Chapter 37: FILTHY GOOOBLIINS!!!

Exiting the elevator Silvy and I was greeted with a large cavernous space, I say large I mean massive at almost a hundred foot tall and so wide I couldn't see the other side, along the perimeter wall I could see other elevators dotted every hundred feet maybe more I wasn't paying that much attention I was more distracted bye the site in front of me.

In front me was what can only be described as a small village! Hundreds of people shuffling arround make shift shops, stalls and buildings, most of which where inns and restaurants, I could even see some representatives of a few guilds with thier quest boards and "computers" talking to people.

"Oookay then?" I said in a confused manner.

"Hehehe Lord Black Level one is a safe zone where adventurers can prepare and rest." Silvy couldn't help but giggle at my confusion but quickly returned to her professional demeanour.

"Oh ok then, wait cant we just go straight to floor two?"

No we have to collect a tailesment from a cave or we can just buy one from a stall."

"Oh well i fancy a walk so please lead the way to the cave so we can go to floor two and while we walk please explain the basics of the dungeon."

"Of course Lord Black."

As we slowly made our way across the mini town we, I say we I mean Silvy received lots of stares of admiration and I got death stares of jelousy and hatred, from both men and women, obviously Silvy was highly respected and given her beauty was very desirable hence the mixed reaction.

"Lord Black, the tower consists of just over a hundred floors apart from the safe zones located every twenty five floors, every floor has a mix of similar monsters and/or beasts of varying strengths as well as treasure and materials. The strongest monsters in each level, also called mini bosses have the chance to drop a tailisment that unlocks the next level.

The floors maintain a theme known as a domian and every few floors there is a domain boss after which the domain or theme will change, in the lower levels due to the weak enimies the domain can change almost every floor but as the floors get higher so do the enemies the domains usually last longer, as a rule the longer the domain lasts untill the boss the more powerful the boss will be."

"Okay makes sense I have a couple of questions first why would a dungeon have treasers and materials? Second, what's up whith the sub levels in the elevator?"

"Well for your first question its a bit complicated to explain, but dungeons are like living beings that feed off the death of the things inside it hosts home to creatures and then produces resources and treasures to lure in other creatures in order to make them kill each other so it can feed. As for your second question its becuase the tower is not a true dungeon its an artificiall dungeon created above a reall dungeon tense the sub levels."

"What!? "Why would anyone want to create a dungeon?" I asked in surprise.

"Ah that, well a normal dungeon uses the mana for itself where as the tower channels it into a very large crystal that powers a lot of the defences and infrastructure of mezzo."

"Ha! That's fucking ingenious! Bringing people into a city for the lure of riches and then using their deaths as fuel to power that very same city! Hahaha that gives a totally new definition to the saying a tourist trap."

"Indeed." Silvy looked a little shocked at the fact I was laughing at the deaths of others.

"Oh I'm a rather brutal, dark and twisted individual, im sure you'll get used to it."

"Of course Lord Black." Silvy looked a bit uncomfortable with my proclamation.

"Don't worry I don't hurt out on anyone that doesn't deserve it." I smiled.

"That is a relief to hear Lord Black." Silvy looked a lot more relaxed and answered with a smile.

"Yes however you should know that when it comes to my enemies, I am utterly ruthless I consider this your warning so no slowing me down too much becuase of shock or whatever okay?"

"Yes Lord Black thank you for the warning, i will not slow you down."

"Oh you will, but try to keep it to a minimum 'kay? I grinned coldly knowing my brutality would definitely have an impact on Silvy.

"Yes Lord Black." Silvy's face went a bit pale and she gulped subconsciously.

"We continued walking for a while untill we reached the other side of the cavern. There was a entrance to a smaller cave littered with medium sized foul smelling pools of sludge.

"Of course! Let me guess the tailismentsare in the pools right?"

"Yes Lord Black."

"Yeah I'm not getting in that and I'm not putting up with you smelling of whatever that is. That as a stall there let's just buy one."

