Chapter 132 - Indicator

The rest of the Exploration team, who had been expelled from the dungeon earlier, were looking emptily at the vast plain they were currently at. The earlier event had escalated too quickly, their mind couldn't keep up.

How did Basil know the position of the control of the Dungeon? Why didn't Basil discuss things first, before deciding to pull his stunt? What would happen to Basil?!

There were so many things in their mind, they couldn't think of a single thing. However, they were sure of what they were currently feeling—survivor's guilt.

It wouldn't be this way if Basil hadn't saved them all; they were used to the death of a comrade. However, knowing their comrade died to save them, made it all different. They just couldn't shrug off the feeling.

Of course, that was just their fantasy. Basil had never decided to save them in the very first place. He didn't feel the moral obligation to save strangers.

He had expelled them, because he didn't want them to stay any longer in the Dungeon; he wanted to train himself as soon as possible.

However, none of them knew Basil's motive. In result, they could only blankly stare at the vast plain, and let the wind passed their body.

Silence ensued. Of course, it didn't last long.

"DARN IT!" Whitney shouted.

Bam!

He struck the ground, then gritted his teeth. He was simply pissed. He had thought he could easily carry the task given to him—taking care of his juniors. Who knows there would be a damnable Ancient Monster residing inside the Dungeon?!

He was mad: at his carelessness, at his naivety, at his powerlessness. He was ashamed. His junior had sacrificed himself for the entire team; there he was staying alive without being able to do anything.

He didn't even receive any injury. He had fought from afar, and played the role as an Overseer, the protector of everyone. Even so, he had failed. Did he have an excuse to defend himself? Yes, he did. But, would he use it? No, he wouldn't.

Excuses will never become a justification for one's incompetence.

Whitney sighed. What happened, happened. He couldn't rewind the time. A death person will never be alive again. Now, he had only one task to carry out—taking responsibility of his failure.

—Tell my family I will be back.

Basil's word was ringing in his mind. He was instantly reminded of Basil's interaction with Danzel and Clarissa. He was reminded of the father and daughter's treatment over Cray and him.

He would have to tell the two nice people that their family member had died. It wasn't this hard normally—conveying the death of his comrade to their family. However, it hit different knowing that his comrade had died to save him.

His lips trembled, but not for long. His face quickly became emotionless; his eyes became cold. He had determined himself—he would carry the task.

He would definitely accomplish this task. He would take the blame, he would take the hate, he would take the mockery, and he would carry the guilt.

Whitney stood up, then looked at the other people. All of them were looking at him, and he could properly see their condition. None of them was free of any injury.

Their appearance was an enough indication: torn clothes, gashes, bleeding head, and probably broken ribs. Amongst the people, he was the only who remained uninjured. However, he had steeled himself; he showed no particular reaction.

"We will take our part, before leaving. According to the contract, we will have 40% of the entire findings, and you can keep the map. I will—"

Sylvia interrupted Whitney. "Wait! Are just going to leave like that?! What about Basil?! He—he has sacrificed himself for you. How can you—"

"So what?" Whitney quirked his eyebrow. "Basil sacrificed himself to save ALL of us. His fate is pretty much sealed. What do you want me to do? Going back inside again just to waste his sacrifice? I know how to honor a comrade's sacrifice more than you do."

Sylvia couldn't response Whitney. She knew she was being unreasonable. However, for Whitney to act that cold, she couldn't just accept it. Something unpleasant was filling her chest, and she didn't know how to get rid of it.

Her eyes watered. She bit her lower lip to stifle her sob. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and found it was Thompson. He was looking at Whitney with an understanding gaze.

"Very well. We will split the findings. I will let you guys take the 60%." Thompson turned his head to his conscious party members. "You wouldn't mind, would you?" They nodded their head in agreement.

Whitney quickly interjected, "You don't have to do that. We, Mage, always uphold our contract. You don't have to feel the obligation to compensate the family of our death comrade. I, as the person in charge, will take care of it."

Thompson hesitated for awhile, before eventually nodding his head reluctantly. "Very well." He told everyone to take out their findings, and gave 40% of it to Whitney.

There was a total of 360 kilograms of Mana Crystals, and Whitney brought 144 kilograms with him. He also took a few kilograms of three kinds of ore, 15,000 worth of gold coins, and a few weapons.

Although not much, they had found more than they had expected. When the matter was concluded, Whitney carried the unconscious Cray with him, then got in the carriage he had called a few moments prior.

The carriage took off, and it soon disappeared from the Knights of Hauler's view.

"Mage is still a Mage, huh?" Thompson lamented. "Although I have seen many deaths before, never did I act as casual as Whitney. I don't know whether I should feel amazed or scared. How can they live like that?"

