Conquering the first floor (remade)

The warm embrace.

"...Welcome back, dear husband.''

I could feel it once again. But… it's lackluster than before.

"Charlotte…"

Though the reunion was short. Immediately, I could feel a pain on my neck.

[Your blood is being drained rapidly!]

[Your HP is dropping considerably!]

"Kuh… Charlotte."

I didn't move her away. Instead, I returned her warm embrace. I hugged her tightly, feeling her body that was now much lighter and significantly smaller.

"...That's, enough."

However, I can't waste all of my HP for her, not yet at least.

"I still have things to attend to, Charlotte. I'll need my blood."

"..."

Charlotte has stopped, but she hasn't taken her fangs out.

"Charlotte?"

Long, white hair that stretched all the way onto the floor and strewn all over the place messily. It showed just how long I've been gone for.

'Her hair was only waist length back then…'

It felt like a moment ago, that I've seen her in her full glory. Now, she was a small girl that would be mistaken as a 7 year old. Her body was frail, almost like poorly made porcelain that can collapse as soon as it's exposed to the outside elements.

"...Dear…"

"Shhh, it's fine. It's alright now… I'm back."

I don't know how long I've been gone. But I do know something, and that's to stabilize the situation as fast as I can.

'It's a mess everywhere.'

As a man who has a habit of reorganizing things and perfecting anything that isn't perfect, the state of my own home is really bothersome. It will be my secondary problem, right now is the people who I hold dear come first.

"Summon landscape."

I articulate the surroundings to become what I want. This room is called the Dark Heart, it's where my most precious things are held and kept.

"Let's take a minute to relax, alright?"

"Uhmm…"

She let out a noise, agreeing to my proposal. I sat down underneath a tree that's been newly formed. As the sky slowly forms above, and sunlight comes down, I let out a sigh as I pet her head and stroke it.

"Calm down yet?"

"Uhm…"

She calmly shakes her head, nibbling on my neck a little tighter in response.

"Alright alright, take it easy…"

"Grrrr…"

She growled at me while draining a little bit more of my blood. I find it amusing that she's being like this. But, it is pitiful.

'What happened to you…?'

Her body was frail, almost doll-like in appearance and stature. Her strength seems to have dwindled massively, her beauty only changed to a more child-like allure, and the only thing that's changed about her is her attitude. She's overly docile, not overly affectionate nor seeking any comfort with asking. She's snuggling to me, rubbing her petite body against mine as I hold her close.

"My dear, can you tell me something?"

"Uhm… uk!"

She shunned me away, which puzzled me since she's never done it before.

"Are you mad at me, dear?"

"Umummmm…"

She snuggled at my chest with more intensity. This lasted until I patted her head a couple of times.

"So… I won't ask you anything, and since I've got time on my side for now, I'll indulge you."

"Uhmmmm…"

She made a satisfied noise, and finally removed her fangs from me. Her cute, doll face gazed at me with affection and hidden sadness.

"Dear…"

"Yes, my Charlotte?"

"You… finally came back to us."

She shed a single tear down her left cheek, and the tear flowed smoothly down like it's natural, like it had happened for so long that now it's nothing but a common sight.

"She said… that you would return. But she never said at what time… I held onto hope, I held desperately onto it. Everyone, even including her, lost theirs on the way. They now act independently, on their own whim. While I grow weaker in order to not succumb to sorrow."

She intentionally withdrew from drinking blood, avoiding nourishing herself and sustaining her strength, all so that she doesn't lose herself and go rogue like the others. Such dedication, such sorrow, sadness… I can't stand it.

"It's alright now. I'm here, so everything'll be fine. I'll correct this, and you'll be happy again."

"No… I'm happy as is. You're back into my arms, and you won't leave again?"

"Not until the end of eternity, that, I promise."

"...Hehehee…"

She smiled weakly, her face trying its best to radiate brilliance but failed to do so. My heart aches seeing her small face trying to cheer me up.

'I'll rewrite this, I have to make it right…'

Not just for my benefits, but for them as well. Charlotte is my wife, and the others are no more our children.

'It's my responsibility.'

But, responsibility can be for later. Now, I want to spend time by my wife's side.

"Come, you can snuggle all you want on me."

"Yayyy! Thank you, darling!"

Her and the others' bright faces are all I'll ever need for eternity.

