Chapter 76: Julius' Skill

Zach didn't know if Jigak had heard about his awful sense of direction or not, but the torches clearly marked the path they should use to find Dukiel and Julius, even when there were other paths available. He appreciated it.

Since Dukiel wasn't with them, it could have taken Zach and Yanael ages to find their way around and out of the place. It would take at least thrice as long if they had to find the others along the way as well.

Fortunately, they only had to walk for an hour before coming across what looked like an empty storage room. The door was closed, but it wasn't locked, so Zach had Yanael carefully open it.

They still didn't trust Jigak's words.

However, the only thing they found on the other side was a due of a a master and a familiar. Dukiel and the Sentinel. Dukiel was curled up in a corner. The Sentinel seemed to be glowing as it floated in front of Dukiel.

"Dukiel?"

"Z-zach?" Dukiel hesitantly lifted his hand and looked in the direction of Zach's voice with tearful eyes and an unsteady voice.

"Zach!" Dukiel cried out, his eyes trembling and on the verge of having a dam break. He hurriedly got to his feet and charged at Zach.

Zach opened his arms and braced for a hug.

He didn't get a hug.

Dukiel dropkicked him out of the room.

"You bastard! You said everything would be fine! You said we wouldn't get separated! Shitty stick-licker!" Dukiel angrily threw insults at Zach as he got up from the floor again. The dropkick had kicked Zach out of the room and dropped Dukiel on the floor.

"That's—" Zach had to stop talking. The kick had knocked the air out of his lungs. He had to focus on breathing first.

"That's not my fault, you fucker! I'm not the one who got swiped like a child!" Zach was about to charge Dukiel and wrestle him to the ground when Yanael grabbed his shoulder and held him back.

The Sentinel also flew in front of Dukiel and stopped him from attacking Zach again. Once was enough. Although the immediate danger had passed, they were still in enemy territory.

Dukiel sighed and wiped his tears.

"Sorry, Zach. I just…"

"Don't mention it. Things didn't go exactly as planned."

"No shit."

"So, have you explored anything or did you curl up in a ball and stay like that ever since you dropped in?"

"I was locked in here the whole time?"

"You were? Cause the door wasn't locked?"

"...It wasn't?"

"Nope."

"Huh."

"Wait…You didn't even try opening the door?"

Dukiel shrugged.

"I had other things on my mind. And Sentinel found something to eat, so I didn't bother trying to leave."

"All I'm hearing is excuses."

"What about you, then? Is that blood on your leg a fashion statement or are you actually injured?"

"I was injured. Me and my familiar got tossed into, you're not going to believe this, a training room. The floor was spikes as tall as a person and the walls were filled with arrow traps that shot a neverending rain of arrows."

"That sounds more like a death room than a training room."

"That's what I'm saying! But she didn't have any trouble with it, so it's probably a training room for beings who don't use their legs as arrow catchers."

Dukiel frowned at Zach's nonchalant attitude and flawless walk.

"...You caught an arrow with that leg?"

Zach nodded.

"Why…?"

"It obviously wasn't intentional. It slipped through the barrier."

"No, I meant, why are you fine? Where's the arrow? Where's the wound?"

"Oh. I yanked out the arrow and almost bled to death. Then, a Named underworlder came and gave me magic cake that healed my wound."

"What the fuck, Zach. That doesn't even make sense."

"That's what I'm saying!"

Dukiel just shrugged and gave up. Since Zach wasn't going to tell the truth when he asked, he wasn't going to insist.

With the second third of their group picked up, the only part that remained was Julius and the Corrupted Mannequin. Fortunately, they weren't far down the same hallway.

Zach and Dukiel soon stood in front of a thick metal door marked with two additional torches. unlike the door to Dukiel's room, this one actually looked like it was made to contain someone or something.

They looked at each other before taking a step back and letting the two familiars take the lead.

Fortunately, Jigak hadn't led them down a trap. The only things inside the room were Julius, the Mannequin, and rows of glass canisters filled with a tar-like liquid.

Even without getting closer, Zach could tell it was liquid underworld energy similar to the one they had come in contact with back in the Giupusta Locale.

That wasn't why Zach and Dukiel stood still at the entrance, though. They weren't entering the room because they were too busy staring dumbfoundedly at Julius dipping a brush in an open canister and then applying a quickly fading coat onto the Mannequin.

He did it with such focus, and the Mannequin was so still that it looked creepy.

"Uh…Julius?" Dukiel hesitantly spoke up to grab Julius' attention.

Julius' eyebrows rose and he turned around to look at the door.

"Oh! Guys! You're here!" He greeted them with a wave of his brush, splattering a few oozing drops on the floor. He dipped the brush in the canister and continued applying another coat of underworld energy onto his Mannequin.

Zach and Dukiel nervously exchanged looks. That was the same underworld energy that turned Julius into an angry brat, right?

"Julius, aren't you worried?"

"'Bout what?"

"The underworld energy?"

"Nope." Julius shook his head.

"Last time, Manny didn't absorb it properly. That's why it affected me. This time, I'm using my skill to make sure he gets all of it and gets it proper." Julius explained without looking away from his Mannequin.

"Your skill?"

"Your Mannequin has a name?"

Dukiel and Zach focused on two different things. Neither made Julius look up.

"Yes, my skill, and no, that's just what I call 'im. As for what my skill is…Basically, I can strengthen Manny by applying things like wood oil, polish, and various things like that."

"And it works with underworld energy?" Dukiel asked doubtfully.

Julius shrugged.

"It probably wouldn't have worked if Manny hadn't already changed after being injected with it. But now, it's the best thing to strengthen him with." S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Zach and Dukiel looked at each other again.

"'Neat.'"