บท 15: Chapter 15: Inability to lie

"FINALLY!"

After 28 hours, I FINALLY completed all 5 floor missions! Jesus. I had failed on the 5th floor because the 'Basic Atlas Gauntlets' had slowed me while I was turning around the corner and once my back was seen by a wolf-boy, I noticed the timer had restarted.

Stupid game. It would have been better if they limited it to more than 70% of my body being seen but barely a glimpse and it restarted. Might as well make it so that if a high rank adventurer senses my presence the timer would restart, but I digress.

I also had to restart on the 6th floor because I took too long killing a monster and was spotted—

"Shit!"

I quickly crossed my arms in an X in front of my chest just in time to absorb the solid impact of a fist, a bang ringing out like a gunshot. Though it didn't damage me, the force behind the hit sent me sliding back a few inches across the rough dungeon floor.

Immediately after, I jumped back as a fist blurred in front of my face, narrowly avoiding it hitting my helm. Then I instinctively dashed forward, cocking my right arm back, I felt my muscles coil and release as I swung my fist at the creature. The wind roared around my fist as it hurtled toward the thing behind me, muscles flexing, joints turning smoothly—my whole body in sync.

But it moved.

The creature darted to the side, evading my punch with an almost unnatural speed, but with my dexterity far higher than the rest of my stats now, controlling my limbs had become second nature. Before it even registered, I twisted my wrist and shifted my weight, seamlessly turning the failed straight punch into a brutal backhand strike.

My arm cut through the air like a whip and the back of my fist collided with the creature's skull with a sickening crunch, and I felt the creature's head snap to the side from the force. It flew sideways, crashing into the dungeon wall with enough force to make its head bounce off the stone.

In one fluid motion, I spun again on my heel, placing myself squarely in front of the creature. My left arm cocked back like a drawn bow, and without hesitation, I launched it forward in a powerful punch aimed directly at its chest. The blow connected perfectly, and then there was a sound like shattering glass.

[+665 exp]

Looking down, I saw the monster was gone, living its magic stone. "War shadow."

The normal appearance of the War Shadow is a creature made completely out of shadow and standing around six feet tall with an almost human shape with a red orb-like eye in the middle of its head and three clawed fingers.

However, Elite War Shadow has the ability to take on the shadow of someone they have seen. This one I just killed took on my appearance, hence the reason I could punch forward without my fist flying over its head while it stood still.

When it takes the appearance of the adventurer, its stats remain the same, not changing one bit. However, it copies the equipped equipment, meaning if you had a sword when it copies your shadow, it will gain that sword. I have tested it with the Head Chaser Spear, and it also copies my helm, that's why my first punch couldn't kill it, but a punch to the chest could since I have no armor.

Even if they don't seem to have the instinctual knowledge how to use a weapon they have copied, it can still be dangerous for level 1 adventures and even me. This is due to their speed, which is almost equal to mine. If I go down to the 9th floor, where they spawn much stronger war shadows, I would be in actual danger.

I guess being a level 0 can only take me so far, but my stats aren't maxed out yet, so that would change.

As for the danger, frog shooter poses? None, at least the common one. They are large frog monsters with barely any agility, strength, or endurance. They are basically ranged monsters, with their only attack coming from the tongue that they shoot from their mouth. It's fast enough to off-guard me, and strong enough to bruise my skin.

Meaning, its tongue had the strength to one-shot a low-level 1 adventurer with a hit to the head. However, it isn't that hard to dodge due to its tongue being like a ruler—only capable of shooting 'straight'—and the maximum length of the tongue is about 10 meters. So, unless you don't turn a corner without checking and get ambushed with a tongue to your face, they shouldn't be a problem.

Besides, their croaking is loud as fuck. Only a dumbass would die to a frog-shooter.

However, their elite was a different problem. See, they now have the ability to 'change' the direction of their tongue and the length increased to 50 to 70 meters according to the game's monster encyclopedia.

Meaning, from another hall, they could 'snipe' an unsuspecting adventurer. 'Like this one.' My map already showed the elite Frog Shooter waiting just beyond the corner, but I kept walking, pretending I hadn't noticed it yet.

The hallway ahead split into two paths—one veering off to the left and the other to the right—and I continued walking, closing the distance to the split by the seconds. 30 meters...25...20...15...

Suddenly, just as I was nearing the intersection, a tongue shot out from the left hall. It appeared with a snap, almost too fast to see, and then bent at an impossible angle, curving into the hall where I was, directly towards my head faster than an arrow.

