Chapter 22: [Arc 1] Chapter 16: A Turbulent Entry

Whoaaa... that's a lot of gizmos. 

I was able to climb up the spiral staircase-like road up to the control room, and this place is making me doubt I'm in a fantasy world. The place is covered with wall-to-wall machinery. Control boards and security monitors, strange hologram-like displays, seriously something better for a sci-fi world than one of sword and magic.

Another point worth mentioning is that this place is big enough to make me feel like Jack with the beanstalk. The owner was the boss snake, so I guess it's so big for a reason...

The reason why I'm pointing out the size of these things is that this also means they're gonna be a whole lot worse to destroy. 

In that case, let's use the hacking devices that came along with the Quest. Just attach...

*Boing* *Smack*

OUCH! What the-? The device was repelled? Is there something wrong with the machine? Let's try to identify.....

AAARGH!! STOP!

*Wheeze, wheeze*, what was that? The moment I tried to use [Identification] on the machine, my head felt like it was being split into confetti. An information overload? I got the idea that there was something new added to the machine...

Did the brass of the Dungeon place some security on the important pieces of the Dungeon? I did use those devices on the first two floors, so there's no wonder that they would catch on eventually.

No other ways then. Time to take out my secret weapon. It's a waste, but I lack the destructive power to take care of this job. How does this thing work again...

---

Floor 10, The Underground Lake

In the darkness of the cave, a single source of light, too weak to be seen from a distance, existed. 

It was a blue sphere, placed on top of a pillar made of stone. Attached to the sphere and the pillar was pipes that were connected to many different types of machine-looking objects. Some of them had the initials "B.B." on them.

The lake was empty except for a certain something swimming around the lake. It kept itself hidden in the water, except for its head sticking up from the waterline.

Suddenly, a voice resonated in the empty cave:

[......INTRUDERS OF HIGH THREAT LEVELS DETECTED. NUMBERS: 2.

SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT INTRUDERS......

INTRUDER NR.1, IDENTITY CONFIRMED: LORD OF THE WILD HUNT.

REASON FOR INTRUSION BY NR.1......

REASON FOR INTRUSION IS PRESUMED TO BE THE ARTIFACT LOCATED ON FLOOR 6.

RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION: ALLOW INTRUDER NR.1 TO RETRIEVE THE ARTIFACT.

THE ARTIFACT LACKS VALUE FOR THE DUNGEON, SO NO DAMAGE WILL BEFALL TO THE DUNGEON BY STAYING CLEAR OF INTRUDER NR.1.

INTRUDER NR.2...... IDENTITY UNKNOWN. 

THROUGH ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION, THE IDENTITY OF INTRUDER NR.2 IS BELIEVED TO BE A DEITY FROM A DIFFERENT WORLD. 

INTRUDER NR.2 IS HEREBY CONSIDERED AN OUTER DEITY.

REASON FOR INTRUSION BY NR.2...... UNKNOWN. 

POSSIBILITY OF NR.2 BEING A THREAT... UNKNOWN. MORE INFORMATION IS REQUIRED.]

After that, the cave returned to its silent self again. The only sounds that remained were the waves that were created when the certain "something" was made when it swam around the island with its dead, empty eyes...

---

Garami's PoV:

I came out of the secret entrance after finishing my work there. This thing's gonna blow in less than 7 minutes from now. Better take cover... and those guys are still at it?

The macho-roaches are almost annihilated due to the boss snake's water magic, but they're holding out better than I first thought. Did they learn a few tricks under my command, despite losing the boost from the Leadership Skills?

The Queen's still alive as well, but not for long. It was already as good as dead at the beginning, and it looks even worse now.

I considered stealing the kill of the Queen, but I'd rather not. The boss snake looks like he would call upon a flood in revenge if I tried that. He's already crying one while crushing the roaches. He's even delivering some serious curses that can't be published on an official novel site.

Just how stressed is that guy...? 