"Yes Lord Black." Silvy suddenly walked over to the stall and purchased two tailisments, bought them back over and handed me one.

"You know you didn't have to buy that for me right?"

"There is no need for you to spend your funds, I am a Guildmaster after all."

"I make a decent income myself I'll have you know."

"Really how so? You have only just registered as an adventurer." Silvy spoke with slight disbelief.

"Ha! You think to little of me Silvy, I'll have you know I built my own business from the ground up then sold it to a merchant i bargained and managed to get an upfront amount and a share of any future profits each month... So as you can see before I ever even came to Mezzo I had made enough for any reasonable person to happily retire." I got out my bank card and flashed her the amount in it for a second displaying amounts of a few hundred gold. (Author note: 100 copper = 1silver, 100 silver = 1 gold, 1000 gold = 1 platinum, 10,000 platinum = 1 adimantium, 100,000 adimantium = 1 mithril.)

Sivly's eyes widened in momentery surprise before adjusting back to her calm demeanor. 'Huh shes getting quicker at that.' i thought as i observed her quickly recompose herself.

"Wow a platinum that's impressive Lord Black. however I am a Guildmaster and I have a lot of funds please allow me to purchase items you desire."

"Well if you really want to then go ahead, just don't hinder yourself... A what!?" I exclaimed in shock. I quickly looked at the card myself only to see a new balance showing 1 platinum,123 gold, 65 silver 87 copper.

"Fuck me!" I said in surprise and delight.

'Well Charles must have been busy.' Only a few days ago I had just over two hundred gold which I thought was a lot at the time. 'I wasn't expecting a payment so soon but I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. at least I don't have to worry about money any time soon.' I thought with a grin.

"Ahem, Lord Black before we head to the next floor I recommend you purchase a decent weapon." Silvy fake coughed to bring me out of my daze.

"No need, I've got a weapon." I pulled the mithril dagger from my inventory making Silvy's eyes widen the most I hade seen so far.

"Woah a mithril grade weapon and it's at least epic grade!" Said excitedly.

"Epic grade?" I knew about ranks but that was the first i had heard of grades.

"Really?" Silvy asked with a sceptical look like she suspected I was teasing her.

"Umm.... Yeah really, lets walk and talk i wanna get going." I said with a chuckle while scratch my head despite the hood as I walked towards the elevators.

"Haa... Okay so there's common, uncommon, rare, epic and finally legendary. Items are graded by intracousy and craftsmanship and other effects." Silvy sighed a little and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Effects? you mean like Enhanced strength and stuff?"

"Yes precisely, bye enchanting base materials or engraving runes and magic diagrams in the item it can grant various effects to the weilder."

"Huh so how are these effects activated?"

"You can use your mana some items have slots for monster cores or in rare cases some draw mana from thier surroundings. Looking at that dagger it definitely absorbes mana from the weilder, some very intricate magic diagrams as far as I can tell it's two main functions are spell enhancement as well as mana store and discharge."

"Handy."

"Indeed."

We arrived at an elevator and a question crossed my mind. "So how do I use this?" I held up the tailisment.

"Oh just scan your card on the elevator then put some mana into the tailisment... Like this and then put in the elevator slot in the natral dungeon there are doors where you do the same" She channelled some mana into it and it glowed and then slotted it an opening on the elevortor.

" becuse where a party we both need to do it. After we can go straight to level two whenever we want, it is the same whith all other levels.

"Oh okay." I quickly done the same and the number two lit up, I pressed and writhing about twenty seconds we arrived. 'Now this is more like It.' As the door opened I was greeted by a damp, dingy, poorly lit cave about ten foot high and wide.

"Hmmm pretty tight quarters good thing I have a relatively small weapon I wonder how bigger people cope with this?"

"They usually join a group and let them go first in exchange for helping them out later."

"Huh makes sense, so how do I tell What way to go?"

