17- An Unexpected Guest - Part 1

'Shit! What is this kid doing? Aren't we here to gather magical plants to sell and make a profit? Where does she keep walking toward? Ugh, do we even have time to fool around like this?'

Liam looked at the energetic female walking in front of him while almost skipping. He knew that he should not doubt her, especially when they were in a dungeon, but Liam could not help but question her.

"Bianca, just to be sure, which herbs do we need to gather to get the reward money? And how much further do we need to walk?"

Liam asked in a straight voice, and Bianca paused before her face took an almost guilty expression that did not sit well with him.

"Well, about that…it's just a little further. Once we enter the boss arena, we will—"

"You are not thinking of gathering any herbs, but rather, to challenge the boss of this dungeon, right? Why in the world would you even think of doing something this rash?"

Liam asked as he clutched his head to get rid of the incoming headache. But he had a feeling that he was in for a tough time with this one.

Especially since Bianca had the audacity to not even look guilty and looked at Liam like he was the odd one out.

"Hey, it's not that risky. Once we take down this boss, our name will become famous, and more people will seek us out for guidance. You can make a killer fortune that way as well. Doesn't it sound appealing?"

Bianca asked in an excited voice, but Liam was not going to fall for it this time. He might be doing all this for money, but there was a limit to the risk he was willing to take for it.

Liam might have powerful magic, and he might be able to protect himself during the worst, but that did not mean he had any intention of putting his life in danger because of it.

"We will not challenge the boss. We came here to gather herbs, so get started. And if I see you trying anything weird, the consequences would be bad for you."

Liam warned Bianca, and she actually flinched at his tone before she pouted.

"Tsk, you sound like my dad. Are you sure you are not secretly 40 or something? Where is your sense of adventure? The thrill of trying the unknown—"

"It's in the backseat, being held tightly by my desire to live. Now, get gathering and do not think of doing anything stupid."

Liam warned her before he went back to gathering herbs that had some magic content inside them. Unlike him, Bianca was grabbing whatever caught her eyes without checking if it was even a needed herb or not.

The pair did not notice a pair of reptilian eyes looking at them and observing them to check for their weakness from a little farther away.

[Warning: Creatures of this dungeon are paying attention to user's unusually strong magic. User is advised to be on alert if he does not want to become a magic furnace.]

The system's warning echoed in Liam's ears all of a sudden, and he felt startled. He put a hand on his ear and quickly stepped back when his instincts told him to. Something rushed past the place he had been standing, and Liam's heart skipped a beat.

"Hey boss, are you alright? You look pale all of a sudden…something is here, following us. Do not move, and I will take care of it."

Bianca promised as she positioned herself in front of Liam, and she took out her staff. She cast a spell, but whatever had attacked them managed to dodge that attack easily.

It was fast, and Liam barely managed to dodge the next few attacks before he got a good look at his attacker.

The attacker looked like a small kid, barely 10 years old, and he had sharp ears and fluffy ears. He looked like a creature out of a fantasy movie, and he reached to touch Liam.

Since Liam had been cornered in such a way where he would have no option but to step back, he knew that he would get caught.

"Don't run away. Stay still and allow me to devour you. I promise it will not hurt—"

The kid reassured Liam, but before he could touch Liam, Bianca hit the kid in the stomach with her staff. Her swinging motion reminded Liam of a baseball player, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief as the kid was flung back a little.

"Tsk, I don't like to be underestimated, kid. And what kind of body do you have? Why is it so heavy…and your ears are like an elf's…also your eyes. Are you even human?"

Bianca questioned as she took her place in front of Liam once more to protect him. The elf-kid let out a small hiss as he touched his abdomen, where he had been hit, to get rid of the pain before he hissed at the pair.

"Foolish humans. How dare you do this to Azgarethorax Malfiros, the Abyssal Wyrm of Eternal Desolation! You shall suffer my wrath for all eternity and beyond for your foolishness…"

The kid yelled, and Liam would have taken his threat a little more seriously, if not for the fact that he could feel how weak and tired this kid felt. He could barely keep himself standing, never mind put up a good fight.

While Liam did feel a little sorry for the kid, Bianca let out a loud laugh at the unexpected name she heard.

"E-Excuse me, but I think I am hearing too much. Your name is what? Why is it so long? And how do you even pronounce it? Oh man! This is beyond funny. You sound like that senile old man Erin who says that names have power and ended up naming himself a ridiculously long name."

______

Somewhere out in the world, the wizard called 'Eryndorius Valtessar, Keeper of the Celestial Codices and Weaver of Timeless Arcana,' the ranked 3rd magician, let out a sneeze.

"Tsk, who is calling my name? Well, I won't do them that favor, so they might as well stop now."