No one answered him. Although Knight and Mage were coexisting, none of the parties understood each each other well. Anything they heard of each other was based on rumour.

To Mage, Knight was a bunch of muscle freak who knew nothing of logical thinking. In reality however, while they were not as intellectual as Mage, they were not stupid. However, Mage would never recognize it, since Knight never dwell in research.

In the other hand, Knight saw Mage as a bunch of highly sophisticated golem. They were cold, immoral, logical, and decisive. They believed out of 100 things a Mage could do, 101 of them were atrocities.

Thompson had believed it was nothing more than an exaggeration. However, upon seeing how Whitney handled the matter, he wasn't so sure about his belief anymore.

Sure, Whitney was a responsible person. However, he believed Whitney was carrying it out of duty—a sense of obligation. Anything Whitney had citatted was according to the procedure, after all.

Thompson shook his head, then turned it to the cavity in the ground—the entrance to the Dungeon. They had been expelled from there. Since the process had happened too quick, they couldn't actually know what had happened.

Gulp.

"I hate this feeling." He thumped his chest.

He hadn't felt any repulsion toward the entrance prior to entering the Dungeon. However, after what they had been through, he felt an unpleasant feeling whenever he looked at it. He believed the others were also the same; they didn't even glance at it.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ground trembled. The soil around the cavity collapsed, slowly blocking it in the process. It didn't take long until the thing that had happened to the cave that should have been the Dungeon's entrance was repeated—the entrance was blocked.

Thompson approached the now blocked cavity, then stood right in front of it.

"Basil, I am sorry for doubting you for the entire time." He bowed.

Due to Basil's reclusive nature, he had doubted every course of actions Basil had taken. Although it had been proven wrong from time to time, he still couldn't get rid of the doubt.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving us. I am sorry I can not take your body to bury it." Thompson right himself up, then stared at the blocked cavity intently.

He felt conflicted. The world seemed to do Basil a favor, and cursed him at the same time. No one could retrieve his body, but he was buried naturally. However, due to that, no one would be able to visit his grave.

"Basil Pacifer. What an unusual young man, indeed."

Thompson turned his head to his party members. All of them were injured, and exhausted. They needed a the help of a Healer as soon as possible; especially, Jake.

Thus, their journey to home was started.

No one spoke in the way. However, they were sure they would absolutely report their encounter with the Ancient Monster residing in the Dungeon—the Kinslayer.

...

While the people of the Exploration team were on their way back, Basil was recuperating the Qi and Mana he had exhausted. The Kinslayer was looking at him from afar, as if looking at an exotic animal.

"Hey. I know it's late, but how can you train in both Principals?"

"..."

"Tsk! You have been ignoring me for hours. Come on, it won't hurt talking to this old man!"

Basil opened one of his eyes. "Yes, it won't hurt talking to you. But, I don't want to waste my time."

"It's your first time of replying me, and that's what you said? Youngster these days." The Kinslayer shook his head in disappointment.

"That is a flowed logic. How can you know how youngsters behave these days? You haven't even interacted with the outside world for a long time."

The Kinslayer nodded his head. "That is a valid point." Basil closed his eye, and the Kinslayer looked at him in curiosity again. "Why are you so calm? Don't you know who I am?"

"A lonely old man," Basil answered without opening his eyes.

"Gahak!" The Kinslayer held his chest in mock pain. "How dare you attacking this old man's insecurity!" Seeing that Basil had no particular reaction, the old man continued, "Seriously though, I don't know whether you are just brave or dumb."

At that, Basil fully opened his eyes. "You are a Mage, and that is all to it. I have no reason to fear you." Then, he closed his eyes.

"Ah, yes. Kinslayer. Such a nostalgic name," the old man reminisced. Basil ignored it, since he didn't mention anything about. The man turned his eyes to Basil, and said, "I will tell you about it."

He approached Basil, and sat beside him. Then, he circled his right hand around Basil's shoulder, forcing Basil to open his eyes. Seeing that he had gotten Basil's attention, the old man gestured with his with his left hand, and started his story.

"Listen, boy. This story is from the long past that any of your history books never mention. It is the history of Kinslayer."

[Ding!]

[Factual information detected. Initiating Full Immersion!]

Basil's eyes slightly widened in surprise. Right after the Guide's announcement, he couldn't hear anything in his surrounding. His attention was focused solely on the old man's voice.

He turned his head to the old man, and the old man looked at him square in the eyes. "What I am about to tell you is a secret that will make your 'Empire' hate your existence. Will you still hear about it?" The answer was instantaneous. "Tell me."

Then, the story began.