Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 10th Floor. 

{Choose your reward! 

[Spatial Mastery Magic Book]} 

Tatsuo, after letting the excitement from defeating the Floor Master, the Wraight Queen, run its course finally turned his attention to the window floating in front of him. Then, he reached his hand toward the window, his hand sinking inside of it, and pulled the [Spatial Mastery Magic Book] from inside. However, as soon as his hand left the window, the magic book dissipated into motes of mana that fused into his mind. 

{You have learned the [Spatial Mastery] Skill. 

-Your affinity to space will increase. 

-The strength of all space related skills also increases. 

-As the skill level increases, your affinity with space will increase further.} 

"*Whistle* Not bad." Tatsuo said excitedly as he smiled brightly. "Now, learning other spatial skills should be even easier. All I have to do is raise the level of [Spatial Mastery]." 

After speaking that sentence, Tatsuo could not help but laugh happily. Then, after a few moments, he calmed himself down before allocating his Skill points. After that, he made his way out of the Boss Room to the Floor Shop. 

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 10th Floor Shop. 

"Congratulations on your victory, Tatsuo-Sama." Loretta said with her usual professional smile plastered on her face. "I assume you'll be staying here for a while to grind for the [Wraith Queen Set], correct?" 

"That's right." Tatsuo replied with a nod and a smile. "Now, can I get a [Fatigue Recovery Drink]? I haven't spent too much time in the Dungeon today. So, I'm gonna head up to the 11th Floor and kill some monsters to gather some Gold. *Sigh* It's too bad I can only fight the Boss once a day. If I could fight them more, I would have a much shorter grind." 

Hearing that, Loretta twitched. And the reason was simple. There actually was a way for an Explorer to fight a Boss more than once a day. Unfortunately, the achievement necessary to gain that privilege required an Explorer to defeat the first four Floor Masters alone. But considering the concessions Sherifina had made for Tatsuo so far, even personally assigning Loretta to be his Shop Keeper, she wondered if she was allowed to make an exception. 

Before Loretta could think about it for too long, however, she heard a voice in her head. 

{"You can sell him the [Floor Master Battle Voucher], Loretta."} Sherifina's voice sounded in Loretta's ears. Though, it sounded as though she were speaking through an immense amount of pain. {"As he had defeated both the Ord Lord and the Wraith Queen alone on his first attempts, I will make an exception for him."} 

Hearing Sherifina's voice, Loretta was surprised. Although the fact that Tatsuo had been granted permission to buy the [Floor Master Battle Vouchers] was surprising enough by its self, the fact that Sherifina sounded like she was struggling to speak was a much more surprising fact. 

'Understood.' Loretta replied in her head. 

After that, Sherifina did not speak to Loretta again. At the same time, Loretta turned a quizzical gaze towards Tatsuo, who was chugging down a 10 Gold [Fatigue Recovery Juice]. 

'Just who is this boy that the Oldie at the top of the Dungeon is willing to make an exception for him like this?' Loretta asked herself with overflowing curiosity. 'And why did she just sound like she was enduring something truly deadful?' 

"Well, there actually is a way for you to fight the Floor Master more than once." Loretta said in a slightly shaky voice. "Up to an additional two times a day, in fact." 

"*Cough* *Cough* Huh?" Tatsuo exclaimed in confusion after choking on his drink. Then, he looked down at his armor that was soaked from when he coughed up his drink. "Damn, I just wasted 10 Gold. No, wait… That's not important. What did you say, Loretta-San?" 

Instead of replying immediately, Loretta reached under the shop counter. And when she pulled her hands up again, she was holding what looked like tickets to a concert. 

"May I interest you in the [Floor Master Battle Voucher]?" Loretta asked with a blossoming professional smile. "With these, you may fight the Floor Masters up to a total of three times a day. And they're a steal at only 4… no 3,000 Gold each." 

Hearing Loretta's sale's pitch, Tatsuo was completely dumbfounded. He knew that kang Shin was not able to qualify to buy this item until he had beaten the 20th Floor's Flor Master. So, to be allowed to buy them on only the 10th Floor, he was stupefied. However, when he heard the price, he could not help but twitch his upper lip involuntarily. 

