Ch. 311..320
Chapter 311
A pulse of deep purple energy appeared in a dimly lit cavern. It only lasted a moment, but it left four figures behind as it dispersed.
’What floor are we on now?’ asked Argyle.
’This should be the first floor, the easiest of the dungeon. This shouldn’t take too long. But let’s not exterminate everything we see. I’ll be happy to break lv. 50 by the end of this place, so the later floors will be enough for that.’ Feeling a bit tinge of regret about forcing extinction upon the jakals, Jack wanted to keep the dungeon intact as much as possible.
’I guess we can make that happen. But if something attacks, then I’m killing it.’
Jack chuckled, ’sure, go for it. But with you in the party, we’ll be attacked less than you’d think. A lot of the mobs on this floor are simpleminded. The threat on this floor is if you get overrun by too many weaker monsters.’
’Oh... That sounds boring.’ Argyle shrugged.
’At least I can save my energy for this floor,’ added Tralon. ’Now let’s hurry. I want to get to the fifth floor as soon as possible.’
’Really, why’s that?’
’You don’t know this, Jack, but the fifth floor is my favorite floor. Both the fifth and the tenth floors are very reminiscent of your adventuring style and are very different from typical dungeons.’
’Now that sounds like fine!’ Argyle smiled. ’Where to, Jack? I want to see this fifth floor.’
’We have to reach the end of the tunnel, that’s all. But we’ll have to hurry, so I think Argyle should rest on Bowzer for a while.’
’Then please, excuse me.’ Tralon happily climbed atop the nimble fox.
’Right, then let’s go!’
As if a race had just begun, Argyle, Jack, and Bowzer bolted head-first into the dim cavern, not caring about what may try to attack them.
Like Jack had stated before, more creatures avoided the party with a lv. 71 swordsman instead of attacking. Occasionally, they would run into a beast stupid enough to test them, but it always ended with a single swing of Argyle’s sword.
The end was quickly found and the circle was activated.
Suddenly, Argyle was perplexed. He and the rest of the party were now outside on a path climbing a mountain. ’What is this?’
’This is the second floor,’ answered Jack. ’I told you that I made this dungeon different than the rest. This floor is a bit misleading. Want me to explain why now or do you want to figure it out?’
’Is it misleading but fun?’ questioned Argyle.
’Nah, it’s just misleading. Starting on the fifth-floor things will get fun and will start to take us a bit longer to complete.’
’Then just tell me so we can hurry up and reach the fifth floor.’
Jack smiled. ’The goal of this floor isn’t to reach the mountain peak, it’s to reach the center of the mountain. There is a teleportation circle at the top of the mountain, but it will only bring you back to where we are now. We need to find the secret entrance to the mountain then hurry and reach the next circle.’
’Wow... You’re one pesky pestro, Jack,’ laughed Argyle.
’Come on, let’s hurry up. Maybe those fools will fall for the stalling tactic and give us even more time,’ stated Jack.
Argyle led the way, but Jack and Bowzer remained at his side, letting Jack inform Argyle on where to go and how to find the hidden entrance to the center of the mountain.
Though dealing with the beasts only took a swing of Argyle’s sword, Jack was still surprised by the increase in levels. The first two floors only had basic mobs in order to make the daring adventurers exploring the dungeon feel confident about their ability to survive the dungeon, only to take things up a notch in terms of physical and mental difficulty in later levels.
Yet, on the first to floors, the majority of mobs weren’t lv. 55. They varied between lv. 56 to lv. 59. And they even ran into a lv. 60 along the way.
This made Jack both curious and worried. Of course, he wanted to see how the dungeon he had created in a videogame had evolved in real life. Also, he was worried about the last half of the dungeon, especially the boss on the eleventh floor. Jack had a way to deal with the boss based in the past, but there was no telling whether past methods would still prove to be functional or not.
After a couple of hours, the party had managed to find the hidden entrance and found the circle hidden within the mountain.
’Is there anything else or can we hurry to the fifth floor?’
’Let’s rest here for an hour.’
Giving Jack a confused look, Argyle asked, ’An hour, why so long?’
’Because I’m not sure what level the mobs on the fifth floor will be or how many we’ll find there,’ answered Jack.
’Then tell me more about this place while we rest,’ Argyle insisted as he sat down cross-legged before the teleportation circle.
Bowzer laid down as Tralon and Jack also took a seat.
’Since Tralon remembers the fifth floor so well, how about we have him talk about it.’ Jack looked to Tralon and nodded.
’Well, the fifth level is the most deceiving level in all of the dungeon, apart from the crafty and tricky tenth floor,’ explained Tralon. ’The fifth floor is a giant labyrinth filled with treasures and monsters alike.’
’There are treasures on the fifth floor?’ Argyle’s ears perked up. ’What kind of treasures? How come those treasures aren’t hidden within the vault?’
’Because these treasures serve a purpose, to mislead you and everyone else willing to traverse the dungeon.’
’To mislead me? How so?’
’Not only is the entire fifth floor a labyrinth made of roxite--’
’Roxite?! The entire thing is made of roxite?’
’Yes, Argyle. So were those doors we opened up and most of the dungeon is made of the stuff,’ mentioned Tralon. ’Now, not only is the fifth floor a labyrinth made of roxite, but you’ll have to be wary of all the treasures strewn about the level.’
Argyle squinted as Tralon continued, ’Some treasures will be genuine, but most will be false and will attack you should you choose to interact with them.’
’Attack if you interact with them... If the false treasures aren’t really treasures, then are they some kind of mob?’
’Good guess, Argyle!’ Jack gave his father-in-law a thumbs up. ’Got any guesses as to what kind?’
’Knowing how sneaky you are, you probably built a giant labyrinth and filled it with mimics to catch unsuspecting people off guard and kill them.’
’I guess you do know me pretty well,’ laughed Jack. ’That’s why we’ll have to be extra careful on the fifth floor. Some mimics may attack outright or they could wait for you to try and pick them up. Either way, it’s a great scare tactic and a good way to catch inexperienced adventurers off guard.’
’Or to take their stuff after they die?’
’Wow, you do know me well!’ Jack sprung up to his feet and chuckled.
’Nah, I just understand you’re sense of humor. Why did you build this place again? Are you sure it wasn’t because you got bored?’
Laughing loudly, Jack looked Argyle in the eyes. ’If you put it that way, yeah, I was very bored at the time and I wanted to mix things up. That’s why things are so different on each floor. I wanted a single dungeon to contain all of my favorite things from other dungeons.’
’Man... You’re a pestro through and through... But I like that!’
Glad to see his father-in-law excited for the fifth floor, Jack grinned and decided not to reveal all of the fifth floor’s secrets just yet. He wanted to see how much fun Argyle could have with the secret mini-boss.
Chapter 312
After waiting an hour or so, the party continued to the fifth floor. They were eager to see what had become of the fifth floor with renewed health and mana.
Argyle was a bit surprised at first when they arrived. Kari crystals lined the entire ceiling and they were on a path barely three meters wide with a dead-end behind them. They could see the path fork into three before them, offering them a choice at the beginning of the labyrinth.
’So there’s no way for us to see the rest of the path since you didn’t leave any gaps. I love and hate that idea,’ stated Argyle with a sour face.
’Who said there was no way to see it?’ Jack chuckled as the color of his eyes became a faded white.
Tralon nodded. ’Jack, allow me. Honestly, you and Bowzer together may be stronger than me right now. Bu tI can handle something as simple as God’s Eye without worries.’
The white light faded from Jack’s eyes as Tralon’s gained that same white cloudiness. ’Sounds like a plan. If needed, me and Bowzer will tag-team whatever dares to hurt you, Tralon.’
With a smile, Tralon looked around them and gained a new view of the surrounding, looking through the dungeon walls and clearly seeing the labyrinth layout. He kept his gaze for nearly five minutes until he canceled the spell and smiled. ’We’ll go left first.’
’I hope you’re leading us to all of the treasure troves and not just the end, Tralon,’ stated Jack. ’I don’t like the idea of leaving anything behind for those stupid councilmen.’
’I already know what you’re after so, of course, I’ll lead us correctly,’ Tralon laughed. ’Also, I’m not sure if you noticed earlier but there are far more mimics than I remember.’
’I caught a glimpse. I’m sure Argyle will have fun trying to loot my dungeon,’ Jack joined in the laughter.
’Well, if nothing has a level higher than lv. 65, then why would I want it.’ Argyle showed a smug look until a thought came to him. ’Unless... there are mythic-tier items in here?’
With a nod, Jack replied, ’I guarantee that there are no legendary items here, but there might be a few mythic-tier items among the overwhelming mimics.’
’Then I’ll accept your challenge, Jack!’
’Just be quick about it. If you take too long, then I’ll be forced to take it all to save time.’