......…

The fated time finally arrives, and I stand at the front door of the Black Castle in my new disguise, a Demon Slayer apparently.

'I remember there's an organization that established itself in secrecy to slay monsters of Hell if they ever appear on the Mortal Realm. I guess they're still in operation?'

I kept a close eye on their movements. They pose a minimal threat unless I directly summon Demons to wreck the Mortal World. Their only goal is to eradicate Demons wherever they may appear, so they rarely get involved in the affairs of the world. My run-ins with them are few, but memorable.

'Hmm… they're close.'

I could feel their presence through my Shadows. They were near where I was, and just over the hill behind me at the 7 o'clock direction.

'It's show time.'

I put my hand on the door, and it opened automatically. The noise it made naturally attracted the kids afar, and they sped up their time of arrival.

They saw me, as I could feel their four gazes on my back.

'Woah! He opened the door?!'

'Who is this guy?'

'Wow…'

'Damn, he's strong…?'

The four kids saw me as I entered the Black Castle. Seeing this, they all impulsively ran to make it through with me. It might be just curiosity too, or for Manu's case, a need of fame, Charles a need for strength, Lily for wisdom, and Genna, the white sheep amongst the black sheeps, had no wishes aside from spending time with the others.

They made it through, all four of them. And then, when they regained their breaths, they realized what they had just done.

"...You entered with me?''

I turned around and said one of multiple lines I practiced with a deep voice, sounding confused and angry.

"Uhh… y-yes?"

"W-We…"

"Uhhhh…"

"...."

The four had no words to defend themselves. I shook my head, and told them their situation.

"You have just signed a death wish. You four, do you not know what this place is?"

"Hey, we could be older than you for your information. And besides, we all know what this place is." Charles bites back at me.

"And yet, you four entered? Are you crazy?"

My voice was grave and carried a heavy anger directed towards them. I looked each of them in the eye, and in the end couldn't say anything because there's no lines that needed to be said.

''I'm here on a mission, and you four have just doomed yourselves to Death's clutches."

"W-What? What does that… mean?" Genna worriedly asked.

"Wait… Death as in the natural kind, or 'him'?''

"Huh? What are you talking about, Lily?"

"It's 'his' clutches. It's good that one of you knows something about your situation."

"What does he mean by that, Lily? What is-"

"We've made a mistake… guys, I wasn't sure but… it's clear now that he's here. This is where Death once resides. The myths, legends, stories of the past… they're all true."

"Woah… that's neat."

"...."

However, there seems to be one that doesn't feel the grave danger they're in. Manu, an explorer's son, his instinct for exploration must be tingling to the max right now.

"Neat? Death is near at every corner, and you're saying it's neat?"

"Yeah! Hell yeah! I've been waiting for this! Father's stories of great treasures and fame, if I pull this off then I've just become the best of the very best!"

"..."

I don't have anything to say anymore. Manu, this kid, he's weird. But, this eccentricity, this thirst for exploration, this is just what I need.

"...Whatever, you four can go anywhere you want, my business doesn't relate to any of you. You'll all die of thirst first, so I wish you all a fine day when you meet him."

"W-Wait, you're leaving? Where?" Genna asked me first out of the three.

"Where? Of course, to Death's lair. I was tasked with the mission of inspecting him, but he didn't seem to respond when I entered. Something must be wrong."

"T-Then, what are you going to do? Don't tell me…" Lily asked hesitantly.

"I have to go and meet him personally. Demons are on the rise, and one even managed to travel here. It can't be a coincidence."

"You're going to… face off against Death?" Charles said in disbelief.

"Are you mad? Of course not, not by myself at least."

I know that much. I can use illusions to fool them, to paint a terrifying picture of Death being a semi-omnipotent being, who can peer into anything at will with a single glance. It would be foolproof, a brilliant first show of power.

'But… it's still unwise to show them most of my capabilities.'

Given that I can switch between different playstyles and Builds, I can show them my weaker side to cover up my true capability, but that would mean more problems coming my way since everyone will think I'm easy to take down. So, for now, let's play a mysterious character that's shrouded in the safe cloak of the unknown.

"I'll be going now, try to stay alive for the meantime."

"W-Wait, can we…" Manu said with half expectancy and hesitation.

"Follow me? Hmm… I think that'll be fine."

"R-Really?!" All four of them replied.

