24 Frantic Descent

I could feel my mana draining as I slashed my way through the hordes of monsters. I had begun at half capacity due to the Tartarus Charm and the monsters near the bottom of the dungeon were growing stronger. I could feel the exhaustion creeping through me. Still, though, I continued on. With Warrior as my first class I wasn't just reliant on mana or skills to fight. With Belial's Blade most magical beasts under rank 9 could be taken down with a single swing.

It had been about two hours since I started my descent into the depths of the Calico Labyrinth Dungeon. I had just passed the 900th floor and my entire body was wracked with sweat and blood. I had to keep my tail tied around my waist out of fear that it'd drag behind me otherwise. I was panicked when I started this trip, but my mind was slowly coming back from the abyss I had locked it in. Even as strong as I am, hordes of high ranking beasts can kill me. From this point on there won't be many enemies under the 9th rank. I can't afford to be careless anymore. I need to seriously consider that I could die here.

For the first time since coming to this world I could see the true benefit of -Combat State- being active. Due to it being a racial skill it consumes no mana, but there are probably other side effects from overuse. The skill helps me detach myself from the situation at hand. It helps me keep calm. Despite all my panic, despite all my worry, this skill has kept my head semi-level. I felt nothing as I murdered thousands of the dungeon monsters.

On the 930th floor I faced my first true challenge. I turned down a long corridor that opened into a massive room, as big around as the coliseum of ancient Rome, filled to the brim with Earth Wyrm Plates. They looked like massive 50 meter long worms wearing plate armor, but -considering they had claws- their figures were more closely related to dragons in design. They were rank 9 beasts, and they were known for their speed.

I tore into the front mass of the wriggling monsters. I could vaguely see the exit on the far side of the room. I didn't need to kill every monster here, I just needed to cut my way through to the exit. Claws flashed and my body was wracked with a pain so strong it felt like I was breaking apart. I returned every ounce of pain, though, as I cut the head off the beast before it could retreat.

I swung my sword and another beast fell, but not before taking a chunk of flesh from my face. I'd have screamed without -Combat State-. Even if the wounds would heal in seconds, my body was still being torn apart. The agony was something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.

I could feel my health bar begin to deplete. I had a naturally high regeneration due to race and constitution, so potions or other healing methods weren't necessary, but there was still a big risk if one of the Wyrms managed to land a critical strike. I guarded my neck and main arteries as best I could while lashing out with my blade.

The slaughter continued unabated. The Wyrms, while fast enough to harm me and strong enough to hurt me, weren't intelligent enough to work together and bring me down. Without the need to kill them all, I didn't waste any time either. I passed through the exit and my entire body looked like a blood clot. While my flesh mends my skin has no way to automatically clean itself. I didn't have time to stop either. I could feel it in the pit of my heart. The bastard prince was going to unleash his coup tonight, and if I couldn't make it back in time I'd regret it for the rest of my life.

Every level of the dungeon grew progressively harder. I had expected as much, but it was still a brutal lesson in humility. Just earlier tonight I had stormed into the Prince's mansion assuming nothing in the world could cause me harm. I had actually thought 'Why not?' rather than 'Why?'. If I could take it all back I would. If I could go back in time and talk to Lily first I would.

I needed to focus on saving my mana. I knew what waited for me on the 999th floor. The Calico Dungeon, like all dungeons, had a boss monster. A monster capable of breaking the rank system. A monster players had deemed 'rank 10' even if it wasn't proper. It was a beast even I could fear. Even on my main account in SHO I wouldn't dare fight boss monsters without a huge amount of preparation. Right now I can only hope and pray that the final boss waiting for me is one I know how to beat.

I continued to clear floors at a speed unheard of in the SHO days. Back in the days of the game the stairs to the next level were locked until you 'cleared' them, meaning one had to kill all the monsters on a floor before moving on. Reality was, thankfully, much simpler. RED had taught me this lesson time and time again. If I had RED now, perhaps he could have even guided me through the Labyrinthine levels above. My heart ached when I thought about it. Nox's words rang in my head: "Quit being mean to RED. He's trying his best."

I had been suspecting for a while that RED wasn't a simple program, and Nox confirmed my thoughts. I could only feel regret at treating him the way I did. I don't know how to wake him from Low Power Mode… Though, if I really think about it, Low Power Mode might not really exist either.

My mind traversed assortments of theoreticals as I continued my trek in the dungeon. The lower I traveled the less ambient light the floors had. The darker it got the harder it was to fight. I had always considered trying to figure out a way to enhance my senses and now I could only feel regret for not doing so. Back in the SHO days I could just turn my monitor's brightness up, so I never bothered wasting mana or resources to get utility skills. It seems the original designer of this body felt the same as I did. It's amazing how different living vicariously through a screen and actually experiencing something are. Hindsight is 20/20, they always say.

My breath was beginning to grow ragged as I finally cleared the 997th floor. I could no longer move at my maximum speed. My wounds were taking longer to heal and my health bar wasn't recovering to maximum anymore. I had never felt this kind of tired in my life. I'd never experienced this feeling. I wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep… I just wanted to rest, but thoughts of my friends kept my feet moving.

Two more floors remained, but the 998th floor held no monsters on it. It was the preparatory area. There were no chests of treasure or 'health packs', but there was a solid area to rest with a large party and prepare for the upcoming fight. Most teams of players in SHO would have pack mules, players with nothing but high strength in order to carry equipment and recovery potions, travel with them. I didn't have that luxury. I didn't have the luxury to rest either. Waiting even an extra hour right now could be too much. Standing taller than I thought possible, I walked down the stairs and through the door to the boss room.