This is getting tedious.
The freshly born goblin thrashed wildly beneath me as I wrapped my bloody hands around its scrawny neck.
Once my fingers were secured in place, I squeezed down. Hard.
My expression was blank as the choking monster tried to claw at me.
It did not even come close.
It's green limbs were firmly secured to ground by my unbending knees. The goblin's short legs twitched desperately behind me. That erratic movement ceased when a loud crack rang out from between my palms..
After one last gasp, the monster evaporated into black mist.
A deep breath escaped me as I shifted from my kneeling position into a low squat.
I reached out and grabbed the purple crystal that was all that remained of the goblin. I straightened and placed the magic stone into my enchanted bag with a well-practiced motion.
A sharp glint ignited in my eyes as I gave the heavy bag a slight shake. The clinking sound that answered was like music to my ears.
I stretched languidly and strode toward the other two stones littering the rocky floor. Of the four goblins I had killed, only three left behind the source of their power.
With a ready posture, my gaze trailed alongside the light blue walls of the Dungeon.
After a few seconds of waiting, I relaxed.
"Already spent again?"
The third floor of the Dungeon answered my taunt with silence. I huffed quietly and strode through the wide opening into the adjacent tunnel of the convoluted labyrinth.
Despite what must have been hours spent fighting one bloody battle after the other, not a single injury marred my body.
I came to a halt in front of a crossway and, on a whim, chose the right path.
While my body was as healthy as was physically possible, my mind could not boast of the same.
The mental fatigue was starting to mount.
I slowed my pace.
While keeping myself alert and prepared for a surprise attack by the Dungeons children, a memory formed in my mind.
A short, raven-haired woman smiling up at me with sparkling azure eyes.
My heartbeat quickened.
Yeah… I think it is time for me to go home.
—————-
My trek back to the start of the third floor proceeded without disturbances. Not a single monster had obstructed my path.
A foreboding weight settled in my chest.
My worries were validated right before I could take my first step on the staircase leading up to the second floor.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed down the spacious hallway.
I froze when I recognized the noise as the first human sound I had heard all day stuck down in this hell.
Any thoughts of leaving immediately left me.
My muscles tensed.
I pivoted and broke out into a dead sprint toward the source of the screeching sound.
My pace continuously accelerated as I tore past tunnel after tunnel.
Meanwhile, the chilling scream grew louder, and progressively more desperate.
After what felt like an eternity spent running, I finally arrived at a dead end.
My breath hitched at the sight before me.
A young boy was lying limp on his back in a puddle of blood. His tear-streaked face contorted into a visage of pain and terror.
Hunched over the boy's ruined body like a victorious predator, was a monster.
A Dungeon lizard had put its entire, pointy snout into the boy's stomach and was messily slurping up his guts while he screamed in pain.
My mind came to a screeching halt as I took in the scene in front of me.
I had never seen a more vile sight.
My jaw clenched so tightly my teeth made a clicking sound as they met. My hands trembled.
I exploded forwards into a lunge and violently grabbed the monster by its scaly legs.
I pulled hard and tore the beast away from the screaming boy.
A heave of exertion escaped me as I twisted my upper body and threw the lizard to the other side of the tunnel.
Far from defeated, the monster landed on its feet and hissed at me.
In response to the beast's threatening display, I planted my feet in preparation for the inevitable lunge. When the lizard was again in reach, I sidestepped its snapping jaw and rotated my body.
It flew past me.
I immediately followed the dodge with a charge and crashed down hard on its scaled back.
Both of my arms lashed out like twin whips.
I secured my left arm under its soft throat and pressed down onto its neck with my right palm.
The monster rolled in place, seeking to throw me off, but my grip was like a steel vice.
A brutal struggle broke out between us.
A struggle from which I emerged the victor when the oversized lizard wheezed one last strangled breath and disintegrated into black mist.
Leaving its purple magic stone behind.
I did not give the crystalline treasure a second glance and instead, slowly approached the crying boy.
His screams had stopped shortly after I tore the monster out of his stomach.
My gaze softened as I took him in.
He's just a child… What is he doing here? Why is he alone?
I crouched down next to the boy and fiddled with my hands.
What do I say?
After a moment of consideration, I slowly opened my mouth.
However, just when I was about to address him, he called out to me in a trembling tone.
