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49. This World's End
🕑 Added 2024-10-24 16:00:14 +0000 UTCA/N: For those subscribed to both tiers, look forward to Skill Hunter returning tomorrow!
Levi stared at her. He frowned, then tilted his head. âMan. After all that buildup, I really thought it was going to be something dramatic.â
She rolled her eyes at him. âItâs more than just that. Iâll take it that youâve heard of the apocalypse. Which takes us to Kujaâs theory. As he watched his fellow fishmen lose their minds, as he felt his own slowly deteriorate, he began to wonder if there was a time limit to how long they were meant to protect the dungeon. Knowing of the prophesies of the apocalypse, even long before any of us otherworlders started showing up, Kuja began to wonder: was he only meant to protect the dungeon until the end of the world began?â
âUh-huh. Still not following,â Levi said, squinting.
Isa sighed. âWhy do I bother⌠To put it simply, he wondered if he would lose his consciousness when the apocalypse began. And not only him, but all the dungeon bosses all over the world. Imagine it. If every dungeon boss suddenly lost their sentience and became nothing but a beastâŚâ
Leviâs eyes finally lit up as the pieces connected. âOhhh. So basically, the dungeons all suddenly become way easier, just as us isekaied folk show up with super ultra powerful skills to stomp all over them. If heâs right, then itâs almost as if whoever created the dungeons, created them specifically to deliver loot and levels to us isekaied folk.â
âNot only that. But also to reveal the truth of the world.â
âThe truth of the world?â
Isa shook her head. âEven I donât know. Kuja wouldnât even whisper what he thought it was. I have my own thoughts, but I have no idea if any of them are right. But if we reach the dungeonâs end⌠we might find out.â
Levi nodded slowly. âI buy the monsters-getting-suddenly-weaker thing being some kind of wild conspiracy, if it happens. The truth of the worldâŚ? I mean, come on. What does that even mean? You gotta give me more to go on.â
âThe two could be associated,â Colin pointed out.
Isa nodded. She pointed at him.
âYeah, I mean, I get it. Iâm not stupid. I just⌠you know. Itâs a little too mysterious for me. Itâs like when a so-called fortune teller starts out with, âyou⌠has something gone wrong in your life recently?â Of course it has. No one has a perfect life. Everyone can think of something. Thatâs what this feels like. The opening line to a cold reading. I need more to latch onto. Some real⌠meat.â
âBut thatâs what prophesies are. Vague cold reading lines,â Colin pointed out.
âNot all of them. That one girl⌠you know the one. We killed her friend.â
âUhâŚâ
âI turned her friendâs friends into the Armalgam?â
Isa raised her brows. âBeg pardon?â
âYeah, that one. I know who youâre talking about, itâs just, her nameâŚâ Colin furrowed his brows. âThe Thug lady was called Jessie⌠uh⌠oh, thatâs right! Taylor.â
âTaylor! Yeah. She gave us some real meat. Wrote out the whole end-of-days thing pretty clearly. Twelve Champions, raining blood, black sun, all very crisp and clear. By the way, by my counting, weâre up to nine out of twelve Champions summoned. Three left until the world starts eating it.â
âNine? Itâs worse than I thought,â Isa commented.
âYou were lying dead in a manor for a few years,â Levi reminded her.
âMmm. True. I was only aware of six summoned Champions. Blatt of the Blade, Stacey of the Harvest, Kyo of the Wild, Mew of Magicââ
âHeâs confirmed? Also, be real with me. Is he a cat?â
âI donât know. Iâve never met the man⌠or woman. Where was I? Ah, yes. Mew of Magic, Igor of the Heart, and of course you. Which would make you Levi of Death.â
âLevi of DeathâŚâ Levi twisted his lips. âNot sure I like it. It has âStacey of the Harvestâ vibes. Not very intimidating.â
âChampions are not chosen for having names that fit their roles,â Isa stated dryly.
âOh, I knew that already. If Igor of the Heart taught me anythingâŚâ
On the opposite side of them, the iron doors ground open. Isa looked up. âOur rest is over. We must move on.â
Levi nodded. He stood, stretching. âHow deep are we going? How many floors?â
Isa paused. She looked ahead of them. âIâve only been to the bottom of the third floor. I defeated the boss, but I never advanced. The fourth floor is not a place accommodating to vampires.â
âWhat, does it have a sun or something?â Levi asked.
She grimaced. After a moment, she waved her hand. âRegardless, the fourth floor is⌠not somewhere you can rush into, after you beat the third floor.â
âWhat? Isnât it supposed to be a smooth descent? Level up enough on one floor to smash through the next?â Levi asked.
