Chapter 29: Chapter 105 – The Demon Continent Awaits

Asterios helped Cynthia and Imadil move the rest of the crates they had recently received through delivery and they all headed to one of the workshop chambers together, closing the smithy for a moment.

“So, can you do something about it being so heavy?” Imadil asked him after the sword was put down on a wooden counter.

“I’m sorry but it seems that it’s some kind of a safety measure after the artifact chose me as its master or something like that. But, my familiars can wield it too so I could send one of them here if necessary, or show up myself.”

The elf nodded while rubbing his chin. “Right. This will help a lot if we would need to recheck something. Do you have anything special you want from the scabbard?”

“There’s no need to make it fancy or anything. As simple as possible is fine. Of course, I won’t mind it if you feel like something could suit the weapon. But, one thing I have to ask, is it be possible to have the sheath change sizes too?”

“Why? Can you order the sword to change? As far as I could check, it does shape itself automatically, without any input.”

“His companions can wield it, Father. I assume it changes its form accordingly,” Cynthia joined it.

“Yes, that’s true.” Asterios nodded.

“Ah. Of course. That’s very interesting. But not to digress, it’s possible, of course. It will take more time than usual, but we should have the required materials on site. I think you are already familiar with some of them.”

“Same thing as the guild uses for collars?”

“Exactly. At least the leather part. Nevertheless, let’s not dawdle for too long and start with the measurements first.”

“Would it be better if I called my companions here and had them hold it too so that we had their sizes?” Asterios asked while placing the sword on a big sheet of blue paper.

“Unnecessary. We will use your version as a base and add some plus and minus to the size threshold,” Imadil answered as he and Cynthia started using various tools to examine all the parts of the blade. “I can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to create something that can shift from a dagger’s shape to a buster sword’s one, but we’ll try to get as much out of what we have as we can.”

“That’s fine. Selene’s doesn’t look that far from mine and Miria’s is a shortsword. I think the former will be using it the most.”

“Not you?” Cynthia asked.

He smiled at her and waved his right arm. “I’m very happy with your previous creation. Perhaps I’ll carry it with me just in case, but Selene is better suited for it, I think.”

She smiled back, nodded, and returned to her work. The elf duo quickly took the required measurements with Asterios helping them flip or hold the weapon. At a few moments, it looked like two artists were walking around a model and making quick sketches to choose the best angle for their painting.

After they were done, Cynthia took Asterios to a different table and they started coming up with some simple designs for the sheath. She was quick to create a bunch of drafts while following his brief ideas or random thoughts. He noticed that she enjoyed this process a lot.

In the end, they agreed on a black scabbard without any additional decorations. Cynthia suggested using materials that would cause the runes inscribed into it to have a purple shade to fit the stylistics of the blade. They would glow slightly when activated. There were a few formations she wanted to include in this work even though Asterios tried to convince the elves not to go overboard with it.

Wrapping up everything they needed his help with, Imadil and Cynthia informed Asterios that he didn’t have to accompany them for longer and could take the blade with him too. He agreed and they chose a few specific hours in the day during which Umbra would check on them to see if they wanted to contact him.

Leaving the blacksmiths to their craft, he decided to pay his mother a quick visit before returning, to let her know that he was fine and about his new method of transportation. Finding out that she was in one of the offices in her family’s mansion, he jumped through the shadows to the corridor in front of it.

Kindra was extremely surprised to see him enter but she instantly launched herself at her son and snuggled to him. They sat together by her desk and Asterios decided to help her out with her work a little while they chatted for a moment.

As he had expected, Asterios was quickly roped into talking about his love life and revealed to his mother that the things between him and Tina had taken a small step forward. 

He recounted his meeting with Viscount Nobelle and Kindra was clearly very happy about it. She promised to get in contact with them immediately, to bring their families closer. Asterios could only shake his head. He started pitying Tina’s parents a little bit. A small storm was coming their way. Small but very powerful.

They talked for a few short hours while working on various documents. After Kindra told him it was enough, she gave him a warm hug with a kiss on the cheek and rushed to meet with her father, wanting to talk about Nobelles right away. He chuckled to himself after they parted and jumped back to Nebula, aiming to take a quick nap too.

