Chapter 15: If only he hadn't been naive

The glow in her eyes intensified. Unknown to her, the light blue swirls in her gorgeous set of eyes were now streaked with golden.

The loud crackling sound continued to shake the ground. Miao and Ed held on to each other. Miao's pretty face was pale in fright. Ed looked comparatively calmer, pulling out his sword in front of the unknown enemy.

Kanae wanted to laugh at their freaked out versions but she was unable to do so. The pressure she felt by this Dungeon Boss was the most she'd ever dealt with.

Cracking her sore neck, Kanae mumbled, "It's time we get out of here."

Ed glanced at her, confused.

"Honoured Miss, do you have any way to defeat this… monster?"

Kanae's plump lips formed a cute smile. Her bun-like cheeks had two dimples, adding to the beauty of the smile. Both Ed and Miao were momentarily stunned before Kanae finally spoke.

"I have my ways. Don't worry, I'll keep you both safe."

'System. Activate my skill Truth.'

<Responding to Player White, activating Level 1 skill Truth.>

The previously blue eyes completely turned golden as she thought of one and only one thing.

'We never met the Dungeon Boss.'

An eardrum-shattering echo made their whole surroundings shake. The overwhelming pressure Kanae had felt only increased. A golden light leaked out of her eyes, shooting through the air until the echo finally stopped.

Kanae's light blonde hair, which had been flying due to the immense auras, settled down slowly.

Miao whispered, "I-I don't understand… Is it over? Did it die?"

Ed gulped.

This was something he had never seen in his entire life. Wiping out a Dungeon boss without any incantation or fighting. Just who was their saviour? How was she so powerful? She just looked like a small girl…

"It's not that easy. For now, I just made the Dungeon boss forget about us. It'll let us live peacefully for quite some time. Now that we know its lair, we won't go there again."

As soon as she'd finished uttering these words, Kanae doubled up in pain. Her pale knees gave out and she fell to the ground. As she choked on the blood clots, a mouthful of blood escaped her mouth.

'Mother of donuts…'

"Honoured Miss!!"

"Honoured Miss!"

Ed and Miao hurriedly went to her, horrified by her sudden collapse.

"Are you alright?"

"Did you push yourself too much?"

Kanae chuckled wryly.

"Something like that. It's quite a powerful Dungeon Boss. I hope I'll never see it again. Now let's hurry up and get out of here."

The two lovers exchanged a look and finally nodded. They helped her up. Miao took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood staining Kanae's pink lips.

An uncomfortable feeling surged inside Kanae's heart. In her previous life, no one had ever taken care of her like this. But this feeling… It wasn't exactly that bad, was it?

Kanae looked at the darkening clouds in the sky. She wondered how her brother was doing up there.

'Aniki, do you miss me? Do you regret letting me live? Do you feel bitter seeing me live happily even after death?'

'Of course… you wouldn't be bitter. No matter how much I hated you, you wouldn't hurt me. My kind Aniki… If only you hadn't been so naive.'

(A/N: Aniki: Older Brother. Lmk if it's a bother to read and I'll change it to big brother.)

"Honoured Miss, let's go."

Kanae blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. Wiping away the rueful smile on her face, she mumbled, "Mhm… Let's follow my compass."

She took it out of her pocket and checked the direction they were in. They should go towards the north to get out of the forest. At the moment they were in the west, so they'll have to find a path to cross through.

Ed squinted, "Is that a light over there?"

Kanae's eyes looked over to where he was staring at.

"Where? I can't see it."

Ed pointed to a distant source of light.

Kanae was delighted. A light meant there would be some people camping, maybe adventurers like them. The Blood Arena looked like a treasure trove of monster drops as it is. They were probably here to scourge for some monster drops.

While they were walking, Kanae asked the system.

'System, what's my current status?'

<Player White's current status-

Current level: Level 1

Mana: 10

Health Quotient: 15

Intelligent Quotient: 12

Levels required to finish Mission 1: 39

Fertility percentage: 21%

Hormones: Normal

Mates: 0

Dungeon Masters defeated: 1

Skills: Trajectory(Level 1), Truth (Level 1)>

Kanae's eyes widened. She had actually advanced in mana, health and intelligence quotient. Even her fertility percentage was up! Was it due to the essence she had absorbed from before?

<System reports to Player White. You have 100 points left from successfully escaping the Dungeon Boss to upgrade your skills. Which one of the skills would you like to upgrade?>

'100 points? You can even do that?? How else can I get these points?'

<Player White can get these points doing small tasks such as getting drops, defeating Dungeon creatures, or by physical labour.>

Kanae's lips twitched. This system was hell bent on making her do physical labour.

But this was wonderful news. She could level up her skills easily now. Suppressing her excitement, she thought calmly.

Since <Truth> came into use much more than <Trajectory>, she would rather upgrade it first. When she started to learn sword fighting, she would upgrade <Trajectory>.

'System upgrade my skill Truth.'

<Upgrading the skill Truth…>

<Finished upgrading. Skill Truth is Level 2 now.>

'Alright!'

'System. Feed me more information about dungeons.'

<Dungeons are mysterious, otherworldly contraptions that exist in this world Nunoct. They are often vast, labyrinthine structures filled with traps, puzzles, and dangerous creatures.Dungeons are imbued with powerful magic, making them a source of great fascination and danger.Each dungeon is unique, with its own set of challenges, themes, and levels of difficulty.Exploring dungeons is a popular endeavor among adventurers, warriors, treasure hunters, and those seeking to test their skills and gain rewards.Dungeons are said to hold valuable treasures, rare artifacts, and ancient knowledge.>

'That sounds about what I thought. But why do these dungeons exist? How did they come into existence?'

<These Dungeons exist as remnants of an ancient cataclysm. A long time back interdimensional portals and more anomalies appeared in the fabric of reality. They transcended time and space, appearing and disappearing at will, holding the secrets from different eras or dimensions. With the appearing of the portals, the humans originally living here started obtaining powers as well.>

'Cataclysm… that sounds exciting.'

Kanae spotted a familiar root near her foot as she walked ahead. She abruptly stopped and bent down to pick it up.

This was the infamous Maca root! A nutrient-dense root, often used as an energy booster and to combat fatigue. It was believed to enhance endurance, balance hormone levels, and increase energy levels.

Happy on finding another herbal treasure, Kanae giggled.

But before she could pluck it out, a shrill voice rang out.

"Hey, you blind a**. Can't you see we've marked it?"