Chapter 27: Odyssey

Harsh sunrays blazed down onto the great tower of Babel, highlighting the complex intricacies of its design. An eery aura swept through the plaza, eliciting a sense of foreboding.

Most of the Loki familia's entire force traipsed about the courtyard, giving each other advice, and performed any final preparations. Higher level members focused on morale, whilst lower ranking adventurers oversaw large trolleys, containing the group's food supplies. The Hephaestus familia blacksmiths stood to the side, immense packs on their backs, supposedly full to the brim with crafting materials. One smith broke rank and marched up to someone, an annoyed expression on their face.

"Ugh, I thought I smelt something foul! Bete Loga, you're dead meat if you ruin your Flosvirt again!"

Tsubaki Collbrande stalked up to the wary werewolf and glared up at him. She showed her mischievous nature by getting awfully close to him, well aware that the man wanted nothing to do with her. "And right after I fixed it! Right?"

Expectedly, Bete twisted his body away from the woman and snarled. "I get the friggin' picture. NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF MY DAMN FACE!"

Further off, Hit turned towards the outcry and shook his head. 'Why are we still here wasting time? I could have been nearly there by now...'

It was 8 o'clock in the morning, quite late by Hit's standards. He wore a new trenchcoat, aesthetically the same, albeit lined with salamander wool, and Sylph cloth, each conferring resistance to fire and wind-based attacks, respectively. He had researched the monster rex of the 17th floor: Goliath. It was a seven-metre-tall humanoid with pale brown skin and walnut coloured hair. Apparently, it possessed a terrifying howl-based attack that was dangerous to even high level adventurers, if they suffered the full brunt of it. Hit was pretty sure that the titan could turn him into red paste quite easily, if it managed to catch him, but it was best to be safe.

Tiona noticed Hit was looking a little gloomy and skipped up to him. "Aww. Don't be too sad Hit. We'll all meet up on the 18th floor! Shame that most first-class adventurers ended up in group 1..."

Hit closed his eyes, attempting to shut off the growing noise around them. "How will I ever recover..."

'It's to pave a way for the lower-level members and provisions that follow them, you airheaded girl.'

Tiona reacted in a predictable manner. *bleh* "Meanie!"

The two had grown closer over the week, gaining a respect for each other's strength. Tiona had settled into believing that Hit's skill was short range teleportation, but still pestered him about the exact name. Heroes always needed snazzy names for their attacks and abilities!

The gathering seemed to quieten down as there was some commotion at the front. A lone pallum stood in front of three Loki familia emblem flags and addressed the gathering of epic proportions.

"Adventurers! The time has come for us to set off on our grand expedition! As usual, we'll be splitting into two groups, to prevent disturbing other divers on the upper floors. I will lead group 1, and Gareth group 2. We'll regroup on floor 18, then selected members will proceed straight to floor 50. Our destination is the mysterious uncharted ground of level 59. Expedition forces, LET'S MARCH!"

Bellows of agreement followed their captain's commands.

""""YEAH!""""

And so began the Loki familias latest delve into the mirky depths below...

…

Hit kicked a pebble into one of the glowing wall lights, as he followed behind Gareth and Lefiya on the 7th floor. The wait for their group to descend was excruciating.

Reflections danced across the cave walls, emanating from Gareth's impressive attire. The dwarf was garbed in a silvery set of heavy body armour, with a horned helmet atop his head. A double-sided axe was held in one arm and stood taller than the man. Gareth looked behind him and smiled. "What's the matter, lad? Not 'aving fun?"

Hit frowned back at him, hands stuffed firmly in his pockets. "No."

Lefiya slowed down a little to match his pace. "What's wrong, Mr Hit? Are you not feeling well?"

Lefiya had lost her previous apprehension, and no longer had much of an issue talking to Hit. The boy had a soft spot, even if he could still be quite scary. In fact, she was grateful that he spent a little time helping her with magic studies. Although, she did have to pay him with magic circles afterwards...