Isa shook her head. âItâs the same across all dungeons. Whether youâre a member of this world, or an otherworlder, there is a point where the dungeon will no longer provide enough experience that you can progress to the next floor. There are multiple solutions. You can grind the floors, like I did. But that takes weeks, if not months. The more typical solution is to leave the dungeon youâre in, and enter a different dungeon. Progress those floors until that dungeon âbreaks,â then leave the dungeon at the âbreak pointâ and go find another. Like that, you can wind your way down through the dungeons, progressing all of them evenly, until you reach the bottom of all of them.â She paused. âOf course, as I mentioned earlier, no one has.â
Levi tipped his head. âThis break-point thing, is that what you meant when you said that fifty-some floors of one dungeon were equivalent to three of another?â
âTo some extent,â Isa said, lowering her head slowly.
He lifted his head, gazing ahead of them. A narrow, dark hallway wound into the earth. No signs of a dark swamp, or any monsters, appeared. âAnd I suppose this inability to reach the bottom ties into the âtruth of the worldâ that Kuja believed in?â
âYes. Why prevent anyone from progressing smoothly to the bottom of any dungeon? Why require them to visit all the dungeons and complete them at the same pace? Why not allow someone to reach the bottom of any given dungeon?â
âIt does beg the question, Iâll allow that,â Levi said.
âBeg the question? Who is this fancy man, and what happened to Levi?â Colin asked, mock-shocked.
âWho is this chatty guy, and what happened to my shy and silent Colin?â Levi replied.
âIâm used to you guys. I have no problem talking now,â Colin replied.
âYeah, yeah.â After a moment, Levi squinted. He walked into the darkness, leading the way. âWhat about that Blatt guy? He could cut air itself. Youâre not going to tell me he couldnât defeat the dungeons.â
âHeâŚprobably could. But he has no interest in it. Everyone is weak compared to him. He has no need to grow stronger, and, well, a dungeonâŚâ
âIsnât the most pleasant place to be. I get it,â Levi said, nodding.
âHe doesnât believe in the truth of the world, either, so thereâs absolutely no reason for him to try,â she added.
âIs that a cult, or something? The way you say thatâŚâ
Isa laughed. âThereâs only a handful of people who believe in it. Kuja isnât the only boss monster to come up with an idea like this, and Iâm not the only otherworlder who found it possible. No Champions believe it, to my knowledge, which might be why the dungeons havenât been conquered.â
Levi nodded. âWell, itâs worth considering. And I, as a man who must take on the whole pantheonâs challengers, might as well take on the dungeons. I need to level up and get stronger. So perhaps I will delve them to the depths. Perhaps I might.â
âAre you on a fancy-speaking kick?â Colin asked.
Levi swatted him. âIâm the kind of person who subconsciously copies the accent of the people around me. I canât help it.â
Abruptly, Isa paused. She stared at Levi. âDo you have to wear it like that?â
âLike what?â Levi glanced around, then looked down. The Armalgam hugged his back, as usual, but its new fifth arm was too large to easily fit around his body. Instead, it dangled behind him, hanging palm-up just behind his legs. From the front, the effect was of having a hand reaching between his legs, palm facing upward, ready to grab⌠something.
He looked back up. âItâs got to go somewhere. I canât put it left or right, or itâll throw my back out. I canât put it up, or Iâll have a hand hanging in front of my face all the time. Plus, that goes against gravity. So we go with gravity, and voila. Itâs out of the way, and yet, ready at any moment. A unique trait of this placement, so to speak.â
âYou donât say,â Isa muttered, raising a brow.
âWhat?â Levi turned to Colin. âItâs not that bad, right?â
âIt is.â
Levi glanced down again, then sighed. He flicked his fingers. The arm shifted, curling around his waist, layered on top of the Spinal Cord. âNow I look like a fatass, and both the Spinal Cord and Handy are tough to get to. Are you happy now?â
âYes,â Isa said.
He turned to Colin. Colin nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
Levi sighed. âFineeee. Ugh. You guys donât appreciate convenience and a battle-ready state.â
âBattle ready, eh?â Isa commented.
âYouâre the one thinking filthy things about my battle arm,â Levi said. He paused. âBut I mean, if you want to experience filthy things with my battle armââ
âWeâre nearly at the end of the tunnel. Prepare yourself,â Isa interrupted him.
Comments
Jacob Goodrich
Damn kevi is gonna drive Isa up a wall one of these days lol
