Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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"I... Believe that they aren't Guilty."

"But I think we should proceed with caution." Dale said with a straight face as he chose the second option

"After all, they all came here for a reason. I would say they are more akin to adventurers driven by self-profit than people on a journey of self-discovery and strengthening."

"Regardless of whatever words they want us to believe."

'I already agreed with believing in their story, and I don't know what the consequences for breaking my promise would be.'

'Perhaps the game would punish me, or something else entirely would happen, perhaps even nothing at all, but I would prefer to never find out.'

'But despite that, enforcing caution isn't breaking my promise.'

Once he said that the three went into deep thought.

And eventually, after a few moments, Testros nodded.

"I agree with your choice, being apprehensive of them is the best choice."

"We can't be too light and make them treat us as pushovers, nor can we be too harsh and provoke a backlash."

"Their numbers vastly outnumber ours, one wrong move and we could lead them to raise their arms against us."

"Though this doesn't mean we should fear them."

[Your reasoning has been approved by the Elders, Reputation has increased by 1]

[Total 162]

"Although it may seem cold to treat them all the same, to our own safety, being careful should be our utmost priority."

"In that case, as we talked before, leave them to me, I have the perfect job for these bastards." Misgurd said with a smile

"It'll keep them busy and allow us to observe them while also doing good for the Village."

"Those that behave well and show promise, we can slowly give them more freedom… I believe that a week of compulsory work should do just fine for a first impression." He said with a half smile as he moved behind the counter to grab some documents

Dale took this opportunity to talk:

"Once this is done, we can have those we trust the most go outside and work on the fields, although not necessarily on the crops, but by hunting those pesky pests."

"If they truly came here to improve, then we need to give them what they came here for, otherwise they won't behave."

"They are the perfect workforce, one we are in dire need for... If utilized properly."

Edimund nodded and said:

"That's a good idea."

"There is still a lot to discuss, but now, we have to put them to work." He said as he looked at Misgurd

Misgurd nodded as he continued to look for the documents.

"Where did I put those papers…"

/Rustle rustle.../

"Dammit, they aren't here… Give me a minute as I'll check in the basement…" He said as he left the main hall

Edimund then turned to Dale, saying:

"As for you Dale, it's best if you take a break and go rest, your shoulder does look better, which is already a miracle given what happened, but it's best if you didn't take any chances."

Dale smiled, he appreciated the worry although he felt bad because he was perfectly fine.

His shoulder may be a bit sore, but his status said it all, he was perfectly fine.

"Thank you for the worry, I'll do that soon, a good night's sleep will bring me back to full."

'Although I am surprised things ended like this…'

'Aren't they going to discuss the players' lodgings? Or the food and water supply of the village?'

'Of course, a player doesn't need to sleep, they only need a green safe zone to log off.'

'Nor do they need food, as it's, at most, a buff…'

'As I read before in the forums, if they log off in a Yellow zone, they have a chance of receiving a debuff when they log back, it's like... Going to sleep on a bench in a park.'

'While in a Red zone, this chance increases significantly and the percentage of something really bad happening also increases.'

'Some of the more unlucky players were even robbed of their items due to their bad luck...'

'However, the problem is how they acted...'

'The Villagers always acted in a strange way when dealing with the players… But I imagine this is part of how this world was supposed to work.'

'Although it makes me wonder. Why in the first place did they create a completely different behavior pattern for Hardcore mode?'

'Or am I looking at this in the wrong way? And that Standard mode is simply a limited version of what Hardcore players already have?'

'I think that both aren't wrong, but something is missing…'

'This world holds many secrets...'

As Dale dozed off into his thoughts, Edimund finished talking with Testros, leaving after Misgurd to help him deal with the players.

But Dale realized this was a chance!

"Old man Testros, what do you think about going on a little adventure?" Dale asked with a cheeky smile as he turned to him

'Since I'll be going to the Wall now, why not bring him? Perhaps something interesting will happen…'

'And if something bad happens, I'll have someone to fight with me...'

"Hum?... Now of all times? Are you sure we can't do it tomorrow?" Testros asked with a frown as he started to feel something was going on

"I'm sure of it, nothing will go wrong. Besides, it'll be quick." Dale said as he left the Guild

"... Sigh, this kid."

'My guts are telling me this isn't going to be simple…'

Testros focused and went after Dale.

…

/A few moments ago below Resko…/

"... This is… Fucking hard!" Rodi exclaimed as he tried to lift a giant rock from the ground

'I'm sure of it! One of the key fragments… Is bellow this fucking rock!'

