Chapter 23. The First Divine Key.
Gavin spent the rest of the day after that glaring at Tessa as he continued with his training. She refused to speak to him even after she retreated to her tent in a huff of rage and changed into dry clothes. She brought out the wet articles of clothing and hung them on the line to dry.
"Just go apologize already you dunce." Aria whispered to Gavin as he hung his head and turned his back to Tessa.
Gavin shook his head. "No, what she did was uncalled for." His grumbled response made Aria shrug with a sigh.
"Whatever pup." She teased him as she walked over to where Lyla was relaxing in a chair.
Erza walked over and rubbed his back. "Go talk to her, make peace so we can enjoy the rest of the trip." Her words were soft, but Gavin could feel the sincerity in her tone as he looked at her.
"She's not going to talk to me." His whispered reply made her raise an eyebrow at him.
"Since when are you a coward?" She walked away without another word and left him to ponder her question.
Gah, easy for you to say! Why do I have to be the one to apologize? She started it and even pushed me into the river. Protest all he wanted, he knew that tone from Erza. She expected him to do better.
Plus, He had never been a coward.
He grumbled as he walked over to where she stood, hanging her clothes up on the line. He stopped a few feet away and scratched at the back of his neck.
"Hey…"
"What do you want now?" Her tone was short and sharp. She turned around to face him with her arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed. Her black mana was barely visible swirling around her as her eyes faintly glowed in the afternoon sun.
"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for dousing you." He looked her in the eyes as he apologized. She scoffed and turned her back to him.
Silence was his answer as he turned and faced Erza. He held up his hands in defeat and pointed to Tessa. He shook his head as he stormed off towards the edge of camp.
"I'm going for a run." Gavin announced as he closed his eyes and felt that now familiar burn in his blood. Might as well get the daily exercise in and over with. He welcomed that familiar ache that came with his shift. His limbs elongated and fur manifested over his body. He opened his eyes, and everything was much sharper as he looked around. This is getting easier.
Erza frowned as she walked over. "I can go with you. My back's stiff from that chair." She began to stretch as her eyes glowed faintly.
Gavin shook his head. "Nah, not this time. I won't be gone long." He walked over to kiss her cheek gently, his whiskers ticking her cheek.
Before Erza could reply he already took off down the game trail they used for their runs. Erza hesitated a moment, a strange foreboding sensation filled her heart at the look on his face. Are you hiding something?
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Once he was far enough away from camp he came to a stop. The birds and insects quiet as he looked around, ensuring he was truly alone.
Veronica, are you ready?
Do you wish to use Divine Key?
Yes please. I want to know what it does.
You will teleport to the training realm created by Koray. He is waiting for you.
Gavin closed his eyes and felt a strange sensation over his body. It felt like he was pulled across the cosmos in mere seconds as he stood in front of a large opulent set of doors set into white marble like stone.
Gavin looked around as he inspected his surroundings. This was like the room he last spoke with the god before. But Gavin noticed there was no throne like the last time.
"So, you finally decided to use the Key." A voice called out from behind him. Warm, kind and ancient.
Gavin turned to face Koray standing before him. His long blonde hair was pulled back from his perfectly tanned features. His dark grey eyes seemed to bore through to Gavin's soul. "You knew I would." Gavin's reply was short and on guard as he watched the ancient being. I still can't believe I'm talking to a god. Just how much will my life change?
The briefest hint of a smile lifted the edges of Koray's lips. "I expected as much." His reply was truthful as he walked towards the towering wolf. "You seem to have grown much in a short time." He nodded his head approvingly, a strange light in his eyes.
Gavin looked down at his fur covered arms and grinned. "Yeah, I think I'm finally getting a hand on this whole shifting thing. The others have been a great help with that." He clenched his hand into a fist, feeling the way his muscles respond as naturally as his human body.
Koray smiled in satisfaction. "That's good young Gavin. You just might survive this journey after all. Now. Are you ready to learn about this training dungeon?"
Gavin looked at Koray, his gaze determined and unflinching. "Will this help me gain power?"
