82. Return
Rows and rows of monsters marched down the broken streets of the Brilsun Ruins far below us. They walked in haphazard groups throngs of the gargantuan Gatho Mammoths lumbered alongside the far smaller Ground Cravers, accidentally crushing a few of them once in a while. But the Ground Cravers didnt mind.
These accidents didnt even register in the minds of the monsters. Because, to them, they were not doing anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps they thought they were still in their Lairs or in their hos in the Mothatis Mountain Range. It didnt matter what they thought their real senses were shut off as they were kept asleep by the Mindreapers leading them.
The powerful Platinum Rank monsters. The Level 70 creatures made of mana, which had powerful mind magic that could even keep a Level whatever Daniels level was [Hero] sleeping in the midst of combat. They were with these monsters, keeping them from waking and breaking free from whatever spell they were under.
I stared at these mindless masses, eyes wide. Daniel stood next to , his face furrowed, and his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword. He spoke through clenched teeth.
Theyre gathering an army?
They are.
I nodded. The Human man shook his head and just sat down. Rubbing at his temples, he let out a tired sigh.
Seems like I might not be getting any sleep tonight, huh?
Yep.
Or the night after. And the night after. And
He trailed off. He glanced over at hesitantly, trying to peer at my shadowed face.
...do you think we should go back?
What do you an?
Report this to the Valiant Drears Company. No matter how you look at this, this isnt normal. Mindreapers they dont do this. Theyre monsters. And this?
He gestured at a group of [Rancor Mites]. They had been hopping along at a andering pace until the Mindreaper stopped. Then the creature of magic turned around and pointed at them. Their movents ceased and they dropped to the ground, asleep.
Suddenly, all the other monsters surrounding the sleeping [Rancor Mites] charged at the lower leveled bug-like creatures. They tore them apart where they lay, gaining experience and levels without any resistance or effort. Narrowing my eyes, I turned back to Daniel.
This isnt normal. Theyre trying to level up the stronger monsters. And theyre gathering them too. Thats why the canyon was so empty. I dont know whats going on, Salvos. And we need to go back.
He stared at with a grim look on his face; he was pleading, hoping for to see his reason. I opened my mouth
Youre right.
Daniel began to protest but stopped. He blinked.
Uh what?
I felt my shoulders sag as the words left my mouth.
Youre right. This is clearly too much for us to handle. I was expecting to fight a few dozen Minotaurs when we reached this Dungeon. Even if they were higher leveled than , I knew I could probably move faster than them. The reports we were given at the Adventurers Guild told us they typically had high [Strength] and [Vitality] over all else.
Shaking my head, I glanced back at the floating Mindreapers, spread throughout the vast, sprawling sunken city.
Mindreapers on the other hand I cant dodge their attacks. Not at all. And they can hit from a distance, we saw that with the one we just fought. Even though he had been far away from us, his mind magic reached us in an instant, making my head feel like it wanted to burst.
I took a step forward and crouched down on one knee. Placing a clawed hand on the ground, I admitted I was out of my depth.
This Platinum Rank Dungeon its not at all what I imagined. I expected monsters fighting each other. Minotaurs. So Platinum Rank monsters. But I dont see any Minotaurs. I dont see any Platinum Rank monsters. I only see too many Gold Rank monsters for us to fight. And dangerous Mindreapers that would control you in your sleep.
Daniel stared at with joy in his eyes. He brightened and spoke excitedly.
So youre saying we should go back
No.
I cut him off before he could get his hopes up. I t his gaze and spoke slowly.
We ca here for a reason. I wanted to level up too. Maybe beco an Archdemon at Level 70 although Im now not really sure if my next evolution will make one but the main reason we ca here is to find the Fairies.
My Human companion chewed his lower lip, his eyes darting between and the Dungeon below. Before he could protest, I laid out my plan for him.
We dont have to fight any of these monsters. Not unless its necessary. All we have to do is sneak through the city without them realizing were there.
Thats dangerous, Salvos. If were found out, we could have a horde of monsters chasing after us.
Im sure we could take on one of the smaller groups of Mindreapers.
There were a lot of monsters gathered below, and from what I noticed, many of them werent even Gold Rank threats. Sure, there were still hundreds of monsters like the Saeves or the Drakes. But they were clearly in the minority here.
In fact, if we planned an attack on one of them nicely, I think we could kill a Mindreaper and free the monsters under whatever mind magic they have them under, making them fight the other monsters in the area. And that could serve as our distraction to escape.
Thats true
Trailing off, Daniel still looked uncertain about this. He took a deep breath and sighed.
I dont think this is a bad idea, Salvos. Or at least, not a terrible one. But I will only agree to it under one condition.
I cocked my head.
And that is?
I need to get so sleep.
--
Now leaving [Dungeon: Brilsum Ruins].
My Human companion and I made our way back through the canyon, making sure to mark a clear path to the Dungeon so we could get there much quicker next ti. I remained out of my Mortal Form, feeling more secure with the extra 6 [Vitality] I had when I was out of it.
I knew that switching back and forth from my Mortal Form would level it up more; that was what I had surmised and assud from the one level up I got for it. However, if a Mindreaper attacked from far away, I might not survive to reach it even if I used both [Self Haste] and [Charge of Embers] combined.
