Revenge

Clash!

The two swords met for the first time, sending a shockwave of sparks outward. The two adversaries bared their teeth at each other, neither letting the other gain any ground. With their swords interlocked, Bane took this moment to swipe Luna's legs with his foot.

Seeing the projected attack, Luna was forced to jump back and regroup, but Bane didn't give her the chance. Charging forward, their swords clashed once more. 'I am stronger.' Bane thought as he pushed her back again.

"Tch." Luna clicked her tongue, trying to create distance between them. A bead of sweat ran down her cheek—she was nervous.

"It's amazing what a few levels can do," Bane boasted as he sauntered toward Luna. No one aside from the guild and their god or goddess knew an adventurer's level. Every month, adventurers would check in and share some of their stats to better assist the guild.

However, Bane sensed that she was now on equal footing with him, perhaps level twenty. He set that thought aside as their swords met once more.

"What do you want?" Luna asked, as if she were an unsuspecting victim of Bane's assault.

"You surprise-attacked me and stole a day's worth of crystals. I want… revenge," Bane said, pushing Luna back yet again.

She shivered at his declaration of revenge. "Fine," Luna muttered, kneeling and preparing for a speedy attack.

Bane prepared for the assault as well, taking a defensive stance and focusing intently on her.

"Ah!" Luna's ferocious scream echoed through the dungeon as her legs propelled her forward. She charged head-on with her sword raised above her head and swung down where Bane stood.

The clash erupted once more in a shower of sparks. Though her initial attack was stopped, Luna didn't let up.

Bane met each of her swings with a block of his own, waiting for her to misstep. Noticing she was swinging in a pattern, Bane waited and made his move at the perfect moment.

"Wha—" Luna began as her legs were swept out from under her.

"You're so predictable," Bane said, swinging down at a defeated Luna, who sat on her rear with no chance to dodge.

"Please," she muttered as Bane's sword swung down.

Luna's eyes were closed, bracing for what she expected to come. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Bane hesitated at the sight. Luna opened her eyes. "You're pathetic," Bane said, looking at her with disgust.

'That's it,' Luna thought. 'Feel bad for this cute kitty.'

"I-I know," Luna stuttered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"How many others have you swindled like you did me?" Bane asked, still holding his sword above her head.

"I-I don't know," Luna sobbed. "Just please, I'm sorry. I'll never do it again." Bane lowered his sword at this.

'Sucker.' Luna laughed inside.

"Really? You won't?" Bane doubted.

"Yes, I swear," Luna promised, thinking her acting skills were good enough to fool Bane's senses. But his danger sense was sharp enough to tell that the girl was lying through her teeth.

"Beg."

"W-What?" Luna stuttered, genuinely caught off guard.

"Beg for your life," Bane ordered, his face devoid of emotion.

Luna hesitantly dropped to her hands and knees and began begging. "Please, do not—" she pleaded, saying many things as Bane raised his sword.

As she continued begging, Bane's danger sense alerted him to a party of adventurers approaching from deeper within Floor One. 'Have to finish this quick.' Bane thought. While the dungeon was lawless, if a group of people saw him with a dead adventurer, he could be tried in the Guild Courts.

'I'll finish this and fast-travel back to the entrance.' Bane concluded, raising his sword and swinging it full force at Luna's neck.

Clash! To his surprise, his sword met with a shield. Sparks flew, and Bane took a step back.

"What was that, young man?" A burly man clad in thick, expensive-looking armor radiated a protective aura like the sun.

"Where did you come from?" Bane asked, now on the defensive. He had sensed a group of adventurers further down the tunnel, but there was no way they could have covered that distance so quickly.

"Down there." Sure enough, the man pointed down the tunnel, and soon enough, a dungeon party turned the corner.

"Oh, so that's where you went, Sol," a curvy red-haired woman at the front of the battle party commented, her tight black robe wrapped around, fitting her body extremely well.

