บท 72: Chapter 72 - Lili kidnapped.
Chapter Size: 2322 Words.]
Third Person POV
Deep Floors, Dungeon.
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Four days of tireless exploration led Lucius Drakenar to the far reaches of the deep floors without surpassing the thirtieth floor of the dungeon. He reached the renowned coliseum, opening a significant mission for him. However, feeling unprepared, he decided to accumulate more points from waves of monsters, using his traps on this floor and the ones before it.
Once he felt adequately prepared to physically engage the monsters without relying too much on his magic, he began advancing among the creatures with his sword and the lightning spell that enveloped it. Lucius started to kill his opponents, constantly using his healing magic to survive the dangerous attacks. His body evolved noticeably, reaching its limits, and he found himself on the brink of leveling up. However, he couldn't choose that option at the moment, as he hadn't completed the mission yet, just like what happened with Goliath. Only after defeating it did he get the option to advance to the next level.
"It's most likely that I could do it after killing a Monster Rex and Amphisbaena is my best bet, which is on the twenty seventh floor. I'll have to wait for it to respawn to complete the mission the system gave me. So, it's better for me to return to the surface at this moment, see how things are there, and come back as soon as I can," he thought mentally.
With all the points acquired during this dive and the addition of new spells with the enhanced status gained from four more days of relentless exploration in the deep floors, Lucius Drakenar decided to take a temporary step away from the depths of the Dungeon. The challenging corridors and imposing monsters had tested his limits, but now, with his own system accumulating points and his magical repertoire expanded, he longed for a brief return to the surface to see how things were unfolding in his absence.
He didn't leave without buying new grimoires; each new magical spell was like an additional tool in his arsenal, a strategic expansion he planned to employ in future battles in the war and the depths of the Dungeon.
He left satisfied with the millions of points acquired, as he hadn't kept any magical crystals he received, exchanging all of them, enhanced with Soul Trap, for system points. In addition to accumulating points, he didn't want to explain to the guild how a level 2 adventurer was solo raiding floors where only level 3 groups should tread, and he knew the Hephaestus Familia wouldn't disclose his encounter outside the group, even though they were still on bad terms.
Thus, Lucius began his journey back to the surface. As he ascended through the lower floors, he reflected on recent experiences. Despite having some initial difficulty facing the creatures that inhabit this part of the dungeon and resorting to using only traps, he began to adapt, eventually engaging in physical combat.
With stats surpassing level 3 peak and counting on stats above a thousand points from the previous level, he could now reach the beginning of level 4. With a bonus for strengthening spells, he would gain almost 4000 points, making him, even without magic, a level 4 adventurer.
"I'd love to see Carina and my ex-captain's faces when we had our melee combat fight," Lucius thought with a small smile.
He continued his path, and upon reaching higher floors, the atmosphere gradually changed. Dense darkness gave way to faint luminosity, indicating the proximity of the surface, and the fresh scent of water began to fill his senses.
He finally entered the capital of the waters again, but there was no sign of Amphisbaena in its place in the large lake in front of him.
"I'll have to deal with that; it would be much better to face it, but I'll have to wait... Anyway, the sight of the cascading waterfalls brings a sense of renewal after days of exploration in the depths," Lucius murmured internally.
Lucius continued through the underwater corridors of the 26th floor, facing some monsters that appeared with their new, faster magic—now more rapid than his fireballs, especially when the element had an advantage against water. No monster survived, and with a simple command, all magic stones disappeared around him to enter his spatial space, with Soul Trap enhancing the value of the stones.
"I'm having a very easy life now... I can't wait to reach level 3. My magic is capped at 2,000 points again, where I can only receive 10% of the excelsia after this threshold, which is pretty bad. I need to quickly level up to evolve it again," Lucius pondered as he walked.
During this walk, Lucius suddenly noticed movement in the water beside him and quickly prepared to launch a lightning bolt. However, he restrained himself when he recognized the approaching figure by the color of her hair.
