The group began their descent into Knossos, walking deeper into the wide entrance hallway, Bete at point, the Amazonian twins trailing half a step behind him on either side. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all covered in deep black bricks, the only illumination coming from the magic stone lamps carried by several adventurers.
Rex was closer to the middle, walking along the far right of the mage unit alongside other adventurers assigned to guard them. From his position, he was relatively safe—having nothing to worry about unless the front line or back guard were overrun, or an enemy slipped through.
Still, relying solely on the others for detection wasn't an option, so with a step, he sent out temor sense through the earth... 'Huh?'
He knew his sense wouldn't travel too deep into the ground or walls since just below the barely quarter-meter layer of earth was the real adamantite wall and floor. But it should've at least traveled across the false ground to sense anyone walking on it far beyond the party.
However, his seismic waves barely went three meters around his feet before dissipating.
'This is rock, isn't it?' He thought, looking down at the black earth he was walking on as he sent another wave out through his feet.
The fact his tremor sense worked at all meant it had to be earth-based, but he had never encountered a material that weakened his sense this much—not even inside the Dungeon. It either worked or it didn't. There was no in-between.
'Its obviously a material from the dungeon...So a mined item... no, a drop item...' Scavenger flagged the thought as high quality, confirming it as a drop item so should be able to identify it directly. Using scavenger on the wall, a screen appeared...
[Obsidian Soldier Matter Brick: Brick made from the drop item from the Obsidian Soldiers. High shock absorption and significantly reduces the effectiveness of magic spells cast at it, however due to its age, its effectiveness has been reduced by half.]
Ah, that's why...' Tremor sense uses vibration, which the obsidian matter absorbs, so if it can't travel far he wouldn't be able to sense far. 'So, echolocation...' He quickly decided against it.
Echolocation relied on sound waves bouncing off surfaces to form a 'map' of the environment, but since his version was magic-based, it would be practically useless here. The obsidian walls would reduce the strength of each echo with every bounce, quickly dampening the signal. He doubted he could even sense three meters around him.
'This place really nerfed my sensing capability.' He sighed silently.
Even if the walls had allowed for echolocation, he wouldn't have used it. He was walking beside a platoon of mages, and even though the technique didn't require much magic, any shift in his mind would've been instantly noticed by every single one of them. That alone could raise questions—and he didn't need the attention or the complications.
'Guess we just leave the sensing to the other guys—'
"Whuuuaah?!"
The sudden shout made Rex grip his spear tight, instantly shifting into a battle stance.
"What's wrong, Raul?!" Finn's voice rang out a second later
"Ah, sorry, it was... nothing," the human beside him replied awkwardly. "Just a statue. Sorry about that…"
Raul gave a nervous laugh as he recovered from his outburst. Rex let out a quiet sigh and dropped his stance, along with the other adventurers who had readied themselves for combat. A few grumbled in annoyance, but no one blamed Raul too harshly as in the light of his portable magic-stone lantern was a demonic statue standing against the wall. If someone suddenly came face-to-face with that thing, they would shout too.
They continued forward, and after the long stretch past the entrance of Knossos, the path splintered in a dizzying number of directions. Forks, four-way intersections, and branching hallways stretched endlessly ahead. With every turn, the number of paths seemed to multiply.
While the structure itself followed typical labyrinth design, the sheer complexity of the layout made Daedalus Street look like a children's puzzle in comparison. The only methodical approach was to send one or two scouts ahead at each fork, wait for their reports on dead ends, and then test the remaining passageways one by one.
"The way's shut," Bete's voice called, looking up at yet another orichalcum door, this one firmly closed. "Which bastard scout led us to this dead end?" he barked, turning back to glare at the group.
"This was the path you scouted, Bete," Tione snapped back, glaring at the wolf.
"It is." Gareth grunted with a nod. "Guess you hadn't come this deep."
Someone in the crowd muttered, "I guess you're the bastard scout, then."
