Knox let out a low, appreciative whistle, the sound echoing off the walls.
"Wild," he murmured, "this is one hell of a dungeon vibe. All of the people here have been sentenced to death?"
Vanella walked ahead, giving a nod to one of the guards standing in place. The red ant-like guard walked off without a word into another room. She finally came to a stop near the edge of a massive, gaping hole at the center of the dungeon.
"Not all," She replied. "The Pits of Penance all have multiple levels extending downwards, each housing progressively more dangerous criminals. The lowest level is reserved for the worst of the worst. The irredeemable that are currently being slow cooked in the planet's mantle."
'So, my [Thermal Resistance] might go up as well if I spend time down there...'
"I see," he muttered, walking up to the guard rails and leaning on it to see downward.
It was one thing to hear how deep the pit went, and it was another to actually gaze into the abyss. It plunged down into darkness, so deep it seemed endless.
"Wait, you said 'pits', like in a plural way. Does that mean there are more than one of these things?"
"Of course," Vanella responded primly, seeming proud to talk about her people's advancements. "It would be impossible to hold all of our world's prisoners in one place. Our engineers created a system of tunnels that span the entire planet, with the cities on the surface being for civilian dwelling. The tunnels, however, are where-"
"Sorry, I don't even know why I asked," Knox cut in. "Genuinely couldn't care less."
Before she could admonish him, he gave a mock salute, his grin widening. "Anyway, be right back!"
With that said, he grabbed hold of the guardrail and flung himself off the edge without a moment of hesitation, his body vanishing into the shadows below.
"WOOHOOO!" He screamed upward, laughing over the rush of air.
The rushing wind roared in his ears as he shot past level after level, his Ki flaring to slow him just enough to avoid smashing into the walls. The faint flickers of energy shields and the occasional shout of multiple prisoners blurred together in a chaotic symphony.
Honestly, it was a bit more fun than flying. While flying was definitely awe inspiring and a once in a life-time opportunity, it was far too mentally taxing to get the most enjoyment out of it.
Free falling took barely any thought, and in that regard, it was far more fun to just let gravity do its thing.
But eventually the bottom of the pit came into view, a massive dimly lit chamber shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere. The barriers on the cells were thicker, crackling with power, and the air felt suffocatingly thin and heated.
Although he used his flight to stop his fall at the last second, the amount of Ki he produced in that instant was still enough to crack the floor beneath him.
It repaired itself quickly after, but at least his landing looked cool.
Knox straightened and brushed the dust from his shoulders. "Now... how do I let these guys out?"
His confidence faltered for a beat as he scanned the cells. There was no visible console or easy way to access the mechanisms keeping the prisoners contained.
He scratched his head, muttering a curse under his breath.
As if on cue, Marzette slowly descended beside him, her landing far more controlled than his reckless free fall.
"Are you an annoyance on purpose?" she asked dryly.
"Yes," he answered bluntly. "Now help me out here, I wanna release all of these people at once."
Marzette simply stared back at him. "That does not sound like a wise decision."
"Nah, it'll be fine. Trust." Knox waved it off.
She sighed, long-suffering, but didn't seem inclined to argue. Instead, she pulled a sleek communication device out of... somewhere, the same device that the only Chitinari he killed was using.
Tapping a button on its surface, she brought it up to her mandibles.
"Open every cell on floor 100."
There was a startled response from the other side, though the words were too faint for Knox to make out. Marzette gave the device a flat look, as though the person on the other end could somehow feel her impatience.
Instead of answering whatever they said, she simply slipped the device away and turned her gaze back to Knox. "They'll open."
Sure enough, there was a faint hum and then the energy barriers on every cell crackled out of existence one after another. Knox watched as the prisoners emerged, stepping cautiously into the open.
Unsurprisingly, they were all simply various different shapes and sizes of Chitinari. Nothing too exotic, with the biggest one of them being the same color as Marzette.
Knox clapped his hands together, his grin broad and eager. "Alright, party people! Let's all gather together and form a nice, orderly line so I can-"
"The fuck is that thing?" One of them asked the other, pointing directly at Knox.
One by one, the prisoners gathered loosely into a loose, uneven semicircle. Conversation broke out as they talked loudly amongst themselves, not giving Knox even a shred of attention.
"You askin' me? Fuck if I know, I was in the same cell as the rest of you shit-stains."
"You're supposed to be the smart one," the towering black Chitinari rumbled from the back in a booming voice.