"Captain? Is that you?"
He did not turn towards me when he talked, and his eyes were unfocused. His hair spread out around his head like a brown halo.
"Yes… It's me. The Captain. I heard you needed help, so I came."
Fresh tears gathered at the corners of his green eyes.
They grew even more unfocused as he continued to stare up at the dim ceiling.
"I am glad that you're here. I knew you would come, Captain!"
He smiled brightly.
"Do you see? I made it all the way down to the third floor! You all said that I was not ready yet, but I knew I was!"
His lips trembled.
"Are you proud of me?"
A knot formed in my throat.
"Yes. I am very proud." I paused. "You did well."
A relieved smile bloomed across the boy's face.
For a moment, he looked truly happy.
That smile did not last.
What should I do?
What can I do?
His pale cheeks quivered as he choked out a broken sob.
"Captain… I did not want to say it before, but it hurts. It hurts so much! Please make it stop."
Should I use my Blessing? He is suffering. I can take his pain away.
My hands trembled at the thought.
No. I cannot. He's an innocent. I cannot use my Blessing on the innocent. I made an oath.
When I did not respond, the boy's verdant eyes regained some of their clarity. He looked down at the hole in his stomach and blinked rapidly.
"Am I going to die, Captain? Please don't let me die."
I raised my hand and slowly breached the distance between us. My mind wrecked with indecision.
The choice was taken from me before I could finish making it.
The boy's eyes grew cloudy. His previously shaky breathing pattern slowed as he spoke up again.
This time, I could tell his words were not directed at me.
"I am sorry, Lord Father. I am sorry, Mira. I should have—"
His speech cut off.
My gaze rested on the bloody corpse in front of me for a long, silent moment.
Eventually, I lowered the hand I had previously raised and, with my thumb and index finger, closed his eyelids.
Once the task was complete, I retracted my hand.
It was shaking.
Without saying a word, I sat down next to the lifeless body and encircled my arms around my knees.
—————-
"Torron! Torron! Where are you? This is not funny anymore. It really is dangerous down here. I told you not to run off on your own!"
A loud, female voice echoed through the tunnel.
I quickly stood up and placed myself between the unmoving body and the incoming voice so that my back faced the entrance.
I did not turn around until I heard a sharp intake of breath reverberate behind me. The following sound was the unmistakable noise of a blade being drawn from its sheath.
"Who are you? What are you doing with Torron?"
I turned my head to the side just enough to give the young woman a sidelong glance.
She glared at me with burning green eyes.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I grimaced slightly and stepped to the side—allowing the adventurer to get a clear view of what had previously been hidden.
The armored woman gasped for air. She looked as if she was drowning.
I averted my eyes and bit down on my lower lip.
Moments later, she turned toward me. Her arms trembled with rage as she pointed her sword at me.
"Did you do this? Did you kill him?"
"No." I shook my head. "There was a monster—a Dungeon Lizard." I hesitated. "It was eating him alive, so I killed it. He died shortly after."
The woman's arm fell down to her side.
The sword slipped from her hand and landed on the ground with a clang.
She raised her hands to cover her mouth.
Her verdant eyes reddened and filled with unshed tears.
My feet shuffled in place a few times. A moment later, I slowly addressed her again. "His last words… they were directed towards his father and someone named Mira. He apologized for something."
She fell down to her knees.
The tears gathered in her eyes finally fell.
"I am… sorry for your loss."
The girl flinched.
She looked up at me as if I had struck her.
The expression stayed that way for a second longer before her features twisted again with anger.
"You could have saved him! You said that you found him while he was alive! You said that you managed to kill the monster!"
She glared at me.
"Why did you not give him a potion?!"
My brows furrowed.
I tilted my head and looked at the girl with incomprehension.
"I'm sorry... I don't know what that means. What do you mean you say potion?"
The anger vanished from her face as quickly as it came; instead, it was replaced by utter bewilderment.
She stared at me as if she was seeing me for the first time.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her pale face was covered by a curtain of long brown hair.
Just as I was about to say something else, she bolted upward and ran back into the Dungeon passage she had come from.
She did not look back even once as she made her escape.
Her well-taken-care-of sword was left behind.
I quietly watched her retreat, until she was completely out of sight.