Three hours later, Umbra woke him up and notified him about Suanori’s request to meet everyone in the guild. Asterios opened his eyes to find Miria and Selene snuggled to his sides and chest. They weren’t asleep so they all got up a moment later after both of the girls exchanged a few affectionate pecks with their master and mate.

He transported himself to the guild alone, leaving testing how the girls perceived the darkness for another time after they would rest a bit more. They jumped back to his realm straight after he showed up in one of the wooden corridors and quickly hugged his sides. Asterios could only smile at them while knocking on the door to the meeting room.

Assuming that the silencing arrays were active again, he entered without waiting for someone to answer. Everyone was sitting by the long table again and their gazes instantly turned to the trio that walked inside. This time, Suanori prepared a seat for him by her side and invited him there with a polite gesture of her hand. Miria and Selene proudly stood behind him.

“Alright. I’m glad to see that no one is hurt too seriously,” Suanori began, glancing at Darlick for a moment, who looked quite bruised but smiling widely. “Anything anyone would like to report from the other two dungeons?”

“There were no issues nor deviations from the usual behavior in mine,” Svertaniel answered first.

“The only issue on our side was fixed by you guys before it even popped up, hahaha!” Darlick laughed merrily while slamming his fist onto the table. “Barely anything fun or challenging happened afterward! It was so boring!”

“I can confirm that there were no deviations in the other dungeons either, Guildmaster,” Tishnera elbowed him lightly and joined in. “We continued creating breaches and left the monsters to duke it out between themselves. After your intervention, we’ve been careful, but there weren’t any more ambushes.”

Suanori nodded. “The Core must have focused on us after we fell to the thirty-second floor. I’m glad to hear that. What about the adventurers?”

One of the guild strategists standing in the back stepped closer. “Overall, it’s looking good, Guildmaster. Most of them are following the guidelines and instructions. Naturally, we do have some deaths reported, but that’s unavoidable.”

She sighed. “Yes, it is. No use wasting time thinking about it. We all know it’s a dangerous profession. And unfortunately, almost everyone can join it, even if they aren’t exactly suitable.”

“That’s what differentiates it from the military or any other organization.” Asterios shrugged. “People know what they are getting themselves into. For the most part.”

“Right. Anyway, we need to warn them about exploring the now dead dungeon. The Core was clearly trying to get us and I’m sure there are plenty of traps at the deeper floors that were left behind, designed to stop us. And trust me, some of them are very elaborate.”

“If not for Umbra, we could have been stuck in that labyrinth for who knows how long. People without any safe way to check the layout are pretty much thrown to their deaths there,” Asterios commented.

“And the puzzles! The mirrors with deadly lasers that made even the labyrinth’s walls wither in a blink! It’s so scary to think that there are plenty more things like that.” Miria shuddered.

“I don’t think you are describing floor layouts with this. What’s up with that labyrinth?” Yuuze finally spoke up for the first time, staring at Asterios a little weirdly.

“We stepped into a teleportation array covering the whole safe zone on the thirty-third floor and were transported into a literal labyrinth full of monsters and traps on the forty-second floor.”

Some of the people in the room gasped, some whistled, and some clearly showed bewilderment.

“May I ask what bosses did you encounter before that?” Yuuze continued.

“Skeletal Centaur, Flesh Golem, and Monarch of Blood,” Asterios answered.

“Damn. Two of the most resistant types back to back, one worse after another. The Core really was after you. What the hell did you do to rile it up so much to bring those Guardians out and even set up a teleportation array?”

“I think it was because I broke every single Gate on our way down with a single punch, fufufu~” Selene chuckled while gingerly covering her dainty lips.

Everyone stared at her in disbelief, except for Suanori, of course. Asterios could spot a faint smile that she hid behind her joined hands, moving them from supporting her chin to her mouth.

“And? What next with the labyrinth?” Darlick urged them to continue, clearly invested in the story.

“Nothing much. We were split up by the array and I then proceeded to traverse its southern part with the girls while Asterios pushed through the northern part with his shadowy familiar. We met in the middle and attempted to down the master of the labyrinth.”

“Wait. Are you telling me that he fought his way through countless traps and monsters alone?” Yuuze was at it again.

“Not alone,” Asterios responded. “Umbra was with me to scout ahead. But yes, we did manage. It was nothing much, just some Jiangshi, Death Knights, Death Marauders, Death Paladins, Spectres, Phantom Revenants, and such. They usually didn't work in big groups.”