Hit shook his head and stifled a yawn. "We've wasted nearly half the day away, and now we're walking at a snail's pace. Why can't we just run down, to the 10th floor at least?"

Gareth turned back and scoffed. "Heh, heh. Is that what you usually do? Strange strategy... I'm sure you know that if we do rush down, and too many high-level adventurers come together in a nearby region, the dungeon will spew out tonnes of monsters. What do ye think will 'appen to any rookies in our path?"

Hit clicked his tongue, admitting the dwarf had a point. "At least I have the goliath to look forward to..."

Gareth furrowed his brows in confusion. "Huh? Lad, don't ya know that it still has over two weeks left to spawn again? We cleared it just for this; makes the dive much safer for everyone."

Hit nearly fell over in shock and disappointment. 'He can't be serious!? There goes one of my biggest reasons to descend with these people.'

Right as the party was about to enter the 8th floor, Hit felt it. An immense pressure settled over them, one that was very familiar. The other individuals did not seem to notice it, so Hit kept quiet and stretched his senses. Gareth noticed the shift in his mood and called out. "You ok la...?"

*thump*

*thump*

*thump*

Heavy footsteps sounded out, forcing the dwarf's attention back in front. A tall dark silhouette drew closer. Gasps rang out as a few adventurers recognised the identity of the newcomer. It was a man, standing at nearly seven foot tall; muscles rippled on every inch of him, surpassing even Hit's former physique. Two small, pointed ears told the onlookers he was a Boaz. The man wore a tight black undershirt that left his arms bare; a red plate of armour over the left of his chest; grey trousers; and tan heavy boots. Lefiya gulped at the man's weapon: an immense black greatsword, held on his right shoulder. He looked down at the puny ants in his path, eyes blazing down, the effect enhanced by the blood red bandana that covered his forehead.

Gareth sweatdropped at the obstacle. "...Well, if it isn't the king... You wouldn't have any business with us, would you?"

The "king" did not bother to slow down and walked past them, parting the sea of adventurers. "My goal here is complete."

Hit glared at the man, recognising what he had sensed on the lower floors. "What business do you have with me, cur?"

'This bastard, he's the one who's been spying on me, and interfering in my work.'

Surrounding adventurers looked at Hit in horror. The Boaz stopped abruptly and stared down at the shorter boy, emotionlessly. Although, some motes of respect filtered in. "...Each of us has our role to fulfil."

With a strange farewell, the imposing man trudged off, finally giving a moment of respite to the Loki familia adventurers.

Gareth sighed and used his axe for balance, showing his age a little. "That was very foolish lad. Do you realise who that was?"

Hit gritted his teeth, furious at his current weakness. "I do not care who they are. Someone who interferes with other people's battles is nothing but scum."

Gareth ruffled his hair under his itchy headgear. "Huff. So, ya don't know... Fine, I'll be the bearer of bad news. That was Ottar, the king. He's the highest level adventurer in Orario, the level 7 captain of the Freya Familia. And what do you mean by interfere?"

Hit's eyes widened at the familiar name. 'Freya! So, that sow really is still after me. I need to put an end to this... I will not be a pawn in her game.'

*Patter* *patter* *patter*

Another round of footsteps rang out soon after, this time much more hurriedly.

Hit's excellent vision picked out Riveria, who was carrying a pallum, or child, garbed in a bloody white clock. Behind her, Ais ran carrying the familiar Bell. The boy looked to be in an even worse state, cuts, and bruises all over him.

'He got injured to such a degree on the 8th or 9th floor? Not too promising...' Hit's convoluted idea of a level 1's strength, and lack of information on Bell's recent battle, affected his judgement here.

Gareth called out to the two, thoroughly confused by the two strange events. This expedition was not starting out very well at all... "Riveria! Ais! What happened?"

Riveria maintained her sprint and continued to race onwards. "I'll explain later, we'll be right back!"

Everyone stood and watched the two run off, valuable cargo in hand. Gareth cupped his chin in thought. "Sure were in a hurry..."