That drew a round of laughter from the gathered adventurers, the tension that had came about the party due to the dungeon's aura lightning a bit.
"What, are we trapped then?" Tione asked, looking around the passage.
There were no junctions nearby, and the few they had passed were all dead ends. To reach a viable path—one that hadn't been marked as a dead end during their earlier scouting—they would have to retrace their steps a full fifteen minutes back. No one liked the sound of that.
So the ever-optimistic Amazoness suggested, "We can always just break through a wall, right?"
Gareth shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not so simple, lass." He slammed his fist into the nearest wall, the loud crack that followed making Lefiya and a few other adventurers jump.
"No way…" Tiona leaned into the split that had formed in the stone. "Don't tell me that's…"
Tione stepped beside her sister, her eyes widening at the thing behind the stone. "Adamantite?!"
'They're only just discovering this now?' Rex thought, shaking his head. 'I figured that out over two hours ago. Get on my level.'
"Covered in a layer of rock, sure, but underneath? Nothin' but rare metal," Gareth confirmed with a nod. "The whole maze is carved from the stuff."
"Well damn," someone muttered from the group.
Cracking through who-knows-how-thick adamantite walls would be difficult enough, and even if they could make a dent, carving out a path wide enough for everyone to pass through would take more time than they could afford.
The group stood in stunned silence, realizing they weren't just facing orichalcum doors but a labyrinth built entirely from adamantite.
"You realize the money this ridiculous place must've taken to build?!" Bete shouted, slamming his foot into the wall and cracking it further, revealing the steel-gray metal beneath. "How the hell did these asshats get the money for this?! This is crazy!"
He echoed the thoughts running through everyone's mind. Neither orichalcum nor adamantite was easy to come by. Gathering this much would've taken labor and resources far beyond what even Loki Familia could dream of. Not even the combined wealth of Loki and Freya Familia could fund half of what they had seen so far—and the maze clearly extended far beyond this.
"Certainly not something done in a few years," Finn muttered, running a hand along the cracked wall where the adamantite faintly showed through. "A decade, maybe? No, probably more..." He trailed off for a second, thinking about something.
"At any rate, Evilus has certainly been busy with some extraordinary projects. We'd do well not to underestimate them." With that, Finn started instructing the group to turn around.
'They still haven't noticed we're being watched?' Rex thought, side-eying the demonic statue beside him, specifically the gem embedded in its forehead.
When Rex had used Scavenger on one of the embedded gems earlier out of curiosity, the result had come back with the name 'Vigilance Gem'—an item that functioned like a security camera. Someone, somewhere, was watching them.
It was honestly surprising no one else had picked up on it. At the very least, their instincts should've sensed the dread of being watched, right?
'…Whatever they're planning,' he thought, glancing over at Filvis a bit ahead to the left, who hadn't reacted in the slightest, then to the blond elf beside her. 'Best I stay next to Lefiya.'
They retraced their steps carefully, using the chalk markings left earlier to guide them back through the winding maze. After about twenty-five minutes, they finally reached a new junction—one of the alternate paths that hadn't yet been marked as a dead end—and resumed their journey.
"There's a staircase up ahead," Cruz called out. The Level 4 Chienthrope had scouted one of the two diverging paths at the end of the T-shaped intersection they were waiting in. "Looks like it leads farther down."
"Same on this side," said Anakitty, a Level 4 catgirl, returning from the opposite direction. "No signs of a dead end—or enemies."
"Plans, Finn?" Gareth asked.
The Pallum captain went quiet for a moment, then said, "Let's split up."
'That's exactly what the group of friends says in a horror movie before everything goes to shit,' Rex thought grimly.
"No matter which direction we take, fighting's going to be a pain with this many people if we're attacked," Finn explained. "Besides, it'll be quicker this way."
'I just hope I'm in a team with Filvis,' Rex thought, glancing at the black-haired elf whose ears twitched slightly, something he didn't notice. 'But knowing my luck… I don't need to worry about that.'
