(Riven POV – Dungeon, 6th Floor)
I watch calmly as she raises the knife, her hands trembling so violently the blade wavers. Then, just before it stabs him, I catch her wrist.
Her breath hitches. Her eyes snap wide open in terror, like a cornered animal as the trap snaps shut.
'At least she was willing to do it.' I muse, studying her expression. 'Even if it's because she thought I'd kill her if she didn't.'
There's a huge difference in usefulness between someone who can kill, and one who never will.
I sigh and offer a small, disarming smile. "Relax. It was just a test to see if you'd go through with it. You passed."
She doesn't look relieved. If anything, she looks even more scared. Probably believing that since the test is over, so too is her subscription to life.
"I'm serious." I add, releasing her hand and taking a step back so I don't loom over her. "You can kill him if you want, but it's optional. I'll handle it myself if you won't."
Her eyes flicker uncertainly, darting between me, the knife, and the unconscious man on the ground. She's frozen, unsure if refusing will anger me or please me.
'It isn't another test.' I think, watching her hesitate, but don't bother reassuring her further.
I glance at the adventurer and weigh the situation. If she turned on me, the gods would see through any lie I make, but… then a thought had struck me when she raised the knife. A potential loophole.
I had quietly asked GS if her speaking for me would be able to circumvent the lie detection. And her answer was…
[Answer: Divine lie detection functions by observing fluctuations in the soul when deceit is attempted. By using Great Sage in conjunction with IronHeart, it is possible to maintain a stable soul state, and lie undetected.]
A slow grin had spread across my face. 'Perfect.'
If I let GS speak through me while IronHeart suppresses my reactions, then it'd be my word against hers. And she's a lot less trustworthy than me.
So forcing her to kill him isn't necessary anymore.
I exhale softly, pull my sword free, and drive it through the man's chest. The motion is quick and clean as bis body jolts once, before going still.
Lili flinches, eyes shutting tight.
"Now…" I wipe the blade on the man's clothes, before flicking the remaining blood off with force. Then, I turn my gaze back to her. "Lili, right? You need me to escort you back to the surface?"
She jumps at being addressed, her gaze fixed on the ground. "N-no… Lili couldn't trouble you any more than Lili already has." Her voice trembles with each word, as she pushes through fear to speak.
"Alright." I shrug. "Then take whatever you want. Your stuff, their gear… You might as well profit from it after what you've gone through."
I shift my sword slightly, cutting off the man's belt, as his sword a few more items fall to the floor.
She watches in disbelief, mouth opening once as if to protest, then closing again.
Her expression is almost comical, suspecting my generosity for another trap.
'Must be confusing not having someone extort you for once.' I think wryly.
When I'm done, I sling my sword back and grab one of the bodies by the leg, dragging it behind me as I turn toward the deeper tunnels.
"I'm Riven Alaric." I say over my shoulder. "Captain of the Hestia Familia. If you want to report your party, you'll need a witness, and I'll vouch for you." I pause, then add. "We've got a shop in the clothing district, and you can find me there. We're also hiring, if you're interested."
My voice echoes faintly in the corridor as I walk away.
"Th-Thank you!" She calls suddenly, voice high and shaking much less than before. "Lili is grateful for your help!"
I glance back once, giving a small smile. I'm unsure if she's thanking me out of fear or habit, but either way, it doesn't matter.
"You're welcome." I reply evenly, before turning the corner and letting out with a long sigh once I'm far enough.
'It's so inconvenient having people around.'
I release my hold on Sword and the corpse, absorbing them both into Stomach.
'Is it useful?' I ask internally.
[Answer: There was no Exelia to absorb.]
I frown as realisation sets in. 'It's likely because Falna draws power from the living souls, and the blessing disappears once they die.'
I shake my head. It's disappointing, but not worth thinking further about. There's a chance I could absorb inherent power or skills not tied to Falna, but that would need further experimentation.
But for now, there's only one thing left on today's list…
'Killing things.'
I hum softly to myself as I step deeper into the dungeon.
(Riven POV – Dungeon, 12th Floor)
A manic laugh tears from my throat as I leap high into the mist-choked air. The dungeon fog billows beneath me, and a massive orc swings an uprooted tree through the mist like a club.
I land lightly on the trunk mid-swing, my boots biting into the rough bark as the air whips past my face. For an instant, I'm surfing a mountain of wood hurled by a monster the size of a house.
The grin on my face widens.
Before the orc can react, I sprint along the trunk straight toward it. Another one roars and swings from the side. I duck low, its tree whistling inches over my head, then draw Sword and carve through the reaching arm of a third orc.
Hot blood sprays through the air. The severed limb hits the ground next… and its owner's roar follows last.
I use the momentum, twist, and launch myself off the trunk. The world blurs for an instant, and then I'm eye-level with the largest of the three.
I slice horizontally, cutting cleanly through its upper face. Bone, muscle, and eye part like paper.
It doesn't even have time to scream before its body crashes down with a thunderous boom that shakes the cavern.
More roars follow, guttural and furious, mixing with the rush of air as the other orcs swing again.
