Chương 21: Encroaching darkness
▲ Don't ask, I don't even know where this came from, but since it's unusual, I will leave it here.▲
(Before we dive deep into this chapter, I would like to announce the changes I made.
I picked the doubled value and simply added it to the previous value, I then added 20 to each, creating this:
Doubled value + Previus value + 20
Strength H 100 -> H 193 + 45 -> G 238 + 20 = G 258
Vitality H 100 -> G 246 + 76 -> F 322 + 20 = F 342
Dexterity H 100 -> G 213 + 58 -> G 271 + 20 = G 291
Agility H 100 -> H 157 + 29 -> H 186 + 20 = G 206
Magic H 100 -> G 269 + 89 -> F 358 + 20 = F 378
By everyone's opinions, this should be the most ideal setup.
Since it was a one-off event and another such event would most likely only happen several months in the future.
Of course, monster waves, Dungeon breaks, even moster parties can happen naturally, although unlikely.
Such events, that can give a high amount of natural Exilia by killing monsters are very rare, that's what I am trying to say.
Although they are common enough to make adventurers dread them. Especially monster parties.
In any case, most events will most likely involve secluded scenarios where the MC might gain large amounts of Exilia by fighting a single enemy. Or any adverse situation, who knows.)
----------------------
'Silver slept soundly, his dream was strange as he passed its entire time trying to hammer metal into something.
He didn't know what he was hammering he only knew it was going to be incredible'.
'Around an hour later, Silver woke up from his quick nap, he was still a little tired but he had a few things to do.'
'While he switched his clothes, he couldn't help but think of his stats.'
This was unexpected… I didn't think the increase would be this large.
Although I can attribute the increase more towards a large number of monsters, this doesn't remove other factors from the equation.
The danger, my skill, and other mysterious factors...
If only I could see Exilia in numbers…
At least that way I could determine just how much my Skill actually affects it.
Although this is a futile thought to have since at the end of the day, Exilia is relative to your strength and your current situation.
Perhaps even to your overall emotion at the time.
"... What are you thinking about?" Asked Hestia, who was seated in one of the new padded chairs.
'She had a box in her hands, it was one of the wooden puzzles I always kept in my inventory.
She seemed to be having a lot of trouble opening it though.'
'Ever since the reform, this basement room was now filled with proper furniture and it looked very cozy.
It had two beds, one large couch, a few padded chairs, wardrobes… And even a fireplace.
It was much more than a simple renovation, Silver actually doubted himself how they actually managed to finish all of this in a few hours of work.'
"... Isn't it obvious? I am thinking about this enormous growth."
"... Your Skill played a big role in it after all. But I guess throwing yourself in a monster wave helped."
! When did she?...
'Hestia looked and managed to see the minuscule change is Silver's expression. The twitch of his mouth.'
Heh. As you slept I remembered something Hephaestus told me last week, it was a brief mention but I found out!
Do you think you can just fight a monster wave on your own?!
I need to teach him to behave, else who knows where he is going to throw himself.
Let's start!
'Hestia had a sly smirk on her face as she thought.'
"I wonder who was the person who told me he wasn't going to put himself into danger?..."
'She looked around the room before her eyes rested on Silver.'
"Was it perhaps… You?"
'Silver's expression didn't change this time.'
"... You must have been mistaken. Perhaps signing all of those papers made you confused."
'Hestia looked a little angry, like damn! If you are going to lie, at least try a little!
She could see that he was smirking as well. He wasn't even trying to hide his bad deeds!'
You think I am a pushover?!
'So Hestia immediately attacked, she had a plan this time!'
'Of course, Silver, now with his upgraded stats, could only laugh at Hestia's pitiful try at pouncing on him.'
'He jumped out of his bed into the air, looking at Hestia bellow as he levitated on the ground.'
"!!"
'Hestia couldn't believe what she was seeing.'
"Good try, unfortunately, I am 4 parallel universes ahead of you."
"Next time, try harder."
Her plan was simple, she attacked me from an angle that forced me to move in only a single direction since my bed was located near the wall, if I had done that, I would trip on a small pile of clothes and she would win.
