"So, why were we able to break through the level thirty wall?" Rasie asked. Her eyes narrowed, her forehead furrowed deeply as she stared at her adventurer card. "Is it because that monster is equivalent to four low-level dungeon monsters, or is there... something strange going on now?"
Rasie sighed heavily. "Honestly, this increase was sudden enough to shock me."
"If one monster is equivalent to four low-level dungeon bosses, that means they are powerful, damn," Fyar said. He rubbed his chin, his eyes gazing towards the carcass of the crystal monster.
"Yes! So it’s no wonder we almost lost. Just because it’s strong doesn’t mean we’re weak!" Rasie exclaimed defensively.
"We? Who’s we?" Fyar mocked. The corner of his lips lifted into a sly smile.
"A-arrogant bastard..." Rasie muttered. Her face turned red, her hands clenched at her sides.
"Stop it," Zaefal said calmly. He raised a hand, separating them without turning his head. "Well, it could be that they are indeed equivalent to low-level dungeon bosses."
Zaefal narrowed his brows. His gaze was sharp, staring at the endless crystal horizon. "With the encounter of a monster this strong... then there is no doubt we are indeed inside a dungeon."
"The level is quite high," Fyar muttered. "If the regular monsters are this strong, let alone the boss..."
"Y..yeah..." Zaefal said. Cold sweat began to drip down his temples, flowing down to his tensed jaw.
"But if we defeat it... We can level up super instantly, right?!" Rasie said. Her eyes sparkled, her hands moving as if she were holding a pile of gold coins.
"Fight it yourself. I still want to get married," Fyar said flatly.
"M-married?" Illya, standing next to Fyar, flinched slightly, her face blushing faintly.
"That sounds like gambling, Rasie." Zaefal shook his head. "Don’t be ridiculous."
"Yes, it is, but if we win, it’s pretty good, right?" Rasie smiled faintly, challenging.
"Good how... No, that’s suicide, not gambling," Fyar said. He rolled his eyes. "Ideally, gambling is 50:50, high-risk high-reward. But this? The risk is impossible!"
"Tch, just say you’re scared," Rasie mocked.
"I’m sane, not scared," Fyar replied while pointing to his own head.
"Then, how about we just stay here until level 49 and then go to the boss? Let’s make the best of our presence here!" Rasie said. She spread her arms wide, as if wanting to embrace the entire dungeon.
"No, I don’t want to. I’m unemployed for now. Too many crazy things have happened lately..." Fyar said. "Plus, what about the fate of the city, hey! Cyhas is looking for her father. How can we just want to level up?"
"Oh right, yeah..." Rasie slapped her forehead. Her shoulders slumped weakly.
"Idiot!" Fyar mocked.
Rasie’s idea... Makes sense. Maybe I will stay longer when we find a way out. Being here is the fastest way to level up right now. But I can’t be selfish. I have to get them out first. Only then, maybe I’ll come back here alone or Come with fyar Fyar, Zaefal muttered inwardly.
He then coughed lightly. "Fyar is right. Rasie, our priority now is to get out of here and ensure the ritual fails."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, okay, sorry," Rasie said, waving her hand.
Zaefal then looked at Illya. "Are you feeling better? You used teleport many times earlier. Must have drained your mana."
Illya shook her head gently. She smiled reassuringly. "I’m fine. Because of the level up, my mana fills up a bit quickly."
Illya then remembered something. "Oh yeah! I have to bring Cyhas down now!"
"Is your mana enough, Illya?" Fyar asked. He looked at Illya’s face, searching for signs of fatigue.
Illya nodded. "Enough, Fyar."
Illya then looked towards the hill where Cyhas was. She glared at that spot for a few seconds, focusing.
Sst!
Illya disappeared from her spot.
Fyar walked closer to the crystal produced from the monster’s corpse. The crystal was heart-shaped with neon blue light pulsing slowly inside it.
"It’s shaped like a heart... is it my feelings?" Fyar muttered.
"Th-this looks expensive..." Rasie picked up the crystal. She turned it, examining it under the aurora light. "Hm, hm, hm."
"Heart-shaped... is this an artifact? Hmm." Fyar took the crystal. He placed it in front of his left chest, posing dramatically with one hand in the air.
Rasie couldn’t hold back her laughter seeing that. "W-what are you doing pfft?! Hahaha, you look stupid!"
Zaefal slowly walked closer to them. "I’ve never seen this before."
"Ehh, that’s rare. Not in the library?" Rasie asked.
Zaefal shook his head. "I don’t know. Maybe I just haven’t read about an artifact with a shape like this. We also don’t know if it’s an artifact or an ordinary crystal."
"If it’s an artifact, the effect... uhhh might be very good..." Fyar said. He raised an eyebrow, imagining a new power.
Fyar remembered something. "Ah, maybe Cyhas would know something." He looked at Rasie and Zaefal alternately. "She sells artifacts, after all."
Sst!!
Illya and Cyhas returned, appearing suddenly beside them.
"Wow, perfect timing, you guys," Rasie said.
"What are you doing?" Illya said. She slowly walked towards them, followed by Cyhas from behind.