’And how do you plan to handle the mimics on your own, huh?’ Argyle mocked.
Jack shrugged. ’Why should I deal with them when I can simply choose the real items among the mimics?’
Argyle looked at his son-in-law like he would a cheating conman. ’You can do that? I’d like to see you try it.’
’Sure, just don’t be mad when I take everything. How about we take turns choosing an item? That way you won’t be mad when I leave with everything?’
’Deal!’
As Jack and Argyle continued down the path, each with their own versions of a mischievous grin, Tralon calmly rode Bowzer at the rear. ’What do you think, Bowzer? Who will snag more treasure?’
’Jack for sure!’
’Oh? I think it might be closer than Jack’s expecting, but only time will tell.’
Tralon and Bowzer were quick to become great friends. Both were fully loyal to Jack and were glad to have someone to finally talk to about so many things. Tralon could talk about all of his many life experiences, both with and without Jack, while Bowzer was glad he could finally speak to someone besides Jack and ask Tralon any question that came to his mind.
’I call first pick!’ shouted Argyle. He made sure he was the first to arrive at the glittering open space they had reached. The auction house owner stared at the brilliant treasures lining the walls around them. ’This one! This one is mine!"
Jack was all smiles till he noticed which one Argyle was reaching for. With a frown, he asked, ’Are you sure about that?’
’More than sure!’ Proud of his choice, Argyle chose a spear among many weapons surrounding it. When he lifted it in the air, it glistened in the light of the thousands of kari crystals along the ceiling. ’This is a good spear. What tier is this one, Jack?’
’It’s only peak-tier, but it’s at the top of peak-tier.’ Jack squinted and gave Argyle a scan with his eyes. That was when Jack sighed and smiled. ’So that’s how you did it... That’s a nice headband you’re wearing, isn’t it?’
’What, this? It’s nothing compared to what you own, but it’s quite useful at times like this. Remember, I own an auction house and made tomb-raiding my occupation. If I didn’t have something like this, I never would’ve been successful.’
’Fair, it’s my fault for underestimating you. Then let’s be fast with our choices so we can hurry and clear the dungeon.’ Jack looked again at Argyle’s Headband of Truth. ’I’m just curious, how much if that headband worth nowadays?’
’Hmm... I’d say it’s worth a lv. 65 peak-tier item.’
’Then I can buy it off of you for a lv. 70 item, right?’
Turning his attention to Jack, Argyle stored the spear. ’It wouldn’t be impossible. What are you offering?’
’Nothing yet,’ replied Jack. ’I’ll be nice and make you an offer after we’re done here. That okay with you?’
’Sure, now hurry and choose your item.’
Jack then picked a belt from among the treasures. It was only lv. 50, but it would greatly increase the wearer’s natural strength. And so long as Jack used his transforming cloak correctly, then the belt should be protected while Jack uses his flame body.
’Oh, nice choice!’ Argyle laughed as he picked up a lv. 60 sword. ’Only peak-tier, right?’
’Yeah. There wasn’t anything mythic-tier in this batch,’ Jack stated as he selected a lv. 55 necklace.
’That’s everything real, right?’
’That Headband of Truth lives up to its name,’ chuckled Jack. ’Let’s get going to the next treasure trove. There should be two more before the safe house.’
’Safehouse?’
’Yeah, I put a safe house in the center to mark the halfway point of the fifth floor.’
Tralon smiled. ’I’ve already memorized the first half of the labyrinth, so we’ll reach the next two troves very soon. And I’m sure Argyle will want to search the safehouse for more treasures.’
Argyle laughed, ’You already know it, so don’t get mad at me for turning your safehouse upside down.’
’Anything you find in the safe house you can keep, I’ll be nice but you’ll have to really search if you want to find things I’ve hidden away,’ Jack stated proudly.
’Sounds simple enough. Where to now?’
’We go straight, then left.’
Jack and Argyle followed Tralon’s directions eagerly, both full of smiles. When they reached the second trove, they again chose another four treasures. There wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was all good equipment that was worth something. How could Jack put anything truly valuable out in the open?
The same thing happened at the third treasure trove. Each of them chose two items and managed to avoid the mimics. Soon they were on the way to the safehouse.
After twenty minutes of walking, something came into view, and Argyle beamed. The swordsman darted ahead at full speed. He didn’t want to waste a single moment in his search for Jack’s treasures.
’One, two, three...’ Jack started to quietly count as he slowly approached the two-story safehouse.
Tralon and Bowzer followed Jack’s pace, but the fox was also excited to explore the safehouse. However, before Bowzer could act, Tralon caught his attention.
’Bowzer, don’t go inside.’
Bowzer pouted, ’But why?! Argyle went inside, why can’t I?’
’Just wait. You’ll see,’ chuckled Tralon.
Chapter 313
’Where did you hide it! It’s got to be somewhere!’ Argyle’s shouts filled Jack’s, Tralon’s, and Bowzer’s heads.
’15... 16... 17...’ Jack continued to quietly count as he laughed at Argyle.
’Jack! What did you hide in here? Is it in the basement? No... Is it in the attic?’
’Tralon, why can’t I go in too?’ asked Bowzer.
’Just wait and see. I’m sure Jack will say something soon,’ answered Tralon.
’Jack, speak up!’ Argyle shouted.
With a growing smile, Jack replied, ’28... 29... 30! Alright, Argyle, get out of there!’
’But I haven’t--’
’Get out now before it’s too late!’
’I... Okay.’ Hurrying down the stairs, Argyle rushed to the front door with a heavy frown on his face.
’Hurry!’
Argyle slowed down as he leaned on the front door. ’Jack, what’s up? I almost found it didn’t--’
’Get out of there already! Now!’
’Fine...’ sighed Argyle.
The swordsman stepped out, unhappy and discontent with Jack’s attitude. He stepped out of the two-story building and descended the few steps at the entrance. Argyle’s frown was apparent to all, but he noticed that even Tralon was smiling.
Suddenly, Argyle heard a low snarl from behind him. A glance behind him, however, revealed nothing.
Not understanding what was going on, Argyle looked back to Tralon, who simply pointed back at the safe house.
Following Tralon’s finger, Argyle looked back to the home he had just exited and noticed something different, something that startled even him. Argyle immediately drew his sword and prepared to defend himself.
’Now you understand.’ Jack sighed, also drawing a peak-tier lv. 45 sword from his collection.
’What is that thing?’ mumbled Argyle.
’If I remember correctly, it’s a giant mimic. Jack put it in here as the "safe house" in order to trick inexperienced ancient heroes and anyone who dared to enter the dungeon without being a member of the guild,’ explained Tralon.
’Oh... So that thing was Jack’s idea?! You pestro! That thing almost ate me!’ Argyle leered at Jack, his gaze felt like daggers to the lower leveled hero.
’What? I told you that I made this place because I was bored and I wanted it to be spontaneous. Isn’t that pretty out of the ordinary?’ Jack laughed as he watched the house in front of them start to shift and quake.
Right before there eyes, the party witnessed the transformation of the "safe house" into a giant, mobile mimic. A vast number of tentacle legs lifted the "house" off the ground as a dozen massive tentacles rushed out of the open windows. The inside walls of the home started to secrete mucus and seem more flesh-like. The window to the great room suddenly blinked, revealing itself as a giant eye, twitching and watching the party’s every step.
’Jack, why did you put something like that in here?!’
’Calm down, Argyle. If you think this is bad, just wait till the eleventh floor,’ Jack scoffed. ’Consider this the mini-boss that guards the last half of the dungeon.’
’But it’s lv. 69!’ Argyle was shocked. Not only was it massive, but it almost rivaled his level. The giant mimic was obviously going to be more difficult than most lv. 69 beasts from its size alone, not including the dozens of tentacles it had at its disposal.
’Well... It was only lv. 62 when I put it in here. How was I supposed to know that it would grow so much?’ Jack argued while clenching the hilt of his sword tightly. ’Mind if I attack first? I want to see how strong I am at full power now that I’m lv. 47.’
’Be my guest!’ Argyle laughed as he slapped Jack on the back, forcing the hero forward.
The giant mimic also began its attack as it launched its giant tentacles at the approaching enemy, unfazed by Jack’s sudden growth and the raging flames that covered his body.
’Eat this!’
Blood-red energy covered Jack’s blade as he thrust it forward unabashedly.
In turn, the giant mimic roared and lashed out one of its many tentacles to gage Jack’s strength. The framework of the "house" twisted into an eerie smile as its tentacle was only damaged superficially with a decent-sized cut and some minor burns. But it had successfully repelled the attack and launched Jack backward, forcing Jack to revert to his normal form through sheer pain.
’Oof!’ Jack couldn’t contain a grunt of pain as he was roughly caught by his father-in-law. ’Can’t you be gentle?’
