Chapitre 26: A-Rank Dungeon & Uchiha Curse
THUD.
The car door slammed shut as Sasuke and Adam stepped out, their eyes fixed on the massive blue gate before them, stretching ten to fifteen meters in diameter.
"Quite impressive," Sasuke remarked, taking in the sight.
Adam, holding a tablet, quickly responded, "Preparations are complete. The magic crystal miners and magical beast carriers are on standby."
Sasuke nodded, acknowledging the report.
Removing his hat and mask, he handed them to his assistant, then strode towards the gate. Adam and the onlookers watched in awe, realizing they were witnessing a historic moment. This man, who had once hunted dragons alone, was now embarking on the highest A-rank dungeon raid, all by himself—a feat that usually required a team of at least twelve people.
"Unbelievable," Adam muttered, feeling a shiver down his spine. The teenager, not even twenty years old, walked into the gate with an air of confidence, as if it were just another day for him. But beneath Adam's gaze, a tinge of sadness betrayed the understanding that the world had burdened this young man with a heavy responsibility, robbing him of a peaceful life.
...
SHU.
The sound of an object piercing through the gate echoed, and a striking teenager, dressed entirely in black, stepped through.
"Hmm..."
Sasuke observed his surroundings. The dungeon he entered resembled a cavernous rock cave, dimly lit by a solitary magical crystal attached to the wall.
"GRRRRR—"
A pack of lion-sized magical dogs approached, emanating a murderous intent as their drool dripped incessantly.
Poof.
Sasuke swiftly grabbed several shurikens and launched them with remarkable precision, targeting the vital points of the pack.
Slash.
Slash.
Thud.
Sasuke calmly continued walking past the defeated mobs, sensing a presence even more formidable than theirs.
Stop.
He halted, standing a few meters away before he stood thirty Nagas, their bodies adorned with spears featuring three-pronged blades.
Nagas—a race of half-human, half-snake creatures. They were significantly larger than the average human, with shiny blue skin, sharp teeth, glowing red eyes, and a light blue dorsal fin. Known to rival A-rank Hunters in strength, Nagas boasted scales thick enough to forge armor or shields.
[GRRRAA!]
"Despite their A-rank status, they seem weaker than the Centaur-beast army at the red gate," Sasuke contemplated.
But beyond gathering information, Sasuke planned to find solace within the dungeon, where mana flowed abundantly compared to the earthly realm. He intended to eliminate all the creatures, excluding the boss, before delving into a quiet meditation.
DASH.
Sasuke sprinted toward the Nagas.
[Ruler's Authority].
Rather than employing chakra, Sasuke skillfully controlled his mana, channeling it into Kusanagi to enhance its sharpness and strength. With both gates open, the continuous infusion of mana bolstered Sasuke's body, rendering him extraordinarily swift and agile.
[GRORRRR!]
The Nagas lunged at him with their spears, but Sasuke effortlessly evaded their attacks.
Slash.
Slash.
Slash.
Thud.
Sasuke successfully sliced through their defenses, but only twenty-nine lifeless bodies remained.
SHKNNN.
With heightened senses and the power of his eyes, Sasuke scanned the area, searching for the presence of the dungeon boss.
"Found you!"
FWOSH.
Sasuke dashed with such velocity that his body is blurred, his eyes aglow with red and purple hues, leaving behind luminous trails. As he closed in on his target, its camouflaged form attempted to conceal its existence, but the magical beast couldn't evade his "Eyes."
BOOM!
Realizing it had been discovered, the beast launched an attack.
SWISH.
SWISH.
Sasuke deftly dodged its strikes, then leaped into the arms of the massive Naga. In mid-air, it appeared as if he was running, defying gravity due to the Naga's stealth skill.
However, Sasuke had no intentions of letting go of the boss just yet.
SSHHHH! CLICK.
Kusanagi returned to its scabbard. Clenching his fist, Sasuke amassed a controlled amount of mana, ensuring it wouldn't kill the magical beast.
FWUSH.
BAM!
He delivered a powerful punch to the Naga's head, temporarily paralyzing it and nullifying its stealth ability.
BOOM.
The colossal body crashed to the ground for the first time.
"This creature possesses the ability to disguise its physique, rendering it invisible. Even traces of its presence vanish effortlessly. Is it truly special?"
Yet, its efforts were in vain, for Sasuke's eyes could perceive mana, making the magical beast's concealment futile.
"For now, I shall restrain you."
Sasuke performed hand seals.
CRACKLE.