Koray smirked as he spread his arms wide in front of the opulent doors. "Succeed here and you have the chance to gain power that will rival the gods."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Gavin took a step forward only for Koray to block his path. Gavin glared at him and a soft growl rumbled from his chest.
"You must learn patience wolf. There is much you need to learn about the dungeon before you enter." Koray placed his hand against Gavin's furry chest, stopping him effortlessly in his stride.
"The Divine Keys are a rare gift the system can give out as a reward. They are a one-time use item that gives you access to this dimension and the dungeon itself. First bit of information I'll tell you is this. Time doesn't exist here. Or rather, it moves so slowly here that hours or days spent will be seconds in the mortal plane." Koray began as he locked gazes with Gavin's red eyes.
"So I can spend months inside, growing stronger nonstop and no time will pass outside?" Gavin had a wide grin on his face as he imagined just how powerful he could become after a trip like that.
Koray nodded, his face grim. "Potentially, yes. Think of what lies beyond this gate as an infinite dungeon, always scaling to your current level of strength. Every floor has monsters, traps, or other ways of testing your growth. Beat the minor boss at the end of each floor to receive bonus rewards." Gavin's eyes grew wide at that announcement.
"So, it will always be a challenge?" He asked him. Gavin shifted from foot to foot, anxious to throw open the doors and get started. So the longer I stay, the better the system rewards are, on top of all the battle experience, this is so busted!
Koray nodded. "On top of the experience gained fighting the enemies inside, the system will reward you based on floors conquered and boss enemies slain. Every fifth floor will contain a major boss that will always scale ten to twenty levels above you at random. Injuries and fatigue will not be permanent to your body. Though I can not speak for your mental state at suffering loss or perceived death inside the dungeon. Once you start, you are unable to leave unless you "die" inside the dungeon." Koray dropped that final nugget like a bombshell on Gavin.
Gavin snapped his head to face the god. His blood chilled at that concept. "So, every time I have to go through a perceived death in order to end the session?" He couldn't imagine fighting so hard and dying every time just to leave this place.
Koray nodded. "That's correct. But you can know that you will return to the exact place and nearly the exact time that you used the key. I need you to grow strong quickly wolf. There are other forces at play that I cannot control or intervene with. I risk more than you will ever know, helping you like this. So do me proud, and do not make me regret choosing you as my agent." Koray vanished in a cloud of mist as he let that last piece of information fill Gavin's head.
"Hey! You can't just drop that kind of a bombshell on me then leave!" Gavin shouted at the ceiling. "Get back here!" He screamed but no one answered.
Veronica?
Yes, master Gavin?
What information do you have about the kinds of trials we will face inside? Gavin walked up to the doors and placed his fur covered paw against the cool metal. His entire body trembled as he waited for a response.
Unfortunately, I do not know what lies ahead. Once we begin each floor I will advise you to the best of my abilities. Veronica's reply was curt. Gavin let out a huff as he pressed against the door.
It's now or never, I might as well see what I'm working with. With effort the massive doors began to swing inward and opened the path before him.
Gavin grimaced as he walked through the door and was blinded by a searing light. He raised his arm to cover his vision slightly as he continued forward, ears alert for any sound.
When the light finally faded and Gavin could finally see, he was absolutely stunned. He pictured the dungeon would be some kind of typical gaming dungeon; stone walls, tiny corridors, torch's on the walls. Damn, moldy, bleak.
That was not what presented itself to Gavin.
After the light faded, Gavin found himself standing in the middle of a thick forest. Trees thicker than he was tall clustered all around him. The tops reaching towards the sky. Wait a minute… Gavin's jaw dropped as he noticed there was in fact a blue sky above him, and rays of sunlight filtered through the trees.
"What kind of dungeon is this, Koray?" Gavin's words were whispered in awe.
Veronica, how much exp do I need to level up?
Currently you are at zero of the four hundred needed to reach level four. A branch snapped behind him. Alert, enemies detected. FOCUS MASTER GAVIN!