‘Eva is watching me?’ Rakna reiterated internally. ‘What does that mean? Who are the two others?’

[I’m afraid I do not know.]

“{Same here. First time I see it,}” Higure added and he hummed before looking at the others who were still staring at their own status.

“Holy shit, our level shot up to 45,” Allan muttered in awe. “How many did you kill with that one?”

“I don’t know. Thousands for sure,” Rakna said as he reverted to a therian. He got a feel for his fourth tail and grunted because of how strenuous his two previous stunts had been. He was about to eat a heart to heal when he spotted something strange. Mae was gazing at the sky in the distance with her mouth hanging open.

He raised an eyebrow and turned around again. He almost let out his voice when he saw the cause of her shock. Above the now destroyed Dungeon, now mere rubble within a crater of sand, a large silver gate had appeared and a giant being was slowly emerging from it.

The creature was entirely white. It looked both humanoid and bestial and it held a weapon similar to a double spear in one of its hands. It had a pair of wings on its back, devoid of any sort of accents in its form as if they were blocks of raw material. Its head was oval with no mouth, with a sort of spiral symbol in its place. It had two pairs of eyes in the top half and continuous rays of liquid light were covering its form as if they were supposed to be its hair and clothes.

At this point, the entire group was forced to notice its appearance and among them, Mae seemed to be the most conscious of it. “It’s… an Adjudicator…” She muttered in fright.

“Adjudicator?” Flavia repeated. “Is it what this is called?”

“Adjudicators are the System’s enforcers,” the lamia replied. “Based on its size, this one is a high rank; at least a General. They’re stronger than even Lv. 800 Hosts.”

Rakna sternly watched the creature land in front of the destroyed Dungeon. To be exact, it stood over it, his size dwarfing by far what the castle used to be. “What is it doing?”

[This General Adjudicator is here to protect the Dungeon,] Alexa piped in.

“From what?” Rakna responded out loud, making everyone look at him. Higure decided to convey to them the conversation in real-time so they could understand.

[Since you have destroyed the dimensions that composed Grit Castle, every monster that had been stored inside of it was killed by your hand. That is why you and your party have received enough experience to raise your level to a cap of 45.]

[Naturally, all of those monsters have dropped money and items. This Adjudicator is here to keep away anyone who would try to collect them; as it is an unfair reward. Additionally, there is a likely chance that the Dungeon Root has been released.]

“What is a Dungeon Root? Didn’t you say that Mae was the heart?”

[Root or Seed; it’s the source of the Dungeon’s power,] Alexa clarified. [Were someone to acquire it for themselves, they would gain a direct connection to the System; like a backdoor. That would allow them to steal energy, items, Talys, and even information from it. Eva would obviously do something to prevent something like that to happen.]

“I see…” Rakna muttered and stared at the General’s face. After a few seconds, the four eyes of the creature abruptly focused on him. The two stared at each other for a moment before Rakna was forced to look away because of a prompt.

❮ ◈ ❯

You have received a Compulsory Quest!

---

Title: Eva’s Summon

Description: Eva demands you to meet her.

Objective: Go to a Terminal and request an audience.

Note: You have 24 hours to complete this Quest.

Failure Penalty: Death.

Rewards: ---

Note: Do not make me wait for too long, Rakna Xiorra Blade.

❮ ◈ ❯

Rakna frowned darkly.

“{Are you okay?}” Higure asked when she felt a strong wave of resentment wash over his soul.

‘It’s nothing. I just hate being threatened,’ he replied and turned his back to the Adjudicator. “Let’s leave. Do you know where the closest town is?” He asked his group.

“A-ah… there’s one this way,” Flavia replied and pointed in a certain direction. “That’s the one we went to when you weren’t with us before.”

Rakna nodded and created a shuttle with his GHB big enough for everyone. Mae was the last one to step inside. She gave one last look at what was once her Dungeon then joined them when Allan gave her a hand.

When they were all in, Rakna glanced at the lamia then took off. “Flavia, if it’s possible, use your telekinesis to reduce the friction.”

“No problem,” she instantly replied and before they knew it, the landscape started passing by even faster. She smiled and waved her hand. “I can also accelerate it directly though it’s not by much.”

“Thanks,” he said and leaned against the barrier with his arms crossed. He then looked at Mae who was meekly standing next to Allan. “What are your plans from now on?”

“My… plans?” The lamia looked as if she had been hit by something heavy. She took on an awkward expression and shook her head. “Honestly? I don’t know. When you asked whether I would like to risk my life to get out of the Dungeon, I was already ready to die. I never expected you to actually pull me out of there,” she admitted with a shrug.

