NOVEL WEB 8. The Beginning
"What?! How did you-" Kate exclaims.
"Shh!" I cover her mouth and look around. "The Everlasting Knights most likely won't find this place for another week. Can you hold out until then?"
...
Kate shakes her head.
I extend my hand and she takes it, standing.
"Sir, thank you for your help. Do you have an escape plan?" Led asks.
I nod.
"Don't make any noise once we step out and stay close," I whisper. "Also, I need both of you to trust me. No matter how illogical my actions are."
They nod.
We move out and went deeper into the dungeon instead of the stairs.
Afterwards, we stop at a wall. I gently scrutinise the wall and finally find a small button between the rocks.
I push it and slight rumbling echoes, a section of the rocky walls slides up revealing a pathway.
I gestured at both Led and Kate to follow me. Once all of us entered, I click another button and the wall shut back down.
"Alright...huff...we can relax now," I say.
Beyond us are circular stairs down with a hollow centre.
We start descending with the awkward tense atmosphere.
Led tries to break the silence. "Thank you, sir. I am Led, the butler of the Silver household. This is lady Kate Lesto Silver, the third child of the Silver household."
"Nice to meet you, I am Samuel Turner. A Trainee of the Everlasting Knight." I reply.
!
Led and Kate jolts at my reply.
?
"What's wrong?" I turn around and ask.
"N-Nothing. Let's continue, I want to get out of here," says Kate.
...What's with their reaction? Come to think of it, I don't have memories of the original "Samuel Turner" in this world. Did the original Samuel do something before I possessed him?
*thud thud thud*
The ambient is even worse now...
I sigh.
Kate hears that and tries to smile. "Don't worry. I am thankful and isn't one to listen to rumours."
"What rumours?" I ask.
"Eh? Uhm...there was quite a number about you..." Kate replies.
"I don't mind listening to those you remember."
Kate scratches her head. "There was one where you ridiculed the Everlasting Knights for having a woman as the captain. The second rumour says that you are rude and impulsive, often starting fights in bars."
What? That reminds me of someone. The original fiance of Rena is a noble named Arsto Fon Kas. If I were to describe him, he is a fucking brat I would slap without hesitation. He strongly opposed and humiliated Rena in public, to the extent of even trying to get her into prostitution. But luckily, Arsto died during the first mission when he was forced to join the Everlasting Knight by his family. His squad was ambushed near the dungeon during scouting and his face never showed up for the rest of the game.
...
Wait a second...Am I...Arsto?
...
No no, people of this era are discriminating against women so the first rumour is expected. It may just be a coincidence that it lines up perfectly with my experience, I have a different name too.
For my appearance...
I pull down my fringe and see black hair.
Phew...Arsto has brown hair.
We reach the bottom of the stairs and notice piles of pickaxes littered around. Many boxes of rocks and ores are also placed at the side. It's the mines on the fifth level.
"What? Why are we down here-"
I cover Kate's mouth and point ahead.
An orc is sitting on the ground not far from us, snoring.
I sneak up behind him and thrust the dagger through its nape.
?!!
I finish the orc by stabbing another dagger into its eye.
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+5000 exp
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"Please refrain from making any noise. We don't know if any more orcs still roam the mine." I say.
Kate nods.
We walk into the mine until we reach a dead-end. I pull out Kastro's badge and wave it around the wall.
Suddenly, a mysterious force materializes metallic emeralds to form a majestic door. The door rumbles open.
"The darkest place is beneath the lamp; To think the exit portal was right here..." Led mumbles.
"Finally! Let's go!" Kate exclaims. Led follows her as she runs for the gate.
However, she realises my halt.
"What's wrong?" she asks me.
I throw the badge and she catches it.
"I will be out later. There is still something I need to do." I say.
??
Without listening to her reply, I quickly ran away.
For Veterans of Elvis Arcane, everyone has adopted a mindset of asking questions because everything has a reason in this game.
Why did the monsters build the prison underground beneath the castle in this dungeon? Because it is difficult to infiltrate and they can protect both the castle and the prison.
The deeper I enter into the mines, I realise that the lighting switches from traditional torches to lanterns, Why?
Veterans with multiple playthroughs know that the first dungeon is a gold mine because there is a trick to gain the upper advantage for the early game by instantly killing every monster. The only prerequisite is finding an escape ticket, which I do have.
The prisoners were mining Coal and Mana Ore.
Firstly, Coal mine produces methane in the mine while Mana Ore mining increases atmospheric Mana.
It's been some time since the slaves were forced to mine so the methane and Mana are uniformly spread out across the mine but...I remember the areas where large pockets of methane remain.
Secondly, the full extent of what Mana can do is still unknown but when left alone, Mana's properties change according to the surroundings. If injected into plants, mana becomes water and nutrients to nourish its host.
And lastly, the dungeon is on the clifftop of a tall mountain.