The day of the quest,
The throne room hummed with the measured buzz of conversations and the palpable anticipation that swelled the air.
The high ceilings echoed with the resonating murmurs and occasional nervous talk, its dark orange hues reflecting off the numerous crimson-tinted windows that painted the room in hues of the early morning sun.
The five Bloodborn Guards were standing in each corner as always.
Asher, Isola, Merina, and Ceti were standing here before Rowena, while Seron, Rebecca, and other officials and elders had also assembled here.
It was customary for them to bid farewell to the members of this House who were going to take such an important quest.
After all, if someone among them managed to become the victor, it could drastically influence the future of this House.
Silvan, the elegant stature of the young prince making its presence known, a stark contrast to his father, Seron, who exuded a more quiet and calm aura while pressing on his thick black mustache with his fingers.
The pair engaged in a low murmured discussion, their faces creased with what could be recognized as a mix of concern, solemnity and subtle eagerness.
Standing beside Silvan were two young lords and two young ladies from powerful Paramount Houses who were none other than his vassals.
Not too far from him stood a woman with long silver hair, voluptuous bosom and hour glass body. Rebecca silently stood with her back straight as an arrow, her gaze sharp as it darted towards Asher intermittently.
Though her face remained stoic, her eyes were glowing with a simmering light.
The people who happened to stand near her had shrunk their bodies to the maximum and avoided looking in her direction.
They very well knew how pissed the Princess Consort must be after not being able to send off her beloved son, Prince Oberon along with others.
They also knew how Prince Oberon had eagerly been waiting to take on this quest. Alas, the Devils had cursed his luck to take part in this quest.
On the other side of the room, the werewolf mother and son duo, Merina and Kookus, shared a tender moment, "Kookus, remember, don't roam around dangerous places and don't cause any trouble," Merina advised, her voice soft yet stern. She was worried since this was the first time she was going to leave him alone with no one to look after him.
"Ayoo, don't be sad. You don't have to worry about this dutiful son. Nobody would dare to bully the royal consort's confidant," Kookus responded a cheeky grin on his face while making sure his voice was just low enough to escape Asher's ears.
He then turned to Ceti, grabbing her hand in a quick, thankful squeeze, "I forgot…thanks for taking my place, sis. I appreciate your sacrifice," he said as he put up a solemn expression with pursed lips and glistening eyes.
Ceti rolled her eyes, her fist rising and causing Kookus to squeal and dart behind his mother. Lowering her hand, she sighed, her gaze trailing to Asher.
If not for him, she wouldn't have to be in his group when Silvan had already invited her to join his.
But she had no choice but to obey the queen's order, and on the bright side, she would at least get to keep an eye on her mother and protect her. Maybe she would have asked to be on his group exactly for this reason.
Letting her mother go alone, especially with this pervert consort, surely would have made her anxious.
Isola was still worried about Callisa, who was now still in the sea. She could only pray for everything to go smoothly.
Even if Callisa wasn't here, she knew Callisa would join them once the quest started since Callisa had already been marked as one of their members of the group. Apparently, Asher had named their group 'Damned Hunters'.
Asher felt someone's gaze lingering on him for a while and looked to the side to see Eradicator standing at her designated corner, giving him a subtle nod.
It was only just a nod, but he got the message that she was wishing him the best, which was something he wasn't expecting.
Finally, he broke the rising tension as he turned to face Rowena, "It's time," he whispered, "I'll be back before you know it."
Rowena's eyes, reflecting a mixture of melancholy and determination, bore into his. She nodded, her midnight black lips parting slightly, but no words followed.
Then, to the surprise of all those present, she strode forth with her gown billowing around her.
A gasp echoed in the room, followed by a hushed silence, as she leaned in, pressing a soft, warm kiss onto Asher's lips. The throne room became a tableau of wide-eyed nobles, the intimacy of their queen an unexpected spectacle in such a public setting.
They knew their queen was in love with her consort, but she never displayed any intimate action in public. This only made them realize how greatly worried she was.
Rebecca took a sharp breath, her eyes piercing.
Isola, who was standing behind Asher, looked away, a subtle tension to her otherwise unreadable expression.
Ceti wore a mix of pique and bewilderment. Her gaze hardened on Asher as if she still couldn't understand what kind of magic he pulled on the queen.