"3,000 Gold each… Isn't that a bit steep?" Tatsuo asked in the most pitiful tone he could muster. "I don't' think I can afford that, Loretta-Oneechan." 

In that moment, Tatsuo seemed to get a few years younger. Coupling that with his extremely handsome face and pitiful tone, Loretta felt as if she had been shot in the heart by an arrow. IN fact, the desire to be Tatsuo's older sister had bloomed splendidly. So splendidly, in fact, that she almost gave in and gave him a discount. However, her rationality kicked back in before she could do something she would regret. 

"You have quite the silver tongue." Loretta said with a genuine smile on her face. "Unfortunately, I can't give you a bigger discount than I've already given you. The 3,000 Gold I quoted you the first time was the manufacturer's cost. So, I really can't lower it any further. Otherwise, I'll be taking a loss." 

'Tch! That tone always works on Mai-Nee whenever she says no to one of my requests.' Tatsuo thought to himself after clicking his tongue internally. 'I always thought Loretta was the big sister-type. But I guess living for twenty seven hund---.' 

Tatsuo's thoughts were forced to a stop when he felt Loretta glaring at him with an intense gaze. As a result, he kicked himself mentally. He already knew she was sensitive to people thinking about her age thanks to the novel. So, he did not know why he even thought about it in the first place. 

"*Cough* Anyway, if you can't go any lower than that, I guess I'll have to do some hunting to make sure that I can keep up with the cost." Tatsuo said while smiling in the most flattering way that he could. "I should just be grateful that the pretty Loretta-Oneechan is willing to give me a discount at all.' 

Smiling smugly, Loretta nodded her head in approval. Then, she handed over four [Floor Master Battle Vouchers], bringing Tatsuo's total Gold savings to around 2,700 Gold. 

After that, Tatsuo turned around and headed right back to the 10th Floor to fight the Wraith Queen again. However, instead of fighting it alone, he chose to create a party. But instead of allowing nine other members to join, he capped the maximum party size at five. So, four Explorers other than himself would be able to join him in the Boss Raid. 

When the party was created, two parties formed from two members joined the party in a matter of minutes. While one party consisted of a man and a woman, the other consisted of two women. 

In the first party, the man was a bulkily built tower of a man wearing a full suit of plate armor with a sword and a shield. The woman who accompanied him was wearing leather armor that only covered her vital areas and carried a bow and a quiver of arrows with long purple hair cascading down her back. 

In the second party, the two women were identical in facial features. They also wore similar outfits consisting of long robes. Though, one wore white and one wore black. They also both held a magical staff in their hands. 

"Yo." Tatsuo said casually after looking over the four people who joined his party. "I'm Tatsuo from Earth, the leader of this party, and I'm an assassin. Why don't you all tell me your names and classes so we can come up with a strategy." 

While the man in full body armor looked Tatsuo over skeptically, the eyes of the three women lit up because of Tatsuo's good looks, as he had not yet put his cowl on. 

"High, I'm Johta!" The young woman in white robes said energetically. "I'm a priestess. So, if you get hurt, leave it to me." 

"I'm Johta's twin sister, Janta." The young woman in black robes said in a much more subdued tone. "I'm a black mage who specializes in elemental attack magic." 

"I'm Rosetta." The woman in leather armor was the next to peak as she winked at Tatsuo seductively. "As you can see I'm an archer. But I wouldn't mind if you pierced me with your arrow instead, Handsome." 

In response, both Tatsuo and the man in full body armor shook their heads. Then, Tatsuo shifted his attention to the armored man as he spoke. 

"And what about you, Big Guy." Tatsuo asked casually. 

"You can call me Carlson." The armored man replied in a deep voice. "I'm a knight. And I specialize in defense." 

Hearing everyone's name and class, Tatsuo quickly came up with a battle strategy. During the battle, he would charge forward. Meanwhile, Carlson would be left to protect the back line fighters while Rosetta and Janta bombarded the Wraiths with arrows and magic. Johta, on the other hand, would be responsible for making sure everyone's HP stayed at a safe level and dispelling the negative status effects caused by [Vengeful Spirit's Wail]. 

Though the four were a bit skeptical about Tatsuo's strategy, they agreed in the end. Especially since he was the only one who fought aggressively in the front line. However, just before Tatsuo could push the door open, Carlson opened his mouth to speak. 

