HEX: Aspect Of The Void

"The expedition is in 6 days. We need to prepare for the event in order to end up being successful"

We are all currently within ROOT, in an alternate space made to resemble a large and empty field. Ana, Talia, and Shamac all faced me as I explained what it this we will be doing here.

"Now, I know some of you must have been feeling a little conceited given your level of power, but after our encounter with Jared you must know by now, how miserably weak you all are... Myself included."

"What I desire is power, overwhelming power that will not lose out to anyone... I want that for myself and you all. Now, I ask you, what do you want?" 

I stared at them and expected their individual answer. They understood right away what I demanded from them and they responded immediately.

"I-I don't want to be a burden to you!" Talia went first.

"I want to be your sword and shield, my Lord" Ana said.

"I want to return your goodwill, I don't want your investments in me to be wasted!" Shamac surprisingly said more than the rest.

Good. Their goals are all for my benefit.

"Very well, we will begin our preparation for the event. Most of the Adventurers will be out for our necks, and while they are not important, they will still be quite the bother." I explained.

"In short, everyone is our enemy, and we only have one objective. The main treasure of the Dungeon, everything else is irrelevant" 

"For you all to be ready when the time comes, it's time for me to upgrade you" 

They all looked excited as I said this.

Currently, their abilities are not bad when compared to others, but it's not nearly good enough for the challenge of the Dungeon. Most people would see the Vanishing Dungeon as a place of fortune, but that is because they have not triggered the appropriate event which leads one to the main treasure room where the true riches lay. Since that is my goal, it won't be easy for these three without a boost.

"Ana, after the fight with Jared and me losing consciousness, ROOT retrieved the weapons I gave you. So, for you, I will be handing over 3,000 of my Sacred Treasures." I said.

Since they might affect her Realm Of Limbo if I give her more, it's best to play it safe and grant her 3,000. Besides, this amount should be enough for the mission.

"Shamac, I'll be giving you this..."

I brought forth my hand, and an object immediately materialized on my hand. It had the shape of a tiny sphere, like a pill. It was black but also glowed purple.

"This is a Dark Pill. It aids creatures of the night such as you, also..."

I brought forth my other hand and another pill manifested on it. This one had an orange color and glowed yellow.

"This is an Energy Pill. It should increase the total level of stamina and energy you have, while also boosting all your capabilities." 

I gave him the two and told him to hold onto it for the moment. 

"There's a special way to ingest it, so be patient"

I turned over to Talia. So far, she has improved well, but it's not enough for me to be impressed. After considering a lot of things within ROOT during the time I was unconscious, I realized that if I spoil her any further, she will have no room to grow.

"As for you Talia..."

She looked at me expectantly, waiting for what I would give her. 

"You don't need anything" I said.

"W-Wha....?!" She was stunned by my response and appeared confused.

There's no need to be, my reasoning is simple. Currently, Talia possesses 9 Fairy Wings, but she can barely use them since doing so will destroy her body. Currently, she is using my 'Cocoon Of Darkness' to hold her body together. Giving her any more 'gifts' could very much kill her. The only thing she can do now is to learn how to better control her powers and adapt her body to them.

"You have yet to make the power of those wings yours, I will not give you another," I said to her.

Her face exhibited disappointment, not toward me, but herself. She is right to be. She has such high potential sleeping within her, but it seems she was satisfied with just scratching the surface, fortunately, that has changed.

My 'Cocoon' within her is a high investment. Its use is for more than just holding her fragile lump of meat together. She better not waste it.

"Now that I have given you gifts, I will now separate you into separate spaces. I will divide my consciousness as well so I can equally monitor your progress. Time will be sped up here at a ratio of 10:1. We'll be spending 50 days here, equivalent to 5 in the real world. I hope you are all prepared." I said.

"Yes!" They all affirmed.

With a snap of my fingers, they all disappeared from my sight. I closed my eyes and focused on my consciousness. I split them into four parts.

"10 percent for each of them, and the final 70 percent will remain" I muttered.

I did this and sent my consciousness to the venues where I kept my subordinates. While the 10 percents take care of them, the main one will be elsewhere... In my body.

I gasped as I awakened from my lifeless slumber. With no one in the room, but me, I sat up on my bed. 70 percent of my consciousness is currently in this body while the rest are with Talia, Shamac, and Ana. 

While they are occupied, it's best I put myself to good use and make the proper preparations I need to without their interference.

"It's time to get to work" I muttered.

______________________

"Heh, are you excited for the Expedition?" A man dressed as a classic Adventurer said to his comrades in the bar.

The table was filled with six of them, four men and two women, all dressed in their respective wear. They had a beer in front of them as they merrily conversed.

"Of course! It's a golden opportunity after all!" Another answered.

"B-But will we really be fine though? We don't know the first thing about Adventuring. We just signed up last week because of this event..." A nervous member of the crew spoke up. 

She wore glasses and appeared flustered by almost everything, that included the presence of so many men and their loud chatter in the large bar.

While they were dressed as Adventurers, these were actually inexperienced people, one of many who quickly registered so they could also take their chances to gain riches and fame in the Vanishing Dungeon.

"Would you relax? Do you think your big bro doesn't know what he's doing? I'm already prepared for this!" The one who looked like their leader, wearing better sets of equipment, said smugly.

"O-Ohhhh..." The others beamed at him.

"I hired us a veteran Adventurer who will be acting as our guide within the Dungeon. Since he is a solo Adventurer, we are forming a temporary party with him. With him there, it'll be safer for us" The leader smirked.

"W-Wow! As expected of our leader!" One of them said brightly 

"We'll follow you forever, boss!" They hailed.

"Hehe, of course. Oh, speak of the devil. He is here already..." The leader said, looking beyond their table as he saw someone just enter the bar.

The man wore decent armor, though not as great as the Leader. He walked slowly and carefully. The look on his face showed the expression of someone who had seen death countless times and from his gait, it was clear that this man was on his guard.

He had an especially noticeable katana scabbard by his waist, and it seemed he guarded it carefully with every step he took.

"Oi, Oi! Over here!!!" The leader shouted, calling the man's attention to their table.

He looked over at them and nodded in recognition. He walked to their table and smiled tiredly when he saw them all. They had left an empty seat for him, and offered it with a friendly gesture.

"Ohhh! He indeed looks like a veteran!"

"Just look at his eyes"

"How long has he been an Adventurer?"

As they mumbled amongst themselves, the Leader addresses the Adventurer who sat among them.

"Don't mind them, they're just a little too excited about this Dungeon. You know, it's going to be a life-changer for us" He said.

"It's fine, I understand... Who wouldn't be happy about a game-changer?" The Adventurer chuckled hoarsely, and his voice hinted a sad tone.

"S-So... Why don't you introduce yourself to the group?" The Leader said, not sure why the man he hired was being so off.

At this point, everyone at the table stopped their talks and paid rapt attention to the Adventurer.

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Nathan... And I'll be a temporary member of your party. As your guide through the Dungeon, no harm shall come to you, that I swear!" He said to them.

His tired and eerie face slowly transformed as he let out a smile. Here he was once again with another party.... How nostalgic.