Unlimited Power - The Arcane Path

Leon scratched the back of his head. Although Ren wasn't making any guarantees, he was being sincere enough to tell that he may fail in helping him. Leon was having a hard time deciding to help him or not because Ren would undoubtedly gain a lot by working together with Leon. Meanwhile, Leon could end up not obtaining anything. In fact, he could even lose his head if the Emperor discovers about him before he does anything to help his country. That negotiation was way too unfavorable.

That being said, Leon had no idea of how to go back home alone. To cross the ocean, he would have to train more; to travel through the land, he would have to deal with three nations fighting for hegemony, and the last option was to reach America by following the east side of Russia. If the monsters don't kill Leon, the cold would.

"... I will help you until I find a way to go back home by myself." Leon declared. "So, don't be surprised if one day I disappear without saying anything."

"It is all right; two can only work together as long as the work is beneficial to both." Ren smiled and offered a handshake.

Leon hesitated a bit, but end up accepting the handshake. It was difficult to trust a man who he met only a few hours ago, but Leon was pretty sure he could deal with him and his friends if they try something. If Ren was that desperate to ask for the help of a stranger, he shouldn't be that dangerous, after all.

"So, what should I do?" Leon asked.

"Let's rest for the day; we can start our partnership tomorrow morning," Ren answered.

"Well, that is fine by me," Leon said. "In that case, while you rest, I will explore this dungeon."

"... Actually, exploring the dungeon was what I wanted for us to do tomorrow." Ren hesitated.

"Didn't you already did that?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, but we didn't explore the other side of the dungeon," Ren explained. "While in our world, we have the advantage, as long as we kill the monsters periodically, that is. But on the other side, it is literally us against their whole world."

"... I see." Leon rubbed his chin. "So, is that dangerous... by the way, what kind of monster you can find in this dungeon?"

"Slimes," Ren answered.

"Slimes? Those Slimes?" Leon frowned.

"Precisely, the weakest type of monsters..." Ren said with his head down. "This one is the weakest dungeon in all Japan, that is why I'm the advisor with less influence."

"If the monsters are that weak, doesn't mean the monsters on the other side are weak as well?" Leon asked.

"No, because the monsters on the other side are all Slime Bosses," Ren explained. "The big ones can use the four basic types of magic, and they can even cure themselves with water magic since their own body is made of water. That is why they are hard to deal with... however..."

"Megalodons also can regenerate themselves, and I can kill them," Leon added. "So, you think I can kill those big slimes too. I understand your reasoning, but what will we gain by killing them?"

"Usually, when we kill monsters, we would skin their bodies and use those parts to create all sorts of weapons and armor," Ren explained. "But since they are slimes, we can't do that; their bodies are made of water after all. However, we can use their core as a secondary weapon that grants us the power to use the four basic spells. It can only last for one hour, and we have to wait five seconds to use another spell, but it still is incredibly valuable."

"Only four basic spells? I don't think they can be all that useful," Leon frowned. "Fire Ball must belong to that group, but what are the others?"

"Water Blade, Wind Lance, and Stone Arrow," Ren answered. "Like I said earlier, only a handful of people learn how to use magic, and considering that tomes are rarely dropped, we only have few a handful of mages. You are a mage, right?"

"I guess I am," Leon said.

Leon never thought like he was one; he was only learning magic to go back home. In the beginning, it was fun to use magic, but now it was just business as usual.

"There is an even bigger advantage in using the slimes' cores," Ren said excitedly. "We don't have to use our own mana. Of course, we can't learn the skills or level up them, but that is useful nonetheless."

"I see… I understand now why they only last for one hour." Leon nodded.

"Yes, they work like a battery," Ren said. "If we sell those, we can obtain a lot of coins and make our town prosper, that is the safe way to work and increase our influence."

"… So, there is another option, one which is not safe." Leon said.

"Yeah, we can use those cores and obtain control over other dungeons," Ren explained.

"Do you have the personnel to control more than one town?" Leon asked.

"No, but by showing our power, more people will decide to join us," Ren answered. "And with the Ryoko's power, we don't have to worry about troublemakers or spies joining our ranks."

"Mmm… isn't there a way to counter her skill?" Leon asked. "I think you are relying too much on her power."

"I can't say there isn't, but there hasn't been discovered yet," Ren said.

"Well… I agree with you that exploring the other side of the dungeon is worth the hassle," Leon said. "Shall we go then?"

When Leon proposed that six soldiers left the dungeon, it was the team which, from time to time, would periodically clear the dungeon. They didn't like Leon's presence, but they didn't show their displeasure in front of the captain all that much. Regardless, Ren was the strongest survivor in the port, so he decided to enter the dungeon alone with Leon. He wanted to see with his own eyes the power of the man who could kill megalodons.