The ceiling was high, with a plain dome, and faceless statues lined the walls. At first, he thought a layer of fog lingered in the high crevices, but it had strands. It was a spiderweb. In the very center of the room stood their first foe.

"I should not have said we were going after a widowlob," Irmond said. "That was just me tempting fate, wasn't it?"

A massive spider, about a quarter the height of Wraith, but twice the Oronith's wingspan, climbed on an obelisk in the center of the room. For the most part, its body was black, and tiny hairs covered it, but there were also hundreds of vines wrapping around its legs and its abdomen.

It looked up at them, opened its fang-filled maw, and screeched. At the same time, a warning scrawled across the parchment sheets, reading:

[Foliated Widowlob – Low-Iron]

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong," Kalee said. "But that's a lot bigger than the one you fought back in Istalis."

"Yeah," Wulf said. "I think the one I fought was a baby. It's no matter—Irmond's going to put an arrow in its eye."

"Oh," Irmond said with extra emphasis. "I guess I should have said a baby widowlob dragged down Dr. Arnau."

"That was what Varl assumed you meant," Athllas provided.

"Well, that worked out…"

"Eyes on the target, guys," Wulf said. "I wouldn't mind preserving some of her venom, too."

"Venom?" Athllas exclaimed. "What do you need her venom for?"

"Uh…" Wulf winced. "I promise I'll explain in a bit, but let's focus on taking down the giant spider."

Already, the widowlob was racing forward. Its feet boomed with each step, creating a cloud of dust. "I'll expose its eyes," Wulf said. "Irmond, you'll have an open shot, and they'll be weak."

"Got it," he said.

The spider reared up, reaching out with its front legs and trying to pin Wulf. Talons glistened on the tips of its feet, and when it opened its mouth, it revealed massive fangs that dripped with vibrant green venom. Wulf ducked to the side, dodging the first swipe, then gripped onto its leg and ripped it to the side.

The second leg raced toward the side of his head, trying to smash through the cockpit, but Wulf caught it and wrenched it to the side. The spider's carapace cracked, and it shreiked. The sound made the cockpit glass vibrant.

Shouting with exertion, Wulf pushed. He didn't need lots of poison resistance at the moment, so he triggered [Slither]. Sure, he'd triggered his golem with a poisonous potion, and technically [Arm of the Alchemist] made it a splatter potion, but as soon as he deactivated [Slither], he resist it.

After all, he'd only fuelled the golem with a nausea potion. His stomach churned, and his vision swam.

"Now, Irmond! Take out its eyes!"

Four arrows flew in rapid succession. They split the air with a deep crack and a boom, and they pierced the widowlob's eyes on the beast's right side. The enhanced arrows bit in, then, with the force of the impact, made the eye shatter.

But it still had four eyes. With its second set of legs, it reached out, trying to impale Wraith's stomach. Wulf kicked one away, and Kalee dragged the other down with a concentrated burst of gravity.

As the spider shreiked, Irmond put an enhanced arrow through the rest of its eyes, only missing once. Blinded, the spider tried to retreat. Wulf released its legs, then snatched its mandibles and pulled them in either direction, ripping the beast's head. His golem strained, fighting against him, and Wraith creaked, no meant for this kind of brawling.

He winced. He'd need to get those new short swords sooner than later.

But then a sickening crack echoed through the chamber, and the widowlob's head ripped in half, splattering bug guts across Wraith's chest and over the room's floor. The widowlob fell still. Panting, Wulf dropped to a knee, and Wraith did the same.

One room down. Plenty more still to go.