Bang...
David dropped from the shaft into the sewers, his boots echoing against the brick floor in the pitch-black underground space.
A nasty smell like rotten eggs hit him in the face, crawling thick and slimy into his nostrils.
Good thing David had put on his thick black mask, which blocked out some of the stench. Even better, the imperial capital's sewer system was surprisingly spacious, with sidewalks built on both sides of the "river channel" where the sewage flowed.
Of course, only rats and bugs ever visited down here. Regular people wouldn't dare set foot in this place.
Because the sewers were crawling with countless "dark" things.
The first thing David did was pull out the small vial from his waist and pour out the liquid inside.
He'd mixed up this potion specifically to lure monsters. After studying the hunter's alchemical potion knowledge through the system, he'd gotten pretty good at making this stuff.
Walking into the massive crisscrossing sewers, it didn't take long before shadows started moving in the darkness.
Weird sounds came from the flowing sewage too, with things slowly approaching him underwater.
According to the city hall's statistics, the imperial capital lost quite a few homeless people every year who just vanished without a trace. Most of the missing had actually been dragged deep into the sewers.
The Order regularly sent hunters down here to clear out the monsters, but since the sewers connected to the wide Lionheart River channel and various underground waterways, the dark creatures could never be completely wiped out.
Pale claws reached up from the water, slimy swollen evil faces slowly surfacing. They crept up behind David, trying to ambush this lone hunter...
Boom!
Heavy Hammer's roar echoed through the sewers, and the monster trying to sneak up got blown to pieces.
David swung the gun around and pulled the trigger at the darkness ahead without showing any emotion, firing shot after shot...
He'd been hitting up the Order's underground shooting range whenever he had time lately, so his aim had improved a bit, but he still couldn't shoot exactly where he wanted.
But with the "invincible Heavy Hammer" in his hands, he didn't need to be that accurate. Even when bullets hit the bricks, the massive power blasted stone chips and shockwaves that could shred those fragile monsters with only around 100 life energy into Swiss cheese.
These were creatures called "water ghouls." They loved eating the flesh of drowning victims, their claws and fangs carried poison, and they were pretty strong fighters in the water, but on land they were about as weak as a skinny human.
The water ghouls lured by the potion smell quickly figured out this "human" was actually terrifying, and could only scramble away desperately through the endless gunfire.
Too bad they couldn't outrun David, who was even crazier than the monsters...
The blue Hand of Monster snatched them one by one, ripping off the water ghouls' arms as David easily harvested more life energy.
Every bit counted. He never passed up any chance to boost himself.
Though the Hand of Monster seemed to hit some kind of bottleneck after reaching level 5. Its potential seemed completely tapped out.
Pretty soon, there wasn't a single monster left around David. Even the rats and bugs had been scared off by all the fighting, leaving a clear "path" ahead.
Now he could focus on finding that legendary "sculptor" in this massive, complicated underground space.
...
Why would anyone live in the sewers?
David couldn't wrap his head around it. Even weirder, this person actually "opened for business."
According to the info Doug had dug up, the sculptor would sell his mysterious artworks. You just had to find the mark he left in the sewers, then blow a whistle, and he'd show up.
Was this guy some kind of sewer rat or something?
But the sculptor wasn't as easy to find as the rumors suggested. At least David had been wandering around for three whole hours without seeing that legendary mark.
He'd gone deeper and deeper, starting from the southern city's first underground level entrance and winding down four or five levels...
No, he wasn't even sure how deep underground he'd gone anymore. When he stuck his head out from some of the wells where water gathered, both up and down were just pitch black.
Just when he was starting to think Doug had been played and he'd become an idiot too, he suddenly noticed a red paint mark on a wall around a corner.
It was a mask pattern.
"Finally found it..." David sighed.
He blew the whistle, then settled in to wait patiently.
In the darkness, David quietly held his breath, listening to the distance. Faintly, he thought he heard some skittering sounds.
Like countless legs tapping against the walls...
Only then did he notice spider webs appearing in the corners of the sewers.
Spiders?
Just as he was about to go investigate, a clear bell sound rang out.
Ding-a-ling...
Something with a bell attached was getting closer.
Before long, a light lit up the sewer corner. When the bell and light appeared, those skittering sounds disappeared.
The "sculptor" had arrived.
It was an old man carrying a heavy pack on his back, wearing a round hat, with a scruffy beard.
The wide brim pressed down over his eyes, so David couldn't see his face clearly. But from Watcher's vision, the guy was just a regular person with pretty average life energy.
"Hello."
David pressed down his hat brim and greeted him in a deep voice.
"A hunter..."
The sculptor responded hoarsely. He held up his lantern to light up David's figure, and after noticing his full Order hunter outfit, said calmly, "Pleased to meet you, hunter sir."
"Mr. Sculptor, are you still running your business?" David got straight to the point.
"Of course... at your service anytime..."
The sculptor walked over to David and gently set down his pack. "What do you need?"
"Fluorite Mask."
David only said that name, and the guy seemed to completely understand. He rummaged through his pack, pulled out a palm-sized stone, grabbed his carving tools, and just started working right there by lamplight.
The sculptor carved fast and skillfully, like the technique had been hammered into his bones. Watching him carve was like watching a beautiful performance.
Before he knew it, several dozen minutes had passed, and a palm-sized little "mask" had taken shape.
David looked at the mask, which was half the size he'd imagined, and started to wonder if this weird old guy was messing with him...
"Please don't doubt me, hunter sir. This is the Fluorite Mask you wanted... The size, shape, and material are all correct. I carved it according to the techniques my teacher passed down..."
The sculptor handed the mask to David, then started packing up.
"Wait, can I get another one?"
"You want two?"
The sculptor thought for a moment, took back the mask, and ran his carving knife along the center line across its surface.
Crack, the mask split neatly in half...
"What... are you doing?" David was totally confused by this move.
"My teacher said if a customer needs two Fluorite Masks, split one mask in half and give it to them. It's tradition..."
David took the now-split mask again and blinked. "So, how do I pay you?"
"No need. You cleared out quite a few monsters for me. That's payment enough."
The sculptor finished packing his things, shouldered his pack again, and prepared to leave.
"Wait..." David stopped him and asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid I'm here to kill you?"
The sculptor calmly turned and asked back, "Why would a hunter kill a sculptor in the sewers?"
David smiled. "Or maybe I'll haul you back to the Order..."
"No, you won't. If you weren't here to do business, I wouldn't have appeared."
With a clear ring of the bell, the sculptor carrying his lantern left. His lamplight quickly disappeared around the far corner.
"Weird guy..."
David shook his head, pocketed the two mask halves, and got ready to head back.
He'd barely lifted his foot when he froze.
He'd forgotten something. He should've asked that old guy for directions.
Had to admit, he'd gotten himself lost in this maze-like sewer world...