Difference between revisions of "MVR Round 2 P3"

Revision as of 18:08, 21 July 2021

Long ago, there existed a nation called Iaia, in which the land prospered, crops and resources provided from an unknown pit at the centre of the land known only as the Dungeon. For many years, the people of Iaia lived off of the Dungeon's fruits, for which life energy emanated from the pits to sustain the various crops growing on the surface.

However, one day, the Dungeon stopped supplying the nation with its energy, and soon the nation of Iaia suffered a large widespread famine. Crops would not grow, leading to a decline in food and medicine. Water was not purified, causing a widespread epidemic to plague the land. Because Iaia was secluded from the rest of the world, with little to no connection to the outside, the people of Iaia suffered for years, until one day, a group of seers and priests came together to pray to the gods for salvation and repentance.

For months on end, the priests came together and prayed to the gods, until one day, the goddess Demeter, along with her disciple, Paladin Koloth descended from the heavens to warn the mortals of the true nature of the Dungeon. The Dungeon was a massive labyrinth created in ancient times to house monsters, and as monsters died, their souls would ascend the Dungeon to the surface. However, due to the monsters being impure, they are unable to enter heaven, and so, instead, spread to the surface of the land, their life energy supplying the world through bountiful harvest. Over time, as the nation of Iaia continued using this resource, their numbers continued to climb, but the deaths of the monsters did not, causing a deficit in the life energy supplied to the land. To continue to live, the people of Iaia must descend the Dungeons to kill monsters.

Praising Demeter, the numerous people of Iaia swore their allegiance to the goddess, begging for her to stay and watch over their nation. Taken aback by the sincerity of the mortals, as well as feeling satisfied with the increase in her followers, Demeter decided to stay and watch over the people, tasking Koloth with establishing a Folia Level System after his fellow Paladin, Folianon, the Paladin of Harvest and blessing the mortals with the power to become stronger, and wield magic. Equipping the mortals with a means to fight monsters, soon, many became trained to become the first adventurers of Iaia.

However, as Demeter continued being worshipped, the other gods in the heavens were not happy with the attention Demeter was getting, and decided to descend to the mortal realm themselves to also obtain followers. Realizing the potential for another divine war, Koloth suggested the creation of Legions, groups of humans would choose the deity they want to worship, and the deity may choose those who would be fit to be their followers.

Soon, Legions began to form, with the big three, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades, Legions being the strongest, and some Legions being smaller than others due to the certain deities being less prominent than others. And for many years, adventurers of these Legions would descend the Dungeon to hunt and kill monsters, becoming stronger and establishing a trade system for monster shards to validate their contributions to the land.

The gods would return to heaven, with the Legions continuing to frequent the Dungeons and to become stronger, until the nation of Iaia prospered by these adventurers. The day Demeter and Paladin Koloth had come down from the heavens became mere folk tales, after centuries of prosperity, and with this, the rise of adventurer legends soon dominated the scribes, such as Leonidas Swallowtail of the Hades Legion, being the only Level 12 adventurer in existence, and Alexander Rosewald of the Aphrodite Legion, the greatest swordsman in the entire land.

R7

Jack Flock.

Level 4 Sword Fighter of the Vala Legion. Legion Captain.

For a time, Flock was the only member of the Vala Legion, and Vala was so insignificant she was on the verge of fading from existence. Until one day, she found young Flock, begging to join a Legion. Rejected from all of them because of his lack of experience and weak skillset.

When Flock was accepted by Vala, he was her only member, but that didn't stop him from pursuing his goal to become a great adventurer, a hero, just like his uncle had described in the old books. Flock would work his ass off to become a prominent adventurer, but it wasn't an easy trip.

Multiple times, Flock's innocent and kind nature was taken advantage of, either by scumbag adventurers, or higher level adventurers. Multiple times, his guild advisor had told him to be more cautious, but this kid was just too pure.

How do I know all this?

I snuck into Lady Vala's chambers to get some intel.

I continued flipping the pages.

Now before you get yourself tied up in a knot, no. I'm not being creepy. There was a good reason why I was in a woman's bedroom.

I was trying to find a way to obtain Flock's special skill for my own.

Flock is one of a kind. Even if most people don't seem to realize it. Because of this, he's been pretty rumored around all of Folia. And among the gods.

There would be no other reason why he could do the things he does. Most people would see it as him being able to do whatever he could because of his drive to become a hero and catch up to the girl of his dreams, Calypso Rosewald. But I, along with Vala and a couple other gods, knew that wasn't the case.

Limit Breaker

The ability to push past his Level during times of emotional need. Despite being Level 4, Flock has been able to fight beyond his level, and achieve things most people would find impossible, kind of like Calypso Rosewald.

The first time he displayed this skill, was when Calypso saved him from an orc. From that day on, Flock wanted to become strong so Calypso could notice him, but the problem was, Calypso was ridiculously powerful for an adventurer of her level. She was a prodigy. She was able to do things that several teams of adventurers would normally struggle, such as defeating a Floor Boss all on her own as a Level 8 Adventurer, or taking down Scarpy, a Legendary Dragon that had ravaged a nearby village, all on her own as a Level 9 Adventurer, and besting Ares the God of War in a sword duel.