Eventually, I glanced down at the discarded sword.
Its edges were sharp, and a shining ruby was embedded into its pommel.
Next, my gaze shifted towards the purple magic stone the Dungeon Lizard had left behind.
After a moment of consideration, I shook my head and turned my back on both.
Now faced again with the corpse of the young boy, I first stared at my blood-caked hands, then the gruesome corpse on the ground and finally, the dimly lit ceiling.
After a minute spent in further silence, I breathed out a sigh.
"Fuck."
——————-
"With our current exchange rates, the value of your magic stones comes up to an even 7450 Valis. Taking into account the debt you owe the guild, that leaves you with a net balance of 2450 Valis." The guild employee smiled. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, honored adventurer."
The wooden drawer slid back out from where I had pushed it under the thick glass.
Instead of the magic stones that had filled it before, there were now a couple gold coins placed on it.
My movements were listless as I collected the Valis I had labored so hard for.
Just as I was about to turn around and leave, a loud noise echoed from behind the thick metal grid.
The employee working at the counter had cleared his throat.
I peered through the gaps of the golden wall and met the man's eyes.
"For a fresh level 1, you have earned a lot today. Some would even say too much," he said with a voice that sounded more authentic than the clearly practiced cadence he had addressed me with before. "I am not one of those people." He shook his head. "It is clear to me that you know what you're doing, so I will not belittle you."
His eyes turned distant for a moment. It was the same look the old dwarf had given me earlier in the day.
"I have seen that expression you wear on your face right now more times than I cared to count. In most cases, that expression was the last I saw of the people who wore them."
His voice hardened. "So let me tell you what I believe every adventurer ought to be told before even signing up at the guild: What happens in the Dungeon stays in the Dungeon. Do not beat yourself up over it." He stared at me with piercing blue eyes. "Whatever it was that happened to you today, no matter how terrible it might have been, forget about it. Now. These things happen. Do not allow them to break you. If you do, the Dungeon wins."
I returned his stare with an equal intensity.
My lips curved upward slightly as I huffed.
"Save your speeches for somebody who needs them, old man. I am far from broken."
I pivoted and turned my back on the meddling guild employee.
Half a dozen long steps later, the man's voice rose again.
"And make sure that whoever is selling you those potions gets paid extra! By the look of you, they deserve every single Valis you can spare."
I frowned as I approached the exit.
Again with those potions.
Before leaving the guild building, I threw a sidelong glance to the other side of the vast hall.
The guild employees working those counters were different from the ones I met in the morning.
I recognized none of them.
My shoulders fell slightly, only to quickly raise again when the image of a striking, crimson-haired woman flashed before my eyes.
A hesitant voice resounded in my head.
"If you make it out alive from the Dungeon and ask me again tomorrow? Maybe I still won't be your advisor then, but maybe I will."
The left corner of my mouth raised slowly as I recalled the memory.
"Tomorrow."
I pushed open the door of the nearly empty guild and walked out.
I can't wait to see my goddess again.
—————
Orario looks different at night.
The streets of the bustling city were filled with laughter and people making merry.
The atmosphere was festive, completely unlike any place I had ever been to before.
Nonetheless, the plentiful attractions surrounding me did not tempt me in the slightest. Instead, my eyes stayed fixed straight ahead as I marched through the busy streets of the labyrinth city.
The multitude of people I walked past either avoided my gaze entirely the moment they noticed the ruined state of my clothing and the dried blood coating my limbs, or chuckled amongst themselves with snide grins on their flushed faces.
I did not care about the attention I attracted.
Time passed fast and soon, I left the inner city behind me and entered the outskirts I now called home.
I almost stumbled when I recognized the petite woman leaning against the church entrance.
Hestia? Why is she…?
The raven-haired goddess sprinted toward me at full speed the moment I entered her line of sight.
With hastened breath, she came to a stop in front of me and frantically assesed the state of my clothes.
After fussing, while mumbling incoherently, for a few moments longer, she looked upward and finally locked her azure eyes onto mine.
As soon as she did, they widened.
Her arms shot upward as she pulled me down into a tight hug.
The stiff tension in my muscles loosened as I melted into the woman's warm embrace.
My head found a home in the crook of her neck.
Her lips graze my right ear as she whispered softly.
"Cain… what happened?"