Chapter 192: Twenty one
"Twenty-one Soulbearers can go," Iron Knight said.
Vacuse stared at him with unblinking eyes. "Twenty-one?"
"Yes."
That was... that was simply too low. Even Eloryna shifted subtly beside him, her gaze going sharp like a blade, and Vacuse understood her. If twenty-one was divided between the two of them, one of them would have to go with one less person than the other.
And a single Soulbearer could change the dynamics of power. It could literally mean the difference between life and death.
Vacuse groaned silently to himself. He thought he would be going with at least a hundred warriors. But eleven? That was too low!
"So how are we going to share it?" Eloryna asked, her eyes on Iron Knight and the small tree in front of him.
Iron Knight shrugged, a slight smile on his lips as if he was enjoying how things were going. "How do you want to do it? Only one person can have ten members while the other would have to settle for eleven."
Vacuse’s eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Let us decide things with a duel between the two of us."
Instantly, the air around them turned chilly as Eloryna turned her attention to him, her voice flat. "No. We should settle it another way. I don’t want to fight before I enter the Great Dungeons."
Iron Knight chuckled darkly, breaking the glare that Vacuse turned on her. "Then it’s decided. We will settle it like this."
With that, Iron Knight produced a gold coin. "Head or tail? The one facing up will get eleven numbers."
"Tail!" Eloryna called instantly.
Vacuse sighed. "Head."
The Iron Knight showed the coin to them and then flipped it up into the air. The coin turned and stumbled before it dropped back into his hand.
Vacuse stiffened when he saw it, and Eloryna smiled wide.
Iron Knight shrugged. "Start making preparations. In three days’ time, you will go. Don’t forget, only Soulbearers in and below the third rank are allowed."
Vacuse forced his muscles to unclench. He would just have to make do with the ten after all.
Iron Knight still had some things to tell them. "Listen, I told you Great Dungeons have some semblance of consciousness, right? At the end, whoever clears the Dungeon, apart from what you gain, the Dungeon will also give you rewards depending on the contributions made.
"To be honest, it’s better to clear a Great Dungeon as a single entity rather than going as opposition. But I guess it can’t be helped. Just don’t forget not to kill each other until the day.
"You can do all the killing in the Great Dungeon."
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Vacuse had a lot on his mind as he made his way over to the castle. Most of it lay in the fact that he knew too little about Great Dungeons.
And the information that was even available was not solid fact.
One thing he did know was that Great Dungeons were highly unpredictable, and anything could happen. So, he should be preparing for just that.
Also, he had to think hard about who he should be taking with him.
"... ahhh! Fuck it, everything is just so hard. But then again, I’m used to this kind of life, right? I simply need to make do with what I have..."
When he returned to the castle, he called a meeting of just his inner circle, the attendants, and told them about what the Iron Knight had said.
After he explained everything, there was a moment of silence.
"Well, that certainly fucked us up," Kagerou said with a grimace.
Harkon frowned. "I thought those going would reach at least fifty or so at the very least. Ten is just too limiting. What are you going to do now?"
Vacuse frowned and turned to Amos. "You and I are going. As well as Harkon and Kagerou."
"We? You’re taking us?" The astonishment on Kagerou was almost comical.
Harkon blinked slowly. "I thought, my lord... are you really taking us?"
Vacuse shrugged. "Of course. The two of you need to get stronger."
His voice was casual, but it was more than that, of course. Harkon and Kagerou were simply the only two he could trust at the moment, at least he could trust them a little.
One thing Vacuse had learned in his past and new life was that trust was something that was easily broken. It was also hard to build.
He had been cultivating loyalty in Harkon and Kagerou for a long time, and it would be stressful to start looking for new attendants all the time. That was why they needed to grow stronger.
They must be strong if they wished to follow Vacuse, whose enemies were much stronger.
Taking Amos along was also most practical since he was the strongest among everyone there at the moment.
"So don’t waste this opportunity," Vacuse warned.
Harkon and Kagerou looked at each other and then bowed to him. There was no need to say much, not when their determination burned in their eyes.
Vacuse frowned. "Also, that guy, Devour Bandit, we will take him along. It’s likely a trap from Blood Spike, but my instincts are telling me we should bring him with us.
"Amros should pick the rest from the third stage New Dawn members. Pick the stronger."
Another person Vacuse would have liked to take along was the Morrowling, but unfortunately, there was no way he could take him. Especially not after he heard all those things about the Great Dungeon.
It was too dangerous. Vacuse would have to take the risk of leaving him behind.
Vacuse clapped. "Good. Now, you guys need to get ready. I know you all have your preparations to make. And don’t forget, death might be a mercy in the Great Dungeon, so think carefully if you truly want to go.
"Captain Amros, pass the same message to the others that you pick."
Vacuse would not force anyone, not in the matter of a Great Dungeon where cooperation was needed the most.
But in the end, none of his attendants chose to stay behind.