Chapter 22 Making New Friends in the Dungeon

"Yeah. Sounds fair."

 "So, kid, it's still early in the day. Wanna go check out floor 15? We could try our luck there if you're up for the challenge. Monsters on this floor will give you less XP, it'll take a while."

 "Oh, come on, man. I know you just want to get more valuable cores from bigger monsters, but whatever, I'll play along. Just don't think I'm a fool and don't know what's up."

"Now that's the spirit, kid! That's more like it! Nice doing business with you. I'm starting to like ya. Takumi, my man, I have a feeling we'll be good friends after all this!"

Great. I've made a friend who's using me for monster cores. Still, dealing with this guy is better than dealing with Fiona. At least he's calling me by my name and not forcing me to go with him in bath.

"Now listen," Gregor continued, dropping to a more serious tone, "Here's what we're gonna do. We'll sneak through the entrance, toss some monster baits down the cliffs. That'll lure out the strongest monsters, they go crazy when you toss them bait, they'll jump right down the cliff after it."

He gestured vaguely at the path ahead.

 "Usually, at the very beginning, there are Crystal Mantises and other strong monsters lurking around, just waiting to ambush you and eat you. We don't like dealing with them, too much effort and risk for too little reward. Instead, we'll go farm some Swamp Slimes. They're big, strong, around level 30 but they're damn slow. It can get a bit messy, but it's good, fast XP. Also drops a core on each kill." He winked, and gently elbowed me on the side, "We both win, eh? So how about it, kid? You game?"

I thought about it for a moment. Swamp Slimes. Level 30. Slow. Perfect for grinding.

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan. I'm in."

We did as planned. Gregor pulled out a pouch of something foul-smelling, the monster bait, and tossed it over the edge of the cliff. We waited in cover, hiding, weapons ready, watching for any sign of movement.

Nothing.

 "Well damn. We just wasted bunch of good bait. It would seem we have no monsters lurking to ambush us. That's unusual. Did another party clear it out? It couldn't have been Sting and his party, got nothing to gain here. And I didn't see anyone strong enough to be on this floor on today's list of entries to the dungeon... Odd... But hey, this works in our favor! Let's hurry up and kill some Swamp Slimes!"

He led the way, his axe resting on his shoulder. I walked in the middle, with Mark, Jace, and Turok covering our backs. The floor was damp and muddy, and the air grew thick and humid as we descended into the swamp. After a few minutes of walking, Gregor pointed ahead. 

"That's the place, boys. Get ready, things will get busy really quick."

I could see the swamp in the distance, a murky, bubbling expanse of mud and stagnant water, dotted with patches of sickly green vegetation. It was the kind of place that looked like it was waiting to swallow you.

I was about to take a step forward when the ground cracked beneath us. A massive shape erupted from the dirt, its body shimmering with a crystalline sheen. It was a Crystal Mantis, larger than the one I had faced before, its bladed arms even bigger.

"God damn it!" Gregor shouted, "Why the hell is that thing hiding in the dirt?!"

I didn't hesitate. This was my part. My job. I had faced Crystal Mantis before, and with my new stats, I was more than capable of handling this one.

Ha! I beat one before I can do it again! I know it's weakness; it's in the joints. It may not drop a valuable core, but the XP will be great. And with my stats, I should be able to take it down. Even with this junk of a sword. Won't be easy, though. But just in case, I got my back covered.

"Don't worry, Gregor!" I shouted, charging forward, "I got this!"

I launched at the mantis, my sword raised, my focus locked on its joints. I had done this before. I could do it again. Then the swamp exploded in the distance.

Something massive erupted from the murky water, I watched in horror as this gigantic shape coiled and uncoiled. It was so large that trees were ripped from the ground and flung in all directions. The swamp churned and roiled, the water splashing outward in great waves.

 Then, suddenly, ground started to tremble beneath our feet, and even the Crystal Mantis stumbled while flailing its bladed arms for balance.

 The ground split open beneath the mantis, and a massive set of jaws emerged from the dirt, clamping down on the creature. 

I heard Gregor's voice behind me, "What is this thing doing on floor 15?! What the hell Basilisk doing here?! This isn't floor 20! This thing will kill us all!"

I quickly used Appraisal.

NAME: Elite Basilisk
LEVEL: 73
HP: 16,200
ATK: 6,500
DEF: 1,700
SPD: 1,100
END: 1,900

Level 73! HP over 16,000! Attack over 6,000! This thing is insane! It'll kill me! It'll kill all of us! I can't do this alone!