Unfortunately for her…
"Arrr Mumumu…! Get out of there!"
'Hestia kept jumping like a kid, well… From Silver's perspective, she looked like one.'
"Alright alright, I need to do some things so, let's stop playing for now."
'Silver canceled his telekinesis and fell from the air, into the ground with elegance.'
"I will pick up the groceries and..."
/Ploft!/
'Hestia took this opportunity to pounce at Silver! But he remained in place unmoving.'
'Instead, he once again captured her in a princess carry.'
"Come on Goddess. You are super light, you will never be able to push me down like that."
(0_0)
'She looked at the smug face of her first Child and couldn't help but grimace at her future.'
Am I going to be bullied forever now?!
'Hestia didn't know whether she should laugh with him or cry. But eventually, she remembered what she wanted to say.'
"... Please… Just don't put yourself in too much danger okay? I… I barely even had the time to know you and if you..."
'Silver felt rather bad at the sight of the almost crying Goddess. As someone who reigns over the family, it's obvious how sentimental she is towards her few friends.
Since Gods don't have a family... Hence many tend to care a lot for their children.'
'Although that isn't always the case.'
'So he placed her on the ground and patted her head.'
"... I am sorry for this. At the very least, I should have been honest."
"I want to explore this world, every nook, and cranny of it. And for that, I will have to reach the very pinnacle only told in history, and so, it's obvious I will have to get hurt a little."
"Although I can't promise to you that I will always be safe, at the very least I will always put my safety first over any circumstances. I will promise you that I will always find a way."
"... You promise?"
"Yes. If the situation comes where I can't win no matter the outcome. I will just bail out."
'Silver answered that with no hesitation. His life had always been his priority. If a monster he can't defeat even after trying anything appears, there is only one solution. Run. And that, he knows how to do really well.'
'Hestia lifted her pinky finger'
"Promise! If you break it you can't call yourself a man!"
… A pinky promise? Are you really a kid? Did your mind stop aging together with your body?
"I never had any intention of breaking it anyway."
'And so, the two locked fingers. The promise was made.'
"Hehe… Alright! I will support you with everything I can from now on!"
"Are you telling me you weren't already doing that?"
"Ah… It's a figure of speech..."
'Silver chuckled a little'
"Alright, I am going. What do you plan to do?"
"There isn't much to do here, so let me go with you. I need to talk with Hephaestus anyway."
"Sure."
'With all complications out of the way, the two made their way back to Orario.'
'The future looked bright as the setting sun shone on their backs'
'Although, with it, the darkness of the night engulfs Orario once more'
…
(Insert map)
'In a lake close to a village somewhere in the North, hidden amidst the Beol Mountains, a green-haired man was sitting on a rock with a fishing pole in his hands.'
'The scene looked magical in a sense. The beautiful Elf looked almost like a painting.'
/Swush.../
"... Are you here?"
'From behind him, a dark shadow suddenly sprang from the ground and materialized as a cloaked man.'
"Agent 3-1 is here to report sir."
"3-1? Not a 0? What happened to the others?"
"If you are a 3... Shouldn't you be stationed in Orario?"
"My team is currently doing that. As for the others..."
"They are all currently training, this has to do with what I am going to report sir."
"Tell me then."
"The captain has successfully Leveled up and the others are now on a training streak to catch up with him."
'The green-haired man suddenly stopped and placed his bamboo fishing rod on the side.'
"15 years… I waited for 15 years... Now the time has come"
I can't afford to wait any longer than this. I need to get that item and prepare for what's to come.
There isn't much time left.
"All preparations have been finished, although we have a single problem..." Said the agent
"A problem? And why didn't you fix it then?"
'The pressure behind his voice overwhelmed the agent, making him lose a little bit of his breath.'
"It… It was something to do with the 'source'... We need your permission to do anything related to it."
'The pressure disappeared as the green-haired man got up and started to walk back into the village'
"It can't be helped, I will fix it on my own. What about the final piece?"
