CHAPTER 66: [ MOSS GIANT ]

Alexander and Fae walked through a tunnel that extended up to a larger room ahead.

The walls were covered in a thin layer of vines, they crawled on every side. Only the ground under their feet was clear, rough stone that held a flat shape allowing them to walk without too much trouble.

It brought a damp natural smell to the tunnel, as if they were walking underneath a waterfall in the middle of a jungle.

Fae was walking ahead, both swords held in her hands while leading the way. Alexander was right behind, phone in hand.

"We still have an hour, then I need to get back."

There was no response, not even a nod or glance.

Sighing, he dropped his shoulders while staring at the back of her head.

I know she’s upset, but it’s not like we have much of a choice.

He mentally juggled with a few ideas to make it up to her, perhaps a gift or quality time.

They’d never truly relaxed, not even taken a day off, so he had no clue what she might enjoy.

As they stepped into the larger room, a stone wall rose behind them, blocking the path leading back out.

"Just treat this fight like any other."

She kept walking forward, ignoring his comment.

Resting against the stone wall, he watched her engage the hardest enemy they would encounter in this dungeon.

Everything so far had been easy to get through, the absence of stone-based enemies changed everything.

If she had a hard time against those stone monsters, this dungeon made of greenery was a breeze on a sunny day.

The humanoids were covered in moss, grass, vines, mushrooms and various other things that one would find in a jungle. The most important part was avoiding the toxic spells that could hinder her movements or potentially kill her.

She successfully managed to dodge toxin clouds and poisonous thorns thrown her way. Her speed paired with his shared sight was an overwhelming combo, dodging projectiles was a matter of taking the right decisions on how to move forward.

Those fights being against monsters lowered the bar, they barely showed any real strategy that could force a bad outcome out of her, something that could potentially change in the guild versus guild fights.

Going as one against many would prove much harder, especially considering they would all be battle-hardened dungeon runners.

Minutes passed, his mind floating around while he watched Fae single-handedly deal with a moss giant by herself.

Its moves were slow but powerful, fighting like a hammer looking for a nail. Those powerful punches were devastating for the ground, and the poisonous nature of the boss made it even more dangerous.

Yet none connected, even when it tried a surprised ranged attack.

Her strikes sunk deep and cleanly through.

It felt like watching a choreography that went exactly according to plan.

The giant had multiple spots on its body, such as a blooming flower on its shoulder or a wood-like patch on its leg layered with thorns.

She did an excellent job dancing around those, avoiding hitting obvious spots that would punish carelessness if she wasn’t paying attention.

She flowed through that battle gracefully, and after a flurry of elegant strikes the moss giant fell to its knees, one final slash through its chest finishing it.

Fae didn’t seem to sweat or even be out of breath.

She slowly turned around, gazing at Alexander with a ’now what?’ feel to her stance.

He took his phone out and looked at the time.

"Good, a lot faster than I thought."

He unhooked the bottomless bag from his belt then threw it her way.

"You can keep it. Make sure to loot everything when completing dungeons, and if something seems like it might be useful then just take it, we’ll let Brak bother with sorting everything out."

She reluctantly nodded, walking over to the moss giant with the bag, grabbing everything of value she could find.

Once she was done, she walked back toward Alexander and sheathws her swords.

"See, it was quick. I have to get to the stadium for the ’day 0’ preparations, you can join me once you’re done with Brak."

She didn’t bother answering, leaving through the now opened entrance.

—

The room was huge, filled with people in line for various things. It was a step-by-step process, with signs and panels letting everyone know where to go so that none got lost or skipped anything important.

Instead of the typical black suits the Adventurer’s Guild wore, the organizers of Dungeon Settlers all wore white shirts with clean black pants. They also had name-tags, with the Dungeon Settlers logo on it.

When it was finally his turn to get to the first step, several stares had already been cultivated. From organizers to the other dungeon runners in line, it was like he was the center of attention.

His face was on a billboard right outside, after all.

Most had a look of disdain on their face, but there was a surprising minority who had a look of adoration.

Some couldn’t help but smile, whispering behind raised hands.

Guys who poked their friends with their elbows while pointing at him or girls who spoke in hushed tones further away.

So not everyone hates me.

The organizers surprisingly remained neutral, none of them paying too much attention to him besides the few glances here and there.

As he walked to the first step of the process a familiar face ran toward him.

Silver?

He ran with his hand waving above his head.

There were clear lines marked in bright yellow glowing on the floor dictating how to get from one step to the next, running freely through the area only got him more attention as everyone waited in line for their turns.

"Veil!"

Once arriving next to him, he took a moment to catch his breath. He slapped Alexander’s back with a bright smile on his face.

"It’s been a long time! You never answer my messages! How have you been?"

"Not too bad," replied Alexander. "How about you?"

"Pretty good, just got done with this whole process..."

The organizer waiting by the panel numbered "1" was getting impatient, tapping his foot.

"You guys can talk later. Put your hand on this crystal."

A large sphere hovered above a circular pad on the ground, floating several feet above the ground.

Alexander glanced at it quickly, then at the organizer.

"A test for mana purity?" he asked.

He realized most people in line behind him had walked forward, eager to see the results. A small curious crowd formed, despite the clear instructions to remain in a single file line.

"This isn’t a test for mana purity. This essentially tells us how powerful you are."

He could see in the organizer’s hand a tablet with an opened page that showed a color gradient paired with a description for each one.

Alexander sighed, approaching the crystal.