Lefiya's brows furrowed, confused why this Bell boy was getting so involved with their familia. "What could have happened to him?"

*THUMP*

Gareth beat his axe's handle onto the ground, returning order to the flustered adventurers, and raised their morale. "Right, let's get a move on, you layabouts! We can make it down to the 18th in a few hours, if we keep up a good pace. Move out!"

Soon after their odd encounters, the company found themselves traipsing through an ashen forest on the 12th floor. Hit was pleased that they were making good progress, now that they were finally out of the narrow corridors of the upper floors. Hit had opted to rush out and kill monsters as soon as they spawned, away from prying eyes. The others were quite impressed by his sensory abilities, particularly Gareth, who had not forgotten that Hit was the only one who sensed the King. Additionally, they seemed incredibly surprised that magic stones remained after Hit eradicated the creatures completely.

Apparently, adventurers usually avoided directly slicing into magic stones, as this had a chance of damaging them, thereby lowering their value. Consequently, monster bodies would remain for a short time after their deaths, forcing adventurers to carve their cores out. Aesthetically speaking, Hit's attacks should have completely destroyed the magic stones within, causing the monsters to burst into smoke. Hit pondered this for a moment, being incredibly grateful that he did not have to waste precious time on such a menial task, and came to a potential conclusion. His attacks were perfectly executed, there was no unequal force exerted by his pinpoint attacks. Additionally, Hit had subconsciously been creating shockwaves around magic stones, thereby isolating them, for a few brief moments, from their golem-like bodies. This unusual fighting style emerged in an evolutionary style, where Hit would keenly observe which strikes were the most debilitating to monsters, becoming more lethal over time. Finally, latent time energy transferred unusual properties to those struck by it, that Hit himself was not completely all-knowing of; perhaps they were momentarily frozen in time in a pristine state...

Suddenly, Lefiya shouted as several silhouettes approached. "Look out!"

Hit skipped time.

*Shing*

*Bam*

*Bam*

*Bam*

The approaching trio of bad bats turned into black smoke before they even touched the boy, who had not even moved in real time. To all onlookers, it appeared as though the flighty creatures vaporised for absolutely no reason. Lefiya's jaw dropped as she saw nothing of what Hit had just done. "Wha? H-how did you do that, Mr Hit? Is that your skill?"

Hit looked down at her, or more specifically at something below the elf. "Focus on your own battles."

A pulsating dungeon worm had grasped onto Lefiya's shoe and was about to dig in to its next meal.

"Whhaaaaa!" The horrified elf shook the worm off, kicking it into the mist. She huffed in place for a few moments, paralysed with disgust. "T-those aren't even supposed to spawn yet!?"

Gareth took on a concerned look, but quickly hid it. "The dungeon's disturbed, that's for sure..."

*CRASH*

*GRRRAAARRR!*

All present personnel tensed as an enormous reptile felled five trees in one fell swoop. As the dust cleared, Hit saw that it was a large, flightless dragonoid with pale yellow skin; characteristic red eyes blazed in its skull. The ground trembled as the infant dragon roared down at the invaders.

Gareth held an arm up, blocking Hit's path. "Hang back, lad, we'll deal with this. Alright! All level 3's..."

Hit marched right towards the man, smirking at the Dragon's shattered teeth. "Get out of my way. This one's mine."

Gareth's eyes widened at Hit's determined expression, before falling to one of calculation. After a moment of analysis, he stepped aside. "Fine, ya can get a warmup. But the moment ya tire, we're stepping in".

Hit ignored the comments and marched to his enemy, usual menacing stance in effect.

Lefiya piped up in concern. Why would Gareth do this!? She couldn't let her... acquaintance... die! "B-but, that's an infant dragon! They're technically considered boss level monsters!"

Gareth chuckled, but could not help but already regret his decision. He knew of some of the boy's feats, but some just seemed unbelievable. "Personally, I'd like to get a glimpse of the lad's fire. Besides, we can always step in if it gets too dicy."

