Is it wrong to explore a completely different place than the Zone?

by MoiZekato

The Stalker can leave the Zone, but the Zone won't leave the Stalker. I never thought that phrase would hold so much truth in its words. After all, be here or in another freaking world, the Zone would always stay with me, and frankly... I never wanted to leave. (I don't own anything!)

11. Stalking

I blinked as I looked inside the barrels of my shotgun, both shells still there.

"Everything okay there, Bell?"

I nodded as I closed the gun. "Yes, Mr. Yuri."

"Just let me know if you don't feel alright," he replied. "We can stop if you need to."

Sigh.

Yesterday's memory is still fresh in my mind. The vivid image of that man's broken mask, blood dripping from the holes Lili made in his face...

The screams of pain, the whizzing of the "bullets" passing over my head. The crunch those same bullets made when they hit the ground or the trees around me.

I couldn't help but feel a pit in my stomach when I thought about that.

Still, I shook my head. "I'm fine, Mr. Yuri..."

He watched me for a few more seconds before grimacing and continuing to walk. Behind him I could see the slightly worried look Lili gave me.

At least I'm glad to know I can count on them when I need to.

The only family I ever had in my life was my grandfather, but he's already dead, so I decided to follow that silly dream he put in my head about being a hero by coming to Orario.

I still don't know what I was expecting at that moment. I haven't been able to rescue a single cute girl yet, rather I was the one being rescued... multiple times, but that doesn't matter much anymore.

Now I have my goddess, Hestia, a very loving and kind woman who cares about my well-being and does her best to help me. She saved me from loneliness by letting me join her Familia...

There's also Lili, a very funny and playful girl who likes to joke around. She also saved my butt, as Yuri would say with his colorful vocabulary. She's a good friend.

And then there is him, Grigori Yuri... Grishka. A rather serious person at times, as well as immature.

I hope one day he stops teasing me with the girlfriend thingy.

Still, with all the times they both tease me, I couldn't think of anything unpleasant about them. I just like spending time with my friends.

While thinking about it, I felt a small smile form on my face.

Even though we are not related, I consider them my own family. Almost like brother and sister.

Having them around... it calms my being.

We were wandering around the second floor of the Dungeon, killing the monsters we encountered in preparation for exploring beyond the 7th floor.

Yuri and Lili have already been there, but I haven't, so I don't really know...

We haven't been down to the Dungeon for the past few days, so I was a little worried.

Taking a deep breath I tried to calm my nerves.

Most of my basic skills are between F and G, so the monsters on the upper floors shouldn't be much of a problem.

Maybe that's also why I ended up being the frontline fighter, Yuri and Lili falling behind in terms of their own abilities, only mine being so balanced except for magic.

I wish I had magic...

The formation that the three of us agreed on was as follows.

I'll go ahead to take charge of stopping the monsters. Yuri told me that my three figures in Vitality and Strength would keep me alive, but he also said that in the event that I end up being overwhelmed, Lili would be there to provide support by getting rid of the monsters around me or distracting them to ease my job.

Lastly, Yuri would be our support, taking care of killing any threats that we can't take care of immediately.

It was a pretty solid strategy.

Even so, my hands were sweating.

Every thought I had were all distressing.

"Bell." Yuri's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Here."

From the basket Syr gave me, he took out an apple and handed it to me. "An apple a day, keep's the doctor away."

I... see?

I grabbed it and bit into it's sweet juicy flesh.

Rich in flavour, but I'm still kind of hungry.

In the end I ended up giving him the basket before descending since it would only get in the way of the fight. Anyways, he's the one who's carrying all the loot today, so I don't think it'll be a problem...

Nothing happened in the time it took me to finish the apple, so I dropped the residue on the floor and wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt.

A crack opened in the wall to the right, so I stopped and took aim with my IZH-43 shotgun.

It was just a goblin.

"Contact." I heard Yuri say. "Bell."

Yeah, yeah...

I grabbed the barrel with my left hand while, with my right, I unsheathed my knife. The sharp end of the black blade reflected the brightness from the natural lights of the dungeon, indicating it's lethality.

The Hestia Knife, a weapon that my goddess says will grow with me in strength.

It was a gift from her and I appreciate it with all my being.

There's no need to waste ammo on low level monsters, so I'll be using it instead of my gun for now.

When the monster finished getting it's body out of the wall, I waited for it to come closer so I could easily dodge its attack and kill it with a single stab to the back. My high agility allowed me to do it quickly.

"Above your head," I heard Lili raise her voice, so I turned around and noticed the other goblin that had just appeared from the ceiling, pushing his body to get out of the rocky blue wall.

"It's a bit high," I noted.

She smirked. "That's what guns are for, Bell." She then took aim with her MP7 and fired a single shot, catching the goblin in the head. His corpse slumped to the ground. "Done."

I saw Yuri unsheath his knife and approach that goblin. "Bell, would you mind throwing that other one over here?"

I just grabbed the corpse by the neck and threw it towards him.

"Spasybi."

Uh...

"It means thank you," Lili answered at my unspoken question, looking quite proud for some reason.

Oh.

Wait.

"You know Russian, Lili?"

She dropped her MP7, letting it hang from its strap, and crossed her arms, the same proud smile on her face. "No."

Eh...

Yuri spoke just as he finished removing the stone from the other corpse. "It's the skill in our falna." Was his answer. "Basically telepathy."

Oh, that's pretty cool.

I want that too...

"And it wasn't Russian... although it doesn't really matter anyway."

He put the stones in one of the pockets of his large backpack and we resumed our walk through the corridors of the Dungeon.

The rest of the journey through the second floor went similarly, the monsters being fairly easy to deal with now that I had a decent party with me.

It's not like I can't take care of them on my own, of course.

It was on the third one that we were ambushed by a group of Kobolds, so I had to use my shotgun for the first time against a monster when it tried to rip my neck with it's teeth.

I dodged it and fired a cartridge into his back, the result being grotesque and horrifying.

Time seemed to slow down as the beast was pushed to the ground by the force of the pellets, suffering from spasms while his body slowly started to grow still. Memories of what happened yesterday filled my mind with the bloody images of those dying people.

Time returned to normal as I blinked and found myself pushed to the ground to my left.

Three silent blasts came from Yuri's gun, who had walked in front of me and fired at the Kobold that nearly caught me from behind.

I turned around and noticed that it was Lili who pushed me aside, she on the ground next to me after saving my butt... yet again.

She stepped aside and reloaded her weapon while Yuri took care of the last monster in the ambush with his rifle, a single bullet hitting the forehead of the Kobold that only seconds ago had been looking at us with fierce defiance.

As the silence settled, I realized I was unconsciously holding my breath.

I let out my breath and felt my heart pounding, the echo of a drum that rumbled every second ringing in my ear.

I swallowed and tried to regulate my erratic breathing.

I'm not there anymore... in that dark forest... surrounded by people who want to kill me...

I bit the inside of my cheek to distract myself from that horrible memory.

"Hey, kid." Yuri's voice dispelled the blurs from the corners of my eyes, taking me out of that tunnel of internal despair I was in. "You look a little pale, are you okay?"

I won't be able to forget it... right?

Lili, who was by my side, got up from the ground and extended a hand to me.

I took it and with her help I managed to stand up.

"You were distracted back there," she mentioned. "Did something happen?"

I don't want to worry them...

"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine, just... I was surprised by the kick from the shotgun."

Yuri saw right through my lie, but simply put his rifle aside and patted my shoulder with his right hand.

"Whatever's on your mind." He spoke to me in a soft voice. "Remember that we will always be with you."

He stepped back, reloaded his rifle, and gave me a sideways grin. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Friends...

"Don't forget to pick up the spent cartridges."

The trip down the third floor was similar, as was the fourth. The monsters were not difficult for the three of us to deal with. Our combined experience and skill made the descent a simple walk.

Even then, I couldn't shake off that bad feeling I had every time I was killing monsters. I never thought I would be aware of this, but I think the way we usually do it...

At least with guns it's a little faster.

Although quite graphic.

This doesn't feel as fun as it used to...

...

We eventually reached the descent to the fifth floor, so we took a moment to rest before continuing on.

Lili ordered us to damage the walls of the Dungeon in this location to prevent other monsters from appearing. Her reasoning being that this way the Dungeon would focus more energy on repairing itself than on spawning more monsters that could ruin our rest.

After that, we sat down for a moment and Yuri started handing out the food Syr brought us, which is basically sandwiches of... something.

Lili looked at hers with reluctance. "What is this supposed to be?" she asked as she opened the bread, showing the viscous something inside.

