Chapter 483: Hitching a Ride

In the unsettling maze that was the cave of myth's crypt, there was a lone figure making their way around full of uncertainty.

"Is this the right way...?" They asked themselves in a low soft voice. This dungeon was supposedly a place where opportunity lay but as this was their first visit… They had no sense of direction and unfortunately, they also couldn't afford a compass nor a map.

In fact, this wasn't the only thing this adventurer couldn't afford. They had a cheap looking sword at their waist and a dress that could only be described as rags. This person could be said to have no equipment.

Just as they were thinking about turning back, a group of skeletons appeared. The skeletons looked somewhat dazed and dumb but still full of murderous intent.

"Ah! Not again!" The adventurer pulled out their sword with shaky limbs, she wasn't accustomed to sword combat. Not to mention she was also very weak.

For some reason however, the skeletons stood rooted to their spot. They simply stared menacingly causing the adventurer to shudder. This adventurer was clearly lacking in courage. But it made sense however as this wasn't just her first time in this dungeon, this was actually her first time in any dungeon.

Still, thinking about what was at stake, she could only lift her weapon and try to attack the unmoving undead beings that blocked her retreat.

"Hiya!" Her untrusty blade swung down and collided with the skeleton's rusty weapon. This was a small interaction but the adventurer was immediately thereafter pushed back causing her to grimace.

"Not again…" The skeletons were leaving her no choice but to go forward! Even after she was flung back they didn't retaliate. They acted as though they were knights blocking a highly vital doorway.

While the girl was inexperienced in regard to adventuring she was not stupid. Something was up and all the possibilities terrified her.

The one possibility that she did not think of however was that there was a blood clot inside her body. Not a medical condition, but W, Ed's other third.

'I got lucky. I was actually able to find someone so inexperienced and lonely' This was definitely good luck!

The only way for W to enter the cave of myths which was guarded by the freedom union was to possess a human. The problem was that the aftermath of possession could result in hints of his existence.

W had to dump the coachman he possessed earlier in a bush. He didn't kill him, that would still leave the suspicious carriage. Not to mention that the man could now be said to have ties with Samuel and maybe even the royal family.

Overall, possessing more people would be too dangerous. W's current method of hitching a ride was much better.

If the adventurer ever did start to go astray, W could pull some strings. By which he meant he could use transmission to suggest nearby skeletons to block off certain routes of escape.

The simple-minded skeletons were after all susceptible to orders from Ed, and as a result, they were also susceptible to orders from W.

If the adventurer was competent they wouldn't be stopped by some weak skeletons but this particular adventurer's skills left much to be desired. To the point that Ed suspected they didn't even qualify as D class adventurer.

D-class adventurers were usually running errands and only C-class would venture dungeons. If one couldn't even match up to a D-class… In a weird twist of fate, this adventurer would have probably died by now if they didn't meet W.

Continuing down the poorly lit ominous hallways, the inexperienced adventurer was routed towards the stairs down to the next crypt floor. While the notion of having gone so far into the dungeon was scary, the adventurer was gratified. A safe room! There could be other adventurers there that could help her!

Feeling that she'd finally be free of her curse the adventurer ran down the stairs with excitement. The chatter of the others already in the safe room reached her ears sounded like the sweetest of songs.

But she froze in her track after coming to a realization. If she asked someone to escort her out they might charge money and that went against her role.

Sensing this dilemma in the girl, W was feeling a bit of pity.

'Maybe I can strengthen her a bit' There was no guarantee that any other mob would be listening to him since he wasn't technically W. To have his carrier die halfway would be rather unfortunate.

'Plus I still need a human to use the portal in the boss room' Who knew if them being too weak could affect his own resistance? Needless to say, he would need to help the lass.

She was fairly young so her body still had some potential. W helping her for a couple of hours should allow her to at least reach the standard of a C-class adventurer.

'Let's do that then' He would have to make sure she didn't decide to stay in the safe room, however. If she had no intention to proceed… W taking some control wouldn't be too revealing, right?

***

In the black void of the dungeon's space, a vacuum suddenly appeared. It sucked in the single light in the endless dark and before this light knew it they were found elsewhere.

It was an equally dark place but Ed's senses were vast. That could only mean he was back in his mushroom body. Not in a cage either, but in his vast field of mushrooms.

Since he was last present, the mushrooms in the field had grown and expanded. They covered a wide array of beautiful colors. If Ed could see he would feel mesmerized by his own beauty, in a not creepy self-centered kind of way.

Regardless, what Ed needed to do now was not immerse himself in useless thoughts. It was to plan on reuniting with W who he could feel moving slowly closer.

'The dungeon didn't give me the best body for the job' Ed didn't expect it so send him to the skeleton body but the orc body should have been just as fine.

Ed could not wallow in misfortune, he quickly composed his thoughts and called for two individuals with his link.

'Var Agus' This message was transmitted to Var himself and Ed's final third A.

The two were nearby at the town portion of the cavern. Ed assumed they were working together on something, otherwise why would A abandon him?

After a couple of minutes, Ed could see Var Agus and A's puppet body walking down the so-called divine path. It didn't take long for both of them to walk past the field of mushrooms and kneel before his main body.

'Your divinity, do you need my help?' Var Agus asked through their link.

But Ed ignored the question, he first needed to get a rundown of what transgressed in his absence.

'A, return to me' His most reliable source of information was A who had stayed to watch things in his absence. Noted, this was done outside his own will as Ed was suddenly whisked away. Nevertheless, as he carried the same personality as Ed, A was surely diligent in dealing with the lizardmen's affair.

Just as Ed expected, A acquiesced. He was nothing but a blood clot controlling an exterior husk so exiting the puppet was pretty easy.

Var Agus who saw the happening was intrigued but not enough to disturb the both of them.

Once A was close enough to his main body and properly surrounded by mushrooms and mycelium, Ed was able to get back his consciousness. A's blood cot body became lifeless in a matter of seconds.

The relatively large wisp of light entered Ed's storeroom without a hitch. Unlike regular consciousnesses, Ed's splits could roam around the system space. That was why they were often sent to the storeroom instead of the spirit room.

Without further ado, Ed entered the system space and met up with A.

'How high should I set my expectations?' Ed asked A who floated pensively trying to come up with a response.

'I'd say keep them down to earth, there were some slip ups... ' A replied causing Ed to frown a bit. They were expressionless while in the system space but A could still notice that Ed's mood changed.

No longer dallying, the both of them made their way to the forge room. The large pristine white forge room was burning as brightly as usual.

Under the guidance of the system, Ed and A willingly entered the forge to be fused together. The simultaneously cold and hot flames made sure the procedure was just as painful as Ed remembered it. Both Ed and A held back the urge to let out a tirade of curses.

But after what felt like an eternity, their suffering paid off. They were whole.

Ed immediately started to go through his memories. He digested every bit of them before coming to a conclusion.

'I will need to go to the orc plains' The orcs had many good and bad qualities but regardless of opinion, they were undoubtedly useful.

Going to the orc plains could help him meet W as well which was pretty much the real goal. Nonetheless, with a murderous gauntlet going around destroying plant and animal life finding any assistance was not a small thing either.

Ed looked forward to uniting both species.