Agreeing that it was the best move to leave the canyons for now, I followed Daniel until we were at the very edge of the orange rocky cliffs. Then my Human companion collapsed and got to work sleeping.
Sitting down next to him, I let [Rest] fully take over and let my wounds recover and close up. Once I was fully healed, I got up and received a surprise notification.
General Skill [Rest] Level Up!
[Rest - Lvl. 2] -> [Rest - Lvl. 3]!
Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!
Huh.
I hadnt got a level in that for a while; it made sense since I was relying on healing potions more than anything now. Plus, I tried my hardest not to get hit in every battle. So, it was leveling far slower than I had hoped.
Feeling energized, I began working on my [Advanced Mana Manipulation] as I always did until Daniel awoke from his slumber. It had been dayti when he went to sleep. Now it was dusk, and the sun was setting, burning the horizon with a brilliant orange hue.
I walked up to my companion as he rubbed at his eyes, blinking.
You know, seeing a scary Demon first thing in the morning is a bit frightening.
It isnt morning. And
I bared my teeth at him.
I prefer it if youre scared.
Sighing, the Human man stood up and stretched his back.
So, what should we do now? We cant just try scouring only tiny parts of the Brilsum Ruins every night before returning here for the rest of the day. Its not feasible. It will take too much ti.
Yep!
I nodded enthusiastically and lifted my chin proudly.
Thats why Ive been thinking. About a way to tackle this Dungeon. See, we both know that you dont imdiately get taken over by the Mindreapers and whatever other magic is working alongside it when you fall asleep. It takes a while. And the Mindreaper has to leave the Dungeon first.
Do we test the range of the Mindreapers before we try to find a good spot to rest and set up as a checkpoint?
Exactly! And we should also observe them. See what theyre doing at different tis of the day.
They just seem like theyre amassing an army to .
I scoffed and folded my arms across my chest.
We dont know that. That was sothing you assud when you saw it. For all we know, they could just be gathering a bunch of high leveled monsters to sacrifice to level up for themselves.
Thats a possibility. A bit unlikely. But it is.
Raising a clawed finger, I explained myself.
I think the best thing for us to do now is to observe them. Pay attention to what theyre doing. Then once were at least a little bit familiar with their patterns and movents at different tis of day, we can try and sneak past them. Search for the Fairies or draw them out.
Daniel nodded slowly. He reached into his fake Bag of Holding and produced a few sheets of paper.
These are the notes Edithe gave us. The ones she got from researching herself and speaking to Mistshard. Apparently, while Fairies are reportedly sighted by adventurers who have delved into the Brilsum Ruins, they are incredibly rare. And it is completely random.
So we cant just do so kind of ritual here to summon them?
No. But I do have a bit of an idea on where they can be found.
I gave him a curious look, peering over at the notes. He placed it on the ground for to see and sighed.
Its not written here by Edithe. Its just sothing I was told when I was first summoned into this world, I guess. When I was told of the tales about the previous [Heroes].
lissa.
I spoke her na reverently. If only Daniel were like her we wouldnt have any issue dealing with these Mindreapers. Or better yet, if she replaces Daniel, I wont complain either. I made the teasing jibe to myself and snickered.
Daniel did not notice it, instead recounting what he thought was important.
You see, all the temples out there the Sanctuary of Fauna, the Sanctum of Elents, the Den of Souls, and even the Court of the Fae they were all founded by Humans and only Humans. They ca long before the Spirit Lord made a pact with Alexander as a result of Humans fascination with the Spirit Plane. Many Humans, especially those who were uneducated, even worshipped the Spirits as so kind of deity.
Huh. That sounds nice. Id like that to be .
Ignoring , he raised a finger.
But the Fairy Queen didnt like that. The Fairies tried to chase the Humans away, but they always returned, worshipping them. If she could, she would have ordered her Fairies to destroy all Humans that approached them. But after the Spirit Lord made a deal with Humanity, she could no longer do so as she did not want to draw his ire. If Spirits even if they were Fairies acted against Humans on their own, the pact would have been at risk.
So she asked one of your own [Heroes] to do it instead?
Exactly.
He shifted uncomfortably.
I dont know why lissa agreed to do it. But she did. And now all the Fairy temples are gone. Except for whatever remains of them in the old and destroyed cities that had them. Such as the Brilsum Ruins. I think I think thats our best place to search for Fairies.
But hasnt it been destroyed?
I tapped a finger on my chin.
Why would the Fairies remain there when its gone?
Because I think that Fairies have a reason to be there. Thats why they couldnt just up and leave when Humans kept forming places of worship around them. And thats why theyre being spotted in the Brilsum Ruins even now.
I paused, considering this. Daniel gave a helpless shrug.
Thats the first place we should start looking for, at least. I dont think it would hurt to try.
Youre right.
I nodded and shot him a grin.
I think thats the best suggestion youve made so far. We should do exactly that!
We locked gazes. This is what we need to do, I thought. Daniel looked at for a mont, his feet shuffling under him. He hesitated, bobbing his mouth like a fish. Until finally, he spoke.
Why are you being so an to recently, Salvos? Also, your grin as a Demon isnt exactly reassuring.
Fine, Ill stop!
When you say youll stop, are you saying youll stop smirking at in this form or are you saying youll stop making fun of ? Salvos? Hey, Salvos stop ignoring !
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