Chapter 38: Aftermath
After the disappearance of the gate. Julius took a moment to rest as the adrenaline from the fight faded from his body. He recalled the skills trial mode had given him, the rush that came with them and the feeling of doing impossible.
It’s like a dream.
He also remembered the system’s messages. The effects of trial mode would hit him but he didn’t know how long that would take. He was already feeling small build ups of aches but nothing serious yet.
I have to get back to the city but Lumi is still unconscious and I can’t leave her here.
Julius turned his focus to the lycan. She had fallen asleep, mumbling she needed to rest for a moment. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed. There were various injuries and scratches on her skin and dirt all over her bandages and loincloth.
He couldn’t deny she was beautiful even with the scratches and bruises. Her body was athletic and she smelled good. She looked mostly human aside from the fur, ears and tail.
He had never been attracted to furries, Seeing one now made him understand why Vincent was always saying ’hear me out’ as he showed him images of various characters. An intrusive thought made him curious if he should yank her tail but he decided against it.
He recalled how the Lycan had fought. The energy she had displayed and how she was concerned about his well being. It was almost hard to believe it was the same woman he had met at the gym.
"Are you alright?" A voice brought him from his thoughts.
Yumiko was standing close to him. She hadn’t uttered a word since they came out from the gate. Julius noticed the little adjustments she made to stay away from Lumi.
"Yes I am. You?" Julius replied.
"Hungry. Tired."
Same here, Julius thought.
Then he recalled he had bought some food items from the market. They were inside the Draft which according to the system would be preserved as they were.
’It’s like a game inventory’
[The Draft is not some mere inventory. It is a pocket dimension that stores your items in a zero state.]
’Zero state?’
[This information is not available to you at this tier.]
’You really like using this excuse’
[...]
Julius turned to Yumiko who was staring. The nekari was the only one who had a vague idea what he was up to when he zoned out looking at the system.
"Can you cook?"
"A bit but..."
Her words were interrupted by approaching footsteps as Joan walked towards them. She had been tending to Xavier earlier.
Her gaze caught Julius, almost as if she was evaluating something before turning to Yumiko. "We need to talk." Then proceeded to walk away.
The nekari did not say anything else. She turned to Julius as if hesitant to leave him before following Joan at a steady pace. Julius was curious about the history between both of them but for now, he needed to rest. He was really hungry.
He opened the Draft, checking for the food items he had bought. He knew how to cook but some of the food items were foreign to him. Tyhull meat for instance looked like beef with a more blood red texture.
Yumiko said I could boil or roast it so it must be like regular beef. The only problem is I don’t recognize the spices.
What is giga-ched powder or thez nuts? he thought.
’Do you come with a cooking tutorial or something?’
[No. What do you think the quest is? Cooking with Iris?]
He noticed the rocks he had collected earlier from the cave as he ran to the gate were there too. He recalled the notification from earlier.
[Item Received: Voidstone (x3).]
He checked the Draft to confirm and saw they were three.
’There are only three of them. I thought the 10x multiplier applied to items I extracted?’
[Yes, it does, but not for items extracted from links]
’Links? You mean dungeons?’
[Yes. Dungeons or Links are the gateway between worlds.]
Julius turned his attention to the Voidstones and clicked to view their details.
[Item: Voidstone.]
[A black rock that floats when activated.]
Julius’s eyes widened at the information. He took out one of the rocks and held it open. The rock floated a few inches above his hand.
Cool. A certain number of possibilities came to his mind as the rock hovered above his palm. There was still a lot he didn’t know about the world. He had been summoned and left without a proper guide.
I might go back to the village and question those council members some more. There’s also my demon stalker.
A set of footsteps made him turn.
"Is that a Voidstone?" Xavier asked.
"Yes. You know about it?"
"Every adventurer knows about them. They are found in dungeons. They are hard to collect but their floating properties make them all the more amazing." Xavier answered.
Julius nodded then returned his attention back to watching the floating rock. He could see the elf at the edge of his vision fidgeting.
"Something on your mind?" Julius asked without looking.
There was a pause as the elf adjusted his glasses before speaking again. " I was wondering how you were doing, being your first dungeon and all."
"I’m doing fine, I think. Although I am surprised it turned out this way. Is it always like this?" Julius said
"No it’s not. This is the first time I’ve seen a boss swallow the anchor."
"Earlier you hinted you don’t think these gates just spawned monsters. What did you mean by that?" Julius asked.
"Well. I’m something of a scholar and I have theories of my own," the elf said, pausing for a moment before adding. " Would you like to hear them?"
