Chapter 4: A Missing Princess

Time left: 00:00:04

He robbed his forehead in distress as he looked at the corpse. Despite being obviously unexpendable it was his biggest threat. Finding the corpse might be an accident but a carefully hidden corpse that could stop time couldn't be an accident. There was a high chance of the necromancer tracking him down.

He put it on his lap and observed it carefully. Her hair was jet black and conspicuously clean, her skin was pale but not deathly pale. There was a sigil on the arm of her robe, depicting a sky being ripped apart by lightning. He rolled his fingers over the collar around her neck, pulling the opposite ends with both hands but it didn't budge. He created a dagger and cut it off.

Dragon-essence has stored Nestone in the dragon dimension.

Showing the corpse to a whole village was a problem but what of a single person? He could surely lure one person somewhere and asked the appropriate questions. He could even Intimidate them to answer his questions. But he first needed to find a civilization. He had been trying all along, not only did he failed to find any he didn't see a single living human.

The only destination that seemed even remotely closer to any civilization was 501 miles east of his current location. The dungeons he had emptied were pulled there by a dungeon entrance. He didn't know what it meant but it sounded better than running around aimlessly. According to the myths, a dungeon was a place of danger and opportunities. If the inhabitants of Màsar held a similar belief then people were bound to go there.

After several minutes of debating he put the corpse aside and pulled the dead lion. The itch that came from it could be an indicator to something important. He brought the timer closer and robbed it on every part of the lion but nothing happened.

He dissected the lion with the hope of finding something like a crystal and it was unsurprisingly...fruitless.

Edard heaved a defeated sigh and turned to the gorilla. "Which way is east?" He realized his assumed cardinal directions might not be correct.

The gorilla hesitated, trying to avoid messing up like in their previous discussion. ...east is...east... It said carefully.

"Shut up!" Edard snapped. This was the reason he'd decided to avoid asking animals long ago. Not only was their knowledge limited to their survival instinct it was severely restricted. Their ability to communicate the little they knew was terrible. Luckily, the sun was just setting and the shadow of the mountain behind him pointed pointed eastward.

He tied the corpse on his back and ran towards the dungeon. Excluding any unforeseen circumstances he would reach his destination in roughly two hours.

Dylas

Dylas was still young when he started having the funny dreams. They were just like any dream, but when he woke up they would turn into a reality. The first few instances were fun, like when he told his friends he would have sex with his girlfriend Nardia on the 25th of August. But shortly after, they became a curse. He stopped sleeping just not to have them. Yet, no one could cheat his physiology, the sleep would always find its way.

Dylas dreamt of himself finding two dungeon crystals along the shore of his village and he did. He then dreamt of leaving home and going far away into the mountain range where he would use his knowledge to create a dungeon entrance using the crystals he had found. There was no helping it, he knew it must happen. What he didn't know was why. What purpose would a dungeon entrance served in a place with no dungeon? A clear waste of crystal, Dylas thought.

One day, Dylas received a mission from his clan, a mission that would take him to the mountain range. The day had finally came, Dylas trotted through the mountain range, carrying the two crystals in his pocket.

Although Dylas had been walking for days, his body appeared as energetic and clean as ever. He was a horsekin who could be easily mistaken for a centaur. From his waist up was human, but below was horse's trunk and three pairs of horse's limbs. The horse part was covered in a mixture of white and golden fur. Dylas carried himself high and he wouldn't let a single dust touched his fur, so he walked gently and with style. The sound of his hoof steps was musical.

It should be around here. Dylas thought, looking at the map in his hands. He started looking around with his small brown eyes. It was difficult to say what Dylas was looking for, but at last he reached for the largest surrounding mountain and dropped the dungeon crystals at its base. He went on to draw several runes around it before he took several steps back.

A light-green light arose from the dungeon crystals before they suddenly disappeared. In their place appeared a dungeon entrance. Dylas sighed as he watched things unfold. This was where his dream ended, he didn't know what would come next. He spent a long time, contemplating whether to wait or go back home. But at last, Dylas chose to go home.