"Oh that is actually the most difficult part in the caves there's no markings or ways to tell direction, the best thing to do is find and kill mini bosses until one drops a tailisment then retrace your steps back to an elevator."

"Better idea you stay here I'll be a minute." 'STATS unlock.' Before Silvy had a chance to respond I activated my lightning aura and blasted off down the cave looking for my victims. The first thing I bumped into was a group of short, scrawny, ugly green humanoid figures carrying clubs and stone daggers just join clothes covering there private parts.

"It's time to slaughter some FILTHY GOOOOBLIIINS HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" I laughed like a crazed maniac immetating a parody of one of my favourite anime's.

With that the goblins noticed and charged at me snarling I decided to have a little fun and deactivate my lightning mana I put away my dagger and smiled madly although none of the could see my smile they could instantly feel my killing intent that I leaked into the area almost instantly the goblins froze in fear staring blankly at me tremmering. I instantly shot forward slamming my hand through the heads of the two dagger weilding goblins like they where wet paper mache. I glared at the others as they realised what happened, they suddunly squeled turning to try to run for there lifes further into the cave, most likely towards something stronger.

"Perfect lead they way little piggies." I smiled as they sprinted away squealing, I kept up with there pace easily despite walking thanks to my STATS. As they ran through the cave tunnels more and more goblins bombarded me thanks to the squelling but i easily dispatched like they where just annoying bugs leaving a trail of blood guts a viscera in my wake, as I went further I noticed some remains of adventurers, some of them rather fresh.

"Oh well must have got overwhelmed... Haaa... Killed by goblins... Pathetic." I said coldly in my opinion anyone that entered a dungeon should have been prepared for death, i also believed their deaths where a result of there own inadequate power so I didn't feel the least bit of guilt or empathy.

About three minutes later I encountered a group of larger bulkier goblins that the smaller ones where obviously trying to get to. I instantly decided to do the same thing and target the largest strongest looking members to see if they ran away again but surprisingly I saw a tailisment drop knowing u was in the right place I quickly slaghterd the rest by slamming a fire envoleped fist into the ground creating a explosion incinerating everything in the room apart from three talisments.

"Three? There was like fifteen of the f*ckers!... So its random, I guess this is what Silvy ment when she said the mini have a chance of dropping tailisments. Whatever time to head back." I quickly looked at my map then reactivated my lightning aura and rushed back through the cave arriving in front of Silvy in seconds, Startling her slightly.

"That was fast." She said moving the hair from her eyes, it had blown everywhere and coverd them when I arrived.

"Yeah I got three, what should I do with the extra one?"

"You can either throw it away or keep it and sell it at level one when we leave."

"Might aswell keep hold of it then... Okay next level. I said as Silvy and I scanned our cards and put our tailisments into the slot and hitting the button. In about half a minute the elevator stopped and the doors opened revealing a almost identical cave system but a bit larger.

"Okay Silvy same drill you stay here... I'll be back."

"Yes Lord Black."

I used my E.P after filtering out adventures i used it to find the highest mana source, after locating a group of about ten enemies that had higher mana signatures, I got my dagger out activated my lightning aura and ran through the caves, this time I didn't bother messing around or stopping to fight anything, I simply ran through enemies like peaces of wet loo roll while avoiding a few adventures that where dotted through the tunnels scaring the fuck out them as I passed by.

Within seconds I arrived at the group of slightly larger goblins that had sh*ty rusty armour and swords. I couldn't be asked to stop so I simply held out my dagger as I zipped around the room then stopped In the centre as I stopped realising there was an intruder the goblins snarled they tried turning thier heads to look at me, but before they cold move their heads fell from there body as the heads hit the floor the goblins had a look of confusion on their faces, trying to work out when they where attacked.

"Too easy." I remarked as I hurriedly searched the bodies finding just two tailisments, I put them in my pocket and made my way back to Silvy arriving in front of her in a second again messing up her hair. She seemed to be shocked by how quick I was but didnt say anything that time.