Well, I've been eating Syr's food for a while now and I have to say that, while it's not the best, her cooking is...

Uhm...

...

I'm embarrassed to say that I can't really defend her cooking.

I'm so sorry, Syr!

"I-If you don't like it, just... put it aside, I'll eat it myself." I told her.

She just looked at me sideways. "I could do that, but then what am I going to eat?"

At that, Yuri reached into the basket and pulled out another fruit.

"Here, banana."

She took it in her hands and shrugged, leaving the sandwich on her lap.

I bit into my own sandwich and felt my taste buds physically degrade at that, so I tried my best to chew and swallow the food.

Yuri just looked at the expression I was making right now, probably debating whether he should be worried about me or himself, considering he was about to put his own sandwich in his mouth.

He ended up putting it back into the basket.

For someone who is so brave in my eyes, this was the first time I saw him back away from danger.

At least I did something he couldn't.

I don't know if I should be proud of that.

The rest of that break went off without a problem and we were once again continuing our descent.

According to the order of our formation, I was the first to go down the stairs, Lili next to me and Yuri a couple of meters behind while cautiously aiming everywhere with his rifle.

The walls of this floor changed to a light greenish color, and the ceiling was higher above our heads than the previous floor, probably more than three meters up. Also, the floor was starting to become more uneven, which would make movement a little more difficult.

"This floor shares its architecture with the sixth and seventh floors," Lili explained, more to me than anything else, since I'm the rookie here. "They serve more as a transition to the eighth and ninth floors, since the terrain there is much more uneven and the rooms become gigantic... you could even compare them to huge caves..."

Yuri finished walking down the stairs behind us. "I guess those are even more dangerous."

"Ehh... quite a bit."

It sounds scary.

"Although I don't know, I do think we are ready to... you know, take a look around."

"Hmm," he hummed, and replied, "I'll keep that in mind." He then put the safety on his gun and let it hang from his shoulder while he took something out of one of his vest pockets, it was a small and orange rectangular object that fit in the palm of his hand. I cannot explain it further because I don't even understand what it is.

"What's that?" Lili asked, approaching him.

I just kept an eye on the surroundings, shotgun in hand.

"Artifact detector."

"Ohh..."

Silence.

"And what does it do?"

A distant scream echoed off the walls of the Dungeon before being abruptly cut off, leaving only an echo that made my hair stand on end.

"It detects artifacts," Yuri replied rather calmly, which was disconcerting, since it was as if he-

Alright, maybe it's not surprising at all. I guess he's just a fearless warrior.

Or he's just used to it, which certainly scares me.

Before we could say anything, he began walking, his gait increasing in pace with each step he took.

Lili and I looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

"Don't just stand there!" We heard him raise his voice. "The most interesting things always happen when you're not looking."

That sounded pretty ominous...

We both trotted after him.

"Where are we going...?" Lili asked nervously.

Yuri just laughed at that. "Where else, my dear assistant?"

We turned a corner and arrived at-

What the...

Surrounded by bloody remains, organs and deformed lumps of flesh, a distortion of light in the middle of the hallway caused dust particles to dance around him.

"Finally!" Yuri sounded quite excited as he watched the grotesque scene.

Ugh... I feel like I could throw up my breakfast now...

"Uhhh... Yuri... what the heck is that?"

"Huh? Oh... that's an anomaly." Was his honest answer. "Just... stay where you are and don't come any closer, I'll explain in a moment."

Well, if he says so...

Together with Lili, we watch him approach one of the largest pieces of meat on the ground and take it in his hand.

Ew...

He then proceeded to throw it towards that barely visible distortion.

The result was immediate.

That piece of meat was sucked in by an invisible force and began to spin at incredibly fast speeds for just a few seconds before exploding and being sent all over the hallway.

I was momentarily distracted from the grotesqueness of it all and instead focused on the outlandish side of what just happened.

In fact, what did just happened?

"Vortex." Was the only thing Yuri said while he looked closely at that... thing. "A gravitational anomaly, very lethal. Don't even dare touch it or you'll end up like the poor idiot who jumped into this..." He finished while pointing at the bloody remains that were all over the floor, the wall, the ceiling...

Oh dear... I think I'm going to throw up...

I felt Lili pat my back, trying to comfort me.

"Eina talked about this," he continued, "strange formations and adventurers disappearing. It's obvious what she was referring to... haha..."

Lili was the one who spoke next. "You don't seem to be surprised..."

"Yeah, well, I told you that last time," he replied. "I had a sneaking suspicion that something was wrong when we went through that crack in the wall, remember? I've confirmed it now..."

A small smile crept onto his face. It was a quite terrifying.

"The Zone followed me here."

"You look really creepy right now..." Lili deadpanned.

"Er... I'm sorry." He walked away from the 'anomaly' and put away his detector. "Now, while we need magic stones right now, I also want to continue exploring this side... although if you don't want to, that's fine too."

He turned to us, expecting an answer.

"So... what do you say?"

Lili shrugged. "As long as we don't end up being vaporized, it's fine."

He snapped his fingers. "Great, how about you, Bell?"

Uh...

I swallowed. "S-Sure... no problem."

I should have said no...

"Then walk behind me," he said, walking towards the anomaly. "Don't you dare even touch that thing."

Wasn't even thinking about it.

Lili frowned and complained, "We are not idiots."

"I was just saying..."

We circled around the only anomaly in the hallway without any problems and I couldn't help but stop to observe the strange unnatural formation up close.

The way the air itself was deformed as if it were small tides in the water was a fascinating sight.

Still, I don't plan on getting any closer to that. I know it kills and I don't want to die anytime soon.

"Don't fall behind, Bell," I heard Yuri call out to me, so I snapped out of my stupor and followed behind them.

The anomalies only became more common the deeper we went into the fifth floor. They sometimes appeared in pairs or even on the ceiling and walls, always warping the terrain they touched, which made for some interesting scenery.

We also fought the occasional monster between the anomalies, though Yuri did most of the work as he wasn't confident enough that we could fight being so limited by these things, but I think he's just worrying too much right now.

Although, to be honest, I don't know if he really needs our help. He's been killing monsters in some pretty creative ways so far, and there's no sign of him getting tired anytime soon.

I think Falna made him an even more dangerous person than before...

I fired both shells from my shotgun directly into the face of a giant lizard and took a quick step back to distance myself from the monster.

The beast was repelled for a few seconds before shaking off the pain and charging straight at me, but Yuri, who came from its blind side, grabbed its tail and pulled hard.

The monster just looked annoyed at this, but it's at the moment when the monster turns to bite Yuri that Lili takes advantage to use all of her body weight and push the giant lizard, causing it to end up with its belly exposed, giving me the opportunity to unsheathe my Hestia knife and disembowel the creature with a deep cut to the soft skin of its belly.

He refused to die, writhing and struggling with his ever-declining strength. It was of no use in the end.

I removed the knife from its body when it stopped moving, but a burning sensation in my shoulder took me by surprise. .

I touched the area and realized that the monster had scratched me trying to get away. My glove ended up stained with blood when I removed my hand from the wound.

"Ugh." I couldn't help but hiss in pain, which was immediately picked up by my friends.

Lili approached while Yuri took charge of making sure that the lizard that ambushed us was really dead.

"Hmm, it's just a scratch, but it's nothing to worry about." She commented after observing my wound, her brow furrowed and a serious look on her face. "Still, we should bandage it."

I don't know what made me do it, but I felt the need to make a joke.

"How much time, doc?"

"Huh?" It was funny to see her genuinely confused by my words, so I couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. "Ah, shut up, you're not going to die."

I heard Yuri's laughter approaching, so I turned to watch the big man take something out of his vest and hand it to Lili.

"Wrap that around his arm," he instructed. "Make sure you don't do it too tightly."

"I know how to use bandages." She replied with a pout as she wrapped the bandages around my injured arm. "I could give you a potion if you want, it's not good to fight with an open wound... even if it's this small." Then offered with a tone that indicated some concern.

It looked cute...

Still, I shook my head. "I'm fine," and replied to ease her worries. "Let's save them for when it's really important."

After all, I'm in very good company, so I doubt anything bad will happen today.

Lili eyed me warily for a few seconds before letting the subject drop. "If you say so," she said as she finished bandaging my arm.

I just need to be more careful...

We continued exploring the fifth floor for a while longer, going down paths that Lili claimed were clear only to find them blocked with anomalies.

"So... what exactly are anomalies?" I heard Lili ask. "We've seen dozens of them, but I still don't understand what they really are."

Yuri, who was walking ahead of me, seemed to ponder the question for a moment.

