Tch. Another broken crystal.
Luthar rolled the shard between his fingers. It barely held enough energy to power a weak servitor joint. With a flick, he tossed it into a pouch already rattling with failures.
Behind him, a servo-skull buzzed softly as it attempted to extract more shards from a kobold corpse. Today's harvest had been disappointing—third-class monsters with first-class mediocrity.
He turned, already considering the next section to scout, when a familiar panicked voice echoed through the corridor.
Luthar paused just long enough to see Bell sprinting down the hallway, panic written across his face.
The roar came before the words finished. A hulking Minotaur burst from the shadows behind Bell, eyes bloodshot and breath steaming through flared nostrils.
Luthar blinked. "Minotaur. Fantastic."
Bell skidded to a stop beside him. "Let's run!"
"It's just a Minotaur. One shot and it'll be gone," Luthar replied flatly.
"I'm also heavily armed."
Without another word, he raised his plasma pistol and fired.
The bolt tore through the Minotaur's chest in a hiss of vapor and light. The beast staggered mid-charge, then collapsed into the dirt. A second later, its body dissolved into particles, leaving behind a single crystal.
Bell stared, panting. "That was awesome! Did you also make this magic weapon?"
"I don't have time to tinker with magic. This gun is pure science."
The servo-skull floated past Bell, picked up the Minotaur's crystal, and handed it to Luthar with mechanical efficiency.
Before either of them could say more, swift footsteps echoed from deeper in the corridor—light, precise, and fast. Far too fast for Bell to follow.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Golden hair tied behind her head, eyes sharp and unreadable. She stopped a few meters away, sword still at the ready.
Bell's breath caught in his throat. Something tightened in his chest as he looked at her.
Luthar lowered his pistol, recognizing her immediately.
Aiz's eyes flicked to the weapon—no chant, no spell, no magic. Her gaze then drifted to the floating skull beside him. It hovered in silence, grotesque in design. Something about it unsettled her—not just the shape, but the why of it.
She looked back at Luthar.
"You killed it?" Her tone was calm, but guarded.
Luthar tilted his head. "Yes."
Bell glanced between the two, then offered a nervous smile. "Um… thank you for coming."
Aiz finally looked at him. Her expression softened slightly. "You're injured."
Bell rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I-I'm fine."
Luthar turned away. "I be going now."
He walked past them without another word, the servo-skull trailing silently behind like a shadow.
Aiz watched him go, something quiet passing through her eyes.
She wasn't one for unnecessary thoughts, but something was wrong.
Aiz glanced back down the hallway where he'd gone, then turned to Bell.
Bell shook his head. "Kinda"
"I'll escort you back," she said simply.
Bell's face lit up, then quickly turned red. "No—I mean—I should be able to go back myself."
Aiz tilted her head slightly, watching him fumble.
"Alright," she said and disappeared into the corridor, leaving Bell standing alone—half-relieved, half-disappointed.
The cool air hit Luthar's face as he stepped out of the dungeon, and he exhaled, the weight of the day's work beginning to settle on his shoulders. The atmosphere outside felt lighter, but not in a way that calmed him. His thoughts were still buried in plans, calculations, and unfinished projects.
"This is a waste of my time," he muttered. He was a tech priest, not a glorified miner.
Because he lacked the proper tools to build something like a energy core,he had reluctantly started collecting the monster crystals. But, the truth was, it wasn't a sustainable solution. The process was slow and inefficient. It would be much better to establish a team capable enough to farm these crystals and bring them to him.
'I'll need to find capable individuals to gather these crystals for me and can also act as my personal team.'
Bell is a good candidate, but it's hard to control him. Is mind started to recall all the characters he could use in this world.
While he was thinking about the characters from behind Bell quickly closed the distance, his voice rising. "Hey! Wait up!"
Luthar stopped but didn't turn to face him right away.
"Uh, thanks again," Bell said, out of breath from the run. "For saving me back there. You know... with the Minotaur."
Luthar glanced at him for a split second. "You're welcome but I thank you should prepare yourself for similar situation."
Bell rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well I don't think I would meet Minotaur again."
as the church came into view, Luthar couldn't help but think as Bell was not saved by a beautiful girl, what type of changes what happened in the future.
After entering inside Bell decided to update his status while Luthar got it inside the basement lab and started to write down some peoples names which he might have chance of recruiting.