Max
From his vantage point behind the entrance, Max watched the tide of battle turn. It didn't happen all at once; it was a gradual, terrifying shift in pressure.
Hogni wasn't just parrying anymore; he was suffocating her. Every swing of the massive black blade carved through the air with a heavy, distortion-inducing hum. The cursed weapon was a nightmare to track—the assassin would dodge a strike that seemed feet away, only for a gash to open on her cheek, or parry a blow only to be knocked back by a weight that shouldn't have been there.
Max saw the change in the assassin's face through the strobe-light sparks. The sadistic, feral grin that had defined her presence was gone. In its place was a tight-lipped grimace of desperation. Her eyes darted around the cavern, seeking environmental hazards, traps, anything to break the rhythm.
She's scared, Max realized, his grip tightening on his own hilt. She's used to being the hunter, but she just realized she walked into the cage of a stronger predator.
Valletta gritted her teeth, deflecting a blow that sent a spiderweb of cracks through the stone beneath her boots.
This brute, she thought, panic clawing at her throat. He isn't like the Thumb. Finn thinks; he plans. I can manipulate a planner. But this... this is just violence given form.
She feinted left, dropping a smoke pellet in a desperate bid to slip past his guard. But Hogni didn't bite. He tracked her through the smoke with instincts that didn't rely on sight, kicking her squarely in the midsection.
Valletta skidded back across the stone floor, coughing blood.
Hogni didn't chase immediately. He stood straight in the center of the cavern, lifting Victim Abyss. The ominous black steel seemed to drink the dim dungeon light, darkening the room. The air around him began to warp, growing heavy, dry, and suffocatingly hot.
His lips moved. He wasn't shouting, yet the words echoed through the cavern with a resonance that made Max's bones vibrate.
"Unsheathe, king of the magic sword. Compensation of reason, offering of fresh blood. Until the end of the banquet—slaughter."
Max's eyes widened. A chant?
"Dainsleif."
The atmosphere snapped.
There was no explosion of energy. No physical transformation. But Hogni's eyes, visible even from a distance, shifted instantly from a panicked silver-green to a glowing, blood-drenched crimson.
The "coward" vanished. The social anxiety evaporated. The "Dark King" awoke, stripped of all inhibitions, leaving only a cold, arrogant, battle-hungry king.
He vanished.
There was no sound of movement, no blur of motion. He simply ceased to be there and appeared in front of Valletta.
CLANG.
Valletta barely brought her sword up to block, but the force drove her knees into the stone floor, pulverizing the bedrock. She didn't have time to recover. Hogni swung the blade back.
She rolled away, desperate, but the invisible edge of the cursed sword caught her cloak, shredding it into ribbons.
This wasn't a fight anymore. It was a dismantling. Hogni moved with an executioner's efficiency, stripping away her defenses layer by layer. He wasn't fighting for sport. He wasn't fighting for duty.
He was fighting because she had insulted his Goddess. Freya—the one who had pulled him from the misery of his homeland, the one who gave him freedom, the one who saw value in his broken soul.
You called her a whore, his blade seemed to sing as it crashed against Valletta's guard. For that, you do not get to live.
Valletta gasped, blood dripping from her lip to the floor. I can't stop him. I can't even cast.
A bitter realization struck her amidst the panic. I mocked his goddess. I pressed the one button I shouldn't have pressed.
She thought it would unbalance him, make him sloppy with rage. Instead, it had focused him. It had stripped away the awkward stammering mess and unleashed the monster underneath.
Irony, she thought wildly, deflecting a blow that numbed her entire arm. I wanted to provoke a beast, and I summoned a disaster.
Hogni lunged. A thrust aimed directly at her heart.
Valletta saw death coming. The cold, crimson eyes of the Black Sword promised no mercy, no monologue, no hesitation.
I have to use it.
Her hand snatched a small, dark sphere from her belt—a prototype cursed explosive from the Knossos labs.
"Get away from me, you monster!" she shrieked.
She didn't throw it at him. She threw it at the floor between them.
BOOOOOM!
The sphere detonated with a blast of cursed violet fire and concussive force. It wasn't meant to kill Hogni—it was meant to break the engagement. The shockwave blew the cavern floor apart, sending a cloud of pulverized rock and thick, magical smoke billowing into the air.
