Chapter 97 Trouble, Arthur daily life.
Denki and the rest of Heracles familia faced a mob of monsters on the 25th floor of the dungeon. Denki employed the standard tactic for dealing with groups of over five monsters, ordering his party to take the diamond formation with Ozwald, their mage, in the middle.
They moved in tandem, ensuring they covered each other's backs. Denki's strategy was simple: push the monsters back, forcing them to group up for Ozwald to rain down offensive magic on them. The assault team would finish the job once the monsters were weakened.
"Helga, switch to the shield!" Denki ordered as he dodged a harpy rushing straight at him.
"We need to take them out quickly, and you want me to switch to a shield?" Helga argued as she cut off the arm of a blue-crab monster. "Seems counterproductive to me."
"We're breaking our formation if you go in for an attack. I thought I made it clear," Denki paused for a moment as he kicked a blue-crab monster away and swiftly cut the head off a harpy flying too close to him, "-that we need to stick to the formation if we want to go deeper!"
Helga's ankle was grabbed by a siren, but she quickly cut off its hand with her claymore. She then stabbed it in the head, making the monster scream in agony. "We're wasting time with that! We need to kill the monsters quicker to go deeper this time!"
The two level-3 members of their team kept arguing as the others tried desperately to thin out the mob. Ozwald gulped down another mana potion, replenishing the mana he used from casting spells non-stop. 'Here they go again,' he thought to himself, focusing his mana inside his body. "Dazzling stars crossing the jet-black sky. Listen to my immature prayer, guide the flash - Come, shine of tears, defeat the filthy. Lumine Pleiades!" Ozwald cast a light elemental offensive magic, an orb of light glowing above him as it released beams that shot straight towards the monsters surrounding them.
He was so concentrated on his spell that he failed to notice a harpy flying down towards him. The harpy shot a torrent of sharp feathers towards the mage, hitting him clean in the back and shoulder.
"Arghh!" he fell to his knees as the orb of light dissipated, the familia's adventurers turning their heads towards him.
"Katty, first aid now!" Denki ordered as he moved quickly to intercept another rain of feathers using his sword. "Switch to the shield and cover us!" he barked angrily, making the others wince.
Seeing one of her teammates injured, Helga clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword, grabbing the large kite shield on her back. She moved in front of Denki to block the barrage.
Denki ran towards Helga, using her shoulder as a launching pad, jumping into the air and slashing the harpy in half. He didn't stop when he landed; he dashed towards the remaining monsters along with the others, giving out orders and ensuring no one from the familia got injured further.
Helga was not far behind; she charged forward, the shield in her hand glowing as she shoved her mana into it, slamming it towards the blue-crab monsters, killing them with blunt force trauma.
After a few minutes of fighting, Heracles familia finally wiped out the monsters in the area. "Set up the poison bags," Denki ordered, breathing heavily. The poison bags would make the monsters avoid their general area, giving them a chance to catch their breath and assess the damage to their team.
"Aye!" One of the members nodded and quickly got to work. His name was Jugo, a level-2 adventurer who had joined roughly a week after the amphitheater incident. He had plain brown hair and a short sword at his side.
Denki turned towards Katty, who was tending to Ozwald, who looked worse for wear. He seemed pale due to blood loss and the fear of almost dying; if the harpy had attacked even an inch higher, he would have died instantly. "How's the wound?" Denki asked.
"It's deep, and he needs a day or two of rest to recover," Katty answered plainly, tying a bandage around Ozwald's back. "I doubt we can go any deeper from here."
"W-What?!" Ozwald snapped his head towards Katty, making him wince in pain at the sudden movement. "I can still go! I'm not one of the fighting force at the front; I can just stay in the back and chant spells!" He argued, trying to act strong, but his face told a different story. "And we have potions; I can just drink some and recover in a few minutes!" he continued.
"Then we continue," Helga interjected. "He's right. He can stay in the backline and support us with offensive spells."
"No!" Denki answered firmly. "It's too risky."
Denki's tired eyes scanned the dimly lit surroundings, his mind heavy with the burden of responsibility. The recent battle had taken its toll on the entire familia, and Denki couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that they were pushing their luck too far.
"Look around you Helga, it's not just Ozwald who needs time to recover, this dive is already over, our luck was bad for meeting a mob this deep, we were lucky to get out of that without any casualties," Denki said, his voice carrying the weight of his concern. "We need to head back to the surface, regroup, and come back stronger. Ozwald's injured, the others are battered and tired, and we can't afford any more risks."
Helga, however, wasn't ready to yield. Her gaze hardened, and she squared her shoulders, her determination shining through. "We can't back down now," she argued, her tone resolute. "We've haven't even met our quota, our average in all of our dives is at the 27th floor. We've faced tougher challenges and emerged victorious. We can't let fear dictate our actions."
The tension in the air was palpable as the two leaders clashed in their beliefs. Denki, rooted in caution and practicality, knew the dangers that lurked in the depths of the dungeon. Helga, fueled by her unwavering confidence, was willing to bet on their familia's strength and resilience.
"We can't underestimate the dungeon," Denki countered, his voice firm. "Every step we take here is a gamble with our lives. We need to retreat, heal, and come back prepared. Our familia's safety comes first."
Helga's eyes narrowed, her resolve unyielding. "We can't afford to appear weak in front of the other familias," she argued back, her voice edged with frustration. "We're Heracles familia, even now the others looked at us with pity, and I for one am tired with those looks. If we retreat now, we lose even more face. We need to press on. We can't afford to look weak in front of the other familias!"