"It's... a bit difficult to explain."

After a moment of silence, he continued.

"Well, imagine that anomalies are divine gifts that... erm, their divinity is such that they are impossible for the simple hu... mortal mind to understand."

"You were about to say human."

"No."

"What do you mean no!? You know I know what you're thinking, right!?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Impossible to understand...

Wait.

"You're not just telling us that to avoid explaining it, are you?"

Lili gasped in disbelief at my words. "You're a rat," then she accused him.

Yuri grimaced and looked at me in disappointment. "Bell, sometimes I'm amazed at the feats of intelligence you're capable of."

What did he mean by that?

Also, why are you looking at me like that!?

"Well, that's partly true," he added, turning his gaze back to the corridors. "Even I don't know how they are created, so it would be pointless to explain something I don't know."

Makes sense.

"Why do I feel like that's only a partial truth...?"

"Anyway." He changed the subject. "All I know is that they create an incredible thing that many would die to obtain."

"And that is...?" Lili intervened.

"What do you think I have an artifact detector for?"

Ohh.

But what are those?

"The fact that you have it doesn't mean it's common sense for us."

"Shut up, shorty."

Lili narrowed her eyes with a look that promised revenge.

"In any case, it can be said that Artifacts are like enchanted objects with a very high price on the market."

Lili smiled. "Hm, at first you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."

Yuri chuckled at that, "Yes, an artifact of considerable power can be sold for thousands... in my currency."

"Roubles?"

"Ye-wait, how do you..."

She smiled smugly and tapped her head with her index finger.

"Ah, I see."

I just watched the exchange of words in silence.

"So... how much money are we talking about...?" I asked.

Yuri started counting with his fingers. "Let's see, the average lunch is 200 Valis and a glass of water is... huh."

Hm?

"Oh? That much?" Lili was the first to react to the unspoken information.

"Yeah... the cost of a normal, useful artifact should be around 30 thousand." A crack opened in a nearby wall, and like a domino effect, several more followed. "Of course, there are also artifacts that can only serve as decoration, but that's beside the point." He finished as he raised his weapon.

That's quite a bit of money...

The first Kobold to emerge from the wall dodged the bullet Yuri fired at it, but was killed by the next one.

I followed my friend's lead and aimed my sawed-off shotgun, keeping my eye on a Dungeon Lizard as it climbed up the wall toward the ceiling.

Lili stood behind me and started dealing with the weak monsters coming out of the walls with her weapon.

The lizard moved quickly across the ceiling until it hovered over my head and dropped down. Lili moved off my back the moment she noticed, but I kept my gaze fixed until the last second when the creature opened its jaws to devour me where I stood.

That's when I pulled the trigger, the inside of the monster's mouth being torn apart by the shotgun pellets.

I took a quick step back and dodged the dying reptile that was shaking its head frantically in pain. I wasted no time and stuck my knife into the top of its head.

Being fast has its advantages.

It wasn't more than 15 seconds after the fight started and it was already over.

Lili was crouching a few meters behind Yuri who was reloading his smoking gun.

"What an interruption," he commented. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yup yup!" Lili responded energetically.

"Uhm..." I don't feel hurt so... "Yes, I'm fine."

He nodded in satisfaction and began to work on removing the magic stones from the corpses.

While he was doing that, I replaced the spent shell with a new.

"You still need to learn how to handle that effectively," I heard Lili say next to me, so I turned to see her watching me reload my gun.

"Well, I'm still not used to it..."

She smirked. "Oh, don't worry about it." Then shook her hand. "You learn with practice, so you'll be handling that baby like a cowboy in no time!"

Eh?

"Lili, what's a cowboy?"

She shrugged with a carefree smile. "I don't know." She pointed at Yuri. "He thought about it."

I looked at our guide.

"Stop saying out loud everything I think."

"Nopity!"

Is it just me or Lili's more excited than usual?

Yuri separated the magic stone from the lizard and it disappeared, leaving part of its thick skin behind. "Gotta say my luck is pretty consistent here."

We remained silent as our supporter took care of collecting the goods.

"It feels weird not being the supporter this time."

"Well, that way you have more opportunities to grow." Yuri replied.

"Yes, I understand that, but... I don't know, it feels like... bad?"

"It's just your brain trying to adapt to something that's not part of your normal routine."

That's interesting.

"Oh... I see."

When he finished with the bodies, we regrouped and continued walking.

Now that I realize it, it feels really peaceful traveling with them.

"And do you have a routine?" Lili asked casually. "I imagine you must have one."

"I tend to constantly check my equipment for any kind of fault."

Should I start doing that too...?

Lili snorted. "I already knew that."

Somewhat annoyed, Yuri replied, "Then why are you asking me?"

"I thought you might say something more interesting... I don't know, like your time in the Zone."

In fact, I'd like to know too.

He rolled his eyes. "You just want to entertain yourself with a story."

"Hehe."

Yuri smirked and shook his head. "I could tell you about the time I ended up in the crossfire between four factions... if you're interested."

"Ohhh, that sounds very interesting."

That sounds pretty dangerous.

We turned a corner and stopped in front of a group of anomalies... the same type as before.

"This happened about half a year ago, so it's something recent." Yuri started while using that artifact detector, which beeped in a constant rhythm. "Bingo..."

"Hm? Anything new?"

I moved a little closer to see what he was doing.

"An artifact... let's see, stay here."

From afar I could see Yuri getting dangerously close to those things.

Uhh.

"Be careful!" I shouted.

"Yes!" Lili did the same. "Don't kill yourself!"

Yuri growled in response, which I found kind of funny.

"But keep telling us how you survived that."

Yuri growled more after Lili's comment.

"Well, it happened while I was doing exactly the same thing I'm doing now." He began as he traversed through the anomalies. "I was hunting for artifacts one afternoon inside the red forest and-"

"What is the red forest?"

"Can't you read my mind?"

"Yes, but Bell can't, so I'm asking for him."

That's quite thoughtful of you, Lili.

She smiled at me as if she knew what I had thought.

Now that I think about it, that's a bit concerning.

Wait, why is she laughing now?

"Your face is very expressive, Bell!"

Oh...

Wait, can you really read my mind just by looking at my face!?

"Yes, Bell," Lili added with a laugh. "Learn how to make a poker face, it would do you good."

...

"Lili, what is a poker face?"

She shrugged and pointed at Yuri. "I don't know, he thought about it."

Yuri looked at her with an expressionless face, to which she smiled mischievously and pointed at his face. "That, Bell, is a poker face."

Ohhh.

Yuri could only sigh and rub the bridge of his nose before turning around and continuing with his "artifact hunt", as he called it before.

"The Red Forest is an area within the Zone that was poisoned with so much radiation that the leaves of the dead trees took on a yellowish reddish color." Yuri continued to explain. "The place is plagued with anomalies and mutants that will try to kill any explorer who tries to traverse the thick forest."

"That's terrifying..."

"That's because it is, Bell. If you're brave enough to set foot in that place, you can consider yourself dead."

O-Oh...

"No matter how lucky or experienced you are, the fog of the forest will swallow you up and you won't even know where you'll end up... you could walk behind someone in the red forest and, in the blink of an eye, lose track of them completely."

"Yuri, please stop scaring us."

R-Right.

"Lili, you w-who read minds, is he telling the truth?"

She smiled nervously and looked away. "I'd rather not tell you..."

For goodness sake... Yuri, how are you still alive?

"Leaving that aside, I had already finished my search when I heard something whizzing past my head."

"You were being shot at." Lili said.

Yuri's detector beeped in alarm. "Yep, the attackers were a group of bandits who happened to stumble upon me by pure chance."

I watched as he extended his hand and the air itself stretched and contracted to make a strangely shaped and colored rock appear and float above Yuri's gloved hand.

He looked at the object and shrugged. "Could be worse."

What... just happened?

"Wow." Lili expressed what I was feeling too.

"This strange object floating in my hand is an artifact known as a Wrenched... more than anything, its bizarre appearance is due to the conditions in which it was formed, being inside the vortex that takes people and tears their bodies apart." He moved his hand as if he were bouncing the object, which reacted by levitating slightly higher. "I remember the properties of this artifact, but what I don't know is why it does it."

He emerged from the anomaly cluster and approached us, showing us the floating artifact.

"I know it looks really strange, but it actually shares characteristics with marine coral," he explained as he pulled out another object, this one painted white, and passed it over the artifact, causing it to make an intense crackling sound.

"I don't know what sea coral is, but the mental image you have of it makes me want to go to the sea so I can see it."

He scratched his head. "To tell you the truth, I've never seen the sea in my life either."

