Chapter 34 - The Dungeon Key

Things happened so fast afterwards. Roaring sounds echoed while even earth itself kept trembling. The horizon towards that big shining red ball of fire looked awful while the fire kept burning without an end.

I knew it would take a full day at least to die down. As for now, it threw dark red light over the surroundings, making anyone from far see the brutal wave coming fast towards the ground.

'It's not that big,' I thought to myself, 'luckily they didn't change their plans for me.'

I knew I crossed my limits when facing these angels. They must be pissed off right now. But I couldn't be nice and obedient to my enemies, especially when I knew there was no way out of this without putting up a fight.

So even if I was passing over all the red lines here, I didn't regret this. I was planning to keep crossing more lines just to survive.

*Woosh* *Woosh* *Woosh*

The wind kept howling and thundering around us while the world seemed to really come to an end. Just reading about what that attack looked like and seeing it first hand like this was really different.

No matter how brutal the words used to describe this attack, they weren't even close to the truth. This thing… It was really a killer, something I hoped at this moment that I wouldn't have to face its wrath one day.

"It's ending…" Allen said while the wind started to calm down. The earth stopped shaking minutes ago. But I knew this wasn't the end.

The water that invaded the ground would take up to one third of the land between here and the statue of Liberty. After the hit, water wouldn't recede and would stay there.

For now, it was quite safe. After all it didn't sweep only humans but also monsters. Also monsters wouldn't appear in water for now.

But that wouldn't last forever. Water monsters would appear starting from the next quest. So, this might look like a calamity hidden under the veil of a moment of peace.

"Let's get going then," I said while clapping hard with my hands. Everyone was still in shock, and I had to rally them together. "Get back, stand in one line."

Despite everything happening, I kept my eyes around. If a single one of those people tried to sneak his way during this mess then he was playing with his life.

Luckily no one of them were fool enough to do it. Or there might be no traitor after all here.

"What about her?" Angelica finally awakened from the shock as she turned to me, "is she… going to survive this?"

She now realized why I asked her friend to go away on a boat. But that also meant I knew what was going to happen.

She was smart enough not to ask me anything about this. After all she was someone who got some access to part of the angels' plans. So I might have another way to gain such info.

"She is going to be alright," I said before adding, "if she listened to you."

"But…" she pointed at the air in front of her helplessly.

"Just wait for ten minutes, that blackout will be gone by then," I reassured her, "now let's continue what we were doing, alright?"

My team looked at me in a weird way. I could already read their minds, like wondering who was in their right mind to say that someone would survive something deadly like that?

But I didn't say anymore while Angelica kept examining others. In the end we didn't find anyone who was a traitor. Finally a moment of piece of mind for me.

"Alright," I said in a loud tone before adding, "we are going to leave this area for now. Bring him with us."

I motioned my head towards Allen as I intended to make better use of that bastard. I was sure if I killed him, the angles would simply make him resurrect.

Despite this being something costly, they already promised such handsome rewards to other traitors before. It was better to keep that snake under my clutches for now, better than letting him loose.

"Where to?" Sara asked in anticipation. Right now she wasn't the only one with high morale. Everyone in my team was feeling joy inside their hearts from the big gains they got. "Killing more traitors then?" she asked.

"Aren't you satisfied with all the coins and items you got?" I grinned while watching her and others. My team was now wielding full gear on their bodies and they looked stronger than before.

"Going back to the museum?" Angelica's face was still covered with the helmet, but I could see her worry from the places exposed to me.

"Yeah," I nodded. This was an easy guess for her after all. "Let's go, it's almost an hour walk with everyone here."

I started to move while others followed. As I scanned everyone and there was no threat here, I finally had a moment of peace to consider what I should do next.

"Gerry," I said while ushering for him to come, "go and check the attributes of everyone. If there is anyone with unique or above attributes make them together in separate groups."

Gerry looked at me in puzzlement. "What are attributes higher than unique?" he asked, and I realized that they didn't know the grades of the attributes yet.

So it was time for a small lesson and little education for them to catch up.

"Attributes are ranked as common in the lowest grade, then rare, special, unique, Immortal, Earth, and heaven."

My words enlightened the eyes of everyone around. My voice was loud for others to hear.

"You sure know what you are doing," Angelica came to my side before adding, "my attribute is heaven grade, then I'm the strongest one here."

I looked at her like I was eyeing a monster. Suddenly a mere thought flashed past my mind.

What if those angels had a way to assess our attributes before the apocalypse? They then worked their dirty hands to snatch as many geniuses away from us as possible by branding them as traitors?

This was such a crazy idea, but pretty much realistic too. There was only way to know if this was true or not; testing common people gathered here.

If they had such good attributes, then my theory was wrong. However if they didn't show much abilities, then I had to admit… we got such a heavy blow from the start, even before the apocalypse even happened.

"What?" Angelica mistook my silence, "don't tell me you also… Do you have a heaven attribute as well?"

I only smiled as I said nothing. Heaven attribute? Humph, I had much higher than that baby.

"Go now," I said to Gerry, "make sure to examine everyone."

"Leave it to me," Gerry seemed a little excited about having something to do at last. I suddenly realized that despite him being a strong pillar in my team, he didn't have any skill to use yet.

I was sure I told everyone about using their life experiences to hone them into skills. But it seemed that young men here didn't have such vast experience of life to use as a healer.

