Chapter 16: Death Zone
Leonard’s hair was flung to the side, complete darkness surrounding him in every direction, plunging deeper into the abyss.
"Well... that went poorly." He remarked.
Perhaps because he had no way to break his fall, leaving things to fate allowed him to remain unnaturally calm.
Even Joker wouldn’t be able to meaningfully help him, even if summoned at the perfect moment.
"Do you happen to possess a flight skill or something of a similar nature?" He glanced hopefully at the wounded girl resting in his arms.
No answer came. She was either too scared or already at death’s door to reply.
Heaving a deep sigh, Leonard remained silent.
A moment later, he struck the ground below.
Blinking slowly, he looked around, a shallow puddle of clear water spread over a wide area.
Fortunately, the fall hadn’t been fatal, and even more surprisingly, his shoulder no longer throbbed with pain... he was healed.
[You have entered a restoration chamber. All sustained injuries have been restored.]
[You have fallen into a Death Zone. All gained experience and Evolution Points would be doubled from now on.]
"I survived." Leonard chuckled softly. The dungeon had ensured that whoever was daring enough to jump downward would survive the fall.
"Uh..." A groan drew his attention.
Lifting his head, he gazed at Arabella, who had fallen right on top of him, her hood having been lifted by the wind of the descent.
Her long, silky green hair trailed over him like a waterfall while her emerald eyes studied her recovered body in silent confusion. Admittedly, her face was stunningly beautiful, but what drew the most attention and admiration were her pointy ears.
"So that’s why you were so light when I carried you..." Leonard realized. "I’ve often heard that elves are much lighter than humans."
"..."
Freezing momentarily on the spot, Arabella slowly lifted her head until she made eye contact with Leonard, who continued to lie casually.
Before either of them could speak, a not-so-heroic scream erupted from the heavens above.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Descending like a fired cannonball, Winston hit the ground, and his chubby frame sent a violent splash of water surging through the water in the form of a mini tsunami.
"Am I alive?... I am alive!" He screamed in pure joy before remembering why he had come here and hastily rose to his feet.
"Leonard! Where are—"
Pausing mid-sentence, Winston noticed he was being stared at.
Looking forward, he saw Leonard lying on the ground and a beautiful elf, likely Arabella, resting atop him.
"Forgive me, I didn’t mean to interrupt." Winston’s voice turned weirdly composed as he looked the other way.
His words were what finally triggered Arabella to move, hurriedly dashing backward and pulling her hood back on.
"Winston?! What are you doing down here?" Leonard asked. "Don’t tell me Martin pushed you off too!"
"No, he didn’t." Winston shook his head, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I chose to follow after you."
"But... Why? You weren’t under any obligation to do so." Leonard was genuinely puzzled.
A large grin spread over Winston’s face. "Because... I believed it was the right thing to do."
Leonard was unsure how to respond. He had guessed that Martin had a hidden agenda, and being pushed off had ultimately been his own fault.
Yet Winston jumping down after him had been completely unprecedented. Rather than behaving like strangers who had known each other for only a few hours, Winston had shown the loyalty of a sworn brother.
Before Leonard could express any amount of gratitude, Winston spoke first.
"Don’t mention it." He said, using the same words Leonard had once used when he rescued him from those who had bullied him at the dungeon’s entrance.
Tactfully changing the topic, Winston cleared his throat and shifted his gaze toward Arabella.
"You were an elf all along?!"
She trembled slightly but remained still, her hands clutching the hood over her head tightly.
"Hiding is redundant... We already saw your face. Considering we are in a death zone, we need to be transparent with each other if we want to survive." Leonard reminded her, hoping to ease her worries.
Arabella hesitated for a few seconds. In the end, she complied and lifted off her hood, revealing the face beneath.
"Sadly, you are completely right. You were never meant to see me, yet you did." She exhaled deeply with regret.
Then she bowed slightly.
"Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that you saved my life. An elf never forgets a debt... sincerely, thank you."
Leonard’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Can you tell us what an elf is doing in a human-owned dungeon?"
"I was conducting an investigation on my own. My teammates weren’t part of my kin." Arabella replied. "I can’t elaborate further. I hope you understand."
He didn’t try to pry. Everybody had things they didn’t want to share, he included.
"Rank of Bloodline and Level?" He changed the subject.
"Legendary Bloodline, Level 9, proficient in bow combat."
"L—Legendary?" Winston almost staggered backward. "We might actually have a chance of surviving the death zone after all!"
Leonard was similarly impressed. "My record shows Common Bloodline just recently hit Level 3. He is Rare Bloodline, Level 6."
Arabella’s eyelid twitched, finding a particular detail intriguing. However, since Leonard had respected her wish not to probe into her reason for being here, she chose not to either.
Getting their bearings under control, the party of three ventured into the only visible path. A large open gate revealed a passage leading to an unknown destination.
Fortunately, Leonard’s loot was still with him. His only goal was to escape the dungeon’s depths alive... settling the debts he had with Martin, Daniel, and likely the entire Royal Trade corporation would come at a later date.
The passage that awaited them was horrifying. The stone tablets that once covered the walls were gone, replaced with human skulls, and the ground was littered with the remains of countless awakeners who had the misfortune of falling from the Bridge of Death.
"Truly haunted catacombs..." Leonard murmured, carefully avoiding snapping any bones beneath his steps.
Winston had an extra difficult time remaining sneaky, while Arabella found it effortless, her light figure moving with defined grace.
The party’s advance was forcibly halted by an overwhelming presence that obscured their path.
[You have encountered a Rare Mini-Boss exclusive to the Death Zone!]
[Level 12 Skeleton Knight.]
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