I also haven't done it either...

"Maybe... uhm, maybe one day when we have nothing to do... could we go to the beach?"

They both looked at me with serious expressions.

Or were they poker faces?

"You know what, Bell, that's a good idea, let's do that one day."

Lili smiled and patted my shoulder. "Yeah, Bell, you're the best."

Why do your compliments feel like their mocking me?

Yuri picked up the previous conversation by drawing our attention to the artifact. "This thing emits radiation because my geiger counter is screaming at me to drop it now. You know, radistion as in that invisible poison I told you about, so it's not a good idea to hold it for too long or I'll end up irradiated."

"Okay, but what does it do?" Lili asked. "I mean, is it even worth picking up?"

I kept an eye out for possible monsters as it seems odd to me that none have appeared so far.

He put away the geiger thing and pulled out a metal block from his backpack, opening it and placing the artifact inside. "It reduces the severity of the attacks you receive, as well as absorbing external toxic elements and chemical particles that the body absorbs. In itself, it is useful, but compared to other types of artifact, not that much."

"Oh, so if you could put several together you could become practically invincible."

"Well, yes, but this thing weighs like ten pounds due to its gravitational nature, so it would be more counterproductive than useful in the end," he finished with a half-hearted sigh. "Although I could very well sell it for a good sum of money."

"Ohoho~, I'm interested in that." Lili purred. "Let me know when you're going to do that."

It certainly sounds like an item someone could buy to get a better advantage in the Dungeon, but isn't it dangerous with that poison...?

"What about radiation?" I asked, as I was actually curious.

"There are containers that block the gamma radiation it emits, making it easier to transport," Yuri explained. "As well as devices that repels the radiation emitted in order to take full advantage of the supernatural properties of the artifact."

"Lead is interesting indeed." Lili mentioned with a hand on her chin and a thoughtful look. "It's used in bullets to kill, but it's also used in containers to block that radiation due to its high density... it's cool!" She finished with an innocent smile, which puzzled quite a bit.

Indeed. "How do you know that, Lili?"

She shrugged and pointed at Yuri. "I don't know, he thought about it."

Why do I feel like this is going to be a recurring thing?

"Let's continue, I already have a souvenir for when we get back."

As we continued walking through the increasingly desolate hallways of the fifth floor, Lili seemed to remember something important and made sure to shout it to Yuri. "Right, finish telling that story from earlier!"

"Tsk, I was hoping you'd forget about that..."

"Come on, don't be like that!"

He sighed and let out a small laugh. "Okay, but listen carefully because I'm not going to repeat anything."

Lili was the one who seemed the most excited to hear the story, maybe it's because she's known Yuri longer than I have?

Whatever the case, stories from someone with Yuri's experience shouldn't be ignored, so I too found myself listening intently as I scanned for monsters.

"You told us you were shot."

"Right." He coughed into his hand. "Luckily the bullet went over my head, so I had time to react and return fire while I figured out what the heck was going on." He chuckled at what seemed to be a funny memory.

Curiously, Lili also let out a laugh.

"I remember hitting my head on the bark of a tree as I tried to take cover... after that, while the bandits were screaming at me about how much they wanted to kill me, a nearby group of Stalkers appeared from the opposite side of the anomalous field I was in."

"Were they good people?" I asked.

"Eh, it depends on which faction you wish to hang out with, but not in my case." He grimaced in distaste. "Turns out that group of Stalkers were a patrol of Duty soldiers who were alerted by the gunfire."

We turned a corner and found patches of blood on the ground, surely a fight happened around here.

Without reacting, Yuri continued speaking. "Those guys knew me so they immediately opened fire, resulting in the bandits shooting at them with their own weapons as soon as they noticed they were there."

"It must have been scary," Lili said.

Yuri just laughed. "Normally." He took a breath. "The thing is, those Duty members didn't come alone, as behind them came some scouts from an enemy faction who had bad blood towards them, so they too started shooting at the patrol as soon as they got the chance... those guys hated me too, so they didn't care where they shot if it meant killing someone."

Oh, I can't imagine having to deal with so many people trying to kill me.

"There was nothing I could do but stay hidden," he said with a fake smile. "Ten minutes passed and, as if that weren't enough, another group was attracted by the exaggerated amount of gunfire."

"They... they hated you too?"

"Yeah, but they actually hate everyone," he replied calmly. "Those guys who came were the Monoliths, a group of fanatic cultists who have no qualms about killing anyone who steps on their territory... it should be noted that the Red Forest itself is part of their territory, so imagine how fucked we all were."

"Hey." Lili complained at the foul language.

"I was eventually able to get out of that whole mess when the other three factions got distracted by the Monolith. Those bastards are pretty fierce..."

"Yikes."

Yuri sighed. "The only good thing I got out of that is the artifact, which wasn't even worth that much in the first place, so I don't know why I didn't run away sooner..."

"If you had, a stray bullet would have killed you," Lili deadpanned.

"What are you talking about? I never die."

I could practically feel Lili's irritation right now.

The next stretch was spent in silence as we collected more magic stones from the monsters that appeared.

We eventually reached the stairs to the sixth floor and descended without any problems. In fact, we had encountered another group of adventurers who were also descending, which makes me curious as to how they got through all the anomalies.

Apparently Yuri had the same thought, but he didn't say anything as he watched them walk away once we parted ways.

"I guess they have good common sense."

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Yuri?"

"Well, imagine you didn't know about the anomalies and you saw one in front of you, would you jump into it?"

I guess not, but I'm not sure I can contain my curiosity when faced with something new...

We continued walking for a few minutes until the Dungeon ambushed us when monsters appeared on each side of the hallway we were in, and they were some I had never seen before.

The giant red ants digging their way out looked intimidating with their large pincers and glowing red eyes.

Still, those beasts were nothing compared to the tall, faceless, black humanoid figures that moved erratically, as if their bodies weren't physical... I have no idea how to explain it.

"Great." Lili mentioned. "Killer Ants and War Shadows. I was already missing them."

"Then it's time for you to say goodbye to them." Yuri replied as he leveled the barrel of his gun.

I gulped as I decided whether to face the ants head on or take out the shadows in the rear.

Well, I'm supposed to face danger as the frontline fighter, so I guess I'm going against the ants.

I shifted my stance, walking in front of Yuri with my knife in hand. He nodded and changed his target, turning to face the slowly approaching war shadows, seemingly aware of the danger we posed.

Lili walked behind me, kneeling on the ground and aiming her MP7.

"Guys, we're surrounded." Yuri raised his voice. "It doesn't mean that any of these monsters have a chance against us, but don't get complacent either."

"Is that supposed to be inspiring?" Lili barked as she chose which ant to shoot.

"Lili, shut your mouth."

"Sir, yes sir."

The monsters charged the instant Yuri chuckled.

The battle began with the silenced shots from Yuri's gun.

I couldn't turn around and check to see if he was accurately dispatching the monsters as I had my own problems, such as the seven killer ants coming my way.

I ran to intercept them, jumping on the head of one and using it to propel myself in the air over all the monsters.

I took advantage of all the speed I managed to accumulate by embedding my knife into the hard head of an ant as soon as I landed on it, killing it instantly.

"On your six!"

I changed my grip on the knife and forcefully pulled it away from the ant's head, twisting my body and catching another one around the neck, separating the head from the body without any problems.

Lili mentioned that they are tough monsters because of their exoskeletons, so I need to focus on attacking the joints.

I watched Lili fire her gun, the bullets passing just below my outstretched arm and colliding with the face of an ant that was trying to use its mandibles to bite my leg.

That would have been fatal.

I jumped off the corpse and rolled across the ground, cutting my way through the monsters that were gathering around me to get past them.

From a distance I briefly saw Yuri fighting the war shadows on his own.

I wonder what it would be like to fight a disembodied enemy...

I did a somersault away from the monsters and unholstered my shotgun, holding it in my left hand.

An ant jumped at me and I stepped to the side, avoiding its jaws, which gave me the opportunity to aim my shotgun at its neck and pull the trigger.

The bug screeched as its head only hung off its body by a few remaining muscles. Its sisters reacted to its pain and charged at me, but I kicked the body towards them to distract them.

One managed to dodge it and prepared its pincers to mutilate me, but I shot it in the face, causing the monster to stagger in confusion, which I took advantage of to stick my knife in its mouth and cut off part of its head from the inside, disfiguring the creature and causing its yellowish blood to fall in clumps as the monster spun around in confusion.

The gunshots from Lili's gun and the screams of the monsters told me that she was distracting them, so I reloaded my gun and approached her in record time thanks to my speed, lightening her load by drawing the attention of the four remaining ants to me.