"Item left by that monster," Zaefal said. He took the crystal from Fyar’s hand and showed it to Cyhas. "Do you know anything about this?"
Cyhas took the crystal. Her hands trembled due to the crystal’s cold temperature. She narrowed her eyes, observing the pattern of light veins inside it.
"This..." Cyhas muttered. She stared at Zaefal with wide eyes.
"What is it? Do you know this object?" Fyar asked.
"I... I once read about it in my father’s rare item notebook," Cyhas said. Her voice was enthusiastic. "Neon blue color, eternally cold temperature, and... yes, there’s a subtle vibration. And it’s heart-shaped!"
"This is called a Frost Heart. The book says this object is the main ingredient for making the Amulet of Titan."
"Ohh, ohh, interesting, interesting! What’s the effect, what’s the effect?" Rasie asked impatiently, hopping a little.
"If forged into a necklace and infused with mana..." Cyhas swallowed hard. "This can increase the user’s physical strength by up to one hundred and thirty percent permanently while worn."
"One hundred and thirty?!" Zaefal was shocked. His eyes widened, his mouth slightly open.
"130?!" Fyar was also shocked. Holy moly. 130 percent? Does that mean I’ll be equivalent to level 70–80 in physique? Or what?!
"O-o-one hundred and thirty percent?! Haaaaah??" Rasie held her head, shocked.
"Th-that means my mana reserves go up 130 percent?!" Illya said enthusiastically. She cupped both her cheeks with her hands.
"But..." Cyhas looked at the penguin monster carcass in confusion. "The book didn’t mention what monster drops it. I didn’t expect a weirdly shaped monster like that to drop it. This is so rare that people rarely sell it."
Cyhas sighed. "Even my father doesn’t have this crystal."
"Speaking of rare, there’s a price, right?" Rasie asked. Her eyes sparkled again.
Cyhas nodded. "If I’m not mistaken... I saw in the notebook around... nine hundred and ninety-two gold coins a piece."
992?! Wait, there are four of these, meaning... 3,964?! Crazy. I’m torn between selling and using it. Hm, I’m still poor... even though I have the harvest from Martis’s quest, but it’s not enough! But on the other hand, I have to become strong to level up. Hmm, choose Fyar... choose Fyar. But if I level up, I can go to appropriate dungeons and avoid enemies that are too strong, right? Then live relaxedly with money? Oh.. do I have to come here often to make money? ! Fyar muttered inwardly, feeling conflicted.
He looked at Rasie, who was equally conflicted. Rasie appeared to be biting her finger, her eyes moving as if calculating.
"S-so how about it friends? Will you sell it?" Fyar asked with a serious tone.
Rasie bit her lip. She answered with a dramatic tone, "D-difficult choice..."
"Hmm, I will use it for jewelry. It seems cute," Illya said softly, smiling while looking at the crystal.
"Clearly better to use," Zaefal said without hesitation.
"if you want to sell it, you can sell it to me..." Cyhas said while smiling gently at them.
Srr... Srr...
A soft vibration was felt in the ground beneath their feet. The crystal sand shifted slowly. Fyar, Illya, Zaefal, and Rasie immediately went on alert.
"This vibration..." Fyar said. He drew his pistol, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Zaefal slowly drew his weapon, his body lowering into a stance.
"Damn. Not this fast, too, bastard!" Rasie complained, also drawing her weapon.
"Cyhas, take cover behind me," Illya said. Her hand raised, ready to cast a spell.
Cyhas nodded. She hid behind Illya’s back, holding onto her dress tightly.
"Th-that!!" Fyar pointed to the right.
The vibration slowly turned into something like an earthquake. The ground shook violently. The sound of thousands of crystals grinding against each other was deafening.
Zaefal’s pupils constricted. His hand trembled while holding the sword hilt. But he tried to stay upright.
"fuck..." Fyar said softly, seeing what was in front of him.
Illya and Cyhas said nothing. They stared in horror, their mouths shut tight to hold back screams.
"We’re finished..."
dozen crystal penguin monsters that they had just defeated with difficulty appeared, sliding towards them. Their transparent beaks were open, their neon blue eyes glowing in unison in the darkness. They came like a crystal tsunami ready to crush everything.
author note.
Hello everyone,
After some deep thought, I have decided to put this book on hiatus for about 1 to 2 months.
To be honest, I am currently in a tight financial spot. Since this is my first book, I admit there were some mistakes in the early Chapters that made it difficult for this story to reach a wider audience right now.
However, I am not stopping writing! During this break, I will be writing a second book just for fun (and to test the waters). It is titled:
"Isekai with the Boys"
It tells the story of three young men who are sick of being stuck in a 9-to-5 grind in an Isekai world. They decide to escape the rat race and build a criminal organization that you all know in Forsaken Starfall as Whitening. Think of it as a fun, chaotic origin story!
Forsaken Starfall will return in early January, or at the latest, February.
Please don’t worry, I will absolutely NOT drop this book. I love Fyar and the others too much to leave them hanging.
That’s all for now. Please don’t forget to leave your reviews on ! Seeing your support might just motivate me to come back even sooner (maybe strictly in early January!).
See you soon,
- reaquenxe