My howl echoed across the floor, in the same manner that of the kobolds had howled. While they had howled in defeat and danger, I howled in victory, relishing in it.
The sound reverberated off the dungeon walls, a primal cry that seemed to come from somewhere deep within me. For a moment, I stood there in the aftermath of the battle, surrounded by the ashen remains of my enemies and the glimmering magic stones they'd left behind. My whole body was shaking, whether from exhaustion, adrenaline, or the sheer euphoria of what I'd just experienced, I couldn't tell.
Blood dripped from my wounds onto the stone floor, each drop creating small crimson pools that seemed to glow in the dim phosphorescent light of the dungeon. The stone axe was still embedded in my ribs, sending waves of pain through my torso with every breath, but somehow that only added to the intoxicating sensation flooding my system.
Though the relish was cut short and it wasn't because of the hollowness that would soon fill me.
No it was someone's voice that cut it off.
"So are you sociopathic, or just masochistic."
I cocked my head to the side, staring at Raza. She was leaning against the dungeon wall with her arms crossed, looking at me with a mixture of concern and morbid fascination. The bags under her eyes seemed even more pronounced now, and I could see she was fighting to stay awake.
"Oh right you're a kid, you probably don't know what masochistic is."
"I'm not masochistic," I replied, wiping blood from my cheek with the back of my hand. The motion sent fresh pain through my wounded shoulder, and I had to suppress the involuntary smile that wanted to spread across my face.
"Oh so you do know what it means. Also is that an admittance of the former?"
I shook my head, though I wasn't entirely sure that was honest. The line between enjoying combat and enjoying pain was becoming increasingly blurred in my mind. Did it matter?
It didn't to me.
She walked over to me. Opening up her pouch, she rummaged around for a moment before producing a vial filled with swirling blue and red liquid.
"Drink it."
I took the potion without question, uncorking it and downing the contents in one gulp. The taste was even worse than the regular healing potion, like liquid metal mixed with something that might have once been fruit. But the effects were immediate and dramatic.
I felt my mind surge, the fog of near mind-down lifting like morning mist. Simultaneously, my injuries began healing at an incredible rate. The stone axe worked itself out of my ribs with a wet sucking sound, clattering to the floor as the wounds sealed themselves. The gashes across my face closed, leaving only faint pink lines that would probably disappear within the hour. Even my torn muscles knitted themselves back together, the pain fading to a dull ache.
"What was it?" I asked after downing the last drop, feeling more alert and physically capable than I had in hours.
"High Dual Potion."
"Dual Potion?"
"It restores mind and heals most wounds, can't bring back lost limbs though only elixirs can do that and those cost a pretty penny so try not to lose an arm, or a leg." She paused, giving me a pointed look. "Actually the worst and most easy thing to lose are eyes. Even a strong punch to the face can send your eye flying out of your face, they are also easy to stab through and if you can't see you're deader than a sheep in front of a wolf."
I nodded, filing away the information. Losing an eye would definitely put a damper on my dungeon crawling activities, and more importantly, it would limit my ability to experience combat in all its visceral glory.
"And talking about wolves. Howling really?" Her tone carried a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"I enjoy it," I replied, a smile forming on my face as I remembered the fight. The memory of standing over my defeated enemies, blood dripping from my wounds, howling in triumph, sent a pleasant shiver down my spine.
"So what you're gonna keep howling in your fights? Maybe that will be your title when you reach level 2. The howling mage," she looked at my naginata, which was still coated in slowly congealing blood. "Actually the howling sociopath fits you better."
The suggestion didn't bother me. Though it did feel a little odd as a title.
She inspected my tattered clothes with a critical eye. My white hoodie was now more red than white, with multiple tears and holes that exposed the unmarked skin beneath. The fabric hung in strips in several places, and there were burn marks where my own black flames had gotten a bit too close.
"We may have to buy you some new clothes, cause I'm guessing the ones given by the Ganesha family aren't to your liking, since you've been wearing the same pair for the last two days. But I'm not buying those, use your own damn cash, so go pick up the drops.".
"My cash? I thought you said, you were keeping it as payment for the weapons."
Her expression shifted as she replied.
"I've decided to change my mind, now run off to collect, I've seen four kobold claws, so you got pretty lucky this time around."
I did as told, moving methodically through the battlefield to collect the magic stones and drop items scattered across the blood-soaked floor. The shards shimmered slightly with a faint inner light, along with several sets of the kobolds drop, their claws.
As I worked, Great Sage's voice resounded in my head, it seemed it had finished converting excelia to falna.