Which ended with me being overwhelmed, having to block and dodge the ferocious attacks of the four monsters seeking revenge.

One snuck up on my left side, but was repelled by Lili's precise shots before I could move to dodge.

I spent a few seconds avoiding their attacks before finding an opening that would get me out of this in the form of an ant that climbed on top of two of its sisters to bite my head.

I responded by sticking my shotgun in its mouth and pulling the trigger, the monster falling dead to the ground next to my gun after the shot.

Lili shot at the legs of the ant that was trying to flank me, leaving it immobilized.

I took advantage of the space this gave me by taking a long step back and leaping at one of the ants afterwards, quickly slicing its neck before it could begin to wriggle to get me off of it.

The other one was easy to deal with as I just had to wait for the exact moment to deflect its pincers out of the way and separate its head from its body.

I took a second to breathe before remembering that Yuri was fighting alone, so I turned around only to see him executing a war shadow that was crawling on the ground like a cockroach.

Dozens of spent cartridges were scattered across the ground, as well as the fading bodies of the shadow creatures, there being about five in total.

As if sensing my gaze, he turned and smirked at me. "Did you have any trouble there?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't faced creatures of a much higher level than himself and won without looking the worse for the effort.

"He could have been hurt without my help," Lili answered for me. "But Bell is fine, in fact, I think he handles himself pretty well for a rookie adventurer."

"Amazing, the kid is a prodigy." He said as he reloaded his gun and walked over to me. "Keep up the good work, Bell." He finished, patting my head.

This is awkward, but I do appreciate the compliments.

After grabbing my shotgun from the ground as well as the used shells, I spent the next few minutes resting with Lili while Yuri harvested the magic stones from the corpses.

"Hey, Bell, that thing you did with the ant was pretty cool," Lili said out of the blue.

"Hm? What thing?"

"That when you stuck your knife in its mouth and effortlessly sliced its face open," she said with an innocent smile. "It looked pretty metal."

Huh?

"Lili, what is... uh, metal?"

She pointed at Yuri with a smile. "He thought about it while watching you."

Was he watching me?

...

I see.

"Alright... but what is metal?"

I didn't receive any response.

Once Yuri finished, we continued walking through the corridors of the sixth floor, sometimes encountering more groups of monsters which we dispatched with ease.

In fact, I think Yuri's way of fighting is influencing me to be a bit more... "brutal" with the monsters.

I was currently chatting quietly with Lili as we walked, she was telling me about a "cartoon" she saw recently, something with a cat and a mouse that she really likes.

I actually have no idea what she's talking about, but I just listen patiently as she gets so excited when she talks.

"The thing is that the cat never manages to catch the mouse because he is too clever to let himself be caught... although it also seems that whoever made the cartoon does not want the cat to win because it is always the mouse that-"

Yuri interrupted her. "Lili, hold on for a second."

"What? Hey, I was just getting to-"

"Yeah, just... be quiet for a second."

He looked quite serious as he prepared his weapon and approached the corner of the hallway a few meters ahead.

Wait, now that there's only silence I can hear something... like a slight humming in the air.

Along with Lili, we both approached behind Yuri until he turned the corner with his gun raised.

"Huh?" Only to put it down and stare in confusion.

I could feel the same level of confusion when I saw what left Yuri baffled.

The facade of a two-story building jutted out from the wall, with a large metal door and a smaller wooden one next to it. One of the windows on the second floor was open, revealing a terrifying darkness.

I was scared to think that something might be watching us from there.

"Wow, where did this come from?"

We all approached the building and stood in front of it.

"It might be an anomaly," Yuri mentioned, looking thoughtful. "I don't know though... Bell, we need to open that door."

"R-Right."

We both walked over and noticed the deformed lock that decorated the door.

"Hmph, it'll be difficult to open it with a hairpin... alright."

A hairpin?

Yuri took the other gun he carried with him and stood next to the door while replacing the shell inside the chamber with a green one.

"What you see me doing is taking up position before breaching and clearing." He said as he held the gun at a specific point above the lock. "The shotgun slug I loaded into my Saiga will shatter the lock mechanism, making it only a push away to open the door." After that short explanation, he pulled the trigger.

The slug made a considerable hole in the wood, scattering pieces of it everywhere while the lock was in worse condition than before.

After that, Yuri proceeded to step back a bit and kick the door with considerable force, but it did not give in to the impact.

"This may take several tries," he said as he kicked the door again.

After doing the same thing two more times, he stepped back, his breathing somewhat labored while rubbing his leg.

"Huh... mayhe it's blocked by something."

"So... the clearing part is when you clear up the dust you kicked up with all that show or...?"

"Lili."

"I'll shut up."

My gaze turned to the second-floor window.

That may be the only entrance we have to the building.

"What if we use that window?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that was going to be my second choice," Yuri replied. "Okay, who's going up?"

Lili and I were silent.

"One of you is going to have to do it," he added, seeing our lack of response. "I'm quite big to fit in there and someone is going to have to carry whoever is going to get in, so choose quickly... or we could just leave and continue collecting magic stones, you decide." He finished while crossing his arms.

"You know I know how much you want to explore this building, don't you?"

So, Yuri wants to go in there...

"I'll go." Those words that came out of my mouth didn't register in my mind until I had already said them.

Why did I do it? I could let Lili be the one to go... even though that would mean she could get hurt or...

No... I can't let my friends be in danger again.

The inhuman mask of that person who was about to kill me came to my mind.

I need to get stronger... so that nothing like this happens ever again.

"Are you sure?" Yuri asked, looking worried. "We might as well let Lili do it, after all, I can easily communicate with her even at a distance."

I know, I understand that that would be the most practical, but...

"I want to go," I replied with conviction. "Please let me go."

He scratched the back of his head and grimaced. "If you insist. Just... don't die, Hestia would never forgive me."

... you don't need to tell me, I don't plan on dying.

I shook my head. "I won't."

"Well, if you're so sure..." He crouched down next to the wall and clasped both hands on his knee. "Climb over my shoulder. You can reach the top if I help you."

In the face of the unknown, I could no longer simply cower in fear.

I smiled unconsciously as I saw Yuri's enthusiasm for exploring.

With his help, I was able to reach the window with my hands and squeeze my body through the narrow gap. Once inside, I covered my nose with both hands because of the disgusting smell in the air.

I was only able to get a quick glimpse of the room I entered, which had boxes of smooth material scattered around, either open or closed. There was a door leading into a hallway, but the light didn't reach beyond that.

After that little examination, I stuck my head out the window to get some air.

"Bell!? What happened in there?"

Gasping for air, I spoke. "The air is horrible and everything is dark."

"Oh? Let me see, give me a second," he replied while searching for something inside his large backpack.

Once he got what he wanted, he pulled it out and threw them towards me. It was no problem catching them in the air.

"What are these?"

"Flashlight and a respirator," was his reply. "The respirator goes on your mouth and will help you inhale the contaminated air in the environment. Just make sure you fasten it with the straps."

That's pretty helpful.

"The flashlight will allow you to see in the dark, just press the small lever on the side."

Which one? This?

I accidentally lost my vision for a few seconds while invoking the power of the sun with the flashlight.

It looks like a torch with a range of light focused in a single direction, but, unlike natural fire, this lantern has a much wider range of light.

I don't know how useful it will be, but this will definitely help me see in the dark.

"Are you sure you don't want Lili to go with you? She can see in the dark and watch your back."

That sounds tempting, but I have to do this alone.

It's a good thing Lili can't read my mind, otherwise she'd be scolding me for being so stubborn.

...

And she'd be right.

I adjusted the mask on my face. "I'll be alright." I said to Yuri before turning around.

With the help of the flashlight, not seeing in the dark was no longer as big a problem as I had initially thought. The light this tool created was extraordinary, allowing me to see things as clearly as one could under the sun's rays.

And that's why I was able to better observe the place where I was.

The other two windows of the building seemed to be blocked with wooden planks nailed together as a defense against whatever was outside. Whether it was monsters or something else, I couldn't tell.

But I'm here to find out.

I debated for a moment whether going through the boxes would be worth it, but then decided it would be better to do it with the others, so my goal was to go down and open the door so they could enter.

With that in mind, I left the room and-

I had half a second to step back before I was dead. The wooden frame of the door in front of me was destroyed by a handful of bullets that raised a cloud of dust in the air, irritating my eyes by how close it was.

I stepped back and almost tripped over my own feet because of that.

W-What happened!?

I sheathed my knife and grabbed my shotgun.