'Dammit! Budge! Is this rock fused with the ground or something?!'

/Splash!/

Rodi's hands slipped, and he fell backward, falling on top of a small puddle of muddy water, breathing heavily as he recovered his breath.

"Ahhh… Haaa… Damn."

'I already knew this quest wasn't going to be easy, but it's much harder than I thought...'

'The monsters, the environment...'

'… No… I'm the one under-leveled…'

'All of my quests have been like this, even the simple miscellaneous tasks are often extremely hard to accomplish due to how taxing they are...'

'These Slimes are already annoying to deal with, but these Bat and Rat monsters that appear every once in a while are getting on my nerves…'

'Even more when compared to the Undead monsters in the Catacombs.'

'Their patterns aren't as simple as their equivalents from other Villages in the forums, nor is their offensive power... Each of them is almost like a Mini-Boss for me.'

'It takes a lot of my focus to even deal with one...'

'But if more than one appears at a time it's already over for me.'

'I need to run from almost anything…'

Rodi wanted to cry.

"I need to Level up…"

But Rodi's suffering wasn't over yet.

[DING]

[The council of Elders has arrived at a consensus regarding the recent players' activities within Resko]

[Your Reputation has decreased by 5 for a total of 9]

[Resko's attitude towards the players is currently, Apprehensive]

[You have received the Special Quest, Dig the Suburbs from the sand]

[Requirements:

Report to the Mercenary Guild for further information 0/1

]

"Hm? A System prompt... Hum?..."

His small neutral expression started to ashen...

"Wha… NOOO!! MY REPUTATION?!"

"I've been playing for 2 days non-stop!! And in 2 days of extremely hard work, I only managed to increase my Reputation to 14! And now, I lost a third of it?!"

'What is the meaning of this?!'

"Don't tell me… It's the repercussions of that event?..."

Rodi felt himself deflate rapidly…

'Dammit… I'll never touch alcohol again… For 3 months… weeks… Days…'

Rodi raised his head and said:

"There's no point in crying over spilled milk…"

He then looked back at the stone and thought:

'I'll come back for you later!'

'I got 3 out of the 5 fragments, and with this one, it's 4.'

'This quest was short, but it was super hard, I consumed almost all of my healing and consumable items.'

"If I make a run for it I may be able to finish it before he's back…"

'What if I'm running around like a fool and he'll not be back any time soon?...'

"Better not gamble..."

Rodi then turned around and started to run…

…

/Sometime later…/

After ignoring the wave of players, Dale and Testros arrived at the hole in the Catacombs that led to the sewers…

"This place is?" Testros asked surprised

"The Sewers." Dale said with a smile

Testros opened his eyes wide.

"It's been so long since I heard this word that I had actually forgotten it even existed…" Testros replied with a curious expression as he looked around

"But why bring me here of all places? Is there some sort of problem that needs to be dealt within the Sewers?"

"Well, kind of... You'll see, but first, we need to meet with someone, follow me." Dale said as he started to walk

But he suddenly stopped, taking something from his inventory, a spear

"Oh yeah, before we advance… Here, have a weapon since you left yours back in the Village."

"Good thinking."

Testros shook his head as he grabbed the spear, checking its sharpness and weight, opting to follow Dale without asking much for now.

…

Dale led Testros through the sewers as fast as he could.

All monsters in their path were easily exterminated, but their bodies were left behind as Dale had no time to collect their loot.

It was a bit of a shame but it had to be done.

Although the sewers were discovered after the Catacombs, their overall Level was lower, albeit they were bigger in size and complexity when compared to the first 5 levels of the Catacombs.

Still, the monsters were still more numerous and ferocious, as the Undead within the Catacombs were pretty... Straightforward.

Still, this was no problem for the 2 of them.

...

Eventually, they stopped in a dark corridor, facing a fancy door… It was the door of Prosperity.

"What is this place?..." Testros asked, extremely surprised as he touched the walls

"In short words, this is a secret emergency path for the Church… And it goes all the way to the Southern Wall." Dale replied as he scratched the back of his head

"WHAT?! I..."

He took a deep breath before turning to look at him again.

"Is… Is that true? Do you have the key for it?" Testros asked, extremely surprised once more

His gaze had now changed...

"Most likely so… And no, the key isn't in my possession..."

'Kind of at least, I don't have the key, but I have the secret code...'

