Chapter 89: Unhelpful Answers (Patreon)

I sat up in the dark and drank the blood potion slowly while Yanis watched me from across the room. There was no light source, but both of us could see the other clear as day. He casually leaned against the cave wall with his arms folded and didn’t seem to mind that his boots were standing in Miller’s blood. He was trying to communicate that he wasn’t a threat to me, but I wasn’t fully convinced.

The pain in my body started to recede as my blood healing kicked in from the potion. Once it did, I finally had enough of a clear head to think. Miller had been more than double Yanis’s level. Killing him shouldn’t have been so easy. The only obvious conclusion I can come up with is that Yanis is not really level 11 and has a power to hide his true level from others. That only made me view him as more dangerous, but I put it aside for the moment since he’d saved me from Miller.

And then there was the explosion that had knocked me back into the cave. I looked and saw that it had caused the entrance to collapse in a pile of rubble. The fact that I could no longer hear any of the fighting going on outside suggested that it was too deep for me to dig my way out. I was trapped on this side. I tried using party chat to contact the others.

[Error!]

[Party chat cannot be used on multiple floors at once]

[Party leader has left floor 98 and disbanded the party]

What? That didn’t make any sense. I tried it again only to get the same result.

“Where am I?” I asked Yanis.

“A space in between floors. It used to be a part of floor 98, but then it has been modified and cut off from the rest of the floor.”

“Modified how?”

“With magic too complicated and unnecessary to get into now. The important thing is what it does. You notice how System messages weren’t always active just outside this place. That’s the residual magic leaking out of the cave.”

“But why would someone want to create a space in between floors?”

“It hides anyone within from prying eyes, including part of the System’s senses. Sure, you’ll still have your power and your stats, but certain rules suddenly become more flexible while others can be ignored outright. You saw that yourself with the experiment in tavern when the protection barrier no longer worked.”

“Those same symbols were on the revenant tents as well. That’s odd considering the System was fine raising up zombies.”

“Yes, but those were zombies it controlled and for a one-off event. Not as a personal army, and not at such a low level. Martin would’ve had to have borrowed an enormous amount of power. Far more than the rules allow.”

“There are rules around that?”

“Of course. Otherwise, some god’s favorite could get infused with their power and just smash their way to the bottom of the tower within minutes. Now granted, I don’t believe that’s what has happened here because it would mean the tower’s destruction, as the System would write it off as a waste of time since this is meant to be a learning experience. I’m not sure what exactly Martin is getting, but it’s definitely outside of the rules. You should be thankful that my mistress sent me or else you’d be dead right now.”

“Mistress?”

Yanis cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t recognize me? We’ve met before.”

The man shrank and his clothes faded away as his body quickly transformed into that of a large fluffy gray cat.

“You’re Samara’s familiar, Persephone.”

She licked one of their paws. “I prefer executive associate, thank you. And I was placed here to keep an eye on you.”

“Isn’t that considered cheating, too?”

The cat chuckled. “Look at where you are boy. You think the System is unaware that a part of its tower floor is missing? Cheating within reason is almost expected and as long as nobody goes too far, certain allowances will be made.”

“Allowances?”

“If Martin or Anders succeed here and kill you, then the System will not just look the other way, but likely reward them too. Luckily, my mistress has sent me to help even the odds, which I’ve already done by saving you from Miller.”

“Do you know why he’d betray me for Martin?”

The cat shook her head. “All I know is that he’s been in this cave before. My guess is that Martin gave him a better offer than you did.”

“Better than a residential card?”

“Perhaps he was thinking more long term,” the cat sniffed.

Okay, point taken. Our time in the tower is limited and there’s a whole, scary new world out there past it that we’ll have to deal with. If Martin promised him power, then I could see how that might beat temporary comfort or team work.

My team. Worry gnawed at me when I thought of them. There was no way for me to tell how large the explosion had been. No way of knowing how it impacted them.

“What’s happening with the others?” I asked.

The cat shrugged. “I told you we’re cut off from that floor. I have no idea what is transpiring there now.”

I nodded. So Carina might not have even survived. Hell, I barely did. She’s probably gone. As for the others? I felt a moment of panic for Hugo before calming myself. He was the furthest away than anyone by flying high in the sky. If anyone survived, it would be him. Come to think of it, a lot of them were pretty far from the cave entrance. I had to believe that they were okay.

I stood and stretched. The health potion had brought me back to peak health, but I needed to consider my next steps. The first thing I did was remove the amulet and put it in my inventory.

“What are you doing?” the cat asked.

“I’ll need all my blood healing powers. The amulets buff is useful against a crowd like the zombies, but it’ll only be a hindrance for the upcoming fight.”

“Oh? You’re so certain Martin doesn’t have another army in here?”

“Martin hates sharing power, but he also doesn’t like to get his hands dirty, which is why Anders is here. I think they put all their revenants and guards outside and that they’re the only other two in this cave.”

The cat sighed. “That is true, but mistress hates seeing her gifts discarded. Oh well, it was meant to be more of a lesson anyway.”

“Which was?”

“True power lies within the blood and it can do far more than healing if you let it in.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“I can, but I won’t. This is your test. I won’t carry you across the finish line.”

“But aren’t you trapped here too?”

The cat smugly chuckled. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

I blinked, and the cat vanished.

Damn. I had so many more questions to ask that thing who I’m pretty sure wasn’t actually a cat. That was just another form it took to amuse itself. Strangely, Miller’s body and blood had disappeared too. Though the residential access card I’d gifted him had been left behind and was stained with his blood. I picked it up and received a new message.

*Item acquired [Residential Access Keycard (Rare)] – Whoa, looks like somebody who wasted a precious gift has finally gotten it back. Though the former owner never got the chance to enjoy the splendor of residential living, the former former owner did and should have known better than to hand them out like some sort of signing bonus for joining his team. Maybe don’t be so quick to throw it away this time?

It surprised me to see the System almost sound upset that I’d given up the card. Of course in my case, I hadn’t earned one like some others might have. I’d been gifted one by the System. I’d thought that was just random dumb luck for having an apartment on the top floor before the integration began, but maybe there was more to it than that? Regardless, I would heed their words and keep the card for myself from now on. Miller’s betrayal had seen to that. I guess the whole of humanity should band together speech doesn’t work on people as well as I’d hoped.

I checked over my weapons next. The explosion had hit me from the front, so the sword on my back was mostly the same. I sharpened it anyway with the whetstone Earnest had given me, while being careful not to exacerbate the three chipped notches that were left on the blade. Thankfully, my Viper Fang was still with me too, but the goblin steel blade I’d carried for so long was gone. A shame. I must have dropped it in the explosion. It wasn’t the most powerful of my weapons, but it had been good for throwing and for cutting when I didn’t want to use poison. I’ll have to get a replacement once I get out of here.

I had my cloak, which was undamaged too, and considering how dark the cave was, the Umbral Frenzy enchantment was viable and something to keep in mind. I also still carried the Zenyx Orb that paralyzed anyone except the wielder with terror. A strong magical item worth keeping close in my inventory.

I suppressed a sigh. There was no use putting this off anymore. Alive or dead, there’s a good chance I’ll be breaking my promise to Carina when I face Anders.

I felt a little guilty, but should I be? How much unnecessary suffering and death had been caused by those two? All just for the illusion of being in charge. Of feeling in control. While our world was being destroyed, these two could only think of themselves. The selfishness and short-sightedness were infuriating.

Anger burned in my chest like a welcome fire. I drew my sword and moved deeper into the cave. It was time to end this.