’Gentle? You were thrown back by a giant monster more than twenty levels higher than you! Be lucky I caught you at all and broke your fall!’
’Fine... Thanks.’ Jack wiped the blood from his mouth and took a heavy breath from his aching chest. ’I guess we’ll have to work together.’
’I can’t do much for now, but at least I can support.’
Jack felt a rush of vitality wash over him as he looked back to Tralon with a smile. ’Thank’s Tralon. Bowzer, you’re allowed to use your strongest flame body here. Don’t hold back.’
’Finally!’
Bowzer bolted toward the house at full speed. The fox was smiling wide as he grew larger and larger, nearly matching the giant mimic in size.
Snarling, the giant mimic’s one eye glared at Bowzer, wary of the fox’s powerful bloodline despite sensing the fox’s low level. Tentacles curled into fists as they launched themselves at the barreling fox mercilessly.
With a growl, Bowzer spewed white-hot flames, dowsing the tentacles in inextinguishable flames.
’Tzzzz...’
The aroma of charred tentacles filled the air, smelling like the most putrid, rancid roasted octopus that the party members had ever smelled.
Jack pinched his nose shut as he smiled at Bowzer, who was nearly even with the giant mimic. Thanks to the upgrade to his bloodline skill, Jack’s flame body was gaining a tinge of white as well, but it was still nothing compared to Bowzer’s unstoppable, evolved flames.
While Bowzer kept the giant mimic from charging the party, Argyle flanked the monster with a combination of attacks. The swordsman launched a total of five attacks, each creating a long-range wave of sword energy.
Smiling with excitement, Jack watched the attack combo carve into the mimic, forcing the "house" to grimace and pay Argyle more attention. Though it was cool to watch, Jack was more excited to learn that attack from Argyle’s skills and make it his own. Such high-level long-range sword attacks were hard to come by in Modern Kartonia, so Jack was anxious to try it himself.
’Bowzer, keep pressuring it!’ shouted Argyle. ’We’ll flank it and bring it down together!’
Jack remained on the side, not wanting to disrupt the teamwork between Argyle and Bowzer.
Unlike Jack, Tralon had many spells that would work as support and not just offense. To keep the mimic controlled Tralon cast Earth Wall twice, once on each side of the giant mimic. This forced the monster to face either Bowzer or Argyle and left it with no path of escape.
Try as it might, the giant mimic was cornered and forced to keep Bowzer at bay. Though the fox was low-leveled, the white flames were too threatening to the giant mimic. With less focus on Argyle, it was only a matter of time until the giant mimic fell by the sword.
Panting, Argyle chuckled, ’Jack, thanks for the workout. If I didn’t give you half of my EXP, I would be pretty close to leveling up right now.’
’Don’t mention it. I’m glad I could help keep you in shape,’ Jack laughed, giddy at the sight of him and Bowzer reaching lv. 49. ’It’s nice to be carried for once.’
’Let’s rest for a while before we take the last of the treasures you’ve left behind,’ Tralon stated. ’Jack, are you sure you don’t want to attack the other mimics?’
’Let the councilmen try and steal my treasures. I’m sure they’ll enjoy playing with all the mimics of the labyrinth.’
Chapter 314
"I’m not sure if they’ll call it fun, but the thought of them failing to find anything while attracting countless mimics makes me laugh,’ Tralon chuckled.
’So, how long will we wait here?’ asked Argyle.
Jack thought for a moment. ’We can either rest on the next floor or rest here. Depending on what floor we’re sent too, resting may not be easy.’
’Then tell me about the next few floors. We can decide together.’
’Like the first four floors, floors six through nine will randomly cycle and I’m not sure when they’ll reset. There’s a good chance that we’ll have to repeat a floor or two because of that. But I’d rather repeat a couple of floors than attempt to rush through the four floors.
’The next four floors had higher-leveled mobs than the first four when I made the dungeon, so I have no clue what level they are now,’ explained Jack. ’It may take us at least a day to clear each of the next four floors.’
’That long?’
’Yeah, that way we can guarantee we’re not overwhelmed and slaughtered. The next four floors are each designed after a different biome: an active volcano, the frozen tundra, an illusory valley, and a forest of clouds.’
’What? I’ve never heard of such a dungeon.’ Argyle looked to Tralon for validation, who nodded.
Jack continued, ’There shouldn’t be anymore mini-bosses, but there’s no telling how many mobs there are now on each remaining floor. I think we should take one floor a day. And we don’t need to exterminate an entire floor, but don’t we shouldn’t hold back if we’re attacked.’
’Then, are we going to camp here for the night, Jack?’ Tralon asked.
’Let’s finish the rest of the floor and camp out by the circle. Then we can use all of tomorrow to clear the next floor.’
’I call first pick!’ Argyle took the initiative and ran ahead.
’Wrong way, Argyle!’ Tralon shouted.
’Too late!’ Jack bolted in the other direction, giving him the lead.
While Argyle and Jack were shouting at each other, Tralon hopped onto Bowzer’s back and enjoyed a chat with the fox.
The small party’s chemistry was different than Jack’s main party, but they were enjoying themselves more than ever as they continued to take everything that Jack had left behind on the fifth floor.
Once they reached the circle, they set up camp. Argyle retrieved a chair from his storage, as did Tralon. Jack laid next to Bowzer, making use of his soft fur as he retrieved the materials to make a fire.
*****
"How interesting..."
"What are you thinking, Vixus?" Bikkem asked.
"The last two floors were completely cleared by Tralon’s party, yet they left so many weak mobs alone here. Are they trying to speed up?"
"I’m not sure why they would suddenly speed up,’ stated Bikkem. "Since they rested so long before, maybe they’ve decided to do just enough to clear a floor and save energy for later floors."
"Perhaps that’s the case. That’s the most logical explanation..." Vixus nodded. "Then they’ve probably cleared at least three floors today at this rate."
"First, let’s leave this floor and reach the fourth. If they did the same thing there, then we’ll move on to the fifth floor."
"Are you two done?" asked Quallace. "Are we moving forward or not?"
"We finish this floor and check the next floor. If there are still some beasts remaining there, then we move on to the fifth floor to scout out Tralon’s team for the night," Bikkem explained. "Alright?"
"Works for me!" shouted Kims. "Can I kill whatever tries to attack us or get near us?"
"Sure, but no chasing after anything. We’re in a hurry," replied Quallace, trying to act as the leader. "Let’s get going then."
The four councilmen were happy to finally get moving and to find the "third" floor so easy. With Tralon and the others paving the way, the councilmen barely had to lift a finger that floor. They easily moved on to the next floor, where they were startled by the change in scenery.
"This is... still in the dungeon?" Vixus was puzzled as he stared at the rocky mountain path they were on. "How strange..."
"Well, it is was created by the Legend during ancient times, so shy does it have to follow normal logic..." Bikkem thought out loud. "I wonder."
Bikkem turned around and faced the base of the mountain. Then, he thrust a fist forward, creating a small shockwave that was aimed away from the mountain. But the shockwave was soon dispersed in mid-air as if it had collided with something invisible.
"Hmm... so it’s an illusion? How intricate..." deduced Bikkem.
"The Legend is very deserving of his title. This place stands as proof of that," stated Vixus. "And if things are like this on just the fourth level, then how will things be on the remaining seven levels?"
"We may as well not assume anything about those levels. It’s a good thing we’re following Tralon, otherwise, I have a feeling that clearing this dungeon would be much more difficult then we anticipated. No wonder they bought all of your potions, Quallace."
"Either way, we’ll keep letting them do all of the heavy-lifting and wait for a chance to finish off Tralon," Quallace replied, making sure that all the councilmen could hear him.
"Of course, just don’t get in the way when the time comes." Vixus looked back at Quallace. "You may have organized this, but you follow our plans. If you don’t, then there’s no telling what may happen."
"Right, right," sighed Quallace. "I’ll make sure to listen."
"Good, now let’s keep moving. It’s a long way to the peak." Bikkem marched ahead, confidently leading the others.
They noticed that the "fourth" floor had been cleared out just enough to pass, like the floor before it. But that started to change more and more as they made their way up the mountain.
"Bikkem, aren’t there too many beasts remaining for Tralon’s party to have cleared it?" Vixus asked.
"Hmm... You may be right, but do we have any other choice?" replied Bikkem. "For all we know, they dashed through here and barely killed enough to squeeze by. Also, no one has touched this place for a millennia, so it makes sense for so many to exist despite someone clearing the floor."
"Perhaps... Then let’s keep going."
"Finally! I’ll clear the way!" Kims happily took the lead, brandishing his swords at anything that stood in their way. "Wow... there are so many of them, and they’re all almost lv. 60."
"You’re right... They’ve definitely gone uncontrolled for the last thousand years. It makes sense why they would come down here," reasoned Bikkem. "The first two floors were probably easier to exterminate all together, but here they simply had to cut some mobs down to handle the overpopulation."
