Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book 3 Chapter 40: The Shaded Catacombs (3)

Miguel slammed his fist on the desk.

“Fuck!” he cursed.

“Beating up the desk won’t solve anything,” came a female voice from behind him, making him turn around and look at everyone.

There were six other people in the room, and the one who had spoken was the rightmost woman. She had brown hair and eyes of the same color, but her gaze was cold. Miguel sighed and leaned on the desk he’d just punched, then crossed his arms and ran his gaze over everyone. Three men and two women, including the one who’d just spoken – his allies.

“Negotiations failed because of those two men who came along with Rylan,” he said. “Who even are they?”

He’d been the one to greet Rylan when he arrived, and for a moment, he truly thought the negotiations were going somewhere. He’d intentionally lowballed Rylan with an offer of only one or two hours inside the Dungeon to get everything started, but the two men ruined the negotiation before it could even develop.

The leftmost person, a black-haired, bearded, tall man, shook his head.

“We don’t even know why he’s here in Durn,” the man started. “Is it possible that he’s heard about the Dungeon’s changes?”

One of the others, a blond man of average height and build, nodded.

“It’s possible,” he stated. “But we won’t be able to find out why he’s here, anyway. We need to figure out what to do. He wants to keep us all out of the Dungeon. If that happens, we’ll lose the jackpot.”

Miguel and the brown-haired woman nodded at the same time.

“There must be a way to infiltrate the Dungeon. I doubt he’ll keep a close watch on the Gate at all times. We might be able to go inside and try to steal the Boss,” Miguel said.

“Because he’s got so many people to protect, I think it’s possible,” the brown-haired woman said.

“Does anyone have any ideas?”

The others took a breath, clearly ready to speak, but before they could do so, the last man, who hadn’t spoken yet, raised his hand, catching everyone’s attention. Once he seemingly made sure everyone was looking at him, he lowered his hand. He was even taller than Miguel, with ginger hair and blue eyes, as well as white skin.

“We should forget about it,” he stated simply. “Unless any of you think you can handle Rylan Flameheart’s wrath.”

The room went silent.

“Just like in the stories, he’s in the Fourth Circle, and there were enough eyewitnesses to prove them. He killed three Sixth Circle Mages on his own, as well as ten Fifth Circle Mages. Now, he’s got allies of unknown power, as well as the rest of his family. There’s no way we would be able to survive if he decided to turn against us.”

Miguel frowned.

“The stories are too outlandish. He might be Ceotha’s hero, but we don’t know if he truly achieved all that on his own. Together, our group has thirty-one Fifth Circle Mages. We’re able to challenge any faction in this small kingdom,” he replied.

The ginger man’s eyes were serene as he looked into Miguel’s own.

“If you’re willing to stake your life on it, be my guest. But once Rylan Flameheart’s blade pierces through your heart, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Out of this entire kingdom’s population, Rylan is the one person I’m not willing to go against. Good luck, all of you.”

Miguel’s frown deepened as the man started walking toward the door with steady steps. Once he passed the brown-haired woman, however, she grabbed his arm.

“Marco,” she started saying. “You know that I’ve always believed in your gut feelings. Now that you’ve seen Rylan in person, do you think all of what you just said is true?”

Marco looked at her.

“No,” he replied. The others let out sighs of relief, including Miguel himself. However, she furrowed her brow as she looked at him. “I think he’s even stronger than the stories say. He also doesn’t shy away from killing. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to lose my life over a special Dungeon Boss. I’m leaving.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He shook his arm away from her grasp, opened the door, and left, shutting it behind him. The room remained silent as Miguel blinked, his mind racing.

Marco is one of the strongest among us, and Leona believes in his vision.

Her being silent was enough proof of that. Miguel frowned.

…Really? Are all the stories true? No, he might be even worse?

Because he wasn’t from Ceotha, it was inevitable that he hadn’t been there on the day the imperial Mages attacked, but he’d always discredited the stories. Now, Marco was telling them that Rylan was even stronger. Did that even make sense? How could he even tell?

The seconds slowly passed.

“I’m out,” Leona suddenly said as she looked at Miguel. “Marco wouldn’t lie to me like that. Rylan is dangerous. I won’t help you guys. Go at your own risk.”

She promptly turned around and started walking toward the door. The other two men exchanged a glance, but they didn’t follow her. Once she left, Miguel looked at them.

“Since you’ve stayed, I assume you’re still willing to risk it?” he asked.

