Chapter 36

Exiting the forest took longer than they had anticipated, as the fog was only harder to deal with upon being left behind by the fairies. Out of frustration, Naell and Owly would often bicker and go circles on their path.

"Are you directionally challenged? HOOT?" Owly's words somewhat prickled Naell's ears as he replied,

"Just fly and find the way out you fat bird."

"Dumb human, I'll get wet even more, HOOT!" Owly's rebuttal was stinging as he was very close to both of Naell’s ears, lying comfortably on his head in the process.

"You are not a cat to hate water!"

"You have supposedly studied the map, and we’re still lost! You small brain! HOOT!"

"..."

"Truth hurts, doesn't it, HOOT?" Owly was already puffing his chest out of confidence as he thought he had won what they considered an argument.

"So you have a big brain, huh? But do you know what’s bigger?" Yet Naell was not quite done yet.

"What, HOOT?"

"Your ? last week. It made the entire school garden stink."

"How dare you make that false accusation, HOOT!"

"Mad aren't we? Truth hurts doesn't it?"

"..."

The bickering lasted for much longer before they finally exited the forest and soon---

"Young master?"

"..."

*******

The dungeon Andrew and his friends had entered grew dimmer as they went deeper, yet at that moment, it was the brightest it had ever been, thanks to its guest adventurers.

Lights of different colors shined blindingly as they fought several different herds of monsters.

Andrew’s sword, not only penetrated the body of an iron golem, but with his light magic and aura bursting forth inside it, the golem stood no chance of protecting its core. His ability had even gone so far as to kill several demonized monsters nearby.

"6 to go."

Upon saying those words, the iron golems roared as they charged forward. They understood the mockery hidden behind his words.

Most golems were artificially created by high-level demons called WARLOCKS. Its core would be hidden randomly inside its body, and would either be made from aura, or mana. Once destroyed, the golem would then cease to live.

Still, finding the core was one thing, and destroying the body was tougher than it looked. Golem bodies were made from materials like minerals, rocks, crystals, and even elemental magic (like iron, diamonds, and even fire).

Therefore, Golems were formidable, as they could go as far as being considered S-rank monsters. Among these were the diamond golem; the second most destructive of all golems, and the rare dragon-boned golem, that was said to have destroyed kingdom after kingdom in the dark ages.

Due to the dungeon's large pools of mana and aura tainted with bad intentions, it would then eventually give birth to monsters that would inhabit the place.

It was once believed that dungeons were initially created by the Celestial of destruction, Lucile, to reinforce the demon king with armies of monsters.

Yet as the demon king’s reign fell, dungeons were then believed to have been created to assist in the resurrection of the demon king, allowing him to once again wreak havoc in the world of Mundo. Even so, dungeons were far from common.

On the rare occasion, one would be found, kingdoms and their guilds would both be alerted, and would send martial artists and mages to prevent the calamities that could occur if left untouched.

Dungeons have the possibility of eventually awakening monsters, or as the rumor says, even revive the demon king.

Not to mention, some beings would often be blinded by the treasure and fame they would gather upon conquering the dungeon, causing this to carry a high chance of death.

Upon seeing the danger that each dungeon hid, kingdoms and guilds decided to not permit just anyone to enter the place without the proper rank.

Yet this was most certainly not a problem for Andrew’s group of friends.

Each of them stood in the dungeon with their weapons drawn, casually showing experience and skill with what they wielded. Rizaul with his aura strings bound ten fierce elemental iron ghasts, and with the help of Note's silver aura slash, and Viola's light explosive magic, they were able to decimate all before it could even retaliate.

Ghasts are classified as B-rank demonized monsters that levitate and possess sharp claws in their arsenal. Their translucent, sheet-like appearances made them hard monsters to deal with, especially in dark places such as dungeons.

When it comes to fighting Ghasts, light magic would be powerful and highly effective against them, making Viola and Andrew their largest weaknesses.

Yet among them, Rizaul was the fastest when it came to speed and techniques. His strings that were coated with his aura could be used and extended at his will, making his attacks unpredictable.