"That’s why they had to use more effort on the first two floors and were forced to rest for a day," Vixus continued Bikkem’s train of thought. "I wonder what’s lying in wait for us on the next floor. Hopefully, we won’t have to do much."
The councilmen continued to push ahead. Kims took charge of their attack but Quallace started to aid him as they faced more and more mobs near the mountain’s peak.
"We’re almost there."
"Quiet, Quallace. Less complaining and more killing!" Kims shouted, eagerly plunging his blades into nagas, giant beetles, and every kind of beast found on the mountainside. "We’ll get there eventually, one kill at a time."
They kept a steady pace and were soon at the mountain top looking down at the teleportation circle they had found.
"Good, now let’s go and scout them out!" Quallace was the first to step on the circle, waiting patiently for the other councilmen.
When they all joined him, they activated the circle and readied themselves to enter the next floor. However, their surroundings were far too familiar to be on the next floor.
"This... What is this?!" shouted Quallace, unhappy to find himself back at the beginning of the same floor.
Chapter 315
"This... What is this?!"
"Quallace, shut up!"
Looking to Bikkem, Quallace questioned, "Why? I’m pissed off that we’re back to the beginning of the floor. Aren’t the teleportation circles supposed to take us to the next floor?!"
"There are a couple of possibilities that could explain what just happened. First, we might be on the next floor and it’s eerily similar, though I doubt that. Second, and the most likely, there’s more than one teleportation circle here and it’s a different circle that will take us to the next floor," explained Bikkem.
"But why would a dungeon be like this? No other dungeon--"
"According to history, there was no other artificial dungeon created so extravagantly as this one. Also, this dungeon has always been rumored to be perplexing and misleading since Ancient Kartonia. Even some ancient heroes struggled to navigate this place if the legend is correct," Vixus stated, boasting his knowledge of the Leisure Guild. "If anything, I had a feeling that it was too easy. Now I know that it was. There must be another path that we overlooked or possibly a passage into the mountain."
"But... I guess you’re right. Sorry for overreacting," Quallace sighed.
"It’s fine, just don’t let anything affect your judgment. On this floor it’s fine, but there’s no telling what may happen on the later floors that are more dangerous. Keep a level head, Quallace," persuaded Bikkem. "Even Kims isn’t as frazzled as you. Keep it together."
"Right, then let’s look for this other path."
The councilmen spent a few hours searching and testing a few different paths, most leading to dead ends or a circle connected to the beginning of the floor. It was on the fourth path that they found the circle leading to the fifth floor, finally relieving Quallace of plenty of pent up stress.
"This... Is this a maze?"
"It seems to be. It’s well lit but there’s no way for us to look at other paths," Bikkem chatted with Vixus. "It seems that this level will take us some time to figure out."
"But what if we run into Tralon’s party?" asked Quallace.
Bikkem nodded, "Then we act and go for the kill. Even if Argyle and his son-in-law survive, we must kill Tralon. Otherwise, we’ve wasted our efforts coming here."
"Then I hope we’re lucky enough to run into them inside the labyrinth," joked Kims.
"You mean unlucky enough," replied Vixus. "The walls are too narrow to have a proper group battle here, making our greater numbers a disadvantage if they have a good formation."
"But we don’t have superior numbers," stated Bikkem. "Don’t forget the fox and the boy will be fighting together, so it will be harder on them."
"True, but it’s still not ideal to battle here. I hope we clear the maze first. And since it seemed that Tralon’s party knew exactly where the correct circle was on the last floor, they may also know the exact path to take in this labyrinth," reasoned Vixus. "I think it’s best to assume that they’ve already completed this floor or that they’re resting at the circle before moving on."
"I agree. It’s likely that we won’t run into them so soon. But after this floor, we’ll make sure to stay closer so that we won’t be left behind and can make a move when appropriate." Bikkem nodded to the others, getting their approval to move forward.
They wandered for some time, reaching a few dead ends and being forced to retrace their steps. Eventually, they found the first treasure trove.
"What is... So many treasures?!" Quallace shouted with joy.
"Calm down, Quallace. There’s no telling why they left this behind," reasoned Bikkem. "Wouldn’t Argyle be adamant to take this with him?"
"But what if they’ve agreed that he can’t take any treasures?" stated Quallace. "There’s a chance that he’s already been paid handsomely for his help."
With a shake of his head, Bikkem replied, "Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying."
"Oh, I’m being careful..." Quallace carefully searched for the item that best caught his eye. "See, I’m only going to take a single item out of all these. Okay?"
"That’s fine, I guess," sighed Bikkem.
Smiling and giddy, Quallace grabbed a gem-encrusted staff with a twinkle in his eye. But that smile vanished when the large gem at the top of the staff blinked.
"What the--"
Before he could do anything, Quallace felt teeth sink into his wrist, teeth that appeared to be made of the gems from the staff in his hand.
No longer hesitating, Quallace became battle-minded and blasted the staff with a raging ball of flame, forcing it too let go of his hand. "It’s a mimic, kill it!"
Hearing his favorite word, Kims took action and launched a wave of sword energy at the mimic posing as a sorcerer’s staff.
"Careful, Kims! Don’t hit or touch any other item!"
Vixus tried to warn Kims, but it was too late. The sword attack hit the staff head-on, but the remnants of the sword energy glanced a few other mimics around them.
"Blasted mimics!" Bikkem shouted as he dashed in and grabbed the staff mimic. The furious monk hurled the mimic back into one of the hallways. "Get the other mimics in the hall! That way we won’t have to fight the inactive mimics."
Both Kims and Vixus nodded, following Bikkem’s example. Quallace focused his firepower on the hall, targeting all the mimics being thrown to the side.
The improvised teamwork was well executed and very accurate. Within a minute or two, all active mimics were killed and the inactive mimics were left behind as the party of councilmen moved on.
"No wonder they left those behind..." Vixus shook his head. "So, the Legend left hordes of mimics to fool any explorers of his dungeon. And anyone who doesn’t know better, or for those who aren’t guild members like Tralon, they could easily become overrun by a swarm of mimics."
"But what if there were some real treasures hidden among the mimics?" Quallace asked.
Vixus chuckled, "Knowing the Legend’s temperament, I would say that there probably were. That is if Argyle hasn’t already snatched them away. Since he owns an auction house, he most likely has a way to discern between items and a way to discern what treasures were real and which ones were falsified."
"Vixus has a point," stated Bikkem. "No matter what, we can’t touch a single piece of treasure on this level."
"But Bikkem, we--"
"There’s no way to scavenge through that many mimics without wasting our time. And if we take too long, we’ll lose Tralon’s trail," argued Bikkem. "I would offer to let you stay behind and sort through the mimics yourself, but we’ll need your help to execute the plan to take down Tralon."
"Right... Then no more treasures. I understand." Quallace sighed, unhappy to be fooled so easily.
The councilmen continued and eventually made it past the next two treasure troves and reached a large clearing in the center of the maze.
"I wonder what... What is that?" Vixus quickened his pace, catching the attention of the other councilmen. "Is that a... mimic?"
When Vixus and the others behind him entered the clearing, they were blown away. Not too far away was what seemed to be a house fallen on its side yet still intact. But the burned and slashed tentacles gave away it’s true form.
"A giant mimic... I guess they still had to fight something on this floor. And I’m glad it was them..." Bikkem stated.
"Imagine if we had found this place before them. Quallace would have started to search for treasures in that house, not knowing it could eat him alive," reasoned Vixus.
Quallace choked on some saliva before he forced it down.
"Ahh... I would’ve loved to fight that!" Kims pouted.
Unbeknownst to the others, light filled Vixus’s eyes as he reexamined the corpse of the giant mimic. "I wouldn’t say that if I were you, Kims."
"Oh? And why not?" laughed the swordsman.
"Because you’re only lv. 65. Not only was this mimic giant in size, but it was also lv. 69."
"Lv. 69?!" Bikkem’s neck jolted to the side as he looked at Vixus. "Are you certain?"
"I’m sure. I have an ability to see through monsters and beasts, whether dead or alive. And this behemoth of a mimic was lv. 69," Vixus stated clearly.
"But how could they beat it so easily, then?" Bikkem’s questioned. "No... It wasn’t that easy. They’re probably resting by the circle now to recuperate after the fight."
As Quallace started to bicker with Bikkems and Kims about what to do next, Vixus approached the fallen beast. He kept his thoughts to himself as he examined the wounds of the giant mimic. There were many gashes present along with some minor areas of burns. But Vixus examined the rest of the giant beast, including the side it was lying on.
When Vixus noticed the damage done to that side, he froze momentarily. Vixus struggled to believe just how badly burnt the giant mimic was because such a burn had to be caused by a fire spell of mythic or legendary proportions, which Tralon didn’t have.
