Chapter 142 - Finally Vulnerable

The inn they had found was modest but clean, hidden neatly next to a small alley. But while it was quaint and modest in appearance, the prices were fit for a palace of gold and jewels. They did not have the gold to cover a single room, so instead Nova was forced to trade a few of his unspent souls from Collport. Those were still valuable, at least, letting him hire a small room for a week with a hundred Soul Power.

Two narrow beds dominated the small room, separated by just enough space for their belongings to be stored. Millie had claimed the bed closest to the window and had fallen asleep almost immediately after they'd settled in, exhausted from the emotional reunion and the day's events.

Now, as the last traces of daylight faded beyond the small window, Anny and Nova sat on the edge of the second bed, speaking in hushed tones despite the silencing barrier Nova had placed around them.

"She looks healthy," Anny said quietly. Her gaze drifted to where Millie slept peacefully, with one small hand curled beneath her cheek. "This Father Lowe seems to have taken good care of her."

Nova nodded, though his expression remained troubled. "Better than I dared hope. But that's not what worries me most right now."

"The fact that we're trapped here." It wasn't a question. Anny had clearly reached the same conclusion he had.

"The guard at the gate explained it to me when I first arrived. Everyone who enters this floor becomes stranded here. The dungeon king is apparently too strong, preventing anyone from leaving." Nova's fingers absently traced patterns on the rough woolen blanket beneath them. "According to him, there are thousands of people from the surface world living here now."

Anny was quiet for a long moment, processing this information. "How long have people been trapped here?"

"They didn’t say exactly, but the dungeons have probably existed for as long as the system. Could be thousands of years—at least centuries." Nova's jaw tightened. "The city has its own economy, its own social structure. People have built entire lives here."

"And no one has ever escaped?"

"If they have, it’s not something most people know about." Nova leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Though I think it would be known if someone managed to leave. They seemed to have a good enough relationship with the dungeon king."

Anny pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. The motion caused the old bed frame to creak softly beneath her shifting weight. "You said you had ideas when we were with Millie earlier. What kind of ideas?"

Nova stood up from the bed and walked to the small window, pushing aside the thin curtain to peer out at the city below. Lamplight flickered from countless windows, creating a constellation of warm yellow dots against the darkness.

“There are ways to get out of here, without a doubt. Like the system, this dungeon is just made up of advanced and powerful formations. I think this floor, in particular, is similar to the space the Signus was trapped in. And if that is the case, it should be possible to understand and escape the functions of the formations without having to use brute force.”

Anny shifted on the bed, resting her chin on her knees and watching Nova's silhouette against the window. "...Okay. How long would that take?"

“That’s impossible to say. The fact that so many powerful people have stayed here for so long without finding an escape means it’s not something easy to do. I obviously have more knowledge than they do when it comes to magic, but I lack the power to be able to use it properly.”

"Right…" Anny absently picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, working at the fabric as she considered his words. "Then what? Could we defeat the king?"

“I doubt it. Even the forest outside nearly managed to kill me, and I’m the strongest one we have. But I do wonder if ‘defeat the dungeon king’ really means we have to beat him in combat…”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Anny's mouth as she lifted her head from her knees. "Maybe we could defeat him in card games? Checkers?"

"Yeah, maybe…" Nova's lips quirked upward despite the seriousness of their situation. He started pacing across the small floor, keeping his hands clasped behind his back. "I think we have to ask around a bit more. Maybe we can even meet him ourselves. I have a few complaints."

Anny’s expression grew more serious as she lowered her legs and leaned forward on the bed. "Right, we still have no idea why Millie was brought down here. He has much to answer for."

“And if neither of those options work… I do have a backup.”

Anny's eyebrows rose, and she tilted her head. "...Yeah?"

"While I was in the void on floor 9, I met someone." Nova's voice was careful, as if he knew the reaction this would provoke.

Anny immediately sat up straighter, gripping the edge of the bed. "Okay, I think we'll stop it there. That's not a backup."

"Well, she seemed nice," Nova argued, spreading his hands in a defensive gesture. "And that was while I was still immune to madness."

“You’re not immune now, so we can’t go into the void either way. And we can’t bring Millie through the void.”

Nova's shoulders sagged slightly in defeat before he sat back down beside her. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and let out a quiet sigh. "...Right."

"Which means, we investigate first." Anny's voice softened as she scooted closer to him. “You might even find some mage-friends to help you research if you’re lucky.”

"Yeah, I shouldn't underestimate the people who have reached this far in the dungeon." Nova leaned back against the rough stone wall, tilting his head up to stare at the low ceiling.

They sat in contemplative silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Outside their barrier, the sounds of the inn continued around them—footsteps in the hallway, muffled conversations from other rooms, the creak of old wood settling. It was strange to think that all of these people were prisoners, whether they realized it or not.