One of them shrugged.

“I don’t know that Marco guy that well, and after looking at Rylan myself, I don’t think he’s out of the ordinary for a Fourth Circle Mage. His Mana Cultivation might be a problem, but I think we can handle it with our groups. I’m in,” he replied.

The other man nodded. Miguel took a deep breath, then also nodded.

Now, I need to think about this.

The Shaded Catacombs represented a great opportunity. Even if Rylan was stronger than he seemed, he was willing to try to sneak in. The problem was that the level of danger was unknown, especially because he didn’t know who Rylan’s new allies were or how powerful they were.

“I’ll give it some thought. Let’s separate for now,” he said.

The other two men nodded and left the room, leaving Miguel alone. He looked through the window.

…Maybe I shouldn’t do it.

He couldn’t throw Marco’s words out of his mind. Leona had immediately believed them.

It was possible that defying Rylan Flameheart’s orders would only lead him and everyone he led to their deaths. The level of danger the boy posed was unknown. Miguel shivered as he remembered how Rylan had looked at him after the boy’s two male allies had spoken.

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he felt.

***

Rylan looked around.

I expected it from the name, but…

He was in a large stone corridor. Over thirty meters above him, the ceiling was also made of pure stone. Large torches hung from the walls, glowing with green flames. Stone columns lined the corridor’s walls. Between them, open coffins and skulls adorned the walls. The entire area was dominated by a heavy curtain of darkness that not even the green flames seemed to affect much.

Rylan clicked his tongue and turned around to look at everyone. Gerard and Elizabeth were frowning, as were his siblings. Andy and Laura were hiding behind Sarah’s legs, looking around nervously and shivering. Elliot gulped as he followed suit. Mar’s Mages were the only ones who appeared calm, alongside Rylan himself.

“So, this is the Dungeon,” Rylan said, making everyone look at him. He pointed with his thumb deeper into the corridor. “That’s the right way. But something’s a bit off.”

He turned around and circulated both his Aura and mana, narrowing his eyes. His senses were immediately amplified, as well as his perception. Deeper within the Dungeon, he could faintly feel a presence that reminded him of the Veria Woodlands’ Boss, the Young Basilisk.

So, that’s why there were so many Mages in Durn. The System picked a special Boss, and the Dungeon has changed.

It was also likely why the dark-haired man had insisted on raiding the Dungeon, even though Rylan was already here.

Is it close to becoming an Open Dungeon?

Either way, it seemed like the Boss would be interesting. That also meant that the Equipment at the end of it all would likely be better than usual.

“The System picked a strong Boss,” he started his explanation. “The Dungeon has probably changed accordingly. There will be more enemies, and they’ll be stronger. But don’t worry, I’m here.”

“Based on the name and the environment, I expect we’ll find undead monsters and Shades,” Cecilia said, making him nod as he turned around.

“What are Shades?” Aelfric asked.

Rylan looked at him.

“They’re darkness-related enemies, similar to shadows. They can move pretty quickly, and their claws can make their darkness flood into your injuries, worsening them. You can think of them as shadow spirits,” he replied.

Aelfric frowned.

“How the hell do we kill spirits?”

“Magic can still affect them,” Gerard said. “Physical attacks can too, but their effectiveness is lower.”

Rylan smiled at them.

“Alright, everyone needs to fight and Level up. Because the enemies are at the Level of the Fifth Circle, I don’t expect you guys to win consistently, but the training will be good. I’ll protect you, and so will Mar’s Mages,” he said, then looked at Sarah’s siblings. “And that includes you three. You don’t have to kill anything if you don’t want to, Elliot.”

The kids were still looking around nervously, but Rylan understood them. Young as they were, the literal catacombs covered in darkness were likely terrifying. That naturally included Elliot.

Still, I’m glad. The enemies won’t bleed or cry out in pain.

If Elliot were willing, they would be the best kind of enemies to face, ranging from ethereal spirits to creatures that were already dead. There wouldn’t be the impact of ending the life of another living creature. Did the boy understand this? He nodded with some determination.

Rylan turned around and expanded his perception to fully cover the entire group. Almost automatically, Mar’s Mages assumed a formation behind and around the others.

“Alright, we move forward. Aelfric, you’ll be the first to fight. Remember that I’m here to protect you,” Rylan said.

He could feel Aelfric nod.

Together, they started cautiously walking deeper into the Dungeon.