The only other option was the Hell-flame Fox and the young hero of the association. And after witnessing that carnage, Vixus was all too curious about Jack and Bowzer.
"Vixus? What are you doing here?"
An aged voice rang out in Vixus’s mind, clearly from his contact crystal. And it was a voice Vixus heard almost every day since he too was a member of the council.
Vixus glanced the other bickering council members a ways away as he took out his contact crystal and couched to regain his composure.
"Tralon, what is it you need?"
Chapter 316
After taking out chairs and starting a fire, Jack, Tralon, Argyle, and Bowzer allowed themselves to relax and roast some meat rations to pass the time.
’Hey Tralon, would you mind using God’s Eye again.’
’Why’s that, Jack?’
’I’ve already seen the four councilmen with God’s Eye but I can’t recognize anyone other than Quallace.’
Tralon nodded. ’Oh, so you want me to reveal which council member dared to enter your dungeon and help you plan accordingly. Give me a moment.’
While Jack and Argyle smiled in wait, Tralon’s eyes had a white cloudiness glaze over them. ’They’re not on this floor yet... Ah, there they are. They’re on the second floor but it seems they’ve fallen for your false circle multiple times already.’
’If they fell for that so easily, then I’m excited for them to try the later levels,’ laughed Jack.
’Or to see them against the mimics,’ Argyle chuckled.
’There’s Quallace and Bikkem like we had guessed. Seems like they fell for our bait. The young EXP crazed Kims is with them. And there’s also... Vixus?’
Mid laugh, Jack paused and slowly turned back to Tralon. ’Who else is with them?’
’Oh, right... There is a council member named after your fellow cofounder. Also, he’s a genuine descendant of said cofounder,’ mentioned Tralon.
’What?! Explain!’
’Jack, not long after the Godly War, well after ancient heroes had disappeared from Kartonia, the Leisure Guild used a lot of treasure to be one of the first to summon an ancient hero,’ Tralon explained. ’We had nowhere near enough to summon someone of your level, considering the drastic increase in cost for every five levels, but we did manage to summon a lv. 75 hero successfully. It was Vixus Senpai, but he soon removed senpai from his name.’
A flood of unexpected thoughts washed over Jack’s brain. ’That... But...’
’I know that Vixus Senpai left the guild before we attained our grand reputation and I had no intention of summoning him, but he was the one we had summoned in the end,’ stated Tralon.
Jack’s mind was forced into neutral, unable to get past his past memories of Vixus_Senpai and the initial struggles of the Leisure Guild.
Together they had started the Leisure Guild and had started the Trodan Council, each holding a seat to help govern the state. At the time, the level cap was lv. 70, hence the dungeon only going as high as lv. 65. Jack remembered the many times when the guild had been raided or the moments when the guild nearly collapsed internally.
Vixus_Senpai was the first person that Jack_J. Had considered a friend, the first person to continually party with Jack.
That friendship and partnership continued for two more years. The level cap had been increased to lv. 75 and the Leisure Guild was on the rise, already being recognized as one of the greatest guilds. The initial hurdles of the guild were long gone and they could now enjoy the fruits of their labor, yet something changed.
Gradually, Vixus_Senpai was on less often and he was eventually unable to commit to the long grinds for guild raids or leveling.
Eventually, the day came when Vixus_Senpai told Jack that he was quitting "A Hero’s Tale." Jack didn’t listen very well at the time, but he remembered Vixus_Senpai mentioning something about his wife, his soon-to-be-born child, and his promotion at work. Jack didn’t want to hear it, but Vixus_Senpai was decently successful in life outside of "A Hero’s Tale" and there was no longer time nor energy left for a silly game that would never amount to anything of worth in real life, according to Vixus_Senpai.
’Jack... Jack!’
’Huh? Oh... sorry about that.’ Jack scratched his head and nodded. ’So, you somehow summoned the old guild leader. What happened next?’
’Did you not hear anything I just said?’ asked Tralon.
’I... No. I didn’t,’ Jack answered honestly. ’Please, tell me again now that I’m paying attention.’
’Right... So, after we summoned Vixus Senpai, or Vixus as he liked to be called, I tried to pass him the reigns of the guild and allow him to again lead us. But he refused,’ Tralon explained. ’It may have been due to the difference in our levels, but he didn’t like the idea of taking control of the guild anymore. Also...’
’Most of the items designated for the guild leader were all upgraded to lv. 85, so all of the old gear that he had given up was now unusable to him,’ Jack finished Tralon’s thought.
With a sad smile, TRalon nodded, ’Right. In the end, he felt it was best to not be associated with the guild, not wanting to take back any of his former equipment or items. Instead, he headed the council and started a few businesses in town, he even started a family.
’In all honesty, he chose to live a very uneventful life in my opinion,’ Tralon added.
Jack sighed, ’Yeah, but that’s the life that he chose for himself, even back then... Then how did he die?’
’Well... He was actually done in by a rare poison, one you’re very familiar with, Jack.’
Wide-eyed, Jack looked Tralon in the eye. At the same time, Argyle looked to Jack, startled to hear that Jack would be familiar with a poison that strong.
With a nod, Tralon continued, ’Since you discovered the walking death toxin well after Vixus had left the guild, he was clueless as to what he could do to stop it. And since I never had access to the cure, Vixus Senpai didn’t live long enough to see his grandchildren. A sad end for the short life of a former hero.’
’That’s... Do you have any idea how he was infected?’ asked Jack.
’No, but it was around the same time that the Chaos Syndicate started to appear in Kartonia. And since many people had been killed by that same poison in the syndicate’s hands, I assumed that the syndicate was also the cause of Vixus Senpai’s death."
"Okay... So... So this councilman with the same name, I’m guessing he’s a distant descendant of the cofounder?’
’Correct,’ replied Tralon. ’It’s been over four hundred years since then, so there’ve been many of his descendants that have held a council seat. Also, they all tend to be very interested in the guild but always refuse to join it.’
Argyle chimed in, ’How exactly were they interested in the guild? Did they try to take something from you?’
’They usually claimed that they had a birthright to half of our treasures since their ancestor was the cofounder, though he deserted before we achieved out unmatched fame. Hence why Jack was regarded as the Legend of Trodar and Vixus was forgotten by history for the most part,’ explained Tralon. ’I believe that was the second major reason why Vixus Senpai refused to rejoin the guild.
’And to his descendants, I’ve always mentioned how their ancestor refused to take anything from the guild when he left. Since Vixus_Senpai personally refused to take anything, I too refused to offer any sort of monetary stimulus to his ancestors.’
’What did this Vixus want?’ Jack asked, still straight-faced and swallowing down his emotions.
’He has become arguably the most powerful of his descendants, showing potential to surpass Vixus Senpai,’ stated Tralon. ’Due to their centuries-old businesses, the family is the wealthiest in Trodar. Rather than argue about what belonged to them, Vixus made me some generous offers to purchase guild properties and assets. And if worst came to worst, he’s the man I would most likely be willing to negotiate with.’
’Yet that Vixus is now down here, helping the others raid the storehouse?’
’Jack, the storehouse is the property that Vixus is most interested in.’
’Oh? This old place? Probably after the treasure in the vault."
Tralon shook his head. ’Actually, he offered to help me with the storehouse if I wanted to empty the vaults before I sold it to him. He only asked that he had the chance to select a single treasure before I took the rest.’
’A single treasure... Which treasure is he after?’ Jack mumbled to himself, trying his best to think back on the many items tucked away in the vault.
Chapter 317
’He never told me what treasure he was after, but he never appeared to be against the Leisure Guild. If anything, I felt he was quite accommodating with his offers and his clear intentions to receive a single item from the vault.’
’This Vixus never did anything like colluding with other councilmen against you?’ Jack questioned, trying to figure out the man named after his one and only former party member.
’No. He’s usually the one to help me defend my cause in the council meetings, one the only ones to do so openly. For that reason, I’m shocked to see him down here,’
’So Mr. Nice-Guy turned out to be more rotten than you expected. What’s so uncommon about that?’ Argyle shrugged.
’It not that he’s working with other councilmen, it’s that he’s deliberately working with these councilmen in particular,’ explained Tralon. ’Both Bikkem and Quallace have always been against anything involving the growth of the Leisure Guild. They’ve made sure to treat us partially, and Kims has been taken under their wing as the least experienced council member.’
’So, in other words,’ Jack started to lay out the facts more clearly, ’this Vixus has never tried to harm the guild and has only ever treated it favorably, yet he’s now decided to work with the councilmen that most hate the guild, daring to enter our storehouse directly and possibly aiming for your life, Tralon. Did I miss anything?’
With a chuckle, Tralon shook his head. ’No. That’s exactly what I’ve meant to say. I’m baffled by why he is here.’