Calypso was a legend among legends. And Flock, determined to catch up to her, would train tirelessly to do anything for her attention. And because of that, his Limit Break skill would activate nearly constantly whenever he is in his missions with me and the rest of the Vala Legion. His accomplishments have slowly been rising, but he has yet to reach Calypso in power.

Talk about a simp.

"Where the hell is it..." I muttered, as I continued flipping through Lady Vala's old books.

"Come on you useless drunk of a goddess, there's gotta be something on the Black Dragon."

I needed to get stronger. No matter what it took. I can already accept the fact that Flock, with his bubbly innocent, kind, and stupidly naive white knight personality would garner him a huge ass harem all for himself. I can already accept that Flock would be the main hero in this story. I can even accept the fact that I was playing second fiddle.

But I needed to be strong. For many reasons. For my own self worth.

After all, it was because I was weak, that my younger twin brother Wen Zhang had chosen to leave our family. And it was because I was weak did he choose to be with the Venus Legion, the strongest Legion in all of Folia.

"God dammit." I grumbled, as I put the book back.

There had to be a place where I could find her more secret stash. Flock's special ability was so rare, that Lady Vala had intentionally kept it a secret, even among most of the gods, for fear that they would try to snatch him away and turn him into some kind of soldier.

I stood up face to face with a drawer. I opened it and nearly had a nosebleed.

"Panties!" I gasped.

Shun-dono! Those are the goddess' panties! You must take a few!

"Why?!"

It will aid in your training for mental fortitude.

"But aren't we already doing that by going to the pleasure sector? I really don't need any more weird ass rumors of me being the Stray Pervert."

If you wish to become stronger, you must train in your mental capacity.

"Hmmm. I guess so. Everything I see, you see too. And everything I feel you feel too. So I guess it'll help strengthen yours, right Hataka-sensei?"

Hiiro was quiet for a few seconds.

Y- Yes. Of course. Shun-dono. Yes.

My fingers hovered over the undergarments shakily.

"Hataka-sensei, I feel like I'm doing something very wrong."

No Shun-dono. The fate of the world is in your hands! You must snatch the goddess' panties! If you don't, you will lose an opportunity to train in the ways of the Shaolin!

"Whatever you say, Hataka-sensei. But I hope no one finds ou-"

"Oh. My. God." A very disappointed female voice appeared behind me as I yelped and hit my head against the drawer.

"Oh shit!" I yelped, as I turned to Nessa.

"Hi. Just here to... get some intel..." I muttered. My voice was trailing away as I began to realize how unconvincing my excuse was.

"By stealing Lady Vala's underwear?"

"Oh no. That one is for training."

"Training?!" Nessa rolled up her sleeve as my back poured with sweat.

"No like. Training my mind. And if I train my mind, it will train the rest of my body."

"The rest of your body."

"Yeah. Like my arms..."

Nessa marched right over and before I knew it, everything turned black. There was no blocking her punches, because if I did, my real power would show. And we couldn't have that.

I sheepishly showed up to the main hall. Well. Not really a main hall. Since our Legion quarters were in a run down shack in the corner of Folia.

Nessa gave me a disapproving look. I guess I'd have to wait another week before I ask her for money again. Finn was there too, his arms crossed. He was kind of like the big bro of the Legion. Haruka, some cat girl, clung onto Nessa, while Flock was looking at Lady Vala curiously.

"My goddess? Why did you call us here?"

Vala turned to us.

"Great misfortune as befallen on our Legion, my children."

Flock gulped, as sweat ran down our backs.

"What's... what happened?"

Vala took a deep breath.

"I must take part in the great coliseum. I must show up in appropriate attire."

I frowned.

"You called us here for that?!"

"HEY!" Vala shrieked.

"I didn't ask for this! All I want to do is play roulette! But Lady Venus arranged this event. I can't say no."

Nessa put her hand under her chin.

"So we need to go to the Dungeon then, and make enough shards for your outfit?"

Vala put her hands behind her back.

"Yes... I promise I won't blow the budget again."

We all looked at each other, in doubt.

Yeah there was no way Lady Vala was not going to blow her budget on gambling again. She practically had a gambling addiction.

This whole Dungeon run was just going to be a waste of time.

Unfortunately, Flock, being Flock, stepped forward.

"I can go! I'll make sure you get the best dress there is!"

Vala smiled.

"I knew I could count on you, Flock!"

Finn nodded.

"If Flock is going, so am I."

Nessa clenched her fist.

"Count me in."

The two of them turned to me.

"Yeah. No." I grumbled, as I turned around and walked away.

"Are you serious?!" Nessa squeaked.

"Dead serious. I got shit to do. Maybe if Lady Vala quit blowing our earnings we wouldn't be living in this hellhole."

"You'll never catch up to Wen at this rate, Shun." Nessa said.

"Well, we weren't going to anyway!" I growled, causing Haruka to jump.

"Sorry." I muttered.

Flock walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Shun. I understand how difficult it must be. But we can do it. One step at a time. We can do it."

I really couldn't say no to Flock.

But I had more pressing issues.

"I have to research something. I'd love to help, though. Sorry guys."

Nessa rolled her eyes.

"You mean searching for women's underwear again?"

Vala's face scrunched up.

"Was that the reason you were in my room this morning?"

"Wait!" I held out my hands before Vala walloped me.

"I was there for... other reasons."

Vala's expression softened. She knew exactly what I meant.

