Chương 39

When I came back, I was feeling a coldness spreading all over my body. Bryce, the SSS-rank archer, had apparently accepted not just the bounty from the System, but also one from the Sorvos Empire. It generated a feeling of disgust for her cowardice deep in my shoulders. Every time I thought about such behavior, in the few seconds where I returned and nobody was asking me questions yet, it felt like steel clamps were grabbing me by my collarbone and shaking me violently.

Time unfroze, and I picked up my Lance of the Hero from the ground, looking at the long glaive. Alice looked troubled.

"Could you guys see the broadcast?" I asked my team.

"Yeah," Alice replied in a low voice.

"Don't worry," I said.

"We still have to go back, and we'll explain, and we'll show them what that bastard elf didn't."

"I am not worried in that sense," Alice said, looking back at me.

"I made mistakes. What I've done is something I need to atone for. So tonight, I will try my best to, hmm, make up for my cowardice before, and I will also apologize to everybody. I did lie. I did hide the Heart of a Hero from you, and there should be consequences." I nodded slowly at Alice.

"Yeah, but as far as I go, it's all water under the bridge for me. Anything you've done to me, it's forgiven." Alice now gave me a little smile.

"I hope they will be as forgiving as you are. The Haven is going to fight a war, and I want to help," she added.

"But I'm afraid they will not take me back after."

"Let's hope they will," I said.

"And if they don't, it's a pleasure having you in my team, Alice."

"We saw it as well, Sir John," Queen Zosma said.

"Oh."

"The System told us we now belong with you. We have been freed from the dungeon."

"Oh," I said again, and I smiled.

"So you guys were, like — sorry, I'm really not sure how any of this worked — you guys were turned into animals during the day, and during the night you would get back your normal form. But where did you guys come from? I thought the dungeon just sort of created you."

"The dungeon cannot create," Queen Zosma replied.

"It can only take. Our own planet failed early on, because it was invaded. Mercy was offered, and for us, a chance at redemption. Some took it — like us, like our tribe."

"Fuck," I said, flinching.

"Jesus Christ, that's terrible. I'm sorry."

"At the very least, you recognize the horrors that can come from the dungeon, Sir John," Queen Zosma said in a lowered voice. Many of her subjects lowered their heads. So I frowned.

"Wait, does the same go for the gnolls? Why are they so aggressive? Were you guys the same?"

"Not all people are made equal, Sir John. If you had met my people in the dungeon, we wouldn't have attacked you like the gnolls. We used to give quests, in fact. The dungeon loves these kinds of storylines. And the System will make some of its best streams from it."

"But why are the gnolls different?"

"Gnolls are very bloodthirsty, and they eat any humanoid creatures they can kill. They're also cannibals."

"Oh. That's not good." I cringed.

"How— so now you guys can just participate in the dungeon, or—""We are now considered your allies."

"Oh," I nodded.

"That's nice. I'm glad."

"Sir John, there is no need for your shy modesty," King Pussycat said, strutting in front of his wife.

"You are our liberator. You gave us freedom. You are a hero."

"Um, I guess," I said.

"Hero is a bit, uh—" My voice trailed off.

"Hero is right," Lucas commented.

"John, you have done a lot in these four days. You are a hero, so shut up."

"All right." I laughed.

"Kind of feels good to be called that. So, we should get moving. We need to reach the nearest Haven, get our rewards, and try and find the fastest way to outfit everybody." We started making our way toward the Haven. But then, not long after we departed, I stopped the entire column that had formed. And I called King Pussycat and Queen Zosma ahead. They seemed to know more about the tutorial than any of us. And without Bluemont, they were our best way to analyze what was happening.

In the distance, I could see gnolls.

"Why are there gnolls?" I muttered. The sun had just risen. We had rested a little and then departed. And with dawn coming along, the monsters should have reverted back.

"On the last day of many tutorials, they remain what they truly are," Queen Zosma commented.

"Holy," I muttered. But then I thought, huh. I looked at our levels. And I said, "Um, Queen Zosma, King—" I stopped myself before looking at the giant lion.

"Regulus. Uh, let's see if I can have you join the team." I fiddled with my tab, and it said: You have invited Queen Zosma and King Pussycat to your team. You have filled all the available slots for now. You will need more rewards if you want to increase your party size beyond eight.

"Interesting," I muttered again. I could see their names and their levels. Both were level one after I had stabbed them right in their cores. I was still not fully sure what had happened. Nor were they. Nobody really had an explanation. But the Sphere of Intuition had driven me to do that. And I was starting to trust my intuition more and more. I realized that shutting down my brain and trusting the more instinctive part of me resulted in a much, much better outcome.

When I overthought stuff, I would always end up picking something I didn't really even want to do. But looking at my co-workers, I was glad I took my job. Our team, despite being a little unconventional in our personalities, was a great team. I looked at the two gnolls, and Lucas asked, "Are you going to blow them up or what?"

