"What level are you now?" I ask Yin. She frowns, checking her HUD. Watching her back, I wait for her eyes to stop flitting about.
"Lvl. 16. But I'm not getting much experience anymore. Maybe the undead are getting too weak?" She loosens her katana in its sheath. "I've been killing them so easily with Ghostblade Asura. Who knew being a Hunter could be so easy?"
It's only easy because you got a ridiculously strong skill so early!
"Mmm I thought that might happen. The higher your level goes, the harder it becomes to increase it. This dungeon's creatures must not be giving enough experience. I suppose that's a good thing. It means you're pretty strong for this area." I explain and Yin seems a little disgruntled.
"The System is so stingy!" She complains. I raise an eyebrow. Checking the Hunter Counter which just refreshed, I work hard to keep the frown from my face.
1,050,001
People are dying quickly. The newbies are probably suffering the worst right now. Thrust into this strange world of Hunters that they don't understand, suddenly they are forced to confront undead and worse, System creatures they don't understand with no prior combat experience. We've passed several bodies already, though we've been avoiding big groups of people. Everyone's partying up to survive.
If my memory of prior dungeons is correct, then it's highly likely that there are several "super parties" now composed of hundreds of people traveling as a pack. With so many Hunters, they can definitely overwhelm many undead, however, their experience will be split between many people. Realistically only the ones who contribute the most will be able to level. Still, as someone who's only Lvl. 7, I'm probably too weak compared to everyone else.
"I suppose it's okay to level a bit now." Glancing at Yin, I tell her, "Let me have a couple. Also, put all your points into agility for now. As a swordswoman, you'll need to be fast."
"Okay." She observes me during the next fight. Not wanting to be shown up, I crack my neck and engage two Daemonic Hellspawn without waiting. My cleaver flashes, as I explode up the street. Stepping off a broken fire hydrant, I take to the skies. Two flailing tongues lash out at my ankles but I tuck my knees to pull them up.
*Twang*
*Twang*
While they're still preoccupied, I spin through the air and stomp on one's head. Its slimy jaws clamp shut on its own tongue as it gurgles angrily. Twisting, I smash my cleaver into the back of its neck, instantly disabling its central nervous system. Gurgles turn to garbled gasps as the Hellspawn goes limp. Ducking to my left, I hide behind its trembling body as the other Hellspawn shoots its tongue at me.
*Shlick*
The toad-like beast jumps over angrily as its tongue is repelled by its dead companion. That's a mistake. My cleaver has limited range. Coming closer is simply asking to die.
"Hah!" I leap up and over the dead Hellspawn's body and fall out of the sky before it can react. The big slimy eyes have just enough time to look up before I bury my blade in its eye.
"Riiiibbbb-!" The toad-like thing cries out as it keels over to one side. Ripping out my blade, I deliver a second strike to the weak-spot in the back of the neck to finish the job. Yin watches with an interested expression off to the side. This girl...she used to be impressed, why do I feel bad that she's not clapping?
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
My level rises swiftly to ten. In fact, the Hellspawns are so much higher level than me that I'm halfway to eleven. But I think this is about as far as I'm willing to go. The Gray is a terrifying creature. A few more levels won't make me that much stronger, but it could give Yin a real problem if she needs to deal with my zombie. Shaking the toad-slime off my butcher's blade, I stride back over to Yin. She notes my strained stride with a worried expression.
"You okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" My voice remains steady though inside, I'm doing my best to ignore the deep bruises left by that bastard, Jian. It really hurts. Honestly in all the excitement I'd forgotten how bad he got me. Ugh...next time, I won't go easy on him!
"Uhuh." Yin says with a meaningful glance at my side. I quickly force my hand to go casually into my coat pocket. "So, what now? You want to keep leveling? Or look for the other Servants?"
"Well...if we could get our hands on another System Skill, or maybe a rare weapon, that could be a game changer. I should be able to keep up now." As I'm checking my map to see whether there are any other Mini Bosses nearby, an unexpected notification from the System appears.
Sidequest: Blood Of The Weak Fertilizes The Crop Of God-COMPLETE!
All Eight Servants of Belziarde Have Been Slain!
Main Throne Room Location Now Public!
Slay The Demon Lord For A System Reward!
"What...the...hell?" I mutter. This doesn't make sense. Without me how could anyone have killed the other Eight Servants?
"They're already d-dead?" Yin is equally startled. "But we barely managed to take out the Daemonic Minotaur not too long ago. How could this be?"
"I don't know. But if I know the System, the Main Quest of a Multitiered Secret Dungeon won't be simple. At this point, we have no choice but to go to the throne room." I sigh with an air of defeat. Bringing up my map, I find the location of the throne room revealed by the System. A big glowing red dot sits squarely in the city. "Of course, it would be in the Tiendas Tower. Just as expected."
"Shall we go pay the boss a visit?" Yin asks. "Do you think it will be a tough fight? Maybe with the Ghostblade Asura, we can take it out?"
"Hahaha!" I get a good laugh out of that one. "If you think a System Skill given in the same dungeon is going to let you solo the boss, you're probably asking to die young. Trust me, unless you're some sort of beast or the Reaper himself, don't even think of attempting a Secret Dungeon boss solo. Maybe in a regular dungeon, if you're the stupid, reckless type with no friends..."