Merina, however, had a soft smile upon seeing this tender scene.
Their tender moment was abruptly cut off as a soft 'whoosh' echoed through the room as Asher, Ceti, Isola, Merina, Silvan, and the rest of his group vanished in a blink, leaving no trace behind.
Rowena stood there, the place where Asher stood moments ago now empty. A void seemed to expand in her chest, but she swallowed hard, steeling herself. Her eyes glimmered with anticipation and resolve, prepared to wait for the return of her love.
Barely a moment passed, and the five of them materialized from thin air, their feet touching the loamy soil of the ground almost simultaneously.
The atmosphere they arrived in was abruptly alien, a wild divergence from the royal throne hall of the Bloodburn Kingdom they just left.
The scenery seemed to be a stark paradox of eerie tranquility and impending danger.
A dense, otherworldly forest lay in front of them, dotted with dark luminescent flora that cast an ethereal glow in the morning light. The trees were thick and tall with a mix of violet and orange leaves.
The trees were towering, their roots gnarled and twisted, intertwining to form a labyrinth of natural archways.
Odd, glowing creatures fluttered around, their wings whispering secrets of this realm. A cool wind whistled through the bizarre fauna, creating an eerily harmonic chorus that echoed in the quietude.
The skies were blue, and the air was surprisingly cool and not harsh, unlike their demon realm, Zalthor.
Asher stood quietly, his gaze taking in their surroundings. His piercing dark yellow eyes were unreadable, though a sense of measured focus emanated from him as he said, "As expected, we are in an unknown dungeon created by the Angels and Devils. This has got to be the biggest one we might have ever seen. Maybe as big as our realm but more the dangers."
Asher knew Dungeons were nothing but special places created by the Angels and Devils for such quests, and these places existed in some unknown dimension or space.
Sometimes these Dungeons could be small enough to take place in a building-like structure or underground. Or sometimes, like now, they could seem big enough to make them feel as if they were standing inside an entire realm or a planet.
Isola, standing to his right, also surveyed their surroundings, her eyes shone with a spark of anticipation and fascination since this was her first time seeing such an expansive dungeon, "It might be, and fortunately, we don't need life crystals to survive here," she murmured, the soft-spoken yet firm command echoing Asher's sentiment.
Merina, despite the alien environment, displayed an air of serene calm. After taking part in so many quests with and without her Master, she had accustomed herself to dangers and honed her strength to that of a low-level Soul Reaper.
If it was 2 years ago, never in her life would she have dreamed of reaching this high, especially considering her circumstances.
She knew she would have never achieved this level of strength if not for her Master training her and telling her to keep taking quests whenever she could, even without him, since he was sometimes busy with his matters in the kingdom, including securing his status and power.
However, she was always awed by how her Master was so good at training her to the point she wasn't even worried about failing most of the quests.
This only made her feel even more respect for his Immortal Bloodline that instilled him with such skills. It surely was beyond her comprehension.
Ceti was calm, yet her gaze was restless, her wolfish dark blue eyes flitting from one point to another, taking in every potential danger. Her hands were clenched, and her ears picked up every rustle, every whisper of the strange wind.
In contrast, Callisa, seemed less concerned about the impending dangers and more curious about her new surroundings.
"Kooo…" She let out a soft mewl, her giant crab-like pincers opening and closing in a pattern that seemed almost...confused.
"Don't worry, big girl. We gotta lay low until…" Asher murmured but furrowed his brows upon realizing he couldn't take another step from where he was standing.
But he got distracted when suddenly, a bunch of messages popped up in his mind.
[ Welcome to the Quest for the Worthy ]
Asher's brows slightly furrowed as the sentence formed in his mind.
[ The quest will commence in 120 seconds ]
[ Deviar Shards is the currency you can use throughout the quest ]
[ You have gained 10 Deviar Shards ]
[ Main Objective: Forge 7 Deviar Crystals within a year to claim the Deviar. A Deviar Crystal can only be forged using a certain number of Deviar Shards. Regardless of you claiming the Deviar, the quest won't end until the timer runs out. The duration of the quest may vary according to circumstances. Survive till the end ]
'A year?' Asher didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. Surely, this was going to be the longest quest in his life. And surviving in the midst of so many dangers surely wasn't a walk in the park. It also seemed as if it may not necessarily end within 1 year.
