Chapter 5-Dungeon (3)

"..."

Yuma is silenced by the question which Mikoto finds strange, super strange. Instead of insisting more, he waited for him to answer. He patiently stared at him. Yuma stared back before sighing.

"Fine, but let me tell you about the population first"

Once again he started taping in the air.

"3,035,939,803 and still decreasing"

Yuma observes Mikoto's reaction and he certainly didn't miss the small flinch he did.

' 3billion!? Does that mean that lest than half of the population remains? Uh, no wonder he didn't want to bring that up to me'

More than I know him, Yuma knows me better. He knows the flow of my feelings and the way I'll act.

"... Don't worry about it, just have fun in this dungeon"

Like I expected, he stands and gets ready for our departure for the next floor.

"I also have a repair at the system so I am able to repair our weapons. It kinda uses a little amount of money. Same way from the crafting. We don't need to speed up, I'll need a little bit of time to recover my Mana "

My eyes follow him. from every moves he make.

"Do you have any more questions about others? I can't check the number of monsters that remains"

"... Can you see the remaining people in the town?"

"As for that... 127"

One hundred and twenty seven...

Considering that I'm not registered at the game since I don't have any system, there are 126 others at this city.

"No wonder the city is more silent"

I glance back to window and stared out of it.

' What happened outside? I'm not sure myself but I guess it's better we've entered here..'

I sighed in relief and stand up too. Yuma didn't react but he observe my way of act and speak again.

"Just like I said, have fun in this dungeon as much as you can. No need to worry about me, I can handle myself"

he assured. I offer him a glance of understanding in response.

"That relieves me more"

' Is it really okay to be relief? Guess what, we have to get stronger in this dungeon as fast as we can before joining to the game outside... It's more thrilling to survive longer in a game than dying in the first seconds '

Once again, we step foot in a long wooden stairs. But this time Yuma is in the lead and I'm at the back, this way Yuma can move faster and activate his shield for the both of us. Our way up there is not so silent. Perhaps the opposite, Yuma's unending response to every words I spat.

I'm just trying to make things lest boring! You don't have to make everything irritating!

Before this guy can get to my nerves, we've finally reach the door after few minutes of walking.

Just like the last time, a plain metal door is at the end of the long stairs. Yuma did the same thing to open the door.

We've ready our weapons and didn't exchange anymore unnecessary words to each other. Thank heavens, the room this time is more brighter. With the light from the torch, we can clearly see the small room made of brown bricks reflecting the reddish blaze from the torch.

Crk.

A small move of bony fingers cause a noise that reach their ears. Skeletons creep from their sit and turn to them. They don't have the floating flame at their eyes but Yuma and Mikoto can feel their attention to them.

"Did you recover all of your mana?"

"Yeah. Don't forget to save up stamina in case of a surprise boss to rise"

"That seems to be more thrilling than intimidating"

I charge to skeletons and cut our conversation. Before the skeletons can rise their shields and swords I've already take care of them.

' My body suddenly become much more lighter for some reason... Is it because of the potion? '

A small question didn't really affect me as I continue slashing them down.

The skeletons at the back brought up their weapons with the time given to them. Just like the other skeletons they charged toward us with sword and shield without hesitation.

Klang!

Finally, my little brother stepped forward and dealt with them. The skeleton able to react faster and shield itself. Like a coordinated team, two others jump to his left and right.

'Wait, is his dagger new? '

While fighting with enemies, his daggers reflect the fire and completely shined by it.

' And I thought he revealed too much earlier... Turns out he is really secretive'

Yuma didn't even bother to look back and continue beating the hell out of his opponents. Which is unfortunate for the two skeletons that jump to opposite sides of him.

He used his feet and kick the right one that is few seconds earlier than the other one. As for the other skeleton, his time didn't last long to Yuma. He step one back to let the skeleton go pass at him and smashed at his head.

Few more skeletons goes to his side that didn't really deal much. All he did is welcoming their swords to smash their heads without breaking a sweat.

I certainly didn't let my self flatter and show my own swordsmanship. Since I've tried different sports back then, I can still quite recall the way I won the first place and trash talking with my enemy back then. Which I'm applying right now.

I raised my sword to my ear and pointed the end of the sword to them, I slid my right foot at the back of another foot . I didn't wait any moment and charge with a thrust. My thrust went in a shield. The skeleton is pushed back to which he raised his sword and planned to strike down my left. But I'm not an idiot, so I obviously evade it simply.

Well for a little fact about me, evading, running and trash talking is my specialty. So these kinds of things are normal to me since I practiced them when I'm bored.

As if the time slows down, the sword went down without even touching a strand of hair. My eyes are glaring at him with awareness.

Kshing!

My sword went up in the other side and destroyed his skull.

