Paladin of Shadows Chapter 15 (Patreon)

With Delta and Epsilion in tow, I was heading into the dungeon for another day of adventuring as it turns out... Hestia and Freya both were deep sleepers when they didn't have anything they needed to do that day. So I just let the two of them sleep as it wasn't like I needed my Falna updated after sleeping.

"Hunting with the boss! Delta gets to hunt with the boss haha!" Delta cheered as she danced around some people who dodged the clearly overly exited beastkin and as much as I could see through my face palm covering my face in embarrassment. I could see that the adventurers knowing that beastkin could be highly excited depending on their bloodline didn't give Delta any issues thankfully.

"Delta, quiet down. You are embarrassing us!" Epsilion snapped out as a small flush entered her cheeks at the knowing looks people were throwing us.

Without a hint of shame, Delta called out excitedly. "Nope! Delta is happy, not embarrassed haha!"

'And this is why Alpha needs to be the one to hold Delta's leash.' I thought with a wry smile so I took Epsilion's hand into my own cutting off her retort as I spoke up while not making eye contact with Delta. "Well if Delta wants to run around, then I guess I should just go home and tell Alpha she was a bad girl and wouldn't let us go hunting."

Delta literally gagged as she shuddered and whirled around to face me with her ears pulled back and her long tail shooting straight up as she howled. "Nooo! Delta isn't a bad, bad girl! Don't tell Alpha that!" 

She begged and pleaded so fervently so I grabbed her arm and pulled towards the Tower of Babel that was built over the dungeon as I knew Delta was no subdued enough now to listen to directions for now. So once we got into the dungeon I followed the maps I got from the Guild to head to the fifth floor.

As I was confident that with two of the Seven Shadows... I couldn't die even if I wanted to especially seeing as I had a healing spell.

On the fifth floor there were still only the basic three types of monsters in Kobolds, Goblins, and Dungeon Lizards. The only difference between the upper floors and up here is how the monsters get stronger, faster, and slightly bigger at the fifth floor. But past the fifth floor, in the sixth floor, new monsters are found with prior monsters almost seemingly evolving as they become noticeably stronger and bigger.

"So Delta, how far did you and Alpha go into the dungeon?" I asked curiously.

And Delta made a humming noise before she said with some disinterest. "Hmm, Lady Alpha brought us down really really deep and we killed some cow-headed thingies. But Delta smashed and cut them down really easily because Delta is super strong you know Boss!" 

Even as Delta flexed her arm to show how 'strong' she was with her tightly fitting slime outfit conforming around those flexed arm muscles I was still somewhat focused on what she said previously. 'Huh so they got almost to Riviria, and I remember Alpha saying that it took too long for comfort to get that deep in for easy Execllia grinding.'

But regardless we soon came across our first monsters in the dungeon and with my greatly thickened Slime suit I decided to take some notes out of Venom's handbook and made a large double sided hammer on my arm.

A decent group of five goblins and Delta was held back from blending them to pieces as Epsilon caught the overly eager murder puppy with some slime strings that tied up her limbs for a moment allowing me to get into the fight first.

The goblins even for being at the fifth floor barely came up to my mid-chest point so it was actually easier for me to properly brain them with my conjured-up axe that smashed open a head like it was juicy watermelon that got hit by an axe moving entirely too fast.

"Jake, an axe splits things better with a tapper with the blade and body spreading out more, unless you are just trying to chop them apart but in that case you might as well switch to a sword and be more efficient." Epsilon spoke and I grunted in understanding with the conjured axe falling apart as I exhaled and formed thick spikes on my fist and knees.

'Weapons are too complicated... Just smashing is better.' I thought as I grabbed a flailing arm that went for my face and with the jagged claws of black solid slime I ripped the flesh from the goblin's arms before my hand got caught on the bones its arms.

With a growl, I ripped the goblin towards me and with a crunching noise my spike cover knee slammed hard into its chest with its ribs audibly exploding via the wide spike impaling and splitting its chest open to match the pyramid-shaped spike on my knee.

Then using the dying goblins arm as leverage I spun around making it lose its weight as I built up momentum and then I followed the logic of all fighting games... To spin was to win and I used the goblin as a wrecking ball as bones cracked and their fellow goblins screamed as their brethren was repeatedly smashed into them.

"Wow boss! Use that prey as a weapon itself haha!" Delta cheered happily and then with the wolf beastkin cheering me on I strained myself as I spun around quicker and then pivoting on my foot I brought the corpse of the certainly dead goblin above my head using all the momentum I had and then like I was splitting wood I grabbed the dead goblins arm with both hands and slammed his form onto one of the bodies of the surviving goblins with a series of loud cracking nosies ringing out as both goblins had... A lot of bones breaking obviously.

'I may not have in-depth martial arts training. But I know how to punch, I know how to knee and I know the weak points of a living being's body. Killing isn't hard if you are actually trying to do so.' I thought as I made a knife hand and with my slime I condensed my hand into a thick knife so I could work to cut open the goblins to cut open the path to the monster stones.

While I used my other dominant hand to do the actual plucking of the magic stone.

Whether it be goblin or kobold, should I punch them in the face and pop their eyes with the spikes over my knuckles, they were out of the fight. If I morphed my hands into hook claws and tore out their throats they were out of the fight.

For all that monsters wanted any sentient dungeon invading life dead. In the end, they were still technically living beings and all living beings when they are drowning their own blood are more worried about that, than actually trying to kill me.

After dealing with another smaller group of Kobols Delta spoke more seriously. "Hmm, you are trying too hard boss." Delta said making me blink in confusion so she continued. "Like that kobold back there. You didn't need to punch it three times in the chest after you collapsed its throat with the first punch. Hnghhh! You need to just slash them to pieces and then move onto the the next target! Don't focus on one monster so much!" Delta explained with some difficulty.

Taking in her words I bit my lip as I tried to consider how to do that and Delta seeing my confusion she smiled and said. "Boss hold up that kobold for me!" I looked over at the Kobold corpse she was pointing at as I hadn't managed to get the monster stone out of it yet.

And that one died to me punching a hand spike into its brain so I got over to it and picked it up by the back of its neck and held it out to my side with its feet barely touching the ground. "Like this?" I asked and Delta growled making my form shiver as the ground under her feet cratered and as a blur passed by me.

I felt the kobolds form get wrenched out of my hands as Delta came down on it with both her hands turned into a knife hand that speared through the kobold and then she spun throwing the twice bisected kobold that was in three pieces across the dungeon hallway splattering fucking everything in gore.

"See Boss! If you cut them in half more than once, then they can't be an issue anymore!" Delta said proudly like she came up with a damned nobel prize.

With Epsilion sighing and saying. "This is why we didn't want you to train with Delta, she is messy."

I dropped the remains of the kobold in my hand as it was fading away as Delta in her 'kill' had destroyed the kobolds magic stone which meant that we obviously wouldn't be getting paid for that kill so I said bluntly. "That's good and all Delta, but you destroyed the monster stone... So that's money we lost, you gotta be more careful if you want to cut monsters in half." 

At my words Delta snapped out a salute saying quickly. "Yes, boss!"

So I turned to Epsilon and said. "Well let's keep going, I want to deal with at least fifty monsters in total today so I have something to show for the day seeing as we aren't going any deeper."