Chapter 46: A Secret

  After our talk, I stocked up at Christian’s.

  Reached the tomb with Yana.

  Aric Kelltins – Noctyra – seemed to be truthful – his replacement from the Burning Suns was already here. But what did that mean for the Darknessbound Core shard that was in his possession?

  We split into teams.

  Goren was on my team.

  We cleared the three chambers assigned to us.

  Slaying Undead while keeping an eye on Goren to ensure he didn’t stab me in the back, especially after our morning talk, was a difficult balance. His presence was holding me back from gaining as much XP as I could. Not only did I have to look over my shoulder every five seconds instead of looking for more targets, but he also attacked faster and harder than I did, quite literally stealing kills from under my nose.

  I only ended up getting a measly 340 XP. It was still enough to complete a quest.

  [Quest Completed: The Dead Should Stay Dead #3]

  [Reward: 10,000 XP]

  [+10,000 XP]

  [Level Up! You have gained 1 Skill Point]

  [Skill Point Available: Choose a skill to level up]

  [New Quest Available: The Dead Should Stay Dead #4]

  [Slay 1000 Undead Warriors or Undead Archers]

  [Current Status: 500 / 1000]

  [Reward: 12,500 XP]

  Great. Now I can level up. The choice was pretty easy.

  [Skill Upgraded: Temporal Trace lvl.7]

  [Next Level: lvl.8: You’ll be able to witness Vestiges of Time from most of what you touch. Number of maximal marks: infinite]

  Infinite marks? Sure. Vestiges of Time? Like the memory fragment of Noctyra’s childhood? Well…it was different compared to the other two. But what does it mean to witness Vestiges of Time from most of what you touch? How would that even work?

  Deciding I’d cross that bridge when I got there, I allocated the extra point to Agility, bringing it to 26. At this point, I resolved to invest everything I earned into Agility. I needed more damage, and this stat was my class’ best scaling attribute. Besides, the next milestone was just nine points away.

  [Déjà vu System: Level 27]

  [Loop Count: 38]

  [Experience Points (XP): 2,748 / 20,000]

  “What’s wrong, Spellsword? Am I too fast for you?” Goren gloated as he approached me.

  I ignored his attempt to rile me up. I was set on having nothing to do with him. Even his supposed repayment would likely backfire if I’d actually agree to it.

  I turned to leave, but he called after me. “Wait.”

  “Stay away from me.”

  I walked past him, and he reappeared in front of me again, materializing from some dark mist, falling to his knees and holding his hands clasped together like he was praying. “Oh dear Spellsword, would you ever forgive me?”

  “No.” I replied coldly and continued past him.

  “Well, I still have to show you the secret that would repay my debt.”

  My curiosity was piqued, but so did my instincts. I knew this might be a bad choice. But he couldn’t kill me anymore, right? Not until the 64th loop which I still hoped I'd manage to avoid.

  Either way, if he continued pestering and stealing XP from me, I won't be able to level up as fast as I needed to.

  I had to get rid of him, and this was the only way. I just need to pay attention and bounce the second I sense something's off.

  I sighed heavily, deciding to follow him.

  ***

  “I swear to god, Goren, if you’re just trying to waste my time, then – “

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  He cut me off. “Then what, Spellsword? What? You’re not scaring anyone. And let’s be real - Yana’s not even here, so you have no one to impress, man.”

  Déjà vu rang in my mind, and I snapped, my voice sharp. “Don’t say her name.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Calm your tits. Like I said, I must repay you. And if you behave, you'll see that it was worth your time.”

  The dark aura around him writhed as he spoke, reminding me I needed to stay away from him. And yet, with Chronos down, and me getting stronger, I assumed I could take the risk.

  “So you’ve said.” I replied. “But I can’t trust a single word coming from a mouth of a killer like you.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any less from a liar like you.” He replied, grinning.

  Instead of going back to the main antechamber, he led us through the corridor in the opposite direction, passing by other chambers on the first level. Judging from the sounds within, it was clear they were still being explored by the other groups.

  “Nice glaive, by the way.” He commented offhandedly, not really looking at it.

  I ignored him, staying focused. “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a shortcut here.” He said. “My payment.”

  “A shortcut?” I asked, surprised. “A shortcut to where?”

  He chuckled, seemingly enjoying the suspense. “Oh, you’ll see.”

  We reached the stairs leading down to the second level when Goren suddenly stopped. “Here, watch.”

  He approached the wall to our left, running his hand over the stone as if feeling for something. After a moment, he pressed a brick, pushing it inward with a soft click. He didn’t stop there – he continued feeling along the wall until he found a second brick and pressed that one too. The wall groaned softly before sliding aside, revealing a dark, hidden room.

  Goren turned to me, his expression dead serious. “Would’ve been quicker, but I forgot which bricks open the door and which spray acid in your face.”

  Before I could respond, he stepped inside without hesitation.

  I remained outside for a moment, my gaze wandering between the dark entrance and the brick wall Goren was pressing. I couldn’t see any loose bricks there to press. How did he even know they were pressable?

  An unsettling thought crossed my mind: an earlier version of Goren sprayed with acid. The mental image was enough to make my stomach churn.

  “C’mon already!” He called from inside, his voice now having a weird echo to it. “Get a Lumindew or something. It’s pitch black in here.”

  Reluctantly, I did as he suggested.