'Few more to go '

***

After a short moment. The fight us finished, without getting a scratch the bones scatter around the area. Our weapons suprisingly survive the fight, perhaps because I didn't block attacks and instead evade them.

"I'm thirsty"

I swallowed my dry saliva and quietly complained to myself, which is heard by my little brother.

"...here"

He quickly give me a bottle of water from nowhere.

"Hm, thanks. I guess"

"..."

I take the water bottle without further delay but a silent state from Yuma caught me off guard. Did I said something wrong? Why he isn't replying back? Yuma continued with a silent. I drink the water while he is looking at me with wide eyes. He didn't show any reaction except for that.

' That's the most detailed expression he expressed since I've know him '

Which make me put down my water bottle and look at him curiously. "What?"

I blink.

"You said thank you" He said with a not so normal tone. It's just a bit but a slim emotion went with his voice. It's a slight of surprise.

I blink.

Then blink.

And blink.

"I didn't"

"Yes you did"

"No I didn't"

After few seconds of strange expression, his face went to his normal one. An emotionless one.

"How bold, you're like a little child denying his crime"

"Excuse me? Little child? Children don't do crimes–" I cut it in the middle through and look at Yuma with a realization.

"... Perhaps not all" I continued.

"..."

The awkward silence cover the place in a matter of seconds.

"Ehem. Let's go to the next floor if you're not thirsty nor hungry. Since we're gaining coins by killing, the amount of food you can stack is pretty good right?"

"Yeah"

I don't really care how long time passes to us... But how about outside the dungeon?

***

"How come the population drop do quickly?"

"It's an apocalypse what you expect?"

A woman with long brown hair tied with a red ribbon whisper at the man. While the man he is talking with is a man with simple black hair and bluish eyes like her.

They are both wearing thick jackets against the freezing snow. The wind is strong with the white snow falling from the sky to the ground covering it with thick layer of snows. The both of them has to be a teenager considering their height and child looking skin.

"We should be more careful at leveling up for now"

"Easy to say"

The man seems to roll his eyes which make the girl worryingly sigh. Her breath causes white clouds to form in the air.

"Let's go home now"

The boy didn't reply but follow at her back. They both walk forward at the snowy path. At the side roads, the buildings and houses are frozen like a large ice berg. Their way is quite dark with mostly clouds at the sky...

Careful.

Just like how other refers to it. Easy to say but hard to do.

The sun is covered with clouds and can't be seen. If it get dark no one will ask why since they're in a snow. If a single knock at a wood happened no one will hear.

Things like that aren't really obvious on this place.

Even if there's a huge thing casting shadows in the whole city they are.

As the two teenagers walk to the opposite direction without noticing the large thing.

In the small city they are in. The entity can see them clearly even if it's 1000 feet large.

It's body is mainly made of navy blue color of wood. The thing have two long foot with few mysterious Ube orbs around it. His long legs are lso bended in many parts.

With two long legs higher than few small buildings, he don't have any upper part except for what it seems to be a head. It's "head" with a crystalized ice above it, also have a single carved eye in the middle.

Nothing on it can be called beautiful as the way it looks.

The strange orbs around his legs started to glow under the snowstorm. It glows in a bluish way and glow brighter and brighter.

In just a matter of a second, the reason of its glow take place. The orbs send cold and breezing air in the wide area. Like a white cloud erupting, it emerge in the whole city in a matter of seconds.

The two teenagers quietly walking in the snow suddenly stopped in their track and quickly turn back alerted. But too late, the mist reach them.

"Brother-" The woman tried to reach him. She stretch out her hand and quickly cast a sphere shield for him. Unfortunately the ice spread her body rapidly and freeze her in a cube. While her brother stay as he was normally, he didn't able to react quickly before the mist cover the city.

The panick at his heart rise as everything he can see is the sphere shield his sister created and the white mist outside of it.

"Brianna?" His voice started to be shaking and ended lowly. His breath fasten with his heart. His eyes are fully widen and his face paled.

He tried to rush out but he is stopped by the barrier. The mist isn't yet to be cleared but his eyes didn't dare to move and stare in a place. A crystalized ice glow a little enough for him to see. But inside it... Was his sister frozen.

When the mist is finally over, the shield vanished on its own and he freed himself. His hand reached her.

"Brianna? Hey. Brianna..."

He mumbled under his breath.

But his rough breath become more tighter as he noticed the others too. Other than her, he noticed other frozen people, and it's a lot.

They seems to be there before they are.

"What the hell ..." He quickly turned on where the monster is but it's no longer there. It leave them alone... Or perhaps it leave him alone...

***

"Am I seeing things or it's really a chest?"

"You'll be blind if you see it in other ways..."