"As per your orders, we slowly decreased the influence of the others while we removed all possible variables to the plan. Our agents are waiting to act, just give the orders"
"... Alright. As soon as I fix this problem, I will see the situation myself..."
'The man stopped and picked a pendant. It showed an image of multiple well-armored people with happy expressions.'
I gave you all more than enough time to think, yet you still refuse to cooperate.
My patience has run thin… Don't expect me to be merciful.
"Let's go, I don't want to wait anymore."
'The green-haired man disappeared, the agent could barely see him moving.'
Boss has gotten stronger again...
'With that, the agent also disappeared.'
…
'Somewhere in a cave, a young man in his mid to late '20s ran with all of his might. He ran and ran until he collapsed inside a small hole somewhere inside a cave.'
"... Harf… Harf… SHIT!"
'The young man hit his fists against the walls. His hands were red, covered in blood, but it was certainly not from monster blood.'
"That bastard. He wasn't satisfied with just ruining my life, so he had to go and take it?!"
'The young man started to remember how his life used to be but he soon shook his head.'
It has been almost a month since my life pretty much ended.
First, it was my marriage. What I thought to be a happy family was nothing but a facade
I thought that I had chosen a good person to spend my life with… I should have listened to my mother… That girl wasn't worth it.
My house was stolen and my property as well. I wanted revenge, but firstly, I needed to survive.
Then, it was my best friend... That fucking Elf!
"COUGH!"
'The man spit some blood on the ground.'
'He took out a small vial from his belt, but it was already empty. So he threw it to the side in anger.'
/Clang!/
'But he was so weak that it barely made any sound.'
"..."
'The man went over everything he did in the past few weeks.'
After losing my home and becoming homeless, I tried to find a job, but no matter how much I tried I no one accepted me.
That was likely due to that fucker!
Just what did he do in order to fuck me over so much?! Just how deep runs his influence?!
It was around that time that my God started to act in a strange way. The person that used to be so caring and loving suddenly became scornful and insane, until...
"... Why?... Dionysus-Sama..."
But... I was lucky, I met with a gentleman that gave me some potions. This gave me enough strength to proceed.
With my old gear, I raided the Dungeon and soon leveled up.
But even after one entire week of extremely hard work. My stats had barely risen at all.
"Is this the limit of my talent?" I thought to myself.
As I despaired, trouble came after me once again.
The man who destroyed my life was now back again to take it.
Although I never saw him, my pursuers were unprofessional enough to say his name as if to make fun of me, I couldn't fight then with the power of Level 2 so I...
So I fled… Since I didn't have a chance.
My God couldn't help me, no, he didn't want to. At this point, I started to think he was in cahoots with that man.
Since from then on, every time I went to update my status, those guys appeared. And they seemed to know everything about me as well.
The only thing I could do was run.
For a week, two weeks, and now, three weeks.
During my second week, I almost died when they managed to trap me...
The price for me to escape was...
'He suddenly remembered a face...'
"I am sorry Bibi... I was a fool."
Not only did I lose the only person that actually cared about me, but I also lost my arm.
And at the end of my second week as a fugitive, I was forced to enter the Dungeon in order to survive.
And I think I have been here for an entire week.
No one helped me even when I asked, no one listened to my cries...
So much for the adventurers that protect the people!
"But now… I am nothing but a cornered rat… Damn those guys and their families… If I could, I would kill every single one of them!"
"I wonder which floor I am on right now? I stopped counting when I fell on that slope on the 22nd floor. Damnit! Any monster in here can kill me easily! If it wasn't for that skill I awakened, I would have been some monster lunch by now..."
"Tartarus superstes… Not even my God could tell me what it did..."
If I survive this, I swear by my soul that I will kill you all.
The girl who betrayed me.
The man who destroyed my life.
The God that abandoned me.
The man that tortured me, killed my friend and took my left arm.
And all of those bastards that are hunting me!
'Suddenly, the man started to convulse'
"Arg! The pain is coming up again!"
'After a minute, he finally had the time to rest as the pain went away.'
'In fact, he wasn't feeling anything at all.'
The side effects of using all of those potions and my skill are finally biting at me.