Did someone shoot me? Why did they do it? Do they want to kill me? Why didn't I hear the shots?

Groans and grunts came from the hallway, footsteps dragging along the floor as someone approached.

Oh, my Goddess, please protect me.

I kept the flashlight, as well as the barrel of my shotgun, pointed towards the door. Something was approaching and sticking my head out was not a good idea.

Still, I couldn't keep the gun steady, my hands were shaking too much.

The horrible memories began to take control of my senses, only leaving me to feel a paralyzing fear that I couldn't shake off.

My instinct was what made me move when I saw the long barrel of a gun poking through the door. The moment I took cover behind some boxes was when another series of silent gunshots echoed through the room, blowing away part of my cover and making my hair stand on end.

I didn't hesitate to just point the gun over my head and shoot in any direction.

"Aaaah... haaaaaah..."

I rolled behind another crate, narrowly avoiding another round of gunfire, and took a second to breathe.

Ugh, come on... get a grip, Bell!

I rolled the flashlight on the ground and whoever had me cornered fired again, narrowly missing my only source of light and giving me precious seconds to get out and-

A person with a torn face, rotten hands, and eyes about to pop out was looking at me while holding some kind of weapon in his hands, the barrel looking directly at me.

I hesitated.

And that thing pulled the trigger again.

CLICK.

...

Am I not dead?

As that person went to grab something from his pockets, my hands moved before I could think and I raised my gun, unloading the second round from my shotgun into his chest.

That person fell backwards to the ground, his weapon slipping from his hands and sliding across the ground.

The thing that creeped me out was the fact that, instead of screaming or trying to get away from me because of the atrocity I had done, he started to roll around on the ground, stretching out his arm to try to grab his gun again while all kinds of sounds escaped from his mouth.

Puzzled by his behavior, I took the flashlight and shone it on his face, giving him a closer look.

His jaws opened and closed violently, seeking to bite whatever was within reach. The open wounds on his hands were leaking a thick yellowish liquid.

It seemed like this... person... was suffering.

Even so, the way he carries himself and the determination he has to take his gun and finish me off makes him seem more like a monster than another human being.

He's probably not human anymore...

I couldn't watch him suffer any longer, so I reloaded my gun and, with my heart aching with sadness, I leveled the barrel at his face and... and...

...

I didn't need to shoot. He just stopped moving, his last breath escaping with a grunt.

I'm not a murderer. I'm not a murderer. I'm not a murderer.

...

I took a deep breath and put my gun aside. My hands were shaking and I couldn't breathe properly even with the thing Yuri gave me.

This is proof that what happened in that forest will remain etched in my memory forever.

I shook my head and decided to not look at the corpse, it would be better for me this way.

That way I won't be distracted by his empty gaze, which I couldn't get out of my thoughts anymore.

I wonder if my friends heard the shots... what would they think of me...

I returned to the hallway and shined my flashlight into the darkness. A pair of doors to the left were visible, but I doubted they were safe to open. At the end of the same hallway were stairs leading down to the first floor, but the path was littered with debris from the collapsed roof, letting in the snow that had accumulated on the ground.

Now that I realize, it's cold in here.

I walked cautiously towards the stairs, hoping none of the doors would open by surprise. I didn't want to be attacked by... stalkers again? Ugh, I don't know.

I just want to get out of this alive.

I would say that I'm regretting having offered myself to go, but to admit that is to admit that I would rather have my friends suffer for me, which I absolutely refuse to let happen.

Not while I can avoid it.

My breath pooled inside the respirator, shielding my face from the cold air whistling through the ceiling. Grey was all that could be seen in the sky as I stood on the rubble.

I was very curious to know what lay beyond the battered walls of this building. So much so that my low spirits were revitalized by the idea of being able to explore the unknown.

Carefully, I made my way down the shattered stairs that went in two directions, the wall to my left not allowing me to see very well what awaited me around the corner.

After avoiding the rubble and finishing the descent of the stairs to the first floor, I took a moment to analyze my surroundings by shining my flashlight.

There were dozens of shelves full of objects and boxes of different sizes that blocked the way. It seemed like I was in some kind of warehouse with the amount of stuff in here. At the end of it all was the front entrance of the building, which I had to open so my friends could enter.

"Well, uh..." I talked to myself to keep my fear under control. "I just have to go over there and open the door."

I took a step and tripped over something I didn't see, which caused me to hit my face on one of the shelves, knocking it to the floor and making a lot of noise as its contents scattered everywhere.

By the time I was able to pick up my flashlight and stand up, I noticed the half dozen shadows that rose from the ground at the same time, as well as others emerging from dark corners that I couldn't see.

When I used my flashlight to illuminate those figures, the urge to vomit I had before came back with vengeance.

Mutilated, with patches of skin missing and flesh exposed, resurrected bodies that refused to die sought one thing with the attitude they took in my presence. Their eyes glowed in the darkness and the metal of their weapons shined in the light of my flashlight.

All I could do was throw myself to the ground behind a couple of boxes while covering my head, expecting the worst.

... but nothing happened.

For a moment I thought those things were getting closer to get a clean shot at my face, but after a few tense seconds in which fear prevented me from moving, I realized that I couldn't hear those things' footsteps or any other kind of sound other than my heart pounding in my ears or the cold wind making my ribs tremble.

Maybe they're waiting for me to show up so they can annihilate me? Maybe they didn't even saw me?

I sobbed, because if I cried, I fear they might hear me.

I stood absolutely still, listening intently for any sound that might give me an idea of what to do next while I was busy trying to calm myself down.

The only problem was that the silence persisted, making it impossible for me to know what was going on around me.

After a few minutes of nothing, I decided to take a chance and poke my head out.

None of the reanimated bodies were in sight, but a pair of eyes were watching me from the far corner of my vision.

W-What?

I turned around, but there was nothing.

...

Did I hallucinate? But it looked so real...

I moved cautiously between the shelves, over every place where I thought I saw a corpse rise, but I only found bodies, the foul stentch of putrefaction was beggining to filter inside my respirator and the insects that littered the floor were making my psyche degrade.

My stomach threatened to turn in itself at each of the horrendous sights I was forced to observe, but I had to do it. Otherwise, one of them might get up and kill me from behind.

I don't want to die.

Minutes passed and it didn't seem like any of them were waking up from their eternal sleep.

Okay... uhm, I guess it's safe now?

No, thinking that is stupid. I have to regroup with my friends.

It didn't look like anything was going to kill me for now, so I made my way to the door and pushed aside the boxes blocking it, the door swinging open from the wind, letting the snow from outside get in my face.

Wait, now that I realize it, why is it snowing inside the dungeon?

I opened the door fully and walked out of the building, confused.

The first thing I saw was the clouds stretching across the horizon, blocking my view. The second thing that I noticed was that the ground ended a few steps ahead.

The third was how cold it was out here. I feel like I might freeze if I stay out for too long.

Where am I!?

Ahh... ahhh...

I don't understand this place.

I-I better get back.

I closed the door and walked back upstairs, almost tripping over a dead body again.

"I'm sorry..."

It didn't take me long to reach that window from earlier, so I looked out and let out a sigh of relief when I saw that I still had a way back to the Dungeon.

Which means that I saw my friends again, who were sitting by the wall, eating from the basket Syr gave me.

I was starting to worry I wouldn't.

The ground around them had small pools of blood. I guess monsters appeared after I left.

I took off my mask and took a breath of fresh air. That thing was making me uncomfortable.

"Hm? Oh, hello Bell." Yuri was the first to turn around and wave, followed by Lili who always imitates him. "What took you so long?"

I almost died in there.

"Did you hear anything out of the ordinary coming from the building?" I asked as I tried to climb down through the window.

Yuri stood up and helped me up. "Not really, why do you ask?"

Oh, so you didn't hear the shots from earlier...

"There was a Stalker inside... or I don't know, but he tried to kill me with his gun."

"Oh..." Yuri's carefree smile quickly changed to a distressed frown. "Oh shit. Are you okay!? Nothing happened to you?" He asked me while looking for any visible wounds I might have. Lili checking me over from behind.

While it feels good to have friends, seeing them this worried because of me is not satisfying.

"No, don't worry," I said. "I, uh... killed him..."

At my words, Yuri hugged me tightly while apologizing to me.

"Fuck... I'm sorry, kid... I shouldn't have let you go alone."

I patted his back, signaling him to stop, and he let me go.

"It's okay." I tried to calm him down. "It was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess... besides, I don't think the guy was alive in the first place..."

"Not alive? What do you mean by that?" Lili asked, a small glint of recognition in her eyes.