There's no place for me in that brawl, so I'll focus on getting away from-*Shiver*-!? 

Where did that bad feeling come from? The boss snake and the roaches have stopped too. Did they also feel that?

*OOOOOOOHHH!!*

And now has the ghostly "I-don't-wanna-know-what-that-is" in the abyss started howling. Stop that! It's scary!

Just when I was at my wit's end, I saw the boss snake abandoning the fight and crossed the pathways leading to the next floor as if the devil himself was after him. The roaches are simply standing there like idiots...

I'm for following the smart guy. The Demon-Express is heading for Floor  7!

I ran over the pathways while making sure to stay clear of the area where the wailing comes from. I looked over there to confirm the situation and saw... the Dread Spirits.

They are rising from the abyss, making something that looks like a magic circle with the blue lights that emit from their "bodies". 

I continued my escape after seeing that. I've seen enough cartoons and animes to know that magic circles created by something that evil-looking are no good for anyone else. 

Just as I had reached the halfway point to the next floor, a strong blast of wind struck me from behind. I was almost blown away there!

I held myself to the ground through the use of some threads and tried to figure out what was happening. Or, it's better to say that I couldn't do anything but that. The wind's too strong! And the source of it came from the place I feared the most. 

The Dread Spirits' magic circle was complete, and the strong winds came from it. Some of the Dread Spirits closest to it are ripped to shreds from the force alone. Then, something else came out of the magic circle and landed on the shore that I had been before.

From its appearance, I would say it was some knight king? It had full-plate armor and the helmet was fashioned like a crown. But the armor was made of a rusty dark material, and the "king" was using some dull-grey robe as a mantle. Resting on his left hip was a broadsword made of burnt orange metal with a black, serrated edge. On his right side was something covered with a grey rug. Maybe his lunch?

That guy's no good. With that in mind, I removed the threads that hold me stuck and tried to move towards the entrance-

*KA-BOOOOOM!!*

Now of all times!? Those bombs have the worst timing in the history of bombs!

"They did a good job though" was my thoughts as I stuffed my Storage with the Skill Scroll and potion that appeared before me.

Good thing I figured out how to manually activate those bombs I snatched from the ball-bots before the explosion. 

*Rumble!* *Crash!* *Bang*

Let's make use of that new level and run away! The cave was weakened by that Dread King's entrance winds, and the explosion just now is causing parts of the roof to fall! Only on the area around the Dread King and the roaches, but I don't think that's enough to stop the former guy. Don't care about the latter ones.

Forget that last part. I care about them dying because of the rock that crushes them.

And here comes another one. Right on top of the Dread King-!

*SLASH!*

Eh? Wait, I would get it if the rock was cut in half from that slash, but pulverized!? Where's the logic in that!? And the force of the slash is coming over here!? 

Ah, and there went his lunch. The covered whatever-it-is got knocked off from the sudden movement and was sent flying into the abyss. Since I don't wanna end up the same way, I returned to my "clinging for my life" stance and waited till it had-*Crash!*-passed? Wait, the pathway's collapsiiiiIIIII-!!

---

AAAIIEEEEE!!

Falling-, I'm falling! I knew that the abyss was deep and all, as the distance between Floor 6 and 7 is around triple the distance of the other floors, but this is too deep! 

It doesn't help that the Dread Spirits try to charge at me all the while, but luckily, [Heresy Modification] works just as well now as on Floor 1. They're bursting just by touching the barrier made from the skill.

On the other hand, this black mist-like thing down here's messing up my sight! And I'm feeling a little sick... is this some kinda smog?

The bigger issue is the ground! It's too far down and too close for comfort! And it's getting closer by the second! 

I threw a thread to the rocks that made up the remaining rock paths above the abyss. That stopped my decent-*Snap!*-?!

Those damn Spirits! They cut the thread! I'm falling agaaaiiiiin!!

A new thread.., will only be snapped. Then, the Kigal-Note!

