Carrying the unconscious Nagumo over his shoulder, Sylas dragged the massive corpse of the Abyss Bear forward before carefully laying Nagumo atop it.
He paused, casting one last glance back toward the narrow passage they had come from.
Then he tightened his grip and began hauling both of them deeper into the tunnel.
If his memory was correct, there should be a holy crystal further below. Judging by Nagumo's condition, it was obvious he hadn't reached it yet.
Sylas let out a dry breath, "Guess I need to dig a little deeper."
He gritted his teeth and gathered what little aura remained in his body. There wasn't enough to reinforce his entire body—not even close. So instead, he forced everything he had left into two specific places. His hands and his feet.
The technique was called Gyo—an advanced application of Ren that allowed a Nen user to concentrate their life energy into specific areas in the body.
Sylas planted his feet and slowed his breathing. Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the mouth. His hands trembled as aura gathered beneath his skin, heat pooling and pulsing.
'Focus… don't let it leak.'
Seconds stretched into a full minute before the sensation finally stabilized.
"…Forty percent. Each hand. Ten percent. Each leg."
A faint hum filled the air as the aura settled into place. Sylas flexed his fingers, watching the glow tighten around them.
"This should make things easier." He exhaled once more. "Haaa—!" His hands slammed into the stone.
The rock cracked instantly, spiderweb fractures racing outward from the point of impact. Sylas tore chunks free and hurled them aside. It wasn't elegant—but it worked.
Dust filled the tunnel, scraping his throat and burning his lungs as he worked. Every few strikes, he dragged the bear and Nagumo forward, inch by inch, deeper into the earth.
Each impact sent a violent jolt through his body.
***
After several grueling minutes, the tunnel began to slope downward. The stone beneath his hands started to feel… different.
That was when he saw it.
A faint, pale glow flickered ahead.
"…Found you."
Embedded in the cavern wall was a divinity stone, nearly the size of two bowling balls pressed together, radiating a soft blue light. Just standing near it eased the exhaustion in Sylas's body.
He lifted Nagumo off the bear and carefully propped him against the wall near the crystal, making sure his head wouldn't slump forward.
Beneath the crystal, a shallow pool had formed. The water shimmered faintly, reflecting the crystal's blue glow.
Sylas cupped his hands and drank.
The moment the water touched his lips, warmth flooded his body. Fatigue melted away. Bruises faded. Muscles knit themselves back together at a speed visible to the naked eye. His aura surged, slowly beginning to replenish itself.
He let out a tired sigh. "Perfect timing…"
After taking a couple of minutes to rest, Sylas scooped up another handful of water and knelt beside Nagumo. Gently tilting his head back, as he let a small amount of water trickle down his throat.
Once he was sure Nagumo was breathing steadily, Sylas leaned back against the cavern wall himself. Only then did the exhaustion finally hit.
His body might have been restored—but his mind was another story. Fear, pain, urgency… the weight of it all crashed down at him.
"Just a minute…" he muttered, before darkness claimed him.
[One Hour Later]
…
Nagumo slowly opened his eyes, looking around weakly. "Is that… a divinity stone?" he muttered, noticing the light-blue crystal dripping water.
Divinity stones were naturally formed over centuries when massive amounts of mana pooled together and crystallized. A fully saturated divinity stone secreted a liquid called Ambrosia—otherwise known as the liquid of life, or holy water.
It could heal almost any wound or ailment. That was the description he had read in the royal library.
Turning his head toward the entrance, he saw the dead bear. "…That means—" He turned again. Sleeping against the wall opposite him was the one who had killed it.
'He saved me… why?'
Nagumo didn't understand what Sylas was thinking.
At the sound of movement, Sylas's eyes snapped open, instantly alert. He relaxed only after realizing it was just Nagumo.
"Looks like you're finally awake," Sylas muttered with a yawn. "Thought you were gonna kick the bucket there."
Nagumo flinched and instinctively tried to sit up—
"Easy," Sylas said. "The holy water helped, but you'll need time to adjust. Losing an arm isn't exactly something you bounce back from."
Nagumo stared down at the stump where his arm had been—now fully closed. "The divinity stone…" His voice lowered. "So that's how."
Sylas yawned again. Silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint sound of rippling water.
Finally, Nagumo looked straight at him.
"Why?" He muttered.
Sylas blinked. "Why what?"
"Why help me?" Nagumo's jaw tightened.
"You could've left me outside. Why take the chance of me backstabbing you when you were sleeping?"
Sylas looked at him as if he were saying a funny joke, "Guess I just felt like it," he said calmly.
Nagumo frowned. "That's it?"
"That's it," Sylas replied.
Nagumo studied him closely, searching for any sign of a lie. The only thing he found was a look of someone still barely waking up.
"…What do you plan to do now?" Nagumo asked.
Sylas shifted, laying flat on his back before answering. "I plan to clear this dungeon."
"…Are you serious?" Nagumo asked instantly.
"Yup. Dead serious." he answered, still lying on the floor.
"So… how'd you end up here?" Nagumo asked, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
Sylas sighed. "Where to begin… I was crossing the street. Normal day. Then I got hit by a drunk driver. I mean—who drinks in the morning?" He shook his head. "Next thing I knew, I was here."
"That's… way different from what happened to me," Nagumo said.
He told Sylas everything—his classmates, the summoning, the betrayal, and his fall into the Abyss.
"…So you were betrayed by one of your classmates," Sylas muttered. "That's rough." He rubbed his chin. "What're your plans now?"
"My plans…?" Nagumo hesitated. He had none.
"Well," Sylas said, pulling off his shirt and sweater, leaving his upper body bare, "if you don't have one yet, could you do me a favor?"
"…What?" Nagumo asked nervously.
"Can you block off the entrance for me?" Sylas pressed his hands together in a pleading posture.
Nagumo didn't understand why—but he complied. He owed Sylas his life, if he wanted to kill him, he had more than enough opportunities to do it.
"Appreciate it," Sylas thanked Nagumo as he walked over to where the bear was laying, tearing one of its massive arms free.
"You're not about to do what I think you are, right?" Nagumo said, disgust written across his face.
"It's exactly what it looks like," Sylas replied calmly. "I'll be counting on you to hold down the fort in the meantime."
"…What are you?"
Sylas didn't wait for an answer. He took a massive bite of the arm. "Disgusting," he muttered through a mouthful of raw meat.
Positioning himself beside the pool of holy water, he braced himself.
'Here it comes.'
"AAAHHH—!!"
An inhuman scream tore from his throat.
The transformation had only just begun.
To Be Continued…