Yuma and Mikoto stare in awe at a chest they've found. It's a silver chest with a lock. As if there's a massacre few moments ago, there are dark liquid and bones at their backs. The bodies of slimes and skeletons are all over the place.

«You have finished the fourth floor of the dungeon (4/10)»

«Would you like to open the chest? y/n»

"Yes" Yuma answered quickly. Just the same way the chest opened suddenly without anything except for a white light from it

«You've opened a lvl. 3 chest»

«The rewards will be transmitted to your inventory»

Yuma went to his inventory and take a look at the rewards.

"...Where's the gold?"

"At my inventory"

"Let me see"

"You can't see other inventories without a system yourself"

"... Fine"

Mikoto deadpanned at the end.

"Just tell me what items"

Yuma give him a thumbs up and start fidgeting over his system.

"There are some healing potions, few weird looking shards, a bow with arrows, mp potions, golds and a strange card"

He read out loud.

Mikoto hummed I'm response and think a little.

"What's with the weird looking shards?"

"Ah, it's for enhancing weapons"

With the short explanation. He's obviously aware the long detailed description after that.

"Say it"

Yuma look back at him with his plain eyes that seems to be making a script on his head on how will things will work out before finally talking.

"Let's say there are different levels for weapons. It's all base on how many stars it have in its holder"

Mikoto take a look at his sword. It only have a one star engraved on it...

Mikoto disappointingly listen again.

"The lower is obviously 1 star and the highest is a 5 star through normal process of getting a sword. The stars particularly rate the durability, sharpness, critical rate or critical damage, and additional effects from the weapon. "

Before adding more data to fill his brother. He leaned closer as if he is going to saying something that his brother must understand clearly.

"Although there are only five stars obtainable weapons. The max level for a weapon is ten stars... And that is all because of those shards. They can be use for leveling them up. Other thing is every time we level up a weapon, it'll be much more harder to level it up"

Mikoto nods. He can understand every of it.. Before he can speak again, Yuma lead him.

"Before you question things. Let me continue. There are also some who doesn't have any stars engraved on them. Instead they're engraved in other ways. But those only applies to special swords or rather elemental weapon. The difference? They contain an element that the user can manifest even they don't have skills connected on it. They can have some other ways to refer their levels, either by the way it glows or by the color of the element or whatever. Other thing to add, there are also armours we currently doesn't have too. But the levels also apply to it. Just like it, there are also elemental armours. But I does think it's better. Because having an elemental armour give you a resistance to a certain element and even increase your control over it "

The explanation may be long but if you listen closely, it's easy to understand. Mikoto quickly process everything he said without any problem.

"Any questions?"

"None"

Yuma satisfyingly huffed at his answer.

But still Mikoto can't really stop his brain for thinking deeper while going to the next stairs to the next floor with Yuma.

' He also said something about armours at the end, where else can we find it? Does crafting weapons need iron or he just buy it? How come Yuma able to finish a long d*mn description in a matter of seconds? Does he hide further skills to me? What will be the rewards at the end of this dungeon? Hopefully it's something useful. What about-

I should stop overthinking. My head will only hurts...

But what if–'

"World to Mikoto"

Mikoto snapped out from his inside thoughts and wake up to the reality. He glance to his little brother who is crossing his arms with a brow up.

He seems to be reading my expression just I am doing right now.

"We're in front of the door to the next floor now"

"Uh-oh Already?"

I didn't expect myself to voice it out. Afterall those can be the most out of character I'll ever say in this day.

Yuma return to his normal facial expression and ask plainly. "You want to sleep before going? There's no need to rush, you might be tired"

'... Is he's worried of me because I say Thank you? Ah... No,no,no I seriously didn't say that... '

I tried to take my sigh more quietly but Yuma isn't blind to not to see it. He just didn't speak it and let me talk.

"No need, let's go inside"

He nods. Which he get ourselves to ready our weapons we've been holding.

The metal door in front of us opened but we totally didn't expect this one.

It did not take time before the blinding light welcomed our poor eyes. I quickly cover my eyes with my arm to hide it. We passed 4 rooms with only darkness and rely for some torch so it's not our fault for putting our guards down.

The next thing that welcomed us is the fresh air breezing our hair and relaxing us.

Sudden light isn't good for our eyes so I slowly open it and carefully take a look at our surroundings.

Grass. Sky. Clouds. Trees. Sun.

Wait, wait, wait–

We haven't finished the dungeon yet!? What the hell it is this time!?

Just like how I say it. The blue sky we haven't seen for days feel quite strange, with the clouds under it while being blown by the wind. The wind swiftly make the grass move together with it. And the trees...

There are trees!?

Do you mean there are trees inside a tree!? What the hell is going on here!?