"Um—" It wasn't just attributes that made one stronger. I had noticed that even leveling up — or, in some cases like Marcus's, even just staying in the tutorial — had completely changed us.

"Do you mind if I—" I raised the glaive. Lucas smiled and said, "Of course not. Go ahead, dude." I looked at the two gnolls and I said, "All right. Uh, if I die like this, I'm gonna look really fucking stupid. But this sounds like a lot of fun." I broke into a sprint, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I could, and I was surprised by the speed I was reaching. I had run in high school and then college.

Never really that good, but I had a very good sense of how fast I was going, and I would be running at twice the speed of the world champion at this point. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The gnolls still saw me coming. One of them had a spear, and the other one had a longbow. They raised their weapons at me. The spear flew first, with so much power behind it. But a smirk came upon my face as I closed my eyes, and I was enveloped in a world of sensations.

The Sphere of Intuition's range had grown. I still had to check all the levels, but I could feel it had expanded. And as soon as the spear entered it, it was like time was slowing down. I could hear the wind tearing apart as the blade of the spear — its jagged, pointy end — flew toward me. I could feel the slight vibration of the wooden haft, like a small bell resounding. And then it got so close I could even smell it. It smelled of wet dog, but also of burned metal and hardwood.

Without even thinking, my body shifted to the side in a fluid motion. It felt like I was moving underwater, from how weightless my body felt. Then came the arrow. This one was so fast, and directed right at my head, but I just moved my neck and turned to see it whiz past in front of me, with the fletching tickling my nose. Then I turned toward the gnolls, both of them looking stunned at me, and now also afraid.

The one who wielded the spear scrambled to get another one to throw at me, and the archer had already nocked another arrow. But now I was upon them. They emitted one of those laughing-like screams as both took out daggers from their belts. But compared to the arrow and the spear, it felt like they were stuck in mud. They were so slow, and the Lance of the Hero felt so light in my hand. I could envision my feet moving on the soft ground.

And as I stepped between the two, I put the lance through the archer's throat, with blood raining on my blade and my hands as I killed the creature. Then, as the second jumped and was about to stab me in the back, I simply pushed back the pommel on the other side of the spear and crushed the ribs of the second gnoll, feeling the cracks through the haft of the Lance of the Hero reaching my knuckles. I then slashed at its throat and killed the second gnoll.

I stopped moving, but I still had the Sphere of Intuition on. I could only hear my breath and blood flowing to the ground. My breathing was deep, but it wasn't really hurried. I listened to it for a few more moments, and then I reopened my eyes, going back to my original sight, and waved at my friends.

"Guys, these weapons are decent. Let's strip these bodies!" The bodies dissolved as I stripped them of clothing and the loot. The clothing was kinda rank. It smelled, but it was sturdy pelts. I didn't wanna know where these pelts came from, since Queen Zosma had said that the gnolls were also cannibals. Ugh. I got the gnoll spears, a longbow which was nicked in its lower limb, a quiver of black-fletched arrows, some teeth, some pelts. I accepted all of it and put it down on the grass for Queen Zosma and King…

I took a deep breath and I said, "Okay. King Regulus."

"Yes, Sir John?" the giant lion said.

"Why are you afraid of pronouncing the name you gave me?"

"I think, you know, it was enough. We got your people back. It's fine. Regulus — can I just call you Regulus, still, without the king thing? And could you just call me John? Please, that's the only thing I ask of you." That pained the lion a little, but he nodded.

"All right, John."

"Okay. Get the weapons, whoever can use them, and let's move forward. We're not leaving anything behind." So, on the last day of the tutorial, apparently, the gnolls were just about everywhere. Every five minutes, we were meeting another patrol of gnolls. It wasn't long till both Zosma and Regulus reached level eight, since the gnolls were around level twelve and thirteen. Zosma stretched her body and said, "I went back to level one, but my skills are all still at the level they should have been.

I doubt I will be able to make it back to level 25 before tonight, though. It takes time for the body to grow accustomed to all the new levels and attributes. And even though mine was already strong before, whatever you did to me did reset my attributes and made me weaker, John," Zosma said as we took a break. Apparently, the closest Haven was still pretty far.

"Yeah, I'm still not sure exactly what I've done. It felt like you had a core in your belly."

"I don't know," Zosma muttered. We killed dozens of gnolls before reaching a small Haven. We had outfitted a few dozen of the cat men and women, and they had even participated in the skirmishes against the gnolls, proving to be much stronger than the gnolls themselves. So, as we were about to cross the palisade, I asked, "Are they actually 300?" I pointed at their subjects while talking to Regulus.

"Yes, John." He was clearly struggling not to address me by the title he had given me.