Max shielded his eyes from the glare, coughing as dust washed over him.
When the dust settled, Hogni stood in the center of a crater, untouched. The red glow in his eyes pulsed, scanning the smoke.
But Valletta was gone. Max's Magic Sense picked up her signature—faint and fleeing at maximum speed—retreating deeper into the tunnels of Floor 14.
-◈ -
Hogni
The bloodlust of Dainsleif screamed at him to pursue. To hunt. To kill the witch who had besmirched the name of his Savior.
She escapes! The witch flees into the abyss! Hunt her! Tear the tongue from her throat!
Hogni took a step, his body coiling to give chase. He could catch her. He knew he could.
But then, the rush faded.
The crimson light in his eyes flickered, dimmed, and then reverted to a soft silver-green. The oppressive heat of the cursed magic evaporated into the damp dungeon air. The "King" retreated to his slumber, leaving only the anxious elf in the aftermath.
He stood amidst the rubble, his chest heaving slightly. He sheathed Victim Abyss with a smooth click and took a trembling breath, the adrenaline crash hitting him hard. He turned slowly, intending to check the floor entrance. He needed to verify the status of his ward.
The mission, Hogni reminded himself, the familiar knot of anxiety twisting his stomach into knots immediately. The boy. Is he safe? Did she hurt him? I have to check... but I must do it from the shadows.
Yes. Back to the shadows. The Eternal Watcher must remain unseen.
He turned fully to make his way to the entrance corridor.
And froze.
Max was standing right there.
Not hidden. Not cowering. Just... standing at the entrance of the cavern, watching him with wide, amethyst eyes. The boy wasn't trying to conceal himself. He wasn't blending into the dark. He was just there, like a beacon in the gloom.
Oh no.
Hogni's heart stopped.
He sees me. He sees me. I failed.
Hogni's shoulders slumped instantly. His hands, which had been steady as stone a moment ago, began to twitch. His eyes, previously cold and lethal, darted left and right, desperately avoiding Max's gaze.
Quick! Into the shadows! HIDE!
Hogni took a frantic step backward, instinctively reaching up to grab the edge of his hood to conceal his face—only for his fingers to grasp empty air.
The witch had shredded it off.
He realized with dawning horror that he couldn't hide. He was exposed. His dark skin, his long silver hair, his wide, panicked eyes, and his pointed ears—all of it laid bare for the boy to see.
Deprived of his hood, Hogni compromised. He grabbed the ragged, high collar of his cloak and yanked it up over his nose, hiding the lower half of his face like a terrified child. But it was useless. His eyes were wide with mortification, betraying everything.
-◈ -
Max
Max watched the internal meltdown of the first-class adventurer with a mix of amusement and clinical fascination.
Outwardly, Hogni was just standing there, shivering slightly in the damp air. But the shift was jarring. The terrifying executioner who had just dismantled a Level 5 had vanished. In his place was someone who looked like they wanted the floor to open up and swallow them whole.
He's... shy?
Max blinked, the cognitive dissonance hitting him hard. He recalled Hogni's scenes from the anime—the stoic, terrifying force of nature who carried out Freya's will with absolute, robotic dedication. Hogni didn't deviate. He didn't hesitate. So what had pushed him this far?
Why did he use Dainsleif? Max wondered, eyeing the elf's trembling hands. That magic removes his inhibitions. He only uses it when he needs to slaughter without hesitation. Did she say something? Or was he just that desperate to end it quickly?
Not that he was going to ask the shivering elf.
Max stepped forward. Kairu, humming contentedly on his chest as the plate armor, pulsed a soft blue light.
-◈ -
Hogni
Hogni flinched visibly as Max stepped closer. From behind his collar, his eyes flicked rapidly over the boy, assessing him.
The wound, Hogni thought, his gaze zeroing in on Max's cheek. Wait. It's gone?
He remembered seeing the blood. He remembered the blade grazing the boy's face. But the skin was smooth, unblemished.
And his aura...
