19 Veiled Mysteries

The Shadows seemed to understand the female adventurer's demand as they began to make way for the larger Shadow. The sheer amount of power that was emanating from the girl was on a completely different level than the squadron of Shadows combined. They must've realized they had no choice of beating her, though Ash was surprised they were able to make logical judgments.

The loud footsteps of the commander approached. Ash looked over at his savior and realized she was completely calm. He could sense no fear from her or any feeling of worry. She was completely confident in her abilities.

The commander finally emerged from the trees. He swung his giant sword around, preparing for his confrontation with his new opponent. Ash could feel the Shadows glaring at him, signifying that their objective had not changed, but a new obstacle now lay in their way.

This obstacle, however, could not be overcome.

The girl clasped her hands together and stretched upwards. She let out a small moan before releasing her arms and letting them fall back down.

"Okay let's do this I guess..."

With those soft words, the hooded girl traced a horizontal line using her violet essence. The line floated in the air, suddenly sparking to life as she grabbed onto it as if it were a lance. Suddenly, a giant spear of energy appeared in her grasp.

The mysterious lance bearer bent her knees. An indigo mist swirled around her feet, and with the sound of thunder, she leaped into the air. Her black hoodie fluttered from the resistance of the air as she glared at her target.

"Archangel's Spear: Uriel."

Ash saw the arm wielding the spear drawing back slightly, and then, in a supremely beautiful motion, fired the lance like a shooting star. A streak of purple decorated the sky of the cavern as the comet crashed into the Shadows and annihilated them. Ash could only see a dazzling trail of indigo light before he ultimately gave in to his fatigue.

Violet looked over at the boy sprawled underneath the tree after she landed on the ground delicately.

"Seems like he's finally out," she muttered as she removed her hoodie. Dark wisps drifted away from the Princess in utter defeat, returning to the darkness of the Dungeon.

Violet was still stunned at the situation she found herself in. She had broken through a wall upon feeling the fleeting presence of two adventurers within uncharted territory, and what she had encountered was a mysterious chamber filled with Shadows.

Most importantly, though, was how the dark-haired boy had survived an encounter with the Shadows. Even if the normal soldiers resorted to their numbers to overwhelm opponents, a single Shadow soldier was still powerful when compared to an F-rank adventurer.

Violet walked up the hill towards Ash. Her eyes fell upon the dying tree, and then the source of its decay.

"Hmm? He managed to break this," she whispered to herself as she touched the bark. It was no ordinary tree, and the fact that an F-rank had been able to smash through it with no visible bruises on his fists was unusual.

The princess wanted to verify whether or not this unconscious adventurer had been recognized by a god, but it was considered taboo to check another's mark without their consent, especially for a princess. She held back her desire and decided to ask him when he awoke.

In one swift motion, Violet used her magic to lift him off the ground and keep him in midair. She traveled into the forest to fetch the other survivor as Ash's limp body floated behind her.

"Who are these guys?" she muttered to herself with a troubled look.

——

"Again?" groaned Ash. His mind was once again conscious within his sleep, though this time he had no idea where he was.

"You've become significantly more powerful, young Moon. I am simply allowing you to take advantage of that as soon as possible-"

"I get it, also, why the fuck did the Shadows attack me and my partner? Do they not know you're in my body or something?"

"It is more complicated than that, Moon. Various clans of Shadows exist, with the Great Kings controlling the most powerful ones. I believe my fellow Great Kings are targeting you and myself due to the threat we pose to their power. I led the strongest clan, and my disappearance has benefitted them greatly. They do not wish for my return," explained Draegan in a conflicted voice, as if he was unsure whether or not it was a good idea to divulge this information.

"There are clans?! Does that mean the Shadows live as a civilization within the Dungeon? Also, what the hell is that passage?! Did the Shadows build that?"

Draegan ignored Ash's questions and forcefully brought up his attribute panel, forcing the boy to stop talking. Ash tried to extract answers out of the Great King, but he was soon reminded of how powerless he was. Even within his own body, he could only obey another individual.

[Host: Ash Moon]

[Level: 4]

[20/130 Experience]

[Rank: Soldier]

[Health: 115/115]

[Strength: 3]

[Stamina: 2]

[Magical Power: 2]

[Essence: 13/13]

[Agility: 3]

[Perception: 1]

[Attribute Points Available: 6]

[Skill Points Available: 1]

Ash read the values carefully. The amount of essence within his body was naturally increasing with each level, meaning he could cast more spells.

"One skill point this time, huh?" he remarked. His gut was telling him that skill points were more valuable than attribute points; they'd most likely be given out more scarcely. He had to make sure he chose correctly when assigning them.

Ash used his latest experience within the Dungeon as a basis for his choices. His lack of endurance had nearly caused him to collapse while he was trying to save Julius. He needed to assign one point to stamina at least.

The dark-haired adventurer visualized the values on certain attributes increasing, triggering a response from the black screen:

[Strength improved | 3 —> 4]

[Stamina improved | 2 —> 3]

[Magical Power improved | 2 —> 4]

[Agility improved | 3 —> 5]

Ash opened the panel which revealed the skill tree, pleased to see that more options were available to him. He read through each one carefully, attempting to visualize himself using them in a life-threatening situation. The option to improve skills was also offered to Ash, but he decided that having a selection of spells would help him in his current state.

If he was going to begin attracting Shadows due to the supposed threat he posed to certain clans, he needed a spell that could deal with numerous targets at once. One of the light blue hexagons caught Ash's attention. He decided to use his only point on it:

[Shadow Eruption: level 1]

[Cost: 5 Essence]

[Unleash shadow magic around you in a sudden burst of energy.]

"It's costly in terms of essence," muttered Ash. It appeared to be a powerful spell, but he was only able to use it a maximum of two times in a single battle, and that was assuming no other attacks were used.

Nevertheless, Ash was satisfied with his decision. The upper floors were flooded with mobs of monsters, and the ability to deal with all of them simultaneously was definitely a safe choice.

"There, I did it," scowled the boy. His hatred for Draegan had never quelled, and while he cooperated with him for his own survival, he never once forgot what the Shadows had done to him. "Now, leave."

"Do you think you can order me around, boy?!" boomed Draegan. Ash's physical representation within his mind backed away, feeling the Great King's annoyance all around him.

"W-What else do you want?"

"I believe you have missed something. Another feature of the system has been unlocked."