"Two this time let's go."

"Yes Lord Black." We quickly arrived at the next floor, I repeated the same method clearing it in no time, I kept up the momentum clearing floor after floor. As silvy said the enimies strength did increase the goblins got larger and better armed at first the goblins where only about three and half foot tall but buy the end they where at least five and a half foot tall apparently called hob goblins.

The hob goblins appeard after floor three, that was apparently a domain boss not that I realised, it was just a large group of hob goblins surrounding one that was larger, I don't know if it had any unique talents becuase I killed everything too quickly. After that the caves got bigger and lit a lot better with occasional totems made of wood and bone marking territory, apparently this was the way to find the enimies in that area but it didn't matter with my E.P.

I even stared seeing magic user types called shamans in the later levels more and more but despite all that in total it took me less than a quarter of an hour to get to floor ten. In that time I only managed to rack up a few hundred measly EXP becuase the enemies where so weak.

Recharging my mana in the quick elevator ride we arrived at the tenth floor, when the door opened we was greeted to a large room with a six foot mage type goblin in a makeshift throne behind a barrier glaring at us, seemenly waiting for us to exit the elevator.

I obliged as Silvy walked in behind me, I looked around confused. "Bosses only drop tailisments according to the party size." I nodded understanding. 'I get it, if a party of five tried to fight this thing and only three entered the room only three tailisments would drop meaning they'd have to wait for it to respawn and fight it again.'

Then as we stood there the goblin snarled and gnashed angrily like it was earring us to get closer so with a glance and a nod Silvy and I walked forward, as room as we did a grin flashed across the goblins face as a barrier appeared around the room blocking our only escape, the elevators.

"Hurry up already you piece of sh*t I ain't got all day you know!?" Not worried in the slightest I shouted at the goblin angrily becuase it was wasting time, as if responding it snarled while smashing it's staff on the floor suddunly two doors slid open either side of this goblin throne, a surge of about twenty hobgoblins pored out from each one as the goblin shaman started chanting.

"Nope." I said bluntly and zipped around the room creating a red mist that filled the room, the instant I killed the last hobgoblin the shields dropped and before the shaman could react it's head was flying through the air as I casually went through its pockets finding a the tailisment I was about to head back tho the stunned Silvy. 'Hahaha I knew I'd shock her at some point.'I chuckled to myself as body parts and blood was still falling to the ground.'

Silvy snapped out off it with a shiver and an unconscious gulp looking at the scene. "L-L-Lord Black do you not want the items?" She stuttered a bit before again controlling herself.

"Nope, don't need 'em, let's go we're wasting time."

"Yes Lord Black." She went a little pale when I said she was wasting time. 'That must be becuase I warned her not to slow me down, she probably thinks I'm gonna punish her.'

I simply ignored Silvy as I walked back into the elevator prepared my tailisment and inserted it. I looked over at Silvy and she rushed into the elevator quickly doing the same.

"So what's the next area?"

"A Forest, at the moment the enemies are a mixture of beasts in lower levels expect foxes and deer and expect stags and wolves in higher levels."

"Got it, same as usual."

"Understood Lord Black."

"Good girl." I said playfully patting her head, she blushed a little... Okay actually a lot, she almost looked like a neon sign. 'Weird... How can somone even get that red? Hahaha.' I thought her reaction was over the top but looking at her again the thought slipped my mind and I just found her face amusing.

Then the doors opened and I was greeted with a dark dreary forest full of towering trees creating a thick canopy blocking out most of the light making it dark and depressing. I repeated the same process of filtering out the adventures then locating the largest group of higher powers enemies.

"Well f*ck! This might take a little bit longer."

"Why's that?" Silvy said with a knowing smirk.

"You know f*cking why, the "Minnies" (Mini bosses.) aren't grouped up instead they're with normies (Normal enemies.) in groups of no more than two or three."

"Well foxes are known for being cunning creatures they must have realised it was the best option for abuses and for survival as a group."