"Yes, this boy was trying to kill this girl here," Sol said. Bane had heard stories of these people—they were Hades Faction elites. 'They must've just returned from a long trip in the dungeon,' Bane reasoned, trying to make sense of the situation.

"T-That's right! He tried killing me!" Luna's acting now had an audience, and she wasn't about to let up.

"Is that true, young man?" Sol asked, squinting at Bane.

'What is happening!' Bane wanted to scream, still trying to comprehend Sol's speed. But he gathered his wits and addressed the Hades Faction's best tank.

"No, one of my first days in the dungeon, she surprise-attacked me and stole everything I owned," Bane pleaded. The towering man bent his knees and leaned in close to Bane's face, squinting and studying him intently.

"He's telling the truth," Sol announced. "Surely, you can settle this another way that doesn't involve ending a life?" Sol asked, glancing between the two for input.

"Yes," Bane answered, and Luna nodded as well.

"Okay, then. Good luck and goodbye," Sol abruptly ended the conversation and continued toward the dungeon entrance as if nothing had happened.

Bane watched him go, awestruck. 'What an aura…' He admired Sol leading the party back, noting a few odd characters he'd only ever seen a handful of times: a blond elf, various animal-people, and quite a few hooded figures.

As the group passed, Bane and Luna simply stood and sat in stunned silence. Bane had lost interest in Luna; his revenge quest had been fulfilled when he made her beg. Now, he had one simple goal: to become like Sol.

"Where are you going?" Luna shouted, feigning upset that the fight hadn't continued.

"Back home," Bane answered without turning or giving her a second glance.

Luna wanted to shout back a snarky comment, but she'd just been humiliated and was lucky to still be alive. "I hate you!" she shouted, though this caused Bane to turn.

With a straight face and entirely monotone voice, Bane returned her sentiment. "I would kill you, but I just don't care enough. You're so insignificant I don't even want to expend the energy. Your little performance was horrible—I saw through it immediately. So yes, I agree. I hate you too." Bane turned on his heel and started back toward the dungeon entrance.

Luna was speechless, shaken to her core. No physical attack had cut as deeply as that just had. She simply retrieved her sword and slowly made her way to the surface.

Bane contemplated whether what he'd said or done was harsh, but he quickly brushed it off. 'Thieves like her deserve everything coming to them.' Bane reasoned.

As he walked, Sol was on his mind. It was his first time interacting firsthand with a top-tier adventurer. 'His speed…' Bane couldn't stop thinking about it.

Bane quickly peeked inside the Guild Hall and scanned for Winter, but seeing no sign of her, he decided to head home. With only a few meager energy crystals, there was no point in staying.

Bane exited the guild hall and gazed up at the late afternoon sun. The rain had stopped, which cheered him up. On his walk back, he claimed his revenge quest and, for the first time, had an empty quest board:

Revenge:

Find and defeat Luna the Mercenary.

Time Limit: Infinite

Reward: 10,000 Shill, five skill points

Bane gazed happily at the five skill points, his mind wandering to Sol and his strength. 'His level is easily in the hundreds, and he probably has his skills evenly spread out.' Bane guessed. Opening his status screen, he upgraded a few attributes:

[Bane of the Slums]: LV 29 (3,620/6,200)

[Title]: Slime Slayer LV 1 (72/100), Goblin Dispatcher LV 2 (56/1000), Arachnid Assassin LV 2 (155/1000), Angel Assassin LV 1 (5/100)

[Strength]: LV 12

[Dexterity]: LV 3

[Mind]: LV 2

[Agility]: LV 11

[Fortitude]: LV 5

[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

'Almost level thirty.' Bane thought.

He chose to put a point into each: Strength, Dexterity, Mind, Agility, and Fortitude, leaving Magic alone. While Mind had some effects on magic, granting the ability to cast more spells, it also affected general intelligence.

'I hope I get magic one day.' Though, Bane was unsure how something like that would happen.

He walked back to the Faction Building, inserted his key, and entered. 

"Hey Eir." He said, waving to the beautiful goddess who waited for his return.