"Haaa… haaa…"
A young, dark-haired man stood at the center of what appeared to be a corpse-party.
He had a dark mask on his face, and his eyes glowed bright crimson, even as his hair fell and covered his face.
In this hellish world, one filled with unimaginable heat, steam, and flaming geysers, the young man leaked out a musty sigh and chuckled.
"Hehehe… hahaha… hahahahahaha!!!"
Gleaning Monster Cores appeared around him, and the destroyed bodies of what appeared to be crimson-looking monkeys—a striking variant of the Monkey Monsters and BigFoot Monsters
These ones had very dark dirt and crimson bodies. Their bodies were a mess now, all of their innards strewn around and cooked by the intense heat in the area.
"Looks like I made it in time!" The cackling boy smirked as he looked ahead to see a crawling figure.
The Boss Monster—a massive Crimson Bigfoot—was trying to crawl away after three of its four total limbs had been severed.
Right now, it only saw one option… RUN!
Unfortunately for the beast, not even that was a viable option.
"[Force]."
The Boss Monster suddenly lost control over its battered body, feeling itself get pulled back despite all attempts to advance.
It screamed at the top of its lungs for help, but…
~FWUUSH!~
… There was no one to listen.
"G-gurrruk!"
It was the strongest in that Floor, and now it was the only one remaining.
~SQUELCH!~
A hand dug through its chest, causing hot blood to flow out like a faucet.
The monster could feel as its Core was grabbed and forcefully yanked out.
This was the end.
"G-gurrrr…k…."
It couldn't complete whatever pitiful words of plea it had to offer before it completely lost its life.
All its life, this creature never thought it would die this way. It had always assumed that it would live long enough to challenge the Ice Dwellers who dwelled a Floor above them.
But now… that was too late.
Or perhaps it was a dream not worth having, to begin with.
The light in the Boss Monster's eyes went out as it plopped to the ground, splashing heated blood all around.
Alive, it was the most powerful of its people, but in death it was nothing but a mere chunk of meat among many others.
"Alright, then! Once I pick up these Cores, I should be done."
He was impressed with himself for what he had achieved thus far.
If there was one problem, though—
"Level 33, huh? It's not bad, but I wanted Level 35 at least."
Rey shrugged it off and smiled brightly.
'I achieved a great deal today. If I continue at this pace, I should be able to grow considerably more powerful.'
And in the end, that was what mattered most.
**********
Night met the world of H'Trae, and the Royal Estate was no exception to this.
As crept throughout the Castle Walls, Light Crystals that were affixed on the pillars that stood in several locations began to glow.
This source of illumination, very similar to street lights, ensured that no one felt too wrapped around in darkness even on an evening stroll.
Despite this special feature, hardly anyone could be seen in the Estate's vast compound at such a late hour.
The only ones that walked about were the guards on patrol, as well as one particular student—Rey.
He had barely made it for curfew, and after tending his 'Pass' at the Gate before entering, he jogged inside the Castle's embrace.
"Home sweet home…" Rey mumbled, realizing just how much he had gotten used to this place.
It wasn't just him, though.
Everyone in their class had already gotten accustomed to this world in their own way.
Rey almost considered it scary at this point.
Still, he took his mind off the topic, instead focusing on what his plans were for the rest of the day.
'First a good ol' shower… and then the Library!'
He could already fed a smile forming on his face as he strolled past a few guards while thinking about hanging out with his friend.
'I better hurry, then!'
**********
Rey felt a smile tugging on his face as he approached the Library.
After a long hard day, this was always the place that gave him solace.
Not just because of the books—though he enjoyed feasting on them, especially these days.
No, it was due to someone else.
"Alicia…?"
Rey's surprised echo filled the Library as he looked around the Library and didn't find anyone present.
He went to Alicia's favorite spot, and all he found was a closed book on the table.
'Strange…'
Alicia never left a book lying around, so it surprised Rey to see something like this on her table.
'First time for everything, I guess. Maybe she went for a short stroll…?'
There was also the possibility that she went to the restroom, though Rey didn't want to imagine that scenario for some reason.
"I guess I'll just see what she was reading while I wait for her."
Rey sat on the chair that was right beside Alicia's and opened the book to start reading.
********
'Okay, something is definitely off…' Rey thought to himself.
Even after waiting for an hour—no, it was probably even more than that—Alicia had still not showed up.
It felt concerning, but Rey didn't want to overthink.
Perhaps Alicia simply forgot her book here and went back to her room to relax.
Yes… that was probably it.
'But why does that feel unlikely? I should probably just hang around here for a while longer…'
Rey felt so distracted by her absence in the Library that he couldn't focus on the book.
He just skimmed through the pages and read a few things in each page before flipping it.
And just like that, another hour passed.
"Okay… maybe I should go to—"
"Hey, Rey! Are you there?" A voice suddenly echoed at the entrance of the Library as someone walked in.
'Isn't that… Adonis…?!'
Rey's eyes nearly popped open for a moment, but he quickly shrugged off his surprise and stood from his position.
Just as he thought, he met Adonis approaching his table in the Library.
"Something has come up, Rey. You'll have to come with me to the Living Quarters."
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Thanks for reading!
