Chapter 31
"You really should be coming with us on every hunt, Aria. Your sixth sense does come in handy." Zarin said as the group had just left the cavern where they encountered the wraiths. Now, they were back in the main hallway that branched into four paths.
"Seriously though, that was helpful. I mean, just imagine if we hadn't followed your sixth sense. We would have ended up in the boss' room without any form of preparation." Rina added as they all stood still, staring at the four paths that stretched out like gaping maws.
"Alright. I think this is where we split up." Ryker announced casually as his half-lidded eyes studied the four paths ahead.
"Split up? What do you mean?" Rina asked with a raised eyebrow, suspicion clear in her voice.
"We need to gather the precious gems and also kill the boss, right?" Ryker asked, still not turning around.
"Yeah?" Aria replied, though her voice carried some hesitation.
"I don't know, I just want to end this quest as soon as possible so I can sleep. Hence, the four of us will head over to the boss room while Zen heads over to where the precious gems are and mines them." Ryker explained before yawning.
He rubbed his neck, looking more irritated than concerned, then continued. "We will give him five minutes to mine at least fifty gems. When the five minutes are over, we finish off the boss."
"Why not just let all of us go and mine the gems, then later on, you all fight the boss? Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?" Zen asked with a slight frown, his fists tightening around the straps of his backpack.
"Remind me what you have done since we started this quest." Ryker said as he finally turned to glare at Zen.
"I helped carry all your equipment." Zen clapped back, his tone sharp.
"That's your job, porter." Zarin snarked without missing a beat.
"In order to receive your Merit Points, you need to contribute to a quest. And your contribution is to mine those damn crystals while we fight. Got that?" Ryker asked with a deep frown before another yawn slipped from his lips, almost mocking.
"Tch!" Zen scoffed as he began walking toward the path on the far left. "One day, I promise to be stronger than you all. So instead of me mining, you all mine." He mumbled beneath his breath as he walked away, his words dripping with resentment.
"Now remember, we are giving you just five minutes to mine and then come meet us in the boss room. Otherwise, if the time elapses, we will kill the boss and leave." Ryker shouted after Zen, his voice echoing down the cavern.
Zen didn't reply. Instead, he lifted his hand high and gave the middle finger before fully disappearing into the wide-open path, leaving Ryker fuming.
"That arrogant kid." Ryker muttered under his breath, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter.
"Let it be. Let's go." Aria said firmly as she tapped his shoulder and walked toward the path directly in front of them. Her calmness contrasted with his irritation, and it was enough to push the group forward.
"That should have been me." Zarin mumbled as his eyes followed Aria's hand slipping off Ryker's shoulder. His voice was low, but the envy was hard to miss.
"Come on, pervert." Rina chuckled, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him along. The small group followed Aria into the path, their minds set on their next destination—the boss room.
Meanwhile, Zen trudged through the narrow hallway alone. The glowing green crystals embedded into the jagged walls illuminated his path, their faint light reflecting off the damp stone.
Droplets of water dripped steadily from the rocky ceiling, echoing faintly as if mocking his steps.
"Go mine those gems, Zen. Go get me a refill, Zen. Go deliver these potions, Zen. Go get me some herbs, Zen. Zen, Zen, Zen, Zen!" he mimicked their voices bitterly.
His own voice cracked with frustration as he stomped forward. "Damn it, I'm not some errand boy! I'm a freaking Reaver too!" Zen roared into the air, his words bouncing back at him through the hollow passage.
He huffed and puffed, his shoulders rising and falling as anger and determination wrestled in his chest. His hands tightened on the straps of his backpack until his knuckles turned white.
'One day… one day I'll prove them all wrong.' He thought, his eyes glinting as the green glow reflected in them like fire.
{Are you a Reaver though? More like a useless errand boy with a trashy, good-for-nothing rank.}
"Watch how this so-called trash rises to a high rank." Zen clapped back, his voice carrying sharp irritation as his anger built up. "I wonder why I didn't get transmigrated into a novel or an anime. That even reminds me of a novel I once read."
{Is this really the time to start thinking about novels?}
"Will you shut up and let me breathe?" Zen snapped, glaring at the system interface floating in front of him.
"Now, where was I? Right—thinking about anime and novels. I really wonder why I didn't end up in some story where the MC is born with extraordinary powers and, of course, a harem.
Something like High School DxD, or even that novel, The First Mythical Dragon: Harem System. Something along those lines. Instead, I got dumped into this nightmare of a world where every day is a gamble with my life on the line."
He let out a bitter laugh, though there was no humor in it. "There are times I genuinely feel like I'm going to die, like my life is dangling by a single thread. Sure, there are anime protagonists like Asta, Tanjiro, and others who constantly risk their lives too.
But the difference is—they're insanely OP. Unlike trash like me. Even Grey from Magus Supremacy, another novel I read, might struggle and risk everything, but at least he's powerful enough to back it up."
Zen's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles whitening as anger simmered. His teeth ground together audibly, each word heavy with frustration. "But me? I got the short end of the stick.
A stupid, barely helpful system in a deadly world filled with monsters and dungeons waiting to tear me apart. I swear," his eyes darkened as his voice dropped lower, "if I ever catch the so-called game lord, I'd skin him alive."
{Are you always this talkative? Never noticed earlier. Seriously, dude, shut up and give my ears some peace.}
"Do you even have ears, you ann—ahhh!" Zen's retort cut off in a pained shout as his leg smashed into a huge protruding stone. His body pitched forward, crashing face-first into the hard ground before he skidded across it.
{-1 HP}
"Huh? That cost me an HP?" Zen groaned, pushing himself up slowly as he rubbed his sore face. "Sheesh, how weak is this damn body of mine?"
He staggered upright, dusting himself off before realizing something unusual. The air around him shimmered with brilliance. He was inside a small chamber, and everywhere he looked glowed with light.
Shiny blue crystals jutted out from every surface—the ground, ceiling, walls, even scattered stones. Each crystal pulsed faintly, filling the room with an almost otherworldly glow that washed over Zen's face and widened his eyes.
He froze for a moment, captivated. It felt like stepping into a place pulled straight from a fantasy painting which was gorgeous but undeniably dangerous.
With a long sigh, Zen shrugged off his backpack, letting it fall to the ground with a dull thud. His gaze lingered on the sparkling walls for a moment before he muttered under his breath.
"Time to get mining, I guess."