Chapter 73

It felt good to be back in the dungeon. Michael felt like he was more at home in here than outside, nowadays. He had slept more times in his treehouse in the Misty Valley, the former residence of the Forest King that he repurposed as his own house, than in his real home lately. He had no love for his actual home, but still. Plus, it was too far away from the base of operations. He had thought about sleeping at the HQ somewhere, perhaps commandeering a sofa or something, but it felt wasteful when he could simply sleep in the dungeon and be rested in ten real-world minutes rather than wasting eight whole hours.

Johanne still insisted they build a mansion next to the dungeon. For Michael, going through the first floor was akin to walking through the porch to get home, why build a house?

She insisted, and he relented. They had the money, and he had seen the drawings. The mansion was going to be gorgeous, built inside the mountain using magic and mundane means alike. Johanne was going to do a lot of heavy lifting to build the house in ways that were not possible, nor economically feasible otherwise. The place would then be surrounded by trees and a small lake created by diverting the creek and adding some water with elemental stones.

Yes, elemental stones were a thing now, it seemed. Even without a lab, Johanne was already making the science division work overtime to come up with new inventions and knickknacks. It wouldn’t be long before Unity Corp could really begin to change the world.

It’s like she doesn’t sleep either. Or perhaps she has some sort of magic to enhance her mind?

Voices behind him brought Michael’s attention back to the present. The dungeon had deposited them in a dark room without monsters this time, unlike when he went in alone or with just one or two people. A snap of his fingers, and flames were conjured from his hand. Together with the powerful flashlights, they lit the room to day.

He could see everyone’s different reaction to the damp place. Jennifer looked around, as if bored. She didn’t yet believe in the true danger of this place. Trevor was studying the room, noticing with unconcealed worry that there were no exits save for a single dark door leading deeper. It wasn’t the teleportation inside that had shaken him, but the lack of exits. Old Dave was fidgeting, no doubt dreading his turn to fight. Travis was determined, looking at the door like it was a tasty treat. Michael wondered why the man did not go in the dungeon more often, after all the excuse that Travis did not have time to do it wasn’t really holding up with the time freeze, but perhaps not everyone was a battle junkie like him.

The first run was Michael’s turn. He squared his shoulders and got ready to show the others what they were dealing with. Then he rushed through the door, trusting that Travis would make sure the others knew what to do.

He finally unleashed himself. The floor was a mix of powered-up skeletons and goblins, many more than usual to account for the party size but no harder to kill singularly, and Michael had long grown past human limits.

His arms were a flurry of activity. A sweep of his hand, and flames engulfed a goblin. A flick of his wrist, and several [Foul Water Bullets] pierced the brains of more goblins. A fist carried a [Distortion Field] against the chest of a skeleton, exploding its brittle bones after overpowering its shield.

Michael grinned. He had been pushing the skill to its limit, feeding it energy to always try to breach beyond its limitations. It was only a matter of time before he succeeded.

Now we’re talking.

What followed was a carnage. With the distortion sphere always active, he started incorporating the deeper understandings he got from [Okinawan Mastery] into his style, using the sphere like a part of his own body, a deadly weapon.

***

Jennifer was genuinely afraid that if she gaped any wider, her jaw might seriously hit the floor. She had been told about magic. She had been told about the dungeon. She had seen part of the footage showing the aftermath of the battle in the forest. She had seen Michael conjure magical flames in front of her.

Yet, she had not believed. She had not fully come to terms with the fact that magic was a thing now. She thought that it would only be a party trick, how else could she explain the current state of the world? Magic was real, yes, but it was nothing more than little flames and fancy tricks. Nothing that a gun couldn’t overpower.

She had not seen the things Candle Light was already beginning to uncover. She had not yet seen the depths of Michael’s power.

Now she was witnessing true magic.

Michael had cleared the first room in record time, a blitz of movement and death. He danced and things died, magic flashed from his body and hands like it belonged, doing impossible things and filling her with dread. This was her boss, and he alone was more powerful than all the forces under her command. She thought she was protecting him, but…

Boy, was I wrong.

It would be more correct to say that he would be the one protecting her should a magical threat appear.

Awe turned to determination. She had almost scoffed when her boss had told her he wanted to power her up with magic? Now that she had seen the opportunities magic could offer, she decided to embrace the new paradigm. She was weak, but she wouldn’t be weak for long.

Mr Tyrell was providing commentary beside her, detailing every little thing Michael did during his fight.