He had grown to make use of his strings with versatility, to the point where he had even learnt to use them for travelling.

Through his strings, he would move by attaching them to a location, retracting the strings, and holding on to it.

The number of mobs they faced had only grown larger as they transversed into the cave, yet regardless of how many monsters there were, none stood a chance against the B-rank adventurers like Rizaul and Viola who were both at the top of their rank.

Not to mention, the soon to be S-rank adventurer, [Silversword] Note Raal was with them.

Note's job was to protect Namiku, yet all of them were still engaged in battle. Even the princess fought fiercely alongside Rinca.

Both of them were so fast that the larger bronze golem, superior to the iron golems Andrew was battling, could only hit afterimages of the girls.

Both Namiku's and Rinca's agility was just second to Rizaul. Yet unlike the half-elf’s unpredictable techniques, their attacks were both explosive.

Namiku Asuna's martial arts came from the first monks of the east, who happened to be the first martial artists of Mundo.

As one of their descendants, Asuna's lineage was known for their long years of cultivating techniques that were passed down to their royal family.

Yet what they were truly known for were their explosive auras that were considered equal to a dragon’s.

Using her fists, kicks, and even her whole body as a weapon, Namiku would often leave her opponents overwhelmed with her barrage of attacks.

Not to mention, she specialized in damaging the body’s interior, making her speed and attacks more fatal.

Yet if the princess of the Easterside empire was known for her "internal burst techniques", Rinca was known for her rapier’s piercing abilities.

Her graceful yet quick reflexes and immensely explosive aura, made it easier for her to penetrate even the strongest armor.

The sturdy body of the Bronze golem towering 15 ft with boulders of bronze protecting its whole body, was no more than a watermelon to both Namiku and Rinca.

Not only had its whole body been pierced leaving huge holes that reached through the other side, but its body also exploded as if it had eaten a bomb before engaging in battle.

The fight did not last long before they decided to head out. Even though they were strong, it wasn't wise to go deeper without numbers, as dungeons would often have stronger monsters the deeper you go.

"You people are actually strong--- too strong." Said the guy with white feathered wings sprouting from his back. His morning star weapon had already disseminated a huge portion of the adversaries, and his muscular body was visible due to him wearing a brown sleeveless medieval-looking tunic.

"You are formidable as well, Sir Kent." Replied Note smiling in his unusually formal demeanor.

Kent Freide was the son of the Pegasus tribe’s chief. His grayish hair had only heightened the muscularity from his aura, and his stern gaze of silver eyes showed the sign of the ones who possessed the blood of Pegasus.

He was actually one of those who strongly disagreed to ask for help outside their tribe, yet because of the impending danger they experienced days ago, they inevitably agreed.

Nonetheless, Kent was satisfied as Andrew and his friends were actually kind. They were also happy as they had completed their mission of finding the entrance to what was assumed to be the last floor.

"I'm sure Lady Sarah will be delighted with this." Said Viola who was really happy with their accomplishments.

"I can already hear the Guildmaster's laughter." Note's reply made all of them chuckle except one.

Odino has truly been marked as a happy uncle for them, yet Rizaul’s mind was elsewhere as he accidentally voiced out his thoughts,

"We should have gone deeper."

In truth, all of them wanted to, but unfortunately, they knew it wasn't worth the risk.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just thinking of that." Rizaul felt embarrassed by what he said. He was known to be insensitive but not to the point of being rude.

"Don’t worry about that Riz. Besides, Lady Sarah told us to leave the last floor to her." Andrew said calmly, reassuring the half-elf that he understood his sentiments.

The fog became thicker as the hours went by, and even more so when they had finally approached where they once entered. Upon leaving the dark dungeon they had been in for hours, the new sight of the vibrant trees and thick fog somewhat eased their senses.

Yet they were immediately alerted when they saw white hair and red eyes coming out from a bush.

It seemed the man was busy arguing with the talking owl sitting comfortably on his head, as both of them did not notice the entire group’s presence. Yet they all saw his trembling expression when Rizaul greeted him, accidentally surprising the pale young man in front of them.

"Young master Naell?"