The smaller one flinched. "I ain't smart, y'all are just dumb as rocks!"
"And if we're dumb as rocks," the towering one drawled, crossing his massive arms, "that makes you the smart one, dumbass."
"If I'm a dumbass then I ain't the smart one, genius." he retorted, antennae twitching in frustration.
The dumb back-and-forth descended into a shouting match with all of the prisoners joining in, and it quickly started to grate on Knox's nerves. He sighed, his grin fading as he watched the exchange.
'Only I get to be a dumbass from now on. This is just annoying.'
Before the argument could descend further into outright stupidity, Knox raised a finger, charged a small Ki blast, and let it fly. The bolt streaked through the air and pierced through one of their heads without a sound.
Chitinari blood splattered across the chamber floor as the lifeless body slumped over.
The circle of idiots fell silent, all eyes flicking between Knox and the smoldering corpse of their fallen comrade.
[—Enemy Slain—]
[Threshold not Met.]
Knox dropped his arm, his smile returning. "Now that I've got your attention, how about you all-"
"That ugly fucking thing killed Coco! Get him!" shouted one of the prisoners as the whole group surged toward him like an angry tide.
They still weren't listening to him.
With a sigh, he turned to Marzette to see if she would intervene or at least share some of his mild frustration.
She wasn't there.
Knox blinked, scanning the area, and then spotted her easily enough. Floating just above him with her arms crossed, she seemed uninterested in the entire spectacle.
When he turned back, Knox got a punch to the face for his troubles.
Only, it didn't really do much. In fact, their punches, kicks, and scratches all landed squarely on him and did absolutely zero damage. The only annoying part was that one of them had torn a piece of his bandages.
"Oi, stop that," he said casually, swatting the one who scratched the medical wrap off.
The guy's head exploded into a fine mist on impact.
[—Enemy Slain—]
[Threshold not Met.]
Knox sighed again, deeper this time. "Why did I even bother talking?" he muttered under his breath. The plan had been to kill them all anyway, he'd just wanted to do it at least respectfully since he didn't know their crimes.
Oh well.
He raised his arms, his fingers glowing faintly as traces of Ki energy began to spark and ripple along his skin.
"Alright," Knox said flatly. "Let's just get this over with."
With a flicker of his hand, he fired a Ki blast straight through one of the Chitinari's head. Effortlessly, he stepped forward, extending a hand to another blast at the next closest.
"Aaagh!" This one, at least, managed a choked yell before they crumpled, their upper body obliterated by his attack.
They kept coming, shouting curses and charging with what little courage they had left. All it did was give Knox ample opportunity to pick them off one by one.
[Threshold not Met.]
[Threshold not Met.]
[Threshold not Met.]
It was methodical to the point of being almost boring, as his Ki cut down anyone stupid enough to close the distance.
The last two prisoners made a desperate attempt at a coordinated attack. One leaped for his shoulders while the other aimed to sweep his legs. His free hand caught the first mid-leap by the throat, and with a squeeze and a flash of energy, the Chitinari fell lifeless to the ground.
The black giant one was left. He scrambled to his feet and froze, legs trembling, before Knox casually blasted him into oblivion without an ounce of mercy.
When the dust finally settled, the room fell silent once more. Smoldering craters dotted the ground, the smell of burnt carapace lingered in the heated air, and blood pooled across the stone in sticky puddles.
For a moment, the quiet was almost peaceful.
Then it hit him.
A sudden, electric hum surged through his body. A wave of overwhelming energy that made his skin tingle as if every nerve had been strummed.
His muscles burned, but not with strain. Each fiber felt denser and stronger, as though they were coiling up to unleash true power. His whole body thrummed with immense, bubbling raw power.
Knox doubled over slightly, a breathless laugh escaping him. "Oh... ho-ho...yeah, that's that good shit."
The system finally chimed in his head, cutting through his revelry.
[—Enemy Slain—]
[Level Up!]
Level 2 → Level 3.
All stats have been increased by +1.
[!] New Level Up Requirement: Slay a [1250] Power Level enemy.
Knox threw his head back, letting out a loud, triumphant laugh that echoed through the pit. "Yes! Finally! I was starting to think you were all too weak to give me anything!"
He forced his breathing to still enough to bring up his status, and as the glowing data materialized before him, his grin widened even further.
