NOVEL NEXT Chap 224: The Lone Challenger.
"This is a tattoo made with runes. It can tell how many monsters you've killed, your location if necessary, and it has a few other small minor functions." Susan places the tattoo on my back, at the same height where my cube is located.
"Know my location? Can I check the others' positions?" I'm a bit worried about revealing my location. Some members of the council are sending trusted people, while others have hired groups with a rather suspicious reputation.
Sitting inside Susan's carriage, I can see those people in the distance. Even from hundreds of meters away, they give off an intense bloodlust. They're strong for Sapphire rank, probably near the limit to Ruby.
"Yes and no. You can share it if you wish, but it won't be revealed if you block it with your Imra. You'll only be able to detect the signals of the dead when the protection disappears." Susan follows my gaze with her eyes. "I don't trust them either. Be careful inside. If they consider the mission too risky, they might abandon it halfway through, and they won't want to leave empty-handed."
I don't respond; I just keep looking at that strange group. "Why are they still Sapphire rank? I'm sure some of them could ascend to Ruby." It seems a bit strange to me.
"There are many cases, but the most common is because of injuries or safety. If your cube is permanently damaged, you could die when trying to ascend. It's better not to risk your life and just train to the limits of Sapphire. If you go beyond those limits, you might die anyway." That makes sense. I've almost died twice before during my ascensions. If I didn't have a healing ability, I wouldn't be alive right now.
"The second most common reason is safety. If you slightly surpass the limits with a healthy body and cube, it's manageable. You'll be stronger than most within your rank and live a comfortable life. After all, most dungeons are grade 2, 3, or mixed. Many organizations and noble families would want to hire you one way or another." I had never seen it that way before — it's a way to stay safe while making good money.
"It has quite a few benefits. It's not a bad idea if you don't see potential to ascend to Ruby." Very few people even reach Sapphire rank, and far fewer have the talent to reach the next one. It's better to live a peaceful life within your means.
"You don't need me to explain the downsides of staying in Sapphire." Susan toys with her communication device as she asks.
"No, you don't." They can be almost like limit breakers, but they're not. If they face a situation like mine, against a grade 4 monster, they would most likely die. The same would happen if a Ruby or higher rank decided to toy with them.
I still think the benefits outweigh the cons. I can't judge those who make that decision. I look again at the distant group, but they're a different case altogether.
We step down from the carriage after Susan's last recommendations. The tattoo on my back is ready. We move toward the edge of the strange greenish barrier. I confirm Susan's words using my Personal World — I can't sense anything beyond the barrier, and my vision feels clouded.
Everyone around us is staring. Each group has between ten and twenty people. I'm the only one who will go in alone.
"We're quite popular. Must be because of my dazzling beauty." I wink at Susan, who still looks a bit worried, but I can see a faint smile forming.
"The rumors about a young womanizer courting a princess must have reached the city." I can only laugh; I've been completely defeated. "Some participants might think we're not serious, while others probably recognize you from the tournament. The other leaders know who you are — they're just confused because you're going in alone." If anyone saw my fight with Areci, I doubt they'd forget my face anytime soon.
"It's almost my turn to go." We'll be entering the huge dungeon in turns. Susan's group was drawn first. Studies show that the territory inside hasn't changed, but the space covered is as large as a big city. It'll take days to move from one end to the other.
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"I expect news from you soon. Take your time in there — if you come back in one piece, that's already a victory." I can feel how much Susan trusts me. She truly believes I can solve this dungeon, though her feelings are mixed with worry and fear of losing me.
"Prepare your best bottle of wine for my return." I start walking slowly toward the green barrier.
"I promise you one of the best banquets." I lift my hand and wave goodbye.
My entire body passes through the barrier without any problem. My Personal World can no longer detect anything outside this dungeon, but at least there's no interference with my abilities. Since I don't want anyone to see which direction I'm heading, I teleport using Dimensional Step to one of the densest areas several meters away.
