In The Darkness

The Expedition

The sky had turned dark, and mana[1] crystals were shining in this darkness, lighting the streets. As I entered the guild house, I noticed that no other adventurers were present. Without a queue, I could easily turn in the letter. I walked up to Sasha's counter and handed over the letter.

After viewing the letter, Sasha smiled and handed over two bronze coins from a drawer in her desk. "Here you go."

After I retrieved the amount, she continued, "Since your first quest passed successfully, your rank will now be upgraded. Hand over your identification card."

I did as the lady asked. With the glass card in her hand, she imbued some of her mana and I could see the details change.

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Name: Andres Mordecai

Rank: F

Gender: M

Status: ---

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She continued speaking, "Phew. There. It's done."

With the glass back in my hand, I headed towards the task board to pick an optimal task, suited for the rank that I had received.

"Kill Horned Rabbits, Kill Deers…."

No matter what task I passed through, it was either about killing harmless animals for hide, or for killing small, pathetic animals you could kill by stomping on them. 

It was far too late in the night, however, I wished to end the wait of another rank promotion. After looking at the required task, I walked back to the counter where Sasha was seated, and mentioned the task I wanted to pursue.

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Task: Killing Horned Rabbits

Minimum Rank Required: F

[Permanent: However, can only be pursued 500 times.]

Kill a horned rabbit.

Description: A horned rabbit is simply a wild rabbit with a large horn on its head. No matter how kind this creature looks, do not be fooled. A fully grown horned rabbit can thrust its horn through an average human's leg, creating a hole. However, they do not attack unless threatened.

Using a butcher's knife for skinning is recommended. 

Money gained after completion: 5 - 7 bronze. [Money depends on the quality of the hide presented.]

Proof of completion: Rabbit's Horn [I] + Horned Rabbit's Hide [I] 

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After hearing the mission I wished to embark on, Sasha in her usual explanatory monotone spoke,

"To complete tasks such as this, will require you to enter a dungeon. There are quite many dungeons in town, however, you can only pass through them during daytime."

Hearing this ridiculing comment was rather upsetting. The reason why this comment ridiculed me, was because this comment had made me realise that a demon lord, the ruler of the darkness, had to follow human standards. I ignored this, and spoke in a straight tone, "Alright then. I shall come back here tomorrow to complete the necessary task, and to collect my money."

I left the freckled lady alone and left the guild house to return to my temporary humble abode. On entering my room, I sighed after a long pointless journey. I removed the sheath attached to my armour, and then I proceeded to remove the cloak and my mask. The air around me was quite pleasant. Not because it smelt better, but because it felt pleasant to breathe air naturally instead of breathing through a suffocating mask. After taking off my armour, I took in a deep breath. My muscles loosened up and my body melted as I peeled off my precious piece of iron and leather. 

With all my equipment on the bed, I decided to place it in the cupboard. One by one, I placed all my belongings in the wooden cupboard. With the empty cotton bed plain in sight, I slept wearing nothing but my baggy pyjamas and my black t-shirt.

My sleep was frequently disturbed by the noises created in the nearby hotel rooms, however, after a certain hour, I got used to it. I woke up early in the morning as I heard the birds chirp. I had slept for quite a short while, however the number of hours were sufficient enough for me. The room was a bit stuffy, and hence I opened the window to allow the cool morning breeze to flow through. After breathing the fresh air, I walked back to the guild house, eager to increase my rank, and my reputation.

Walking to Sasha's counter equipped with my items, I asked, "Can I opt to fight the dungeon creature now?"

Sasha smiled and replied, "Sure. Just show your adventurer identification card and the royal guard will let you in after you hand over a few coins."

I left with a pouch of 14 gold coins, 12 silver and 2 bronze coins that was tied to my utility belt. Now, all I had to do was find a dungeon in town.

After passing 2 dozen stalls, I reached a dungeon. The gate of the dungeon was crowded with adventurers passing through. Standing next to this gate, a royal guard glimpsed through the information present in the identification card of each adventurer that wished to venture inside. Most adventurers travelled in groups, while the ones that didn't, were seemingly more respected by the guard. The reason the place was so crowded, was that the guard took some money as an entrance fee. I walked over to the guard when the area was less crowded. The guard was almost 6 feet tall, and had a bit of a stubble across his face. Surrounded by dark circles, the beauty of his blue eyes subsided. After handing over my identification card, the blonde guard spoke, "Hmmm. Is this your first time venturing to a dungeon?"

"Yes."

The guard looked up towards me and continued speaking, "I see. Then based on Heion's[2] law, I'll have to give you a briefing."

After sighing, the armour coated guard spoke, "Dungeons have various creatures present. How these creatures come into existence is unknown. However, some of these species pose a threat. Your job as an adventurer is to ensure that this threat subsides. Your perilous journey begins as soon as you enter a dungeon. All the creatures within, can in no way exit the dungeon. Other than this, at some parts of the dungeon, there are areas called safe zones. Safe zones will be visibly covered in a green translucent circle in air. Created by the healer Ignis, these safe zones allow only descendants of human blood to enter. In addition, they help you heal across your journey.

