Chapter 38

  Eve spent about twenty minutes picking up all of the remaining loot near the boss area. She even backtracked to collect the multitude of drops she had missed earlier.

  Her inventory was bursting with consumables, enhancement stones, and various other items.

  “Every little bit helps,” she thought.

  When she finished, she wiped the sweat from her brow and opened her map interface. A single dot marked Ben’s position. He was already far away.

  Eve sighed and took out a Large Stamina Regeneration Potion. The effects were barely noticeable, but it was all she could do to avoid being left behind.

  She ran in Ben’s direction as fast as she could. Along the way, she followed a trail of additional loot and fallen orcs. Wherever Ben went, he left only death behind. Eve did her best to gather what she could without slowing down.

  It was much easier said than done.

  The drops were everywhere. Even on the roofs.

  “How did it even get up there?”

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Eve caught up to Ben. He stood over the corpse of another large orc boss. This one was notably bulkier and wore a pair of distinct clawed gauntlets.

  Several Need or Greed notifications appeared in Eve’s system window. She passed on every piece of gear without even looking. She could not focus.

  Eve reached Ben and dropped to her knees at his feet. He looked down at her in alarm.

  “Woah, Eve, are you okay?”

  He hurried forward and reached down to help her up. She rose on shaky legs, her breathing heavy, her body drenched in sweat.

  Eve opened her chat interface.

  “I am fine. I got everything.”

  Ben glanced past her and frowned.

  “The loot? You know we can come back for it later. You don’t need to make detours, especially when the trek is this hard on you.”

  Eve typed again.

  “Backtracking would be inefficient. I can handle it.”

  Ben didn’t believe her for a second. She leaned against his chest, breathing heavily. He shook his head, then suddenly did something that made Eve yelp in surprise.

  He scooped her up in his arms.

  Eve’s face burned hotter than it ever had. Ben gave her a knowing smile.

  “Eve, there is no need to act tough. You are a non-physical support class. No one expects you to keep up with physical builds. These dungeons are designed to take breaks. From now on, I will have a couple of my angels gather loot. It won’t slow us down much.”

  Eve pouted and bowed her head in shame. Her fingers moved quickly across the interface.

  “Yes, it will. You are sacrificing combat power by dedicating angels to looting, and now you are carrying me. You are worth at least three of your angels in combat.”

  Ben nodded.

  “All true. But it won’t have as much impact as you think. My Cherub Bow Master and its new bow have drastically increased my clear speed. And we just picked up another powerful weapon that is excellent for clearing groups.”

  With a flick of his wrist, Ben summoned a new type of cherub.

  [Cherub Master Pugilist]

  The cherub appeared unarmed. Ben opened his inventory interface and handed over the weapon that had dropped from the boss. Eve watched as the cherub’s hands shone and the clawed gauntlets equipped themselves seamlessly.

  [Thrash’s Prey Shredder]

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  [Type: Clawed Gauntlets]

  [Rarity: Epic]

  [Quality: Common]

  [Effect 1: Thrash’s Prey Shredder has an innate 10 percent lifesteal]

  [Effect 2: Prey Hunter Mode]

  [Prey Hunter Mode Effect: When toggled, the user loses 1 percent of their life per second. Each swing generates a claw-shaped ranged attack that emanates 10 feet from the point of contact. Increasing life loss increases the range of the emanation.]

  Eve barely had time to analyze the weapon before Ben burst into a sprint. She shrieked at the sudden acceleration.

  Ben was fast. Watching him move was one thing. Experiencing it was another entirely. He was faster than a horse, and Eve had nothing to hold onto but his chest armor. It took her a moment to adjust.

  When she finally regained her bearings, her eyes widened.

  She immediately understood what Ben had meant.

  The Cherub Bow Master and the Cherub Master Pugilist led the troop of angels with monstrous efficiency.

  The Bow Master rained arrows onto any orcs that crossed their path. Its firing speed, combined with the splitting effect of the arrows, made it seem as though an entire battalion was attacking at once.

  Then there was the Master Pugilist.

  It surged forward and eviscerated entire groups on its own.

  The cherub mages unleashed fireballs, chain lightning, and ice storms to deal with clustered enemies, but they had to wait for their cooldowns.

  The Pugilist did not.

  With a single swipe of its clawed gauntlet, it tore through multiple enemies at once. Shimmering blades of white light shot forward, shredding everything behind the initial targets.

  It was as if the cherub was clawing through the air itself. Dozens fell in an instant. The projected claws radiated the same angelic light as the cherub itself.

  Ben raised a brow.

  “That’s different.”

  When Thrash had wielded the gauntlets, the blade effect had been blood red. His angels had altered the weapon’s appearance.

  “That seems fitting,” Ben thought.

  Despite the devastation, the gore was muted by the holy light. Orc wounds were cauterized instantly. They collapsed into heaps of limbs like broken toys, with no blood escaping their sealed injuries.

  Ben never stopped moving. He didn’t need to fight. With the two new weapons clearing the way, he focused solely on reaching the next destination. The location of the next boss pulsed clearly on his map interface.

  Eve was once again amazed, but she noticed something concerning.

  Ben was getting tired.

  Sweat clung to him, and his breathing had grown heavy. Cradled in his arms, it was impossible to miss.

  She didn’t bring it up. She considered asking him to put her down so he could conserve stamina, but being held felt too nice. She allowed herself the indulgence.

  When she snuggled closer, Ben glanced down at her and smiled warmly before refocusing on the path ahead.

  About an hour later, they arrived at the next orc encampment. Familiar flags marked the tents, signaling another clan.

  This one was different.

  The orcs did not attack.

  They stood in silence at the edge of the camp, evenly spaced. Weapons were visible, but none were raised. Their posture was straight, deliberate, as if waiting rather than guarding.

  They wore white robes over their armor. The tents and structures were white as well. The color stood out sharply against the dungeon’s stone and bloodstained ground.

  Ben slowed.

  He set Eve down and raised a hand, signaling for her to stay back. She understood and remained where she was.

  One orc stepped forward.

  It was tall and broad like the rest of its kin, but carried itself with a calm discipline. A long gray beard marked its age.

  “A human who does not attack on sight,” the orc said. “That is a change.”

  “I could say the same,” Ben replied. “But I expect nothing less from the White Fang clan.”

  The orc paused.

  “You’ve heard of us?”

  Ben nodded.

  “We would not be speaking otherwise.”

  The orc inclined its head slightly.

  “Then you know our ways. Our chief challenges you to a duel. Win, and you take his place. Lose, and die.”

  The words were flat and unembellished. A blue exclamation point appeared above the orc’s head, signaling that a special quest had become available.

  “I have no interest in leading your clan,” Ben said. “When I defeat your chief, you may hold a tournament to decide the next leader, as your tradition dictates.”

  The orc stepped closer until its shadow fell over Ben.

  “That arrogance will cost you.”

  Ben did not falter.

  “We’ll see,” he said.

  The orc sneered.

  “Enough words.”

  Ben nodded and glanced back at Eve.

  “Stay here. This won’t take long.”

  Eve noticed his angels remained with her. Her fingers moved nervously over the chat interface.

  “You’re going alone?”

  Ben winked.

  “I got this.”

  He walked forward between the silent orcs. None followed. None spoke.

  They only watched.

  Eve clasped her hands together as Ben disappeared into the camp. She whispered a silent prayer.

  “Please be safe.”