6

You have left the dungeon unauthorized. +1 Wisdom and Luck, +1 resistance against divine influence A deity was watching, she was amused! +1 resistance against divine influence The System was watching, and felt cheated! +4 resistance against divine influence

Bast shoved his last flashbang and a teargas in the basketball-sized glory hole and shoved a motorcycle helmet to cork it. As if having a fit, he dropped to the ground exhausted and panting like a dog. He was dead tired and would need a couple of hours rest.

He wasn’t alone.

The girl was drained as well. She was still in a state of shock and was processing slowly the events that transpired.

His teleport skill worked once more but devoured all his mana again as well. Bast decided that is was not a good habit to rely on this skill too much. It would make a weakness to his basic survival instincts. It was not a skill that will always save him the moment he needs it the most. The dungeon was one of those moments. If the girl didn’t have a minor mana tonic they would’ve died then and there. Speaking of the girl…

“My name is-”

“Don’t bother. Identification skill.”

“My name is Evelyne.”

“…“

“You are Sebastian?”

“…”

They stayed silent like that for a few minutes. Bast wasn’t really being rude. He just doesn’t know what to say to the woman. He would totally agree that the girl’s hot but would never ever admit it to anyone, ever.

This was a first time for a closet-shy person like him to talk to a female with a face of a movie star. He was too nervous to even compose a complete sentence and afraid he might stutter and be embarrassed about it. Bast was not in the talkative mood at the moment, considering they were almost killed, but Evelyne is.

“We could’ve died.”

“…”

“M-my friends are all dead d-down there. W-when t-the monsters attacked outside we went to the subway a-and and and we hid i-in the cramped train maintenance room. W-we thought we w-would be s-safe and and we run to the tunnels-train’s damage-and and a-and then a b-blue b-box and and and and a d-d-dungeon. M-m-my f-friends-”

The girl was now fully crying. Bast looked away, afraid if he stared too long he would start weeping too, howling even. God that would reeeeeally look so cool and manly in front of the girl so he hardened his expression, took two bottles of water and a pink laced handkerchief from his interspatial ring and gave a bottle and the cloth to the girl to wipe her tears. He resolutely destroyed any other green minded thoughts towards her.

Bast wasn’t looking as he quenched his thirst, trying to ignore the pretty little sobs he’s hearing. He was recently on the move nonstop and hardly had a breather room. He decided that after resting they would escape the city.

Then after confirming they are safe and the girl’s out of harm’s way, he would part ways with her and train his skills somewhere, preferably in the mountains. Now’s not the time to fool around with a woman. He will not survive the longer he stays weak.

He will try to come back here and finish this dungeon after he’s become a lot more stronger and well prepared. He just wishes that the boss monster would not be a dragon. That would totally freak him out. The weeping girl was now trying to ask him a question.

“i-i..what..”

Bast took a glimpse at her was shocked to see what she was holding. Her face was scarlet and she was holding the water bottle he gave her along with a laced lingerie. He swiped away the panty and took out a load of clothes on her lap to wipe her little pretty face, his own was a glaring magenta.

“My bad.”

He didn’t know what he was giving her as he spaced out. The Loop of Jormungandr was very sensitive to his thoughts. He was thinking of giving her a handkerchief but at the same time wondering what she would look like as a model. His mind wandered but was quickly dismissed as it was inappropriate. To his surprise, instead of being disgusted, the girl was giggling. It was really annoying as Bast didn’t mean to make the mistake.

Atleast he stopped the girl from crying which was good. They stayed quiet for another couple more minutes. Bast’s mind was reeling, he kept her out of his thoughts. He was already planning his steps for every situation they can encounter outside. His earlier mistake, the one where he chose the wrong tunnel that eventually became a dungeon should never repeat itself.

He knew that the other tunnel was the right way, the signs are already there. There’s wind blowing towards their position, sewer lines from the city and some metal stairs that guides them towards the outside. He was in his own world and was barely listening to a word Evelyne was saying.

“Where did you get those weapons?”

“…”

“Was that a fantasy storage device? Like in the games and stuff? You just pulled out items from thin air. That’s neat.”

“…”

“Why are you so strong?”

“…”

“When you gave me the panty, was that intentional?”

“…”

“If it wasn’t, you don’t have to be embarrassed, it was kinda sweet. I stopped crying and it made me laugh.”

“…”

Her voice was cute. Bast was starting to get really uncomfortable with the topics but managed to stop his mouth from opening and his facial expressions from being read. The girl was asking too much mundane questions.

“You are only level 2, only a level higher than me but your stats, your reactions, your skills…”

“I…I got lucky”

“I see…

…You’re not a man with a lot of words huh. The silent type.”