The other Summoner paled a little after listening to the names of the monsters Asterios had stumbled on. Those were all quite high-tier monsters and with different characteristics that would require different approaches. Even with his summons, he wasn’t sure if he could tackle each of them.

“What was the boss?” Darlick interrupted Yuuze’s next question.

“A Voidtaur.”

Everyone gasped again.

“But we didn’t kill it.”

“Then how—”

“Umbra eroded its mind and took control of the monster.”

All the eyes in the meeting chamber opened wide. Suanori couldn’t hold back a quiet chuckle, enjoying this way too much, but fortunately, nobody seemed to notice, too shocked about the revealed ability.

“What did you do with it then? Was it possible to leave without killing the boss?” Tishnera asked, recollecting herself first of them all.

“It had a powerful weapon which we used to cut through the floor and dungeon walls until we reached the Core, digging down straight to it,” Asterios answered.

“How did you—”

“The mind, remember? The Voidtaur was the previous Core Guardian. We kind of stole it and brought it back to its creator, with not so kind intentions.”

Darlick whistled. “Damn, brother. I’ve never heard of anyone using the Core Guardian to fight the Core. That’s some next-level shit. This must have been a breeze.”

Suanori chuckled, more openly this time, and shook her head. “It would have been if the new Core Guardian wasn’t a Skeletal Dragon in control of a whole army of Skeletons.”

Another round of disbelief and gasping followed.

“You have downed a Skeletal Dragon with such a tiny party?!” Yuuze pretty much shouted into the open. “How in hell?! Was it a weak one? Not fully in control? Impossible! It’s said they are even sturdier than normal Dragons!”

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“If you can’t believe it so much, we can always show you.” Asterios raised his brow at the man.

“That’s actually a great idea, Asterios. And it would save us a lot of time. Is there anyone who wouldn’t want to see the fight for themselves?” Suanori asked.

No one said anything.

“Asterios, would you mind?”

“Alright. You will feel something prodding your mind. Don’t fight it. I promise you won’t feel anything.”

After everyone nodded, Ast’s shadow suddenly expanded behind his back and seemed to cover the whole room. Two giant purple eyes appeared inside the misty darkness and Umbra took control of their minds, showing everyone the fight with the Skeletal Dragon and the Core, masterfully hiding any sensitive information.

A few minutes later, everyone shuddered at the same time and was brought back to the meeting chamber. Each person had a different expression on their face. Darlick, Svertaniel, and Tishnera were the only ones looking excited or in awe while the rest was clearly terrified.

Suanori smirked at them. “So, I don’t think anyone would disagree with my official request to move Asterios to at least B-rank after this, right?”

Many people started nodding, especially all of the guild officials present in the room. The Guildmaster was very happy with this development. She was expecting to spend a lot of time convincing others to support her request, but now, she had a good number of guaranteed votes.

Svertaniel coughed softly, bringing everyone’s attention to himself. “From what I understood through this batch of memories, this seems to have happened earlier today. How did you return to the surface so fast? Is the Core Chamber connected with it somehow?”

Suanori smiled wryly. Seeing that she would rather not talk about it, Asterios took it onto himself to provide the answer.

“Like this.”

After Svertaniel’s gaze moved to him, Ast’s body got swallowed by darkness and disappeared, shocking everyone greatly. The demon man felt someone place a hand on his shoulder and almost jumped to his feet but he was held down with a strong grip. His vertical pupils narrowed into thin slits when he saw Asterios standing behind him.

Without a word, Ast’s body was enveloped by black mist again and plunged into the floor, reappearing back in his chair.

“Shadow Movement,” he said, causing everyone’s heads to turn again. “I do not recommend it for those of weak mind.”

The number of unexpected and surprising revelations of pure power and ability was so high that the people inside the meeting room stopped believing that nothing would shock them anymore. It was just useless.

Since the silence was starting to get long and heavy, Suanori clapped her hands to bring everyone’s attention back to her.

“Alright. That’s pretty much it for the short recap of our expedition. Same as before, I would ask all of you to not reveal too much of what you have learned. Asterios did tell me that he isn’t going to specifically hide his abilities anymore after I move his rank up, but we all know how to respect an adventurer’s repertoire. Just speak in general terms if you really can’t stop yourself from spreading rumors.”