Flock nodded to us.

"It's okay if Shun doesn't want to go. Let's do our best, guys!"

Nessa shook her head at me.

"You and Flock are like the same age almost. If only you were more like him."

I watched as the group left the house, until it was just Haruka, Vala, and I.

Haruka frowned at me.

"Umm... Shun... you really shouldn't be stealing underwear..." She said quietly.

"Gah!" I grumbled.

"Sorry!" Haruka squeaked as she went to get cleaning supplies.

Lady Vala looked at me and gestured me down to the basement.

"Come with me, Shun."

I followed Vala to the basement, as she told me to lie down. I did what she said as she updated my stats.

"Shun Zhang 'Stray Dog', Level 2 Unarmed Martial Arts Adventurer." She said.

"No progress."

"Whatever." I grumbled.

Vala smirked as she inspected my status sheet.

"At least, that's what this world created for you. But you aren't from this world. Let's see your real stats."

Vala turned the sheet over.

"Shun Zhang 'Red Beast', Level 9 Unarmed Martial Arts Adventurer. Not bad."

"I didn't level up at all!"

"But even so, Level 9 is no joke, Shun. One of the best adventurers out there is Level 9. Calyp-"

"Yeah yeah. The Queen of Knives. Princess of Battle, Prodigy of Folia Calypso Rosewald. Blah blah blah. I don't care about that. I just want to be strong so I can get Wen back."

"Was that why you were researching about the Black Dragon?"

My mouth went dry.

"How did you-"

"Shun. I understand you want to get stronger. But please. For my sake. Stop researching about the Black Dragon. You can search for any ways to get stronger all you want. But not that Demon Lord."

"Mogul told me that if I wanted to unlock my hidden potential, I needed to look into The Black Dragon."

"I don't know who this Mogul is. But The Black Dragon is confidential information. To all of these people in Folia, he's an ancient evil said to be the most powerful being in all of Folia in history. To the point where many think he's not even real. But I know for a fact that he is because I was there that day he destroyed Iaia. The city that was before Folia. I... I just can't, Shun. So please."

I sighed.

"Lady Venus told me I needed to become strong enough for Wen to acknowledge me. I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice, Shun. To choose to become stronger in a healthy way, or to become stronger by cheating."

I'm already cheating, though.

That's the thing.

I was never born with any talents. Any skill. I may be an unarmed martial artist, but it's only because I have a Japanese Demon inside me, a Wicked Oni, supplying me with power and technique. In terms of actual skill, Wen was always the talented one. I could never catch up.

Unless I cheated.

Because that's all I can ever do. Lady Vala would never understand that. She was a goddess. Neither could Flock. Even though he believes hard work paid off, as did many who have seen him in action. But that was because he was born with a special skill.

I was born with nothing.

And for people like me, hard work never pays off because it will never hold a candle to people who are blessed.

Blessed people will always work hard in this world.

People like me need to cheat.

"Shun. The only way to Level up is to do something drastic. An incredible feat that is recognized by the gods. If you can do that, you will level up."

"So I just have to do something crazy? Gotcha."

"It's not that simple. I'm sure you know. The Legendary Princess of War took an entire year to reach Level 9. And that's Calypso Rosewald. So it's no easy task."

I already had an idea of how to do it though.

I nodded as I waved Vala off.

"I'm heading to the Dungeon."

"You are?" Vala gave me a confused look.

"Stop acting so surprised! You need your dress right? We'll do it. I'll need to have your word for it though, in case you head to the casino again."

"I am not a gambler!"

I headed out the door and made my way to Flock and the others.

I knew what I had to do to level up.

But even so, the words this Mogul had spoken to me all those months ago. After my first brutal loss to one of the Venus Legion members.

YOUR BODY DOES NOT FOLLOW THE PRINCIPLES OF THESE FOLIAN. TO SEEK STRENGTH, YOU MUST REALIZE WHAT YOU TRULY ARE.

I continued running as my heart was beating faster and faster.

FOR YOU ARE NO ORDINARY HUMAN.

I wrapped my bandages around my wrists and hands as I continued running. My face determined.

FOR YOU ARE NO ORDINARY ADVENTURER.

I continued running as I heard the minstrels sing. Their song was about how a great Dragon had come to the land and destroyed everything.

YOU AND THE DRAGON ARE MORE SIMILAR THAN YOU THINK.

I leapt across a pile of boxes with superhuman strength as I landed on the roof of a building, acrobatically darting and heading to the Dungeon.

TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE, YOU MUST LOOK INTO HIS PAST.

I landed on the ground before the Vala Legion.

THE PAST OF THE DEMON LORD, SAMAEL.

R3

"Hey." A voice said, from within the darkness.

"Who's there."

"That's kind of mean. You know who I am."

Someone stepped out of the darkness. A young man with dark hair spiked upwards at the front with a mullet at the back. He was wearing plaid.

That innocent aura.

That kind face.

"Deacon."

Old Deacon smiled, as he had his hands behind his back.

"It's been a while. Hey. Why don't you let me take back control? I really want to see Meena."

"You can't." I replied, as I looked around me. I was definitely in a dream. But... this felt so real. This old version of me that was standing in front of my vision seemed so real.

"Why?"

"If I let you out, there's no telling what will happen to our forces. You're too weak, Deacon. The Remnants need Fury."

