Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Hitori thought they would be spawned on the starting point, the old broken down building with the water fountain in the middle. But when they logged in to the game… they saw tall walls surrounding them.

[Welcome to the tenth floor of your level 15 fire dungeon]

[Territory of: Ryu and God's Hell]

"I had guessed you were the player Ryu Kuzu-san was looking for,"

"Do not use 'san'." Hitori walked past Kamiya as soon as they stepped out from the portal, "And well, yes, that I am." he turned around and confessed.

The floor was clear and as new as before. Well, not really. There were walls and rocks and debris all around the floor as they were before Hitori and Kamiya defeated the phoenix boss.

"Where are you looking for?" he asked when he saw Hitori step forward and turn to the left side, "And, what happened to the phoenix?" Hitori did not reply.

"Just how bad can Kuzu's group get?" Hitori asked out of nowhere. Kamiya took his time before replying.

"Kuzu-san– ugh, cough. You know he is super strong, Kuzu has not got much of a family background though," he started, "but he works under a boss named Onogi, he is… I do not know how bad this Onogi person can get…"

Hitori nodded as he walked past the wall which separated the rest of the dungeon from the boss's nest.

"What were they doing in the Vr-cade so late at night?"

"I do not think bullies have anything better to do than spend their days and nights bullying someone… I doubt if they even sleep,"

Hitori suddenly stopped in front of Kamiya when they both went past the wall, "There it is," a smile spread over his face. He bent down near a big rock.

Kamiya took a few steps forward, he was too shocked to move, "My god…" his eyes widened when he saw a tiny bird in Hitori's hands, "it is a female baby phoenix," Kamiya expressed his shock.

Hitori bent near boss phoenix's nest. As soon as he bent down, he saw a tiny bird coming his way, the little fire on its tail was the only thing that burned now unlike the adult version of this phoenix boss.

Three big rocks stood behind the nest and in the middle was a big mat made of straws where the baby phoenix lay. The nest was actually quite big for the phoenix.

"Amazing, she is your pet…" he read the description of the baby phoenix, "seems more like a daughter to me though," he mocked Hitori. Hitori slowly petted the small bird as it squealed.

"What is wrong with her? She is squealing like crazy…" Hitori frowned.

"Maybe she needs to be fed," Kamiya added, "do you have mana gems with you? Maybe fire mana gems can do,"

On Kamiya's advice, Hitori opened his inventory and pulled out ten fire mana gems.

The phoenix baby leaned down and gobbled the gems without chewing them.

The gems were not really stones, their covering was really thin, it would break if you pinch it in between your two pinkies.

"It… leveled up," Kamiya reported.

"What?" Hitori saw the size of the baby phoenix had increased a little, "Crikey!"

"It is better if you leave a few gems for her," Kamiya turned around, "By the way… did you name the dungeon?"

"Ah? We are supposed to do that?" Kamiya nodded, "Fine, let us do it," Hitori got off the ground after leaving twenty gems or so with his baby phoenix.

"Let me name the dungeon, I will let you name the phoenix," they both agreed. They took their time before entering the names.

[God's Hell has named the level fifteen fire dungeon as Hogoshu Phoenix]

[Ryu has named the dungeon boss as- Fierce]

"Fierce?" Kamiya went closer to Hitori.

"Hm," he petted the bird once again, "cause she is fierce as fire." a smile spread on his face and Kamiya nodded.

Kamiya turned around and wandered around the tenth floor, "I see you have collected the drops…"

"Yes," Hitori got up, "and I mean to divide them between us," Hitori opened his inventory screen and dropped all of the items he obtained from clearing the dungeon.

"Open the treasures…" Hitori asked Kamiya to open an epic and a rare grade treasure.

"You keep the special spell module, Kamiya, with one skill module. Let me have this chest piece level fifteen and this special skill…"

"Money… fifty-fifty split then," Kamiya proposed. Hitori nodded. A kind of disappointment flashed on Kamiya's face.

"What are these special skills?" Hitori asked.

"Well… they are special," he shrugged with a grin.

They left the dungeon after they split the money and gems. Hitori took three fourth of the potions and left mana potion, stamina, and magic enchantment potion with Kamiya.

"Let me have this mana enchanter, I will be able to cast high-level spells,"

"There you go," Hitori was now holding a magic dagger in his hands.

"Would you let me have the magic dagger? Cause you already have the dungeon's secret weapon…" They both passed through the portal.

Hitori stopped where he stood and frowned, "what secret weapon?" Kamiya frowned too. He slowly walked closer to Hitori and asked.

"When you entered this ninth floor… did you not acquire a secret item or a weapon on this floor?" Hitori thought for a second before he replied.

"J- just some mana and… an epic potion."

"Are you sure, friend… that is all?" Kamiya pushed his glasses back, his glasses shined even when there was no light to reflect.

"We do not want trust issues, Kamiya," Hitori took a step back, "that is the wall where I found a potion and a mana gem… powerful one,"

"I am not doubting you… but… I just want to make sure-" Hitori lifted his hand, tapped his screen open, went to equipment, and opened the weapons and equipment window.

"There you go," Kamiya's eyes scanned the whole window in a flash, "anything worthy of being called a secret weapon?" Kamiya glanced at Hitori before stepping back.

"You should not expose your items and skills to anyone like that, they might use it against you,"

"Well, will you?" Hitori looked straight into Kamiya's eyes. He walked to the other side of the floor and asked again, "will you use this against me?"

Kamiya looked down, he opened his wrist and his wand appeared in his hand, "you leave me no choice…" he raised his wand and pointed at Hitori, "I will need to check it for myself," Hitori quickly equipped his gun but before he could shoot, Kamiya chanted the spell, "Bakuhatsu!" a spark of light came from his wand and the sound of an explosion echoed.

Hitori had ducked the attack, he raised his head and shot a bullet in Kamiya's direction. "Repel," an invisible wall, pushed Hitori's bullet away from Kamiya when he moved his wand lightly.

"Stay back," Hitori said calmly as he shot a few more bullets, Kamiya had started to move without attacking Hitori.

"Stop shooting me, you are exhausting both of us." of course, Hitori did not stop, he rather went for the mana overdrive technique, "god's hell! Look behind you,"

Hitori glanced behind him in a flash, but he had to go again. The wall behind him was broken into pieces. Nothing but a hollow space was visible.

He sighed in relief.

"I thought this is where our duo ends…" Hitori muttered while staring at Kamiya.

"You wish. I do not want to let go of such a compatible partner," Kamiya raised his wand once again, "Bakuhatsu!" with another explosion, a big hole was formed in the wall. Nothing but darkness.

"Nice spell…"

"Thanks to you," he stepped forward towards the hole, "Special spell, you know," he jumped inside the hole of three feet radius and vanished in front of Hitori's eyes.

Hitori blinked a couple of times before jumping in himself, "you sure know a lot of secret stuff." he muttered on his way.

[God's Hell and Ryu have discovered the secret passage]