I threw the Kigal-Note below me and landed on top of it. Right there, I used the Jump Pad ability obtained from the Pond Frogs. I sprung up after landing on the note, killing some of the momenta from falling. When I started to fall again, I used the Kigal-Note to jump up again.

I continued these mid-air jumps and finally... she sticks the landing!

*Imaginary applause*

I survived! Yahoo! Even so, no matter how scary that experience was, I need to focus on these Spirits fir-!

*Stab!*

!? What? Was I... just now... must have been my imagination? Now I wanna leave this place even sooner. Not only because of hallucinations but also due to the Spirits being too scary to be in the same room, or country even!

They keep on ganging up on me so much I'm fearing the barrier will break! I know that [Heresy Modification] doesn't need MP or anything, but it's still scary to have these guys charge at me like this!!

Is there somewhere safe... of course, there isn't!! This is their home grounds! Why should there be any safe rooms... there is! Over there! The hole in the ground! The Spirits are staying away from there.

...A little suspicious that there's an escape path just lying there, right? 

-A cold blade pierced my-

*Shiver!?*

What the-!? Another hallucination? All of a sudden?

Okay, staying with these Spirits is messing my brain in more ways than just one, I get it now...

Alright, trap or not, I'm taking the hole-option! 

I rushed through the swarms of Dread Spirits, placing my trust in that [Heresy Modification] would hold till then, and jumped into the mystery-hole. Geronimooooo!!

*Bonk*

Ouch... the hole was smaller than I thought... but I was right. The Spirits aren't entering here. Is there something up with this place that they don't-? 

I took a look around and saw that the "hole" was an entrance to a cave system below the bottom of the abyss. Another point of interest was the grass that sprouted here and there.

Ooh! An epic material suddenly showed up! And plants have HP instead of Durability? You know what, that makes sense. Even if the thought that I could have been reincarnated as a plant scares me.

So, this is some fantasy-world upgraded rosemary? It works, and that's the main point, so I'm not gonna comment on anything. It looks just like its non-fantasy version, just that the flowers are red-purple, and I mean it when I say RED. 

Still, is the abyss filled with "miasma"? I didn't feel... the hallucinations? Speaking of which, that

Wait, was is that "miasma", when we're on the subject? Some kinda negative lifeforce? That doesn't sound like it would make people hallucinate...?

I don't know. I'm no miasma expert. The sick feeling before's gone, so it's probably safe to say that the plants can have helped with that. 

Let's throw some into the Storage for later use. Of course, not the ones that are by the entrance hole. 

---

*Crash*

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Hmm? What was that? 

I stopped my gathering work and looked around. Nothing to the east, west, south, or north. Except for plants and walls. 

Then, it came from "aboveground"? I don't wanna, but staying ignorant won't help me here. 

I peeked out of the hole with a hat made of Rose-Maria as cover and saw...

The Dread King!? He jumped down here!? Why!?

I ducked into the hole again. Why's he here!? Is he after me?! Wait, why should some ghostly king come after me? There's nothing that links me to the bomb, as far as he knows, and I'm sure he didn't notice me when he blasted the whole cave himself.

And yes, he destroyed the path I was on without even noticing me. I'm that trivial existence, you got a problem with that?!

From the looks of it, the King's of the same genus as the Dread Spirits, but you can never be too careful...

I'll run.

RUN AWAAAAYYYY!!

---

Phew. A good half an hour with running underground should be enough to stay clear of that King... only to be met with a new creature.

What's this, a mole? It got a yellow star-mark on its forehead and a kind face. It doesn't look like it's hostile. On the other hand, it even bowed to me. Monster courtesy?

A quick round of [Identification] and the Kigal-Note show me that these are Stella Moles. Excellent diggers and gardeners. As for his stats...

A weakling. I won't have any trouble with this gentle-mole.