He followed the same path that brought him there but to his utmost disbelief, after walking for half a day, he ended up coming back to the same place he had started. Dylas thought he must have missed a step or two, so he confidently gave it another try. After three more tries, he realized he was walking in cycles.

Dylas had left his family and friends back home, so he continued to try for several more days until one day he got tired and decided to enter the dungeon entrance. Maybe his escape was in there.

Dylas stepped inside, but what he found was an endless dark void that led to nowhere. He decided to come out but the door was no longer there. Dylas did everything he could to get out but for one-thousand years he was stuck in between the real world and a dungeon's.

The normal life span of a horsekin was between 180 to 200 years, but somehow Dylas survived this long. Using Meditation to keep track of time and to maintain his sanity. During this period he had forgotten what the outside world looked like, he had forgotten about his home and about his family. None of what he once knew still existed. He was all alone, trapped in a dungeon entrance with no real dungeon. A fate worse than death. Dylas swore to himself whenever he was free, he would find and destroy whoever put him in that curse.

One day, Dylas was sitting in the dark void that had became his new home, cursing everything that could be cursed, he heard a click. Naturally, nobody would care about such a negligible sound, but Dylas had spent one-thousand years hearing nothing but silence. He jumped at the sound and looked toward the direction. It could have been his imagination but he still had to check. He walked slowly, looking around at the plain void that offered nothing but solitude. There was nothing.

"I curse you in the name of all religions and Gods. So now you are mocking me, right?" Dylas cursed openly as he turned back to his seat. But then he heard another click and before he turned, a loud explosion arose knocking him off his feet. Amid his confusion, he saw a message that would forever changed his life.

One-hundred dungeons have been amalgamated into one.

Dylas was confused about what was going on. He checked his status to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

One thing was clear; a dungeon had finally came to his aid.

He stood on his six limbs, facing the crumbling void in front. Even a simple click was too much for him, yet he had to endure the explosions as the world crumbled. His home for one-thousand years had been destroyed in front of him but Dylas was quite happy. He could have been happier if he knew it would be destroyed permanently.

When it settled, the dark void was replaced by a giant wall with a golden gate. A message welcomed him to the new dungeon.

This is a one-way dungeon.

Dylas broke another sweat. He knew what a one-way dungeon was. Once you entered you couldn't get out until you defeated it. No matter how old and strong he was, he stood no chance against a hundred floor dungeon.

You are allowed to use a three-man team.

Failure to finish the first dungeon in 4 hours means death.

Benefits will be received at the end of every floor.

4 hours? Three-man team? What the hell do you want?

"I just want out, you retard!!" Dylas cursed out loudly.

But the only thing that answered him was the echo from the golden gate.

Shortly after the dungeon appeared, Dylas heard a noise from outside. He turned but saw nothing. He knew the noise was from adventurers, thieves, heroes, villains and even nobles who had come to empty HIS dungeon. Dylas knew quite well the dungeon didn't belong to him but he was the first to come. Besides, he had waited for several centuries, nobody had more right than him. He had already decided, if he couldn't get out then he should make the dungeon his.

The first to arrive outside the dungeon were three adventurers who happened to be the closest to the dungeon. They quickly came to an agreement and went inside. A young woman came next but she waited outside.

Edard

Edard stood forty meters away, observing the entrance. It was made of red bricks at the base of the largest surrounding mountain. It measured hundreds of feet tall and seventy feet wide. A dark void could be seen behind the entrance and a smaller gate at the end of the void.

He saw the first team entered and the young woman that came next. He could wait until the place was empty but more people would come, making the woman his best shot.

He appraised her before jumping into the scene.

Sinta Luke, Human, Female, Healer level 8/10.

The risk should be low considering her level and Class.

Sinta was never a fighter. She used her healing powers to hide behind powerful teams. Having recently lost her team she didn't intend to enter the dungeon alone. She waited for a suitable team to arrive. However, the first person that came was a young man carrying a woman on his back. She looked at his outfit with wide eyes and jaws hung open.