*GRROOOARR!*

Hit's coat ruffled under the monster's roar, and resultant shockwaves. Onlookers stared, confused and worried at the strange choice.

Hit entered his serious stance and readied himself. 'Time to finally test out my updated strength.'

Without warning, the dragon stampeded towards Hit, who stood there motionlessly. A few seconds later and it was right over him, raising a scaled claw up, to flatten the motionless boy. Red eyes burned with an eternal, ungodly flame.

Lefiya could not stop herself and shouted in horror. "Hit!"

Gareth lost his composure and realised his mistake. "Crap! Everyone...!"

*shing*

Hit ran up the drake's arm and leapt upwards, level to its eye, giving him a perfect bird's-eye view of the landscape behind him. The warrior drew back his fist and shot it out in the nick of time.

**BAM**

*RAAAARR!?*

Spittle and teeth flew out of the dragon's maw, glistening in the purple light. The beast fell back, due to its reduced footing, and clattered onto the dungeon floor, upheaving mountains of dust and ash. Accompanying adventurers went from being horrified, to awed at the momentous display.

"Holy shit!"

"Did you just see that!?"

"He really can teleport!"

The infant dragon reared up, limping. Blood dripped from numerous perforations, created by its impact on the landform weapons below. A sizeable crater had formed on the right side of its face, permanently deforming it.

Hit pulled back on his gloves, letting out a satisfying squeezing sound. "At last." He had finally breached the tough outer skin of a level 2 monster, allowing a much greater percentage of his attack's force to reach the sensitive innards within.

*SCRIIIIII*

The dragon screamed in agony and ran back at Hit, intent on using the same strategy. What a cruel fate, to be a dragon without any wings. The creature raised and felled its four limbs, attempting to flatten the slippery enemy, but all Hit had to do was predict the trajectory under time skip. Perhaps during a moment of insanity, he opted to not dodge a final crushing foot, and braced for impact.

*CRASH*

Ground cratered as Hit was forced downwards. His bones ached and splintered in places; blood dripped from his mouth and eyes. Gareth and Lefiya gaped at the impossible feat. Hit's gamble had worked: he had compensated for his lack of endurance, using his absurd strength. "Is that the best you've got!?"

Blood vessels bulged across Hit's body as he pushed his arms upwards, to send the oppressing weight careening away. "HAAAAA!"

The titanic foe groaned and was sent upwards, before toppling down onto its back. It screamed and flailed about in desperation.

Hit gritted his teeth and ran, forcing himself to ignore the pain. He jumped onto a nearby tree, and leapt even higher still. The infant dragon was about to recover, when Hit put an end to its escape. In midair, the maniac held his hands in a triangular formation, and a purple glow illuminated the dead forest, like a hostile star. The light pulsed brighter still, and transferred to the adversary below, who slowed considerably in their recovery. Hit rocketed down, activating time skip to shorten his descent. Panels of shattered space-time whizzed by him, appearing like a never-ending tunnel downwards.

***BAM***

Purple arrays of light shimmered from an epicentre: Hit's fist embedded within the monster's chest. Purple particles darkened as they were accompanied by black mist. The beast was dead...

No one spoke, simply gawking at Hit. The boy smiled and picked up a sizeable magic stone, before making his way back. Despite being a level 1, his strength had now burgeoned to that of a true level 2.

The silent atmosphere was broken as a few Loki familia members ran up to Hit, starry eyed.

"That was amazing man!"

"I never knew you were so cool! You totally seemed like a lonely asshole!"

"You should come and have a drink with us some time, bro!"

Hit ignored the comments but made sure to remember one of their faces. He walked up to a stunned Gareth and continued. "Let's get moving."

Gareth was woken from his reverie, before he realised Hit had forgotten something important. "Y-yeah. Wait! Get those damned wounds healed, boy!"

