Chapter 104: Sky Dungeon, and a Long Fall?
Runa observed the chamber walls with a mixture of terror and fascination that she simply could not hide.
Her hands were visibly trembling as she tried to maintain her grip on the straps of her blacksmithing equipment.
The air within the S-rank dungeon was heavy, thick with a density of mana unlike anything she had ever experienced back in the mines or in human cities.
By now, it had become abundantly clear that she was standing before a group of people possessing an utterly absurd level of power.
However, what finally shattered her composure was catching a glimpse of Beatrice.
The demon moved with a fluid grace that did not belong to the world of the living, her horns standing out sharply under the dim light of the room.
The dwarf’s expression shifted into something akin to seeing a ghost.
Her eyes widened so much it seemed as if they might pop right out of their sockets, and she began to pull back instinctively, looking for the exit.
Before she could take another step in her flight, Ryan noticed her panic and placed his hand firmly on her shoulder.
The physical contact made Runa jump, but the calm emanating from Ryan brought her to a halt.
"Relax, I can assure you that I didn’t bring you here with any intention of harming you. If I had wanted to do something bad to you, I would have left you in that tower basement along with the others, don’t you think?"
Ryan remarked while maintaining a gentle but steady pressure on her shoulder.
He smiled at her with that confidence he usually displayed when he had everything under control.
Runa looked at him, searching for any sign of deception on his face, but she only saw the same pragmatic determination as always.
"It wouldn’t make sense to save you only to kill you later. You are valuable to my plans, and I don’t waste my resources in that manner," Ryan added to drive his point home.
Runa swallowed hard, catching her breath a little, though her voice still sounded shaky and filled with doubt.
"But that woman over there... she is a demon, isn’t she? A real one. That means that Liam is a fake name after all. You are Ryan, the most wanted man by the Church and nearly every other kingdom," the blacksmith interjected with a tone of utter disbelief.
Ryan let out a brief, relaxed laugh, as if the fact that he was an international criminal were some kind of private joke.
"Haha. If you put it that way, it almost sounds like the title of a video game," Ryan replied ironically.
Runa frowned, completely confused by the word Ryan had just used.
"Eh? What is that? A video game? Is it some kind of spell?" the dwarf asked while trying to process the information.
"Nothing important, forget it. Just relax; like I said, no one here will hurt you. No outsiders will be coming in to bother us while we are in this place, either," Ryan assured her directly.
In the center of the hall, the training combat between Helen and Beatrice continued to resonate.
The metallic clashes were so fast that even Karol could barely follow them with her eyes.
Ryan observed the scene for a few more seconds and then turned toward Karol, who was standing in front of him.
"Karol, stay close to Runa. I don’t want her getting more scared than necessary if Beatrice decides to get too close. I am going to go see how the wyvern is doing," Ryan ordered.
Karol presided with a cynical smile and positioned herself beside the dwarf, who was still looking at the demon with suspicion.
Ryan moved away from the group and walked straight toward the wyvern.
The massive creature was resting near the stone pillars, but as soon as it felt its master’s presence, it lifted its head and shook the dust from its scales.
The monster, which would be a nightmare for knights anywhere else, began to move playfully, almost like a puppy waiting for attention.
Ryan stroked it under the neck, feeling the rough, hot texture of its skin. For a moment, the young man began to think about his journey in this world.
When he first arrived and learned of the existence of these legendary creatures, he was fascinated by the concept, but he never thought he would actually come to possess one.
’Though in reality, I stole it. It was a forced acquisition, but it has turned out to be more useful than I imagined,’ Ryan thought pragmatically while observing the beast’s wings.
After a moment, Ryan left the wyvern and approached the portal that marked the entrance and exit of the dungeon.
The dimensional rift pulsed with violet and blue colors, distorting the space around it. He stood there quietly, watching the magical void through which they had arrived.
’It really was a stroke of luck finding this dungeon. It’s the perfect place to hide without the Church sticking its nose in,’ he murmured to himself in a very low voice.
He wondered for an instant what would have happened if he had arrived in this world under other circumstances.
If he hadn’t had the bug with his skill, or if he had appeared in a city strictly controlled by the guild.
He would probably be dead or locked in some magical prison by now. It was then that a loud cry charged with energy snapped him abruptly out of his thoughts.
"Ryan, you’re back!" shouted a female voice that echoed off all the stone walls.
He turned at the sound, though he didn’t need to look to know it was Helen.
The warrior had already finished her session with Beatrice and was running toward him with all the speed her legs would allow.
As she rushed forward, the rest of the group, including Beatrice, Karol, and Irina, came walking more calmly behind her.
Ryan couldn’t help but think that sometimes Helen’s attitude was too childish for someone who carried such a heavy and dangerous sword.
However, that direct energy was one of the things he liked most about her. The young man smiled briefly, bracing himself for the encounter.
Helen was already very close and, instead of stopping or slowing down, she took a powerful leap toward him.
Her intention was clear: she wanted to tackle him or hang from his neck as she usually did whenever she was excited.
"That idiot!" was the last thing heard from Karol in the distance.
Helen’s momentum was massive. The impact of her body against Ryan’s happened right at the edge of the dimensional rift.
Ryan didn’t have time to plant his feet properly, and the warrior’s weight, combined with the inertia of the jump, pushed him backward.
Both crashed through the portal entrance violently before Ryan could react.
"Eh?" Ryan exclaimed, stunned for a second.
The sensation of crossing the portal was instantaneous, and he realized they were in mid-air.
Both began to fall toward the void. Helen, far from being frightened by the free fall, kept him hugged with astonishing strength, laughing like a fool while the wind whipped through her hair.
’This feels like déjà vu!’ Ryan thought as he tried to stabilize his body in the middle of the descent, as they plummeted through the clouds.
And from the distance, the forest floor began to come into view.