"Why are you in this outfit?" Sinta asked, looking at Edard's black jeans and a blue tee-shirt. Apparently, his dressing was even more important than the corpse on his back. It was obvious he didn't belong to this world.

"Ehmmm?" A sudden awareness hit him as he looked at his clothes. It shouldn't take a genius to figure out his clothes would be out of place. "These aren't common nowadays?"

"They are not! People will think you are trying to be conspicuous. Anyway, forget about that, are you cursed?" Sinta was a talkative woman who had been living with strangers all her life. She saw Edard as a potential teammate and nothing would prevent her from satisfying her curiosities.

Perhaps, I should Intimidate her to make things easier. He thought.

"No offense but I'm sure you know the meaning of a red hair, yours is even bright red. If you have a red hair you are touched by a Djinn: you are cursed." She added.

"Cursed? No." He shook his head.

"Okay, I don't really believe the whole Curse thing." She said, walking toward him.

He merged with his clone, preparing for any surprise. "Shouldn't you be asking relevant questions?"

Sinta smiled with a raised brow. "You are an adventurer and so am I, we are here to get longevity. That's all I need to know. All other things are not important except...our roles in the team. I'm a Healer, you?" As if afraid he wouldn't accept her offer she pointed at Nusi. "I can show my skills on her."

Most people wouldn't identify Nusi as a corpse. After all, who carried a corpse around?

"No, it is okay. Is this the only place you could get longevity?" He coined the question in a way she wouldn't easily get his true purpose.

Luckily, she didn't. "In case you are wondering I am not from any big organization or House, so unaffiliated dungeons are my only chance."

He could get longevity from the dungeon but how? He needed more information. "Then where are you fro...?" He was interrupted by Sinta.

"Huh...isn't that the missing princess?!" This was the first time she had noticed the face of the woman on his back.

....A missing princess?! What the hell...

He suddenly picked something falling rapidly from the sky. Two flying warriors clad in white robes and blue hats descended into the scene. Each of them wearing a sigil of a flying beast with two horns and two pairs of wings.

"House Fáyra!" Sinta exclaimed, pointing at the sigil with trembling hands.

Ever since teleportation was made illegal around dungeons, everyone had to use other means. The Fáyras could fly because of their control over wind element, this could be the reason behind their early arrival.

Before Edard analyzed the situation, a lone warrior clad in a brown robe and a black hat had arrived. On his chest was the sigil of a statue holding a double-edged sword.

"House Báyir!" Sinta shouted again, pointing at his sigil.

These two groups were the closest to the dungeon and hence their organizations sent them to act before the main force arrived. None of them paid any attention to Edard or Sinta as they faced each other. Something that Edard enjoyed.

"I'm Dario of the Fáyra, I'm here to claim our stolen dungeons." A short man from the group in white said, stepping forward.

"Your stolen dungeons?" The warrior in brown responded with a laugh. "Is this some sick joke? I'm Calgon from House Báyir and I'm here because fourteen of our dungeons have just disappeared two hours ago. What the hell are you here for?"

"Fourteen? My tolerance for liars is rather low." Dario said with a threatening tone. "Thirteen of our dungeons are gone just two hours ago."

The two groups fell silent as they faced each with wicked intentions. Everyone thought the other was making up a story. One thing they failed to notice was there was only one dungeon and both spoke of a double number. Where did the other dungeons go?

Dario sent a silent message to his people, telling them it was a do-or-die affair. They would run into the entrance and kill anybody who stood in their way. But the man from House Báyir also came to the same conclusion.

Edard could wait until the two teams killed each other but more people would come. His best shot would be to sneak past them as they fought.

He appraised the leaders of the teams.

Calgon Báyir, human, male, Earth Elementalist level 1/10 (secondary).

Dario Fáyra, human, male, Wind Elementalist level 3/10(secondary).

None of them was stronger than Kalhari so he was a bit confident. The worst case would be five against one but he hoped they wouldn't notice him up to the end...

"You," Calgon turned to him, crashing his little hope of sneaking away. "State out your names and intentions." He said, observing the corpse on his back.