Hogni squinted, extending his senses. He expected to feel a core of magic, but what he found stopped his breath. There was a dark, heavy energy—not bubbling beneath the surface like a normal mage, but wrapping around the boy's entire form. It clung to him like a second skin made of midnight, a shroud of profound darkness that Hogni had never sensed in a Human, Elf, or Beastman.
It surrounds him, Hogni realized, a strange comfort settling in his chest. Like a cloak of the void. He is a creature of the Abyss, just like me.
-◈ -
Max
Max stopped ten feet away. He saw the questions in Hogni's visible eyes, but he also saw the way the elf was vibrating with the need to flee the social interaction.
If Max spoke to him normally, Hogni might literally run away. Max decided to speak the only language the Dark Elf seemed comfortable with.
"The abyss has been repelled," Max said, his voice dropping into a solemn, dramatic register. He adjusted his stance, not quite a pose, but deliberate enough to be theatrical. "Your intervention was timely, oh Vanguard of the Night."
Hogni froze. His eyes snapped to Max's, wide with shock.
He... he understands?
Hogni slowly lowered his collar, revealing a face flushed with embarrassment.
"Uh... um..." he stammered, the voice quiet and devoid of its commanding bass. "You... uh... are you... okay?"
"I remain whole," Max continued, maintaining the heavy, dramatic flow. "Thanks to your blade cutting through the encroaching chaos."
Max gestured toward the dark tunnel where Valletta had vanished. "Should we pursue the witch? She reeked of high-tier command. A leader of the Shadows, perhaps?"
Hogni shook his head violently, his long silver hair whipping around.
"No. Useless," Hogni muttered, his eyes darting to the darkness. "That woman... she is slippery. Even that brat from the Loki Familia has been hunting her for years, but she vanishes whenever the net closes. Chasing her into the deep labyrinth without preparation is... unwise."
Hogni glanced at the crater in the center of the cavern, his expression tightening. He thought of the explosive sphere she had used.
That burst... it wasn't just fire.
It felt like a perverse mimicry of his own Burn Dain. But while his magic summoned fire to explode, this device created a concussive shockwave and a blinding flash designed to overload the senses. It was a tool of pure disruption. Someone was manufacturing these—studying high-tier magic and bottling it for assassins.
"We... we must report this," Hogni said, his anxiety spiking again as he looked at the destruction. "The attack. The woman. We have to go back."
He pointed a trembling finger back the way Max had come. "To the surface. Now."
He's panicking, Max realized. He wants to report, but he's terrified of the reception.
Max stepped closer. "You're thinking about Hedin, aren't you?"
Hogni flinched violently, as if physically struck. "H-How...?"
"Because that's what I'd be thinking about," Max lied smoothly, stepping into Hogni's personal space. He dropped the Chuuni voice, lowering his tone to make it a conspiracy between the two of them. "Think about it. We both have our objectives. If we go back now—abandoning the dive just because of one encounter—you know what he'll say."
Hogni let out a wounded whimper. He could hear Hedin's voice perfectly. 'You volunteered, encountered one hurdle, and came running back? How pedestrian. How utterly... Hogni.'
Other Executives would mock him. He would be the buffoon who couldn't handle a simple shadowing mission of his own choosing.
"But..." Max let the word hang, offering a lifeline. "What if we don't go back yet?"
Hogni blinked, looking at the blue-haired boy. "W-What?"
"I haven't reached my target," Max said, gesturing to the dark tunnel leading deeper. "My goal was Floor 18. Rivira. If I push through—if I clear the Middle Floors and reach the Safe Zone..."
Max grinned, sharp and conspiratorial.
"It changes the narrative. It stops being a 'botched mission.' It becomes a 'successful first dive for me and protection for you.' In essence, we return victorious."
Victorious, Hogni thought, his posture straightening slightly. Not running away. Diving deeper.
"He can't mock success," Max whispered. "And I'll tell him I didn't even notice you. Which makes you the perfect shadow."
Hogni's ears twitched. Perfect Shadow.
Max took another step, deciding to play his ace card. "And when we get back," he murmured, his voice laced with his devilish charm, "I'll tell Lady Freya everything."
Hogni stopped breathing.
"I'll tell her how you appeared from the darkness," Max painted the picture effortlessly. "How you struck down the assassin when I was helpless. A heroic save. The kind of loyalty she cherishes above all else. She might even... reward you."