'Then I should tell him about a way to buy healing skills from the market,' I wasn't powerless here. There was a way to get skills, but it would require lots of coins in return.

However, in his condition, I believed he wouldn't disagree. Yet the time wasn't right yet to speak with him about such a thing.

I decided to gather the team once we reached the museum and tell them a few tricks to use later on. After all, I planned to leave and I didn't know what was waiting for me at my destination.

"Do you know what weapon that was?"

Sara seemed still unsettled about what happened. It was normal. After all, it wasn't easy for anyone to see such brutality and not be shaken.

"It's called the city's killer," I slowly explained, "it's a star in the sky that can be used to launch such deadly attacks, strong enough to wipe this whole city from the surface of earth."

My words seemed shocking but it was the truth. It came when the apocalypse started, as part of the other worlds merging with us.

"But… I never heard of such a weapon before," Sara frowned, "is it some highly classified military weapon or something?"

"It's something alien," Angelica said, "it's part of the world colliding with us right now."

She knew a lot, more than I thought. That wasn't a total surprise. After all she was a leader in the traitor camp before so she had to know things not accessible to many.

"Worlds colliding with us… What does this even mean?"

I let the two continue this talk while I resumed thinking about my plans. It was good to have someone knowledgeable in the team. I was going to vanish for a long time and they needed someone to help lead them.

Just in the middle of their speech which attracted the attention of everyone, Angelica suddenly paused for long minute before she yelled in happiness:

"She is alive, hahaha, I knew it."

"Stop telling lies, it's bad for your skin," I teased her but she was so happy to bother with my words. She laughed before she moved her hands a little and spoke unheard words as she was in contact with her friend.

She would survive, that was given if she listened to my words from earlier. From the reaction Angelica made, I knew her friend was wise enough to listen to me.

"But…" All of sudden her face stiffened. She removed her helmet and I could see the distress expression she put there.

"What?" I asked while having a clue about what she wanted to say.

"She asks your help for her to come here," she slowly said while she knew all about my decision. We already walked through this point and my stance was clear.

"I won't move out of the central park," I said to confirm my earlier stand.

"I know, but…" Angelica's face showed her struggle. She tried before to convince me and failed so she had zero expectations at the moment. "She has something to give to you in return."

"I won't change my mind over a bunch of potions and stats," I said while shaking my head. If I had time then I might risk going outside to help her, but not now.

I had to go and get that item no matter what.

"Even if it's a dungeon gate?" Angelica suddenly said and the moment I heard her words I couldn't help but feel a faint tremble inside my heart.

"What did you say?" I looked at her and it seemed she didn't expect my reaction to be like this. After a momentary pause her distressed face changed to show some confidence and… little hope.

"She has a dungeon key," she said, "and she is willing to give it to you."

"Are you sure?" I asked while trying to calm my excitement, "what grade is it?"

"Grade?" Angelica seemed not to know the answer so I left her for a few moments to talk to her friend before returning to me, "she says it's copper grade."

"Copper… not bad," I pondered about it. If it was golden grade or above then I would have gone right away to fetch her myself.

But copper grade… It wasn't that bad but not that good either.

"What are dungeons?" Sara asked with anticipation, but I didn't answer her for now.

Dungeons were just like the game dungeons, a place filled with monsters and treasures within. The higher the grade of the dungeons, the richer the rewards.

Aside from any rewards given there, which included monster drops and even gears and potions, there was one major use for the dungeons; leveling up.

Each one in the apocalypse would be granted a system with a basic level of one. To raise one's level is like ascending heaven bare handed. It was an impossible task, but not with a dungeon.

Dungeons had cool down time, but copper dungeons would be available once per week. Higher grade dungeons would have shorter cool down time, like gold dungeons which could be accessed once per two days.

Another earth shattering privilege of the dungeons was that, unlike the apocalypse, dying in there wouldn't really kill anyone. One would only lose one level and drop part of his inventory there. As long as people went inside and were well prepared, clearing dungeons would be an easy task.

But finding a dungeon gate was something hard, even harder than getting a class. I knew it all when it came to dungeons, after all the mighty human figures were like this thanks to the dungeons, partly.

"Tell her this," I controlled my excitement as I had to be realistic. Even if she had such a mighty item now, it wasn't that helpful thanks to its long cool down and low rewards given inside, "I can't help her directly, but I can tell her about a safe place to go for now."

"Safe place?" Angelica seemed startled before giving me that look, a look like I was trying to fool her friend here.

"Just tell her that," I shrugged, "if she doesn't accept my help then forget about it."

Angelica's face stiffened as if she was thinking about bargaining with me. However she didn't know what the dungeon key's value was so she eventually returned it to her friend and passed the offer to her.

As I expected, a drowning person would accept any kind of help, no matter what.

"She says yes," Angelica said sternly, "but she also asks that you promise that place will be safe enough to keep her life intact until you pick her over."

"Fine by me," I knew she would ask for that, "let her buy a contract and fill it before sending it over to you," I said while knowing that her friend must have access to the market as well.

"A contract?" Angelica seemed surprised. Right now she wasn't even qualified to play this game, game of masters, that I was having with her friend here. "Gimme a minute," she said while her friend seemed to comply.

After all, what else could she do in such a situation but follow my words to the letter?