Upon hearing the loud voice ringing throughout the room from the broken doors, Frey and the others who were soundly asleep abruptly woke up.
"Huh? What?! Huh?!" Frey blurted as she glanced around the area in a frenzy. "Is Haruta- Oh wait... I'm still in game huh."
"Yawn... Is it morning already?" With his paws on his heavy eyes, he rubbed it. "What's going on?"
"Bah... All of you are finally awake huh?" Ethaniel clicked his tongue as his eyes then moved over towards the direction of where the voice rang. Quickly taking note of the slimeReru, standing by the doors.
"...it's already the next day?" Raina tilted her head as she kept her staff and the book in her arms away. "Did time flew by that fast after everyone fell asleep?"
"...eh?! I fell asleep?!" Rustly cried out. "Argh! Damn it! I'm just as those lazy ass humans!"
"Ugh... shut it Rustly," Reru annoyingly clicked his tongue as he leapt over towards Shinto. "Human. What is the update with your spell?"
"Only at 52%. But, it'll rise much quicker since I now have the greater form of the spell," Shinto calmly replied.
"Hmph... Only at 52%? I expected much more from you. But whatever... It's still good progress," Reru moved away from Shinto as he then turned towards Raina. "What about this human?"
Just as Shinto was about to translate Reru's words, Raina quickly replied. "44.20%. My efficiency with the arts has been increasing since I could use the lesser version of it every so often."
Even without knowing the exact words from Reru, Raina could tell from the context and answer of Shinto.
"Hmm... I see," Reru seemed to be nodding his head as he walked over towards Ethaniel, observing that he was holding multiple papers within his hand. "...besides you two who has been busy reading books. What has the rest of the humans been doing?"
"They've been doing research about 'Renryth'," Shinto answered. "Speaking of which... I have one question."
"I thought so..." Reru mumbled out at Shinto's answer as his head fully turned over towards him. "Speak. What is the question?"
"Just who exactly is Renryth?" Shinto questioned. "From what Ethan had told me from the reports he read... Renryth seems to be fully ignoring the fact that there was a curse?" he pondered. "No... the proper way to put it would behe seems to be rather, ignorant of it?"
Although Shinto didn't read Renryth's reports, he could still deduce enough things from the information he had heard from Ethaniel in order to ask Reru. If needed to be, Shinto could also pass on the baton of questioning onto Ethaniel if the situation calls for it.
"Renryth... the one who knows the arts," Reru lazily answered as he then let out a sigh. "You could say he remained ignorant, or you could even say he neglected his duties. But that is not the point. Whatever you read from the reports is just the ambiguity of the past. So worrying about such things is useless. Right now is the time to do something about the situation, isn't that right?"
"..." Shinto glanced over to his party members and then towards the book within Raina's hand. "The ambiguity of the past... So, whatever Renryth had been doing before all this shouldn't be questioned?"
"It is not up to me to answer that but the person himself," Reru answered without looking at Shinto. "In any case; It's time for us to leave to see him. I warn you though. Whatever you think of Renryth as of the moment from the reports or whatever, completely forget about it," he spoke in a serious tone. "Right now, all you need to know is that he is someone who knows great arts and will give you a run for your money if you're not careful. Even with me on your side to tackle against him, the fact remains that there is a possibility we'll lose."
"...what's this guy saying?" Ethaniel frowned as he couldn't understand a single word from the conversation with Shinto and Reru.
"Warnings not to underestimate," Shinto murmured out as his eyes followed where Reru was going. He wasn't moving out of the room, but more inwards. "Anyways... I'll explain more on the way. For now... we'll be going to see Renryth now."
"Tch... I wish there was another item for me to use to understand this damn language," he clicked his tongue. "It's annoying that I have to keep asking for translations."
"Do you really want to understand properly? Or you just want to know how to speak gloop so you can argue?" Frey asked.
"Agh, shut up," he scoffed. "Where's this slime going anyway?"
"I'm not sure..." Raina replied. "It seems that he's going to the end of the room?" she raised her brow at the sight. It was weird that Reru was going inwards towards the area where the shelves were, instead of moving outside if they were going to meet with Renryth now.
