NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72: It's a damn new week, baby!
"It's a damn new week, baby!" Alex yelled from the top bunk and hurled himself off it, landing with a loud thud.
On the lower bunk, Mercer covered his ears with his pillow and turned away, still wanting more sleep. A few other Rankers woke at the same time as Alex, but none were as eager. Of course, a new week meant Alex could be with his girls again and have sex for hours.
Ace cracked one eye, looked at Alex's back, then buried his face in Chaewon's hair and went back to sleep. Lately, he slept a little longer than usual, too. The others who were awake either grabbed breakfast or shook off sleep in the Crimson Lake's Cave.
"Sesame! Open!" Alex shouted at the boulder gates, which parted at his command.
Another day began for Don Capo Gang and the Camp.
—
By the bonfire, meat and vegetables sizzled beside a steaming kettle. Ace sorted the new pages he'd obtained from other Rankers.
A few were tied to the Crimson Shrine of the Drowned—a pleasant surprise. Those pages matched the ones Ace and his gang had found.
Other shrines like the Obsidian Shrine of the Unseen were also hinted at. None were named outright, and Ace had to read between the lines.
Knowing what kinds of shrines were here helped him decipher the clues.
Not much info on the Withered Shrine of the Immolated. We have the fewest pages about them, and the other pages don't mention their Nemeses either. I'm 100% sure Veis is covering his tracks around the Immolated's shrine, too. We need to gear up and confront him sooner than I thought.
A familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Meat? For breakfast?" Olivier eyed Ace's pan, one eye wide and the other narrowed.
Ace chuckled. "I'm one of those who can't get fat, no matter how much they eat."
"Eh, lucky. I just dose a nutrient potion and skip meals," Olivier replied, popping a vial that looked like an energy drink and downing it in one go.
Ace shook his head. "Eating matters. And well-cooked meat is a comfort I'll always treasure."
"Sounds like a long story. Sorry, not my dose today. I'm itching to go play with the crystals!" Olivier said, then sprinted away before Ace could continue.
Ace chewed until he sensed two ominous presences in the Crimson Lake's Cave. Chaewon and Seraphina were over there, sparring first thing, not even thinking about breakfast. He suspected Gesta had taken over Seraphina.
The other presence must be Tava'Az.
He didn't hurry. He swallowed the mouthful of meat, stood, and headed for the Crimson Lake's Cave. Inside, a few working Rankers had fled the Crimson Lake's shore and huddled in a corner. Ace wasn't surprised to see them there.
The lake water rose and took a humanoid form. Waves threatened to break over the shore and push the lake's contents toward the entrance. At the center, Tava'Az whipped the water into chaos. Her nonexistent eyes, formed from nothing but water, fixed on Seraphina.
<You appear in a puppet before me? Come yourself, Gesta.>
"Don't think you're ahead of others just because you found a flawed Ranker, Tava'Az. It's the will of My Lord that will scorch this world!" Gesta spoke through Seraphina's lips.
<Have you come here to tell me this? Could you get even more childish?>
"You talk big, but I'm the one who invaded one of your places. I'm the one who stomped in. It's not too late to change sides and bow to My Lord, Tava'Az."
<Presumptuous.>
The lake's surface exploded in several places, splashing up toward the stalactites on the ceiling. The blasts were so loud that a few weaker Rankers bled from the ears.
Ace stepped between Chaewon and Seraphina before it escalated. With a glance, he tightened the collar on Seraphina's neck. Gesta grabbed at her throat, then fled Seraphina's body.
Tava'Az glared down at Ace, then pulled back without a word. The humanoid shape collapsed into the lake with a heavy splash. At last, the Crimson Lake stilled.
"You two okay?" Ace asked.
Chaewon and Seraphina replied, "Yes."
"I know you need to spar and sharpen your swordsmanship... but maybe not in this room?"
"I thought Gesta wouldn't show up here... but she's crazier than I thought," Seraphina said.
Chaewon nodded. "I don't think she'll show again. It's pointless. We can't really train without Ace here anyway. That's fine."
Seraphina smiled.
They were already bonded after just a few sessions. Ace knew he wouldn't convince them otherwise. In Seraphina's place, he would've been dying to practice and get stronger, too. He couldn't argue with them.
"Honestly, it's best to ignore Gesta altogether. Come with us to hunt monsters today, Seraphina. Go wild and have fun. We need to practice our teamwork anyway."
Seraphina brightened. "Thanks!"
He smiled and left them, knowing they'd bathe together and then eat as friends.
On his way back to the main cave, Ace clenched and unclenched his hands.
All healed. I just need a drop before we take on the other rooms in the Bank Grotto.
I need weapons and equipment, too.
With three Heaven Kings, he could take their buffs before heading to other dangerous locations. It made no sense to ignore their powers. He headed to meet Tyler and Drew.
Those two had the fiercest rivalry. Drew started it. Olivier couldn't care less and focused on his own work.
Tyler once told Ace the rivalry was good and healthy for him, but saying it out loud to Drew would only make Drew boisterous.
Ace didn't want to deal with that side of Drew.
"Which monsters are you planning to tackle?" Tyler asked.
"Two-Headed Wolf Boss," Ace replied.
"Really? For my first fight with your Sixteen, you want me to fight a boss?"
"We'll hit a few normal variants first."
"That's not my point." Tyler sighed. "Two-Headed Wolves, huh? I'll see what buffs I can cook up to make it a quick, clean hunt."