Julius could see the gleam in the elf’s eyes as he asked the question. In some ways the elf reminded him of Vincent. If his brother was here, he was sure they’d get along.
"Of course, tell me your theories but before that, can you cook Tyhull meat? I’m starving." Julius asked.
Xavier rested his chin on his hand as he thought for a moment. "Yes I can but if you’d like, I have some food with me." The elf dug his hands into his satchel and brought a sandwich. He split it in two and handed one to Julius. The latter was hesitant for a moment before accepting it.
"Thank you," Julius said to which the elf nodded.
Xavier ate his sandwich, a smile creased his face with each bite he took. Julius looked at the sandwich in his hand. It was similar to the one in his world.
’Am I immune to poison?’
[No.]
Here goes nothing.
There was a slight crunch as he bit into the sandwich. The bread was toasted. Its hardness was a contrast to the cream in between the bread. Julius could taste other items like beef, eggs and a couple of other things but he couldn’t place.
For him who hadn’t eaten since morning, the satisfaction of eating came first. The taste was secondary. The sandwich felt like heaven to him.
Its so good.
He turned to the elf. "You were going to tell me about your theories?"
The elf sat near Julius, taking a bite before speaking. "Okay. I think the dungeons are like connectors between this world and another world like this one. Each Dungeon has two entrances, gates. The one we pass through from our side and the ones the monsters pass through on their side."
"Like the one Fenrir mentioned was under its stone throne?" Julius asked, taking a bite of his sandwich after.
Xavier’s eyes lit up as he answered. "Precisely but here is the thing. The dungeon is held by an anchor which acts like a tether that allows the dungeon to be stable. The boss can’t cross over to this side unless the anchor isn’t destroyed."
"And you guys destroyed the anchors but left the boss alive?"
Xavier lowered his head a bit. "The reason for that was because, allowing the boss to live gives a chance of having the dungeon spawn again with higher loot. The minions that come with it are stronger and give better materials and loot."
"Farming?" Julius asked to which the elf nodded.
Julius let the information sink in. "And you guys didn’t think by letting the boss live, it could grow stronger?"
"We did, we didn’t know it could eat the anchor and had a new ability of its own."
"The mist?" Julius asked.
"Yes. The last time we fought it, it didn’t have that."
By now both of them had finished their sandwiches and a moment of silence passed between them. Almost as if they were paying respects to what they had eaten.
"There is something that bothers me from all this." The elf said.
"Which is?"
Xavier turned to look at Julius. "You."
"Me?"
"Yes. I mean, what are you? I heard you were veshari but..."
"But?..." Julius asked, knowing fully well where the elf was going.
"But veshari can’t use magic and they aren’t that strong physically. Plus, the dungeon boss was convinced, you were human but that is not possible, is it?" The elf let the words hang for a moment but Julius didn’t give a reaction.
The elf’s green eyes peered into Julius as he found the resolve to ask what he wanted to know.
"Are you really veshari or half human?" Xavier asked.
A moment of silence passed between them as the elf watched for Julius’s reaction.
What a hassle.
—
Joan led Yumiko a short distance from where the gate had appeared, stopping near a large tree where others couldn’t hear. She leaned against the trunk, arms folded.
"So," Joan said. "It’s been a while, Yumiko."
Yumiko said nothing.
"Oh come on, don’t be like that. Is that how you greet an old friend?"
"We are not friends," Yumiko said.
"Ex-friends, former colleagues, whatever. That’s not why I wanted to talk to you," Joan said as she turned to look at Julius. "I noticed you have attached yourself to him like a lost kitten."
Joan gestured to him. "Where did you find him? What are his powers?"
"None of your business."
Joan smiled. "There’s no need to be all feisty. I am simply curious who your new boyfriend is."
"He’s not...."
"Then why are you so defensive around him when I’m near? Afraid he won’t look at you the same way when I’m done with him?" Joan said. "Does he know you were a petty thief who used to work for the black dogs?"
The nekari’s yellow eyes narrowed on Joan.
"I’ll take that as a no." Joan said.
"What do you want?" Yumiko asked.
"Nothing really, I simply felt it was time we caught up. And as for your friend, whatever he is. He pulled something in that dungeon I haven’t seen before. People noticed. Not just me, so stay safe."
Yumiko’s silence was enough for her.
Joan pushed off the tree, satisfied. "Don’t worry, kitten. I won’t ruin your fun. Too much"
She walked past Yumiko and headed back into the clearing.