With a simple tilt of my head, the tongue shot past me, missing my face by a hair's breadth, splatter of saliva splashing across my helmet. Immediately, my arm shot up—gauntleted fingers closing around the tongue in an iron grip before it could retract.

I felt the creature tug, trying to reel its tongue back, but its strength was laughable compared to mine. My arm didn't even budge. It strained harder, the muscles in its tongue tensing as it tried to yank me off balance, but;

'IT'S FUTILE!'

Instead of pulling harder, the frog shifted tactics. Rather than retracting the tongue, it began pulling its entire body toward me, using the tongue as an anchor. From the corner of the hall, a massive brown frog appeared, flying toward me, its single large beady black eyes locked on its prize—me.

As the elite Frog Shooter hurtled toward me, I simply raised my free hand, waiting for the right moment. When the frog was close enough, I brought my hand down with a brutal force. My palm collided with its head, slamming the creature into the dungeon floor with a sickening thud, its tongue still held in my hand fist.

The frog's body flattened under the force, its legs twitching in an involuntary spasm, and I could feel the life leaving the creature as its struggles weakened. I clenched my fist, ready to finish it off with a crushing squeeze, when a voice called out from behind me.

"WAIT!"

Slowly, I turned my head toward the source of the voice and behind me, a group of five stood at the end of the hall. The first was a tall, lean wolf-man, dressed in light leather armor with twin daggers strapped to each side of his waist. Next to him, a slightly shorter cat-girl with a similar build stood with a spear in hand, and she, too, wore light armor.

The third was a tall bull man, the tallest in the group, with heavy armor and a great sword on his back. The fourth figure was a human, his appearance much less battle-ready, and he carried a massive bag on his back, the weight of it bending his frame slightly.

Finally, the fifth was a female raccoon Demi-human, her large ears twitching as she stepped forward. She wore light leather armor as well, though she bore no visible weapon.

"Please," the raccoon girl said softly, stepping closer. "We need that monster."

"Why?" A simple, curious question.

The raccoon cleared her throat, "We are from the Seshat Familia, and we are here to record the 'new' monsters that had appeared."

"New?" I gestured at the dying frog, "This?"

The group glanced at each other, and then the bull said, "You must be a high level adventurer that is mainly in the lower floor." He stepped forward, "So you wouldn't know this, but about a day ago, adventurers have reported sightings of new variants of monsters. They call them 'elite' monsters, and we are here to record it."

'28 hours ago?' Ah, hahaha. 'Fascinating.' I released the frog's tongue.

"We can pay you for the frog's magic stone," The raccoon quickly said, "But we need its body intact to study it so if you can just—"

"All yours." I released the frog's tongue, letting it drop to the ground with a wet thud. "Rather," I unhooked the pouch from my waist, "This is a tip for providing public information to the adventurers." I tossed it, and it was caught by the wolf man, "Sixty-thousand Valis."

"W-we can take..." The cat girl quickly covered the raccoon's mouth and shouted, "Thank you, Sir Adventurer!" She bowed. "May I know your name?"

"I am..." I turned to walk away. "... Vengeance."

I could hear their muscles contort in cringe as I said that, but they said nothing as I turned left, walking down the hall.

But that's interesting. Truly an interesting knowledge I gained from them. Me entering this world had 'updated' the dungeon from version 1.0.0 to 1.1.0 and a new function was added:

Elite monsters.

Good to know, but I hope they don't somehow tie the appearance of these monsters to me. Speaking of that, the reason I gave them that 60 thousand valis is not because I appreciate them.

Trust me, I couldn't care less for them providing public knowledge to adventures, unlike the bigger guild that tend to keep their findings to themselves.

I gave it to them to complete my daily mission of spending sixty grand.

Yes, I could've left the dungeon to spend it, but leaving would mean getting caught by the Loki Familia. My plan is to avoid that for at least two days. That way, if the contract with the golden-haired girl is legit, the second-strongest familia in the city would owe me a favor.

Sixty billion valis isn't something to laugh at—that's about five hundred million dollars, give or take. This is an exchange rate I calculated based on how much food costs here. I could be off, but it's a useful comparison for me who doesn't know the worth of Valis.

I digress. Now, how do I know I will be caught the instant I leave this dungeon? It's simple, really. The captain of the Loki Familia—Finn his name was, I believe—would have probably known that no one in the city is dumb enough to do what I did to Ais because of her connection to Loki.