Marie emerged from the waters with a daring leap, straight into Lucius's arms as before, and he caught her swiftly. Her heart overflowed with joy, and an enthusiastic scream escaped: "LUCIUS!!!!!!!"
But reprimand followed immediately as Lucius warned, "Marie!? Don't do that anymore. Shout at me before approaching. I almost attacked you with that move!" He had a stern tone.
"Hm? Lucius Hehehehe!" However, Marie seemed oblivious to Lucius's serious look, and he sighed at the little girl's mischief. "What am I going to do with you? Anyway, it's good to see you. How did you find me?" He asked, pleased to see that she was wearing a bikini this time.
Marie's response was quick and full of energy. "I smelled you! You've been here, right? I looked for you everywhere! But I couldn't find you in the past few days until today when Marie found Lucius! When I heard the explosions, Marie knew it was Lucius! But where is Riekling? Why isn't he with Lucius? I wanted more of that food in your backpack..." She spoke rapidly, looking around for Riekling.
"Well, I've been here for the past few days, but I didn't find you in any of your hiding spots, so I continued my way to the deeper floors," Lucius explained.
"Hmm..." Marie responded thoughtfully, but soon her smile returned. "But Lucius is here, so Marie is happy!" She shouted, completely ignoring any concerns.
"Okay, okay, let's go to a safe place. It's not good to be so exposed." Lucius suggested, and the two headed to a secure hiding spot for Marie, leaving behind the turbulent waters of the dungeon.
Seated in a safe refuge they used the last time, Lucius shared his recent adventures with the lively Marie, a xeno with human consciousness and emotions who listened attentively, her eyes shining with excitement.
"I made it to the depths of the Thirtieth Sixth Floor, Marie. Things get pretty intense as you go deeper into the dungeon," Lucius said, while Marie listened with bright eyes.
"Wow, Lucius! You went to the Thirtieth Sixth Floor? That's so cool! Tell me more, tell me more!" Marie was visibly excited.
"You know, I encountered some formidable challenges. Dangerous monsters, treacherous traps... It was an intense journey," Lucius began to describe, and Marie couldn't hide her enthusiasm.
"Dangerous and thrilling! I'm loving hearing this. And you, Lucius, did you manage to overcome all of it?" She asked, with an eager look.
"Yes, I used my traps and spells strategically. I wanted to accumulate more points before facing the coliseum head-on. And speaking of that, I haven't entered there yet," explained Lucius.
"Wow, but you're really amazing, Lucius!" Marie admired his adventures.
"Hahahaha. And how have you been? Have your friends come to visit you?" Lucius asked, a gleam in his eyes.
"YES! Lyd, Ray, and Gros came! Marie was very happy, and Marie told them about Lucius!" She said excitedly.
"Hm? Did you talk about me? What did they say?" Lucius asked curiously. He didn't mind if the xenos knew about his contact with Marie; it would be a good opportunity to get in touch with them. Even Ouranos would treat him more favorably, not reporting him to his original family, as he would be a valuable ally with a good relationship with the xenos. So, it's friendships and benefits at the same time—who would lose in this situation?
"Gros got angry..." She said sadly. "He said I shouldn't trust Lucius, that Lucius is evil. But Marie defended Lucius, said that Lucius didn't harm Marie, fed Marie, introduced a new friend to Marie, Riekling, and that Marie really likes Lucius!" She said with determination, and Lucius laughed at that.
"They were curious about Riekling. Marie explained that it was a magic Lucius talked about, bringing Riekling from another place. It's complicated... But Lyd seemed to love the idea; he said he wants to meet Lucius a lot!" She said excitedly.
"That's good; I'd like to meet him too," Lucius added.
After that, Lucius spent more time with Marie, even giving her some powerful monster crystals from the 27th and 26th floors that he had saved for her to eat, perhaps making her stronger. Then Lucius returned to the floors above the Water Capital, stopping at Rivira to buy some basic supplies that were missing, and headed towards the surface. It took him two days to return from the thirty-sixth floor to the surface.