Max's imagination drifted to the possible reward Freya would give Hogni—shared secrets, her soft smiles, the vulnerability of the woman behind the goddess.
Hogni's imagination, however, soared into pure fantasy. He saw Freya on her throne. He saw her ignoring Ottar, walking down the steps to place a hand on Hogni's shoulder. 'My Shield,' Imaginary Freya whispered. 'My glorious, dark knight. You have done well.'
Glory.
Pure, unadulterated glory.
The shivering stopped. The slouch vanished entirely.
Hogni Ragnar stood up to his full height, his silver hair catching the ambient dungeon light. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin, staring down into the dark tunnel with absolute, unshakeable conviction.
"V-Very well," Hogni declared, his voice dropping flawlessly back into his 'Dark Sword' register, deep and echoing. "The Abyss... acknowledges your resolve. We shall descend."
Max suppressed a triumphant grin. Hook, line, and sinker.
"Oh, by the way we don't even need to stop to harvest," Max added, sealing the deal. He tapped his chest.
The blue armor flowed upward, pooling on his shoulder into the shape of a cheerful slime. Kairu extruded a single, gelatinous pseudopod, snapping it off his forehead in a sharp, respectful salute to the Dark Elf.
"Kairu handles the loot. I can take care of the monsters. You just focus on safety, rearguard."
Hogni looked at the intelligent slime, and something in his chest tightened—not with anxiety, but with unexpected nostalgia.
He remembered the island. His island. Before Folkvangr, before the Familia, when he had been a different person entirely. The slimes there had been his only companions in those quiet, lonely days—silent sentinels that would gather at the edges of his territory, watching him with what he'd always imagined was approval. They never judged. Never spoke. Just... existed alongside him, offering their wordless support.
They used to cheer me on, Hogni thought, a bittersweet warmth spreading through him. In their own way. Silently. Loyally.
This little one—Kairu—reminded him of them. Cheerful. Undemanding. Content to simply be useful without seeking praise or acknowledgment.
A gentle smile touched Hogni's lips, barely visible but genuine. He returned the salute with a solemn nod, his silver-green eyes softening. "Acceptable. Come, traveler. To the sanctuary of the wayward. Let the darkness tremble before our march."
"Lead the way," Max said dutifully.
Kairu let out a cheerful Squelch, bouncing once on Max's shoulder as if delighted by the Dark Elf's acknowledgment.
And the odd trio marched deeper into the dark, leaving the graveyard of Evilus behind them.
The descent into Floor 14 was a shift in atmosphere—literally. The air grew thicker, humid with the dungeon's breath, and the corridors widened into vast, uneven chambers connected by natural tunnels. The walls glowed faintly with luminescent moss, casting everything in sickly green light.
For the next hour, Max, Kairu and Hogni fell into a rhythm that transcended simple teamwork. It was a dance of violence and observation.
Max moved with deliberate care, his senses stretched to their limits. Kairu had reformed into his armor configuration, the blue plates humming softly against Max's chest and shoulders. Whenever monsters surged from the darkness—Dungeon Worms bursting from ceilings, Hellhounds lunging from side tunnels—Max met them with efficiency rather than flair. He used Shunshin to bridge gaps, his rapier to sever nerve clusters, and Power of Destruction to erase hardened carapaces.
Hogni didn't draw his sword. He didn't need to. He simply ghosted through the shadows behind Max, a silent sentinel watching the boy work.
But he wasn't just watching the combat. He was watching the person.
The corridor finally fell silent after a particularly nasty nest of Crystal Mantises was reduced to sparkling dust. The quiet stretched, filled only by the distant drip of water.
Hogni fidgeted. He pulled at the collar of his tattered cloak, his eyes darting to Max's back, then away, then back again. The silence, which usually felt like a shield, now felt heavy with unasked questions.
"You..." Hogni hesitated, his voice quiet, devoid of its usual theatrical boom. "You are Level 1, correct?"
Max glanced back, wiping a smear of ash from his cheek. He slowed his pace to let the Dark Elf catch up. "Yeah. Why?"
