“Oh, she is. See, don’t you wish you hadn’t said anything right about now?”
“Send me back, please,” I whispered. “I can’t be here anymore.”
“If that is your wish, sure. Anything else you want to know about your new home?”
“Wait, what home? The rift?”
“Yeah, the rift. You’ll be living and fighting there from now on.”
“When do I have to go?”
“Oh, you fool. Everyone will automatically be teleported there once the time has come.”
“And for that matter, everyone else you allow there can do the same,” Veles added. “I’ll even up you one. Since you’ve picked a rift that’s as perfect as possible to get from the beginner’s chain, I’ll transfer the full ownership of your starting zone to you.”
“Huh? Wait, what does that mean?”
“You should ask fewer questions, Viktor! You’re embarrassing both yourself and me, your patron!” Veles snapped. “Humans. Ugh!”
I shut my mouth and waited for Veles to continue. It took several minutes, but eventually, the divinity spoke again. “The living dungeon is one of the rarest dungeons. It will grow with activity. Right now it’s not much bigger than your city, but in time as monsters get killed, areas are explored, and certain requirements are met, it can grow to the size of a world.”
“And there’s many of these?”
Veles nodded. “Look. To get inside, people will have to know the coordinates of where to enter. They can do so from other gates, but only if they know what to do; otherwise the gates will lead to their owners’ worlds.”
“There will be food and water inside the dungeon?”
“Oh, yes. Plenty. I’ll place you somewhere nice but attractive.”
“I see. Can I go now?” I asked, not wanting to stay there for a moment longer.
“Very well. Go back to your world and wait for it to happen. You’ll know once it does.”
I didn’t like how the words sounded, but I bowed slightly and turned to Krajolik.
“Thank you again, and please forgive me. I meant no offense.”
I could see that Krajolik was pretty satisfied with what he got out of this visit after I apologized. I had no idea if it mattered to them, but it did for me. My… family would be alive again and well. At least something came out of it, though I wanted to cry and scream. I probably would once I was back home.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“He’s waking up!”
Melina’s melodic voice rang out from beside me as she cried and said something I couldn’t make out. She was loud. Incredibly loud, but I didn’t care. She was alive, and that was all that mattered to me. Aside from… what happened with Krajolik.
“You’re loud,” I groaned as my eyes fluttered open.
Her beautifully clean face stared down at me. There wasn’t a single trace of makeup present. Hmm, it wasn’t what I’d become used to. I preferred her the other way for sure, but I wasn’t going to say that after just coming back from probable death.
“Idiot. I thought we lost you.”
I shot up and sat, looking around to see where I was. She sat on a chair next to the bed where I had slept.
“Where… are the rest?” I asked, trying to sound as happy as I could.
“How did you—no way! Did you do that?”
“Did he do what?” Kang asked from the doorway. “Revive my child? And the rest of my family?”
I nodded slowly. “It was the least I could do after—all that happened.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “You have no idea how much I hate you, Viktor. I loathe you as much as Sandro and that boss and everything else, but I can’t help myself. I still decided to stay and see if you’d ever wake up. The rest stayed too.”
I looked away, embarrassed. He was right. I hated myself too, but all I could do was try to make sure nothing like it ever happened again.
“I’m not going to try to come up with excuses, Kang. I did all I could, and it’s just the way it happened. You can hate me, you can loathe me, but I can’t change anything that has already happened.”
“You’re right, but now that you’ve woken up, we’ll take our leave. We’ll go back to our place and see what’s next. Sure, we signed up for this, but after witnessing it happen… I’m not sure I could take it again.”
My heart sank. Shit, this wasn’t good in more ways than one. No, in every way imaginable. Did I give up my revenge and child only for them to leave me? Still, I tried to remain calm and accept his choice. If he already made up his mind, then there was no reason to try to keep him here.
“You’ll always be welcome, all of you. Even when we move.”
“Move? Where?” Melina asked. “I thought you loved this place.”
“I do, but Veles—a God said that he’ll move the ryokan somewhere else. Apparently, we own a rift now, and one that’s extremely rare and alive.”
“And brimming with monsters?” Kang asked.
“Probably.”
“Fuck that. I’m not going anywhere near it in that case.”
I nodded slowly and let out a sigh. “The offer will stand even if you don’t want to come near me again. Remember, things will get a whole lot worse before they get better, and since Sandro knows about… you know.”
“We’ll probably move to the countryside with her parents. I don’t think we’ll be any worse off than here, but thanks again, Viktor. I know you had our best interests in mind, even when you shared this cultivation thing. I’ll make sure no one finds out about it.”
“Thanks,” I said, but even a child could understand I didn’t mean it.
“You too.”
He stepped in closer and offered me his hand. I shook it and watched the man as he turned his back to us and walked down the hallway. The echo of his boots hitting the stairs died out soon after. I sighed and looked back at Melina’s angelic face.
“What about Mark and his wife?”
She shrugged. “He’s staying, but wants the whole left wing for themselves, well, at least one floor. The ground floor.”
