The Circle's Broken

{Dragon's Crater- 1st Floor}

"Aren't these monsters too easy? I feel like they are weaker than a goblin" I sighed. I thought I would be fighting something stronger but these are just weaklings. They aren't worth enough to be killed by me.

"My lord, it isn't because they are weak or something. It is just that you are too strong for them."

"I see. Well then, just clean them up." I ordered him to kill all those remaining monsters on this floor. "If you encounter the rest three mini bosses, just kill them."

The last two mini bosses I killed were just as strong as a giant goblin or a goblin king. They do sound strong but they are just two B- rank monsters, nothing much.

…

After clearing through the first floor, we were on our way to find the teleportation circle that must have unlocked somewhere after killing those mini bosses.

The dungeon was quite big, no wonder it took them a month just to find out where the teleportation circle was on the 3rd floor. Just from seeing the size of the first floor, one could guess how large must have been the third floor.

While on our move, I realized how my thought process and the way that I think and talk have changed. I think and talk like a prodigy now. Maybe this is the effect of the body and brain I got. I feel bad for the guy I took over.

Sorry man, but this is just too good for me to leave now. Hope you find a good one next time you reincarnate.

"What's the problem, Sebastian?" his face showed that he was thinking about something…something quite deep and important, probably about the evening snack.

"Hmm…? Oh nothing, my lord." He brushed away the thought and brought back his focus on finding the circle.

…

It's been 2 hours since we cleared those 5 rooms and we still haven't been able to find the teleportation circle. Instead of finding for ourselves, we should have just brought the map from my brother's exploration.

It feels like we are circling around the same place. Those rock pillars and cave boulders seem all same to me.

Anyways, we decided to take a break.

"So, do you think we would be able to find the circle before the evening classes?"

"If you were to order me, it would take a minute at maximum." He took out a lunch box from his personal space using dark magic.

"I see, but that's no fun." I sighed "I wanted to explore more but this is no fun too. The monsters are just too weak and it's getting boring to just walk."

I took the sandwich that he handed to me. Munching down on it, I thought why don't I just have Sebastian do the finding and I fight the monsters. I'll just explore some other dungeon when I get time. As right now, if things were to go on like this, I won't be able to even reach 2nd floor before the evening classes.

"Mhm~ this is quite tasty. Anyways, Sebastian search for that teleportation circle while I am having my lunch…Find it before I am done with this is." I ordered him.

"Are you sure, my lord? Then there would be no adventure left." He re-confirmed my order.

"Yes, I am just too bored of this. I'll have fun on the next floor."

He nodded and left to look for the teleportation circle.

Meanwhile he out, I looked through my stats using the system.

"System" I said.

[Yes…?]

"Open User's stats." I ordered while still munching on the sandwiches.

[Opening User's stats…]

[User's Stats]

 {Level: 1 (!)}

 {Strength: 45}

 {Magic: 120}

 {Agility: 50} 

 {Intelligence: 54 ▼}

 {Sense: 60 ▲}

 {Status: Alive}

"What's that mark next to level one?"

[Click on it and find it out yourself]

"This little shit…" I sighed.

I clicked on that mark next to my level. It was not there the last time I check my stats. A screen popped up.

[Level Error spotted…]

[User leveling has been temporarily terminated due to external interference. Though experience will stack up and as soon as the vault gets lifted, user may level up. Thank you for your co-operation]

"The fuck is this supposed to mean? You joking with me?" I am so done with this system. First I wasn't able to get that stuff from the inventory and now this? I can't even level up now.

"Just of what use are you to me?"

[…]

I sighed and closed the screen. 

Soon after he found it and took me to that same place. The teleportation circle was in front of me, marked upon the flat boulder and deactivated.

"Is this it?" I asked.

"Yes, my lord." He nodded.

It was a single layer teleportation circle with not many complications. I guess; its only function was to transport the user to the next floor. We made our way to the stairs and stepped in the circle. With a sudden glow of light, the teleportation circle got activated and our bodies disappeared in mid-air.

…

I was conscious. I could see nothing but pitch black around me. It was as if darkness has engulfed me. I couldn't feel my limbs or my satisfied stomach.

It was all so quiet.

"My Lord, are you alright?"

Suddenly, I heard a voice in this absence of light. It was of none other my butler, Sebastian. But was I tripping? I couldn't see or sense him near me at all.

"…" I tried to reply but there was no mouth for me to reply. I was just a conscious soul at that moment.

