Chapter 9: Bad Run

(((26th of May, 0000)))

BOOP

Whoa. Vertigo. Vertigo.

Aight, what's the date again?

"Oh yea, Jaune!", I greet Jaune that had just gone out from shower. "What do we plan for the time being?"

"Err… digging up some sewers, I think? We're waiting for permits."

Oh yea. The fucking sewer problem where I found out I was being surveilled by Hephy and proceed to panicked my way into money. Even when I had no memory of what I did in previous Routes, my subconscious must have known what is the best course of action. It knows how to run circle around everyone here to bring me to an optimized victory.

Do I want to go Corpo Orario route again? I mean I did it. I united the lawless city of Orario and turn it into a factory. The mining operation for the magic rocks was so optimized that we pumped out hundreds of ton of rocks every week. The surplus of it is so much that we can match Alduin's energy blasts blow by blow for a full day.

But does it matter? Beating Alduin was never the point. Going deep into the dungeon is the point, or at least that is the first step.

Will this be my fate? Obsessing over a goal, only to be consumed by it eventually?

Doesn't matter.

Let's dig deeper. Open up as much floors as I could in this run. My first step should be that I add more gap between my original spawn date and Alduin's awakening. Even one more year will be good enough for this run.

I went insane for having to do everything in just 6 years. Let's add more time to work with.

First and foremost, White Raven Agency is a mining company. What else should we do if not digging deeper.

)))))))))

Just like what had happened before, I found out Hephy's poorly disguised security team and confronted her. However, there's a change in my approach this time.

"So you're going to just redevelop the slum in Raven District, and let other gods run it, despite it was your money spent to turn it around?", Hephy looked at me incredulously. "There is being generous and there's being reckless. You have taken out 300 million just to develop the land. Why would you give it all away?"

"Well, I don't feel like it. Managing a company looks like a lot of work. I started to project so that I can live more comfortably."

"If that's the case, the I was wrong about you, Soren Ravencroft. I thought you were something more, but it turns out that you are just a fool that got lucky. Leave my office, Ravencroft, and never come back. I will honor our deal, but you are no longer welcome here."

I nodded.

)))))))))

(((13th of June, 0004)))

It's flooding again.

Damn it.

You'd think the gods would be smart but it turns out they are absolute buffoons. I leave them a perfectly fine corporate framework for them to apply but then they proceed to go into War Games over who gets to be the CEO.

Before you know it, a lot of slumdogs died in the crossfire and none of the projects gone anywhere.

Project Raven District is the worst investment disaster in Orario history.

Do I really care? Not really.

I was too busy getting deeper into the dungeon for me to bother with what's going on in my hometown.

"How deep you had gone through last expedition?" Ryuu asked me as she tend to my worn out clothes.

"I reached Floor 38. I was so close to get to the entrance of Floor 39, but had to fall back. I ran out of supplies."

I coldly explained as I stare at the drifting corpses of drowned slumdogs. As usual, they died by the dozens each spring's flood. It made a morbid sort of scenery.

"If only I have Lily around. I could have carried more supplies. Might even be able to go up to 50 in one go."

"You are alone, Soren. There's no way you can reach that deep…"

"Yea. Maybe if Jaune's around... Have you heard what's going on with him?"

Ryuu smiled bitterly. "He's a rising star in Loki familia. Almost on par with that Ais girl's fame, even."

I chuckled. "Yea… that guy always had it in him."

Ryuu looked at me with concern.

"Wouldn't you make amends with Jaune?"

"And for what? To get him rot down here too, in this carcass of a failed town?", I stared at the floating corpse of a little girl. Looks a bit like Lily… "This is no place for a hero. Let him be. I'm just a good for nothing Miner."

I went to get a boat. As I pushed it into water, I asked.

"When will you leave anyway?"

Ryuu fidgets with the small bundle of clothes she has on her.

"Soon. After you fish out that little girl's body. I… I need the boat."

I didn't even glanced at her as I enter the boat and starts to paddle. "Okay. I'll be quick."

(((12th June 0005)))

"Aaaaawwwhhhhh!!!!!"

Hmm?

I looked at the kid covered up in minotaur blood. I happened to be around at Floor 5 whensome kid ran past me at a corner then outta nowhere a Minotaur barged in.

So I swush, cut it down with a quick iai draw. Dem thing even slowly slide away cut in two dramatically.

Took me a bit to recognized that it's Bell Cranel.

