Let hell swallow her.
I'd almost died twice already because of that unruly vampire girl!
Of course, it was partly my fault, but it's always easier to blame someone else so you can feel better about yourself. Typical NEET behavior—I know it's wrong, yet I keep doing it…
I told myself I wouldn't risk my skin for her anymore. If she succeeds, fine, good for her. If not, I'll go my own way. She might be a good girl, but her head is completely messed up!
"Good luck" I muttered.
She looked at me with reproach and suddenly grabbed me by the neck. I felt a mist filled with aura pushing me off the edge — straight down, right with her!
"What are you doing, you lunatic!? You're going to get us both killed!"
We fell about ten meters. I landed face-first, growling in pain and muttering curses under my breath. The second head of mine was already letting loose of its frustration on the first aura-tainted monster that was trying to attack me. It looked like a black-and-purple deer with two heads and a frog's body! Disgusting!
Valeria landed gracefully and in less than two seconds decapitated the first monster coming at her.
[Level: 11
Threat: NEGLIGIBLE]
No wonder they were dropping like flies. The goblins above cheered us on as if we were gladiators slaughtering condemned slaves, attacking them with suppressed desperation. I personally took down maybe five while Valeria handled the rest. From the portal came a few stronger ones, but only slightly… There was no need for teleportation skill of hers — just plain swordplay and the terrifying speed of a vampire was enough to kill them.
[Level: 19
Threat: LOW]
The last creature — a grotesque mutation, part badger, part goat — fell dead, letting out pained squeals and snarls of anger.
Valeria wiped her sword. The monsters bled black blood, their violet glowing eyes fading as their spirits escaped. I devoured one of them, and apart from a strange taste, it wasn't much different from other prey. Only the stronger aura and the black-and-purple substance oozing from their skin set them apart.
"You weren't going to leave me alone, right? We've been through so much together… We're best friends, aren't we?" She teased me, running ahead gracefully, while I wanted to tear that smart-mouthed brat to pieces!
This time, she really overdid it! With my dexterity [49], I could only manage to catch the impressions of her boots. Maybe it was for the best that I couldn't read her stats — I'd probably spiral into depression. Even Hakku wasn't that fast.
"Don't get so angry already, nothing happened to you!"
The cheeky brat bites without asking, manipulating me into doing whatever she wants!
"Friends? Ha! You've manipulated me for your own benefit so many times now! You're selfish!"
Valeria frowned a little, stomped the ground, and ignored the goblins watching us. She spread her arms wide.
"But has my selfishness ever actually hurt you? Oh chosen one of Zod…"
She winked and laughed. Honestly, if she wanted, she could probably give me a real headache. She was cunning and confident. On the other hand, she'd never really hurt me. If she hadn't forced me to approach Hakku's fortress, I'd probably be chasing deer in the woods right now. Instead, I was something like a forest god to the goblins now. They'd probably keep bringing me free food for years…
Anyway!
"This isn't about that! This is about rules! Human decency!"
"Rules are just for show. On this continent, the strong decide. You're strong yourself, so you know what I mean," She said, patting my neck again, then suddenly bit me greedily, as usual.. "Besides, you're not human. What even is decency? Following the orders of the stronger? Sitting quietly while others take what's yours? Is that how it's done on Earth!? On the planet you were reborn from!? Are you even still a human?"
She was terrifying. She looked 15, maybe 16, but acted like she was twice that age. Zod knew about Earth, but I didn't expect this knowledge to be common here.
"You've never told me your real name, have you? You've manipulated me a little yourself, haven't you? Not to mention the poor goblins… So is my manipulation worse than yours? Who decides that? Do you really think I'm trying to harm you!?"
I gritted my teeth, snapped my tail, braced myself. She had a point, but I didn't want to admit it. Truthfully, we were both arrogant.
"So why do you want me to come with you? What do you get out of it?"
Valeria laughed, raised a monster from a corpse, and sent it to attack another coming from the wild dungeon. Then she looked me straight in the eyes and said bluntly:
"I just like having someone to talk to. You don't know what it's like… For 250 years, the only people I spoke to were my teachers and the butlers. Since my mother died, I've been treated like an egg. I've lived 300 years in this world and never had a friend. No one to scold me or tell me what they really think. Never anyone like you, idiot!"
Three hundred years??? I expected vampires to live longer, but I didn't think they looked like teenagers even after three centuries. And she had a mother? Wait — are vampires born from other vampires? Strange, and this needed an explanation… maybe later.
"I'm sorry about your mother," I said. She blushed, slightly surprised by my tone. "Was she a vampire too?"
Valeria stepped back, looking puzzled.
"No! A goblin! Who else would she be? Maybe an orc!? Do you really think we reproduce by biting? We're an evolved human-like species, just like any other. We were simply marked long ago by the god of darkness. There are plenty of humans, but only five gods and their chosen peoples! Dwarves descend from the god of mountains, elves from the god of forests, angels from the god of light, and demons from the god of the sword! You really know nothing about this world… Probably don't even know which continent we're on…"
I just shook my head, the other one embarrassed. Valeria realized I knew nothing and held her head in exasperation.