"It isn't cold… Nor is it hot… So this is the end huh… What a terrible life..."
/Step step.../
'The moment his vision started to darken, the man heard faint footsteps coming from outside of the cave.'
Did they arrive? Already?... Hehe… I am already dying anyway, might as well bring some with me.
I will make sure all of your families grieve for you!
'He got up with difficulty and turned around, getting out of the cavern.'
'But what he saw blew him up… Even more where that thing started to talk.'
"How fun… Will you play with me?"
"..."
'The man didn't let himself be fooled by the otherworldly appearance of the woman. Since with a quick glance, most would notice the strange, Plant-like protrusions growing up from her lower half.'
In this… An abomination from these floors?! I never heard of this before! How deep am I?...
Such a monster...
It seems… This is the end.
'The man picked his broken spear, that was now only an iron rod and pointed it towards the woman'
"YAY! Let's play, let's play!" Said the monster with its childish voice
'And she suddenly disappeared.
The next moment, the young man felt some pressure on his chest. It was a large root-like spear piercing his chest.'
Heh... I am so pathetic...
'And he fell to the ground as darkness covered his vision'
"Hum? No no no… You can't fall yet! We just started to play!"
'She picked a small magic stone. And placed it right on the spot she had just pierced.'
/Splurge! Crack!/
'Immediately after, the man's body started to tremble and crack.
His muscles tore apart as roots started to form under his skin and replace his broken muscles and bones.'
'While the monster waited for the transformation to end, she easily killed every single monster that appeared in a second. Monsters that would have given trouble to Level 3 adventurers.'
'After 10 minutes, the transformation stopped. Did it succeed?'
"Rise, my toy."
"..."
'The young man's hands moved.'
…
/At the same time, a few floors higher.../
'A group of 10 adventures was now looking at a hole on the ground.'
"... Did he fall in this hole? I didn't even know there was one such hole in this place." Said one of their adventures.
"Judging by the sounds of the stones being thrown inside, this hole goes several floors deep, judging by our position, it goes all the way to the deep floors." Said a man with thick goggles.
/Gasp!/ x All
"The Deep floors?! You must be mistaken! There are at least 8-9 floors to go..."
"I am being serious."
"... Are we going after him? It's the Deep floors" Said a girl with a long spear.
"No. That would be suicide. And in any case, it's impossible for the target to come back from down there."
"We are going to remain at the closest safe point and wait a few days to see if he comes back. If he doesn't, it's pretty safe to assume he died. In any case, we have his items as proof of his death so it should be fine." Said a large man on the side. He seemed to be their leader.
"So let's go before any monsters appear. Fighting this deep is tiring and dangerous." Said the girl.
"... Clean up everything! We are retreating!" Said the Boss
"After this, I will ask for a raise in pay! They said this was going to be a Level 2 hunt but look at that guy! Making us go all the way to the lower floors!"
N1 (Upper floors 1-12, Middle floors 13-24, Lower floors 25-36, Deep floors 37+ Notes for more)
"Stop winning, the pay is already very generous. It was our fault for letting him escape so far down." Said the Boss
'They turned around and left, happy that this was all over.
Although they didn't know that their target was very much alive...'
…
'Somewhere in Orario. A beautiful blond-haired man looked at a chess table'
"I wonder... How will this game I set up go?"
"HAAA! I CAN'T WAIT!"
'He had a macabre smile on his face'
...
'The night passed, giving space for the sun to shine.'
'At the North of Orario, a beautiful blond-haired girl woke up from her nightmare.
She dreamed about her parents dying and leaving her behind once again.'
'Although… Her face didn't show any emotion.'
'And for some reason, she seemed to remember the boy with the white scarf she saw yesterday.
Although she quickly forgot about that soo after.'
'She washed her face and picked her clothes, making way to the showers...'
'In there, she met Tione and Tiona. And was easily convinced by them of going into the Dungeon.'
…
"Let's go let's go! This time I will kill some monsters! I have been waiting to gather some money to commission a new weapon!" Screamed Tiona
"It's just a shame that Captain is occupied, else we could've called him..." Said Tione in a sad tone.