Then, for the next hour, the discussion went over their spoils of war, including the Dragon’s bones and the Core’s remains. To be completely safe from any doubts later, Asterios mentioned that his familiar had consumed one-third of the Core to get them back to the surface, even though Suanori hadn't planned on revealing that part. But, with that, he unintentionally made some people believe that his long-distance transfer required immense resources to activate, which certainly would help keep his secrets in check.

After the meeting, everyone dispersed to take care of their responsibilities. Darlick dragged Asterios, his companions, Suanori, Tishnera, and Svertaniel—Yuuze quickly escaped—to a fancy restaurant so they could celebrate in a more casual environment. Of course, he did so through the main lobby so they did garner quite some attention.

The rest of the evening was spent on them talking about their respective experiences in this operation and how it was the quickest attempt to get rid of a Core ever recorded. And Asterios agreed after Suanori’s nagging to take the credit for it this time so it would be connected to his data the guild had on adventures, letting him get at least some recognition.

For the next few days, Asterios spent his time mostly relaxing with the girls and resupplying what they had used up and could be restocked in Nebula. He also started carving a few spells with the use of the Core fragments to see how they would fare with stronger magic. 

Not that he knew a lot of high-tier ones, but some certainly could become a lifesaver. The Demon Continent was a good place to try and learn some more. Demons were known for their quite overblown magic spells, obsessed with sheer power. He hoped that an opportunity would arise to study some grimoires or talk with a respectable magician.

Asterios and his team quickly noticed that people started recognizing them in Nebula, be it adventurers or townsfolk. The rumors and official information did spread really fast. They were getting some respectful nods even, from time to time.

On the fifth day, Cynthia informed Umbra that the scabbard was done and Asterios visited Imadil’s smithy to receive it. Everyone from his party was pleased with the result. It ended up exactly as they had agreed on and the sheath emanated an ominous aura just from its jet-black color decorated with mystical purple runes. 

The bottom end of it was slanted, perfectly fitting the form of the weapon when Selene was using it. For now, they insisted on Asterios holding onto it as it further increased his safety and combat ability. He would pass it to Selene whenever it was needed. Thanks to the magnetic metal holder, it was childishly easy to attach the scabbard to the back of his coat. Asterios now carried more weapons than he could physically use, but he had to admit, it looked cool.

Finally, a week had passed since the destruction of the Core. Things calmed down again and many adventurers were preparing to depart after receiving their rewards for participation in the emergency quest and the whole operation. Some would still stay and dive into the two dungeons, not wanting to waste the opportunity, of course. Some would attempt to explore the dead one, which was officially open to everyone now, without permission to enter first.

Suanori called for Asterios and his party, saying that everything was finalized, including the monetary reward that he had asked to be sent to his family account which had been created during his first visit to the mansion. 

Kindra had tried to convince him that he could just use hers or a few others that their family had, but he really preferred not to have access to sums of money that were unimaginable to him for most of his life. It took a few tries, but she had finally relented and they created his personal account. Of course, Asterios quickly noticed that his mother had sneaked some allowance into it when he hadn't been looking.

The adventuring trio walked through the guild’s main lobby this time, getting some tame cheers as they passed a few groups of adventurers. Asterios nodded at Raziel, who smiled at him, and they went upstairs, heading to the Guildmaster’s office.

Reaching the correct door, he let Miria knock, and a voice none of them recognized asked them to enter. Inside, they found Suanori standing in front of the Guildmaster’s desk. An older human with neatly combed greying hair sat behind it. A classy beard and a fancy mustache decorated his noble face.

Suanori turned to them and the man stood up. “In case you are wondering, this is Schafran. He will be replacing the previous Guildmaster. For obvious reasons.”

“It’s my pleasure to meet you.” Schafran made a courteous bow and extended his hand towards them.

“Asterios. And this is Miria and Selene. Likewise.”

Just from the simple handshake, Asterios could tell that the man with the appearance of a thin elder was anything but another weak and inexperienced non-combatant. He noticed that Asterios realized it and smiled at him, seemingly nonchalantly.

“As I’ve said to Umbra, everything should be finished. Let’s start from the simplest things,” Suanori said and stepped away from them.

Schafran pulled out a decorated box and placed it on his desk. He then cleared his throat and lifted the lid while looking at the trio.