"300? Like, 300, 300? Like, round?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I think the System… You know what? It's nothing. It's just, uh, there was this battle a long time ago on my planet where 300 people held off a giant army and kinda became legendary."

"Ooh. And did they vanquish the army?"

"No, they all died," I said with a frown, "so let's hope that's not what the System's going for, and it's just, like, a casual reference." As I crossed the threshold of the Haven, I really hoped that the System did not think I was King Leonidas and that I just wanted to sacrifice myself and die. I wanted to fight, and I wanted to win. I saw some smoke coming from a large building — the inn — and we all entered, one after another. The tribe we had brought with us immediately went after food and drinks.

And Bluemont, seeing all the people we had brought, was wide-eyed.

"You managed to save the entire tribe, kid," he said, looking at me proudly. I sniffed, because I noticed something. And I looked and I squinted at the man.

"You're not drunk."

"I was busy gathering information," Bluemont said.

"You've seen the broadcast, right? And, well, you have revealed the identity of your nemesis."

"Bryce," I said as the team and I took a seat, including Zosma and Regulus.

"Yes. That woman is extremely powerful, John. I was gathering information on them, since it appears that sponsorships arrived earlier than they should have. The Sorvos Empire is investing an amount of resources that's never been heard of before. You know, I cannot comment on the general broadcast or tell you too much. But I experimented a little. And I found out that I can apparently tell you a lot about the Sorvos Empire, which is probably because it's related to the upcoming war and the betrayal of your kin.

I cannot comment on the host, though."

"You seem very aware of what's happening." I noticed Bluemont's skin starting to get red, and I said, "Yeah, don't worry. I got that. I actually have— well, let's just move on, and I'll take care of that."

"All right," Bluemont nodded. Athels entered suddenly and brought us all steaming plates of rice and curry. Everybody started eating ravenously. These had been such stressful expeditions that we had all forgotten to eat. Marcus had to excuse himself after his third refill to go to the bathroom. And Bluemont, after we had our fill, started saying, "The big problem is that they will have undead with them, John. Bryce has not turned herself or the others into monsters, but they have accepted reinforcements.

They will outnumber you significantly. The reason the System gave you the opportunity to get the tribe is because you need it. They will come with a display of force that will intimidate you. It will be legions under the walls."

"Ah, that sucks. But—" Bluemont interrupted me.

"You had reinforcements come."

"Oh?"

"The man that was on the broadcast with you joined the Haven and brought very high-level warriors, and he is organizing the defenses as we speak. I was just in the Holy City before you came to this Haven. I am left behind at whatever Haven you previously visited until you visit the next."

"Wait, Langdon is there?"

"Yes. And he found me." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh."

"He passed on messages for you."

"Of course he did. That's a very smart way to communicate with someone."

"That man looks like a smart and dangerous person. You should be happy he's on your side."

"So, what did he say?"

"Langdon wants me to tell you that he's taking care of the defenses, and that he's already breaking down how the—" Bluemont stopped himself.

"—how the broadcast is all fake and a bunch of bullshit." He nodded briefly, before his skin could start smoking, and then he said, "He's been killing gnolls by the hundreds. I also have a detailed breakdown of all the undead that are available on this floor to the Sorvos Empire, and I have already given a copy to Langdon."

"Holy. How did you get that?"

"I told you, I was gathering information. What worries me, John, is that something's happening among the undead. The army they gave Bryce is one of their pawns, and the army that you killed at the dungeon was supposed to be another pawn. But there is a larger power influencing the dungeon. I think that their god is trying to meddle directly. I don't know exactly what is happening, but they are moving."

"I— What do you mean, moving? I mean, they already have an army." Bluemont shook his head.

"They are trying to evolve some of the undead beyond what the first floor of the dungeon would allow. That is my best guess."

"Okay."

"John, if that happens—" He looked at me.

"If an evolved undead above level twenty-five was to appear in front of you, by any means, run. It would mean the city is lost."

"Why? Can't we just fight?"

"John, the difference every twenty-five levels is huge. If there is a boss above level twenty-five, it means it would have already reached its first class evolution. You guys were supposed to reach the floor around level ten. At level twenty-five — which usually most people would reach on the third floor — your class evolves. But that goes for anybody. And once your class evolves, the attribute jump is enormous. The skills usually all rank up. All of them.

No matter the rank — even the S-rank skills often reach double S. That's how powerful a class evolution is." My eyes went wide.

"That is also why the undead really want either all of the SSS rankers dead or on their side."

"That makes sense," I muttered.

"Now, go open your chests and check your rewards and everything. We'll reconvene in an hour. Sorry, but none of you is getting any sleep today. You'll have to pray for the Haven's blessing once you get there to fight." I nodded. Then I turned to the others, and we all went to private huts to open our chests. As soon as I looked into the list of notifications, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. My ears were going off like the Fourth of July.