"I see; no need to feel disheartened my lord. I can hear you quite clearly." He replied "Though it may seem to you that you cannot speak, but I can hear you so just don't lose your cool."

"I will tell you in what situation we are." He began to explain.

It seems that we are actually stuck inside the void that was connected to the second floor via the teleportation circle. Such bad luck I have…

It was either due to some glitch in the mana supply but that is just impossible, there are no cases such as this till now of mana glitch. Other is due to someone who had either by mistake erased the teleportation portal by some means or the roof above these teleportation circle collapsed and resulted in erosion of this circle.

In all we are stuck until someone connects this void to somewhere else via any teleportation circle or summoning portal, which may seem impossible because except for our family no one else comes to this dungeon and even if my family came to this dungeon, there is no way they would of this situation. In worst case scenario, there is a chance that they get stuck here too.

"My lord, we are getting out now."

"!?"

But that is impossible, you cannot use mana in this voice and also we do not have our limbs to swim through the void.

…

{Nitegarden Estate}

Linda knocked on the door.

"Enter…"

On Leo words, Linda entered the room which was apparently Leo's office.

"So what did you wanted to discuss?" Linda sat on the sofa and ordered the maid on stand-by to bring a cup of coffee. "Now there is no one to disturb us."

He sighed "This is empire may soon come to an end."

"Yeah" she agreed. "The third prince and second prince are fighting for the throne while the first prince is just in his own world pleasuring himself with women."

A civil war is brewing inside the royal palace. The second prince who has the command on the royal knights and the third prince who has the support of the corrupted nobles and their armies are ready to exchange their blows as soon as the king announces the end of the Harvest festival.

The harvest festival is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in the whole empire. The families and nobles running their farms in their own estates are busy with harvesting the crop at this time of the year. When the overall harvest of the empire is done, the king announces the end of the harvest with bunch of fair and festival celebrations all around the empire.

"The first is not fit for the throne."

She nodded and continued. "The 2nd princess and the 4th prince are going to enroll in the royal academy this year right?"

"Yes, that's why I am joining the academy myself to keep an eye on both of them."

"You mean there is a chance that both of them can get assassinated?" she couldn't believe it when he nodded.

"They are just children."

"Yeah" he sighed "The first princess got herself killed when she went against the first prince."

"The citizens still don't know about it, the word is that she was assassinated by some foreign organization"

There was a knock at the door. It was from the maid that had brought the coffee and snack that Linda ordered. Soon after serving it, Leo asked her to leave both of them alone. With that the maid left and both of them were again all alone in the office.

"Continuing with the main subject, I am thinking of sending Ray to a foreign university instead of the royal academy."

"And, what are your bases on that thinking?"

"First, the empire is done for…second it is because I don't want him to be the part of this war. He is just a child and having him go into the war this early is not what I recommend."

"Hmm…" she nodded. "Actually, you know what? We are on the same page. I wanted to talk about this same thing with you."

"Then…?"

"We need to convey this to father, but I think he will most likely disagree."

"Yeah, he would probably say something along these lines that sending him alone to a foreign empire at this age is not safe."

They both continued their conversation regarding Ray's future.

…

{Dragon's Crater- 6th Floor}

I opened my eyes and saw a familiar sight; a cave roof full of stalactites dripping water, a drop fell on my face fully waking me up. "Ugh…" I wiped my face with a handkerchief I took out from my pocket.

I got up and noticed Sebastian killing some monster roaming near me. He was protecting me until I got up.

"Sebastian, where are we?"

Dealing the final blow he replied. "On the 6th floor, my lord..."

"Huh? Weren't we on our way to the second floor?" did the void get connected to the portal of 6th floor? Or did Sebastian make his to the sixth floor while I was sleeping.

The first case seems more believable.

"That was supposed to be the case, my lord; but the void that we stuck in didn't have any other exits that could be connected except this floor."

"I see." 

Well anyways let's explore this floor and move on to next I guess…though I have a few questions regarding what happened in the void but let's save it for later.

…

"My lord, I am sorry to say but from this point on I cannot provide you with any back-up as my mana is fully consumed." He sat near the cave's wall to support his back with the wall.

"Don't worry, Sebastian. Your master is not weak enough to be killed by these measly lizards."

Consuming some of my mana, I summoned a spell. "Take this, you disgusting lizards! FLARE BLITZ!"

Summoning number of fireballs, a barrage of fireballs started launching on those stalaczards, killing them one by one.

To be continued…