Even so, I didn't kill the guy. I mean, I saw the rest of the 100+ family members of his the moment I thought about it. And fighting while tons of Dread Spirits are just above my head is far from clever. I'll be a good demon for once. 

Let's use that Skill Scroll I got now before anything else happens. I'll just check out what this thing can do with the Kigal-Note. I've seen negative skills before after all.

Oh, that's quite a useful skill. The Charm part is kinda useless to me, but not having to worry about becoming fat's quite helpful. I'll take it.

There we go-*Poke, poke*-hmm? The mole from before is trying to get my attention. 

I turned around, ready for a battle, only to find the mole wanting to lead me somewhere. Should I follow him? The Kigal-Note was praising this guy's sincerity, but I don't know... Better have a poison bottle ready in case of a surprise attack.

Despite my wariness, I followed the mole to what appears to be a large shaft. Wait, the wind is blowing here? Then, this shaft's connected to Floor 7!? A secret passage! Thank you, mole! Eh, that's not it? 

The mole started to point at the hole in the roof (and those damn Spirits are looking down on us. Good thing the Rose-Marias keeps them there) and then to the bottom of the hole, no, to a cliff on the hole's wall. I didn't see it at first, but it looks like something covered in a grey... OIII! That's the thing the Dread King had on him! The one that was knocked off and fell into the abyss!

I don't wanna have anything to do with him! I'm outta here. ...I said; I'm outta here. I'm outta here, you stupid mole, so stop getting in my way! What, you wanna have me pick that thing up or something? Is your hearing bad or something? I. Don't. Wanna!!

......The whole family of moles came. And they're all staring at me. W-what? You th-think that just by g-grouping up on me will force me to change my mind? .........Fine, I'll do it. But not because I'm weak to a crowd!!

I secured two different climbing ropes to the wall and started my descent. The wind's making this a little difficult, but nothing to worry about. Wonder how the wind's even blowing? Maybe from explosions made by the boss-class monsters on Floor 7? Hahahaha... yeah. That's no joke.

I reached the covered mystery item and wrapped it with the rope I didn't use myself. I manipulated the thread with my skills and sent the covered item up to the ground with the rubber-band express.

When I climbed up, I saw the mole group all smiley and happy. They even presented something like an offering... is that fruits!? Identi-[Identification]!!

They are fruits! And damn delicious ones as well! For fruits that are possible to farm without sunlight.

According to the [Identification] result. Their quality is pretty high as well. None of them are less than C+. Did the moles cultivate these? They all have the [Planting] skill, despite it being a skill that their race doesn't have instinctively. They must have earned it later, but all of them? These guys will definitely evolve into something like "Farm Mole".

Gotta secure the fruit~.

*Rattle*

...Forgot about that thing. I walked over to the covered box(?) and removed the rug.

A birdcage? The item that the Dread King had with him was a birdcage. One that contained a crow. A living one. It looks like your everyday crow, except for the silver lines on its beak. Or...

I was wrong. It's a half-dead bird. Where did I put those HP potions?

*Drip*

Just one drop of this High Life Potion should be enough.

The crow-, er, raven swallowed the drop of potions which made steam come up from all his wounds. Soon after, the raven opened his eyes, confused about what was happening. Can't he see me? Oh, the darkness. Right, he doesn't have any ability to see in the dark.

"Hello? Anyone here? Where am I?" - Raven

It talked!? No, this is different from speaking... this must be the [Telepathy] skill. The raven was able to send his voice right into my mind. 

Ehm, how do I answer...

"There's somebody there!? Hurry and speak up!" - Raven

Did he hear me? Then... Can you hear me?

"Yes, I hear you! Just keep on thinking loudly. Also, please help me! The first people I managed to call out too were too slow in their heads to understand me, so I have no other to call for help now!" - Raven

That must have been the moles. And I think it's more that they couldn't reach the bird rather than them being slow in their heads.

Why should I save you?

"Eh, well, I could share with you the wisdom that I have gained by living 15 years of my childhood in the Grand Library Tower..." - Raven

What a load of humbug.