“As if I’d care about such a thing. He’s strong and loyal. I want to keep him around no matter what.”
“We’ll talk about it during lunch. Sarah is preparing food right now. We didn’t know you’d be up, so she’s setting the table for three.”
I put my hand up and shook my head slightly. “Doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I got you back.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “And don’t tell me it’s nothing.”
I shrugged and flashed her a weak, regretful smile. “Nothing that can be changed. Nothing at all.”
Melina helped me move to the ground floor and take a shower. She joined me inside, so I fooled around a bit, grabbing her ass and kissing her more than once. The wound in my gut was gone, but a scar remained that was going to remind me of my failure and my past.
Once done, we moved to the dining room and sat there. Mark was the first to walk in on us. Seeing the expression on his face was priceless as he stood there with his mouth wide open and then made a step toward me, but then stepped back again and looked generally lost.
“You’re awake! And well!”
I nodded as I offered him my hand. He shook it excitedly.
“Glad to see you aren’t running anywhere. Or am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not. We cut all ties to anyone before we came here and—you know. My old boss is dead now, so I got no employer.”
“You still have one if you want one.”
“Only if you’ll have us.” He laughed and sat down. “Oh, I don’t know if Melina told you, but the old couple came with us. I already got all the flour and salt and whatever else they wanted to take here. It’s all in the storage and the kitchen.”
“Oh? How long have I been out of it?” I asked.
It never crossed my mind that I might have slept for some days rather than hours. And I’d been up there with the Gods, after all. Shit! A sense of ur
gency washed over me.
“It’s the last day of the quest chain. We got a message last night that the chance to gain entry to the tower will be gone for the next year if we fail to get in now.”
“Heh, so this will last at least for a year,” I murmured, “and at most forever. How interesting.”
“Interesting or not, it’s down to the two of us. Only you and me.”
The reality of what he said hit me like a brick to the face. We were alone. Just the two of us when it came to battle. Damn, this was a bad situation no matter how you looked at it. No, that wasn’t right. We had Scar, and in time he’d become much stronger. Two on the front lines, and one providing support from the rear. No more needless deaths.
“Three if you count Scar, and maybe it’s better like that.”
“Maybe you’re right. We’ve seen what true horror looks like, and risking anyone else’s life is just asking for death.”
I sighed and leaned against Melina. She put her arms around me and kissed my neck.
“You have me,” she whispered. “You know that I’m a supporter now, don’t you?”
Shit, she was right! I totally forgot about her healing us during the battle.
“How? Why? I thought you got tetsubo skills.”
She shook her head and smirked. “I told you I got the skill bandage, right? It turns out it can heal minor wounds, and then I got a skill that basically relieves you of any fatigue and gives you heightened reflexes and movement for ten minutes.”
“That’s—unexpected? Hell, what weapon do you use?”
“None. I fight using a damned fan that can scatter Enma in every direction I choose and attack that way. At least that’s what I just found out last night.”
“A fan?” I asked incredulously. I froze. “Did someone show you how to use it?”
“No, well, not exactly. I saw myself use it in my dream and was embarrassed by it, so I didn’t tell anyone. Or at least the woman looked so much like me that I thought it was me.” Her voice turned weak and apologetic.
“Huh? What are you talking about? You saved me and Aiko. Why would you even try to make up an excuse?”
“Melina, you’re the most valuable one here,” Mark added. “It’s not hard to kill someone or something, but giving life is something else entirely.”
Her cheeks turned slightly pink as Sarah walked in, followed by Donald and Rita. All three carried a tray in their hands with food placed on top. They froze when they noticed me sitting at the table.
“Sir Viktor?” Donald was the first to recover. “You’re awake.”
“I am. And thanks for not going back on your word. I heard you hauled everything over to the ryokan.”
He nodded and put the tray down, then sat on the other side of the table. “We heard what happened, and to be honest, I thought of going back on my word.”
“If you had, I wouldn’t have said a word, but now that you’re here, I need to tell you something. All of you, so please sit down.”
“Just a minute, Mr. Viktor,” Rita said as she got up again. “We’re a set of cutlery and food short.”
I put up my hand and stopped her. “Please sit. I’m not even that hungry.”
She nodded and sat down next to Donald. Sarah took her place next to Mark, but then she reached around her back and pulled the baby over to the front. It was wrapped in a sort of—I had no idea what it was other than that it hung there and was asleep.
“Is the baby fine?”
She nodded and flashed me a smile as she pulled her left breast out and pressed it against the baby’s mouth. Lucky bastard.
“She is, thanks to Melina.”
The two women exchanged a warm smile. It was much more than just a smile. The two had become much closer over the last few days, I was sure of it.
“Great. Just great. Shit, I don’t even know how to start other than to apologize for what happened during the battle. I had no way of knowing something like that could ever happen, but it did.”
“Please don’t,” Mark interrupted me. He had a mean look on his face as he spoke. “Everyone there saw that you were giving more than you could to try to save everyone. If they have a different opinion, that’s their problem.”