As soon as he took in Orario's sunlight that afternoon, he sighed with relief at being back and headed towards the Hostess of Fertility. Upon entering, the familiar aromas of delicious food mixed with the lively atmosphere of the place, but Lucius noticed Hestia nervously pacing in a corner.
"LUCIUS!!!" She shouted immediately upon seeing him, with a hopeful glint in her eyes.
"What's with this nervous face... Did something happen?" Lucius noticed the disturbance in Hestia and immediately asked.
"Come with me, right away!" She said, and they went to the floors above the bar.
As they entered the room, Bell was lying on a bed, injured, with Syr taking care of him. Lucius could even see a flash of anger in the disguised goddess.
"What happened to him?!" Lucius said immediately, a little surprised to see Bell in that state and no sign of Riekling around.
"He was brought like this to the guild. They found him at the beginning of the intermediate floors and alone, with no sign of Riekling and Lili..." Hestia spoke with concern.
"So, it was lucky he didn't end up dead... Who would do this? I can understand an attack, but killing? I don't think Apollo or Heimdall would do that... He doesn't have such vindictive motives," Lucius murmured and looked at Hestia.
"Lili wouldn't..." Lucius supposed with a bit of concern.
"No, only Bell was found lying on the ground. There was a fight, but no one seemed to have died..." Hestia spoke with a somber tone.
"Anyway, we can find out what happened with Riekling. This is strange. I would know if he had died, but that's not the case..." Lucius said and pointed his hand to one side of the room. He immediately summoned the goblin.
"HEEE!" The goblin shouted at him as soon as he saw him.
"You were attacked; that I know. Tell me the rest!" Lucius spoke.
"HEE!"
"Is this serious?" Lucius asked with a stunned expression.
"What happened?" It was Freya/Syr who spoke before Hestia.
"What happened, Lucius-Kun?" Hestia also asked.
"It seems they were Ikelos family, from what I understood from Riekling. They captured Lili and my goblin. Riekling, I can even understand, because they illegally trade monsters." Lucius spoke calmly, surprising the two goddesses in the room.
"What, how do you know that?" Hestia asked.
"Well, I know about some dark things happening in the city, but anyway, Riekling, tell me what happened to Lili?" Lucius turned his attention to his goblin.
"HEEEEEE!"
"What, you bastards. Anyway, I know where she is."
"Is Lili okay?"
"I don't know if she's okay, but she's alive. The ones who captured her, according to Riekling's description, were from your Soma family."
"How did they get through the dungeon gate without anyone knowing?" Hestia questioned again.
"They have their ways; we'll talk about it later. For now, I have to deal with the Soma family and retrieve Lili." Lucius had a determined tone.
"What?! We should ask for help!" Hestia spoke immediately, but Lucius denied.
"Leave it to me; I'll deal with these bastards and bring Lili back. Lili is part of our family now, and we won't allow her to be treated unfairly. I will act accordingly; you stay here with Bell and Riekling, understood?" Lucius informed her, and Hestia nodded reluctantly while Syr just looked at him.
"Just be careful..." She said at last, knowing how Lucius acted.
"Yes, it's just the Soma family; I can handle this alone." Lucius said and left to get some clothes before nightfall.
Some time later.
In the dark twilight that enveloped Orario, an enigmatic figure rose majestically above Mama Mia's inn. His cloak, like the wings of a nocturnal raven, danced with the mysterious breeze, concealing his identity from those who dared to peek. The face of the intrepid vigilante was wrapped in an illusion magic so complex that only the most experienced adventurers could decipher.
In this scenario of shadows and secrets, a new guardian announced his presence to Orario. Every step he took echoed like silent thunder, marking the arrival of the enigmatic vigilante who would be known from that day on as Lord Sith.
From his strategic vantage point, Lord Sith observed the city with interest, his penetrating gaze cutting through the darkness like a sharp blade. Thus, he took his first leaps between the rooftops with the agility of a level 4, heading towards a certain family in a corner of the city.
Lord Sith would make his first appearance in this world.
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