"You said you were from Earth, right?" Carlson asked, sounding as if he had just remembered something. "Does that mean you know the Crowned Prince?" 

Although Tatsuo knew exactly who he was talking about, he tilted his head in confusion to Carlson's question. 

"The Crown Prince?" Tatsuo asked in a confused tone. "Are you talking about the Crowned Prince of England or something like that? For the most part, Monarchy is dead on my world, you know." 

Hearing Tatsuo's response, the four otherworlders wore expressions of shock. The, that shock turned into understanding. 

"I see." Rosetta said with an understanding nod. "I guess the Explorer Communication Channel hasn't been opened up on your world yet, huh?" 

"Explorer Communication Channel?" Tatsuo asked, feigning confusion. 

"Don't worry about it." Rosetta said while waving dismissively. Then, she put on a charming smile as she continued. "But if you want, Onee-Chan can tell you about it in private later." 

Once again, Carlson shook his head. Then, he swatted Rosetta on the back of her head. 

"Would you stop acting like a slut for a minute?" Carlson said sternly. "We've got a raid to commence. We don't need the young man getting distracted now, do we?" 

"Ow! You could have at least token off your gauntlet before you hit me." Rosetta said while rubbing the back of her head. "Besides, you know I was just playing around. I'm already married and I love my hubby. There's no way I'd cheat on him with a kid. But if he were a few years older… Hehehe." 

Deciding to ignore the back and forth between Rosetta and Carlson, Tatsuo turned back to the door. Then, just before he pushed it open, he spoke once again. 

"Alright, let's do this." Tatsuo said loudly as he pulled on his cowl. "I'm opening the door. So, you all better be ready. I'll take off as soon as all of you are inside." 

Immediately, the bickering between Carlson and Rosetta ceased and they both put on serious expressions. Meanwhile, Johta and Janta looked at Tatsuo with sparkling eyes. That said, they both seemed ready to do their jobs, as well. 

Nodding at the expressions of his party members, Tatsuo pushed the door open. Then, the five stepped into the Floor Master Room before the door closed behind them. Immediately after that, Tatsuo dashed forward, brandishing his weapons, cutting down wraiths left and right. 

"Holy shit!" Rosetta exclaimed in surprise as she drew her bow. "This kid is a freak. He's killing them in just one hit. And from what I can tell, he's not even using a Skill." 

"He really is quite strong." Carlson said as he readied his shield for any enemies who rushed past Tatsuo to attack their back line. 

"[ice Arrow]." Janta said, casting a volley of ice spikes towards the wraiths trying to surround Tatsuo. "Enough talking, we need to keep as many of those wraiths off him as possible, archer." 

"Don't tell me how to do my job, Mage." Rosetta barked back as she released her bow string. "[Arrow Rain]." 

Rosetta released a volley of arrows on the other side of Tatsuo. As a result, most of the area to either side of Tatsuo was free of wraiths, making it easier for him to charge to the Wraith Queen's front. 

Eventually, Tatsuo reached the Wraith Queen just as she was trying to summon more wraiths. However, just like he did in his solo battle not long ago, Tatsuo continuously attacked her, interrupting her summoning. And eventually, she shrieked at the top of her lungs… so to speak. 

{Wraith Queen used [Vengeful Spirits Wail]. 

-All party members fall under a state of confusion. 

-All party members fall under a state of fear.} 

Like he did in his last battle with the Wraith Queen, Tatsuo resisted the effects of [Vengeful Spirit's Wail]. Unfortunately, not all his party members were so lucky, as Rosetta and Carlson fell into feared and confused states, respectively. Luckily, Johta was a member of the party. So, she was able to cast a spell to cleanse the status ailments. 

"Oh, Mitarus of Justice and Love." Johta began to chant as soon as she noticed that Rosetta and Carlson had been affected by [Vengeful Spirit's Wail]. "Please cleanse your children of the ailments that afflict them. [Cleanse]." 

In the next instant, the magic staff in Johta's hands glowed brightly. Then, the glow as transferred to Rosetta and Carlson. And as soon as it dimmed, they were both back to normal. Then, after a few words of thanks, they got back to doing their assigned tasks. 

