Chapter 64 — Welcome to the Underworld IIII
...
Whir!! Whir!!
Socrates watched with great enthusiasm as Kamira worked with deep focus... There was a small metal hammer in her hand, which she brought down repeatedly on an object resting on the table.
Lying on the table was the item box she had been protecting from the coveting eyes of the Brownhounds guild... The box was open, and it seemed the power core was what she was hammering into a material, its faint glow flickering with each strike.
Bang...
Bang...
The rhythmic sound drifted into his ears as he watched the lady do her thing without uttering a word... He didn't say anything either, not wanting to disturb her, as sparks flew out from the material on the table, briefly lighting her focused expression.
But then there was a subtle shift in rhythm, something that Socrates didn't fail to notice as he lifted his gaze toward her...
"How can I focus when you keep gawking at me?" Kamira asked as she stared back at Socrates, who was seated a few meters away. They were inside a structure made out of brownwood with a hardened, broken floor and lots of parts and materials scattered around... At one end was coal that had been lit up, giving the room a subtle warmth, though Socrates could still feel the lingering cold biting at his skin.
"Apologies... I got enticed by your activity, pardon my inconvenience."
"There's no need to apologize... In fact, I owe you more than I could repay. If not for you, I would've lost my life... But still, we are not out of danger yet. The Brownhounds will definitely come looking for me... So I've to complete the production of this material as soon as possible, and then we leave..." Kamira stated and continued hammering the core into the material.
"The Brownhounds guild... How powerful is their leader?" Socrates asked, and Kamira looked at him.
"You don't even know about the Brownhounds? Why then did you choose to oppose them for my sake..." Kamira looked at the red-haired man suspiciously...
"I just did what anybody would do when someone is in danger."
"In the underworld? I'm afraid nobody would do that..." Kamira shook her head as Socrates opened his mouth in slight surprise...
"I thought maybe you also had a beef with the Brownhounds guild, that's why you stood up for me..." Kamira added, and Socrates slowly shook his head...
"I just came here." He answered innocently.
"What did you come to do in the underworld?" Kamira asked, because no one in their right sense would come to this place if they knew what it truly was...
"Don't tell me you came to fight in the arena?" she added, and Socrates slowly nodded...
"It seems so... The arena... That's my reason for being here, but I don't know anything about here apart from the fact that this is an underworld."
"What do you understand by the term 'underworld?'" Kamira asked, and Socrates was lost... All he knew was that this place was different...
"The Underworlds are known as worlds that are separated from our world... They're worlds that have been destroyed by the catastrophe and affected by plague, and abandoned by the rest of the world... In ancient texts, these worlds are known as dungeons... They harbor monsters, beasts, and materials that can't be found in other worlds...
This dungeon was formerly a city and a part of the real world, but after the catastrophe hit it, it was cut off from the real world and can only be accessed through a gate... This is not the only underworld on earth, there are many in different locations, housing different phenomena... The name of this underworld is known as the Glacier Dungeon, and the Boss of this Dungeon is the Glacier Giant, who is the current number 0 ranking in the arena..."
"Number 0 ranking?" Socrates asked in surprise...
"Yes... He's known as the Glacier Giant King, and his son, the Glacier Giant Prince, is the number 1 in the arena with an undefeated record for decades..."
"The ranking of the arena is divided into two... Outer ranking and inner ranking... There's only rank 100 to rank 0 in the inner ranking... And they live in the capital city..."
"Then there's an outer ranking for us that live in the outskirts of the capital city... A rank from 200 to 1..."
"The leader of the Brownhounds guild is at rank 75 of the outer ranking... He's known as Mr. Brown and a cultivator at the peak-tier stage..."
"Peak-tier what?" Socrates asked with widened eyes...
"Qi Condensation realm..." Kamira answered, and Socrates' body tensed up...
If Mr. Brown, who was at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm, was at rank 75... then what about the entity at rank 1 of the outer ranking...
'They really sent me to my death.'
"How can I get to this ranking?"
"The world itself has already ranked you, but the main ranking starts from rank 100... That's where you get to fight in the arena... And to get to rank 100, one has to defeat someone at rank 100." Kamira then looked at him...
"I can't sense any energy from you... How strong are you?" Kamira asked...
"If I can give it my all... I can possibly defeat Mr. Brown..."
"What are the chances?"
"70/30 if he doesn't have any trump card, but I bet someone with such prestige would have a trump card... Making it 60/40, and due to the harshness of this weather, I feel a great decrease in strength, making it a 50/50 assessment."
"Good... What if I can tilt it into a 60/40..." Kamira stated as she dropped the hammer and raised up the material on the table...
It was a black leather armor with red runes all over it, faintly glowing with heat that rippled the cold air...
"I call it the Flame Rune Armor... Forged with the power core of a flame monster. Wearing it will expel every cold from your body, and it absorbs 30% damage as long as its durability is intact... It doesn't restrict mobility... The only problem is that the body will be constantly warm." Kamira appraised as she showed Socrates what she had been working on...
"You crafted this?" Socrates asked in surprise...
"Yes... I'm an engineer... I can create weapons, equipment... I just need the materials..."
"So this power core is from a monster with fire elements... And in the Glacier Dungeon, I bet that's a very rare monster... Is that the reason why you're being chased? Then why are you giving it to me..." Socrates analyzed...
"I couldn't have even lived if not for you... And right now, I'm as good as dead... So I'm betting my chance of survival on you... So instead of us waiting to be ambushed... Gear up... Let's get to the arena... So you can rank up... Once you reach rank 100... you can only be challenged in the arena ground..." Kamira stated as she handed over the Flame Rune Armor to Socrates, who had no choice but to equip it...
"Now... Let's get moving — Welcome to the Underworld."