Chương 79: Chapter 76-Chosen Dungeon

Within a blink, I find myself in an awkward situation. Penelope is leaning against the wall with a deadpan stare. Hopper, the person being stared at, is currently prostrating himself.

"So, how's it going, guys?" I ask as I take in the scenery. Scratching my horn, I look around to find more Dungeon walls. Seems that we're on the next floor, or at least I think that's where we're at. Penelope looks over at me with a deadpan expression.

"Oh, just fine. Glad to see you made it past Dolion," she says, completely sidestepping the topic I was hoping to get more information on. One of Hopper's ears perks up as we talk.

"Of course I did. I'm The Chosen One after all," I [Lie].

"Hmm. Speaking of-""Why's Hopper on the ground?" I ask, cutting her off. Penelope looks annoyed at my interruption.

"I have no idea. Why don't you ask him? He's the one who suddenly got on the ground." The murderous aura radiating off of Penelope almost answers my question.

"Hey, Hopper, whatcha doing on the ground?"

"I'm showing how truly sorry I am that I may have fueled the early rumors that the two of you are courting," Hopper explains while his head presses against the floor.

"Did she make you do this?" I ask.

"No. I… I just… kind of assumed that's how you apologized to royalty." Looking over at Penelope, I see a slight hint of discomfort.

"I don't know how you apologize to royalty, but I bet you know how to apologize to a friend. Come on, bud, get your head up," I say as I help him up. Hopper slowly gets off the ground with his bunny ears all floppy.

"Um, Princess, I'm sorry that I was responsible for the whole courting rumor," he says, avoiding her gaze. Penelope sighs.

"I don't accept your apology." I look over with genuine confusion. This seems unlike her. What is she doing? Is she actually really angry about what happened? It's not like dating me is such a bad thing. I'm handsome, charming, and dare I say, kind to a fault. In fact, she'd be lucky to date me. Yeah, that's right. Hopper hangs his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Princess. What can I do to make up for it? I'll do anything."

"Penelope," she says. Hopper and I look over in confusion.

"What?"

"You said you would do anything. Well, I'm tired of you calling me Princess. My name is Penelope," she says with a hint of embarrassment hidden in her ears. Hopper looks at me in confusion. I see. You always have to be so indirect, Penelope, but I'll help you out this time. I give Hopper a slap on the back.

"Well, don't you have something to say?" I ask him. Hopper stands up straight and looks Penelope in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Penelope. I hope you can forgive me." A small smile hides at the edges of her mouth.

"I guess I can let it go. It's not like anyone actually believed that rumor anyway. Me and the Charlatan. Never in a million years," she says in a dismissive tone.

"Rude, but not wrong. I'm into far more sophisticated women."

"Are you saying I'm not sophisticated enough for you, Charlatan?" she asks, setting a trap that I happily waltz into.

"Your words, not mine. Anyhow, what do we have to worry about on this floor?" I ask, shifting the topic. Hopper looks around the empty room and then towards the long corridor.

"I don't hear anything. Which could mean this floor is clean or the exact opposite. The only real way to find out is to open that door," he says, pointing at the end of the corridor. Penelope nods.

"Hopper, can you get closer and check for anything odd?"

"Yes, Princ- Penelope," he says as he heads down the corridor, leaving us alone.

"We need to talk. Come to my room during lunch," she whispers.

"Any chance we can push it to after classes are over. I kind of like having lunch," I semi-joke.

"Be there," she almost orders.

"Okay, but inviting me to your room? This is exactly why Hopper thought we were courting. Just saying. Plus, he can still hear us," I remind her.

"No, he can't. Can he?" Penelope asks.

"Watch this. So, you love Luna, huh?" I whisper. Hopper accidentally trips over himself, almost falling face-first, but barely manages to catch himself on the wall. Penelope shakes her head in disappointment.

"Hopper, stop eavesdropping. We're trying to have a private conversation," Penelope says.

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I just tripped over a rock. Yeah, a stray rock," he lies and then continues moving forward.

"Anything of interest up there? Other than our private conversation," I tease.

"Not real- Uh, actually, you guys might want to see this," Hopper says. Penelope and I meet up with Hopper.

"What's so-" Penelope is cut off by the sight before us. A large blue gem floats in the middle of a room. It radiates MP, giving off an oppressive aura. Is that the Dungeon Gem? It sure looks like one, but is it usually this big? We enter the room, keeping a nice distance from the Dungeon Gem. As we do, I get a weird mix of feelings from behind me. Not good or bad, but a little bit of both. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"So, this is the Dungeon Gem. It's bigger than I thought," Hopper says.

"They're usually no bigger than a small dog, but nothing about this Dungeon is normal," Penelope explains. Turning away from the Dungeon Gem, I walk over to an overgrown part of the room. Pulling at the greenery, I slowly start to reveal something hidden underneath.

"Do we just break it to get our [Skills]?" Hopper asks.