“See? He took a hit on purpose, knowing he can heal himself. He slipped past the guard with a burst of speed from his strengthening skill and summoned the sphere again inside the skeleton’s ribcage.”

He was a mix between a sports caster and an analyst.

“Ah, now he switched to using [Presence]. See how the monster froze for a second? Then a water bullet to the head. He has a mutated variant of the element, so he doesn’t need to worry about them getting back up.”

Johanne intervened here and there to better explain some abilities or tactics, while David hummed along in thought.

The second room was cleared much like the first. Jennifer was forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about the world. Then she was forced to reconsider the danger this place posed to her and everyone who worked here. Who was to say these monsters couldn’t spill out whenever they wanted?

Forget that. She looked at Michael, and was glad he was on her side. But if what they told her was true, and whatever phenomenon was causing this was also expanding, then the world was about to see some real shit.

“People like him could be running around and we wouldn’t know?” Trevor asked, as if reading her mind.

Mr Tyrell nodded. “There are at least two of them that we know already. Perhaps even three. And that’s just around here. Who knows what’s going on with the rest of the world?”

“This is…” she began.

“Not even half of it,” Mr Tyrell said with an expression that was half a smirk and half a sigh. “We have already seen dozens of anomalous items, flora and fauna caused by the dungeon’s mana around Site 00 alone.”

“That’s what Candle Light is trying to contain, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Contain, and use. As newest high-clearance members, you’ll need to get up to speed as soon as possible. Oh,” he said, “he’s done. Let’s move onto the boss room. Follow me, please.”

They entered the last room. Suddenly Jennifer found herself surrounded by tall humanoids with green skin and stacks of animated bones surrounded by shimmering shields. They were the same monsters she had seen in the rest of the dungeon floor, but now they were much bigger and they exuded an aura of power. She had to admit that, despite her training and disposition, she would probably have panicked had she been in here alone.

It was like she knew, viscerally, that even though these monsters looked like simple oversized versions of the other monsters she had already seen, they were much, much more powerful. Powerful enough to even put Michael in a tough spot. There were just so many of them, all of them quickly converging on their position, leaving them with no avenue to escape. Trevor was clearly looking uncomfortable, but resolute, and beside him David Chestermill, the CEO, was white as a sheet. The only calm members of their expedition were Travis and Johanne, and she didn’t know why.

She voiced her doubts, to which Johanne snickered.

“You do not yet know the capabilities of my lord. Watch and learn.”

She struggled to stay still. Then suddenly Michael waved his hand, and dozens upon dozens of the very same water bullets he had used until now materialized out of thin air. They surrounded him like a rain shower frozen in time. With a flick of his wrist, they all shot towards the monsters that crowded the room.

One moment the room was full of raging monsters barely kept at bay by Michael’s efforts. The next there was only shredded meat and splinters of bone, visibly rotting before it all turned into a faint ethereal mist.

“This is the true power of Silver,” said Johanne.

“Huh, this turned out to be much more of a sightseeing trip than I thought it would be. I will have to update the files,” Mr Tyrell said. He had been recording the fight with his phone, but the last show of power had him transfixed. The result was that the video was tilted to the side as his arms had slackened.

Trevor was stoic. His lack of reaction was almost worrying, as if the man had ran out of emotions to display. It was a stark opposite to Jennifer’s own appearance, her usual cynic façade crumbled to dust before the raw power she had been witness to.

Mister Chestermill was balling his fists so hard the knuckles had turned white. He was shaking, but not in fear. Just one look at his eyes told her that he was raring to go, motivated by what he had seen, desperate for a fight himself.

This is not a normal company. This place is nuts. These people are nuts.

How many other people could claim to be working under three battle maniacs who wielded magic? One, the owner, who was a complete monster. Another, David, who looked like a tall but frail old man until you looked at his eyes. He had been scared, but he also magic, and after seeing this last display of strength it was clear he couldn’t wait to use it. The third was a short but stout man, former CEO of a ruthless oil company now turned loyal lackey of the owner, with a fixation for protocol and controlling all things under his purview.

Not to speak about the other person above her in the hierarchy. A strange woman who had no legal identity up until a few days ago and who could cast magic and called the owner her lord.

Who could claim to be able to fight monsters?

Jennifer finally understood just where she had ended up. After a brief moment of confusion, she shared a look with her colleague and old friend. Trevor was grinning now.

They both knew it. Hell yeah, they were the right people for the job.