"But you never wanted Fury to come out. Why did you change your heart?"

"It's my purpose. They need me. They need-"

"No."

I was startled, as Deacon approached me.

"You can't stand me, can you?"

"I-"

"You hate me. Every time you remember who you were before, in the past, you brush it off. You hate me so much, that the slightest reminder causes anger to build up inside you."

"Deacon, you were the reason Meena was suffering this entire time. You couldn't control your powers. You were naive. You were-"

"All Meena had. I was all Meena had to humanity. I was her light, the darkness of Blackwater. But then you squashed it. You incinerated it."

I clenched my fist.

"If I wasn't so weak, Meena would not have been thrown into the Transformer, her mind scarred. You saw it yourself. Fury annihilated Kallas."

Deacon shook his head.

"No. Fury did more than just that. He annihilated Meena as well. We already have enough firepower. We have a Demon Lord. A Remnant who wields the power of two Paladins. We have Lucius. We have enough. Wasn't your whole conquest to make sure Meena was happy? If you wanted her to be happy, you would let me out-"

"NO." I growled.

"I will never let you out, Deacon. Not now. Not ever. You are nothing."

I began to power up as flames surrounded me.

Tell me, what can you do against Prime Aspect Mogul? What can you do against Heracles? Against the Acolytes? You are nothing. Burn away, Deacon.

Deacon began to crumble to dust, but he smiled. That innocent smile that ticked me off every single time.

"You just can't accept it, can you?"

Accept what?

"I'm already awakening. Look at yourself. Where is that bloodlust? That ferocity you once had? You're getting softer. And softer. And softer. Eventually, the one thing you are most afraid of will happen.

"Fury will disappear. And Deacon Chow will return."

"Deek! Deek!" Thomas called out to me as I snapped awake.

"Oh god. I thought you died. Dammit, Ben. You knocked Deek out!"

Ben ignored Thomas and approached a nearby obelisk. Then he pulled out several orbs and threw them into the air as they soared around the environment. We were near a forest somewhere. I was guessing we finally made it to Folia. At least, somewhere in its outskirts.

Merrow knelt down in front of me.

"Hey, you okay, Deacon?"

I winced.

Deacon...

Fury will disappear. And Deacon Chow will return.

"Yes." I lied, as I stood up, and approached Ben.

"Where-"

"FRESH MEAT." A monstrous voice appeared from the corner of my vision. It looked to be some carnivorous monster with large teeth and a large frame. But Ben pulled a gun from his pocket and fired at the monster. Dead center between its eyes without even looking.

The monster fell back and dissolved into dust, as Ben approached the remains, picking up a shard.

"It's a drop!" Thomas remarked, as we huddled around it.

"Maybe we could trade it for something?" Merrow asked.

"Guys. I'm gonna go out on my own for a second." Sammy said, as we all looked at him.

"Wait, you can't just run off on your own like that!" Thomas said, but Sammy shook his head.

"Nah. Mogul can never catch me. I have some things to tend to here. Sorry guys."

I watched as Sammy dissipated into darkness before we could say anything.

Ben stood up, the shard in his hand.

Northeast.

"Isn't that the opposite direction of Folia?" Merrow asked.

Northeast is where I will go. There are several items I should obtain.

Ben reached into his pocket armory and pulled out a large case, which expanded into a motorcycle.

You may go to Folia. I will return to rendezvous once my task is complete.

And with that, Ben zoomed off.

"What the hell?!" Thomas pulled his hair.

"We just lost our powerhouse and tactician?! What kind of party is this?!"

Merrow shouldered her bag.

"We should go to Folia. Establish a place to stay first."

"Agreed." I said, as we made our way to the town.

We continued walking until we made it into the town. We were new, but it seemed like nobody seemed to mind, as we made our way to the guild.

"Man, can't wait to get ourselves registered! I wonder what Legion will take us? I really hope it's the Ares Legion. That would be sick."

Thomas stretched his arms, while I looked around.

We passed by a few adventurers, but suddenly, something caught my eye.

I made eye contact with one of the adventurers, and there was no mistaking it.

His face.

"Merrow." I whispered, as I nudged her.

"What's up?" Merrow turned around and her eyes went wide.

"No way..."

The kid looked at us, his eyes scrunched together as if in confusion.

Magenta streaks.

War-like expression.

A bit on the wild side.

There was no way.

But it had to be.

"A Remnant?" I muttered, as the kid eyed us from the distance. We were looking at each other at a standstill.

Thomas stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's the hold up- what in the hell."

I stepped forward, but Merrow put her hand on my shoulder.

"No. He's confused. We can't."

The kid was silent. From the way he was dressed, he seemed like an unarmed fighter. Martial arts?

"Hey! Shun! We're going to leave you behind man." An adventurer called out to him.

"Yeah." He replied, with a voice that was all too familiar.

"I'm coming."

Shun turned around and ran after his Legion.

"Dude, you look pale." The adventurer said.

"I'm fine." Shun responded, as he glanced at us one last time.

"Totally fine."

We continued making our way to the guild hall. Along the way, several minstrels were singing on the side of the path. To their right was a small pouch for people to drop in currency. I recognized it immediately.

"Shards." Merrow observed.

So shards from monsters were the currency in this world?

"Guys..." Thomas muttered.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Listen to what they're singing."