Hogni's brow furrowed, his expression troubled. The mask of the 'Dark King' slipped completely, revealing the anxious veteran beneath.
"Then... how are you surviving this? The atmosphere down here—it presses on the body, the mind. Without Abnormal Resistance, most Level 1s would be struggling just to breathe by now."
He gestured vaguely downward, his gloved hand trembling slightly.
"And on Floor 15... the pressure increases. Minotaurs. Ligerfangs. They are categorized as Level 2 individually. If you encounter a pack..."
He trailed off, genuine concern flickering in his eyes. What if he collapses? What if I fail to protect him? Hedin would look at me with that sneer and the mistress...
Max paused, turning fully to face him. He didn't laugh or dismiss the concern. He offered a reassuring smile.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small vial filled with shimmering blue liquid. "Potions. High-grade resistance boosters and stamina recovery. I chug them like water. Expensive habit, but it keeps me moving."
Hogni stared at the vial. Of course. Preparation.
"And as for the monsters getting stronger," Max continued, reaching up to pat Kairu, who vibrated happily on his shoulder. "I'm not alone. This little guy covers my blind spots better than most adventurers I've seen."
Hogni looked at the slime. He remembered the way Kairu had acted as a shield during the ambush, the way he harvested stones without needing to be told.
"Right," Hogni muttered, a flush of embarrassment coloring his dark cheeks. "That... makes sense. Synergy."
They resumed walking, but the air between them had changed. It was lighter. The crushing weight of social anxiety that usually plagued Hogni seemed to ease in Max's presence. The boy didn't demand a performance. He didn't expect the 'Dark King.' He just talked.
Max, sensing the elf was opening up, decided to push the door a little wider.
"So," Max began casually, kicking a loose stone. "How deep have you gone? In the dungeon, I mean."
Hogni glanced at him, surprised. Usually, people asked about his curse, or his sword, or his scary reputation. No one asked about the journey.
"I... Floor 39. Alone," Hogni admitted, his voice gaining a hint of steadiness. "Floor 50 with the exploration party."
Max gave a low whistle. "Fifty? That's incredible."
Hogni flushed darker, looking away quickly, but a small spark of pride lit his eyes. "It is... adequate. Nothing special compared to the Captain."
"How often does our Familia do dungeon excursions?" Max pressed, genuinely curious. "I heard we're not big on exploration like Loki. Do we have strict level requirements?"
Hogni blinked at the barrage of questions. He saw the genuine interest in Max's eyes—not judgment, just a desire to learn.
He treats me like a senior, Hogni realized, his chest tightening with an unfamiliar warmth. Not a freak. A senior.
"There is no... set timeline," Hogni explained, his stutter fading as he spoke about the one thing he understood perfectly: the Familia. "Our income is not exploration. It is quests—from the Guild, from other Familias. If the Mistress deems an exploration necessary, we go. But honestly..."
He hesitated, then continued in a softer, more conspiratorial voice.
"Going deeper does not matter much for us. Ottar is Level 6. There are no stronger opponents for him to face. And no other Familia has as many high-level adventurers as we do. Our mere existence is proof enough of our might."
Max nodded thoughtfully. "Quality over quantity. Peace through superior firepower."
"Yes." Hogni's posture straightened a fraction. "Unlike the Loki Familia, who drag armies of Level 2 supporters into the deep, we travel light. Only Level 3 and above on deep dives. It limits our losses. Makes us agile."
"What about solo dives?" Max asked. "Are there requirements for those?"
Hogni glanced at him. "If you want to take solo quests for the Familia, you must be self-sufficient. Usually, the standard is reaching Floor 18 and being Level 2..."
Hogni paused mid-step.
His eyes widened as the realization hit him like a physical blow. He looked at Max—the "Level 1" pushing through the middle floors. He looked at the path ahead.
Floor 18. Level 2.
That's what Hedin is planning.
The White Elf knew Max was an anomaly. He wanted to push the boy to Level 2 as soon as possible. He was using this entire situation—the lack of support, the harsh deadline, the "sink or swim" mentality—as a crucible.
Hogni's expression darkened. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"That damned light elf," Hogni muttered under his breath, venom dripping from the words. "His typical, arrogant manipulations..."