’But are you?’ Jack asked, catching Tralon off guard. ’It’s clear that this Vixus is after a single thing and that’s something hidden in our vault. Since you’ve always told him no, wouldn’t raiding the tomb be the next best option? That’s what I would’ve done, right?’
’Yeah... That’s definitely what you would’ve done,’ laughed Tralon.
’Now the question is what item is he particularly after and why.’ Jack scratched his head for a moment before he asked, ’Where are they now?’
’They’re about to reach the fifth floor.’ Tralon checked again with God’s Eye.
’When you see him alone, I want you to call him.’
’What?’
Jack nodded. ’I want you to call him via your contact crystal when he’s alone and can talk without the other councilmen overhearing him. You’ll question him about his intentions in the storehouse, maybe ask about the treasure he’s after. Then I want you to pass me the crystal so I can talk to this Vixus.’
’But why would you talk with--’
’Tralon, please, just do this and then let me talk with him,’ Jack restated. ’If he decides to tell the others that we’re onto them, then so be it. I’m just curious about a few things, that’s all.’
’Alright... then I’ll do as you ask. I’ll let you know when I’m able to speak with him.’
’Jack, what are you up to now?’ Argyle asked with a raised eyebrow. ’Mind filling me in so I can join the fun?’
Chuckling, Jack shrugged. ’Maybe I’m just curious how they bribed him, is that wrong of me to wonder?’
Argyle leaned closer to Jack. ’What I want to know is what you’ll do with that information.’
’You’ll see soon enough. If I don’t get the chance to show you, then I’ll tell you later.’
The party patiently waited around the campfire while snacking on roasted meat. Jack rubbed Bowzer’s belly and scratched behind his ears every now and then. Argyle was sipping on some wine, occasionally reaching down to feel Bowzer’s luscious fur. Tralon was the only one who wasn’t fully relaxed as he spied on the other councilmen with God’s Eye.
Finally, Tralon found an opening to make the call.
When Quallace, Bikkem, and Kims began to bicker about what to do next, Vixus walked away to better inspect the fallen giant mimic. Not letting this chance go, Tralon smiled and retrieved his contact crystal.
"Vixus? What are you doing here?"
As the startled councilmen doublechecked on the other three councilmen traveling with him, he took out his contact crystal and whispered, "Tralon, what is it you need?"
"I need you to get some space so we can talk without Quallace, Bikkem, or Kims overhearing you," Tralon calmly stated.
"That... How did you know that--"
"There are many spells that you don’t know about from ancient times and I happen to have a few of them. I can see you inspecting the Giant mimic as we speak, so do you believe that I know you’re in the storehouse now?"
"I... I never knew you had such a spell..." Vixus sighed. "Give me a moment."
"You three, don’t disturb me or come near here while I inspect this beast further. I want to learn more about it and the battle they had. It will help us prepare for our confrontation to come," shouted Vixus, already turned away from the council members and walking to the other side of the house.
"Alright. Us three will wait here," replied Bikkem.
Quallace smiled, "Does that mean we can inspect the troves while he’s busy?"
"Quallace, we’ already--"
"I’ll go with you!" Kims happily nodded. "If you fail again, then I get to kill the mimics."
"You two... Fine, but we’re only going back to the nearest trove." Bikkem agreed with a sigh. "Vixus! Us three will go inspect the past trove of treasures while you’re busy. No rush, so make sure to learn all you can."
"Of course!" Vixus shouted as he turned the corner around the house and went out of sight of his party members.
"Now that they’re leaving you alone, we can talk more freely, yes?" Tralon asked, already noticing the other three councilmen walking away.
"Fine, since you’ve caught me red-handed, I’ll talk."
"Why is it that you’ve agreed to work with those three? Is it so you could get that one treasure you’re after?"
Vixus nodded. "You’re correct to assume such."
"And how did they know that you were after such a treasure in the first place?" asked Tralon.
"That... They dogged me about the offers I made to you and investigated them. Once they connected the dots and learned that I was after the storehouse, they’ve been constantly egging me on about some minor things to slow down your guild. I’ve refused all up until now, as you can guess from our council meetings."
"Then you only agreed because you want that specific item, and you felt this was the best chance to get it?" assumed Tralon.
"Correct again," sighed Vixus.
"Then what if..."
"Tralon? What were you going to say?"
"Hi, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I was dying to speak with you."
"I... Who is this? Is this... Jack, Argyle’s son-in-law?" Vixus was surprised by the sudden interruption to his conversation, but he was astute enough to figure out that if it wasn’t Argyle who interrupted them, there was only one other person.
"You’re quite a smart cookie, aren’t you Vixus?" Jack laughed. "Since introductions aren’t needed, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. What treasure are you after exactly?"
"That... That’s not something I’m privy to reveal so easily."
"Well, depending on what the treasure is, then I might be able to give it to you free of charge... But you don’t want to reason with me."
A long pause took place as Vixus digested Jack’s unexpected statement. "... What do you mean by that?"
"What? I thought I was pretty clear with that statement."
"But how can you offer me something that even Tralon has been refusing me all these years?" questioned Vixus.
"Oh, so now you’re interested in speaking with me, I take it?" Jack chuckled. "I’ll say it again, depending on what treasure you’re after, I can simply gift it to you."
"But what are you after? What agenda do you have? Also, how can you promise me what Tralon can’t give up?"
"One question at a time, okay?"
Chapter 318
"One question at a time, okay?" Jack sighed. "As for what I’m after, what do you think it is, given that we know you’ve illegally entered our storehouse and are following us?"
"You want to know what we plan to do inside of the storehouse and are wondering if we have any agenda besides stealing the treasures of the vault," Vixus deduced. "Also, what do you mean by "our storehouse"?"
"Exactly that. It’s our storehouse, as I’m also a member of the Leisure Guild," stated Jack. "And yes, what you’ve deduced is part of what I want to know. But I’m also interested in your intentions for the treasure you seek after you’ve obtained it."
"You ask too many questions."
"So do you," retorted Jack. "But unlike you, I’m willing to answer you’re questions, that is if you’ll cooperate. Or am I wrong to assume you won’t cooperate?"
"... Even if you’re a member of the guild, you wouldn’t have the right to offer me anything in the storehouse."
"Why not? Do you know me so well?"
Vixus hesitated, curious why Jack was so confident with his words. "Are you now Jack, the young summoned hero that recently joined the Adventurers Association, married into the Fat Goose Guild, and claimed a Hell-flame Fox as your beast companion with a mutual seal?"
"Wow, you’ve done you’re homework. You even know about the mutual seal. I’ve got to give you some credit for digging so deeply into my history," replied Jack. Is that all?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Are you done speaking of me and who I am?" Jack rephrased. "If so, then you’re still a long way off."
"That... How so?"
"If you can’t figure out at least why there’s a possibility that I’ve done more than that, then you’re nowhere near as smart as you distant ancestor."
Taking Jack’s words to heart, Vixus thought a moment longer as he used that last statement as a hint. "You... You knew my great ancestor?"
"Getting warmer," laughed Jack.
"You were a former guild member that happened to get summoned... And now you’re working with Tralon to revive the guild?"
"Not bad at all. So, do you believe me now that I can get you what you want?"
Hesitating again, Vixus replied, "Then how can you guarantee that I’ll receive my item?"
"Because I’m going to open the vault."
Startled by Jack’s bluntness, Vixus instinctively chuckled. "That... That doesn’t guarantee that I’ll get the item I want."
"But it’s the best guarantee you have, right? Or would you rather deal with the other six floors ahead of you? I can guarantee you that the remaining six floors are more difficult then you assume and even if you survive, you may be forced back to the outer doors of the dungeon before you make it to the eleventh floor."
"That... Then tell me what’s on the--"
"And even if you somehow, against all odds, make it to floor eleven, I doubt your party is prepared for the vault guardian. If his level hasn’t changed in the past millennia than you might win at the sacrifice of a couple of party members, but not even I know what level he is now."
"... So, what you’re saying is that the other councilmen and I can’t possibly reach the vault on our own?"
"Right you are."
"Then how will you get through it?"
"I’m an ancient guild member who knows the secrets of the guild. If anyone knew how to maneuver the dungeon, wouldn’t it be me and Tralon?" Jack stated. "So, will you talk, or not?"
Vixus didn’t reply immediately. He wanted to think things through and hated to make impulsive decisions.
"What will it be? I don’t think your friends will be occupied for much longer."
"I... What would you want me to do?"
Jack smiled and laughed, "I want you to join the Leisure Guild."
*****
"Vixus! What have you learned?"
The beast tamer got off of his knees and noticed Bikkem calling out to him with a satisfied Kims and a disappointed Quallace in tow. He dusted his pants off as Vixus pointed to a charred tentacle. "Though this beast died by the sword, most of the damage it received was from a powerful flame of some sort. But Tralon can’t use such spells."