Dario also noticed the corpse and quickly turned his attention to Calgon. "Is that who I think she is?"

Edard looked at Sinta, motioning for her to talk but the girl was too afraid to utter a single word.

"Whoever we are doesn't concern you. We are here for the dungeons, I suggest you move out of the way." Edard said.

"For the dungeons?!" Calgon said, making a hand gesture to create a huge war hammer, two feet wide. "Just for today I can make a deal with you, Dario. I will let you enter first if you let me have the bounty."

"I know I will benefit from this conflict. Guys, let's go." Dario said with a laugh.

"W...wait...please take me with you, I'm a healer." Sinta ran forward with a pleading voice.

Dario observed her for a while before he nodded. She left Edard to his fate and joined them.

As Edard thought about the best way to handle it, Calgon disappeared underground and reappeared an inch away from him. His hammer descending like a furious lightning bolt.

Edard punched the hammer with his left hand. An ear-deafening explosion arose as the hammer collided with the lava fist.

Calgon jumped back with a courtesy bow. "Forgive me I didn't know. Anybody using earth element has a Contract from our House and that makes you a brother. I'm Calgon Báyir of the 31st expedition team." He said hurriedly before he pointed at the corpse. "If you are with her then I believe there is a good reason. White Sand or Blue Sand?"

White sand or Blue Sand? The hell... When Calgon retreated and bowed Edard had thought things were over but apparently not.

"White Sand." Edard said.

"White Sand, brother, White Sand!" Calgon said excitedly and he bowed again. "We use these terms to fish out the invaders." He exchanged a few words with Edard before he headed into the entrance.

Edard heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't even know what the 'White Sand' meant. He didn't check his time regularly ever since he had gotten the corpse but he might have to leave it behind at the first chance. Apparently, the owner of the corpse was more than just a necromancer.

Sinta was gone so he would just go in alone. Probably for the best...

An earthen arrow suddenly fired from the ground pierced his left thigh.

Skin Tempering activated: you have sustained a deep laceration x 1

+1 resistance

White sand claws gripped his left leg.

You have been cursed with a Graveyard Sand.

-100 stamina

-1/sec life energy for thirty minutes.

"You said the wrong answer, brother." Calgon said as he materialized a few meters away from Edard.

Edard had defeated the lion and the gorilla but probably humans would be stronger. If not stronger then more intelligent and should have more skills and survival strategies. At least from his knowledge on Earth. He didn't know the power levels but he was sure Calgon was stronger than the lion.

Calgon created another hammer, larger than the previous one. Probably, planning on smashing Edard to death. He looked at Edard to say something but he suddenly froze as Intimidation hit him.

"It's over." Edard merged with his clone and created a Dragon-essence dagger. He appeared next to the captain and stabbed him in the chest. The chest exploded into a pool of gore and blood, splattering everywhere.

But the blood and gore suddenly turned into stone. Another earthen arrow fired from the ground cut deep into his other thigh.

You have sustained a deep injury to the skin, muscle and bone of your right thigh.

+2 resistance

So he can escape underground even when Intimidated.

"You have just confirmed my suspicions." Calgon said as he re-appeared three meters away from Edard. "Psychomancy is common among elves, extremely common. But not on this side of the Sea, humans are allergic to it. The only humans who can use it are the Dénizens. Mainly the members of the Déniz royal family. So either you are the escort of that princess or you are also from the imperial family. I still don't know how you managed to get our earth Contract. We don't just give Contract to anyone." The earth beneath Calgon's feet slowly raised and covered his entire body, turning into a complete set of black armor.

Earthen Armor, average quality.

He also avoided any eye contact with Edard.

He figured it out!

Edard still had the upper hand with his clone and Crush. The captain might still escape into the ground again but he was certain the skill would have limitations.

"Violet Crush!"

The violet glow descended on the armored captain and pinned him down to the ground.

"Gravity? Dammit, that is our skill!! Just who the hell are you?!?!" Calgon said through gritted teeth. The Báyir empire controlled earth and gravity, how did Edard got both?