"It's true, I tell you! I have lived as the familiar of the greatest sorcerer in all of Terra Sol's history! All his knowledge is passed on to me!" - Raven

Oh yeah? Then why are you in this hellhole instead of that library? 

"*Sniff*. I was kidnapped from my master 3 years ago by the King of Ghosts-" - Raven

Wait, the "King of Ghosts"?

"Yes *sniff*. It is an amalgam of the legendary figures that became the Dread Spirits," - Raven

......Okaaaayyyy. But why did one of those Kings kidnap you?

"To be honest, I do not know myself. That King used my abilities with the [Identification] skill on many different ruins and old treasures during the 3 years it had me captive, but I do not know why it wanted me to do so. There are many other Wisdom Ravens with the [Identification] skill at birth, so I do not think it would miss me." - Raven

Was that "King" on a treasure hunt or something?

"That is a possibility, but can you let me out now? Or make some lights at least?" - Raven

I can use the Night Vision spell if that's good?

"If you would not mind... but I would also appreciate that you broke the lock on this cage..." - Raven

One thing at a time, birdie. Night Vision.

"Ah, thanks-spider! Spider! Spider!!" - Raven

The raven tried to escape by using the birdcage as a hamster wheel. He tripped and hit his head the first few meters.

Oi, oi. Be more careful. What's the point of saving you only to have you knock yourself out?

"Wait, that is you!? I-I am sorry... I did not expect that a spider would have the mental capacity to understand a conversation." - Raven

*Pissed off*

Fine then. Try to get someone else-

"WAAIITT!! I'm so sorry, just don't leave me behind! I'm sick of having to work for that damn knight-king already!" - Raven

If you say so. 

I placed the birdcage right-side-up and looked at the door. It was kept closed by a padlock.

I need to get a skill to open this thing, so wait a sec.

"Please do!" - Raven

Here I am, wasting my hard-earned Skill Points on this guy, and that's his answer? Alright, 1 Point for the [Lockpicking] skill, and the other needs... 5 Points!? Expensive!

Just wondering, do you know anything about skill combinations or recommended classes and such?

"Why, of course. Those were my favorite books to read back at the Library Tower. Why are you asking?" - Raven

Just curious.

That settles it. This guy can be used. Then I'll take this skill too, and...

I then started to work with the padlock with a lockpick made of solidified threads... this is more difficult than I first thought... almost got it... ah! The lockpick broke! Grr... 

*Slash!*

I cut the padlock instead. 

"...Why didn't you do that from the beginning?" - Raven

NOW!! [TAME]!!

Success!!

"Huh? Wha-!? What are you doing!?" - Raven 

What anyone else would do if they had a portable Google.bird on their hand. The Kigal-Note's good with knowledge, but what I really need is someone with smarts that can advise me about how well that knowledge is!

You kissed your freedom goodbye when you met me, birdy! Mwa-hahahaha!!

Birdie should be better than Mister Obvious here at least.

Description:

The Stella Mole is a docile creature that lives underground by eating dirt and vegetables it can find.

They are sociable and trustworthy monsters that are tamed for the reason of helping with digging works. Since they are so honorable, some people do not even need to use the forced servitude ability of the [Tame] skill to have the Stella Moles work for them.

They are on the top 10 list for "Monsters I want to have as a pet".

Appearance:

Stella Moles are goat-sized moles with dark-brown fur and a yellow star mark on their foreheads. They are also noted to have "kind" faces that humanoids find adorable.

Abilities:

The Stella Mole has no noteworthy battle abilities, but they are great tunnel diggers. A single group of Stella Moles can build an underground cavern system on their own in less than a week.

The Stella Moles are intelligent enough to understand humanoid language, even if they are a little slow to show that they understand. They are also talented with anything related to the earth, like farming.

Wisdom Raven's comment: Why isn't this chapter about my race!?

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