(I won't be home these days, so I'm writing and editing on my phone. There will likely be some errors; I hope you can report them.)
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"Did you really have the nerve to bring us where a Bafael was?!"
"Can someone tell me what a Bafael is?"
Unlike Alfred, who looked on the verge of a breakdown, Erik seemed more interested in understanding what kind of creature had passed by. A much more appreciated attitude than Alfred's angry outburst in my opinion.
"A monster at the peak of Grade 4 and extremely territorial."
I answered his question, though for some reason he looked at me with resentment.
"So, if I understand correctly, you brought us here knowing that creature was around and that it could kill us in a second?"
"It's kind of an embarrassing story," I said, scratching my head.
"I was exploring the cave calmly, when that beast, for some reason, decided I was a threat. The bastard chased me for a while, and I almost died. Luckily, I managed to enter the dungeon, but knowing how lazy that type of monster is, it probably settled at the entrance. So I had to lure it away. End of story."
I cleared my throat after the long speech, and noticed how everyone was staring at me with anger.
"It didn't occur to you, I don't know, to warn us?" Erik enunciated every word.
"Where's the fun in that?"
At that point, Alfred didn't even bother to answer, he was already drawing his sword.
I may be repeating myself, but that old man always overreacted.
"So the honey and the bait were for that creature?" asked Erik, signaling Alfred to calm down.
"Exactly. Think about it, if I wanted all of you dead, I wouldn't have said a word. Cowards like you, would have backed out the moment I mentioned that monster."
After hearing my reasoning, their expressions twisted, but... was I wrong?
Even Alfred had to remain silent.
"But the method..."
Hearing the hesitation in Erik's tone was so absurd, it was almost funny.
"Don't try to play the hypocrite now. You already knew what his role would be anyway. Don't tell me you actually feel bad for that guy? Like seriously, he was trash."
Erik wrinkled his nose and said nothing.
Just as I thought.
"Should we expect anything else unexpected?"
Since he changed the subject, I didn't press further and replied sensibly.
"It's a dungeon, of course you should expect anything."
"That's not what I— never mind. Talking to you is hopeless."
Seemed like someone was maturing. At least he wasn't a complete disappointment.
"Alright then, are you coming?"
Without looking back, I dove into the water, and soon after, I heard the splashes of the others.
The water was colder than during the day, with a light current pulling us deeper into the submerged cave.
Night made visibility worse, but thanks to the glowing stones we brought, it wasn't a problem to move.
The underwater tunnel was long, but I had already traveled this path. I gestured for the others to follow.
About twenty meters deep, a crack in the wall led to a narrow passage. One by one, we squeezed in, swimming strongly and holding our breath.
Luckily, or not, thanks to the Bafael, there didn't seem to be any monsters around.
Relying on my hazy memory, I swam rhythmically, occasionally glancing back to see if the others were following.
Finally, I reached the spot where I had nearly died from that monster... nostalgic, in a way. I found the long-sought portal and, without hesitation, entered.
I was the first to emerge from the water, coughing slightly. The others followed, panting.
"Gentlemen and... well, just gentlemen. Welcome to the dungeon," I said, picking up my halberd.
"This place stinks of death," commented Alfred, hand on his sword hilt.
"You're not far from the truth," I replied, pointing to the passage just ahead.
"So, who wants to lead the way?"
At my question, all eyes turned to me.
I figured as much.
Chuckling bitterly, I began walking.
We left some supplies at the entrance, as a resting point, while only carrying the essentials with us.
After about fifty meters, we reached the first room. It was wide, with a high ceiling and gothic arches, littered with bones.
Clack... clack... clack...
"Movement on the right!"
Three skeletons emerged from the shadows, armed with rusty swords and cracked shields. A fourth jumped down from the upper arch with a metallic clang.
I dodged the strike with a sidestep and the next moment, the monster had the tip of my halberd buried in its skull, shattering it.