CRACKLE.
CRACKLE.
Enormous tree trunks sprouted around the fallen dungeon boss, coiling tightly around its body, effectively immobilizing it.
"Ninmu kanryō." (Mission complete)
Sensing no further magical beasts nearby, Sasuke would soon notify his subordinates to commence mining the magic crystals.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." (Shadow Clone Jutsu)
Poof.
As the smoke dissipated, a Sasuke clone materialized, racing towards the exit of the gate to alert his subordinates.
"Alright, let's begin."
"Doton: Doryūheki." (Earth Style: Earth Wall)
SLAM!
Sasuke slammed his palm onto the ground after executing a series of hand seals.
RUMBLE.
A thick earthen wall emerged, sealing off the section of the cave containing Sasuke and the dungeon boss. Seated in a cross-legged position, he entered a meditative state, accelerating the absorption of mana through his gates.
...
(Adam POV)
I glanced at my watch and saw that it had been less than ten minutes since the boss entered the gate.
"Hey, Mr. White! Was that really Sasuke Uchiha?"
I was taken aback by the voice coming from beside me.
"That's right, Mr. Carlos."
I replied with a smile to the friendly forty-year-old man. Carlos was the captain of the mining team, and I trusted him and his team's abilities. They were efficient in mining and transporting the carcasses of magical beasts.
"Hmmm... what a young man." Carlos nodded, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Well, while we wait for him to return, I'll take a smoke break." Carlos turned around and waved his hand.
"Just relax, old man." I chuckled, amused by Carlos's laid-back attitude.
But then...
"Prepare the mining team..."
(General POV)
"!??"
Adam and Carlos turned around with shocked expressions when they heard a very familiar voice.
"So fast! But is it true?"
Carlos's forehead began to sweat profusely. He had never experienced anything like this before. Normally, it took hours for a Raid Team to clear a dungeon, and that didn't even include the time it took to defeat the dungeon bosses and allow the mining team to collect resources.
"Are you sure, sir?" Adam asked nervously, still in shock. Maybe the boss had returned because he had forgotten something or needed to use the bathroom. Right?
Sasuke nodded, confirming their question.
"Sigh... as expected." Adam still wasn't used to this level of abnormality.
"But before that, both of you come with me," Sasuke commanded in a serious tone, addressing Adam and Carlos.
"Yes, sir."
Adam and Carlos replied simultaneously.
...
(Inside the Gate)
"These are A-rank Nagas..."
Adam and Carlos felt their eyes widen and shivers run down their spines as they took in the sight of the Nagas' bodies piled up. The half-snake, half-human creatures towered at eight meters in height, adding to their horror.
Stop.*
They quickly reached the end of the cave, only to find it blocked by an Earth Wall Jutsu.
Sasuke spoke, his gaze serious as he addressed them. "Do not disturb this wall. Behind it is where the dungeon boss is located, as well as my real body."
Carlos was confused, but Adam seemed to understand what their boss meant.
"So you're just a clone?" Adam asked, recalling the information he had heard about Sasuke's abilities to create clones.
Nod.*
Sasuke simply nodded.
"Oh my, I didn't realize he was a clone. He felt just like the real thing." Adam couldn't discern the difference between the real Sasuke and the clone.
"Alright, then we'll-"
Poof!*
Before Adam could finish his sentence, the Shadow Clone released his jutsu and vanished like smoke.
"..."
Adam and Carlos exchanged awkward glances as the Sasuke clone disappeared suddenly.
"Don't worry, Mr. Carlos. You'll get used to it," Adam commented, referring to Sasuke's tendency to vanish unexpectedly.
...
(Sasuke POV)
"...I still have a long way to go."
After meditating for an hour or two, I realized that the second gate was still far from reaching its full potential. Despite actively channeling mana, the flow to the gate was noticeably lacking after those two hours.
"The mana here is still insufficient for me."
Frustration welled up within me. Besides the dungeons, there seemed to be no other places rich in mana.
"Perhaps this is my limit for today."
I decided to end the raid. Maybe I would find a solution soon.
Rise.*
"Hmmph... Sorry for keeping you waiting."
I looked sarcastically at the Nagas I had trapped with Mokuton.
[GRRRR]
The magical beasts glared at me with a mix of cynicism and fear.
"What's with that look? Do you desire death?"
[Strong human... are you satisfied with this small triumph of yours?]
Hmmph, is he being sarcastic? Even if I change my way of life, I still despise losing, so I will seek more strength for myself.
Wait...