Merrow and I concentrated, focusing on their lyrics.

Burn and fall. Burn and fall

The Demon Lord has come.

Burn and rot. Burn and rot.

The World Eater has come.

Gather around. Gather around.

For the children are scared.

For when the Black Dragon came.

Not even the gods were spared.

Thomas' face was pale.

"Guys... The Black Dragon... that's Sammy."

Merrow was quiet as we both looked at her.

"Merrow, what exactly did Sammy do?"

Merrow looked at us.

"Only Lucius and Arman know about Sammy's past. He was recruited just before Deacon, you reformed. But we kept it a secret because of his ridiculous power. Arman never learned his Phoenix Mode at the time and Sammy was just too powerful for us to handle. We couldn't risk a fight against a S+ Ranked Demon Lord."

Thomas clenched his fist.

"No wonder Sammy was so traumatized and never spoke about his past. This is fucked. I knew he was a Demon Lord after Ullr called him out. But this is terrible. He killed children, families, and gods?!"

I gave Thomas a glare.

"Stop talking, Thomas. These people are terrified of Sammy. No more talking about it."

Thomas reluctantly stopped.

We made our way to the guild building as Merrow went up to the desk.

"Hi! We'd like to register as adventurers please!"

The lady smiled at Merrow.

"Oh my! Such a lovely young woman. I certainly respect more women out in the Dungeons these days! Are you in a Legion? Any offer letters or documentation?"

"No. We just came here."

The lady began writing in a book.

"I see. We can place you in an unaffiliated status right now as an Adventurer. You will need to search for Legions for recruitment before you can take part in any Dungeon expedition. This is merely for your safety. Can I get your name please?"

"Mera Rivenlight."

"Thank you, your name has been registered. The two of you..." The lady pointed at Thomas and I.

"They're with me." Merrow explained.

"Thomas, you first."

Thomas approached the woman, his hands shaky as he began to sweat.

"Uh... hi."

"Hello. Can I get your name, please?"

"Thomas Float. Floating King. Thomas Floating King. Tho-"

Merrow and I stared at Thomas, speechless.

What the hell happened to being an expert in isekai adventurer anime?

"Thomas... what are you doing." I muttered.

Thomas looked at me. He looked like he was about to throw up.

"I'm not good with talking to women."

"Are you serious..."

The receptionist's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that please?"

"Thomas King." Merrow clarified, as Thomas nodded very quickly.

"Yup. Yuppers. Thomas King. Floating."

The lady raised an eyebrow.

"Do you need some water, young man?"

"I'm good. Nah."

"I see. Well. Um. You're registered. Er... Next person please?"

I approached the lady, as she began to turn pale.

"Um... hi. Can I get your name please...?"

Merrow facepalmed. I didn't really understand why she would give this reaction. I was much more composed than Thomas.

"Deacon Cho-" I said, but hesitated. Remembering my dream about Deacon.

"Fury." I corrected myself.

"Fury?"

"Yes."

"Just Fury?"

"Yes."

Merrow gave me a questioned look, as I retained my stoic expression. The lady looked kind of freaked for some reason.

"So... umm... I'm registering your name. So what do you do for fun there Mister Fury...?"

"I conquered planets and killed heroes back in the day." I recalled, as the lady's face turned white in shock.

"OH!" Merrow yelped as she ran up to me and put her hand on my mouth.

"Haha! Good ol' Fury. Always cracking jokes! He likes... umm... candles. He likes candle dates with his girlfriend, you see."

"Aww! How adorable!"

I frowned. "Meena doesn't do candle dates."

"She does now, doesn't she, Fury." Merrow's eye twitched in annoyance as she continued smiling. I was getting a million danger flags as I cleared my throat.

"Yes. Um. Meena is my girlfriend and she sure loves candle dates." I lied.

The lady then told us to place our hands on a magic stone to register our power. With Skylar's shackle system restraining our power, the stone was able to gage us as Level 1 Adventurers.

"We have arranged a place for you to stay for now. I advise you search for Legions as soon as possible." The lady told us.

"Which Legion is the best?" Thomas blurted out.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow.

"I can tell you, but you will need to prove yourself. Even getting noticed much less acknowledged is a huge deal."

A bead of sweat rolled down Thomas' neck.

"Which is it?"

The lady opened a book.

"The Venus Legion. The Goddess of Love. Each one of her members are heavily devoted to their goddess. To the point where they will do anything for her. Becoming the strongest and the best. Their training is harsh, and none of their members ever step foot outside their Legion home, much less the guild hall. The members are all at least Level 6 and above.

"There are other Legions too. That are also quite strong. The Poseidon Legion used to be one of the Big Three, but it sort of fell off over the years. It's still prominent and considered a high ranking Adventurer Legion, what with the Legendary War Princess Calypso Rosewald in it. But trust me when I say this. The Venus Legion is at the top of the world. And their Captain..."

She turned the page, revealing a powerfully built man.

"Is among the top of the top. The only Level 12 Adventurer in Folia."

"Level 12, huh." I muttered.

We made our way out of the guild hall and headed to the quarters.

We passed aa couple of townsfolk who paid us no attention, when suddenly Thomas was stopped.

"Thomas? You good buddy?" I asked.

Merrow turned around and went up to Thomas, who was frozen as an old woman had her bony finger pointed at the Remnant.