As soon as I reappear, I sense three monster presences nearby — two on the ground and one in the air. I'm sure they've noticed me; I can feel their gaze. On the bright side, they haven't attacked yet. "Are these monsters smarter?" In moments like this, I wish I had an ability like Shawu's or Ho's — being able to vanish would make things much easier.
I try to hide my mana and Imra as much as possible, sealing each part of my power to make detection harder, and move while avoiding curious eyes. Being able to detect monsters first gives me a small advantage to escape their perception.
I've already moved far enough to distance myself from the second group. There are ten minutes between each entry — that's enough to take separate routes. Every now and then I use Dimensional Step, so it'll be harder for anyone to follow my tracks. Taking precautions in this situation is necessary.
"Something's coming." Glia has also noticed the monster running toward us at full speed. It detected me the moment it entered my range. It looks feline — a few seconds later, I see it.
Its fur is completely white with orange stripes. It reminds me of a tiger, except it's much larger — almost two meters tall — and its fangs are huge. It's radiating a strong power, probably a minor boss of this area. The tiger doesn't give me time to think. It charges a skill in its mouth and fires it straight at me.
The charged electric orb shoots toward me at incredible speed. I dodge with a sideways jump and draw my Thundersnow Fangs from my cube. "Come on, kitty." My enhancement skills cover my body.
The tiger leaps, closing the distance in an instant, and swings down a massive paw with long claws. I block the strike with the edge of my left sword. If I hadn't reinforced my body, that attack would've forced me back several steps. It's incredibly strong and heavy.
I swing my other sword toward its torso, but the monster blocks it with one of those massive white fangs. Sparks of electricity run through its fur; its movements are now faster, and its fangs glow with energy, ready to bite.
I let the fight drag on longer than planned — I'm testing my abilities, making sure everything works properly. I try out all my skills and affinities. For now, everything is fine. Only one remains to test.
The tiger, tired and covered in wounds, makes one last desperate move. It lunges at my arm — I let one of its fangs pierce me. Its face of triumph vanishes less than a second later as I drive my other sword into the side of its skull.
I pull out the fang and activate my healing ability; the wound closes instantly. "Doesn't seem like there's any interference in my skills." I grab the monster's core, then kill another one that tried to ambush me from behind.
A massive rabbit, nearly a meter tall, had jumped at me from behind with its huge horn. It didn't even sense my small Joyeuse — I made it more compact to increase speed and reduce visibility. The blade pierced straight through its brain and out its jaw. I pick up the other core and disappear again with Dimensional Step — several monsters were already trying to surround me.
I build nine Joyeuse, fully charged, then with ten in total I approach a group from behind and kill them instantly. Another group charges at me; I use the same constructs to block their rush. Some of the faster ones dodge, but others fall dead trying.
When I reach those agile ones, I cut them cleanly to end their lives, and use the Joyeuse to take down three flying monsters that had been tailing me since I entered. I took the opportunity when they flew lower to regroup with the others.
It takes me only a few seconds to collect all the monster cores around, then I leave the area quickly. No other monster seems to have sensed me. It's better to move — the smell of blood will attract others sooner or later. I look down at my clothes, now stained with blood of various colors, and let the new uniform do its work.
I inject a bit of mana into the fabric; the blood and dirt slide off until it's completely clean. It's a shame I can't repair the hole left by the tiger's fang.
"This dungeon has a promising start." I keep moving, shifting directions, killing the monsters that manage to detect my presence. Some are smarter — they sense me but don't act — while others simply charge in without hesitation.
I'm heading toward a huge mountain near the center. I'll try to find something different from up there and look for a place to rest. Thanks to my life affinity, I don't need much sleep — only when I'm exhausted.
"I hope I don't run into any of the other groups on that mountain." Some of them might have the same idea. Without wasting more time, I move through the dense vegetation toward the great mountain.