Quick Movers

Bane awoke at his usual time; he stared up at the ceiling and stretched with a quiet yawn.

'It may not look like much, but the bed is really nice,' Bane thought as he readied his mind for the day. He glanced to his left and saw Eir's black hair cascading down from the pillow onto the mattress.

Aside from the prattle of rain on the roof, the only sound Bane could hear was Eir's soft breathing. Trust was something Bane had always struggled with in life—growing up with constant betrayal in the slums would do that. But with Eir, he was okay, even willing to share the bed with her.

'Goddess of mercy…' Maybe that had something to do with it, he thought.

He was reluctant to get up. It rarely rained in Gren, and when it did, it made Bane feel unmotivated. He would only go out to get wet when he could stay inside. However, regardless of his thoughts, he forced himself out of the warmth of the sheets.

Bane slowly moved to grab his new black armor set and left the room to quickly change. He looked down at his body, touching the armor to feel how it fit. 'Seems strong.' Every sense told him that, including the system.

Moving around was easy, and he equipped his two weapons before rushing to the Guild Hall through the rain. The slum streets were muddied and incredibly difficult to maneuver through. On his way, he saw slum kids playing in the mud and a few horse-drawn carriages stuck in ruts.

Thankfully, Bane made it to the Guild Hall. Usually, he would have been greeted with a smile, but Winter was nowhere to be found. Bane walked around, looking behind the counters and even asking another clerk about her.

"Have you seen Winter?" Bane asked a sly black-haired cat lady dressed in the guild's garb.

"I believe she took today off," the clerk replied curtly, her tone uncaring.

"Oh, okay. Thank you," Bane said, dropping the conversation there. She clearly didn't want to talk to him.

Bane didn't know much about Winter's work schedule, having been an adventurer for only a week, but he hoped she was doing well as he entered the dungeon.

Using fast travel, Bane appeared before the stairs leading down to the fifth floor of the dungeon. He quickly checked his stats and active quests before making his way down.

So far, the first few floors of the dungeon had been pretty similar to each other. The fourth floor was much the same, but a thick fog hung in the air as Bane reached the final steps. He carefully stepped out and looked around what he assumed to be a room.

He could only see a few feet in front of him. He moved cautiously further into the floor, not sensing anything around him. Then, it hit him.

"Tch!" Bane clicked his tongue, unsheathing his sword and preparing to block whatever was behind him. He bared his teeth and clutched his sword before him, ready for impact. The murderous intent reminded him of Luna.

To his horror, his eyes focused and revealed an abhorrent creature standing over him. It resembled an ancient sculpture or statue, with an entirely grey body. Its outstretched arms and hands were trying their hardest to touch Bane. Then Bane noticed something odd: 'It's not moving.'

As if it were really a statue, its eyes were lifeless, and its entire body was unmoving. In fact, Bane had only seen the thing move when he turned, and now it was frozen in that position. It was also entirely silent, having snuck up on Bane even with his danger sense skill, sending a chill down his spine. Bane also noted the seemingly stone wings on the creature's back.

Confusion overwhelmed him as he used Threat Analysis:

Weeping Angel: An extremely unique enemy in the dungeon, mostly found on floor four. This enemy has one odd quirk: it is almost perfectly silent, incredibly fast, and will always attack from behind. There is only one way to stop a Weeping Angel's attacks—keep it in your vision. Having it in your sight will render it unmoving. Beware of fights with multiple Weeping Angels.

Bane slowly nodded as he closed the window. Still only a foot away from the creature, Bane understood its gimmick and slid his sword into its heart. While he thought the creature was made of stone due to its grey body, it must have been a form of camouflage developed over time or paint, because the sword slid in with ease and was coated in a goopy green blood as he removed it.

'Weeping Angel,' Bane thought as he watched the creature disintegrate into dust, leaving behind an energy crystal. 'I've never heard of such a thing…' he continued, kneeling to retrieve the crystal.

He moved to the nearest wall, ensuring he had no blind spots, before checking the other box that appeared:

[Title Acquired]

[Angel Assassin]

Bane closed the box, knowing how titles worked. 'Slay ninety-nine more, and I become stronger against them,' he thought, carefully walking along the wall.