"Ahh... Whatever I'll just have to use more Mana to get this done quickly be back in minute." I groaned and said frustratedly.

"Okay." Silvy smiled.

I rescaned the area and located a few different groups of "Minnies", with that done I activated my lightning aura this time putting more mana into it than before, however thanks to the fact I could recover my mana stupidly fast by using my E.M I wasn't worried in the slightest. With a boom I sped into the forest rapidly hunting down my targets.

In a matter of seconds I arrived at my first group and my first problem, after killing the group almost instantly I couldn't see any talisments, I was hoping the foxes would be wearing them or maybe embedded in thier pelt, but unfortunately I had no such luck, I decided to check the bodies and for some reason I found a couple of items in the stomachs and weirdly some items where too large for the foxes to have possibly eaten.

"Damn no talisment!... This is wierd, must be the dungeon forcibly placing this stuff there, so if an enemy hasn't got pockets, holding or wearing items, the items appear inside the enemy... Thats a hassle but it's good to know." After realising that it was going to take even longer I channelled some more mana into my lightning aura and rushed to the next group.

"F*ck! Again? Really?" I was getting frustrated at the lack of results. "Okay I've had enough." I intensified my lightning aura again and madly zipped between groups plunging my hands into there stomachs killing them, searching for talisments all in one motion before moving onto the next.

While running around in my bizzare bloody treasure hunt, I realised this area was way larger than the previous area and the groups where smaller and much further apart. it actually took me a just over two minutes to gather two talisments and then I returned to Silvy.

"That was f*cking ridiculous! Please don't tell me this whole domain is like that!" I was rather annoyed the enimies where super easy to kill but I had to keep going between groups to find the damn talisments

"As the enimies get stronger there are less of them, therefore more chance of talisments." Silvy responded with a calm smile, she was no longer surprised by me bolting in front her out of nowhere.

"So the more "Minnies" scattered around the lower the drop rate for the talisments. That's just great whatever I've got the method down let's go."

"Yes Lord Black."

We got into the elevator and headed to the next floor. Looking at my clothes I was smothered in dirt, blood and few stray pieces of flesh, I also was starting to smell really bad.

"Gross... I really need to wash this off i stink." I said in disgust removing a piece of viscera from my shoulder and throwing it onto the floor of the new forest as the elevator doors opened. Silvy said nothing but nodded in agreement seemingly trying to breath as little as possible.

'Hahaha! I almost forgot Silvy's bassicly a beast-woman, so her sense of smell is way better. F*ck This must be like torture for her...' "Hahahaha" I couldn't help but laugh at Silvy's face as I walked out the elevator.

Silvy frowned at me a little, that just made me laugh more but I quickly stopped laughing. "Be back real soon hahaha!" I teased Silvy as I waved playfully and blinked into the forest.

'Huh at least the groups a bit bigger this time.' I thought as I ran towards the group of five foxes consisting of two "Minnies" and three "Normies" I ruthlessly eviscerated all members of the group.

"Ooh one down one to go!" I said happily as I luckily found one tailisment straight away.

With a grin I burst back into the forest again slaughtering group after group after going through six groups I finnaly found two talisments in one group, I picked up both and headed to a pond right next to group of dead foxes.

I went into the pond and quickly washed off all the crap after that I got out and used fire magic to dry myself practicly in an instant, once I was done I rushed back to Silvy. Seeing me suddunly appear Silvy instinctively started holding her breath before realising I was now clean, she hesitated but eventually took in a proper breath and smiled in glee.

"Hahaha the smell was that bad huh?"

"Yes Lord Black it was, I appreciate you removing it."

"No worries Silvy, but I don't necessarily know something's wrong if people don't tell me. just tell me in future if something's bothering you 'kay?"

"Yes Lord Black." Silvy responded with a warm smile and with a slight blush.

"Right lets go." Silvy nodded and we both put our tailisments into the elevator and headed to the next floor.