Chương 25: Mippo, here

Lloyd sat with his back pressed against the chest.

"How long have I been here? Definitely more than twelve hours by now. Which means the door back must have closed a long time ago…" He lowered his head and stared at the floor—at the thick, dark slime that had long since stopped provoking any emotion in him. Exhaustion crashed down on him the moment the adrenaline from finding the orb finally faded away. His body ached, every muscle screamed so badly that even sitting was uncomfortable.

His stomach twisted with hunger—deep, relentless hunger, accompanied by that familiar hollow feeling that refused to let itself be forgotten even for a second. The silence of the chamber pressed down on him like an invisible weight settling onto his shoulders. The green crystal embedded in the ceiling continued to shine with complete indifference, illuminating the empty chest, the cooling slime beneath his feet, and Lloyd's own filthy, scratched hands.

He stared at his palms—weathered, cracked, stained with dried patches of the same green color as the entire dungeon. At the knife handle, which had long since become one with his hand. At his jacket, which no longer resembled the one he had put on that morning—it felt like a lifetime ago now. Somewhere up above, the ordinary world still existed—with autumn leaves, gray skies, and Rosie behind the wall, who had probably already begun to worry.

The thought appeared for only a moment before vanishing again, too distant, too foreign to belong in this place. Then suddenly, a spark flashed through his eyes—as if something clicked inside him and an idea came to mind.

"Well. This is my only option. I just hope he shows up." Lloyd straightened up as much as his exhaustion allowed and spoke in a calm, though hoarse, voice. — Appear, Mippo. For several seconds, nothing happened. The crystal overhead continued to glow with the same cold indifference. The room's green shimmer remained unchanged. The silence grew even heavier, almost tangible—Lloyd could practically feel it pressing against his eardrums.

"Is he really not coming?" Then Lloyd heard something from the room's entrance.

"Enemies?" He shot to his feet in an instant—his exhaustion seemingly erased by another surge of adrenaline—and aimed his knife toward the opening in the wall. Footsteps echoed from somewhere deep within the tunnel. Steady. Confident. Nothing like the creatures he had fought before. Those things had moved in jerky, uneven bursts, but these footsteps sounded almost rhythmic, almost calm, as though whoever was approaching had nowhere to rush and nothing to fear.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Thump. Thump. Thump. Sweat trickled down Lloyd's forehead. Narrowing his eyes, he peered into the darkness of the passage and gripped the knife handle so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His heart pounded in his chest, the beats echoing in his temples.

Each step sounded slightly louder than the last, and with every one, that familiar knot of tension tightened in his stomach—the feeling Lloyd had already come to know well, the one that always came before a fight. Then he heard the sound of a bell. Soft. Silvery. Instantly recognizable. It cut through the oppressive silence like the first ray of sunlight breaking through heavy storm clouds.

Mippo stepped out of the passage at an unhurried pace, carrying a lantern whose golden light immediately flooded the room with a warm, gentle glow, pushing the greenish gloom back into the corners. The shadows scattered aside, making way. Then came a childish voice with a faintly annoyed tone. — I told you not to summon me to disgusting places like this. Mippo suddenly stopped. His wooden head slowly turned.

The feathers atop it swayed gently as his glowing green eyes studied Lloyd, then drifted toward the chest before returning to him. — Oh. Your first relic. And a Rank Two one at that. Congratulations. Lloyd lowered his knife, and his shoulders sank along with it as the tension slowly drained away, leaving behind only crushing exhaustion. His expression settled somewhere between relief and embarrassment. — First of all... I'm glad you came. I really appreciate it.

He scratched the back of his head before glancing down nervously at the slime, which had long since swallowed every trace of the crimson sparks, leaving no hint of where the relic had disappeared. — And secondly... could you help me find it? I think I... kind of lost it. Mippo stared at him in silence for about five seconds without moving. Only his faintly glowing green eyes reflected the warm light of the lantern resting by his feet.

Then a childish chuckle escaped from beneath the wooden mask—short, genuine, and just a little mocking. — Haha. How are you even still alive? It's honestly a miracle! The little creature walked closer. The feathers on his head swayed with every step, and the bell hanging from his belt chimed softly as he moved. The lantern's warm glow painted long, dancing shadows across the slimy walls, making them seem like living companions following behind him. — You're actually pretty entertaining. Fine then... I'll help you.

Mippo carefully set the lantern down beside him. Its warm golden light spread across the slime, carving out a small circle where, for the first time in a long while, the room no longer felt threatening. Then he calmly sat down on the ground, crossing his green legs without the slightest concern for the revolting substance beneath him—a place any human would have tried to avoid. With a simple gesture, he invited Lloyd to sit across from him.

Lloyd lowered himself to the floor in surprise, straight into the slime, though by now it hardly mattered anymore. After everything he had endured, another stain of filth felt insignificant. There he sat across from the small forest creature, within a circle of warm golden light, in the middle of a disgusting underground chamber—and for a brief moment, it all felt almost... normal. — Well then. Open your status window. Lloyd's eyebrows rose in confusion.

He hesitated for a second, trying to remember what Mippo had been talking about before disappearing into the slime several hours earlier.

"Status window? And how is that supposed to help me... Oh, right!" A familiar violet window appeared before him—semi-transparent, glowing softly in the darkness, reflecting both the green light of the crystal above and the warm golden glow of Mippo's lantern. But something about it had changed.