"Uhm..." I tried to recall every important detail, even if it hurt me to do so. "The guy's face was disfigured... I mean, his skin looked like it was rotting and his hands were covered in open wounds. He looked more like a reanimated corpse than someone who was actually... you know... alive."

Lili looked at Yuri for a second before nodding and taking something out of her backpack.

"Bell, tell me what else you saw in there."

"Well, apart from several corpses scattered around the place, there were also a lot of boxes and metal shelves blocking the way."

Yuri frowned again. "What about the door?"

"Ah, that's what I wanted to tell you about."

After explaining to him how strange the experience of seeing the sky below you was, he zoned out while thinking of something.

"That sounds fun." Lili said with some excitement as she unwrapped the rope she pulled out of her backpack. I guess she must be reading his thoughts right now because I could notice Yuri's smile when she spoke.

"Then we don't have time to lose." He replied as he dropped his large backpack on the ground and kneelednext to the wall. "I'm sure there must be something valuable among all those boxes, so why don't we all go take a look?"

...

That actually sounds like fun.

Lili climbed up with Yuri's help and, using her rope, we climbed up to the second floor of the building. Unfortunately for me, I had to put my respirator back on, but at least I'm not the only one wearing it now.

"Did you check the whole place?" Yuri asked me with a serious tone in his voice. As serious as his muffled voice could sound, he was wearing a mask similar to the ones those Stalkers in the forest wore...

...

I was about to say yes, but I remembered the two rooms I left unchecked in the hallway.

"No, I didn't go into the rooms of the hallway."

He took his gun from his back and turned on the flashlight attached to it. "Alright, don't wander off sight." He said as he walked out the door and around the corner.

"Uhm... shouldn't we help him?" I asked Lili, but she was already walking behind him, submachine gun in hand.

I guess I didn't receive the telepathic message.

I just followed them while taking my shotgun from its rope on my belt.

Once in the hallway, I saw Yuri open the door from the side, demonstrating his caution by using the barrel of his gun to push it further in. Lili was on the other side of the door with her own gun at shoulder height, trying to peer into the other corner of the room.

Seeing them like this made me feel a little out of place, like... they look so professional.

Only a second passed and both of them started moving in sync. Yuri entered the room while keeping his gaze on his side of the room while Lili did the same, not letting any corner go unchecked.

It looked weird... I don't know though, is it better than what I could have done? I'm sure it is, Yuri is more experienced in this kind of thing and Lili can literally read his thoughts.

I guess this is the kind of coordination you only get with telepathy.

I followed behind them and the only thing notable in the room was the amount of boxes that were stored here.

"Huh, a warehouse."

"Actually, downstairs is the same as here," I replied to Yuri. "Full of boxes... and corpses."

He seemed to be lost in thought for a second.

"Makes sense." I heard Lili say out of the blue, probably something they were debating in their minds.

Still, I couldn't help but ask. "What thing?"

Yuri walked over to one of the boxes and ran his hand over it, dusting it off. "Well, the fact that there are several corpses suggests that there must be something of value among all of this..."

Cardboard? Weren't they made of wood?

He used his knife to open the box without any problems and took out some of what was inside.

"Hm, books."

He threw it behind him and Lili caught it in her hands, becoming distracted by the object as she opened its pages and glanced around.

Yuri walked over to another box and opened it the same way, this time taking out a large pink sweater.

"Clothing."

"That color looks nice."

"Yeah... I'm not that into pink," he replied, dropping the item back into the box. "Though if we find something your size you can take it if you want..." He then pointed at me. "Bell, open that one over there."

Using Yuri's method, I was surprised at how easy it was to open these cardboard boxes. The only thing I wonder is how such a soft material can hold up under the weight of the items inside.

Which were bulging circular metal objects.

I heard him step behind me and grab the thing I took from the box. "Give me that a second."

True to what he said, he gave his verdict the next second. "It's food."

"Food?" How is that piece of metal food?

"Canned food actually," he explained. "There's food inside this can, I just don't think it's edible anymore... can't seem to find any label or expiration date."

So it's a sealed metal container? That's... odd.

Why is everything Yuri knows strange?

"You just need to pull here to open it," he explained, then demonstrated by opening the can in his hands, revealing a shapeless brown mass inside.

It may look like the oatmeal my grandfather used to feed me, but I'm not going to eat something that came from a piece of metal.

After a few seconds of silence while it took Yuri to examine that, he concluded that. "It's rotten."

That statement just made me reiterate my point. I will never ever eat canned food.

He threw it to the ground and took up his gun. "We need to check the other room."

"If you say so~" Lili hummed in a half-mocking tone as she put the book aside.

I have no choice but to follow them.

I certainly feel safer with them.

Yuri pressed himself against the wall next to the door. "Okay. Same procedure, guys."

The wood creaked and all three of us found ourselves pointing our weapons into the room in response to any danger that might arise.

Again, there was nothing. Just more boxes.

Yuri lowered his weapon a little. "Well, it seems we really are alone here."

A chill that ran down my back made me turn my head towards the stairs to the first floor.

There was nothing there...

"What's wrong, Bell?"

...

"No, nothing..."

"Let us know if you don't feel good," Yuri added. "Why don't you just show us what you meant by looking at the sky from beneath the ground?"

I don't know why I couldn't shake off this bad feeling.

"Y-Yeah, sure."

---

I'm boooooored...

You'd think leaving work early would be a good thing, but right now I'm suffering because of it!

I have nothing to read and no one to keep me company. The little money I have is being saved to pay for my Familia's license and groceries for tomorrow's meal.

Maybe I could reread the books on the shelf... but what's the point? I want something new to look at.

If only I had a source of unlimited money to use from...

...

Now that I think about it, Yuri lives nearby, right?

Maybe he'll forgive me for taking a little bit from his money...

It's decided! I'll go visit his house... or shelter... or what did he call it? Bunker?

Ah, whatever.

I got out of bed and walked out from the basement of the abandoned church.

If only we had the money to remodel this place...

I took the right and walked for a few minutes until I found a metal door on the ground in the middle of nowhere.

I guess this is it?

It wasn't locked, so I just walked down and poked my head through the open door.

It was a bit dark, but the light from outside illuminated the interior well enough for me to see without problem.

"Oookay... let's see what's in here..."

I tiptoed around the place, checking for possible places where Yuri might keep his money. Among the weapons that were scattered on his shelves or inside the gaps of the old sofa next to the door.

The end result was disappointing as I found nothing.

In the end I decided to open his metal chest and rummage through his things. Inside there were clothes, those things he calls bullets, and other strange artifacts that I always see him using in his memories.

I also found books... well, not books, more like magazines.

The one I took was one with a cover of a woman in a bikini and text in a strange language that filled the entire page, but I actually had no problem understanding it.

Which just served to shock me.

Playboy? This month's hottest girls!? Uncensored edition!?

Having that magazine in my hands just made me sick and I threw it back into the chest.

Does Y-Yuri like this kind of things?

W-Well... he's an adult and c-can read whatever he wants, so I don't think it's that bad...

Still, knowing that your child sees this kind of thing is disheartening.

"Oh, Yuri..."

...

Still, that didn't stop me from taking another peek at the magazine.

Ohh...

"That girl has my size."

After getting bored of reading magazines with questionable content, I started looking through Yuri's stuff to find something to entertain myself with.

That's why I now found myself with a helmet on my head and a gun in my arms.

"Hasta la vista, baby! Ratatatata..."

Not my proudest moment, but I had so much fun that I forgot what I originally came here for.

"I need more bullets!"

---

"I must say, that shower has done wonders for you."

"Shut up, that wasn't even a shower."

"Hm? And what would you call a shower then? You have a barrel of water, you take some with the cup and let it shower over your head, isn't that a shower?"

Yuri rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "That's not how-"

"Hehe, I'm just messing with you." She had an annoying smile on her face. "We do have those, it's just that the guild doesn't want to increase costs by adding a dedicated bath for adventurers... do you know how normal it is for people to come looking like they came out of the sewers?"

Makes sense. I had to scrub pretty hard in some spots to get the grime off.

Lili's gaze slowly lost its color in front of me.

"Please stop thinking about your moments in the bath..."

Uh...

"Sorry."

We walked through the city streets as we made our way back home. The afternoon sunlight gave a peaceful feel to the views.

It was almost relaxing.

"Uhm, Yuri."

"Yes, Bell?"

"Why did we keep half of the magic stones we brought?"

Right, I didn't tell him.

"I'm going to exchange them for something else," I explained. "I made a deal with an acquaintance, so I must honor it if I want to remain on good terms with them."

"I see."

