CHAPTER 28: A BURNING SENSATION

I didn’t want to waste any time so I went over to the board to look at all the quests that are posted up. Most seemed to be monster hunting quests which is easy enough but I wanted something a lot more rewarding.

Finding a quest that will jump us up in the ranks would probably be the best bet for us to take. The only problem is that I don’t see any quests like that whatsoever.

I didn’t expect it to be easy to find quests like that but I thought maybe one of those quests would’ve been posted here.

"Getting a promotion is pretty exciting." Lilly says while looking at Ghost.

"Yeah, I’m glad our help here paid off." Ghost responds while looking at her id card.

The two of them aren’t far behind me so it’s not hard to hear them... What to do?

I scratch my head as I continue to scan the quests on the board, still not noticing anything worth grabbing.

"Rank up quests are rare if that’s what you’re looking for." Someone says from my right with a bit of a muffled voice.

Turning to my right I’m greeted by an unfamiliar man wearing a skull mask on his face with a hood over his head, he was basically like a grim reaper but he had bright glowing purple eyes peering at me through the mask. What a sight.

"How’d you know what I was looking for?" I ask with a bit of curiosity.

"That’s what everyone wants. Rank up quests are all that matters to the smart hunters of the guild." He responds with a casual tone to his voice.

Even though it was muffled from the mask, I could still understand them quite well. I want to assume it’s a guy based off of the appearance and the voice... But I don’t know.

"Fair enough. Any recommendations?" I ask while shifting my gaze back to the board.

"Check back tomorrow. They should be updating the board by then." He answers.

I turn away from the board. "Thank you, guess I’ll be back tomorrow then." I say before walking away.

I didn’t say anything to ghost or Lilly, I just gestured to follow me and that’s exactly what they did. They kept talking as we walked but something felt off.

The boiling of my blood started to turn more into a burning sensation that I couldn’t stand... As soon as we made it to the outside of the hotel I felt my knees buckle, bringing me to the ground without any hesitation.

I don’t know what’s happening since I was just fine last night. For this all to be happening it doesn’t make any sense to me.

"Rokuro?" Ghost calls out with concern in her voice.

My vision started to fade to black as I felt my body falling to the ground within a matter of seconds. I wanted to shout out in pain but nothing would come out from my mouth as I laid on the ground.

Everything around me disappeared as the pain continues to rage throughout my body like a hurricane tearing through the streets. I felt as if everything was being ripped apart and put back together over and over again.

Ghosts voice faded out.... So did Lilly’s. The abyss that I thought disappeared was back once again.

Total darkness surrounds me.

Everything has a cost you know, so why didn’t I think about that when I used this power? It all makes sense when you think about it.

The power of a dragon is quite the toll on a human body, especially one that isn’t used to it at all. I never eased into it so it’s only logical that I would feel the burden of overusing it like this.

I can put two and two together.

"Why would you let this happen?" Minami’s voice echoes in the distance.

Minami? I never heard her voice here before... Why would I be hearing her all of a sudden?

My body felt as if it was floating once again, that was how the abyss always felt. You feel like you’re floating in space whenever you are in here. That’s the best way I could describe this place to anyone if they ever ask about it.

Minami’s voice continues to echo around me as I float here aimlessly.

Why would I let this happen? I don’t understand what that even means right now Minami. There was nothing I could do about what happened to me before I entered this place again.

Just like there was nothing I could do to save her life back when everything happened in the first place. If I would’ve had this power back then...

I could’ve saved Minami from her fate.

Useless. Useless. Useless.

That’s exactly what I feel all the damn time but what’s the point in giving in to all that damn self loathing. I’ll never make anything of myself if that’s all I ever do.

Moving past everything was the best thing I could do for myself, especially with the way the world is now.

Minami’s voice started to fade away as the sound of my heartbeat begins to take over the silence. It was loud, like the constant sound of a drum being struck over and over again.

The burning sensation was no longer there but I have yet to understand if that’s a good thing or if something bad has happened to me.

Get up you asshole!

Get up? You keep speaking to me but I don’t know who you are or what you are. Why don’t you actually show yourself already instead of talking to me when I least expect it.

Sometimes it helps but sometimes it’s a real pain in the ass.

"Talentless was all I ever was until I entered that dungeon." I say softly, my voice slightly echoing within the abyss.

My urge to say that was strong.... I don’t know why, not like anyone is here to hear it.