All the while, Tatsuo had been slashing at the Wraith Queen with his daggers coated in [Energy]. On top of that, he added in a [Spatial Slash] every once in a while, as well. And every seven seconds or so, he would [Blink] out of the way of an attack that he knew would hit the Wraith Queen if he were to move. 

Eventually, when all the wraiths had been dealt with, Carlson rushed forward to join Tatsuo in fighting the Wraith Queen up close while Janta and Rosetta now focused all their fire power on the Wraith Queen as well. Johta, on the other hand, had a very leisurely time, as she only really had to worry about healing Tatsuo. Though, he had not been hit even once since all the wraiths were disposed of. 

In the end, in a shorter time than it took him to kill it alone, Tatsuo delivered the final blow to the Wraith Queen, bringing the raid to an end. 

{You Obtained 3,000 Gold. 

-Gold is distributed evenly among party members. 

-You obtained 600 Gold.} 

{Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.} 

{Soramoto Tatsuo-Sama's contribution was the highest. Please choose your reward.} 

While listening to the Dungeon Notifications, Tatsuo's party members were staring blankly. This was not their first time challenging the Wraith Queen. And all their other attempts had been in ten-man parties. Despite that, they had failed the raid every time. However, in a party that was only half-full, they were able to defeat it easily with no casualties. 

"He's just like the Crowned Prince from the rumors." Johta murmured in disbelief. 

"Yeah, I've heard about how the Crowned Prince challenges the Dungeon, too." Janta added. "And it's just like this. Do you think he's trying to gather the whole [Wraith Queen set]?" 

While the two twins chatted in a daze, Carlson finally came out of his stupor. Then, he walked up to Tatsuo, who was examining the list of rewards and patted him on his shoulder strongly. 

"Thank you, Tatsuo." Carlson said with a smile. "We've been stuck here for over a month. But now, we can finally travel up to the next floor. You've really helped us out." 

Pulled out of his contemplation, Tatsuo waved his hand dismissively. However, before he could say anything, he was hugged tightly as his head was pulled into the valley of a pair of deceptively large breasts. 

"You know what?" Rosetta said with a smile. "I know I said I was joking before, but how about you really do have some fun with this Onii-Chan. I'll thank you the right way if you do." 

On impulse, Tatsuo used [Blink] to free himself from Rosetta's grasp. Then, he adopted a defensive posture while looking at her warily. At the same time, Carlson once again slapped her upside the head., causing Rosetta to forget about Tatsuo momentarily as she began bickering with her party member. 

With Carlson and Rosetta bickering and the twins still speaking to each other in a daze, Tatsuo had the time he needed to look over the rewards list. 

Wraith Queen's Whip Mana Potion Soul Tempering Elixir Rescue Nut Emergency Medical Kit 

When Tatsuo finally got a good look at the list of rewards, his eyes opened wide involuntarily. Then, at lightning speed, he reached his hand out to the third reward, the [Soul Tempering Elixir]. AS previously mentioned, during the ten or so raids he did on the Orc Lord, Tatsuo was never able to get one of the three body tempering elixirs that he knew it would drop. So, he expected that he would not get any on this Floor, either. But luckily, his expectations were wrong. 

Once it was in his hands, Tatsuo took a look at the [Soul Tempering Elixir's] description. 

{[Soul Tempering Elixir] – Rare 

-All souls become dirty and mixed with impurities as they live their lives. When the body experiences sudden growth, the soul is often unable to adapt to the new body and begins to degrade. The [Soul Tempering Elixir] purifies the soul and strengthens it to fit the body. A tempered soul not only affects the body positively, but it also positively affects one's mana. 

-Note: When someone whose soul has already been tempered to the max, or when someone who has both a weak soul and body consumes this Elixir, it may deal permanent damage, or even kill in the worst case scenario.} 

After reading the description, Tatsuo immediately threw the pill into his mouth. And as soon as it went down his throat, it turned into a burning torrent of energy that spread around his body. Eventually, after enduring the pain, Tatsuo felt refreshed and heard a Notification. 

{You tempered your soul. As a result, your magic and Charm increase by 1.} 

Having expected the effects the [Soul Tempering Elixir] brought with it, Tatsuo nodded in satisfaction after hearing the Notification. Then, before the rest of the party even chose their rewards, he bid them all farewell and left the party before they could try to convince him to join their parties going forward.