"The Black Dragon... The Demon Lord has returned!!! Despair! All of Folia despair! The Devourer of Worlds has returned! The time has come!"

Some townsfolk dragged the lady away as she continued screaming. People began looking in our direction as Merrow gave Thomas a worried expression.

"Thomas..."

Thomas' hands were shaking.

"She... she thinks I'm Sammy..."

Merrow sighed as she put her arm around Thomas.

"Let's head to the quarters and wait for Ben and Sammy. Then we can figure out a plan to retrieve Nomi, Colin and Corey."

R7

"He's down, Shun! He's down!"

SMASH.

SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.

I continued punching the unconscious body of the man who had burned the picture of Mama and Baba. The picture was all I had left to remember my family by.

My hands were covered in blood. The hand bandages that wrapped my sensitive skin were soaked to the core.

I continued swinging wildly. The rage taking over.

This man took it.

He took the last link I had with my family away from me.

"I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill you." I growled in a trance.

"Someone stop him!" A voice said, as someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me away as I realized the man I was punching was actually the corpse of a monster. My vision returned to normal as what I thought was the thief who had infiltrated my room was actually the body of a monster I had killed.

Flock ran up to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Shun! Are you okay?!" He exclaimed, his face concerned.

"Wha-" I stopped myself. This wasn't the Red Circle Gang headquarters. We were in the Dungeon.

I blacked out from my rage.

Nessa and Finn yanked me off the shards as I glanced at my Legion.

Haruka was terrified, hiding behind Flock as everybody gave me a look of discomfort.

I scoffed and brushed off the dirt and walked away.

"Shun..." Flock's voice trailed away as I descended deeper into the Dungeon.

"Drop it." I replied, quietly.

The Legion followed me from behind as we continued our way down the Dungeons, hunting down stronger monsters.

"Shun, you don't have to do this alone. You have us-"

I cut Flock off with a glare.

The two of us waited for the rest of the Legion to meet us. Flock nodded at Finn, Nessa, and Haruka, who nodded back.

"We'll go on ahead." Finn told Flock.

The Legion left us as they continued to hunt down monsters. Gaining shards and experience.

"Shun..."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Don't go bringing your righteous act on me. You have no idea what I'm going through."

Flock pursed his lips.

"You're still a part of this Legion. Everyone here is family."

Family?

What the hell did this guy know about family?

Of course he would say that.

I clenched my fist so hard that the blood in my bandages squeezed out, dribbling the floor.

It was so fuckin easy for Flock to say that.

Everybody in the Legion loved him. They would risk their lives for him. They would bleed for him and go to war for him.

But the Vala Legion didn't love me.

I was just some troublemaker.

And I was okay with that. I was okay with the fact that I will never have friends. That I was just some expendable piece of shit that people would see as one of the million. I was never going to be anyone's best friend. I was never going to be someone that somebody would turn to when times were rough.

I wasn't Jack Flock.

I was no pillar of support.

No one would ever give someone like me a chance.

But I was fine.

I don't care.

I just want to be strong. So I can get Wen back.

Those two monsters. Fu and Yi. Had taken the lives of our parents. Wen was all I had.

As long as I had Wen I was happy.

But with Flock. I didn't want to hear him say that bullshit. I didn't want to hear that from him. I wasn't family to these people. I wasn't even from the same place they were from.

"Shun?"

"I'm fine." I lied, as I turned around.

"We keep going." I said.

"But-"

"We keep going." I growled, as we marched onward.

Flock and I were silent as we continued walking.

"Hey." Flock muttered.

"What is it now."

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

Flock sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm a failure of a friend. I don't know if you hate me. But I see you as a friend. Please don't walk this path alone."

"I..." My heart wrenched. Damn you Flock.

It's because you're like this.

That I hate you.

But I can't find a reason why.

"Wait." I said.

"What is it?"

"It's quiet."

Flock stopped. "Yeah. Weird."

"Finn and the others went up ahead to fight monsters, right? Shouldn't the sounds of fighting fill the air or something?"

Flock's eyes widened.

"Hurry! We need to find them!"

The two of us sprinted deeper into the dungeon as we found ourselves surrounded by an ethereal purple and blue glow. Crystals were all around us.

"This is bad." I grumbled.

Shun-dono. I sense... someone troubling. Hiiro's voice appeared in my head.

We continued running until we found a man surrounded by three unconscious bodies.

"Guys!" Flock cried out, but the man, he looked like a demihuman with fox ears, turned to us, disinterested.

"YOU!" I growled.

The man scowled.

"So there's the rest of your joke Legion."

"What the hell are you doing here, Laurel." I roared, as I clenched my fists.

Laurel Braw. Level 10 Claw Fighter of the Venus Legion. He was the Vice Captain and was nicknamed the Folian Streak because of his ridiculous speed.

"I was in the Dungeon. For my goddess. Until your drunk's Legion came here and stained my floor."

"YOUR floor?!" I growled.

"Shun." Flock stopped me before I could turn him into a paste.

"We can't beat him. He's Level 10. We don't stand a chance even with the entire Vala Legion. We need to prioritize our friends."

"That's cute." Laurel tilted his head.

"The Rising Star here to save his friends. I don't care about what you fodder do. But what I don't like is lowly fools like you staining the floor that belongs to Lady Venus. My Lady specifically tasked me to clear out this floor of the Dungeon alone. But you guys came here to ruin it."