"Are you insinuating that the Hell-flame Fox is the reason the defeated this beast?" asked Bikkem, picking up a similar charred tentacle.
"You’re always so sharp, Bikkem. I think we’ve underestimated the threat this fox might be. Also, we need to watch out for the young hero as well."
"I imagine you have a reason to fear him as well?"
"But he’s not even lv. 30, right?" stated Kims. "Why should I worry about such a weakling?"
"I believe we’ve also heavily underestimated that hero. As Argyle’s son-in-law, I’m sure he’s been given only the best equipment, and do you think that Argyle, the man so reluctant to marry off his daughter, would choose a man so weak as his son-in-law? I think we should assume that he’s stronger than Quallace’s son."
"Impossible! He’s not even lv. 30 and you want to compare him to--"
"Quallace!" Bikkem interrupted. "Let Vixus speak, now shut up!"
"Thank you, Bikkem." Vixus nodded to the monk and continued, "According to my information, that hero has a mutual seal with the Hell-flame Fox, which means--"
"Impossible! How could such a weak--"
"Quallace! Shut up!" Staring daggers into Quallace, Bikkem glared at the curious councilman.
Vixus sighed. "As I was saying, Since they have a mutual seal, they shouldn’t be very far apart in terms of level. Though I don’t believe he’s as great a threat as the Hell-flame Fox, he still shouldn’t be underestimated. This giant corpse of a monster is proof of that. Those two are the only ones in the party with fire magic, so who else could cause this?"
Bikkem stroked his bare chin. "What would you estimate is his level then, or his class?"
"As for level, I would guess at least lv. 50. With a powerful enough spell and the aid of the fox, a lv. 50 could deal this level of damage with Argyle and Tralon aiding them," stated Vixus, startling Quallace and putting a smile on Kims’s face.
"Also, it may be safe to assume that they know we’re in here."
"What? Explain," Bikkem demanded.
Vixus nodded. "Just a moment ago, I spoke with Tralon. He was wondering why we were following them into the dungeon."
"How did they figure it out."
"Tralon only mentioned that he used an ancient spell that’s hard to find nowadays in Modern Kartonia," explained Vixus. "In the case that they know we’re here, I think it may be best to attack as soon as possible and not delay things any longer."
"But... If that’s true, then how do we know you’re not working with them," argued Quallace. "Weren’t you always trying to get into the storehouse? Maybe they made you a desperate offer to attract your help?"
"They did make such an offer," Vixus admitted, "but why should I accept a single piece of treasure when we’ll take the whole thing? Answer me that?"
"Well..."
"And you know Tralon, he always places too many unnecessary conditions on his deals. How could I, Trodar’s greatest businessman accept such a thing? Why would I accept an apple if I already own an entire bushel?"
Bikkem nodded. "Then let’s make our move now. We don’t want to give them any more time to plan against us."
"But how can we verify that they know?" Quallace kept bickering for the sake of not losing the argument.
"Call him and find out yourself. Why should I lie about such a thing now?" stated Vixus as he and Bikkem charged forward. "My Flame Tiger will keep the fox busy while I take on the young hero. Kims, charge Tralon hed on. Don’t give him space to cast any ancient spells. And Quallace, follow Bikkem’s lead."
"Vixus, I’m not doubting your--"
"Let’s go already!" Bikkem shouted from the front.
With Vixus beside Bikkem and Kims chasing behind them, Quallace sighed as he ran to not be left behind.
Chapter 319
The councilmen rushed through the rest of the labyrinth, ignoring all of the false items that glittered and tempted Quallace in the fourth treasure trove.
"Vixus, I imagine you’ve got some sort of plan."
"Yes, Bikkem. I told Tralon that I want to speak in person, just the two of us. He agreed and we promised to meet up in the last treasure trove. It should be the sixth one."
"Hmmm... Then what will we do next? Do you plan to lure him back toward us or do you want us to strike while he’s not suspecting it?" Bikkem asked.
Vixus shook his head. "I’ll let you decide since you’re the tactician. If you want me to keep him distracted, then that’s what I’ll do. I’m not sure if I have a reliable way to lead him back toward you guys."
"True, then let’s go with that plan. We’ll strike Tralon together while you distract him, Vixus. That simplifies things and keeps us from dealing with Argyle, so long as we can kill Tralon instantly."
Kims smiled, "As long as I get to thrust my sword into him."
"Then I’ll need about ten seconds to charge the most appropriate spell," stated Quallace. "To avoid missing or accidentally hitting Vixus instead of Argyle, that’s what I’ll need."
"Very well, then when I signal, you’ll start counting into your contact crystal for Vixus to hear," ordered Bikkem. "We need complete cooperation for this to work. If we underestimate Tralon for his level again, there’s no way out of the consequences this time."
Vixus squinted as he heard that, as did Kims.
It was clear to them and many of the councilmen that neither Bikkem nor Quallace were ever willing to cooperate with Tralon or his proposals. But to hear that this wasn’t the first time they had attempted to kill the aging mage was news to both of them. This time they had been persuaded by money from the vault and the item he had been seeking his whole life or through the chance to gain loads of EXP, but they wondered what could motivate the other two councilmen so much as to act with such malice.
"We’re passing the fifth treasure trove now, so let’s slow down and stay as quiet as possible," Bikkem suggested.
The others followed the order and slowed to a silent jog as they neared the meeting place. They took a few wrong turns but managed to find the entrance to the sixth trove, which gave off a golden light from the items inside the open space.
With a nod, Vixus stepped forward. "I’ll distract him, so you’d better not mess this up. You’ll get one chance."
Vixus walked a few meters and turned a corner to catch sight of an elderly man with drooping, pointed ears. The man looked back to Vixus with a soft smile. "Vixus, I’m glad you came alone."
"That’s what we agreed on, so here I am. Now, what are you willing to offer me?"
As the two men started to converse, Bikkem motioned to Quallace as he and Kims crept toward the edge of the corner.
"10... 9..." The sorcerer began the countdown.
"It’s always straight to business with you," sighed Tralon. "Very well, I can offer you the item you wish so long as you tell me what it is."
"But I wish to retrieve it myself. Can’t you at least offer to take me into the vault for that?" Vixus questioned, keeping his usual persona and playing the part.
"That’s impossible." Tralon shook his head. "Getting you into the vault would make things to difficult for me. I hope you can understand that much, Vixus."
"4... 3..."
Vixus sighed as the countdown got nearer to its end. He paced to the side, making sure he wasn’t between the soon-to-be attackers and their target. "Tralon, I’m sorry to decline."
"1!"
Suddenly, a red-hot magic circle appeared beneath Tralon’s feet, startling the aging man.
"Vixus..."
An explosive plume of flames burst from the magic circle, consuming Tralon entirely as Vixus jumped back.
At the same time, both Kims and Bikkem charged into the treasure trove with bloodlust. The plume of fire would only last for a moment, leaving a small opening for the other two to go in for the kill.
As the plume began to die down, the attackers prepared to deliver the final blow.
"Goodbye, Tralon!" Bikkem shouted as he hurled himself toward the rescinding plume of fire.
But to his surprise, as the plume died down there were still flames roaring around Tralon’s body, and they seemed more formidable than Quallace’s sneak attack. Then, those new red flames with a tinge of white began to grow and take the form of a large humanoid staring down the incoming attackers with a devilish grin.
"W-what?!" Bikkem halted his assaulted and refrained from plunging his fist into those fearsome flames.
The attack crazed Kims, however, continued his attack unabated. He wasn’t sure what was going on or if the person in front of him was really Tralon, but he knew it was an enemy and Kims wanted to try himself against such a fearsome foe.
Yet he was stopped.
The faces of the councilmen grew dim for a moment as they hadn’t noticed Argyle charging in to block Kims in his tracks. They had been too distracted by the unusual, elemental-like entity before them.
Kims’s excitement instantly dwindled into seriousness as he was forced to trade blows with Argyle.
"Try this!" Argyle cackled, knocking Kims’s sword to the side and slashing off one of his arms, but Argyle failed to take Kims’s sword-wielding arm.
"Quallace! Cauterize this!" Kims’s shouted with veins bulging from his forehead.
The sorcerer ran in from around the corner, stunned by what he discovered. "B-but then we can’t--"
"Just do it! I can’t fight while I’m bleeding out." Kims argued, jumping back to make it easier on Quallace.
"Fine..." The sorcerer reluctantly agreed and brought out high-intensity flames to cauterize and seal Kims’s wound.
Not flinching but relishing in the pain, Kims smiled. "Argyle, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Kims. Just because you’ve gotten a bit stronger doesn’t mean you’ll be able to handle me." Argyle laughed as he picked up the dismembered arm. "Since you don’t want to salvage this..."
