“I am so sorry we’re late!” Chris gasped as he and Xiu Ming burst through the door, the man hurrying over to the large piles of supplies and starting to stuff them into his Carry-All-Bag, “We got distracted and lost track of time.”
“Distracted?” Ayla hummed as she watched him, “How?”
“Alchemy!” he said excitedly, “We were only trying to make a Health potion, but we stumbled onto an energy drink that also improves focus, and the next thing we knew, it was morning!”
“A Health potion?” Elizabeth blinked, “Wait, you mean something that can heal us without magic?”
“Exactly!” Chris said as he stuffed the last of the items into his bag, spinning around and grinning, “We succeeded! And we figured out a Mana potion as well! Neither of them are that powerful, but they’ll be useful in a pinch.”
“Well, share!” Elizabeth chuckled, watching as the man dug around in his bag, pulling out several bright green pouches.
“Here, there are ten of each in these Slime Pouches,” he explained as he handed the bags out, “Plus a couple of the energy drinks. Though you probably shouldn’t drink those unless you really need to. I’m still buzzed, and I only drank one like six hours ago!”
“The effects are incredible,” Xiu Ming nodded as she practically vibrated in place, “Your brother is a genius when it comes to Alchemy!”
“Not really,” Chris shrugged, “It’s just easier with the help of a Skill of mine.”
“Right,” Ayla sighed as she stepped forward, touching Chris on the chest, “Hold still for a second, I’m going to use my Diagnosis Skill on you to check if there are any side effects.”
“Increased heart rate, hyperfocus and boundless energy,” Chris said as the woman sighed, shaking her head, “Sorry, still buzzed.”
“Well, your heart rate is pretty high,” she hummed, “I assume it’s the same for Miss Kong?”
“Please, call me Xiu,” Xiu Ming nodded, “And yes, it’s strangely exhilarating.”
“We’ll have to keep an eye on the two of you after we go in,” the Healer said flatly, “We don’t want our two strongest fighters to crash out in the middle of a fight, after all.”
“Of course,” Chris nodded sheepishly, “Sorry, we were excited to try out what we’d made.”
“It’s a leap in medical technology!” Xiu Ming grinned, “I can only imagine what we’ll be able to make in the future!”
“Well, for Diver’s at least,” Chris nodded, the others looking at him in confusion, “These potions, even the weakest ones, would basically be poison to someone not using the Level System. I think it’s because the System strengthens or changes our bodies in a way when you enter a Dungeon. That’s just a working theory, though.”
“Shall we go?” Chu Hwang suddenly cut in, looking at the energetic man in annoyance as he walked out of the room, “We were supposed to leave over an hour ago.”
“Right, of course!” Chris nodded as he hurried after him, Xiu Ming right behind him.
“This is going to be interesting,” Jessica laughed as the rest followed them through the door.
------
“The Petal’s Dance is a Dungeon themed around plants and nature,” Xiu Ming explained as the group stood in front of the jade door, “The monsters inside reflect as such.”
“Sounds interesting,” Chris nodded, still buzzing with energy, “What kind of monsters?”
“Flower creatures, monsters made entirely of vines, and various insects,” the woman explained, “And the final Boss monster is what we believe to be a tree spirit of Grecian myth, or a Dryad.”
“Huh,” Chris nodded, “Feels a bit weird having all this info on a Dungeon before we’ve even gone inside. How many floors does it have?”
“Eight, as far as we know,” Xiu Ming answered, “Though my younger brother has reported finding secret areas on several of the floors during his explorations of the Dungeon.”
“Enough chatter,” Chu Hwang suddenly barked, walking towards the door with a scowl, “Let us enter already.”
“Is it just me, or is he kind of an asshole?” Elizabeth muttered to Jessica, looking away and whistling when the young man glanced back at her over his shoulder.
“As my elder brother says,” Xiu Ming nodded, “We should enter so you may see the Dungeon for yourselves.”
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“That was…surprisingly underwhelming,” Xiu Ming said as the stood in front of the door to the fourth floor, “Usually it takes at least a day each to traverse the first three floors on Normal Difficulty, but we have managed it in barely ten hours.”
“Helps that we have someone who can use fire magic,” Elizabeth laughed as she elbowed her brother in the side, “Chris was able to burn up pretty much everything super easily.”
“That shall not be the case for the next floor,” Chu Hwang growled, glaring at the man in annoyance, “Any use of fire will see us killed immediately.”
“Why?” Jessica asked, the young man huffing as he turned away, leaving his sister to explain.
“It is a swamp, with various clouds of poisonous and flammable gasses,” she said, “As such, I suggest that you refrain from using any fire magic or similar Skills on this floor.”
“Alright,” Chris nodded, “Shall we set up camp for now? I’m a little tired and headachey after using all that magic.”
“Of course,” Xiu Ming nodded as she watched Chris pull the tents out of his Carry-All-Bag in fascination, blinking when the five of them started setting up the camp.
“Want to help?” Elizabeth called out to the two siblings, Chu Hwang just snorting as he turned away, Xiu Ming blushing slightly.
“Ah, I apologize, we are used to the porters handling such things, we had forgotten they were not with us on this Dive,” she explained, walking over and watching the others work, “I am not sure how much help I will be, but I will do my utmost to assist where I can.”
