*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM*

An explosion of boiling blood, followed by the sound of it sizzling as it exits the mother rat’s body as it lands upon the ground.

The monster had died standing. The spell had cooked its blood from the inside, killing the beast while seemingly hardening its muscle movements, keeping it upright, similar to a statue.

The [Hero] removes his hand from inside the dead rat's neck. A squelching sound is heard, followed by the hand which is covered in dry blood. Blood which had been boiling when it touched his skin.

But the [Hero] does not heed the immense pain, jumping off the dead rat’s back. His eyes meet Jessa’s. She just looks at him, mouth agape.

Then the [Hero] continues looking, finding that same expression on Brock’s face. Turning to the far distance, the [Hero] finds his two allies, no longer retreating. Instead, they are slowly moving towards his direction.

Finally, the [Hero] takes a long look at the monster which he had slain. Cuts, bruises, burned hair. The monster was formidable. It had taken an enormous amount of damage and had kept on living. It was truly impressive and utterly terrifying.

But it had died. It was no longer a threat.

There is no longer any danger.

_______________________

Like a switch going off, Franky’s sense of calm starts to quickly recede. Which is then followed by his emotions as well as the lost control of his senses.

He quickly stiffens, eyes widening as the smell of burnt rat hits his nostrils. Franky bends over and disgorges today’s meal in front of him.

And then the feeling comes in. Pain. Intense pain blaring from his arm. A pain that is reminiscent of oil burns, an oil burn which covers his entire hand and part of his arm.

Such pain would make any human scream. Unfortunately, extreme pain is not just coming from his hand and arm. His entire body is cramping up. His skill had come with a toll. A toll of pain and broken muscles.

Franky’s mind shuts down, knocking him out as the [Hero] falls forward, face first into his puke.

But right before his head strikes the ground, several messages appears in front of his eyes.

Congratulations [Hero]. You have slain a Dungeon Born Monster. Entity potential absorbed has been increased.

Level Up X 8

You are now a level 34 [Hero]

Level Up X 11

You are now a level 23 [Scout]

New Skill Awarded: [Perceptive Dodge]

Level Up X 12

You are now a Level 40 [Warrior]

New Skill Awarded: [Second Wind]

New Skill Awarded: [Sharpened Blades]

Level Up x 6

You are now a Level 37 [Light Mage]

Skill [Aimed Throw] has been upgraded to [Overbearing Throw]

Skill [Glowing Armor] has been upgraded to [Transcending Armor]

And then the light goes out.

************************************

My head hurts.. my body hurts.. everything freaking hurts.

“Oy, the lad be waking up!”

Forcing my eyes open, I am greeted with the sight of a bearded dwarf with a smile.

“Ughhhh, what happened?” I ask right before the memories rush back into the forefront of my mind.

I attempt to move up, but two hard hands pull me back down. My body feels like molasses.

“Lad, you have to lay down a bit more. Let the potion do its work. Not good for you to move around yet.” explains Turnock.

I frown and turn my head, noticing quickly that another body lays next to mine, armorless like myself.

Brock gives me a smile.

“You are a fucking hero Franky. You should not have been able to kill it, but you somehow did. And for that, I would give you a goddamn hug.. or I would if my insides wouldn't hurt from the slightest movement.” he says, adding a laugh at the end.

Looking a bit lower, I find that he is indeed sporting a rather large bandage across his chest and stomach.

I sigh, ”Where are we?”

“We're still in the dungeon lad. Can't move either of you safely right now. Best to get you guys able to walk somewhat first before we can start heading out of the dungeon. Anyways, I started a fire while Sarena bandaged you guys up.”

He then turns and points a bit farther down at Sarena, who is sitting on a frozen rat corpse. ”When she recovered her mana, she started freezing up the corpses and blood to restrict the smell from spreading and attracting anything that may want to make a meal out of us.”

I look, but I can see very little in front of her. The fire that Turnock built is not creating that much light. A fire comprising of just one log.

I don't think a log the size of my foot should be able to create that much light or even last that long. Hmmm. It might be magical or chemical like those bombs.. Oh.