This will narrow their search to newcomers. And then, even if Ais only remembers me as a tall guy, it wouldn't be hard to figure out who's the new tallest person in the city—me.

Does it make sense? It should. And even if Finn isn't 100% sure, he could just ask if I made a contract with Ais. If I say no and later ask for the 60 billion they owe me, they could claim I lied about the contract, making it invalid. So, when they ask about the contract, my only answer has to be a resounding yes.

They might want to search the dungeon, but the map of the entire floor. I can easily avoid any dots I see coming my way—I didn't dodge that group of five earlier because I knew they weren't part of the Loki Familia based on their names. Definitely not because I didn't notice them because I relaxed after completing the floor's mission.

However, I need to avoid everyone I see from now on. They might have put a 'bounty' on my head and asked for any information about me. If they can't find me in the city, they'll enter the dungeon. And if I'm not on the higher floors, they'll start searching the lower ones.

The guild probably won't reveal my level, so they'll assume I'm anywhere between level 1 and 3. That won't help narrow their search at all.

Once I surface after two days, it won't take long for the Loki Familia to track me down. Finn will ask the obvious question about the contract, and I'll give him my yes.

Then—IF (keyword, IF) the contract with Ais was legal in the first place—their debt to me is solid.

The familia might try to argue or stall, but again, I could simply take back my sword and go look for another dumbass to fuck over. And the moment I get them to acknowledge the contract, they're trapped. They might decide to solve the problem by force, but if I'm careful, I'll be fine. Once I have them by the debt, they'll have no choice but to deal with me on my terms.

And once they owe me that kind of money? I'll be untouchable in this city. Even the Loki Familia wouldn't risk losing face by backing out of a contract of that size.

Hahaha!

I am so fucking smart!

"Is that him?"

'???'

I turned around slowly, my gaze falling on two adventurers. The first was an elven woman—tall, slender, and beautiful. She had that typical elf grace, her long, blonde hair flowing around her shoulders like a waterfall. Her armor blended seamlessly into her pink dress, almost as if it was more for show than battle. But there was a sword at her waist, and the way she carried herself told me she wasn't just for show.

Beside her stood a younger human male, about the same height as her. He was clearly less experienced, with his spiky black hair and slightly oversized gloves. His build was slim but fit, nothing remarkable, just... normal. Average. His eyes, though, were sharp as they observed me.

[Alicia Forestlight of Loki, 20, Rank 3]

[Raul Nord of Loki, 16, Rank 2]

Raul squinted as if sizing me up. "He fits the description..." he muttered under his breath.

"You there!" The elf—Alicia—called out as she began walking toward me, her steps confident. As she neared, she stopped a few feet away, her almond-shaped hazel eyes locking on mine through my helm. "I have a simple question for you," She smiled at me. "Did you form a contract with Ais, the Sword Princess of Loki?"

I bit back a grin. 'Just as I suspected.'

"Did I form a contract with Ais, you ask? Hmm, that's an interesting question..." I rubbed my chin, playing the part of someone deep in thought. "You see, it wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to assume that I didn't not form a contract, but..."

Her face tightened, brows knitting. "What?"

"You could say that it wouldn't exactly be incorrect to suggest that I might have in a way not necessarily denied the possibility of something that could have been a contract, depending on how you define 'contract.'"

Her pointed ears twitched as her face shifted from confusion to annoyance. "So you did form a contract!" she snapped, her voice rising.

"On the contrary," I said, keeping my tone light, "it's quite possible that I may or may not, depending on certain factors and perspectives, have partially agreed to something that could or could not be classified as a contract."

Her face was now a mixture of disbelief and frustration. I could see her jaw clench as her lips tightened into a thin line. I guess she didn't expect me, a muscle head looking beast, to be this articulate, enough to even confuse her.

"Enough!" she barked, but smiled once more. "You either did or didn't. Which is it?"

I tilted my head, trying to keep a straight face as I noticed Raul suppressing a grin beside her. "Well, I suppose you could say that, if one were to look at the situation from a particular angle, the likelihood of a contract existing is not entirely implausible, yet at the same time, it's not something I would definitively confirm or deny."

"What is this..." she muttered under her breath, sighing. "Please answer my question with a yes or no."

"I'm just answering your question, Alicia." I shrugged, keeping my expression innocent. "Perhaps it's the question itself that's a bit too vague."

Her face flushed with frustration, and she nodded. "Vague." She took a slow, deliberate breath. "Fine. Did you, or did you not, sign any form of contract—written or verbal—with Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess of Loki?"