“Thanks, I guess.” I nodded in appreciation. “You’re right, but it doesn’t change the fact people died.”
“No, it doesn’t, but you could also say that we’re still alive because of you.”
“If you look at it that way, yeah. Anyway, the second thing I need to apologize for is that we lost all the loot. I exchanged it to revive the dead.”
“Don’t even mention it,” Mark said. He was feeling the same pain as I was, or at least something similar. “I think we’re more than just—you know?”
I nodded and took the knife Rita placed in front of us, then slit my palm. “Blood brothers?”
Mark grinned and nodded, then did the same with his knife and gave me his hand. A strange, warm sensation flowed through my palm and arm, both entering and exiting my system. A drop of blood bound by a chain appeared where the potion buffs used to be during the battle. I focused on the image and gasped as it was accompanied by a notification.
Notification:
Blood Brothers. (Level 1)
Have 1/5 Blood Brothers for Level 2
REWARD: +15% to all stats when in same party
“Shit! Did you just get this achievement and buff as well?”
He nodded with his mouth wide open. “It’s 15% to all stats when in the same party and world. How the hell—no, never mind. I’m just glad we at least got something from this.”
“But only if we’re in the same party and nearby,” Mark whispered.
“Yeah, but we’ll always hunt together, won’t we?”
“I guess so.” He chuckled. “Damn, now that was quite the surprise.”
“You guys got a new buff?” Melina asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, the buff skill is called Blood Brothers.”
“It only works if you mean it,” Scar said as he appeared in the doorway. “Good to see you all again.”
“Donald, Rita, please,” I said before they could panic. “This is Scar. His soul is bound to mine, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
They didn’t look as convinced that the wolf was harmless, but decided to remain silent as they slightly moved to the side.
“Hey there, Scar,” Mark said and raised his hand in greeting. “You mean it reads our feelings?”
“I think so, though I’d like to see you two get into a real fight, just to check if it stays.”
“Leave it to the big bad wolf to jinx us,” I murmured.
“Oh? Not even a thanks? Just nagging?”
“Come on, Vik,” Melina protested. “He helped us after all, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, but it’s like thanking myself. It’s stupid.”
“You just said his soul is part of you, so it’s not like thanking yourself,” she protested again. “Come on, tell him.”
“Yeah, Vik. Thank me. Again.”
I let out a sigh and offered my bloody hand to the mutt. He walked over and licked it.
“Thanks, Scar. Blood brothers?”
“Nah. Your blood has a strange taste. I don’t like it.”
He popped out of existence, but I could still see his outline. I pretended not to see him and turned back to address the group.
“Could have gone worse, right?” I sighed. “Anyway, as I was saying, things have changed. After beating the rift.”
A chime interrupted me from speaking any further.
Notification:
The beginner’s chain quest is over.
All active rifts have been conquered and closed.
Number of closed Rifts: 3
Number of owned Rifts: 3
New Rift Ownership:: 1. Green Dragon Gang
2. Ryokan of Fallen Gods
3. Apocalypse Association
NOTE: Time until Rift spawn: 59:59
Chapter Twenty-Si
x
There were going to be three rifts in this city, mine included. This meant two things. One, it was going to become a busy place very quickly, and two, it was going to become a dangerous place just as quickly.
“Alright, I’ll be quick and to the point,” I said, my voice taking on a serious tone. “We don’t have the time, so listen carefully, and believe what I’m going to tell you.”
“Wait, what does this thing about our ryokan mean?” Melina asked, interrupting me. I stared at her blankly, and she almost flinched. “Alright, come on, no need to be like that.”
“Please, Melina, wait until I’m done.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
This woman got mad pretty quickly, but she also got past it equally fast. Which was a good thing.
“When I was out of it, I woke up in a dark room with hundreds, maybe even more—I know it will sound incredible, but they were Gods.”
Donald and Rita gasped and crossed themselves, but I didn’t let it distract me. Much.
“I pulled a rift from their pouch of rift worlds, and I’ve become the new owner of a zone inside the rift world. Now, this is what’s going to happen in an hour if I’m right. This ryokan will cease to exist in this place and will be relocated over to the rift, where we’ll have to live from then on. If anyone has second thoughts, get up now, quit the party, and leave. You’ve still got time.”
Everyone remained silent but seated for a very long time. A minute passed without anyone so much as opening their mouths. I sighed and picked Melina’s glass up and drank whatever was inside. It tasted slightly sweet and sour at the same time. Ugh.
“You’re not making fun of us, right?” Mark asked as his hand landed on Sarah’s. “You’re telling the truth.”
“I am. I don’t think I’ve lied about anything since meeting you the other day, right?”
He nodded and then turned to study his wife’s expression.
“You know, if the world is going to shit, I would rather be with people I liked,” Sarah whispered and then scowled as the baby bit down. “Laney! Stop it!”
“What is it like?” Donald asked. “The place we’re supposedly going.”
Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) Page 31