He also didn't know how many Deviar Shards he would need to forge one of these Deviar Crystals, let alone 7 of them. It was strange they didn't mention that.
[ Killing a Hunter will cause them to drop Radem Shards, which can be transformed into twice the amount of Deviar Shards if collected by a Demon. The same applies to Hunters ]
Asher furrowed his brows as he contemplated this information. Surely, this was an extra incentive to make Hunters and Demons kill each other. But still, there would definitely be infighting among Hunters and Demons since even if they kill each other, they will drop the Shards.
Asher felt a slight pressure in his hands, and opening his palms, he found ten faintly glowing black shards.
They were almost triangular in shape, only that they seemed to harbor a strange energy that pulsed with his heartbeat.
[ Additional rules...]
The messages kept coming, explaining the rules of the dungeon, the existence of mini-quests and chests holding Pure Shards, which can turn into Deviar or Radem shards based on who collects them. And so on.
He could understand from this that there was going to be cut-throat competition for all this.
He could only imagine hundreds of thousands of Demons and Hunters in total, vying for the same thing.
To survive against all of them and the dangers within this dungeon for at least a year...There was no telling how this would end for them.
[ Any mana infused item will gradually turn useless or be rendered ineffective in this dungeon. Forge or make your own ]
This message sent a ripple of shock and concern across all their faces.
"Is that why my armor and weapon are losing their effectiveness?" Ceti mumbled with a look of disbelief as she noticed her armor and weapon losing shine and their stats dropping, though quite slowly.
"No…My Spatial Root isn't working…" Isola said with furrowed brows as she looked at her hand.
Asher narrowed his eyes as he knew a Spatial Root was quite important for any warrior, especially the stronger ones.
However, only the privileged ones get to possess such a useful item due to the efforts and resources involved in making one of them.
It was a special yet small tendril-like item that was usually merged with one's body, usually the hand allowing them to store items or potions. Most of them have it merged during their childhood itself.
"Tsk, now I can't even put away my armor or weapon," Ceti grumbled with a look of frustration.
Merina was glad she didn't put on her armor or take out her weapon. She also glanced at Callisa and felt relieved Callisa also didn't have her armor on. Or such a new and special armor could have gone to waste.
Still, she was worried and asked in a low voice, "Master, if we can't use any mana infused items…How are we supposed to get weapons or potions or any mana infused items? All the food and drinks we had stored cannot be taken out," Merina looked around at the alien surroundings, including the vegetation, and there was no telling if they were poisonous or not.
Without mana-rich foods or manadew, they would be unable to restore their MP and lose stamina. Within just days, they could die from hunger and thirst.
Without any knowledge of these lands, how can one safely eat or drink anything from here?
Isola nodded with a slight shake of her head in disbelief, "This is too strange. We are supposed to only depend on raw abilities?"
Asher's expression became contemplative as he couldn't really figure out the reason. But one good thing was that he wouldn't have to worry about the influential ones bringing in special treasures or items.
He wasn't worried about his weapon since he already checked, and his Ring of Damnation was surprisingly working as normal, making him yet again feel even more curious about its origins.
But what he was worried about was his Health Potions which he had stored in his Damned Dimension. If he took them out, they would be rendered useless.
The only option was to visit his Damned Dimension, but he could only do that 3 times a day which was too low if he had to juice up his ring every now and then, especially for a quest like this.
He took a deep breath as he realized why all the seniors back in the demon realm took this quest so seriously and why the difficulty of this quest was termed as "Nightmare".
However, even if he knew all this, things still wouldn't have changed much.
"Let's worry about all this on the way. The quest is going to start soon," Asher said with a serious look since he knew they can't simply stand around and think once the quest starts.
Isola and Merina sighed and nodded while Ceti shook her with a frustrated look.
As the final message faded from his mind, Asher took a deep breath, his dark yellow eyes shone with newfound understanding and a grim determination.
Each of them glanced at each other, the tension and grim determination glowing in their eyes. This was definitely the toughest quest they had ever taken in their lives, and the chances of surviving this, let alone completing this gloriously, weren't really looking that good.
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