I shouted without letting my eyes of the monster, "Gregor! I can't beat this thing alone! I need help! What's the plan? We need to do something before it wipes us all out! Come on, man! Talk to me! What do we do?!"

I turned to look at him. 

He was gone. His entire party was gone. I could see them in the distance, tiny figures retreating through the tunnel. They hadn't even hesitated. They just run.

They left me! They left me to die! Just like Fiona! But... I guess I can't blame them. Survival of the fittest. Or smartest at this case. I should have just turned and ran while I could. It was the smart move, only move in this case.

I turned back to Basilisk. It was looking at me now; its golden eyes fixed on me. It swallowed the remains of the Crystal Mantis in one gulp and now, I was his next snack.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! What do I do now?! It's a giant snake! Mantis was bigger than a truck and he swallowed it like a candy! Oh crap! What did school teach me about encountering snakes in the forest? Stop and don't move? Look in the eyes? Fall on the ground and pretend to be dead? Shit! No! That's for bears! Not snakes! Oh man, I'm so dead. I'm so dead.

If only I had a better sword. Maybe I could do something about it. But no! Fiona gave me this piece of junk, and now I'm going to die! This is all her fault!

The Basilisk opened its jaws, revealing rows of massive, dripping fangs. I could feel the heat of its breath, could smell the stench of decay and death.

Shit! This is it! This is how I die! Again. But I'm not going out without a fight! If I want to survive, I need to attack it! Maybe the eyes, strike there. Find an opening and run away. Yeah, sound like a plan, let's do this!

I launched forward, closing the distance fast, my sward coming up from below in wide arc. I managed to land a hit using my speed, but my blitz attack had no effect, this sword bounced off like it was a baseball bat not a sword. All I did was crush one scale with my desperate attack. 

What? I gave it all I had! And all it did was crack one of the scales!? Crap! This thing didn't even feel it! What do I do now? Run? How, this thing is too fast!

 All I could do was stand there and watch my death approach. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot past me.

It was blinding, searing, a streak of pure white energy that slammed into the giant snake's face with a thunderclap. The Basilisk recoiled, its massive body thrashing as the electricity coursed through its scales. 

I stood there, frozen in shock. 

Then, I was hugged from behind. Warm arms wrapped around my chest, pulling me close. Gentle hands covered my eyes, blocking out the sight of the writhing monster before me. A soft voice whispered in my ear, light and playful, as if we were in a garden instead of a death trap.

"Kuzu-kun~ Kuzu-kun~ Guess who it is~?"

I knew that voice. I would recognize it anywhere.

"Fiona?! What?! How?! What happened?! Did you do that?! Where did you come from?! How did you get here?! What's going on?! Did you kill it?! In one shot?! Huh?! I don't understand what's happening!"

Her hands slid away from my eyes, and she stepped around to face me, that familiar warm smile on her lips. She looked completely unbothered, like she had just stepped out for a stroll in the park. There was no sign of worry, no hint of fear. Just that calm, gentle expression that always made me want to scream.

"Kuzu-kun. You were a bad, bad boy. I told you, did I not? I am pretty sure I did. Not to go to the dungeon without me. I think punishment is in order, don't you?"

"I don't care about that crap! How did you get here?! And how the hell did you kill that thing?!"

Fiona sighed, "Oh, Kuzu-kun. I was so lonely without you. Always thinking just about you, so, I finished my job in a jiffy. Real quick." 

She clasped her hands together, looking at me with those warm blue eyes.

 "I was so worried to leave you alone for so long. And when I got home, I didn't find you anywhere. So I used teleportation magic. You know, you're my slave, and I can teleport to your location. I'm a wizard, after all."

"HUH?! You can do that?! And if you cared about me so much, you could have given me a good sword! That wooden sword you gave me was way better than this thing!" I held up the blade, "This thing feels like I'm swinging a metal pipe and not a sword! What gives?! Do you want me to die?!"

Fiona squinted at the sword in my hand. Then her expression cleared, and she let out a soft, musical laugh.

"Oh, silly me. That's the wrong sword. I gave you fodder by mistake. It's one of my experimenting pieces; it has a Bluntness +10 enchantment. That makes it more of a hammer than a sword. Sorry, it was my mistake. It was early morning, and I was still sleepy. Teheehe?"

"Don't act cute with me! Give me the real thing then, before more monsters show up! And what the hell is with you?! Why do you keep saying you're weak?! You just one-shot that monster!"