"It's the Dungeon! It's fair game!" I protested.

But Laurel simply shook his head.

"No. This is the will of our goddess. I will always honour that will. Want my advice? You guys should just quit being adventurers. You have no place here. Finn can go back to being a lowly blacksmith. Nessa can go back to being one of those maids. Haruka can go back to being a sex slave to Astarte. And you."

Laurel pointed at Flock.

"You're the biggest mistake ever. I will never go against my goddess' will. But Lady Venus has taken a liking to you because of your heart. But so far, you've done nothing to deserve it. You are weak. You are a disappointment and a disgrace. I can't have you embarrassing our goddess."

"What about me?!" I squeaked.

Laurel gave me a disapproving look.

"You're nothing. A delusional pest. You don't even deserve my attention."

I wanted to bum rush this guy so bad, but I knew for a fact that we stood no chance.

Level 10.

Even with Hiiro's power I was capped at Level 9. There was no beating him.

The only way to Level up is to do something drastic. An incredible feat that is recognized by the gods. If you can do that, you will level up.

I needed to level up.

I glared at Laurel.

A Level 10. He already had the stats to go to Level 11. He was just missing the feat to reach that point.

If I wanted to become Level 10, I had to beat Laurel.

"You-"

"Stand back, Shun." Flock stepped forward and drew his sword.

"Get out of here! Protect our friends!"

"What?!" I exclaimed.

Flock readied his sword as Laurel smirked.

"You're kidding right. A Level 4 Adventurer of a no name Legion wants to fight a Level 10 Vice Captain to the Venus Legion? Are you stupid?"

Flock gritted his teeth.

"Take Finn and the others and run!"

"No!" I retaliated.

"Let me fight with you!"

"You can't!" Flock yelled. "You're just Level 2. I can't. I can't see you get hurt. No more people can get hurt. I'll hold off Laurel and you get everyone to safety!"

"I-"

Shun-dono. We must keep our power a secret. Lady Venus ordered us to do so.

"God... dammit!" I growled, as I sprinted the other way to get the others and escape. Leaving Jack Flock behind to fight Laurel Braw all on his own.

Everybody was piled up on me. If it wasn't for my super strength, we would not have gotten out of the Dungeon.

Laurel.

He was my chance to level up.

But instead, Flock was fighting him instead of me.

"Flock... just hang in there. I'll come back for you. I'll come-"

Woosh

I paused, as a streak of silver ran past me. She had beautiful white hair and her slim figure zipped past. Decorated by silver chainmail and armouring as she rushed to where Flock was.

That grace.

That agility.

I dropped the three buffoons on the ground (carefully, of course), and turned to see Calypso Rosewald rushing to the confrontation. She was being trailed by the rest of the Poseidon Legion.

"You." One of the adventurers said. I recognized her immediately.

"Rios."

Rios narrowed her eyes at me.

"Did Val Venus do this?"

Val Venus was Laurel's second name by the way. He was just that popular in Folia.

"Yeah. He's fighting Flock-"

"We know. Calypso ran off on her own again. We came to reel her back before she causes a conflict with the Venus Legion. That would be the last thing we need."

I looked at Finn, Nessa, and Haruka, who were still unconscious.

One of the members raised an eyebrow.

"I can teleport these three back to your Legion HQ."

"Thanks." I said.

Rios regarded me.

"I'm supposing you want to come with us."

I nodded in confirmation as we followed Calypso into the darkness.

By the time we arrived, Flock was beaten senseless. He had cuts and swipes all over his armour and body while Laurel was still unharmed.

"You know, for a mere adventurer, you're pretty tough." Laurel remarked.

Flock shakily raised his sword.

"You will not hurt my Legion. You won't hurt my friends."

Laurel clenched his teeth.

"And you will not embarrass my Lady any further. This is goodbye-"

CLANG.

Laurel stumbled back as a streak of white intercepted his fighting claw, which clattered onto the ground. Laurel's face was full of surprise as a girl landed in front of Flock, her silver hair dancing in the wind as two knives appeared in her hands. She lifted her head and stared at Laurel with an expressionless, airhead face.

"War Princess." Laurel remarked, as gripped his other claw.

Calypso stood in front of Flock as Flock's entire face turned red.

"Yo..." I muttered, as one of the Poseidon Legion member's faces was also bright red. But definitely not from being flustered.

"That stupid brat! What the hell does he think he's doing sticking his face in Rosewald's-"

"Kor. Not now." Rios commanded, as Kor backed down.

Calypso turned to Flock, and stroked his face with her hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked in a calm voice.

Flock stammered like an idiot.

"Y- Yes. Yes. I- Cal. You-"

Calypso raised one of her knives.

"You fought well. I will save you."

Laurel smirked, as he brought his foot back, blasting forward with undetectable speed, but Calypso shifted her stance, and blocked the strike with her knives, sliding in and slicing. Laurel's eyes widened as he instinctively leapt back, and threw his claw, which Calypso dodged. Instantly, Laurel disappeared, appearing at the claw's location, picking it up and slashing, but Calypso spun around with the same incredible reflexes she was known for and blocked the strike.

Flock was still flat on his ass, his eyes wide in disbelief at what he was seeing.

I was too.

