Chapter 10: A Swift Reunion

Chapter 10:
A Swift Reunion

 

THE STAIRS ON THE OTHER SIDE were normal-sized, and it was dangerous to stay tiny for too long. If a monster attacked me, I wouldn’t stand a chance! Even a child could have wiped me out no problemo.

As for how much it would cost me to remove the skill…? Phew. 1,000 LP. Totally doable. I deleted it and quickly grew back to my regular size. If my father had been here, he would’ve made some terrible puns. I could just imagine it…

“Oh, my son, you’ve grown so big and tall! Just like my you-know-what!”

I could almost see the dirty looks Alice and my mother would give him in response.

I was about to start down the stairs when something startled me.

“What? It’s flooded!”

The water came all the way to the top of the stairs. It was clean and clear, but it seemed like the ninth floor was completely underwater. There was no way I could explore it with all I’d already done that day, but I had to go down to the ninth floor before I could use the Dungeon Elevator, so I gritted my teeth and waded in.

I could feel my heart thumping, but I had to keep going. I sucked down a breath, and ducked under the water. Bubbles poured out of my mouth. I had to make sure I was at the bottom. Steeling myself, I opened my eyes.

“Burble burble?” Translation: An ocean?

It went on forever. The stairs were covered in seaweed and sea anemones. There were even fish swimming about! It was vast and deep, the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Light shone down from the surface—was the ceiling lit up?—but I couldn’t see the bottom, and I couldn’t breathe, either. There was no air at all down here.

“Burble burble?” Translation: What should I do?

I could try and hold my breath long enough to reach the bottom, but my lungs were already burning. I couldn’t breathe! Panicking, I used the Dungeon Elevator in the middle of the stairs and dove in, all the way back to the first floor.

“Wah?!”

Finally, I could breathe! But my clothes were completely soaked. I struggled out of the dungeon, sneezing and shivering. Outside, the world was brilliant orange. I had been in there for a long time. I had to hurry home before it got dark.

“Monkeeee!”

“A monster?”

I tensed, but the sound had come from quite far away. Just ahead, a person was being attacked by monsters. They were apes…no, monsters called red monkeys. They were famous for their ferocity, known for destroying village stores and eating people. Just one of them wasn’t difficult to deal with, but they always attacked in groups. There were about fourteen or fifteen of them ahead of me, and they were all focused on one woman.

She had beautiful golden hair that caught in the wind, killer proportions, and an elegant face. It was Leila, Nell’s older sister and a student at the Hero Academy.

“I’ll save—”

Just as I called out, the monsters attacked. They were smart, and three of them surged forward as a group. They came at Leila from all sides, trying to bite her. If they got her neck, it wouldn’t matter how strong she was. She’d be done for.

Was there time to use magic? I held out my hand but, by then, I wasn’t needed. With a woosh of air, Leila unleashed a roundhouse kick and knocked all three monkeys back.

I…I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. She did have A-Grade Kickboxing. Still, it was too early to celebrate. The red monkeys chittered with rage and launched another attack. Leila greeted each and every one of them with her black-gloved fists. I was astonished. Where was all that power coming from? These were more than mere boxing skills. I opened her Demon Fist skill with Editor.

 

Demon Fist: Allows magical energy to be concentrated in the user’s fists, protecting them and increasing their destructive potential.

 

Well, that made sense. Her gloves were rare items, too.

 

Magic Gloves (Grade A)

Skills: Magical Conduit

 

They could very well have been custom-made to work with that Demon Fist skill. While I examined her equipment, Leila took out all but one of the red monkeys. Even though it had watched Leila eliminate all the others, it really had no fear. It launched itself…straight at me.

“Oh, come on, really?” I asked.

“Monkeeee!”

I was pretty sure it was shouting something like, “Move or I’ll kill you!” This was the perfect opportunity to try out one of my new weapons. I whipped out my Piercing Spear and pointed it at the monster. The blade skewered it before its claws could get anywhere near me. There was almost no resistance at all.

“Hyup!”

I threw the creature’s body on the ground and sent it on its way to heaven. Or hell, I suppose.

“Are you okay?” Leila ran over to me. “Sorry, I let one get away. Wait, Noir, is that you?!”

“Looks like we meet again, Leila.”

“What a coincidence. What are you doing way out here?”