“…”

Another couple of minutes passed and she finally stopped talking after Bast replied to her at last. It wasn’t that the talkative girl was annoying, in fact he liked her voice, there was nothing about her to dislike. She was the first person he saw alive after the system descended on earth. Maybe even the last. When he thought that the interrogation was over, she once again opened her mouth. It was the most hauntingly beautiful moment that Bast would forever remember in this life.

“Sebastian…Thank you”

“…”

“Can I please come with you? I have nowhere else to go…”

Bast already decided to leave her somewhere and train. But hearing those words made him hesitate a little bit. He would love to accompany her, any normal young boy would. He was now presented with another choice to make. He still doesn’t trust her, true. After experiencing the world ending, Bast now trust nobody. Not even the innocent humans he swore to protect. He weighted the pros and cons but he has a lot of other things running in his mind. He really doesn’t know what to do with her. She was staring at him intently with watery eyes once more, like the way Puss in boots looks at Shrek in the movies.

He felt a chill in his spine and he cannot delay this any longer. He was starting to get mesmerized in the moment.

*sigh*

Fuck it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“…Bast.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t call me that. Bast. Just Bast will do. And I still don’t trust you.”

“Oh…O-okay.”

It was the longest words Evelyne ever heard from the stranger. His voice was low, manly, and contained a hint of power. Sebastian stood up and stretched. He was already preparing to leave. She knew from his words that he wouldn’t let her accompany him. She was a baggage that would only slow him down. She was well aware of her own charms, which apparently wasn’t working on the guy. He was unresponsive and hard to read. There was a moment when he was slightly embarrassed but quickly recovered and became poker faced. He was unlike any guy she has ever seen. The intensity of his gaze, the soft, gentle touch of his hands. The firmness of his body. The way he dealt with the monsters without changing his expression even once.

Sebastian was half Asian, with a feel of foreign blood in him. He has a lean muscular body but not bulky and with a 5’9 height. He has a slim but chiseled build. She has a theory that when the apocalypse descended, it changed a lot of the surviving people, including herself and her friends. They became the better version of themselves the moment they had their first kill. Her golden blonde hair was an example. It was now silvery white. Now that Evelyne took a closer look at him, she noticed the tiny details she missed.

Sebastian has salmon to pink colored eyes, black unruly hair, short but structured nose and lips that are all often forming a serious and grim expression. He would be temptingly handsome, but the grime, soot, blood and dirt that covered him all over conceals that. When she remembered how he handled the enormous rats with his spear made of a large fang she unconsciously looked at his hands. They were calloused, by then she immediately knew that he wasn’t unaccustomed to handling sticks as weapon. Overall impression Sebastian exudes is that he’s a survivor. A true warrior. And a highly disciplined one at that.

Evelyne was startled when Sebastian drew a dagger coated with viscous violet liquid, grimace was again plastered on his face. For a moment, she was scared he would just kill her here instead of leaving her behind. He threw the knife towards the darker corner of the tunnel without even the slightest hesitation. A short shriek was heard and a thud. A dead goblin scout emerged, pierced in the chest.

“They’ve caught up too quickly”

To her surprise, the guy once again gave her his hand after muttering to himself. He beckoned her to take it, like the way he did when he saved her from the gigantic rats. Once again, she was compelled to take it. Not because he’s too intense, or his aim was as accurately lethal, or his method of killing with a face that never flinch. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He was her savior.

The guy’s got a certain charm. A feeling that was comfortable and reassuring. It’s like her fate was in his hands but she trusts him to deliver. To make her safe. To protect her from being harmed. The guy was crude with words but Evelyne is now beginning to understand his temperament. Crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside.

He was truly a man.

“Slow me down and I will leave you”

“Yes!”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Bast and his new companion jogged towards the end of the tunnel. Now a genuine light was seen, giving them a view of the outside. He was now level three from all the fodder monsters they met on the way. Even after seeing the end of the subway, he never lowered his guard. Bast promised himself until he became strong enough to fight a god, he never will.

The girl was struggling to keep up. Bast knew they should stop somewhere and recuperate. They were blinded by the sun after being in the dark for too long. Fresh breeze of the wind as very welcoming. The coast was clear.

You have learned the passive skill Danger Perception You have learned the passive skill Extreme Concentration You have learned the passive skill Dagger Mastery You have learned the passive skill Sixth Sense. Use a fusion skill with Extreme Concentration? y/n You have learned the passive skill True Aim

A feral grin escaped Bast’s face. Understanding many things at once, he took a mental note of his Synthesis skill and imagined the good things he can do with it once he abused grinding it to the limits.

“Yes, fuse it also with True Aim”

You have learned the passive skill Primordial Meditation

Now we're talking…

(tbd)