No one objected to the plan, so Finn quickly divided the party into two groups. The first consisted of nineteen members, including multiple lower-level support members. To compensate, they were assigned the most first-class adventurers: Gareth, Ais, Tiona, and Tione would head down the right path with them.
The second team, smaller with ten members, included Finn himself, along with Bete, Lefiya, Filvis, and, of course, Rex. These two parties would act as the strong-slow team and the fast team, respectively.
"I'm counting on you, Gareth." Finn gave a small smile as he extended his child-like fist.
"Don't let 'em get the jump on ya, eh?" Gareth said with a grin, returning the fist bump.
"…Duly noted," Finn replied. "I'll be on my guard."
With that, the two teams broke off, each heading down their respective path into the depths of Knossos.
The staircase they descended led to more of the same winding passageways and maze-like architecture.
'This should be around the second floor of the dungeon now,' Rex thought as he looked around. 'Progress is slow, but this place is almost as complicated as the Large Tree Labyrinth, so I guess it makes sense.'
"As strange as this is to say…" Raul suddenly muttered from beside him, glancing around. "The fact that nothing's attacking us is only making this place feel even creepier…"
'Is he talking to me?' Rex thought, which scavenger confirmed. "True." He simply replied.
'But I guess they're waiting for us to go deeper,' he thought, his eyes shifting to a Vigilance Statue mounted above the archway he passed beneath. 'Maybe the third floor, or even farther down on this one.'
They continued walking with down the hall that had been scouted for no dead end. Soon, the corridor opened into a large, square-shaped chamber, easily more than a hundred meters across—comparable in size to some of the upper floor rooms.
Including the entrance they had just come through, each of the four walls had a doorway. The only other open one lay directly across from them, accessible by a wide set of grand stairs leading up to the elevated threshold and into another dark corridor. The left and right ones, however, were sealed tight behind orichalcum door.
This was the first room they had encountered, surprisingly, and Rex instantly know. 'This is a trap.'
Almost as if on cue, Bete's ears twitched, as did every other animal person in the group. All eyes turned toward the open path across the room, where a slow set of footsteps began echoing off the walls. Soon, a human-shaped shadow emerged from the darkness.
'Finally,' Rex sighed internally, having been feeling quite bored for the past three fucking hours or so. 'Let's get this party starte—'
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnn!!"
The scream tore through the chamber the moment the woman came into view, causing Rex to frown, suddenly remembering the Vouivre he had killed a few weeks ago. The source of the voice was a female human adventurer, standing tall and looking down at them with haughty contempt.
"Oh, Braver!" the woman exclaimed, spreading her arms wide. "How I've been dying to see you, you little shit!!" she snarled, lips curled in a wicked grin.
She stood about 167 cm (5'7"), with short, messy pink hair—darker at the roots, lighter at the tips—and piercing yellow eyes. She had a beautiful face, fair skin, and a lean, toned build.
Her black cropped top—ripped slightly in some area—clung tightly to her large chest, leaving her toned midriff exposed, while black pants with red stripes hugged her legs, torn in places. A brown utility belt was strapped around her right thigh, and over it all, she wore a long, dark coat trimmed in thick gray fur. Her thick-soled sandals gave her added height, and in her right hand was a jagged, sword-like weapon.
"Huh." Finn's eyes narrowed. "Valletta? I had a hunch you were still alive…"
The mention of her name made Raul and Aki stiffen, expressions clouded with unease. As for Rex, he was just looking at her status and she was definitely someone he wanted to scavenge.
"Not a day's gone by where I haven't imagined wiping that smug, Mister Cool Guy face of yours off the map!" Valletta screamed. "You remember me, you bastard?! Act like you forgot, and I'll rip your guts out, tear your face off, and carve up your little body so you never even think about mouthing off again!"
Her rage was unrelenting, barely registering that she had only just appeared. A barrage of insults and threats poured from her lips, her eyes wild, locked solely on Finn.
"…Yo, Finn." Bete muttered with a look of disgust. "You got some kinda crazy-broad-attractin' disease or somethin'?"