"..."

Testros remained silent, he looked at the door but he let out a disappointed sigh:

"This... Doesn't look like something we can force our way through."

He started touching the bricks around the door, shaking his head in disappointment.

"With a simple look I can tell it isn't going to be possible, and it's not a matter of destroying the surrounding walls as well."

"They may look like brick, but they are a single solid structure..."

But Dale interrupted him with a smile:

"Leave that to me, that is one of the reasons why I told you that we needed to meet someone."

"Hm? But I thought..."

/Tap tap tap…/

"Speaking of the Devil, he's right here." Dale said with a smile as Testros was interrupted

Testros looked at the entrance to the corridor, curious to see who it was.

…

/10 minutes later…/

"This… This is the place." Rodi said as he pointed at a rock

The rock was pretty big, it seemed to have fallen from the collapsed ceiling, and it was completely blocking the passage, only allowing a very weak stream of water to pass underneath it.

"Are you sure the last fragment is here?" Testros asked Rodi as he crouched near it

His gaze had changed, he was now as focused as ever...

On the way, Dale explained to him what he was planning to do, and how he had to acquire a key to the door while also explaining Rodi's involvement in all of this.

"Yes, when I found the first fragment through luck, I thought that my job would be harder since the Key was fragmented, but I quickly realized that it would be the contrary."

"Each fragment is tightly bound to the other, and they resonate slightly, allowing me to easily pinpoint the position of the remaining fragments."

"And they weren't that far away from each other in the first place, the hard part was moving around in this monster-infested Sewer."

"Most likely, the Key was shattered by this very stone that fell from the ceiling, and the fragments were scattered away due to the flowing stream of water."

"Even though it's faint, I imagine that many years ago, it was likely much stronger…"

"These fragments were then moved around by the creatures that prowl these corridors…"

"We're lucky no fragments were left behind it, although that wouldn't have changed anything as there is still one below it."

This time, Rodi wasn't lying.

"If that's the case, our job becomes simpler…" Dale said as he approached the stone, cracking his knuckles in the process

'Finding the key was simpler than it seemed.'

'Albeit it was fragmented, as long as you found one, then the rest could be used as a tracker, the more you had, the stronger their resonance.'

'Rodi did a good job, I'll reward him properly later... But his part in all of this has already ended.'

'This means there's only one thing left to do.'

/BAM!/

/Crack!/

With a single kick, the stone was broken into many pieces, unblocking the clogged passage and making a massive amount of water rush out!

/Shine.../

Amidst the rush of dark water, a single piece of shining metal quickly made its way past him from the corner of his eyes...

/CRACK!/

"The fragment!" Dale exclaimed as his hand dug onto the wall so he wouldn't be dragged away

/Fwoosh!/

But this time, Testros displayed his extreme experience by quickly grabbing the finger-sized fragment amidst the turbid water stream.

With a smile on his face, he allowed himself to be washed away…

"..."

Still grabbing onto the wall, Dale looked at the area where the water was rushing from with a frown.

He noticed a long corridor, and it was clear that this corridor led to a blocked-off and unexplored section of the Sewers…

The walls were moldy, the ground was covered in algae... Everything looked different, yet familiar...

[DING]

[You have discovered a hidden Area, Submerged Sewers]

[Respawn point set]

[For the next week, all drops and XP acquisition are doubled, with the chances of acquiring rare items increasing while the death penalty is decreased for as long as you don't leave the Dungeon]

[The Dungeon is readjusting…]

But Dale wasn't the only one reading these…

"Holy!" Exclaimed Rodi loudly

'Jackpot!'

This time, Dale wasn't the only one present, so the benefits of being the first one wouldn't go just for him…

...

After around 2 minutes of waiting, the water finally decreased to a manageable degree, although it was still over his knees.

So he turned to Rodi and said:

"Good work, I'll give your rewards later, for now…"

'Look at your face, I can tell it from miles away...'

'It's just a shame that...'

Dale almost had the urge to smile…

"Go back and report to the Mercenary Guild."

'Hahaha! As if I would be the only one to lose these benefits...'

'It's the third time... The third time I won't be able to enjoy the benefits of a Dungeon.'

'I want to kill myself, if I utilized each Dungeon properly, then I might've already been over Level 50.'

'A man can dream...'

"... What?..."

Rodi couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Din't you hear me? Go back and wait…"

/Crack/

That was the sound of Rodi's heart shattering into a million pieces…

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Notes