"Sigh..." Reru let out a tired and annoyed sigh as he turned back towards the group. "I can hear your stupid discussion from here. Just keep your mouth shut and follow me!"
"...this guy is saying to follow him quietly," Shinto helplessly shook his head as he followed from behind Reru.
"Are all the damn slimes this short-tempered?" Ethaniel raised his brow in confusion as he heard the angry tone from Reru. "Jeez."
"That'll be good for you to argue more, wouldn't it?" Frey chuckled as she and Raina began following after Shinto.
"..." Ethaniel frowned, however, without being able to rebut, he could only move helplessly.
...
Moving over towards where Reru stood, the group stared in front of them with confusion. The only thing they could see by the front was bookshelves, much as the same as all the other ones in the room.
"Rustly. You know what's the trigger right?" Reru questioned. "Go do it."
"...the trigger?" Rustly blankly stared at Reru.
"The trigger to open the bookshelves..."
"Oh right, yes, yes!" Rustly nodded his head as he moved forward, quickly, he began to jiggle multiple times. It was the same movement like the one to open the passageway from before.
"...what are you, stupid?" Reru seemed to be frowning. "God... Did you get the stupidity from the humans?"
"What?! Obviously not!" he clicked his tongue. "Isn't this the way? Madam Ru said it was!"
"Sigh..." Letting out a sigh, he hopped over towards a corner of the room, quickly pulling out a book. In the next moment, the bookshelf shook greatly as it slowly opened.
"Oh, hey!" Frey said in a happy tone. "This time the door is opened through a switch!"
"As it should be..." Ethaniel glared at Rustly who was blankly staring at Reru. "Anyhow... This passageway..." Quickly moving his eyes back to the spot where the bookshelves were once standing, he was greeted by a dark linear passageway. "...aren't we on the second floor? I expected something like this to be at the bottom floor instead..."
"Enough questioning, humans," Reru scoffed. "This passageway leads downwards to the catacombs path and then to the warrior's room. From there, we'll meet with Renryth."
"...the warrior's room?" Shinto muttered out. "Do you mean...?"
"Yes, the warrior, Humatar. I'm sure you saw the murals at the door before entering our village? He was once a protector that watched over us. But now an enemy that wishes our death," Reru answered.
"So it's that one... the one that we saw after entering into here," Shinto nodded his head.
"E-Eh? It's that giant statue?" Kon muttered out. "Does this mean... we'll be fighting against him?!"
"What do you think?" Reru replied. "Although we can avoid him and just go straight to Renryth, it is best we defeat him now."
"Defeat him...?" Shinto pondered at Reru's words. "What do you mean by that?"
"If we want to see Sanke, we will need to defeat the two protectors. The warrior and the guardian," Reru said as he took a step into the hallway. "Otherwise, we won't be able to meet with him at all-"
"...stop!" The moment Reru stepped into the passage, Shinto cried out as a sudden purple spike shot forward from the darkness.
"...?!" Hearing Shinto's warning, the slime quickly protruded out a small shield that fended off against the purple spike. "...tch. Sanke's magic of necromancy reached here?"
From the darkness, a dark slime coloured purple, completely different from the usual colours of the slime, which was green and blue, stepped forward.
"Gloop..." The purple slime muttered out lifelessly, as from behind it, more of its kind entered into view. Not only that, what seemed to be skeletal rats were among the headcount.
"U-Undead...?! S-Skeletons?!" Kon cried out as he hid behind the legs of Ethaniel and Shinto. "Why now of all times?!"
"Jeez..." Ethaniel clicked his tongue at Kon's cowardness. "The slimes aren't even skeletons and the rats are just bones. Why the heck are you scared for?" Unsheathing his sword, he prepared for combat.
"If Sanke's magic were to be able to reach to this specific passageway, then... Renryth may be far gone," Reru stated in a serious tone. "Do you still wish to see him?"
"There's still a chance, and we're willing to take it," Shinto replied as he began to cast a spell from his ring.