[Status:
Strength: I (24) → I (65)
Endurance: I (18) → I (72)
Dexterity: I (13) → I (59)
Agility: I (21)→ I (58)
Magic: I(38) → H (104)]
'That's an insane jump!'
The numbers were staggering. In a single fight, I'd gained more stats than most adventurers probably gained in weeks. My Magic stat had even broken into H rank, which meant I was approaching the level of capability that would normally take months of steady progression.
[Affirmative as this is one of the first times you have done this, the stats you have received are exponential, the rate of excelia will slow if you do this as it will be a more normal achievement, the more you do it.]
'So I need to keep upping the scale, in the lower floors at least. Do you have any other ideas Great Sage.'
[Given time, you can artificially raise monster levels through continuous battle for example the Minotaur, Bell Cranel fought. There are also times when a monster mutates on it's own to a stronger version of it, like the Black Goliath. There is also a third possibility calculated.]
'Which is?'
[By feeding magic shards to monsters you can artificially raise their levels, just like putting said monsters through continuous battle. However more data needs to be gathered for this to be confirmed.]
I picked up the last shard from the ground looking at it, it almost glimmered in the dim light of the floor.
These things could maybe raise monsters levels, huh. I guess that would need experimentation. The thought of facing enhanced monsters, creatures pushed beyond their natural limits, sent a thrill of anticipation through me. The danger would be exponentially greater, but so would the reward, both in terms of stat growth and pure adrenaline.
I looked back at Raza, who was staring at me intently, the bags under her eyes still as large as before the fight. She seemed to be studying my movements, perhaps trying to figure out what made me tick. Good luck with that, I thought to myself. I wasn't entirely sure I understood my own motivations beyond the simple desire to feel something, anything.
I was walking toward her to hand her the last shard, when I suddenly heard the sound of footsteps, a group, moving fast, much, much faster than I could move even at my best (not that that was hard at the moment).
The sound echoed through the dungeon corridors, a rhythmic and yet uneven sound..
The people who the steps belonged to, ran in front of us, a group of four women, well women was a bit much, they were teenagers.
One had green eyes and red hair tied back in a practical ponytail, she wielded a rapier which she kept at her waist in a well-worn scabbard.
Another had sleek black hair and dark eyes, wearing a kimono that somehow managed to look both elegant and practical for combat. A katana rode at her side.
The third had medium length pink hair and matching pink eyes that seemed to sparkle with enthusiasm. She looked somewhat younger than the others, although she was still older than me.
And a blonde elf with piercing blue eyes and a green cloak that fluttered behind her as she ran. There was something ethereal about her movement, as if she were barely touching the ground as she moved.
[Level 3]
[Level 3]
[Level 2]
[Level 3]
The status information appeared in my mind automatically, and I was impressed despite myself. This was a strong party, the kind that could handle deep floor expeditions without too much trouble. They were probably around the same level as some of the stronger members of the Ganesha familia.
I met their eyes as they ran past us, and several of them waved at Raza, seemingly familiar with her. The gesture was casual and friendly, suggesting these groups had worked together before or at least knew each other well enough for such informal greetings.
But the last girl looked familiar, something about her features triggering a memory from my knowledge of this world.
'Hey Great Sage was that-'
[Affirmative, that was Ryuu Lion, all of them seem to have reached their levels, a month ago]
So that was Ryuu Lion, the future survivor of the Astraea familia's destruction. She looked pretty different to her anime counterpart for one her hair didn't have the green tint, for second she looked pretty happy.
I walked to Raza's side handing her the last shard, which she put in her pouch with the rest of our haul, well my haul but I digress.
"Who were they?" I asked, though I mostly knew the answer. I was curious to hear Raza's perspective on them, and whether there were any details about their current situation that my meta-knowledge might have missed.
Raza confirmed my suspicions, though she provided more context than I'd expected.
"They belong to the Astraea familia, talented girls those ones. Alise Lovell, the red headed one is especially good, they say she'll likely reach level 5 within the next few years if she keeps up her current pace." There was genuine respect in her voice as she spoke about them. "They were probably racing past cause they are diving for the next few days and Goliath is respawning today in the afternoon and they don't want to get caught up by it."
"Hmm."
Raza looked at me, a grin forming on her tired face.
"What you interested in them?"
I looked back at her, somewhat bewildered though I knew that didn't really show.
"Not really no, call it mild curiosity."
A/N: Send those stone ladies and gents, it's really appreciated. Also if we reach 300 I'll drop an extra chap