Dungeons are classified into ranks. Similar to the rank adventurers have, the dungeon rank denotes the minimum requirement for you to enter the dungeon. Most dungeons are ranked F in this town, however, if you progress to town 12, you'll be able to face better enemies. Other than facing enemies, an adventurer also must collect resources to increase the economic flow. However, you have the option to keep any item you feel like. Personally, I'd recommend you to sell whatever you gain in this dungeon. You'll barely get any rare items from here."

After wiping off the his sweaty head with a napkin, the guard continued, "Phew. Now that you know the basics of this dungeon, you are permitted to enter. But before entering, you'll have to pay a fee of 1 silver. The fee varies from dungeon to dungeon. The higher ranked dungeons cost a lot. This fee of course, is a government tax. This money is collected by the King, and is distributed by his finance minister. Since this is your first time, I'll keep it free for you."

In the same monotonous tone I used to speak in, I said, "I thank you for your guidance." and walked in the dark, stony dungeon.

The dungeon was made out of stone, while the ground was similar to hard, dry soil. After every metre, the dungeon had torches placed on the sides. Even though the torches provided light, the dungeon was still dark. The width of the dungeon could ensure that 5 people could walk side by side. Though the dungeon's design was a bit eerie, it suited my taste.

Ahead of me, 3 adventurers stood side by side while walking further in the dungeon. After 5 metres of walking, the creature finally appeared. A horned rabbit. The group ahead, ignored the rabbit and advanced forward. As the rabbit came my way, I grabbed the rabbit in my hands. A cute furry creature with red eyes and no one knew how this creature came into existence. To end its misery as fast as possible, I pulled the dagger out of its sheath, and decapitated the rabbit. Its head fell on the floor as soon as I did this. After ending the short life of the horned rabbit, I carefully skinned it, and broke the horn off of its head.

One down, 499 to go. I felt no pleasure in killing the innocent, but to bring about the least amount of destruction, this was the only path I could pursue. I stuffed the skin in my right bracer and kept the horn in my hand. I couldn't store the horn anywhere which was quite disappointing. I guess I should have brought a bag before coming here.

After venturing in the dungeon for 3 hours, I could only find 20 horned rabbits. Even though I had walked for hours, the dungeon just didn't seem to end. Tired and now alone, I decided to rest. Even the adventurers that had entered after me had exited. I had passed 2 safe zones in the starting hour, after which, I saw no safe zones. All the adventurers ahead of me had long since stopped walking further. However, the reason the dungeons were tiring to venture in wasn't due to the walking, but due to the things I had to carry. I was literally carrying a pile of horns in my hand the entire time. Other than this, I stuffed the hide in almost all places of my armour which made it a bit hard to move. Some of the hides had gotten ripped in the process of killing, however, the main problem was that I had to keep the horns on the floor each time I would encounter another horned rabbit.

I sat on the corner of the room, and tossed the piles of horns to the side. In this silent part of the dungeon, another small being popped out, and headed my way. It looked at the horns on the floor, and started growling as it looked at me. I looked back at the rabbit and noticed that this one was different. It had two horns attached to its head, and instead of the usual red, its eyes were green. The creature rushed towards my legs with its horn, and as soon as it was close enough, I grabbed a horn from the floor, and pierced the rabbit's head from the side. The force was enough to make the rabbit pause its movement. Lying on the ground with its face covered in blood, it was shaking while trying to get up. I sighed, stood up, and ended its misery. The two horns were attached to each other, which made it harder to remove. The horns were a part of the rabbit's skull, which in this situation, made it a demerit. The horns had slightly cracked, but I managed to cut them decently. After skinning this rabbit, I buried its meat in the hard soil and progressed back into the town.

After another 3 hours, I met with Sasha in the guild house and handed over the hides and the horns I had collected. She looked through the pile and spoke, "My, my. This is far too much for you first day. Now let me see, 22 horns and 21 hides. Did you drop a hide along the way?"

"No. These are all the hides I skinned."

After looking closely through the pile, her eyes enlarged. "How in the world! It's a boss rabbit's horns!"

She looked up at me and asked with excitement, "Did you kill all these rabbits yourself?"

"Yes." I was tired of replying however, I was bound to do so. Even though I was once a demon king, here, I was a mere adventurer.

Sasha held the boss rabbit's horns up in her hand and spoke, "These horns are that of a boss rabbit's. Boss rabbits are evolved versions of horned rabbits. They're rare to find, even in a Rank C dungeon. A single boss rabbit's hide is worth a 100 horned rabbits! Not only is it far better in quality, it is only sold rarely once a year. If you wish to keep this skin to yourself, I wouldn't mind."

"Nope. It's alright. I have no intention to collect garbage."

Sasha replied, "Huff… alright then. The total amount you'll receive will be 9 gold and 2 silver coins."

She then proceeded to put all the hides and the horns in a bag and then put 9 gold coins on the table. "The guild doesn't have much silver right now. You will be paid the rest of the amount after completing your next mission."

I placed the gold coins in my pouch and walked to the nearest restaurant.

[1] Mana : The magical power vested in all beings, abundant in few. It may be regarded as something similar to a force which helps the user to use magic.

[2] Heion : Name of the human empire. After spending 5 years in the demon realm, he forgot the name of the human empire. After a certain point in his life, he simply called it 'the human empire'.

[3] Healer Ignis : Nothing is known about him yet except for the fact that he was a famous adventurer in the past.