Chapter 134 - Enemies

Nathan approached the ingredients and knelt to handle them with his hands. They weren't merely an illusion. They were real, the texture, the smell... These were actual vegetables and liters of water.

"Amazing... So this is what is meant by 'Monster Drops'..." Nathan commented, remembering the system announcement from earlier.

"What just happened? I'm confused." Lucy groaned, clueless watching Nathan's actions.

Nathan turned back and smiled at the group.

For the first time since he saw the icon, he was finally seeing some signs of hope for their survival.

"Good news everyone. The situation may not be as dire as we thought!" He announced.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, equally confused.

"The difficulty of this Dungeon has risen exponentially, no doubt about that. However, so have the rewards. We also feel hunger and thirst now that we are here, but it seems whoever designed this Dungeon already put a measure in place for that..." Nathan explained.

"You mean... We can eat that?" Lucy said, eyeing the foods placed on the ground suspiciously.

"Indeed. We don't have to start scavenging for food. As long as we defeat monsters, we receive drops from them and replenish ourselves. There are also these other materials. We can use the Firewood for warmth when it hers cold, and the whip can be used as a weapon or sold. As for the vines, we can use it as a rope to tie things together and it serves many other uses." Nathen continued.

So long as they fought, that would survive. This made it impossible for them to hold out in any other way. They had no choice but to continue engaging the monsters. While the drips were impressive, they were not nearly enough to last them throughout 14 days.

"We have to keep advancing!" Nathan said to the group.

"But first, Puck, please gather these and place them in the bag. They are highly valuable resources as of now. You must all be parched and hungry now. But just hold out for a little longer. In order not to get stranded, after defeating another one of these guys and taking its drops, we can consume the ones we have already."

Puck immediately responded and ran to pack up their loot. The group agreed with Nathan's line of thought. They needed at least one stock in case of emergencies and survival. Relying on this now would be devastating if they couldn't find any other.

It didn't take Puck very long to unload everything they god.

"Good! We're ready to go. I'll explain more as we advance. We can't stay here for too long!" Nathan said to the group.

They were sure to find even greater treasures now that the difficulty had risen, however, Nathan still didn't want to take risks. He had a bad feeling creeping on him since he entered the Fifth floor, but he shrugged it off every time it came upon him.

"I'll protect them... And then I'll return with enough wealth to take care of Marie!" He resolved, clenching his fists.

And so the Party advanced on the Fifth Floor.

[Fifth Floor Boss Room]

"So, all we have to do is best those two, uh?" Shamac muttered, staring intensely at Gratiana and Maria.

The two were on their feet now, rising after Hexarion had left the room. They both glared at the group, however, Gratiana seemed distracted and focused solely on Ana.

"Lauria... You have some explaining to do..." She said with narrowed eyes.

Ana controlled herself from gulping, bracing herself in order not to falter.

"Lord Hexarion is counting on me... I can't fail now" 

Shamac noticed Ana's unease and felt compelled to encourage her.

"I get that the two of you seem to have some sort of relationship in the past, but right now... They are our enemies. We can't afford to be sentimental and show them mercy." He said to her.

Ana turned her face and gave Shamac a disbelieving look.

"Shamac, you think I'm nervous because I don't want to hurt her? You think I'm getting sentimental? No, that's not it... Your line of thought is flawed...". Ana muttered, returning her eyes to Gratiana and Maria.

Shamac wondered what she meant and ventured to ask. However, before he did so, she responded.

"... You don't seem to understand how powerful that woman is. If I as much as show her the finest bit of mercy, I'm done for, and so will the rest of us be!"

Shamac gulped as he heard this. He knew the two Apostles were strong, but he also knew how far he had progressed after training with his master and Boss. He wasn't about to lose without showing just how much he had grown.

"I guess I was wrong then, but we're not pushovers either. You have the Boss's treasures, and I have improved greatly too. I don't know much about Talia, but she also seems different from before." Shamac stated.

"I know what you mean. I'm just saying... The sentiment is something that I can't even afford in this fight. The only reason I tremble the way I do is that I am aware of how powerful she is... We can not beat her with our powers alone. Plus, she has that wither Apostle as her aid... This will be tough! But, I'm ready to give it my all. What about you, Shamac?" Ana smiled, looking at the hybrid beside her.

"Do you even need to ask? I'm all fired up as it is!" He grinned widely.

"What about you Talia...?" 

As Shamac turned to Talia to ask, his eyes widened, seeing the expression she had on her face.

With a large smile and wide eyes showing excitement and depravity, Talia focused on Gratiana. Her expression was filled with bloodlust and hate. 

She wanted to obey her master, but she couldn't forgive Gratiana for killing the Forest Guardian either.

"I don't care how we do it... But that woman... I will be the one to kill her. She's mine!" Talia growled.

Ana shook her head and sighed.

"I don't think so, Talia. Gratiana is an Apostle and my former mentor. The one who will be killing her is me." Ana smiled.

Talia shot Ana a deathly glare, and the latter returned the favor. A smile was on their face, but their eyes showed nothing bearing that resemblance. 

Shamac smiled as he saw the two girls look at each other with rivalry. He had learned not to interfere whenever they had these little spouts.

Suddenly, they both turned their heads and faced him. It was unexpected that he silently yelped as both their eyes became transfixed on him.

"So, Shamac.... What's the plan?" Ana smiled at him.