“Oh, and can I see your weapons?” Chris called from the tent he was setting up with Ayla, “I should be able to improve them a bit with my Alchemy Magic Skill if they’re still just regular items.”
“Of course,” Xiu Ming nodded, glancing back at her brother as he muttered something in Chinese, scowling, “My brother says he is fine with his weapons as they are.”
“No problem,” Chris nodded as they finished setting up the camp, Xiu Ming looking at the three tents in mild confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she shook her head, “I was just wondering where my brother and I would sleep?”
“He can share the tent with Alan, if he doesn’t mind snoring,” Ayla laughed as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the other man, “Chris and I are sharing, so…”
“You can stay with us!” Elizabeth said happily as she and Jessica laughed, pulling the other girl towards their tent, “We can have some much-needed girl talk.”
“Want me to set up the baths?” Chris asked, pulling the large tubs from his bag, making Xiu Ming stare in shock all over again, “I’m sure you’re sweaty from all the hiking and fighting, so it’d be a good chance to wash off.”
“Yes please,” the three other women nodded, Chris smiling as he easily lifted the four objects and carried them behind some trees, the sound of water filling them reaching their ears a moment later.
“Don’t worry,” Ayla laughed as Xiu Ming stood open-mouthed, “He’s using water magic to fill them, so it’s safe to drink and bathe in.”
“That was not what I was surprised about,” the girl muttered, looking at the other three as they pulled her towards the sounds, “You have baths in Dungeons?”
“Well, this is only the second time,” Jessica hummed, “It does sound a little weird now that you mention it, but yeah!”
“No peeking guys,” Ayla called as Chris emerged from behind the trees, giving a thumbs up to say that the baths were ready, “Especially you, Alan!”
“What?” the man blinked, “Why me?”
“You know why,” the woman laughed as the four of them disappeared behind the trees, leaving the man looking confused.
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“That was…surprisingly relaxing,” Xiu Ming sighed as she sat beside the fire, watching Jessica cook on the strange apparatus Chris had once again pulled from his bag, “I have not had such a pleasant journey through this Dungeon before. It is easy to forget that it is on Hard Difficulty.”
“Not really,” Elizabeth hummed from her seat on the log beside the woman, “The monsters are certainly tougher than the other Dungeons I’ve been in. But those were only D and C Rank, so I can’t really say.”
“You’ve only been in two Dungeons?” Xiu Ming blinked, looking at Elizabeth in disbelief, “But you are so strong? What level are you?”
“Currently ten, almost level eleven,” the girl replied, “What about you?”
“Level ten as well,” Xiu Ming muttered, “How are you so much more powerful than me?”
“I got half my current levels in a Hard Difficulty Dungeon,” Elizabeth explained, “So I probably have higher Stats than you because of the whole Free Point multiplier thing. Same for Jess.”
“I’m still only level nine,” the Tamer called out, “But that’s because I share my Experience with my tamed monsters.”
“I see,” Xiu Ming nodded, “It is…rather a shock to me.”
“Oh, why?” the two girls asked.
“I am currently the strongest Diver in all of China,” she explained, “Both in level and Stats. To find out that there are others already so much stronger than me…it is simply a little disheartening.”
“Aw, don’t feel down,” Elizabeth hummed as she slipped an arm around the other girl’s shoulders, pulling her closer, “You’re already really strong! You know how to fight way better than the two of us!”
“I suppose,” Xiu Ming blushed at the compliment, blinking as she could smell the scent of soap from the other girl, making her cheeks burn hotter as she quickly tried to change the subject, “But what about your brother? He is almost monstrously powerful.”
“Yeah,” Elizabeth chuckled, “Sorry, but we aren’t allowed to talk about that. Government secrets or something. Anyway, are you saying you’ve been in more than two Dungeons?”
“Yes,” Xiu Ming nodded, “I have visited seven separate A Rank Dungeons across China, completing all of them on at least Easy Difficulty.”
“Oh wow!” Elizabeth gasped, “That sounds so cool! Tell us about them!”
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“They’re finally asleep,” Chris sighed as he peeked into the tent, seeing the three teens wrapped up in their sleeping bags, “They spent a long time talking.”
“Girls can do that, babe,” Ayla chuckled quietly from beside the fire, “Come on, we’re meant to be on first watch, so get your cute butt over here.”
“Coming, coming,” he laughed as he sat down beside her, slipping an arm around her waist, looking up at the dark sky above them, filled with glittering stars, “It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?”
“But not as beautiful as…?” the woman asked, Chris blinking in confusion as he looked at her, Ayla raising an eyebrow in question, “Come on, it’s not that hard, is it?”
“What do you want me to say?” Chris chuckled, “That you’re more beautiful than the stars? That would be an insult!”
“To whom?” Ayla scowled, “The stars?”
“No,” he grinned, leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips, “To you. Stars could never compare to you in a thousand years.”
“Oh,” she said, her cheeks turning slightly red, before she smiled back, “Okay, you get a pass there. Lucky you.”
“Yeah,” Chris sighed as he looked back up at the sky, “Lucky me.”