Edard ignored him and closed the distance between them. He stabbed the captain in the heart but he escaped again into the ground.

The clone took 40 life energy, the lava took 30 and the Crush took 20. He had also used Dragon-essense two times making it 150. If the fight didn't end in the next 15 seconds his clone would expire and he needed another 40 life energy to create a new one. Considering the Curse on his life energy he wouldn't survive it.

Calgon was also calculating his chances. When he Awakened his Class, he got a Substitution skill that allowed him to escape into the ground. Excluding any other lost of life energy he could use it seven times every minute. His hammer and armor consumed little life energy because they were Acquired skills. The curse of the Graveyard Sand was his primary skill, it consumed a lot of energy and could only be used once in a minute.

Edard had no intention of allowing the fight to continue any longer. He Crushed him again and the captain escaped only to reappear beneath him and fired another arrow. Edard suffered another laceration to his calf. Smaller than the first but it still hurt. When Calgon materialized Edard Crushed him again but he escaped and repeated the same tactics of appearing beneath Edard and firing an arrow.

Edard believed the Substitution skill would consume more life energy than his Crush but the captain believed the opposite. It was a common knowledge gravity skills were the most expensive among earth related skills. The captain considered Edard to be equally in the Secondary Awakening but he believed Edard's gravity would cost double his Substitution skill. So they continued. Each trying to exhaust his opponent.

10 seconds later, they were both exhausted. Calgon would need another six seconds to use Substitution while Edard's clone would expire in 3 seconds. He had enough life energy for one Dragon-essense dagger and one Crush.

Calgon was startled by Edard's reserve, refusing to believe Edard's gravity could cost less than his Substitution. If he knew the Crush only cost 20 life energy then his heart would cease to function.

Edard shone the violet glow on him, increasing his weight and slowing him down. Calgon couldn't dodge and he couldn't escape under the ground. Edard mercilessly plunged the dagger into his right arm.

Dragon-essence has stored a bio energy.

The muscles, vessels and bones of his arm were sucked into the dimension, leaving a gaping hole behind. Blood splattered on his face, eyes and mouth.

You have successfully Cursed two races: a human and an ischáyoj.

Course has reached level 2

Curse has reached level 3

Curse has reached level 4

Initiating drain...

Drain rate: 45secs/min for one hour.

Somehow Calgon withstood the Curse unlike Kalhari. If Calgon had died from the Curse or during the fight Edard wouldn't have mind but now he was reluctant to kill him. Besides, killing him would break the Curse. So he dragged him behind the mountain and hid him in a cave. If he survived the Curse he would give Edard an extra forty-five minutes.

Dylas's status

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Dylas Ji Chi

Race: Horsekin

Title(s): The Blessed

Longevity(days): ???

Cultivation method: Ink Mandate

Life energy: 600/600 (5.6/sec)

Stamina : 670/670 (5.6/sec)

Strength: 33

Intelligence: 60

Willpower: 56

Resistance: 7

Agility: 9

Vitality: 67

Classes

•Warrior level 10/10 (secondary)

•Runemaster level 10/10 (secondary)

Acquired skills: total slots-2, free-0

•Hunger Resistance level 10 (Tier-3)

•Meditation level 10 (Tier-4)

Edard's status

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Edard

Race: Dragonelf

Title: Creator of Skills

Longevity(days): 00:00:04

Cultivation method: Immortal Dragon

Life energy: 140/140 (1.2/sec)

Stamina : 109/110 (1.2/sec)

Strength: 4

Intelligence: 14

Willpower: 12

Resistance: 23

Agility: 4

Vitality: 11

Classes

•Violet Rose level 1/10 (1 hour)

•Dragonbreath level 1/10 (1 hour)

•Cloning level 1/10 (1 hour)

•Psychomancy level 1/10 (1 hour))

•Lightning Elementalist (inactive)

Acquired skills: total slots-5, free-1

•Interracial Communication 7 (Tier-1)

•Spirutual Sense 6 (Tier-1)

•Status-key 3 (Tier-1)

•Curse 4 (Tier-1)