'Finally, some enthusiasm.'
I twist midair, narrowly avoiding another tree, grab onto a broken branch, and use it to pivot before dropping straight down onto the second orc. One sharp movement, and its head parts from its neck.
The last one howls, swinging wildly now in panic. I rush in, duck under a horizontal sweep, and slice through its leg. It crashes to its knees, its roar cut short when my second swing shears its arm off.
The third blow ends the fight, its head rolling through the air in one direction, while its body falls in another.
The cavern falls silent except for my breathing. I let out a calm and steady exhale.
The fight wasn't… exciting, exactly. It's just the thrill and adrenaline pumping energy through my body that makes me happy. It's like stretching after sitting too long. Scratching an itchy that never really left.
"It's a shame my fists aren't stronger." I muse aloud, flicking blood off Sword. "It would've been fun to go hand-to-hand."
I activate Predator, letting the corpses dissolve into black smoke as I absorb them one by one.
The trek down here hadn't been uneventful. Killer Ants, Needle Rabbits, and numerous other monsters came at ne… but they were all crushed, mutilated, or gutted. After using breathing technique and reinforcing my body, none of them were worth more than a few seconds each. Still, their drops and magic stones would be useful for magic recovery, forging, or any other experiments I might try.
Along the way, I'd started collecting large stones too, storing them in Stomach as ammo for dealing with flying pests.
Which brings me to—
"SKREEEEEEE—!"
My spine prickles as the shrill, piercing cry splits the air. The sound scrapes through the cavern like nails on metal.
I frown. "Bad Bats…"
They circle above, their leathery wings beating in the mist, out of reach but not out of range.
'Why are they so annoying?' I groan internally. 'Even goblins are more dangerous.'
[Answer: Bad Bats can emit concentrated sonic waves capable of stunning or disorienting targets. IronHeart is nullifying this effect.]
GS chimes in, conveniently as always.
'So for a normal Level One, that noise could get them killed mid-fight.'
I conjure a stone from Stomach, hefting it once before throwing. It blurs through the air, slamming into a bat's wing with a crack. The creature spirals, shrieking, and crashes into the dirt.
Another stone. Another shriek. Two down.
Curious, I walk over and kneel beside the twitching one, pressing a hand to its head as Predator activates. This time, the body does not disintegrate into smoke, but rather, is absorbed intact… alive.
A second passes, the only noise being the screeching if the remaining downed bat, when—
[Notice: Skill: Sonic Scream, acquired.]
A grin slowly spreads across my face. "Even annoying things like you have a purpose."
The remaining bat screeches louder, wounded but defiant. The noise keeps grating against my ears, but this… I smile.
"Let's test it."
The moment I open my mouth, the skill fires off instinctively.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The sound explodes from my throat like thunder. The entire chamber trembles as a physical vibration that rattles the bones in my chest escapes my mouth. The world seems to shake as dust rains from the ceiling.
The bat freezes mid-screech, its body twitching before dropping limp and silent.
I blink. "…They fainted?"
I process it for a moment, then laugh.
"There's no way the skill's that strong." I murmur, though the thought lingers. Maybe it's not that the ability isn't powerful… it's just that the bats are weak.
A bat isn't loud, so the boost the skill must give is enormous.
Still, power is power.
As thanks to the bats, I gently cradle its head, then crush its skull one-handed before absorbing the remains with Predator.
'Now, at least, I won't have to deal with aerial pests anymore. And if I combine Sonic Scream with the Minotaur's Howl...'
The possibilities make me grin.
I stretch, rolling my shoulders, the quiet hum of the dungeon settling around me again. I was supposed to stop here, on the twelfth floor. But the thought itches at the back of my mind, as the dungeon seems to beckon me deeper.
"Well…" I mutter to myself. "A few more floors never hurt anyone. I'll just go down until I find a Minotaur or two."
I'm sure Hestia, being the benevolent Goddess she is, will understand and forgive me for the sins I'm about to commit.
I nod to myself, the logic being sound, and whistle a low tune as I walk toward the passage leading down, the mist parting around me like curtains on a stage.
***********
A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, finally! Some action. Ngl, it's been long overdue. A lot of things have been overdue. Stuff like getting a new skill, FM heading deeper, fighting, etc.
And no, I haven't forgotten about Ariel. There's just no need to use it yet, y'know? Main thing being he's not yet quite deep, so there's a chance he'd get caught using it, and come on... It's overkill.
Who uses max level spells in the newbie village?
So, I plan to ramp it up. Schemers will scheme in the background, and so on.
As for Lili, actually, I was gonna go this route when I realised she's never actually killed anyone (according to canon!), and I'm using the job as an excuse to get her closer to the Familia, for when Bell eventually arrives. I mean, she'd accept. She'd make more working for Riven than she does getting scammed by her parties. And it's a lot less stressful.
She also cute (as most Pallums are [although, in my opinion, she's one of the cuter ones, but I digress]), and would be a good mascot. Come on... Doesn't the thought of Lili dressing in cute outfits make you curious...
*Ahem
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
But yeah. This is the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed and have a great day/night 💖