  [Item Consumed: Lumindew x1]

  [Night Vision activated. Duration: 30 minutes. Visual range enhanced in low-light areas]

  As soon as I stepped inside, Goren reached for a lever on the wall and pulled it. The hidden door slid shut behind us with a quiet thud.

  When I looked around the secret chamber, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. The space was empty – completely barren – save for a massive hole in its center, its edges lined with a rusting, metallic ladder leading downward into the void.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Goren’s hand landed on my shoulder, making me jump in place. He laughed at my reaction. “Chill, Spellsword, I was ordered not to kill you, remember?”

  “What is this place?” I asked, shrugging his hand off and turning to face him. His eyes glowed like those of a cat – the result of the Rogues’ unique night vision skill, Cat Eyes.

  “This? Don’t know, don’t care. You need to go down.” He pointed at the ladder.

  “What’s down there?” I asked, not planning to descend blindly.

  “Are you actually willing to hear me out?”

  I nodded hesitantly. It was better to know what he wanted from me upfront.

  “At the lowest level of the tomb resides Gaelith.” Goren began. “You probably don’t remember because of your trash System, but we’ve already been there before. Killed by him. Several times.”

  He was right. I had no memory of it.

  “So?”

  “Just listen, I’m not done.” He said, waving of my impatience. “This place is some sort of shortcut to the other floors. I found it like 20 runs ago. The ladder goes straight to the lowest level of the tomb, but there are stops on the way – to other…interesting floors. They likely created this place to travel faster between levels.”

  “And where do you plan for us to stop?”

  “Us?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “You already made me aware that there was no ‘us’. I just want to make sure you know about this shortcut – repaying my debt.”

  I sighed deeply. “Okay, let’s say I believe this is all real and not some plan to trick me.” I paused. “What now?”

  Goren chuckled. “Do whatever you want, Spellsword. You said it yourself – you don’t want to team up with me. Good luck, then!”

  He jumped forward and gripped the ladder, starting his descent. “Have fun.”

  This was the best place to use it.

  [Checkpoint Set: Your progress has been saved at this point in time]

  [Checkpoint lvl. 2: Time left until Anchor expires – 59:59]

  Then, not sure why, I followed him down.

  The descent was monotonous, the only sounds were the clinks of our boots against the metal.

  After what felt like an eternity – though it was likely only ten minutes – I was already begging for a change of scenery. Anything to feel like we were making progress.

  “Why are you following me, Spellsword?” Goren asked, chuckling. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me.”

  “Shut up.” I replied, my voice firm. “I’m just checking the legitimacy of your so-called shortcut.”

  Goren laughed. “Ah, okay then.”

  Right at that moment, a faint rattling sound echoed upward. It was sharp, metallic, like steel grinding against itself. I froze mid-step, gripping the ladder tighter. “What was that?”

  Goren sighed below me, his tone more irritated than alarmed. “Oh, shoot. That’s right. Kelltins killed me so I didn’t kill it like I wanted.”

  I blinked down at him. “What?”

  He didn’t answer, mumbling to himself instead.

  I activated Afterimage, but nothing appeared.

  [There is no afterimage to run in this area]

  Déjà vu was silent as well. This was new.

  Well, at least now I knew he hadn’t lured me here before...

  I activated Distance Gauge, and a chill ran down my spine as I sensed something massive moving – ascending – toward us.

  “Something is coming.” I muttered, glancing downward. My heart raced as I immediately reversed course, scrambling upward as fast as I could. Being stuck on this ladder made us sitting ducks.

  “Yeah, that’ll be mommy snake.” Goren said casually, as if commenting on the weather.

  I glanced down at him, but before I could say anything, it appeared.

  Colossal. Its scales metallic, and sharp – no, they weren’t just sharp, they were actual blades. Razor Basilisk, level 95.

  The massive serpent surged upward, its long body cutting through the darkness as it lunged at us, its maw opening wide.

  At the last possible moment, I released the ladder, dropping just in time to avoid the snake’s strike. Its jaw missed me by a hair, but the impact obliterated the ladder and a section of the wall above me.

  Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I activated Flight, dodging the falling debris and descending rapidly to the nearest floor. My feet hit the ground hard as I scanned for Goren who was nowhere to be seen.

  The Razor Basilisk adjusted with terrifying speed, raising it colossal head to lock eyes on me.

  A shiver ran down my spine. I had never witnessed a creature so massive before. Or maybe I did, and just couldn’t remember because of the damn System?

  I quickly turned back, pulling a lever similar to the one Goren pulled on the first floor.

  Just then, the snake angled itself to strike again.

  I leaped through the doorway I opened, unsure on which floor I was even on.

  Behind me, the Razor Basilisk struck, ramming itself against the wall through which I had just passed. Bricks and debris flew in all directions, but it seemed to be unable to break through, or to fit inside the corridor. So, I was safe. For now.

  Then, suddenly, the beast roared as if it was in pain, which it was.

  Goren reappeared – standing atop the Razor Basilisk’s massive head. He drove a dagger between the creature’s blade-like scales, getting cut by them in the process.

  The Razor Basilisk writhed violently, twisting and smashing its head against the walls, trying to throw Goren off. With a sudden lurch, it angled itself backward, plummeting back into the void below, Goren still atop it.

  “We’re even now!” Goren shouted, his voice echoing as he and the beast disappeared into the darkness.