“After taking into consideration your previous achievements and the recent input into the crisis that befell Nebula, I have the honors to inform you that the request for promotion has been approved. Welcome amongst B-rank adventurers, Asterios.”

On the scarlet cushion inside the box, lay a golden rank plate of a B-ranked adventurer. On its sides, two more plates made of the same material shined, having Ast’s Summoner Brand instead of the letter B in the middle.

Miria’s eyes sparkled when she realized what these were and she could barely stop herself from shaking. It was clearly noticeable and made Asterios and Selene chuckle at her, causing the shy panthergirl to blush a little.

Asterios nodded at the man, who responded with the same, and picked up the leftmost badge. It revealed a smooth and high-quality black strap underneath. He stepped closer to his feline companion and Miria quickly raised her chin while a bright smile painted her face.

Within a few seconds, her old collar had been replaced and she got lost in admiring the shiny new one. Selene received hers with much more grace, but couldn’t stop herself from showing a soft smile too. Her bushy tail was completely betraying her happiness, unbeknownst to her.

When Asterios reached for his own plate, the girls quickly stole it right from the tips of his fingers. He raised a brow at them, but only a giggle from Miria responded to him. Selene grabbed his palm and pulled his arm towards herself. He quickly caught on and gave Miria a better angle to change his shoulder plate. She replaced it in a flash, visibly proud of herself.

“Congratulations. Now you are somewhat in your proper rank.” Suanori smiled at him.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Now, all the funds have been transferred properly. I’m sure you will say there’s no need to check them so I won’t bother asking.” She chuckled while shaking her head. “Is there anything else you need from me, Schafran?”

“We are all done here.”

“Great. Let’s move on to the less simple things then. Thank you and see you later.”

Suanori then motioned at Ast’s group and they left the office. They stepped outside of the guild and started walking through the city. It didn’t take them long to realize that they were being led towards the docks. After getting close to a certain vessel, Suanori started speaking again.

“Without much effort, I was able to secure a ship for you, which will be heading to the Demon Continent later this evening.”

“That’s great to hear. Thank you very much.” Asterios nodded politely.

“But… Here comes the not so simple part…”

Seeing her wry smile, he followed the Guildmaster’s gaze and noticed a certain demon man sitting on a crate by the ramp leading to the ship while reading a black book. They were also spotted and Svertaniel quickly stood up.

“It’s an honor.” He made a respectful bow towards them and Asterios could clearly tell that it was aimed at him specifically.

“It’s nice to see you too. Heading to the Demon Continent?”

“Yes, I am. In fact, this vessel belongs to a company with which I have quite a good standing. After hearing that you are planning to travel to the Demon Continent to look for someone, I have requested for the Guildmaster to allow me to accompany you as your guide. It will be your first time visiting that region, isn’t that right?”

Asterios started to slowly understand what Suanori had meant and smiled wryly too. The demon man’s expression, clearly excited and full of respect and awe, was making his intentions very obvious. It seemed that Umbra had left a much stronger impression on Svertaniel than they had first thought, even with his weird reaction back then.

“That is correct. We haven’t visited any other continent yet,” Asterios answered.

“Then, I would be extremely honored to be of help. I’ve spent most of my life on the Demon Continent and I’m sure that my knowledge of the region and its people will come useful, including my connections. If it would be okay with you, of course.”

“Well, any help will certainly be appreciated. And I’m sure an A-rank adventurer like you is quite experienced. We’ll be happy to have your guidance.”

“You have my thanks! I swear on my soul to the Lord of the Abyss that I’ll do everything in my power to assist you!”

Asterios nodded, wondering if he hadn't made a mistake there. But, even if Svertaniel was in a complete fanboy mode for Umbra, his experience and knowledge of the Demon Continent certainly couldn’t be disregarded, and they were heading into an unknown land to look for a person who could be anywhere at this moment.

With everyone agreeing to join hands with the Void Mage, they left the docks together to spend some time talking about various things before the ship had to depart. Svertaniel was very eager to share what he knew about his birthplace and the always curious Miria just fanned the flames of his enthusiasm, making the rest chuckle at the two.

The hour of departure arrived and Suanori escorted them back to the ship where Ast’s party boarded it alongside Svertaniel. It was time for their first-ever sea voyage.

 

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