Chapter 45: Trial

|A/N: I'm having exams, that's why writing is slowed, apologies.|

Perseus POV

After charging in earlier, my hood fell and the guy gave me this smug smirk after seeing what I really was, but he didn't really say anything.

"...You're resilient...even after all that." I said as I backed away a bit and used flames to erase his lower half to a crisp before Elpis healed his torso to not reveal his bloody insides since we needed him alive for info.

"You cheated, you didn't tell me that you had a fairy." he muttered

"We didn't agree that I can't have help."

"Fair enough."

"Who do you work for and what's your goal?"

"I work for some group called the truth."

"The truth."

"Like what? Like insurance being a scam?"

"The truth about the god Luminous, for one. Do you really think he's the one who created the Abyss Dungeon? Or are we all just following blindly, worshipping a false deity? And even then, what has he really contributed apart from bloodshed, we do not know. The world was always a mystery.

"Maybe Luminous is no more than a villain while the demon god was our true protector, rising to help us warn us all this time...a lot of things, but bah! I care for none of it. The chaos is what keeps me alive. I live for bloodshed, for the thrill of the fight. And if I can sow a little chaos along the way, well, that's just an added bonus.

"It's the only reason why I'm in this stupid shit. There's going to be a lot of fun things leading up to their so-called truth."

"Where can I find them? And where did their conspiracy stuff come from?"

"I can't answer your 2nd question as I'm not high-ranking enough to learn them." he replied, "I would have easily won if I used magic, but a deal is a deal. Go to the 10th floor, and find the secret boss room, it'll have a key that will allow a raider to not need to fight the 20th floor's boss. After that, searched for a man named Hans. Say that you're a friend of Jack."

"Thanks." I then lifted up my sword and stabbed into his heart, I can't risk him coming after me for revenge, and I rather not fight a guy who's much stronger than me as of now.

"Hans...a guy like him has no reason to lie."

"Are you planning on joining them?" Elpis asked

"We need a lot of resources, I clearly can't get a loan to start a business, I can't have any accounts on any banks...well, because I'm a descendant of Sam Wyatt, I can't do a lot of things, but I can't just sit on my butt all day acting like some sort of victim...if I can't do it through convenient means, I'll find other ways."

"Won't you be like those stories' supervillains by joining them? You might also prove people's stereotypes about you by joining criminals."

"If I become what they fear, it won't be because of them. It'll be because they made it impossible for me to be anything else. Blame them for creating a monster, not me." I scoffed, "And if they decide to blame themselves...maybe the world can be better as there won't be more who'll turn out like me."

"...To think that the bastard was killed." a woman's voiced said out of nowhere

I turned my blade to her, but because anyone can say anything, a knife was by my neck. Several other hooded figures also appeared to surround me and Elpis. I took a look at the woman, it was a woman 180cm tall, who looked to be in his early 40s, and had red eyes, and dark purple hair.

"Where did you find the sword?" she asked, "It sliced through his thick skin like it's nothing."

"I don't know and don't care."

"So you stole it?"

"I don't steal."

"Then where?"

"Just none of your business."

"Since you said that you plan on joining us earlier, you will, I can back you during your application...or I'll simply just kill you right here and take it myself."

"Well, simple enough, in the abyss dungeon. I just found it and it's been with me ever since."

"How can I prove it?"

"If I stole a sword of this quality, it would mean from someone rich, and knowing what I am, I would have been dead already."

"What floor?"

"...the 5th."

"Why do you want to join us?"

"I need resources, I want to beat the abyss dungeon."

"Why?"

"To receive a wish."

"What kind?"

"If I say it, it won't come true."

"Well...I'm Lind." she introduced herself and offered her hand, "I want to beat it to learn the truth about the world, even if the truth is just what we're spreading around, so be it, but I want concrete proof."

"I thought that ignorance is bliss."

"Those who say that are nothing but ignorant fools."

"Fine."

*****

The other hooded figures disappeared, leaving only me and this kind of person. A very dangerous mid-level grandmage, at least according to Elpis, but I trust Elpis. She was quiet, but she basically led me to a crowded tavern and put us in a private room where we could sit in private without any possible interference.

"A so-called demon kin and a fairy...a very odd pairing." she commented as she handed me a menu, "How did you even get along?"

"She's an angel who took pity on me."

"Pity, no, you're just a very good person." Elpis replied

"See? Odd." Lind nodded, "So is it true that you can breathe underwater?"

"I can."

"That means that you can be useful."

"If you're asking me to dig up glimmerite, I will not join you."

"Why would I want that? We got better and more expensive items dug up from the 40th floor."

"40th?"

"40th." she confirmed, "But you will need to pass a trial, and I can give you the test...it'll be easier to have my backing and get in instead of the usual way."

"Why go all this way?"

"You're an odd pairing...and...we could use a demon kin."

"I'm no demon kin."

"You are, that's what we all at least confirmed to be true, you only look human due to Sam Wyatt and his wife being human, but the demon god's remnant passed on some demonic traits, enough for you to become a demon kin...we could use you to study the origin and actual truth of demons."

"...You won't experiment on me, will you?"

"We have actual demon corpses for that already, but for you...I'll tell you once you pass."