The other familia members watched in silence, their loyalty torn between their two leaders. The weight of the decision hung heavy in the air, each heartbeat echoing the magnitude of the choice before them.
Until another voice joined in. "Well I for one vote to go back up." It was Katty, he was done with bandaging Ozwald's wounds. "Denki is right you know, we have encountered such a bad luck facing a mob at this floor, if it was on the higher ones then it would've been easy to deal with, but as we stand now we only have two level-3s, the rest of us are tired and beaten, and the two strongest member of this party are arguing like fucking children's."
Katty's words hung heavy in the air, piercing the tension between Denki and Helga. The other members of the familia glanced at each other, their eyes reflecting a mix of uncertainty and relief. Jugo, the level-2 adventurer, nervously cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had settled over the group.
"I-I agree with Katty," Jugo stuttered, his voice surprisingly steady given the circumstances. "We've pushed our luck far enough. It's not just about meeting quotas anymore; it's about survival. We can't afford to let our egos blind us to the reality of our situation."
Katty nodded in agreement, her eyes firm with conviction. "We need to retreat, regroup, and come back stronger. Our familia's safety is paramount. We can't risk our lives needlessly, especially when we're not at our best."
Denki sighed, his shoulders slumping with a mixture of relief and resignation. "I understand your frustrations, Helga. I do. But Katty and Jugo are right. We're not retreating because we're weak; we're retreating to be more prepared if ever we face this kind of luck again. We'll come back once we recover. But for now, we need to prioritize our well-being."
Helga clenched her fists, her jaw tight with frustration. She glanced around at the faces of her familia members, seeing the agreement in their eyes. With a heavy sigh, she finally relented. "Fine," she said, her voice low.
With their decision made, the familia began their retreat from the 25th floor. Each step echoed with the weight of their choices and the unspoken determination to rise above their current challenges. As they ascended, they carried not only their wounded comrades but also the lessons learned from this intense battle.
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As that was happening, a lone figure in the 29 floor was killing monsters left and right. It was Arthur, and in his right hand is a sword that shine a golden light, enveloping the area in extreme heat. The holy sword, Excalibur.
Multiple bloodsaurus charged at the lone figure, only to be cut to pieces with each one smoking from the heat.
"You're starting to get the hang of it." a chiming voice sounded inside of the lone figure head as he panted heavily from facing all of the monsters alone.
"Yeah, and I can do it even better without you yapping in my head with every move I make." Arthur spoke sarcastically, the blood on his sword evaporating.
"You're just a bundle of sunshine aren't you?" Excalibur's voice matched the sarcasm that its wielder exudes, making Arthur chuckle.
"Is this really necessary? Why do I have to solo dive this shit?" Arthur asked, a bit annoyed due to fatigue.
"Well to be honest, out of the three Theïkó óplo users... You're probably the weakest of the bunch."
"Well thank you for the moral support." Arthur grunted as he sheathed his sword to the side.
"Why thank you." Excalibur chuckled.
Arthur then stretched his body, he was feeling a bit rigid from moving non-stop now, and he was thankful because the Voltimeria, the monster that was guarding the 27th floor hadn't revived yet when he ventured into the dungeon. That would have been a headache to deal with.
"B.T.dubs, explain how I'm the weakest out of all the current users right now?" Arthur asked curiously. "I'm positively sure I'm stronger than the royal asshole."
"Why do you speak like that?" Excalibur was not use to how his master is speaking, there were even moments where Arthur would say some stuff that completely baffles the god-killing weapon.
"Not the point." Arthur shrugs. "Now why am I the weakest?"
"Simple, you lack resolve. The prince is at least narcissistic to a point that he'll do everything just to be stronger than any one of you, and don't get me started on how lucky Death is for getting that monster as a master."
"Death?" Arthur asked as he sat down beneath a tree to rest. "I thought you say that the spear's name is Beowulf."
"The thing about us Theïkó óplos is that each one of us embodies an aspect, something that gives us strength. For me its Absolute Justice, for Mistilttine, its Dominace, and for Beowulf, he embodies Death."
Arthur pondered on what he had learned today, but it still bugs him. "What do you mean I lack resolve?" He asked with a tone that is both playful and a but hurt by what Excalibur said to him.
"You lack obsession, unlike those two, who are willing to do everything just to get stronger, you go with the flow. The only reason your even here in the dungeon is because the god literally ordered you to dive in."
"Well, Lord Buddha can be pretty persuasive." Arthur shrugs, "and I don't need to be extremely strong to enjoy my life here. I already told you this when we first met, I just want a relax and carefree life."
"Then you shouldn't have plucked me out of my seal."
"Point taken." Arthur scratched his head a bit flustered. 'With the benefit of hindsight, I really should have just left this sword that was stuck on that stone.' he thought to himself as he sighed.
"That's enough rest, everyday, those two are becoming stronger and stronger, I can feel it. You need to catch up with both of them..." Excalibur urged Arthur to stand and continue diving deeper. 'I fear that something sinister is coming to this realm.' the sword didn't say that part out loud, truth be told, it liked this mortal. The way he lived is somewhat amusing.
And with that said, it must make sure that this mortal is ready for what's to come, because in the first time in a long time, multiple Theïkó óplo are active, and had found their master. And for Excalibur, those signs aren't really good.
"Fine." Arthur answered, forcing himself to stand back up. 'Just when I was starting to get comfortable.' He thought to himself. "God damnit, times like this are making me miss a bottle of ice cold coke even more."
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Chapter 97 is done now, how do you guys like the story so far?
Please leave a comment, a review and feedback so I can improve on writing this fanfic. every little thing helps as it allows me to see your preference on things and would help me write a better fanfic for you all to enjoy.
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