Chapter 43 Catching Up
As soon as I arrived back at the academy, I received a message on my device notifying me that Trygnomy had sent a quarter of a million Arcons to my bank account.
"They sure are generous..." I murmured to myself.
With a grin on my face, I nonchalantly tossed my Katana onto the bed and headed to the bathroom to wash up. I hadn't yet got the chance to clean the blood, hence why the people that took the train were giving me sidelong glances.
I was even stopped by the guards at the entrance. They eyed me suspiciously, no doubt because of my disheveled appearance and bloodstained clothes.
It was only after I fished out my student ID from my bag and showed them my receipt for entering the dungeon that they reluctantly allowed me to enter the premises.
Swish...
I shivered as the icy water ran down my back, my muscles twitching at the shock of the cold liquid. With a deep exhale, I tried to relax and enjoy the sensation of the water cascading over my skin.
Thud.. Thud...
Unfortunately, my peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted by a loud banging on the door. With a groan, I turned off the faucet and reluctantly stepped out of the shower, grabbing a nearby towel to dry off as quickly as I could.
"Who in the world is interrupting my free time?" I muttered to myself, irritated at the intrusion.
As I made my way towards the wooden door of my apartment, I heard the sound of someone calling out my name from the other side.
"Hello?"
I said cautiously, peeking through the crack in the door to see a tall man with brown hair standing before me.
"Wassup Aiden!"
Oscar pushed the door wide open, almost knocking the towel out of my hands as he made his way towards the sofa.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his nonchalant entrance, this guy really had no shame.
Swoosh
I caught the can of soda that Oscar had thrown at me, my reflexes barely fast enough to keep it from hitting me in the face.
"Where have you been?"
Taking a swig of the soda, I leaned back against the couch, feeling the cold liquid refreshing my parched throat.
"Just been busy with a dungeon..."
I replied, before raising an eyebrow at Oscar's sudden display of power.
"You've broken through!" I said, impressed by the increase in his Mana density.
Oscar grinned, clearly happy that I mentioned his power up.
"Yeah, I've been working hard to improve my skills. And speaking of which..."
He said, his expression turning more serious.
"I heard some rumors about a permanent dungeon Boss running rampant..."
I could feel Oscar's penetrating gaze scanning my face, causing me to scratch my cheek nervously.
How did he even know about my recent dungeon dive? It had only happened a few hours ago!
Trying to play it cool, I took a sip of my soda and pretended to look out the window, hoping to avoid his questioning. However, I could tell that Oscar wasn't going to let it go that easily.
"By any chance, by a miracle... Were you within that dungeon?"
He pressed, his tone indicating that he already knew the answer.
Sighing inwardly, I knew that there was no point in lying to him.
"The Ice one? Hmmm... Yes I was there, but I didn't see any Wyvern there?"
I replied, feigning ignorance as I looked down at my soda can.
For some reason Oscar burst out laughing, his amusement causing him to almost fall off the sofa. I watched as he wriggled around on the soft mattress, his laughter echoing throughout the room.
"Didn't see the Wyvern my ass! I didn't even mention Wyvern being the boss..."
He exclaimed once he had calmed down.
My heart sank at his words, realizing that I had just given away my lie. I could feel the blood draining from my face as I cursed myself for being so stupid.
"Okay, fine..."
I admitted defeat, knowing that I couldn't keep up the act any longer.
"I did see the Wyvern, and it was one of the scariest creatures I saw..."
As I rambled on about my harrowing experiences in the dungeon, Oscar sat across from me, his eyes fixed on mine in rapt attention. Just as I was nearing the end of my story, he interjected with a surprising revelation.
"Did you know that within the very same dungeon, the Elven Princess also found a comparable person?"
My body froze at the unexpected twist, and I felt a subtle twitch in my eye. I quickly regained control of myself, hoping Oscar hadn't noticed.
"Really? I suppose that means the royal family is probably after them."
Oscar nodded enthusiastically, clearly delighted to be discussing such a juicy piece of gossip.
"Oh, I'm sure they are. But I heard the Royal family is trying to gain rights into the files of the Trygnomy Dungeon so they could uncover everyone that was within the same dungeon at the same time..."
Sweat gathered on my palms as I felt my fingers begin to tremble. The mention of the royal family had me on edge, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Royal Family?
Trying to fish up my files!
As I nervously bit my nails, Oscar continued to ramble on about the Elven Princess and her search for true love. Despite my growing sense of panic, he seemed completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
"Rumor has it that she is searching for her lo..."
I nodded absently, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a plan.
'Maybe I shouldn't have helped the princess after all...' I thought to myself.
However it was too late for regrets now. While Oscar kept on rambling, I began to think how I should organize my luggage before the next train.
Ring... Ring...
Suddenly, Oscar's phone vibrated and he offered me an apologetic smile, while fishing it out of his pocket and checking the screen.
For a moment, his expression remained neutral, but then his face hardened into a stone mask.
"Father." He muttered, his voice low and tense.