"Yeah… I'll need your help in the upcoming trials. If I remember clearly, one of them will need the cooperation of several others."

"T-Then, let's go!" Manu said ecstatically.

"M-Manu, don't be so rash…" Lily said while obviously hesitating.

"Charles…?" Genna asked while glancing at the other boy.

"...Let's follow him, it's our best bet anyways." He answered in response.

So, with that, my plan had been put into motion.

......…

The great Bone Mausoleum, a place of grandeur display of Death's powers over the dead. Its main decoration patterns are skulls and bones built to look like the interior of a royal palace. The sight of lights are rare, hard to come by while traveling inside the Bone Mausoleum.

In its domain, Players and NPCs experience a Visibility Debuff for the entire time they're there unless the chosen Race is Undead. This Visibility hammers hard onto anyone, as it means you're easily caught off guard and or ambushed by the numerous Mob monsters that litter the entire place.

Its maze structure also makes for difficult exploration. Each turn is almost similar to each other, every corridor being the same in design, and even the rooms have duplicates. Conventional maze trailing is also useless, as they have sections instead of being dug as tunnels. The center of the room is where one needs to reach in order to challenge the floor's Guardian, Suriel and Kael.

The spawn area where the Players and NPCs are transported to is the seven corner rooms of the floor, where necessary Items are placed each time all seven of them are used up. The Items include a charm that can temporarily dispel the Visibility Debuff through a burst of holy energy, a bag of torches, a ward paper that can prove invaluable in time, and a skull that will serve as a trophy for those that manage to clear the floor.

"We're here…"

In one of the seven rooms, newcomers arrived after so long. It was a Demon Slayer, and four elven children.

"Remember what I'm about to tell you. This place isn't a playground, one moment of carelessness will get yourself killed. I won't be there to protect your lives all the time, so don't always seek me when trouble comes. Solve it by yourself, or better, whittle it down so that I won't have much of a problem dealing with it."

"Wait, why does this sound like you're using us as slaves?" Charles said with a disbelieving look.

"That's because you technically are now. Remember, you all ended up here by yourselves, through your unified decisions. Now, you can either go by yourself, or stick with me. It's pretty obvious which choice you should make to ensure the highest survival rate, but I wouldn't press you on it."

"Wha-?!!"

"...It's fine, Charles. No need to be agitated."

Lily stepped in to defuse the situation. Her face was complicated as she stared at the Demon Slayer, who told them of their purpose right to their faces. He stared back at her, unshakable will showed through his eyes and the unique Aura of a Demon Slayer shines through.

"Alright, we'll remember. So, we just need to help you, right?"

"Yes, you seem smart for your age. Elven age, at least."

"It's no use to be aggravated in this situation. Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes, I congratulate you for being a better person than your peers."

With those words, the Demon Slayer turned to inspect the room.

"This is… like the scrolls and books described."

The Demon Slayer began picking up Items laid on tables and on the floor. There's a backpack for all of the Items, and he put them inside before giving it to the four.

"Only three of you will be needed."

"Ohh…" Manu looked on with interest.

"You want one of us to carry your load? What kind of-" Charles showed an ugly expression and was about to let out a fit.

"I'll… carry it." Surprisingly, Genna stepped in to take the role.

"Here."

The Demon Slayer tosses the backpack to her, and she catches it with ease. The backpack wasn't necessarily heavy, but the room was also stocked with other miscellaneous Items such as spare weapons, sharpened bone blades and clubs, and recovery Items.

"Uff…"

"Genna! You bastard!!" Charles began losing his cool again.

"It's fine, Charles. I can handle this pretty easily." Genna reassured him with a slight smile.

The situation between the two parties was tense.

'He's surprisingly not as cool as I previously thought… maybe this is his true self?'

The Demon Slayer sighed inside his mind. This display of Charles was not up to par with his expectations. It was a disappointment, he thought.

'Whatever, let's proceed as planned.'

The Demon Slayer moved to the exit of the room, followed by the other elven children all equipped with weapons suited to their taste.

"This knife fits my hand so well~." Manu said with a beaming expression.

"This sword ain't half bad, I guess…" Charles said half-heartedly.

"This staff is imbued with Magic… strange." Lily said as she inspected her white staff.

With them all set, the Demon Slayer set off to explore the Bone Mausoleum, the graveyard of many Raiders who set their feet on it.