A few swipes of Argyle’s sword were enough to hack and dice the arm into nothing but bits of flesh and bone, making it impossible to piece back together.
Bikkem glared at Argyle first, then at the towering body of flame, and finally at Vixus. "Vixus! You--"
Just as Vixus was about to be labeled as a traitor, that flame body lunged out to the nearby beast tamer, forcing the Vixus toward the opposite entrance to the trove and burning his side. "Get back here, coward!"
Vixus grimaced and released his lv. 62 Flame Tiger. "Sick him!"
The Flame Tiger was high-leveled, obvious from its size alone. It was almost as big as the towering flame body, which the tiger attacked fearlessly.
But the Flame Tiger suddenly flinched and jumped back as another flame body appeared from the hall and dove toward the incoming tiger.
When the councilmen noticed the other flame body, they were shaken. It was far larger and the flames surrounding it were bright white. Even the kari crystals lining the ceiling were dim by comparison to the roaring white flames.
"That’s... So that’s how it happened," Bikkem stated aloud. "That’s Jack and the Hell-flame Fox, be careful!"
"What?! That’s them?" Quallace was baffled.
"They must’ve been the ones that Argyle used to delay the Limneer army. It would explain the white-hot forest fire that destroyed the Limneer forest and the city walls of Zurden," Bikkem explained, clearly putting the pieces together for all to understand. "He must be able to use illusion magic as well in order to disguise himself as Tralon."
"But he was only supposed to be lv. 30. Clearly, he’s not lv. 30 right now!" Quallace was in denial as the two groups were in a staredown.
"Maybe that’s why he came in here, to power grind and to let these two carry him so he could level up rapidly," reasoned Bikkem, surprising even Jack with his abilities of deduction. "Either way, there’s no turning back now, so follow the plan!"
"But where’s Tralon?" Vixus asked as sweat leaked from his brow.
Bikkem was about to report Tralon’s location when he realized that the mage was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 320
"Tralon... Where is that pestro!" Quallace shouted at Argyle and Jack.
"Tralon? Hmm... Remind me who that is." Jack acted clueless as he examined the four councilmen.
"You..."
"Calm down, Quallace. He’s messing with us," stated Bikkem. "We don’t mean either of you two any trouble. We’re here for Tralon and Tralon alone."
"And that’s why you can’t find Tralon," Jack replied. "If you were able to find him, then you’d team up on him and teabag him."
"We... What?" Caught off guard by Jack’s choice of words, Bikkem hesitated. "Either way, we don’t want to fight either of you two, so can we at least agree to back off and go our separate ways?"
"Go our separate ways? This is a dungeon! There’s only one way to go!" Jack laughed. "Besides, you’re all trespassing and there’s a rule we’ve had in the guild since this dungeon was first opened. Would you like to know what it is?"
The councilmen stayed silent, trying to realize the underlying hints in Jack’s statement.
"All uninvited nonmembers of the guild are to be slaughtered!"
That stole the attention of the councilmen, not giving them much time to think. Bikkem replied, "You plan to slaughter us councilmen? That breaking the greatest law in all of Trodar!"
"You broke it first, oh mighty Lord Bikkem," Jack taunted with a bow of his head. "And this guild was founded before Trodar existed, so the guild rules are superior. Unless you have something to convince me otherwise."
"We can give you everything in the vault!" shouted Quallace. "So long as you two don’t interfere, we’ll kill Tralon and you can have everything inside the vault!"
"Hey! That’s not what we agreed on!" Vixus refuted.
"Quallace, don’t make statements that we would need to discuss as a group. And don’t make it sound as if we’re afraid to fight them either," stated Bikkem, not daring to take his eyes off the tricky duo threatening them. "Also, if I heard him correctly, it seems that this young hero is already a member of the Leisure Guild."
"Not already, I’ve always been a member, since before I was summoned."
"Oh... That explains a lot." Bikkem nodded. "Then you’ve been the one leading the way and not Tralon?"
"You’re sharp, much sharper than the idiot who willingly sold us his entire stock of potions. Now you don’t have enough for the whole party while we have an abundance," chuckled Jack, stoking Quallace’s anger.
"Quallace, keep calm. He’s targeting you so don’t play into his hands."
"Right!" Quallace tried his best to control his breathing, not letting it get too wild.
Bikkem squinted and glared at the lv. 71 swordsman. "Argyle, can’t we come to an agreement on this?"
"Bikkem, you brought this on yourself," replied Argyle, not wanting to talk too much as he eyed the furious Kims. "Don’t you want to keep playing?"
"I think they all want to keep playing," Jack laughed. "Am I wrong?"
"What are you going to do to us? We’re still council members, so killing us would only hurt your public image, even if you’re with the Leisure Guild. The Leisure Guild isn’t as powerful as it was in the past. Now, the council holds all the power!" Vixus reasoned.
"Right, you can’t kill us and there’s no telling on whether you three can even accomplish that feat," stated Bikkem, grateful to have Vixus to aid in the discussion. "It would be best for both sides to stand down, wouldn’t it?"
"How about this, I’ll stand down if you can answer one question."
Bikkem eyed Jack carefully and nodded. "Good, then state your question."
"Why do you want to kill Tralon and why do you want to erase the Leisure Guild?"
"That’s simple. We want the treasures that it contains so that Trodar can begin to prosper like during ancient times."
"So if I take you to the eleventh floor and open up the vault for you, then you won’t kill Tralon?"
Bikkem bit his tongue, not letting himself answer too quickly. He had underestimated the tact of the young hero.
"What’s wrong? I thought you only wanted the treasures? What if I sold you half of the property too, then the Leisure Guild would have diminished to a minor guild both in strength and influence. Then the council could do whatever they wanted. How’s that sound?" Jack continued.
"There’s no proof that you could offer such a--"
"If Jack allows it, then I would agree."
Startled further by Tralon’s voice in his head, Bikkem coughed. "That... That would take too long of a process. We’re in the middle of a war and we need the assets immediately in order to--"
"Be honest with me or we fight right here," ordered Jack, shutting Bikkem up. "I also remember that coward Quallace offering us everything in the vault, so long as we let you kill Tralon, which doesn’t add up with your logic. So, who are you working with that wants Tralon dead?"
"We’re not working for anyone, so why don’t you--"
"QUALLACE!!"
"Ahh... You’re proven guilty by your conscience, I see," Jack snickered as he glanced at the uneasy Quallace. "If you don’t give me some sort of answer in the next five seconds, then my father-in-law, my Hell-flame Fox, and myself will attack you without mercy according to guild rules. 5..."
"I agreed to come here through bribery of a great sum of money by Bikkem and the promise to gain a particular item in the vault along with other treasures," Vixus stated, catching wind that there was more to this then meets the eye.
Jack nodded to Vixus and turned to Kims. "4..."
"I’m after EXP and growth," Kims replied with a nod. "I’m the newest and the weakest council member. Though Tralon is weaker in terms of level, his experience is more vast than the entire council combined, so I see him as a great challenge and rival. Also, I’ve been trying to kill everything within reach of my sword, Vixus can attest to that."
Though Kims was a very straightforward person, he was still a councilman and was plenty smart in his own right. He too could sense that Bikkem and Quallace were hiding their true motives against Jack’s questioning.
"3..." Again, Jack nodded to Kims and moved on to Quallace.
"..." Tongue-tied, Quallace had no clue how to respond.
Bikkem then interjected, "I’m only after improving Trodar as soon as possible so that we can reclaim our lost territories and regain our world-renowned fame. Whether you believe me or not, that’s the truth."
"Then why aren’t you on the offensive? You should’ve jumped at the chance to find Limneer breaking the war pact, yet you denied it and refused to investigate. Explain that to me?" Jack argued.
Opening his mouth, Bikkem smiled and struggled to reply. "That... Tralon brought me no supporting evidence on the matter and I was busy handling the three-front war."
"The three-front excuse is lame," Jack scoffed. "When was the last time Iscantor attacked? And Prachten only has skirmishes every now and then, right? It was always Limneer taking the initiative, which you blatantly ignored when Tralon pushed for an investigation. It seems that your issue with Tralon is deep-seated and personal, not just for the greater good like you stated over and over."
"That..." Bikkem thumbed through replies in his mind, not managing to find a clear-cut response.
"2..."
"Kims, will you fight with us or against us?" Tralon’s voice crept into the young councilman’s head. "If you fight with us, you’ll gain EXP throughout the next six floors and enter the vault."
Kims quietly closed his eyes and thought to himself without giving a reply.
"Jack, we’re only doing this for the good of Trodar. How come you can’t see that?"
"Because your actions speak louder than words," Jack sighed nonchalantly, completely unconvinced. "1..."
Bikkem swallowed some saliva and looked to Quallace, who nodded. Then he looked to Kims and Vixus, who also nodded.
"Attack!"