"It were those Russians from before, right?"

If you already know the answer, why are you asking me?

"Yeah, them."

"Ohh, those kinds of acquaintances." Bell spoke.

We were walking back home after that little adventure in the Dungeon, although I didn't expect to find another entrance to the Zone... well, not one as strange as that floating warehouse was.

I was amused by the faces they made when I explained that they would die if they jumped off from there. We were probably in the troposphere considering how the snow was piling up around us.

Why were we in the troposphere? Hell if I know.

We took a couple of things from there. Mostly some junk that could be useful and some other interesting gadgets like a couple of drones that I didn't know if they would still work.

All that remains is to check everything we brought back.

I also found an artifact! I haven't had one with me for a while.

"Why are you recapping everything we did today in your head?"

"Lili... shut up."

"Hehe."

Night was falling in Orario and I was getting a little hungry.

"Fatty."

I laughed at her attemp to annoy me.

"I'm bigger than you, I need more food to keep myself going."

"Is that even true? I think you just want to eat for the sake of it."

"And I don't think you're going to grow any bigger if you eat the same amount of food as me."

What I said made even Bell open his mouth in surprise. "Ohhh..."

Her eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Someday, Yuri, someday."

"Keep dreaming, kid."

She stuck her tongue out in response.

I just ran my gloved finger over her tongue again.

"Bwah! Why did you do that!? Your hand is stained with blood... Disgusting!"

Haha.

"You guys want something to eat? My treat," I said to my two protégés.

"You're almost flat broke," Lili replied. "With what money are you going to buy any food?"

"And why don't you buy us something then, huh? You're a millionaire and you don't show it." I barked back at her.

"Ha! I could very well buy you guys a feast fit for the gods if I wanted to!"

"And what's stopping you?"

She was about to answer again, but paused for a second as she remembered something important. "My money is scattered all over the city..."

Pfft, that's terrible.

"We could help you pick it up," Bell mentioned, ever the gentleman he was.

"Ah... let's do that another day, I don't feel like it right now."

Well, if none of you want, I'll buy my own food.

If you can, buy some for me too. Lili intervened in my thoughts.

I turned to her, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Alright."

"Yay."

Bell, somewhat confused, asked, "What are you talking about?"

I ignored his question and asked one in return. "Want something to eat, Bell?"

"Oh, if possible..." Was his answer. "We should also bring something for my goddess."

"Sounds good, what do you think she'll like?"

Thanks to that little conversation we deviated from our path and headed towards the Hostess of Fertility.

"Ah, guys! How are you doing?" A very excited Syr greeted us as soon as we entered the premises.

"Tired." I replied to the young woman as I pushed Bell forward. "Your boyfriend here wants to tell you something."

"Y-Yuri!"

Syr chuckled and leaned in front of Bell. "Alright, what do you have to say to me, Bell?"

"Don't play their game, Syr!" The boy exclaimed, his face red.

This only made the girl laugh again. "And what are you doing here? Do you want something from the menu?"

Lili pulled on the sleeve of my coat and asked, "Do we eat here or at home?"

"Hm, which do you prefer?"

"I certainly wouldn't want to eat here again after what happened last time..."

I turned to Syr and pointed at something from the menu. "Yeah, we'll have that for takeout."

She stepped aside and introduced us to a table. "Alright! Sit down while I bring your food."

The three of us sat at a table and put our things aside.

There were some familiar faces among the adventurers eating, they were surely there when I threatened that wolf guy.

Their glances were not the friendliest.

Lili leaned across the table and whispered to us, "I think those guys are giving us the stink eye."

"Just ignore them," I said. "There's not much they can do against us."

"Heh, good point."

Bell, as timid as ever, whispered under his breath. "And what do we do if they really decide to do something against us...?"

I patted the rifle hanging from my shoulder. "We're armed, they're not."

"That's a dangerous thought, Mr. Yuri." Syr mentioned as she came and sat next to Bell.

"Bell suggested it."

"H-Hey!"

Syr laughed at that. "Well, the Loki Familia fans didn't like you challenging one of their executives like that."

"Pft, as if I cared about what other people think."

"That's one way to live life, yes," she replied. "But eventually-" She stopped when something seemed to catch her eye.

I turned to see where she was looking, which was the window of the store, but there was nothing there.

"Something the matter?" I asked.

"N-No, it's just... forget it."

Huh, strange.

She laughed nervously and stood up from her seat. "I-I'll go get your meals, I'll be right back~"

We saw her go towards the kitchen.

"What do you think happened to her?"

Lili shrugged. "Maybe she's holding a fart?"

"Lili what is wrong with you?"

"Wha-? You say even worse things!"

"No I don't."

"In your mind!"

Bell just sighed.

Some time passed and we eventually got our food in paper bags.

"Have a good night!"

We said goodbye to Syr and returned home without any problems, although I don't know why, but it was colder than usual out here.

I thought we were entering summer or spring... actually, I have yet to ask.

When we arrived at the dilapidated church, Lili was reminded of the fact that her friend was probably going to throw her stuff on the street if she didn't come back soon, so she said goodbye to us for the moment, promising to come back later so we could all have dinner together.

"I'm going to my bunker to clean up my stuff, are you coming?" I asked Bell.

"Ah, I'll go later, I need to greet Hestia first."

"I'll see you down there then."

I left the boy as he entered the secret passage that led to the basement where he lived and I went to my shelter, pushing the doors aside and turning on the light.

The sight that greeted me was that of my weapons scattered on the floor, some of my clothes on my bed, and my open trunk. If that wasn't enough, Hestia was sleeping on my couch with a placid look on her face while holding an unloaded M4A1 carbine and my Altyn helmet in both hands.

...

I dropped my backpack on top of her as I placed the food on the work table.

"Owww!"

It's been a long day and I just want to rest.

"Why did you do that!?"

"So you can wake up and go say hello to your favorite son."

"And couldn't you have been more gentle when you woke me up?"

"Heh, look at me and tell me which part of me says gentle."

Hestia stood up from the couch and marched over to me, putting her index finger on my nose. "The part where-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because she was interrupted by the distant echo of a gunshot.

---

"I'll see you down there then."

"Ah, yeah... see you later!"

I said goodbye to Yuri for the moment and turned around to enter my home. I was somewhat anxious to see my goddess after such a long day, so I opened the door and walked down the stairs with excitement.

"Goddess!" I announced my arrival. "I'm back!"

When I got down, there was no one there to greet me. Just the deafening silence and the sound of my footsteps.

"Uhm... goddess?"

I turned on the magic lantern and tried to look for her everywhere, but there was no trace of her except the open book on the bed.

It's one of those adult books that she usually reads... it's not something I'd read, but she really likes this kind of stuff so I buy them for her.

I closed the book and turned around to return it to the shelf with the others, but the sound of footsteps stopped me and I turned around toward the stairs.

Could that be her?

"Goddess?"

Silence was my answer.

Where's my goddess?

I put the book aside and took a step forward. "...goddess?"

Silence.

I was starting to get worried.

I took a step towards the stairs. "Hestia!?"

The book from before fell off the edge of the bed, causing me to turn around in fear due to the tense atmosphere I felt, but I curse that second it took me to look back, because once I turned my gaze towards the stairs-

A pair of red eyes stared directly at me.

---

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Alright, I'm terribly sorry for ending it with a cliffhanger like this, but I already got to my word limit for chapter and I didn't want to make it so long, so I separated that part and... yeah

Well, here I am, throw tomatoes at me or make me clean some toilets, I totally deserve it for dissapearing like that.

Just so you know, guys, you don't need to worry if I don't upload anything for a while, I'll probably be alright... hanging in there, but mostly alright. I'm just glad I still have something to eat everyday.

Ah, yeah, came here to tell ya that next chapter is like 3/4 done, so maybe the next upload won't be that long? Anyways...

I'll just answer some things I saw on the comments.

Did he get the rocket launcher? Hell yeah! You'll see it later.

If I'm alright? Eh, kind of. Mostly surviving. I' a tough fucker tho... although that won't matter against bullets lol.

If Yuri x Naaza? Huh... I don't know. Tempting... I do have some plans to develop their friendship in the future, but I don't know how that'll play out.

If guns would be able to destroy dragons or monsters from floors below 40? Nah, bullets ain't that strong. The difficulty just keeps going up, exponentially so, so the monsters from the lower floors would just laugh at 7.62, maybe grunt against 50. cal.

That's kind of the reason I gave Yuri his skill, so there's that...

Anyhow, happy christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy your festivities.

Take care out there!

(F, how did I end up mistaking anomaly and artifact!?)