"Well, he has a lot to do. And I heard we are going on another expedition. Our aim is the 47th floor this time." Siad Tiona
"4-4-47th?! That's incredible!" Said Lefiya
"Yeah! I heard some of our members leveled up, so we will most likely be able to reach it this time… That includes you of course." Said Tione
"EH?! But even so, I am..."
"Don't worry. I am here." Said Ais
"Ais..."
'Lefiya eyes glowed as flowers started to surround Ais.'
'Although that was all her imagination.'
'The four girls continued on their way. Unaware of the future dangers they would face.'
...
(I think I made a small mistake that could make some things inconsistent.)
(I don't know exactly the relationship between Ais and the other with Lefiya prior to Sword Oratoria. I think that prior to that, Lefiya was nothing but a promising youth being taught by Riveria.
It was only because Riveria recommended her to the excursion that they got close. Although I could be mistaken.
Nevertheless, I will proceed with this setup. They were already friends, but Lefiya wasn't so… Lesbian and annoying.
This will only happen over the years as she gets more and more infatuated with Ais power and elegance, all the way until Sword Oratoria starts… IF... it starts.)
.
.
.
Notes
I am not that good at foreshadowing if this can be called one.
In any case, this chapter focused more on side characters and worldbuilding, we will probably have some of these from time to time.
This chapter took quite a while to make, mostly because I had to rewatch the entire sword Oratoria anime.
Thinking about future events is also quite tiring. I had to think for quite a while in here to make things fall in place.
I will rewatch the third season sometime, but not now.
I would be happy if someone gave me a minor timeline of all major events of the franchise. Not the wiki.
The wiki tells a lot but also misses on a lot of info.
I would like something like this:
Bell arrived in Orario
Bell met Hestia
Bell fled from a minotaur and yada yada. But I would like these for events after the third season.
Thank you.
N1
(Normally, the way things go in the Dungeon is that each floor has its own recommended power Level for the adventurers.
Upper is Level 1
Middle is Level 2
Lower is Level 3
Deep is Level 4
But there is something extra to consider. Close to the end of each of those delimitations, the recommended Level rises.
For the Upper floors, it is recommended to be Level 2 or to have a B in one of your stats if you want to venture past floor 10. Since monsters such as an infant dragon, a Level 2 monster, will appear there.
But remember, this Level recommendation is aimed towards normal adventurers and not the elites.
Although rare, there are people who are Level 2 and have the strength of a Level 3.
People who are stronger than their Level.
So for the Lower floors, the recommended Level is 3, but there are many parties of Level 2 adventurers that go there.
Because of this, I am inclined to use this 12-floor method as my way to divide the Dungeon
Upper floors 1-12, Middle floors 13-24, Lower floors 25-36, Deep floors 37-48, Super deep? Floors 49-60, Freya Deep floors 61-72, and so on.
And for each, there is a recommended Level, meaning that at the Superdeep floors, the overall power Level would have to be that of Level 5. And since it's close to the end, the Level of power would have to be 6.
An average Level 6, someone who would have raised their stats to D and at least one C or close to it.
So, a Level 5 who Leveled up with A in their stats every single time would easily massacre the normal monsters on these floors.
Although remember, the deeper you are, the harder it gets to fight solo. Monsters get incredibly numerous as the size of the areas increase. They get smarter and work together in a better way.
They also get access to powerful attacks such as some of the dragons on the Valgang Dragon that could attack from the 58 floors all the way to the 52.
If we take Dungeon Oratoria as an example. The Loki party went all the way towards the 59th floor, which, according to the 12-Floor method of division, should be the very end of the Superdeep floors.
They easily cleared all normal monsters but they were almost wiped out due to the corrupted spirits.
But they aren't really a normal creation of the Dungeon since they need a normal spirit to die first in order for them to be born.
And they were also fed and raised by the remnants of Evilus as a way to destroy Orario.
Most of the attack members were Level 5, but their strength easily passed that, they had 4 Level 6's and according to the author, this fight would have been enough to Level up Gareth to Level 7.
So they were more than strong for that floor.)
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