“Where’s Jessa?” I ask.

“She’s scouting around us to give a warning if anything comes near,” Brock explains.

I don't say anything more, my mind remembering her. How she helped me out and made that opening.

And then I killed it.. and leveled up...

I call up my status.

Franky Sasco

Level 40 [Warrior]

Level 34 [Hero]

Level 37 [Light Mage]

Level 23 [Scout]

Minor Mana Sense

Flickering Strike

Flash Fire

Defensive Instincts.

Analyze

A Hero’s Moment

Blinding Block

Transcending Armor

Overbearing Throw

Second Wind

Sharpened Blades

Perceptive dodge

Strength

22

Dexterity

21

Stamina

31

Perception

36

Endurance

17

Vitality

107

Mana

337

M/regen

1.4

Affinity

7

Intelligence

51

Willpower

450+431

Soul

320

Charisma

431

Heart of a Hero: Willpower increased by Charisma amount.

“How long are we going to lay here?”

Turnock shrugs, ”I would say another five or six hours. That should be enough time for the Regeneration Potion I gave you and Brock to heal you up to something that can fight,” Turnock frowns and looks at Brock, ”or at least to be able to walk.”

I nod and relax by leaning back, “Alright then, I’ll just rest here for a bit longer.”

Turnock nods before sitting himself next to the fire. ”If you need anything, just ask,” Turnock says, grabbing his guitar and playing a relaxing melody.

Without much else to do, I call up the descriptions of some of my newer skills.

Rare Skill: [Second Wind]

When [Second Wind] is activated, stamina is increased back to full but maximum stamina regeneration is halved.

Common Skill: [Perceptive dodge]

This skill, when activated, will allow the user to dodge a perceived attack with greatly increased speed.

Rare Skill: [Sharpened Blades]

Current weapon has a [Sharp Edge] enchantment applied to it, greatly increasing its piercing and slicing capability. Weapon enchantment is removed soon after when not being held.

Uncommon Skill: [Overbearing Throw]

Allows the user to throw a large object with exceptional accuracy and speed.

Epic Skill: [Transcending Armor]

All metallic armor will have a slight glow when worn. The glow can be increased or decreased by using mana. Armor worn will shine brightly towards the user that strikes it. Hostile light related skills will be drastically weakened. Immunity to blinding from light. Light magic originating from the user costs 50% less and is 20% stronger.

The first several skills were good, but the last one is completely confusing and insane. From what the [Tutor] hired by Bernard had taught me, rare skills only show up in levels exceeding fifty in a class. And even then, they are still rare until you obtain a tier two class. But Epic Skills are a completely different story. They had explained that those skills are extremely hard to obtain for even second tier classes. It is not uncommon for a high level [Archmage] to not ever have one.

I wonder what Bernard will think when he sees my new skill and its ranking. The guy has been asking me to see my status every day. And when he does, he just frowns and tells me I am doing a great job. The guys reminds me of a shitty con artist, which is a big reason I can’t seem to be nice to him. He is clearly wanting to manipulate me, but it seems he also does not want to piss me off.

“Hey Franky,”

Turning my head. I make eye contact with Brock.

“I probably shouldn’t be asking you this, especially since you saved my life. But.. how were you able to fight so well?” he asks with a burning curiosity.

Yea. I would like a definite answer to that question too.

“I can’t be sure, but I believe my [Hero’s Moment] skill activated.”

He lifts an eyebrow, confused. “I thought you said you did not know what that skill exactly does?”

“I.. don’t. I think it just makes me much stronger, but it seems to take a toll on my body,” I explain, pausing briefly as I organize my thoughts. My eyes dart around, glancing at the dancing shadows on the stone walls.

“When you told me to run. I actually thought about it. I was scared. Heck, terrified. But you were injured and if I didn’t fight, you would die. I.. couldn’t abandon you.” I shake my head, a smile forming on my lips.

“My best friend, his name is Quasi Eludo. He told me that I was a true hero. That my personality is perfect. That I’m the textbook hero.”