“Let’s get some sleep, then,” Nova said, feeling the long day start to tear at his mind. He glanced over at the other bed. “You’ll sleep next to Millie, right?”

Anny followed his gaze to where Millie lay curled under the thin blanket, her small form rising and falling with each peaceful breath. "...Sure. I guess a single bed won't fit us both anymore, huh?"

Nova paused, noticing the strain in her voice. “...I guess if we stick close together, it’s fine. But I need to keep the unification skill active while I sleep, so don’t bite me or anything.”

Anny’s face lit up very slightly, and a slight blush spread on her cheeks. She ducked her head, letting her dark hair fall forward to partially hide her expression. "I won't just bite you out of nowhere… But… Some blood would be… nice."

"I guess it has been a few days." Nova's expression softened with understanding as he unbuttoned the sleeve on his arm and carefully folded it up before presenting his forearm to Anny. The pale skin caught the flickering candlelight, revealing faint marks from previous feedings that had already healed. "Help yourself."

Anny took his arm gently in her hands. Her fangs were just barely visible between parted lips. She seemed to hesitate briefly before bringing his arm to her mouth. "Thank you."

The morning light filtered through the inn's small windows, casting long shadows across the wooden floors. Nova approached the front counter where a middle-aged woman with graying hair was wiping down mugs with practiced efficiency. Behind him, he could hear the quiet chatter of Anny and Millie at their breakfast table, punctuated by Millie's occasional delighted giggle.

"Excuse me," Nova said, placing a few silver coins on the worn counter, thinking they might be worth more than the gold. "I was hoping you might be able to answer some questions about the city."

The innkeeper looked up, her weathered face creasing into a knowing smile. "Ah, you're one of the new arrivals, aren't you? I can always tell. You still have that look in your eyes—like you're planning your escape."

Nova's expression remained carefully neutral. "I'm just trying to understand how things work around here."

"Fair enough." She set down the mug and leaned against the counter, studying him with sharp brown eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh, I was born here myself. Don’t have any experience fighting, but my parents left me quite a good chunk of Soul Power.” She stared at him in a way that felt like a warning not to try anything.

Nova absorbed this information, filing it away for future reference. The fact that soul power was inherited here didn’t come as much of a surprise, though he wondered how they managed to avoid letting the dungeon take it. 

"Have you ever heard of anyone successfully leaving?"

The innkeeper glanced around the common room before leaning closer and lowering her voice. "No. Not a soul has left this place in all my years. Some have tried and never been seen again, but they died during the fight."

"What about the dungeon king? Has anyone ever actually seen him?" Nova kept his voice equally low, matching her conspiratorial tone.

The tension in her demeanor melted away as if a switch had been flipped. "Oh, sure! He's essentially the mayor of the city, keeping the peace and ensuring everything is running smoothly. You might see him if you walk around the streets."

"Really? He's that friendly?" Nova studied her face, searching for any hint of the wariness she'd shown moments before.

“Yeah, he seems quite nice. But he’s bound by the rules of this place, so he can’t let people go even if he wants to.”

“Hmm, seems convenient.”

"Oh, there are plenty of people who suspect he's just putting on a kind face. But I've never had reason to think he's deceiving us." She shrugged with an almost childlike innocence.

“Okay. Has anyone returned after attempting to fight him?”

"Oh yeah, plenty of people. Have you ever heard of Him?" The innkeeper's voice took on a strange, dreamy quality as her eyes seemed to focus on something beyond Nova's shoulder.

"Him?"

"Yeah, He is here." The words fell from her lips like she was talking about the weather, straight and casual.

‘Oh no.’

A terrible chill ran down Nova's back as he looked into the innkeeper's eyes—they were completely vacant, as if she were sleepwalking. 

"How could He be here?" he asked, afraid to turn around and look into the room that had now turned completely silent.

"He is everywhere," the innkeeper replied in perfect unison with several other voices throughout the room, including the innocent voice of Millie.

"But…" Nova's heart hammered against his ribs as the wrongness of the situation crashed over him. But it was fine, really.

“Will you let him in?”

Nova felt his mouth moving without his permission, but did he really need to care? It’s not like he had to be in perfect control all the time. "...Yeah. Why wouldn't I let him in?"

He was a friend, after all. No one could help more than Him in this situation.

"The Fool is a friend to all." The words echoed from every throat in the room, a chorus of hollow voices speaking in perfect synchronization.

The door to the outside turned pitch black at the mention of His name, and black smoke billowed from the cracks. Nova found himself walking toward it with his arm stretched out.

‘No!!!’

Deep down, his consciousness thrashed against invisible chains, but it was useless. His body no longer belonged to him.

Ch.141 --I-- Index --I-- Ch.143