Flavia and Evelyn instantly softened up to her and both looked at Rakna with fierce eyes, daring him to do anything else other than accept her. Even if they knew that they would never be able to refuse anything he decided, they wanted him to consider it carefully.

“Rak,” Allan raised his voice with a rare seriousness. Rakna looked at him in the eyes and snorted afterward. The atmosphere lightened in the blink of an eye.

“She can stick around with us; I don’t mind. She is a capable fighter. But the problem here is not if I agree or not, it is if she even can join us.”

“What do you mean?” Allan asked back.

Rakna exhaled. “Alexa, send a party invite to Mae,” he said out of nowhere but his tone was odd. It was as if he was giving an instruction that he didn’t expect would be followed.

[…it cannot be done,] Alexa replied and when nothing happened on the outside, the group realized the issue and Mae herself paled a bit.

“I see…” She whispered with a bitter smile.

“Higure, I have my own assumptions, but could you explain to us, as a former monster born from the System?” Rakna asked out loud and the lioness complied.

“{If you want… First of all, you can say that there exist three main factions,}” she started. “{The Hosts, the Locals, and the Wilden, which is also called the Acuran Faction. I’m sure you don’t need much introduction when it concerns Hosts and Locals.}”

“{One thing that you might want to know however is that Locals can party up with Hosts and go through Trials, Dungeons, and Ordeals like you. They also have the ability to travel from a Plateau to another without limitations. A Local born in the First Plateau could easily go the 100th if they wanted to.}”

“{Then we have the Wilden. Monsters, beasts, and wild contraptions created by the System. They are randomly given birth to fill numbers. Or to be exact, they are either engineered by the System directly or are descendants of previous generations. At each Reset, if there are not enough of them to respect the System’s quota, more will be created.}”

“{They generally have a free growth. The System does not limit them in any way. For example, just like Tyran, they can become rulers of their territories and grow stronger. They can also make pet contracts with Hosts and Locals. And finally, they as well possess the authority to visit other Plateaus on the condition that they’re strong enough.}”

“Then what’s the problem? Isn’t Mae a Wilden? She should be able to at least accompany us. It’s not important if she can’t join parties, is it?” Flavia reasoned but the lamia surprisingly shook her head in rebuttal.

“I understand now,” she said somberly. “I was made by the System, yes… but I’m not a Wilden. Is that what you wanted to say, miss?” She asked back to Higure, the owner of the voice she couldn’t see.

“{Indeed…}” The lioness responded. “{To be fair, lamias are not Wilden in the first place and are usually part of the Locals or Hosts. It’d be accurate to say that you are part of a fourth faction. You were made by the System, with no control over your growth. You were designed to be put into a Dungeon with your strength predetermined by regulations. And I have to get this run by Alexa but… I believe you cannot level up nor can you learn new skills or spells.}”

[You would be correct, Higure Mios,] Alexa affirmed.

“{In other words, young lady… you are stuck to live your entire life in this Plateau, with no way to leave, and with no way to get stronger. You cannot even use the Pavilion’s portal because the Filter Dimensions would reject your entrance. I’m sorry.}”

Mae smiled reassuringly. “Hmph, I should’ve expected this,” she uttered with renewed poise. “It’s not my type to get depressed over this; you don’t need to apologize. I don’t mind staying here. I’m content as long as I’m able to compensate for the decade I wasted in that pit. Just drop me off when we arrive and we can go our respective ways.”

“Denied,” Allan suddenly said with a blank tone, and her eyes opened wide. “If we really can’t help you be truly free, we at least can help you integrate. Don’t give me that ‘respective ways’ bullshit.”

“Don’t… I already gave you enough trouble,” she weakly retorted and glanced at Rakna. “I don’t know if you’re trying to hide it, but I noticed how your attention shifted earlier when you looked at the Adjudicator. You received a warning, didn’t you?”

Everyone looked at him in surprise while he just raised an eyebrow. “…when we arrive in town, I want you guys to find a hotel or something to wait for me. I will be going somewhere and when I return, we’ll decide what to do with Mae.”

They all wanted to question the fact that he avoided the question but ultimately gave up on the idea when they saw the therian’s unrelenting eyes. The lamia was particularly reluctant but, in the end, she just sighed, “…Marie.”

“What?” Allan heard her whisper.

“Call me Marie. I don’t want to be called by the name the System assigned me,” she said. “I think it sounds better than Mae or just Maria, don’t you?” She added with a smirk.

The blond blinked before grinning. “Right, we haven’t introduced ourselves properly yet. I’m Allan River. Nice to meet you, Marie.”

“Nice to meet you as well, Allan. I’ll be in your care,” she said with a bright smile.