Ahh fuck, I messed up his canon event.

"Soren." A cold familiar voice greeted me.

"heyo, Jaune."

He had come along with Ais, his partner.

"You let a bull loose. Could've got the kid killed.", I commented.

"Like you did?", Jaune muttered, but quickly slapped his hand to his mouth.

I smirked. "Yep. Just like me."

(((2nd August, 0005)))

I found Bell, Welf and some squirrel girl that looked a bit like Lily half dead at Floor 16.

"What are you kiddos doing here?"

Bell huffed in relief. "Its!! Its you! Its you mister! Mister hero!!"

"This is the hero guy you've been talking about, Bell?", Welf looked at me, unconvinced.

"Lord Bell, I dint think he is your so called Mr Hero. He looks way too shabby.", squirrel girl had the gall to complain about my perfectly fine denim overall.

I'm a Miner. I'm supposed to wear overalls!

"Kay, guess I'll just leave you all here."

"Wait wait wait!" welf intercepts me. "We're sorry! Just help us!"

Bell do his rabbit eyes face thing. Man, this guy should have been born a girl. What a femboi.

"You gonna have to follow me downstairs. Because of you chuckleheads, the route upstairs had collapsed. It'd take a few says for the dungeon to restore it.

"Thank you mr hero!", bell thanked me

"Yea yea whatever"

)))))

"is this your place, mr hero??"

"Yea, welcome to my humble abode."

After Ryuu had left the HQ to work at Hostess of Fertility, I had sold all my assets topside and moved my residence into the Floor 18. I made my hut at the edge of the floor nearby the floor 19 entrance.

"its so cool that you killed Goliath with just a single lightning strike!", Bell then imitates the lightningbending move I did to kill Goliath. I ate Goliath core and given the Goliath Hide to Welf. Cheap shit anyway.

"You can stay and wait until Jaune's expedition comes back here. I'm leaving"

"wait, where are you going?" welf asked me.

"Going deeper."

(((1st February 0006)))

"Ryuu?"

I found them after following the crashing noises at the Floor 37. Huh. So its Ryuu's arc now, huh?

"Soren?" "mr hero?"

I sighed.

"Follow me. Let's get you out of here."

)))))))

I defeated the damned Juggernaut thing finally. Fucking asshole. It took away my arm. I had to go full Sozin Comet on the fucking thing to finally took it down.

Firebending doesn't count as magic. Who knew? Could have made this easier had I knew it can't reflect Bending!

"SOREN!" Ryuu frantically chanted Noah Heal over and over again to save my half dead ass. Let's see. I lost an arm. Two legs. Pretty sure got lost my kidney somewhere during the brawling of blade and claws. Also I think I'm half blind. Man, you'd think a Level 7 like me can solo a Juggernaut easily.

Fuck it, let's just sleep.

(((7th of April 0006)))

"Heee… so Bell rejected Freya huh?"

Ever since I get mutilated by Juggernaut, Ryuu dragged my ass to her own apartment and make me stay there. Sheesh. Didn't she know I used to be a professional hobo? With no legs and only an arm, I would make a great gig at begging for money.

Now she's going back to be an active Miner, trying to raise up funds to buy me prosthetics. Unfortunately, despite being pardoned, she's still blacklisted from all banks. Couldn't take a loan for me.

"yes. It's a shame… Syr….i mean Freya… I thought they'd be sweet together.", Ryuu was brewing tea. Man, losing one of my kidneys sucks. My health completely went out of whack with my remaining kidney not functioning properly.

"Here."

I sipped the tea.

"Just ditch me, Ryuu. What's the point keeping a living corpse like me around anyway?"

Ryuu caressed my cheeks.

"I wont. I can't . I have always loved you."

(((6th June 0006)))

Today is the day.

I was reading in the bedroom when Ryuu barged through the door. That is Strange. She's always been this calm person. She's not the type that get overtly excited.

"Soren, I am pregnant!"

Perhaps she expected to see a smile on my face for once.

But forgive me Ryuu.

The only thing you do is broke me and make me cry ugly.

I cry, as I hear the echoes of the The End coming from all corners of the horizon

((((????????))))

[You have lost]

[Bad Ending 78: A Helpless Cripple]

[You have failed your 9766th run]

[Player has refused to acknowledge the previous 9764 runs]

[Count Reset]

[You have failed your 2nd run]

[Would you like to review your 2nd playthrough?]