'I understand the language of magical beasts?'
Realizing this, I smirked. It turned out my guess was correct. Ever since I acquired that skill, I could understand their language effortlessly, without the need for study or practice.
[Don't worry, your companions will catch up to you soon.]
So this is the language of magical beasts. It's a strange sensation to speak it fluently without any prior training.
[Do you speak our language... What are you doing slaughtering your kind? Did the Monarch send you here? No... are you a Monarch yourself?]
Suddenly, the Naga's tone became polite, mentioning Monarchs.
[What do you mean by Monarchs?]
[M%&^$&%??!!]
"!?"
His reaction suddenly stiffened, as if a security system was triggered to prevent any leakage of information.
'I'll try another approach...'
I closed my eyes and channeled the chakra into my right eye.
SHRINK!
If he wouldn't willingly share the information, then I would delve into his mind.
...
(General POV)
"All I see are fragmented memories."
The result was unsatisfactory even though Sasuke had delved into the Naga's memories with his Sharingan.
"The enemy is one step ahead..."
He wondered if the enemy had implanted a memory-erasing program or if they had erased the memories of these monsters from the start.
"Tsk!"
CRUSH!
Annoyed, Sasuke unconsciously released his chakra, causing his Mokuton jutsu to crush the dungeon boss's body until it perished.
Steps*
Sasuke dispelled Mokuton and approached the lifeless Naga's body, searching for the magical crystal within.
"Quite good..."
He grabbed the enormous core, befitting an A-rank boss, which matched its colossal body. But his luck didn't end there.
"...another runestone."
Sasuke smiled. Today wasn't too disappointing after all. From Naga's body, he also found a blue runestone.
CRUSH!
Without hesitation, Sasuke destroyed the stone once he was certain it was the one he intended.
[Stealth]
The skill used was the same as the dungeon boss. Surprisingly, Sasuke's reaction was quite normal after acquiring the skill. He thought it might prove useful, considering the significant amount of mana it required, even with his substantial mana reserves for a gate of only two levels.
"Whatever."
Sasuke turned and left the dungeon, carrying the dungeon boss's body with the authority of a ruler.
...
Outside the Gate
A teenager swaggered out from the large dungeon gate, a massive Naga's body floating behind him in a deep purple Mana. He glanced at his handiwork and couldn't help but give a nod of approval.
"Good work, guys," he said, giving credit to his subordinates. "No sir, it's all thanks to you for taking those monsters down in a flash!" replied Carlos, the captain of the mining team, feeling a bit awkward being praised by someone like Sasuke. But the young prodigy just nodded calmly as usual.
As they headed back to the city, he thought something. "Please stop at a good cake shop first," he said, thinking that Nari, his guest, liked sweets. "Huh, I hate sweets," Sasuke added under his breath, a stark contrast to his older brother Itachi's taste.
Adam, his secretary, was a bit surprised but smiled warmly, seeing this normal side of Sasuke. "Yes, sir," he replied, glad to see the human and teenager in the enigmatic hero.
On the way to the cake shop, they encountered a long line of people queuing up outside Ladurée, a famous French dessert shop known for its Macarons. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, wondering if the line was too long to bother waiting.
"It's okay, sir, I'm a VIP customer," Adam reassured him, proudly showing his VIP card. "Ah, sorry to bother you," Sasuke said with a grin, realizing that Adam might be the sweet-toothed one.
As they got out of the car, Sasuke's identity was quickly revealed, and the crowd went wild. Flashes and shouts surrounded him as people sought selfies and autographs. "Sigh... I forgot to wear a mask," he muttered, regretting his lack of disguise.
Ignoring the chaos outside, Sasuke entered the cake shop, where he was welcomed with the utmost respect by the owner. He ordered a Prestige Box as a gift, still feeling bothered by the commotion outside.
While waiting, Sasuke noticed people inside the shop staring at him, but he just leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and endured the attention.
Finally, the box arrived, and Sasuke tried to pay with Adam's VIP card and black card, but the owner refused to take any money. He was just happy to have such a famous person in his shop.
"Thank you then," Sasuke said with a hint of surprise, accepting the gift box. As he stepped out, the shop owner was beaming with happiness, too thrilled to even ask for a photo together.
On the way to his apartment, Sasuke received a message from Nari, confirming the dinner plans. He noticed that she lived just one floor below him, a coincidence that made him smile.
"Sigh," Sasuke sighed, looking at the clock on his phone. The day wasn't over yet, and he knew there was still more to come.
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