Hardly any sounds greeted the Loki familia as they approached the 17th floor, solely a faint murmuration, akin to building energy. Unlike the usual staircases, an immense doorway, over 20 metres in height, was their entry point. A similar archway was at the opposite end of the grand hall, compelling them on. Multi-coloured light flowed over the passing adventurers, like an oily sheen.

Hit marvelled at the dungeon formation to their left: the great wall of sorrow. This immense structure made up the entire left border of the boss room and was overflowing with shimmering auroras. Unfortunately, it was marred by an immense crevice, likely where the goliath had erupted from. The ground was scarred with deep gashes and broken equipment.

Gareth huffed, glad to be able to present Hit with absolute proof that Goliath was not spawning any time soon. The boy was unusually vocal on the way, and had asked a number of short, abrupt questions about the creature. It was similar to the experience that parents endure, when having to deal with a never-ending series of "are we there yets".

"There! I told ya there'd be no Goliath! You're beyond incredible for your status, but fighting that thing would be impossible."

Lefiya gazed at the towering heights and shimmering hues with admiration. She was also still feeling inspired by Hit's battle on the 12th floor. "Are you sure? I don't see how Mr Hit could be caught with his skill... Goliath isn't known for his speed..."

Gareth scoffed at the young elf and shook his head. "...but Goliath is durable and can snipe you with a breath attack. Level 2 strength just isn't enough. Maybe if you were level 3... considering what we just saw... Still can't believe it... Just wait until I tell the others."

Hit relinquished his faint hope and focused on the future. They had just passed through the archway to the 18th floor. "Hmph... I suppose I can wait in Rivira until it spawns next. I deserve a holiday."

Gareth spluttered and stopped in place. "Did ya even listen to anything I just said!? Like I said, stubborn as a mule."

Hit quirked a brow and looked back. "What's a mule?"

Gareth scratched at his beard, giving up on advising the boy any further. "Ugh. So, this is what Riveria was talking about..."

The light around them began to grow in intensity and lost its unnatural sheen. Sounds of flowing water and chirping birds alerted Hit to the approaching marvel. He hastened his steps and sped walked ahead.

Gareth waved his axe at the boy. "Oi! Rivira's not going anywhere, Hit!"

It was an unspoken rule to remain behind the highest-level adventurer, but Hit completely ignored it, or did not even conceive of such a tradition. He shielded his eyes as he stepped onto a grassy field, temporarily blinded by a dazzling light, identical to the sun's. As his vision adjusted, Hit marvelled at the scenery of the 18th floor. The level encompassed an area comparable to a quarter of Orario.

A towering tree reached upwards, towards the chandelier-like crystal matrix that made up the floor's ceiling. The structure appeared to reflect and focalise light to form areas of yellow and bluish crystals, mimicking the sun and sky. Hit took in a deep breath and sighed, contentedly, glad to have been granted a second chance at life.

'This is going to be fun.'

Author's Notes

The main reason why Hit doesn't have to cut out monster stones is because I can't be bothered to write about it. It's much simpler and entertaining for the magic stones to simply remain after Hit finishes the monsters off. Plus, it suits Hit's deadly fighting style more. I actually wrote that he bought a knife from Byron, intending for him to use it to carve out stones, but I forgot about it… Definitely for the best!

Also, about the infant dragon: Bell defeats another infant dragon, one shotting it with his «Firebolt». Although, the spell was boosted by his other broken skill: Argonaut. Hit has S rank strength and his training has boosted it even further to about level 2 (other stats lower). I think it's fair.

Despite Hit's endurance being rather low, he withstood the dragon's stomp thanks to his amazing strength (although he was still incredibly damaged by the feat). If he had allowed it to strike him, he'd be red paste. I like to think that Hit overestimates how much damage his human body can take; pain is of little significance to him. Plus, I think it's cool.

I'm going to try and get these all uploaded while it's still the weekend. The downside is that I'll probably get less views and feedback, but I don't want to be worrying about uploads in the coming week. Also, I just started dragon's dogma 2 and have only just made my character. So many options!