Calypso Rosewald was a monster.

She was quite possibly one of the most gifted adventurers to ever exist. And there was a reason.

Not only was she a high ranking adventurer, being Level 9. But even as a Level 9, she was able to do things that no normal Level 9 adventurer could do.

Single handedly besting a Floor Boss all on her own, something that would require large squads of elite adventurers to take down.

Defeating the God of War Ares in a duel.

And now.

Fighting and possibly outpacing Laurel Braw. A Level 10 Vice Captain of Folia's Strongest Legion, as a Level 9.

There was no end to this monster.

Calypso Rosewald was special.

Laurel leapt back and retreated.

"The tables are turned on me. I'm fighting with one weapon." Laurel straightened his back, glaring at all of us.

"I will return. When I have both of my weapons and I am not drained from my fight against this lowbie. I will show you my true power." Laurel turned around and retreated, while Calypso knelt in front of Flock, trying to tend to him. But Flock, being the virgin that he was, began freaking out.

Calypso frowned as Rios went up to her and grabbed her ear.

"It's time to go back."

Calypso frowned as she turned to Rios as they left Flock, walking back to my direction.

"Does Flock hate me?" Calypso muttered.

"No no. I think he is quite fond of you, Miss Rosewald." Rios explained. Calypso smiled.

"Thank goodness."

It felt like I was a man dying from thirst watching another man drown.

Calypso then paused, momentarily glancing at me.

"Huh?" I asked.

Calypso's airhead expression suddenly changed.

Maybe I was just seeing things.

But it was different. Much different from her usual expression. Her usual airhead. Expressionless nature.

It was full of anger.

But suddenly, the expression was gone, as she turned around and joined the rest of the Poseidon Legion. I was speechless, unable to make out the situation.

But one thing was clear. Flock needed attention. I ran up to the Vala Adventurer and gave him a shoulder.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

Flock coughed.

"Because you would have done the same for us." He muttered, as we made our way back to the Dungeon.

I felt like a hypocrite.

That was not the reason why.

I couldn't care less about the Vala Legion.

I was doing it for myself.

Lady Vala gave Flock a scolding. But as usual, it was more like she was scolding herself for letting her precious little Jack get himself injured. And it was more like her grabbing him into an embrace and not letting go for the entire duration of the scold.

I would go into detail for all you wholesome seeking weirdos, but I quite frankly couldn't care less.

I was just mad that I lost my opportunity to Level up.

Vala sighed.

"I hope Lady Venus doesn't take this the wrong way. As you all know, starting a conflict with another Legion will mean a Legion Clash. And there would be no way we could win against Lady Venus' Legion."

"But... goddess, Calypso..."

Vala gave Flock a concerned expression. "I know how important Rosewald is to you. But there is nothing we can do if the Venus Legion battles the Poseidon Legion because of Calypso's actions."

"She did this all because of me. If she's doing a Legion Clash, I'm going to help her."

Thee rest of us stood there uncomfortably. As noble it was for Flock to stand up for the girl he admired, there was realistically no way we could help her. The Poseidon Legion and Venus Legion were full of elite adventurers. And we were... well...

In Folia, adventurers are ranked by Level. A Level represents an adventurer's power, skill, and experience.

An Elite Adventurer is one that is at least Level 8.

A High Ranking Adventurer would be around Level 5-7.

What does that mean for us?

Well, officially, I'm a Level 2. As with Finn and Nessa. Haruka is Level 1.

Flock, since he was able to use Limit Break so often, he was constantly able to complete feats. He stood as our Legion Captain (against his will) as a Level 4.

"On the bright side." Lady Vala stood up.

"We got enough shards for my new dress!"

Flock's face lit up with delight. "I will accompany you, goddess!"

"It's a date!"

I watched as everybody began to trickle out to do their own tasks. Finn went to the forge. Nessa went to work out. Soon it was just Haruka and I.

The two of us stood there awkwardly.

Haruka was like the princess of our Legion. What do I mean by that? I mean she was the most innocent, kindest person here. We all wanted to keep her out of danger. She had a horrible past from being imprisoned by Lady Astarte's Legion, and being tortured by their most vicious adventurer, Selene Gronkul. A Level 8.

For me, I knew I had no chance with her. I wasn't particular fond with relationships. Even if I was, I knew I had no chance with this cat girl. Mostly because she was already in love with someone else.

And you'd never guess who that is.

"They look so adorable together... as long as Flock-sama is happy I'm happy." She muttered.

My eye twitched in annoyance.

"Haruka." I said.

"Eep!" She yelped.

"You're familiar with the library here right?"

"Yes, Shun-sama."

"Stop giving me that honorific. It's creepy."

"Sorry, Shun-sama."

"I need your help to research something." I grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the library where we were surrounded by hundreds of old books that Lady Vala had stored for... probably a long ass time.

"What is it?" Haruka asked.

"Research the Black Dragon." I said, as Haruka raised her eyebrows.

"Why do you want to know about that? Lady Vala will not be happy."

"I don't care. I want to know everything about the Demon Lord who destroyed the land that was here before us."

"I don't think it's good to study ancient evils like the Black Dragon..." Haruka said, but I glared at her.

"I need this. Please, Haruka. If you do it, I'll wingman you to go on a date with Flock."

Haruka 180'd real quick, as we began digging through the old scribes.