While we are going up, I slowly realize I made a mistake going first.
"I was angry at first, but if I get nice views like these, I don't mind."
I hear Aurelia's voice behind me. I turn around and notice she is observing me... I forgot I am not wearing pants.
My ears flatten and I can feel the hotness going up my neck to my face.
"Shit! Go in front!"
I try to cover myself with the shirt, although it is not helping much.
"Okay, okay, so angry."
Aurelia advances and starts to lead. We are near the upper level.
"To think someone meets your level of perversion and gets you all flustered!" Karina says with a hand in her mouth, chuckling. "Cannot take the heat?"
"Is not that... It's just... Forget it."
I do not want to tell her it is because I am not used to having this body. Yes, I like how I look, Amber has always been a cute fox-girl. But being completely comfortable with how I look is not something I am going to get used to that fast.
"You are weird..." Karina adds.
The next floor is similar, but we should find less punishing monster. How deep a floor is affects how close the monsters get to the Danger Level, which is 30 here. The rest of the floors usually added monsters to make sure it is balanced to the challenge level.
Yet as we continue exploring, we find little monsters around the place.
Now, being at my point, I am meant to be doing danger level 2 to 4, 10 at most, not 30.
On our way up, I fight whatever I can take on. More Dark Crawlers, some Giant Bats, and Mechanical Guardians. Aurelia's buff was enough to keep me fighting. She did little heavy lifting to make sure I was kept in good shape... But that started to cause problems.
[Ego weapon is now Level 8!]
After I kill another Mechanical Guardian.
[+302 XP from Spell Weaving
+210 XP Magic Control!]
The amount of XP rewarded started to slow down. In part I expected this to happen, but I did not know how it worked in this situation.
Skills, the same as stats, have a Potential level. It can be increased through special training and it reduces as the skill is leveled up. Seems this method of training is consuming said potential too fast.
Magic increased to 10, Spell Weaving to 8, MP increased to 3400. The sword was getting stronger and the enchantments were getting more potent.
Loot was a bit different.
Guardian Core x6
Scrap Metal x10
Tattered Scroll
Combat Boots (??)
Misty Potion
Blue Potion
Not much, really. You end up with hoards of items in a normal dungeon.
What is going on?
We reach the next floor. Slowly making progress, but we have gone through the deepest 2 levels. Thanks to Aurelia, we barely find any resistance from the monsters.
Her buff spells and skills must be high level if they are having that much of an effect on my stats.
"That is the power of the Dragon Tyrant of the Depths and the North Lamp Clan!" She says while hitting her chest in pride.
"That is a long title..."
"Those are my two titles!" Then her confidence falters. "It is quite a mouthful, though."
"It is kind of long..." Karina says. But Aurelia cannot hear her.
"Karina, you leveled up. Anything new you can do?"
"I don't know..." She starts to think.
She can take stuff and throw it, but her interactions with the physical world are limited.
I don't know much about the spirits that live in Ego swords. I didn't even know I could interact with them if they level up.
"You talking with that spirit, Karina?" Aurelia asks. "I don't like spirits; they don't show up and like to attack by surprise, the cowards."
"Hey, say that to my face!"
"She cannot hear you," I answer.
"Then tell her what I did."
"I am not doing that!"
Aurelia approaches me and takes the sword without consulting, taking it out of the scabbard in one swift motion.
"H-hey, don't touch me!"
"Let's see." She starts to inspect it. "It has a very dull sword... The Attack is low, it mostly has modifiers for a mage... As a sword is useless."
"Who are you calling useless?!"
"Again, she cannot hear you."
Then Aurelia starts to touch the blade, feeling the Black steel it is forged with.
"The metal and work are good, though... A shame they made it dull."
"Ah!"
I see Karina's face go red. I notice how Aurelia's hand was brushing the back of the blade.
"Ah, don't touch there," I say. "That is kind of a sensitive spot for her."
"D-don't go and tell her that sort of information!" Karina complains.
Aurelia looks at me. She says nothing. Then, deliberately, she presses an index finger in the back of the sword.
Karina's face goes white.
"Eeeeehhh!" She screams. Then grabs a stone and throws it at Aurelia.
The dragonkin stops the rock, even when it caught her by surprise.
"Seems your spirit is quite sensitive there! She must be-"
She pauses suddenly and then shoves the sword back into my arms.
She walks forward towards a door in the other end.
"Hey, don't ignore me, you brute!" Karina demands while Aurelia walks through her, like she is not there. "Hey!"
Aurelia is staring at the door. It is wide open, giving into a dark hallway. I swear I hear her growling.
My eyes go to the door... And I see something dragging through the floor in the darkness and going out of view.
Aurelia makes a fast movement with her right hand, and a scythe appears.
If she is willing to fight, that is not good.
"We have a problem..." She says.
"W-what?" I ask.
"There is a creature that shouldn't be here... Shit, let's move, we cannot afford messing around."
"Is it me, or has the mood suddenly shifted?" Karina asks.
The only problem is... The only way forward is where that thing is.