"If you're talking about Tione, Bete, then hold your tongue," Finn said sharply. "At the very least, Tione is human—which is more than I can say for this one." He raised his green eyes to meet Valletta's depraved smile.
'You aren't a man of culture, Finn.' Rex thought as he stared at Valletta. 'She's just my type.'
Not only was she objectively beautiful—she was crazy. And Rex wouldn't sugarcoat it: he found that kind of energy appealing. She had also proudly proclaimed that not a day had gone by without thinking about Finn. Wasn't that some kind of love story?
What kind of man wouldn't want a woman thinking of him obsessively for years?
Rex was, in fact, jealous of Finn in this particular case.
But the thought gave him pause. 'I've been pretty neutral so far, haven't I?'
He couldn't think of any real enemies he had made since arriving in this world. He had been focused on dungeon diving and hadn't caused much trouble. Maybe Apollo?
'No, that guy's probably still in love with me or something,' he thought, watching Valletta continue hurling curses at Finn. 'Should I be happy or sad about not having enemies?'
His eyes slowly drifted down across her toned abs, tracing her V-line where her low-hanging pants exposed the skin—
His deranged thoughts were quickly yanked back to reality when the topic shifted to the Nightmare on the 27th Floor.
Rex didn't know much about it as he was still been living deep in Daedalus Street back then, not caring much about Evilus as they didn't bother with them. But what he did know was that it had been a large-scale pass parade orchestrated by Evilus. They had lured in not just every monster on the 27th Floor's Water City, but the Monster Rex, Amphisbaena, too—pitting them all against the adventurers the Guild had sent to chase the fleeing Evilus.
What followed was a massacre. A massive battle with countless bodies piling up on both sides. Rex had heard that Evilus used the opportunity to add their own corpses into the chaos to throw the Guild off their scent.
"You know what you are, Finn? Scum!" Valletta roared as she jabbed a finger toward him, her eyes filled with madness. "Miserable, disgusting scum. The worst of the worst! Because you didn't go! That day, you didn't even try to help on the 27th Floor! Instead, you got intel from somewhere, took Freya's and Ganesha's people, and attacked our gods!"
At this, Rex frowned behind his helm.
And it was true.
Finn had seen through the plans of Valletta and her peers. Realizing there wasn't enough time, he had made a harsh decision: abandon the 27th Floor. Instead, he had mobilized his forces and struck every possible Evilus base. With the help of allied gods, they succeeded in sending a terrifying number of the so-called 'evil gods' back to heaven and disrupting Evilus's control.
It was a decisive victory that made Finn, 'Braver,' public enemy number one to the remnants of Evilus.
"Do you even know what it felt like?" Valletta shrieked, clawing at the side of her face with her free hand. "How terrifying it is to have your god whisked away and your blessing sealed?! In the middle of the Dungeon?! I can't even count how many times some monster almost sank its teeth into me!"
A cold shiver ran down Rex's spine.
He has thought about Soma being killed while he was inside the Dungeon many times before but now that he is hearing about it, the thought was even more terrifying.
He hadn't made any real enemies. No one in Soma Familia had the kind of power or reputation that would make an entire high class Familia plus their god target Soma. Honestly, only himself and Zanis—through his black market deals—had that kind of power, and neither of them are stupid enough to make that kind of enemy.
So there wasn't any reason to worry. But just the possibility alone—
"I don't doubt your suffering," Finn said, smiling slightly. "However, given everything you and your friends have done, I can't say I feel any remorse."
"Take your remorse and shove it!" Valletta snapped. "I don't even care anymore. Not about Evilus, not about what happened. But you? I'll never forgive you, you pretentious little freak! I promised myself… that I'd pay you back one day for everything you did to me!!"
Spit flew from her mouth as her eyes turned bloodshot, the rage of her memories overwhelming her. She looked unhinged, consumed by the past.