"Huh...then what about you?" Yin gives me a pointed look. "Aren't you exactly the stupid, reckless type who would try something like that? I don't know why you can't level, but don't think I haven't seen the way you look at the undead. The way you look at other people. You're a good person. But sometimes I feel like all you see is prey."
"..." I purse my lips, not sure how to answer that statement. It's true that after so many deaths, after experiencing the same agonizing problem over and over, I may have lost some of my humanity. However, of one thing I'm sure. "Heh, even if I was the one with the System Skill and I was your level, I still wouldn't try to take on a Secret Dungeon Boss on my own. You'll see when we get there. The kind of monster we're dealing with."
"Riiiight." Yin doesn't sound completely convinced. I don't know what kind of impression I've left in this girl's heart. In my past, I may have been the kind of reckless person to try to solo a dungeon, but even the old me would never voluntarily enter a Secret Boss's throne room on his own. There are easier ways to commit suicide.
System Call: Demon Lord Belziarde Is Angered By The Death Of His Servants!
Prepare For Retribution!
*Drip*
*Drop*
*Shua*
The sounds of rain are accompanied by warm droplets on our heads. Yin and I stare at each other. We're still quite far from Tiendas Tower. Overhead, strange lights begin to zig and zag as the atmosphere comes alive!
*Kraaaang!*
Lightning surges and every hair on my neck stands up. My prior lifetime's experience tells me that we need to get the hell out of here!
"MOVE! MOVE MOVE MOVE!" I scream as my eyes fearfully tip to the sky. Instant annihilation rains down and only my warning allows Yin to dive aside in time as a thick bolt of white lightning blasts aside the spot she was standing. "NO!"
"HEI WHAT'S HAPPENING!" The beautiful girl's hair is completely puffed out from static, like a scared cat. She leaps again as a second bolt of lightning surges down from the heavens!
*Kraaaang!*
"It's because you killed its servant! We need to get underground!" I charge towards a subway entrance on the next street. "Go! The metro is our only chance!"
"EKE!" Yin turns into a blur as she dashes to the entrance. Three bolts of lightning follow her wake, sending concrete chips everywhere. My breath catches but the smoking craters do not contain her charred body. She made it! Accelerating, I take advantage of a break in the bolts to get inside myself.
*Shua Shua*
*Krang*
*Plip*
Sounds of the storm dribble over the lip of the subway roof. We take the stairs down two at a time, eager to get away from the wrathful heavens. Behind us, the periodic cracks of lightning make me wonder if the other Servant killers are still trying to dodge the Demon Lord's retribution. Consulting my map, I point in the general direction of Tiendas Tower.
"It would seem...we'll have to take the underground the rest of the way." My voice is troubled. As the mud from above drips down to the subway platform, I examine our path. The eyes of a Hunter are better in the dark than an ordinary person. Already I have the Basic Tracking Skill which allows me to passively make out details even with almost no light. The System has augmented this strange underworld.
Where previously there would only be a set of subway tracks running in opposite directions and some maintenance tunnels, now giant holes have been punched in the walls in-between stations. Additionally, through this holes, one can see entrances to the city sewers. Running pipes big enough for many men to walk through connect the underworld. This is no longer a transportation hub, so much as a crossroads between worlds. Hopping down to the railroad tracks, I peer into the long dark tunnel. There shouldn't be any trains running due to the Calamity, but I wouldn't put it past the System to throw something weird in. This is a Secret Dungeon after all.
"We're really going through there?" Yin asks doubtfully. "It's so dark..."
"No choice." Though I'm not unduly worried since her level is pretty high, I do remember what I said before. Going through the lower levels is probably a bad idea. "You want to go back up there and get zapped?"
"N-No! Let's stay down here then." Yin mournfully sighs, wringing out her damp ponytail, "I don't suppose the Demon Lord will run out of mana, will he?"
"You could always pray." I smirk, pointing up at the crumbling ceiling. "The System probably won't listen though." We trudge down the tracks, away from the remainder of the light. Down here, the storm doesn't even reach, though the ever-present noise of dripping water is unavoidable. At certain intervals in the track, there's a lamp or torch left by the System in place of the broken electronic lights. Yin's katana reflects the light eerily, a single silver line in the darkness.
*Hsssssssss*
Every once in a while, there's a strange noise in the subway. Sometimes it's the clatter from our feet hitting the tracks. Other times it's the hiss of gas leaking from a pipe. Once it happens and I don't have any explanation for what it is. I'm spooked. As we creep along the rails, we hug the wall, unconsciously afraid that a train will come even though the Calamity has long since shut them down.
"What was that?" Yin whispers quietly. Then the thing in the darkness attacks. Instantly, every sense in my body screams that mortal danger is near.
*HISSSSS!*
A massive reptilian head surges by.
Lvl. ?? Corrupted Snake
There's no time.
I just see fangs gleam as it opens its mouth before the strike. One of the worst types of ambush predators to face in the dark. Especially this early in the Calamity. If it has a high concentration of virus, one bite is fatal and these snakes are incredibly fast! Landing one strike is their specialty!
"L-Level 20?!" Yin stumbles and I quickly reach out and shove her to the side. My cleaver swings, clanging against a snake fang the length of my head.
*HISSSSS!*
The underside of its jaw brushes against me just barely but it's so big that I'm shoved aside. My arm is bruised as I tumble to the ground. Little rock chips dig into my elbows and stones scatter.
Stupid! Stupid! Yin doesn't have Basic Tracking so she can't see well in the dark! But since she's a higher level I got careless and let her walk in front!