[Knox Creed]
Age: 18
[Earthling Lv.3/10]
Power Level: 7,776
BODY— 3 (x8) = 24
MIND— 3 (x9) = 27
SOUL — 3 (x4) = 12
Skills: [Meditation (D)] [Pain Suppression (D)] [Thermal Resistance (F)] [Thought Acceleration (E)] [Dodging (E)] [Ki Projection (E)] [Ki Flight (E)] [Striking (F)] [Blocking (F)] [Impact Resistance (F)] [Electricity Resistance (F)]
Traits: [Wishbane] [Evil Aura] [Ki Control]
Knox muttered under his breath, his eyes greedily scanning each stat. "Damn. That's a glow-up if I've ever seen one." His energy swelled uncontrollably for a moment, lashing out from his fingers in faint tendrils of black-red Ki that fizzled as quickly as they appeared.
"…My plan was perfect." He smirked, reveling in the sweet satisfaction of a plan gone right.
Admittedly, his plan was barely a plan. All he wanted to do was get healed up, which partially failed, and then kill someone with a power level of 250 so he could level up and gain even more power.
Sure, it had been simple to the point of insult, but hey, why overthink it if it worked?
Straightening up, Knox closed his status and clenched his fists, flexing against the rush still coursing through him. His body practically buzzed with energy; the leftover adrenaline and Ki made his limbs feel both heavy and hyper charged all at once.
From above, Marzette's voice rang out. "What exactly was the point of this?"
Knox glanced up, his glowing grin freezing mid-expression as his eyes locked onto her.
'My next level requirement was 1250, right? My scouter said her Power Level was slightly above that.'
He tilted his head slightly, a thought creeping unbidden into his mind like a sinister whisper. If she was that powerful…
Knox's grin changed subtly, his jaw tightening, teeth showing as his darker instincts teased the edges of his mind. His gaze sharpened on Marzette, his body thrumming as if to spur him onward.
Marzette twitched faintly, her stance shifting as her antennae flicked. "...Why are you staring at me like that?"
He didn't respond right away. His mind hummed, calculations forming and reforming as his fingers flexed idly at his sides. A thrill ran through him, a dark, feral drive roaring beneath his thoughts.
'Just one precise attack. That's all it would take. It would be so... easy.'
Marzette's tone turned colder, antennae angling downward as her Ki began to leak out. "Knox," she bit out, her claws twitching. "What. Are you. Thinking?"
Just as his hand twitched in reflex, the air was split by a deafening alarm. A wailing screech erupted across the chamber, cutting through the tension like a hot blade.
Knox blinked, his wicked thoughts scattering in an instant. His hand fell to his side as he whipped his head around, trying to gauge the source of the noise.
"What the hell is that alarm for?" he asked.
Marzette hissed low, her claws flexing fully out now. "Shit," she cursed, her gaze shifting toward the distant ceiling as her antennae twitched feverishly. "It means the invasion forces are beginning to move."
Knox raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's... oddly convenient timing," he muttered, crossing his arms. "So, does that mean they've found your stronghold, or what?"
Marzette shook her head as her Ki began to expand in waves of subtle pulses. "I don't know," she responded, clearly preparing herself to fight. "The alarm just indicates they're moving. Whether they're here, regrouping, retreating or whatever."
Knox's smirk wavered as her words sank in, replaced with furrowed brows.
'What're the chances of that? This sounds like the sort of plot convenience you'd see in a manga. The foreshadowed enemy arrives just as the main character get their power up and-'
A thought sparked like a charged blade cutting into his mind.
'It's me.'
The realization made his blood turn cold. His eyes widened, the pieces clicking together. "It's my fault," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Marzette paused. "What?"
Knox's words came tumbling out, his body already moving before the full thought was even clear. "I-I forgot they have the tech to scan entire planets of their power level. If they detected my sudden power increase, then-" He stopped, his energy flashing outward in jagged waves of Ki as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
His tone was frantic. "They abandoned the mission. They're leaving!"
Marzette didn't get to respond. There was no time to think, much less listen to whatever she had to say.
His boots left the ground, and in the next breath, black-red Ki flared up like a comet behind him as he shot toward the ceiling, his figure glowing like a living streak of chaos.
"They're not getting away," he growled to himself as the air peeled back from his sheer speed.
Above him, the alarm continued its wailing dirge, only fueling the fire in his chest as he surged upward.
"I refuse to be stranded on this weak ass rock of a planet."
__________
A/N: When I wrote this, I thought it would be about 1.5k words. It's nearly 3k. I could split it into two chapters, but that feels lame, so I won't.
Definitely the longest chapter so far, though.