"After I rip off those scrawny little arms and legs," she growled, taking a step forward as if restraining herself took effort, "I'm gonna ride you until I've had enough, then turn that self-righteous face into mincemeat And then… once I've had my fill… I'm gonna laugh until I can't even breathe!!"
'Wish she was talking about me...' Rex thought, forcefully shaking off the lingering dread from the earlier thoughts about Soma's sudden death. '...But am I being hypocritical right now? Why do I like this girl but not Freya?' He didn't think much of it. Humans are all hypocrites including himself.
"My, my. Inviting me to a one-night stand?" Finn responded lightly to the woman's crude threats. "I dare say, I'm flattered. However, I must apologize. Because of the hopes of my race, I'm only allowed to whisper sweet nothings into the ears of my own kind."
The cool, almost flirtatious response threw everyone off. Several of the female members of the group turned red, caught between shock and admiration. Afterall, Tione wasn't the only one harboring feelings for the beloved Shota captain.
"I should also add," Finn continued smoothly, "though I'm loath to say this to a member of the fairer sex… you'll need to improve your character before asking me out again. At least aim for something more in line with Riveria's sophistication, hmm?"
"Eeeee!!" A squeal erupted from behind him.
"So he does like Lady Riveria…!!"
"I need to write this down!"
Notebooks whipped out from who-knows-where, the girls scribbling away as if their lives depended on it, completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation.
The rest of the group—those not mesmerized by Finn or too afraid of Tione's wrath—exchanged awkward glances. Meanwhile, Bete, realizing Finn's words were all meant to provoke, simply lowered his head with a tired sigh.
"Go to hell, Finn!!" On the opposite side, Valletta's rage reached a boiling point. Her face twisted in fury, veins bulging at her temple. "Oh yeah! I am definitely going to kill you! Right here and now!"
"A bit after-the-fact, though, wouldn't you say?" Finn replied, voice cool. "If I've really been plaguing your mind all these years, surely you could have found a better opportunity to off me than this?"
"Ha! Shit for brains! You still don't get it!" Valletta cackled, her voice rising. "I've been waiting for this—waiting for you to come down here, completely oblivious, right into our castle! You walked right in—just like we planned!!"
Her grin stretched wide, eyes glittering with glee and this time, Finn's smile faded.
"This will be your grave," Valletta hissed. "Let yourself be swallowed in the majesty of Knossos… and die!!"
"—Knossos?" Finn's eyebrows twitched at this.
'Finally.' Rex thought as he got into stance. 'The fucking cut scene is over.'
Valletta raised her right arm—and with it, a small globe-shaped object. It was wrapped in a layer of dull ingot, but its core was a glowing red sphere with a single carved letter: D.
The moment the sphere pulsed with a crimson flash, the heavy double doors behind them shot out from inside the sides of the archway, slamming shut with a deafening boom that echoed through the chamber.
"W-we're trapped!" Raul cried out, spinning around as the dust shook loose from the ceiling.
"Get in formation!" Finn commanded without hesitation. "Fall in!"
Almost as if responding to his words, the two doors on either side of the room snapped open, and from both sides, waves of monsters surged forth. Swarms of Violas poured into the chamber, their wide maws opening with a bone-chilling screech.
'So these are the new monsters everyone's been talking about.' Without wasting time, Rex thought as he quickly scanned the swarm and he discovered that half of them were Level 4...
A feral grin spread across his face.
'It's a good thing I came down here.'
This run, he was going to max out his stats—no doubt about it.
[Author's Note: Barely anything happened in this chapter but I thought it was pretty good. It's used as a bridge for the later few chapters that will be the meat and butter of this arc. Hope you enjoyed it at least and I will soon start posting regularly like I used to.
Roses are red, violets are neat, why's the psycho with abs gotta look so sweet? What should I do with Valletta? Would be hard to bring her into the Familia since she has a huge bounty in the guild and she is too obsessed with Finn for that to even work. Might just kill her off or something. If you have any idea, let me know~
Thanks for reading and have a wonderfully day~o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]