"No, we need to pour some MP into it, and then the energy from the Dungeon Gem will flow into us, granting us a [Skill]," she says as she mimes. Pulling the last of the greenery away, I find a sleek black sword with ten gems embedded in the guard of the sword. The sword seems to be in a stone. Huh, you look expensive. I pull the sword out of the stone. The Chosen Blade has rejected you. The Chosen Blade used <Curse of Paralyzation>. You are Immune. The Chosen Blade has rejected you.

The Chosen Blade used <Curse of Infinite Suffering>. You are Immune. The Chosen Blade has rejected you. The Chosen Blade used <Curse of Instant Death>. You are Immune. The Chosen Blade has rejected you. The Chosen Blade doesn't know what to do. The Chosen Blade has given up. Title Requirements not met. Can not Equip. Consider leaving this item. Well, that was a lot of information to take in. Did it say Chosen Blade? The blade fits perfectly in my hand. With one swing, I cut cleanly through the dense overgrowth.

Hmm. This is a nice sword. Shame I can't [Equip] it. I bet it would have some awesome [Skills].

"Charlatan, where did you get that?" Penelope asks with a hint of worry.

"Cool, isn't it? I found it hidden under the overgrowth over there," I say as I lean on The Chosen Blade.

"That's The Chosen Blade. You know what that is, right?" she asks. Hopper pokes his head out from behind the Dungeon Gem.

"Did you say The Chosen Blade? Isn't that the blade used by every single Chosen One?"

"Yes, that exact one, but that- Chosen Dungeon! Of course. Dolion said it earlier. This is the Chosen Dungeon!" Penelope yells.

"Copper for your thoughts, because right now you sound a little insane and I'm not getting anything," I joke.

"The Chosen Dungeon is a Dungeon made specifically for The Chosen One. That's why Dolion was guarding this Dungeon. She was protecting The Chosen Blade," she says, pointing at the blade in my hand. Oh shit. Wait, this is good actually. It builds credibility. Now that I have The Chosen Blade, who would dare say anything about my Chosenness?

"Hmm. Hey, everybody, wake up! The blade's out of the stone," A man's voice that I don't recognize suddenly says. I look around, trying to find the source.

"Hopper, where did that come from?" Hopper looks at me in confusion.

"You said you got it from that area over there. Why are you asking?

"Did one of those Giant Ants pull us out of the stone again?" a woman's voice asks.

"I'm talking about that voice," I say with confusion. Penelope looks around.

"What voice, Charlatan? The only ones talking right now are us."

"Nope. Someone pulled us out. So, wake up. It's time to do our introduction," the man says. Closing my eyes, I groan and then look down at the sword.

"A bit early for the 11th Chosen One, no?" another woman asks, lighting up the pink gem.

"Maybe he was eager to get the blade. I know I was," the original voice says while lighting up the yellow gem.

"Hey, guys, um, I think he's looking at us," the ant woman says as the black gem alights. Penelope goes to ask me something, but I cut her off.

"Give me a second. I think something interesting is happening." I sit down and keep a close eye on the gems.

"Okay. Showtime people. Hello there. I'm the one in charge of your orientation with the Chosen Blade. I'm-" Yellow says.

"Uh, we may have a problem," Black says.

"Um, I'm trying to get through the beginning speech. Is it a problem that needs to be addressed right now?" Yellow asks. Black mulls it over.

"Probably not. Go ahead. Continue," she says with obvious ill intent.

"Where was I? Welcome, Chosen One, and congratulations on being chosen by the Gods. You have now entered an exclusive club of te- eleven members. We have been placed here to guide you on your journey to fight the forces of evil. If you need anything d-" Yellow starts back up.

"I can't watch this. You do realize he's not The Chosen One, right?" Black asks.

"What do you mean? He has The Chosen Blade in his hand. He's obviously The Chosen One. Who else could ever pull the Blade out of that stone? Better yet, who could ever survive all the [Curses] it has on it?" Yellow goes on and on.

"Apparently, this guy. Look closely and tell me what you see," Pink speaks up.

"... That can't be right. He's a… a Vashrin? I didn't even know that was possible," Yellow realizes.

"Well, wake up and watch the pigs fly, because things seem to be getting weird," Black jokes, I think. Penelope walks over and looks at The Chosen Blade.

"Are you going to join us in getting a [Skill] or are you just going to keep staring at that Blade?" Hmm. Seems like they're having a hard time with the very idea that a Vashrin is The Chosen One. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind, but not before I get my [Skill]. I walk over to Penelope and Hopper.

"Place your hand on the Gem and then just pour some MP into it," Penelope explains simply. We all pour our MP into the Gem, which causes a subsequent wave of energy that flows right into us. Skill <Clean> has been gained. You've got to be shitting me! [Clean]? What am I supposed to do with that? I thought this was The Chosen Dungeon. Where are the actual [Skills]? Like [Vaporize] or [Devastate]. Am I doomed to always get mundane [Skills] or is it just a [Blessing] thing?

"Okay, via unanimous vote, we've determined something. You are not The Chosen One we were expecting," Yellow suddenly declares. I stare at The Chosen Blade with what can only be described as contempt.

"Who in the hells are you?" I ask outloud making me look like a crazy person. All of the gems except for the white one glow.

"We are The Chosen Ones," the voices say in unison. …Fuck.