"Hmm, well... It's interesting you ask it that way." I nodded. "You see, the concept of a contract can be quite nuanced. A 'verbal contract' might exist in the realm of intention, but it depends on the mutual understanding of both parties—if they fully comprehend the terms, that is."

She stepped forward, narrowing her gaze. "Did Ais agree to give you anything—anything at all—based on an arrangement, deal, or spoken promise?"

"Ah, now, that is a tricky one." Getting more precise, I see. "If we're talking about a 'promise,' we'd have to dissect what you mean by 'agreement.' You see, sometimes things can be implied without being explicitly said. Ais might have made an implication that could be construed as an agreement, but whether or not that was my understanding... Well, that's open to interpretation."

Raul's expression had now shifted to complete confusion. He glanced between me and Alicia, clearly lost.

Alicia, however, wasn't amused, and her pointed ears twitched ever so slightly. "Final question. Is there any agreement, however vague or implied, between you and Ais that would suggest she owes you something?"

I shook my head and answered, "Suggest? Well, that depends on how one defines 'owe,' doesn't it? There are multiple interpretations of obligation..."

"You're doing this on purpose." Alicia sighed, "So you're the one." She spun on her hill, blond hair flowing behind her. "You are coming with us. Finn should know how to deal with you."

"I have zero obligation to follow two strangers," I turned the other way.

She sighed, "You're not making this easy." She looked back at me, a beautiful smile on her face that literally sent shivers down my spine. "Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. The choice is yours."

'Oh, I know that dialogue,' However, I was curious about something, "What makes you think you can force my compliance?"

Her eyes remained on me, "Can you sense any Falna from him, Raul?" Raul remained silent, seemingly in deep thought, and she called out, "Raul?"

"Uh. Hmm, well, uh," Raul scratched his head, looking at the ceiling, his thoughts forming. "If we're talking about sensing something that might resemble a Falna, depending on how one interprets the feel of it, I'd say it's not entirely impossible that there could be something there… in a sense...?"

Alicia shot a simple glance to him, her Hazel eyes causing him to buckle. "N-NO!" Raul shouted, "I don't sense Falna!"

The elf looked back at me, and I nodded. 'Well, I doubt I could beat a level four,' But, I wanted to test something else.

Mentally opening the map, I clicked on her dot—now orange due to hostility—and I noticed her ears twitched, but her eyes didn't move from me. "Your response?" She asked as her ears twitched once more from another click.

"Yes, actually," I opened my inventory, "There are ways a non-blessed person can defeat a blessed one." I clicked on the nuclear bomb and I saw her eyes visibly widened, hazel pupils shrinking as her hand quickly moved to the hilt of her sword.

Raul didn't react to me, however seeing her reaction, he also got ready for battle.

"You can sense it, can't you?" I asked, holding back a laugh. How dare this kid try to force me to come with her. "Can you defeat me?"

She clenched her teeth then released, calming herself as I closed my inventory. She relaxed, a smile on her face once more, "We got off on the wrong foot..." She waited for my name,

"Vengeance,"

Raul cringed, but she did not react, "Vengeance," She addressed me, "Did you or did you not form a contract with Ais?"

"Yes I did."

They were shocked, a long silence as Alicia stared at me. She was not expecting that answer. "Now, was that so hard?" She muttered then smiled, "Thank you for your response."

"Yep." I turned and left, with Alicia and Raul also leaving.

I answered because I wanted them to leave. There was no point continuing denying the contract, and besides. There is no way they can void or pay off the five-hundred million contract without mine and Ais' presence.

The fact that they didn't bring me alone or one of them didn't stay with me and the other went to get the captain and Ais was a dumb decision. I guess she was too frustrated to think clearly.

Now, all I had to do was watch the map as her orange dot sped through the dungeon, followed by a green. They were fast, faster than I could scroll on the map to keep up with them.

Amazing.

But soon, her orange dot stopped, with the green dot stopping behind her.

And then her orange turned red.

Ah, she realized her fuck up.

HAHAHA, you this Alicia!

This is my perfect victory!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~~~~~~~~

A long chapter. 3667 words without author's note. I was planning on cutting it when I showed the status of Alicia Forestlight and Raul Nord, which would give the chapter a length of 2440, but just decided to just post the whole thing. Felt like there will be barely any content in this chapter if I stopped it there. Don't know. Was the chapter good? I hope so.