"Why do I feel so exhausted?" Calling back Gobo, who I sent to do some scouting, I yawned lazily.
Maybe it was because I'd never slept on a hard floor before—hell, I'd never slept in a place that wasn't properly aired or smelled this awful. This further supported my words: fantasy worlds weren't so pleasant.
I ruffled my hair in frustration as I stared at the map that was clenched in my hand.
The bright, pale sun had long risen, but even then, the sky remained black, as if stained by an unholy thing.
"Well, at this point, that is none of my concern. I have to get back to the academy ASAP...." I yelled out in annoyance. "What if time flowed the same? Or if the teachers couldn't find us?"
I didn't know. The best I could do for now was to find more knowledge about the specific part of Nefertari, since that was the only way to somewhat guess where other students were.
But the map that I found in-between the chairs of the Cathedral didn't help one bit. But what it did do was further mess up my thoughts.
'If I try to navigate my way through using the fact that there are about three destroyed tombs and pyramids around...'
I sighed. This simple dungeon class had become much more than I expected.
"For now, let's move," I muttered as my three saints moved out of my shadow. "Mini arcs are so bothersome."
My first focus was to find out what was behind that door, which may possibly be my ticket out of here, but it didn't mean I will check it out without first looking through other doors. Even then, I wasn't the one who was going to be the one doing the job.
My eyes fixed on Shiki, who, after grumbling, moved in front of the small team as a tank.
Ever since my awakening after I supposedly extracted my own shadow and merged with it, which allowed me to form an extra talent, my saints had grown.
Gobo now had a slight red color and was taller, almost my height even, which was by no means short, considering the fact that both the elixir and the awakening had brought me to 179 cm from 175, and now that I looked at myself, it seemed that I have increased to about 181 cm.
"Sick," I said excitedly.
Height wasn't something I had in plenty in my past life—so were looks, so now that I had both, I was honestly happy, but that didn't mean I didn't hate the situation I was in.
'It isn't like a drifter will leave me because of my looks.' I giggled at the wild thoughts, which made me feel like I was losing it. Added with Gumiho, who was shaking her head, it really felt like I had lost my senses in one day.
Both Gumiho and Shiki hadn't changed that much, except in their height and the fact they felt a bit more clever, but the real shift happened whenever they used their powers.
"Let's try door two."
The Cathedral had a total of four doors, of which I had already checked out one, while the other one that was just in front of me housed the dreadful creature.
So the plan was to face the two other doors and check out the haunted one in the evening, since there wasn't any reply even when I—sorry, Gobo—knocked on it.
The third door that laid to the left of the tent were remains of the once lovely Cathedral—most likely from the collapsed wall on the left.
It was a worn-out wooden door, with carvings on it, that looked a lot like the vague description I gave of runes.
"I don't know a lot about this world, do I?" My smile was dark as I slowly creaked open the door.
As the space behind the door came into full view, the smell of fresh rainwater floated into my nose as I felt my body shiver from cold.
There was a reason for this reaction. Back on Earth, it was a normal thing to chase beauty, especially for my people, maybe that's why I would always chase any potions that can make me prettier.
But I had a serious illness. I couldn't walk out in the rain without having rashes on my face, which made me a little sensitive to staying in the rain.
I gathered my courage, gripped the nightwing relic that looked like a ninja-style arm sleeve that covered my pinky and ring finger. My track jacket was tied around my waist, leaving only the arm sleeve and my white top to cover me.
Since this was meant to be a safe dungeon raid, the school didn't give us a battle suit, which made things needlessly annoying.
I took one step at a time, not sure why the smell of rain was present in a room inside a desert.
"Maybe it's just my thinking."
And luckily for me, it was this time. The room was rather empty, just a Victorian-style room, with a single bed, a gas lamp at the reading desk, a mirror, and a wardrobe that was open with different clothes in it.
Normally, I would have ignored it and went on my way. Hell, who would take a cloth from a creepy cathedral? Maybe someone who hadn't watched a single horror series. But living under the same roof as Hari had taught me a lot.
But this time, I was going to take the risk, because the clothes in the wardrobe weren't just clothes, but each one of them were vestiges.
"How are there vestiges in a wardrobe? Did people of this time wear relics as clothes?" I asked myself.
Not even I knew what exactly vestiges were. The only thing I wrote was they are items dropped by drifters since mana couldn't vanish. And judging from how much detail this world had added, I won't be shocked if they say I was the one who started the first apocalypse years ago.