*Chuckle*

“And.. I can’t deny him. If someone is in danger, I am more than willing to put my life on the line.. It’s stupid, from a logical standpoint, but that’s just me.”

I take a deep breath.

“When I chose to fight and not run, the ability activated. And then everything changed. The monster was moving slow, I was moving fast, and throughout the whole fight, I was calm and confident. And then, when the fight ended. I think the skill stopped and I passed out.”

Brock starts to chuckle, laughing and moaning as he moves too much, but his face has a big smile.

“Well, that skill has a fitting name. Because that was truly a moment. One I plan to tell all the divers when i’m drunk.”

I roll my eyes, my own smile prevalent on my face. My laughter joins his, as well as my own wheezing.

Only after a good minute of laughter do we both stop and calm down.

“Well, I think you earned the horn.” he says afterwords.

I look at him with a confused expression on my face, ”What horn?”

Brock gives me a look of utter bewilderment before shaking his head.

“Right. I guess nobody explained this to you,” he starts.

“That horn sticking out of the monster, the green crystal one. That is what we divers search and collect for. The horns are used for enchanting, smithing, and crafting. They are ground or melted and mixed in with items. The items created become much stronger based on the horn’s purity. The purity of the horn can be seen by its color. Green is considered the least pure while white is considered the most pure, which is more often located deeper into the dungeon.”

“Wait. So when Jessa called me a greenhorn...”

“Yup. New, low level divers are known for hunting greenhorns because they are the easiest.”

I snort, “That thing did not seem easy at all.”

A contemplative expression forms on Brock’s face. ”A normal horn is usually the size of a finger. That thing’s horn is the size of an arm.”

“Size matters,” a feminine voice exclaims matter of factly.

Looking up, I find Jessa staring down at me. She winks.

“and it seems you guys are doing a lot better.” she adds, her voice relaxed.

“Thank you Jessa.” I say, giving her a smile, remembering how she gave me that opening.

She quickly looks away, her eyes unable to meet my own. “We’re...uh, a team.” she answers, stuttering.

Immediately Brock starts to laugh, “What’s this? Is Jessa blushing under that mask of hers?” he says with a smile.

A squeak rises from Jessa’s mouth as her body swivels around and runs to the the darkness, not saying a word.

I turn and give Brock a confused look.

“Franky, you’re very lucky that you live inside the palace. Otherwise, I don’t know how you would deal with rape!” he exclaims, giving me a wink and a cheeky smile.

“What the heck are you going on about?”

He laughs and closes his eyes. ”We need to rest. We didn’t stock up on enough food for several days.”

What? Is he implying she has feelings for me? I don’t think she would rape me even if she does.

.....

Whatever. I need to rest.

I close my eyes and allow sleep to quickly overtake me.

_________________________

Two beings seem to morph out of the darkness, their eyes watching as a group of five head towards the dungeon’s exit. One person from that group is someone they had been instructed to keep an eye on and protect.

The shadows around them seem to morph and shift, covering their bodies, shielding them from the visible spectrum of light. Only the most keen eyes would be able to see that something is wrong with the shadow’s origin. An origin seemingly forming out of their right shoulder, revealing an image of a black raven.

“His potential is astounding,” one of shadows exclaims, his eyes focused upon Franky as he helps Brock walk.

“Indeed. I did not expect him to be able to fight that monster and win. I was sure we would need to reveal ourselves to save him.” the other adds.

The first shadow nods, his eyes turning to the frozen corpse of the rat monster, standing up like a statue. ”It seems that moving some of our [Ascended] from the dungeon’s depths has freed some of its power. The dungeon will be far more dangerous now.”

“That is not our problem. The diver’s guild will persevere. They will lose divers initially, but eventually the ones surviving will be stronger.”

The shadow moves his head, turning back towards their charge, ”We will need to inform the [Grand Chancellor] about what has happened. The child has grown immensely today.”

*Sigh*

“I dislike giving reports to him. Talking to him always feels like he is seeing into my soul.”

The other shadow looks at his buddy and frowns, “Do not belittle our god’s chosen. He sees all, even the [Priestesses] you invite to your bed.”

“Let’s uh, not talk about that.”

*Shhhwwwwwiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg*

The shadows part, molting away, disappearing. Immediately two lumps are heard falling onto the ground. Then, two more fall, much larger than the last. No sound is heard. The two [Assassins] are dead, their heads removed, bodies prone on the floor.

A moment passes and reality bends, light cascades, a being is revealed. Tall, muscular, covered in black fur which pulses. A black tail flows, touching upon inexistence and then touching back.

“If this is the strength of the Shadow Ravens, then I have no reason to believe this war can end quickly.” the being talks, his voice both clear and silent. The shadow vibrate away, existence trembling around him.

His eyes move from the corpses, turning towards the [Hero], confused.

He shakes his head and sighs. He gets on one knee, hand coming to his chest.

“Mistress Laverna.. I continue to watch over this Franky as you have ordered, and I understand why. His potential exceeds even mine . But, I worry about you. You have barely spoken, even less so than you already do. I am sure you are using your great power and your time is busy, but I would very much love to hear your voice.”

Time passes and nothing happens other than reality straining to stay stable.

*Sigh*

“Well, it was worth a try. She’s probably doing something extremely important,” he exclaims before he erases his existence, leaving nothing behind but the corpses of those he had killed.

********************************************

A pillar shatters, rubble slamming into the walls of Mount Olympus.

“Where are they!? This is unexceptable!” Zeus yells, his voice causing the walls of his home to tremble. The other gods look to him in both fear and annoyance.

He yells once more, a spear of lightning forming in his hand before he throws it, blowing a gaping hole through the walls of Mount Olympus.

But it doesn't last long as both the pillar and walls fix themselves, time seemingly returning them to before they were destroyed.

“Husband, must you lose your temper?” Hera asks, bored.

Zeus charges up another spear, but stops as he makes eye contact with his wife. Hera is unimpressed.

“Odin is making a mockery of me.”

She rolls her eyes, ”A mockery you created yourself. It was your idea to interfere with Odin’s [Hero] summoning. And because of that, our summoning had been fractured. Nine [Heroes] were summoned, and only two actually made it in our city.”

*Slam*

A pillar shatters.

“I know dear WIFE.” he seethes, angry.

“Then stop breaking things. Control your anger.” She shakes her head.

“The other gods are searching our lands for the missing [Heroes]. We just need to find where they have been dropped off at. All you have to do is to make sure that Odin does not notice our blunder.”

“Easy for you to say. The man is relentless. That stupid eye of his is extremely infuriating.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Nothing can be done.” she says, turning towards the gods. All of them are sitting or standing. Eating or talking. Zeus’s anger is well known and everyone is used to his outbursts already.

“Athena dear, have you any new information on our missing [Heroes]?”

Athena, a woman wearing very revealing armor looks up.

“Another [Hero] has been found dead.”

*BOOOOOM*

Another pillar shatters, followed by Zeus’s enraged yell.

“I will fucking kill you ODIN!”

Hera looks at her husband and shakes her head before turning back to Athena, ”That is unfortunate. Three have been found dead in the past week. What of the one we found?”

Athena nods, ”She is well and is preparing to be transferred to Ares’ stronghold to be trained by the amazons.”

Hera nods and smiles. The Amazons are easily one of the world's most powerful fighters. They will surely make the new [Hero] powerful, given time.

“Thank you Athena.”

Athena nods before turning back towards the other gods.

Hera sighs and turns to her husband who has found himself walking from pillar to pillar, punching it to smithereens.

“Dear husband, please sit. I cannot focus with you constantly destroying our home.”

Zeus creates a bolt of thunder and turns, ready to throw.

And then he notices his wife Hera giving him a very unamused look.

The bolt of lightning dissipates and he takes a deep breath. Reeling in his anger.

He walks next to Hera and plops his butt down upon his throne.

*PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*

A sound, similar to farting is heard. It is abnormally loud, immediately getting the attention of all the gods.

It is then immediately followed by a female’s giggling voice. A disembodied voice.

*BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM*

Pillars start to shatter once more as Hera holds a whoopie cushion in her hand, confused, wondering where it came from.