"Follow me. You'll see why I was so excited when I saw this wild dungeon…" She waved like a big sister taking me on a trip to an amusement park and went ahead.
The sheer scale of this world terrified me. So many gods, so many races, and seven cataclysm beasts… Plus, the summoned from Earth, and these strange relationships between gods. I wondered why in the dungeon I was born in, the patron statues of angels and demons stood side by side without conflict. There had to be a bigger story behind it.
I watched Valeria disappear into what looked like a portal. I could no longer sense her, only the cold, unpleasant violet-and-black aura of the wild dungeon reached me. I decided to trust her. I thought maybe I could…
"Finally! Don't dawdle here! This place is no joke!"
I saw a vast space bathed in darkness! Thanks to my eyes, I could see everything in blue-green hues. The sheer amount of gathered aura made me uneasy — I sensed countless beings everywhere. The place seemed endless, like a chamber drenched in some dark purple substance. I cast a glance at it:
[Name: Corrupted Matter
Type: Resource]
It was everywhere, a strange goo emitting residual aura — not cold, not warm. No scent, just its presence corrupting the space.
"So why were you so happy to see this?" I asked, still on alert in case more monsters appeared. I regretted my inability to properly analyze beings and resources after that near-death fight. Every bit of information would help…
"Wild Dungeons are strange phenomena. They're like a disease eating this world. They appear where aura and population are high. Two continents have already fallen to this plague… Long ago…" Valeria walked slowly ahead, her smile fading. "Over 25,000 years ago, a wild dungeon of rank Z appeared above the most powerful city of its time, on the southern continent. Not even the gods could defeat its boss… Ten thousand years later it appeared again. This time inside Varmtheim — the Ancient Fortress of the oldest dwarven kingdom on the northern continent. Two continents already fell victim to catastrophe monsters. Every few centuries, wild dungeons appear more frequently and densely — so powerful that entire continents are threatened. These periods are called the Times of Catastrophe… It's good if no rank Z dungeons appear then, otherwise the powers of the world can't stop the horror."
"Rank Z? What's that? Some kind of system to gauge a wild dungeon's strength and threat?" I asked. This place didn't even resemble the dungeon where I was born — it felt more like divine punishment from some malevolent force.
"What rank is this dungeon?" I asked.
Valeria paused, sensing something dangerous.
"There are several ranks, from F to Z. This one is at worst a weak D dungeon… The 8th rank, stronger than S — the one no one can tame — is Z. Only two rank Z dungeons were enough to make humanity lose two continents forever…" She assumed a battle stance. "Enough of this lecture! Pf! You're making me feel like some mustachioed history teacher! Get ready. This one is stronger than those weaklings outside."
A deafening roar erupted. A beast the size of an elephant! Part hedgehog, part armored boar. Its tusks could pierce a bull in half! The red text on my vision made my heart race. The ground shook.
[Level: 39
Threat: VERY HIGH]
A towering beast straight out of hell! I wouldn't have stood a chance on my own! Luckily, I had Valeria with me. I quickly backed up. I roared, but it had no effect. Only the vampire woman gave me a smirk and a thumbs-up, then charged at the beast herself.
All I saw was a blur as she attacked the monster again and again, while the clash of steel and growls of rage reached my ears. I saw that she couldn't break through the spikes as long as her sword, so I kept my distance and spat venom, though it didn't have much effect. The brute thrashed violently, unable to reach the vampire woman, and then turned its purple eyes toward me!
Damn! I started running toward a chasm, thinking I might provoke the beast into falling itself — after all, I was faster and had the [Charge] skill. I didn't want to activate [Berserker's Fury] yet; there was no reason for that. For now, I focused on dodging the monster's attacks. I was already leaning on my tail, ready to launch into a [charge] as soon as it came at me at full speed.
"Watch out! It's a high-rank catastrophe monster! Run!"
I heard a warning, but before its meaning reached me, massive pillars of matter grew right in front of me and pushed me toward the chasm. I saw that slimy aura forming, manipulating the matter. That filthy boar did it! That beast isn't mindless!? I'm done for! Agh!
I saw two tusks approaching my chest, and instinctively, I suddenly pushed myself off the ground with my tail, falling straight into the abyss.
I tumbled down the twisted slope, and when I miraculously survived and landed at the bottom, the warped ground beneath me collapsed, and I fell even further — straight into a system of some corridors! Dozens of creatures were rushing toward me. I had no time to think. What about Valeria? Where am I? None of that mattered now! I was left to fend for myself!
Surprised by the unpredictability of this place and its vastness, I swallowed hard and regretted not letting that monstrous pig stab me to death!
"Ah! So this is the damn wild dungeon…" I muttered under my breath and ran toward where the auras seemed weaker.