I laughed at my excuse of a joke before entering the room, but before that, I had to place Shiki, who was by far the strongest, to hold onto the door. No one knew what will happen once we leave the door.
I shivered slightly, like a cold wind had passed me. Only the thought of such a scene could make me faint.
"You want food, Gumiho?" Gumiho, who had been sticking to me, rubbed her fur over me like a cat. "Let's leave this place first."
Looking through the clothes using clairvoyance—which, even though it couldn't directly view stats, it could tell me the power of a person or vestige from the mana signatures.
I could also slightly figure out the affinity or even the talent of a person by observing the color of mana that floated around them.
But even as I saw many good clothes, I didn't pick them, because they looked ugly, like those snobby nobles from the past. After some time, I finally found ones that were without a doubt modern.
"These dungeons are really messed up," I muttered, but didn't have time to think about it.
It was time to leave this place. After tonight, I will make my move.
------
The day went by really fast. Maybe because time might have moved differently here—no, I was sure time moved differently—because even I, who loved to sleep early, was still wide awake.
After checking the last door that was totally empty, I took a quick bath, trained a little, and wore my new clothes.
A black turtleneck, black overcoat, and black trousers. It was a shame that I didn't have a sword, and it wasn't like I could use Star of Ruin yet.
I sighed and moved steps closer to the door. It was time to hunt a monster, no matter how strong it was.
If what the map that I read said was true—even though it needed some deciphering, all it read was: The gate to leave hell was in hell.
That brought me to the conclusion that where I was presently was the outer region of Nefertari, and the only way to reach the central region where I can clear the dungeon is by beating the monster that the person called Hell.
"At least ice beats fire."
As if waiting for me to speak, a eerie presence crept into my awareness. But I was already ready, and even without that, I had something else that was in my corner.
[YOUR TALENT: INFINITE ADAPTABILITY IS REACTING STRONGLY]
I felt the mana within me rise as my eyes glowed brightly—just like every other mage when using mana.
My breathing was still rough, but nothing I couldn't manage. The cathedral was spooky... too spooky, even.
The rough painting of the cathedral felt like it was bleeding, even though there was no red, except that of the scarlet moon in the sky.
I smiled as my body started getting used to the pressure.
'My guess was right. Infinite adaptability is…' Before I could finish thinking, the door of the room creaked.
The door moved strangely slowly, like the person behind it was hesitating. But behind the small gap all I could see was utter darkness.
I quickly stepped back, not even wasting a breath. Anything that was behind that door was—
I felt my life flash before my eyes, as a single unnatural head peeked out of the small space.
It was hidden in the darkness of the room. The only reason I could spot it was because of clairvoyance.
The monster seemed to smile at me, even though it had no mouth. I wanted to scream or run. "What the hell..."
Those were the only words I could utter. Even the shadows in the cathedral seemed to split into two unequal factions—one that served me, and the larger side that swayed with him.
It was terrifying, like the breath had been stolen from my lungs. I was shaking in fear, not of the pressure or anything like that, but from the horror of the creature in front of me.
At that moment, I understood the saying: humans' greatest fear and hindrance was the fear of the unknown.
And the creature was the definition of the word unknown.
The door creaked and moved slightly. As I stepped back further, I had to get my thoughts back on track.
The solution to the problem was straightforward... Just slay the beast.
'So why... why am I so afraid?' I clenched my teeth so hard, it echoed through the silent hall.
Blood trickled onto the frigid floor as I bit my lip, my eyes locked on the creature without faltering.
[User's mind has been stabilized.]
I smirked. "How dare a mere beast mock me."
I could instantly feel the grin vanish from the drifter as its face contorted slightly. "So you were mocking me?" I paused, then added in a chilling tone, "You'll regret that."
The monster tore the door apart, sending splinters and heavy debris flying in every direction. It was clear that he now intended to kill me.
[YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED A SEQUENCE SEVEN DRIFTER: SLOB]
The drifter's slimy arms clung onto the wall—almost immediately, it gave out, leaving behind corroded sand.
Its steps—or rather, crawls—were majestic, even with its hideous body.
It truly was a slob: a massive, slime-like being composed entirely of darkness. Not even the crimson glow of the moon could pierce it.
I finally understood why the cathedral's Christians had called it Hell... Yes, it was Darkness incarnate.
But today, it met its match. I didn't need light to see it. I couldn't explain how, but its form was perfectly visible, despite being made of pure shadow.
Had this been two days ago, I might have lost disgracefully. But after my awakening—
"Not even a sequence seven drifter can stand against me."