“Just a little adventuring. I’m hunting monsters.”

“Oh, you too? Well, I guess I’m finished. Want to head back into town together?”

I nodded. I couldn’t have hoped for more. I helped her collect her spoils and we started walking.

“You really are strong, Noir. I can’t believe you skewered that red monkey with such ease. They’re notorious for their thick hides.”

I couldn’t really take the credit. The spear did most of the work.

“Oh, I can’t even begin to compete with you, Leila. You have such impressive combat skills. Where did you learn to do all that?”

“My parents are famous adventurers where I come from. I’ve trained with them since I was young. They never went easy on me either! They never let me stop, even when my face was smeared with mud!”

Leila smiled. It sounded like she was more grateful than anything. I mean, they had made her strong enough to take on all those monsters.

I was just about to ask more about her homeland when we arrived in town.

“You know,” she said. “You’re really easy to talk to. You seem really kind.”

“Well you’re just so pretty, Leila, I’m thirty percent better behaved in your presence.”

“He he, you’re good. I’d like to get to know you better. Would you mind if I called you my friend?”

“Not at all. By the way, what guild are you in? Odin?”

“No, I’m in Lahmu.”

“Oh…”

Ah well, things could never be that perfect. She must’ve guessed what I was thinking.

“Oh, so you’re Odin, right? I only just joined, but I guess we’re in rival guilds, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess we are. Well—”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “We can still be friends, can’t we? I’d be really happy if you let Nell join us next time, too.”

“Absolutely.”

It was nice to know our organizational rivalry didn’t change anything—no sour atmosphere, nobody going for anybody else’s throat. We kept chatting as we walked into the town, then prepared to go our separate ways.

“Well, I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, until next time.”

Perhaps the two of us could bridge the gap between our guilds?

“Maybe I’m too much of a dreamer.”

It was dark now, so I hurried home. When I got there, only Alice was there to greet me. Apparently, our parents had gone out shopping with Tigerson.

“Oh, brother dearest, you look exhausted. Come here.”

Alice led me to the sofa and laid my head in her lap. I really was exhausted, and her warmth and kindness were refreshing.

“I am going to clean your ears,” she said.

“You don’t have to.”

“But won’t this help you get stronger?”

I had given in and told her about the LP thing, as I figured it would be easier in the long run. Before I could answer, she had already started.

“Hngh, h-hey, th-that tickles, Alice…”

“Oh, dear brother, you must endure. Your ears are so dirty—ah!”

“Hnn!”

I was making such strange sounds! It was kinda creeping me out, but that wasn’t Alice’s fault. She spent five minutes poking around in my ears. It was kind of embarrassing.

“Wow, brother, you’re so big.”

“A-am I?”

“Yes. You really are. Massive, even.”

“You’re…putting an unusual amount of emphasis on that.”

“I don’t think I am?”

“I see your eyes darting around! Now, confess!” I said in a theatrical voice.

I was joking, but Alice turned suddenly serious.

“I heard that boys like it when you tell them that.”

“I dunno who told you that, but you didn’t need to hear it. I’m begging you, please forget that piece of information.”

“Very well. So I was misinformed. I’m very sorry. Would it make you happier if I said you were small? You’re so very small, brother.”

“Uh, I’m not so…”

“You’re teeny-weeny, brother!”

“Stop! Anything but that!”

Alice’s shoulders shook as she giggled. Was she teasing me? I wanted to get back at her, but mother and father returned before I had the chance.

“What’s this talk about big things and small things?” father asked. “If we’re talking about my love for you, it’s huge! Bigger than the entire world!”

“Father, all that is severely undermined by the fact that your fly is down.”

“Uhhhh, I’m just too big, it couldn’t be contained!”

“Ugh.”

We all sighed in unison as my father subjected us to another awful joke. Even Tigerson rolled his eyes.

“You’re really one of us now, Tigerson,” I said.

<Perhaps it was inevitable, Noir. After all, this is the third time today I have been subjected to that line.>

“So, what you’re saying is he left his fly down on purpose to set that joke up? That’s my father all right. How disappointing.”

“Thank you, my second son!” father said, grinning at Tigerson.

<That was sarcasm.>

But it fell on deaf ears. Father ran away to the bathroom to fix his fly, and I shook my head.

I had to admit, I was a little jealous of his daring.