Max raised an eyebrow, catching the tone if not the words. "What was that?"
Hogni stiffened, realizing he'd spoken aloud. He looked at Max, then looked away, his face flushing again. "Nothing. Just... cursing Hedin. That is all."
Max blinked. Then a wide, genuine grin spread across his face.
"Yeah," Max agreed, laughing. "Curse Hedin."
Ki! Kairu let out a cheerful squelch in agreement.
A tiny, barely visible smile tugged at the corner of Hogni's lips. He agrees. The Void Child and his companion both agree.
The tension evaporated. For the first time in years, Hogni felt comfortable walking beside someone.
By the time they reached the final stretch of Floor 14, they were moving like a unit. The dungeon attempted one last swarm—a massive spawn of nearly a hundred Dungeon Worms and Crystal Mantises blocking the exit—but it felt less like a threat and more like a bonding exercise.
Max unleashed a dual-cast barrage—Sōren Sōkatsui and PoD Pulse—clearing the path in a spectacular display of fireworks. Hogni didn't even draw his sword; he just watched, nodding in approval as Max dismantled the horde.
When the dust settled, Kairu flowed across the battlefield like a cheerful blue tide, recycling the carnage into profit.
Hogni watched the slime work, mesmerized by the efficiency. It reminded him of his old island—of the quiet days before he became the Black Sword, when only the spirits and slimes kept him company.
"The slime," Hogni said quietly. "He... extracts the stones internally?"
"Portable recycling plant," Max joked, stretching his arms.
Hogni looked at Max. The boy was covered in dust, sweating, tired—but his eyes were bright. Alive.
"And your magic," Hogni whispered. "It is... versatile. The abyss answers you."
Max smiled, clapping a hand on Hogni's shoulder as they walked toward the stairs. "It's complicated. Let's just say I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. I'll show you more when we're not in a death zone."
Hogni nodded. He trusts me.
They reached the threshold of Floor 15.
Max stopped. The air here was heavy—oppressively so. It pressed against the skin like a physical weight, carrying the heat of the lower depths.
Max turned to Hogni. "Hey. If something happens when I step onto this floor... don't panic. Okay?"
Hogni tilted his head, the "Hogni" persona surfacing in confusion. "W-What do you m—"
Max took the step.
The reaction was immediate.
An unreal, searing heat erupted where his Falna was located on his back, as if someone had pressed a white-hot brand directly against his spine. Wisps of golden-white smoke began to envelop him, spiraling upward from his shoulders like ghostly flames.
"AAAAAGH!"
Max screamed.
It wasn't a controlled grunt. It was a raw, visceral sound that tore from his lungs. The agony was orders of magnitude worse than before. It felt like his very soul was being rewritten, his bones vibrating with impossible pressure.
"MAX! MAXIMUS!!" Hogni lunged forward, his eyes wide with panic. What is happening?! Is it a curse?! An attack?!
But Max collapsed to his knees, his hands clawing at the stone floor. The golden-white smoke grew thicker, engulfing him fully.
Kairu let out a distressed squelch, reforming into armor to shield his master.
Hogni's hand hovered over Max's shoulder, trembling, unsure if touching him would help or make it worse. He reverted to his safe space, his voice trembling with chuuni gravitas to mask his terror.
"The... the Abyss... claims its due..."
And Max, through the blinding white pain of his Lux Tenebris, could only think one thing through the agony:
This is going to be worth it.
--> Devil in a Dungeon <--
AN:
Hope the chapter read well as I had to revise the chapter too many times and finally settled on this as I was honestly fed up with the monsters feeling 'easy' for Max and hence this bonding chapter and more lore. At this point of the story, Floor 50 is the deepest any familia/adventurer dived aside from Ottar who reached Floor 52 and faced the Valgang Dragon's Breath first hand when he went ahead as a scout during their last exploration.
One more Hedin's scheme's comes to light, heh. He seems pretty determined to ring the juice of Max, eh. Though poor Hedin doesn't know the lengths Max goes to get stronger...
As always, don't forget to share your thoughts on the story and any suggestions you have on what else Max could try in a review/comment.
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Next update will be on Friday.
Ben, Out.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.