A common metaphor in Gren to describe the dungeon's difficulty was that of an exponential growth function. This metaphor was first coined by the thinker Triclitus to illustrate how absurd the dungeon's difficulty could be on the lower floors.

Even on the fourth floor, Bane was really feeling that. The environment paired well with the Weeping Angels' attacks, but he knew he would be okay as long as he heeded the system's warning: 'Beware of fights with multiple Weeping Angels.' Bane imagined a scenario like the goblins, who attacked in groups, but as soon as he looked away from any of them, he was as good as gone.

Bane continued walking along the wall until he met another wall. He followed it, careful not to move in circles. Soon, his ears were filled with the heavenly singing of a young woman. Bane naturally gravitated toward the sound. 'What could it be?' he thought, fully aware of the likelihood that it was a trap.

Nonetheless, Bane continued toward the enchanting voice and was relieved to see the fog dissipate. However, he soon came upon the source of the singing: a yellow light source. A woman—or rather, the sculpted version of a woman—sat on a rock as yellow music notes swirled around her.

She fluttered her hands about, thoroughly engrossed in her performance. Bane also noted wings similar to those of the Weeping Angel. He took this moment to use Threat Analysis:

Guardian Angel: Found on the fourth floor, Guardian Angels are supporters of Weeping Angels. They can distract with their singing and use magic to support Weeping Angels. The most notable difference is their ability to move while in someone's vision. If there is a Guardian Angel, there is likely at least one Weeping Angel nearby.

Bane digested the information and closed the text box. Without hesitation, he stepped toward the Guardian Angel, fully prepared for a Weeping Angel's attack. As he approached, the Guardian Angel noticed him and stopped her beautiful song. The magical yellow music notes that circled her faded into nothingness, plunging the dungeon into complete darkness.

'Thank you for your night vision,' Bane thought, grateful to the system. Without it, he would have never made it this far.

With the fog subsiding for now, he was completely aware of his surroundings, and so far, there were no Weeping Angels around.

"Aaah!" Bane knelt and covered his ears as a large, scratchy blue music note appeared above the Guardian Angel before dissipating into nothingness.

'What was that?' Bane thought, staying low. He removed his hands from his ears and checked to ensure they weren't bleeding. 'Such a powerful voice.'

Dun dun dun. Footsteps, approaching fast. No—absurdly fast.

Bane quickly glanced over his shoulder and caught a Weeping Angel just before it reached him. 'That was seconds…' he thought, horrified. From what he heard, the Weeping Angel must have traveled a great distance, its speed far surpassing Bane's.

Bane acted quickly, withdrawing his sword and plunging it into the Weeping Angel. 'Just don't let them pile up,' he thought, settling on a plan of action as he moved toward the Guardian Angel at full speed. But he was stopped halfway by another Weeping Angel's charge.

Dozens of loud thuds echoed in seconds as the next Weeping Angel approached. Bane quickly turned back and was met with a wide-open mouth and outstretched grey arms. Initially, Bane thought their speed was comparable to Eir's, but they were on another level.

Bane simply plunged his sword into the creature's chest and moved toward the Guardian Angel once more. He was met with one more charge from a Weeping Angel, which he dealt with like the others. The Guardian Angel was an easy kill.

'It seems to have no attack power, just a summoning ability to bring Weeping Angels to the area,' Bane concluded. The Guardian Angel simply ran, trying to escape its inevitable fate.

Bane was incredibly careful as he moved through the rest of the floor and soon came to the boss's room.

[Bane of the Slums]: LV 22 (1,680/6,200)

[Titles]: Slimey Slayer LV 1 (72/100), Goblin Dispatcher LV 2 (56/1,000), Arachnid Assassin LV 2 (155/1,000), Angel Assassin LV 1 (5/100)

[Strength]: LV 11

[Dexterity]: LV 2

[Mind]: LV 1

[Agility]: LV 10

[Fortitude]: LV 2

[Magic]: LV 1

[Skills]: Appraisal LV 1, Threat Analysis LV 1, Danger Sense LV 2, Passive Healing LV 1, Magnetize LV 1, Night Vision, Feared Hunt