The others dealt with the rest, while Erik and Alfred had remained in the back.
"You were fast," Erik said.
"Nah, they were just too slow."
Again, my comment didn't seem well received.
These people really needed to take a self-awareness test before criticizing everything I said.
Jokes aside, we kept moving, encountering small groups of undead, easily dealt with.
We went deeper and finally found the monsters I was looking for—skarridi.
This time, they weren't pups or adults, but adolescents, putting them at high Grade 1. There were at least a dozen.
"Better not stay behind this time, unless you want to lose one of yours," I said, bending my knees.
"We know."
The two replied, stepping forward.
As soon as one of the skarridi moved, the three of us attacked.
I used Quick Step to approach one and tried a thrust. The monster dodged, but I skillfully redirected the blade, slashing its side. It recoiled quickly.
Meanwhile, another skarridi jumped on me and I blocked it with the staff.
In that stalemate, I saw the others busy, so I tilted the weapon to unbalance the monster and activated Razor Claws, slashing its throat.
The skarridi I had wounded before tried a side attack as I let my guard down.
Too bad for that monster, I already saw it coming.
Before it could hit me, I ducked and twisted, swinging my halberd and decapitating it.
I looked up and saw most of them had been dealt with, but one was dangerously close to Erik, who was busy with two in front.
I bent my arm and threw the halberd with full force. It pierced the monster's leg, making it scream in pain and alert Erik, who swiftly slashed its throat.
With that, the monsters were dead, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
I walked over to the monster I had thrown the halberd at and retrieved it, just as Erik approached.
"I knew it was there."
I stared at him for a moment, unsure if I should laugh at his boldness.
"Then I'm a good person."
"Say something more believable," Alfred chimed in from the side, making the others laugh.
I pretended to be offended, though inside I was laughing too.
[Predation activated.]
If I wasn't sure before, now I was: I could use Predation even on monsters I didn't kill.
I moved casually among the corpses, pretending to check them while activating the skill multiple times, draining it for the day, but it was worth it.
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Name: Adel
Age: 16
Race: Human...??
Grade: 1
Core: Dracoline Heart(2.3 → 10%)
Body: 1.40 → 1.55
Mind: ???
Mana: 0.80 → 0.90
Vitality: 1.1
Skills: Shadow Veil(Lv. 3), Predation, Scale Armor (Lv. 1), Poison Resistance (Lv. 1), Quick Step (Lv. 1 → 2), Razor Claws
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Maybe because they were stronger than average, but I gained several stat boosts, plus, Quick Step had leveled up to 2.
"What are you doing?"
Erik appeared beside me. I must've looked odd, standing in front of the corpse longer than expected.
"Just thinking about my gains."
I smiled, but he didn't buy it.
"Sure you were."
Then he turned to the others, who were taking the most expensive parts.
"Try not to load up too much. We'll likely find better stuff ahead."
Erik's words brought a bit of common sense to the group.
As he said, it made no sense to carry unnecessary weight now. Better to do it on the way back.
"I found a chest!"
One of the men shouted excitedly.
We turned toward him, he was already heading for the chest and about to open it.
"You idiot! Stop!"
My warning came too late. The man opened the chest, but instead of treasure, there were rows of sharp teeth and a long tongue that wrapped around him.
"Blazing Sword!"
With a burst of heat, Alfred's sword ignited, slicing the mimic's tongue before it could swallow the man.
Black blood splattered as the mimic stood up, over two meters tall, with a thin, pale body.
Huhuhu.
With a sound between a laugh and a sob, the mimic kicked Alfred.
You'd think with such a slender body there'd be no strength behind the blow, wrong.
Alfred was pushed back and barely managed to stay on his feet.
"Are all your men this stupid? Opening a chest in a dungeon without checking it?"
I couldn't help but ask, watching the mimic lick its rows of teeth.
"We'll talk later. We were unlucky enough to find a Grade 2 mimic."