Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 787: Cryptozoology Vlog

After spending a week in the old monastery and what could be considered a small fortune in lodging, Uriel was already regretting his decision to take over the Defender's mission. He didn't have a clue of how much the reward would be, but now he doubted it would match the amount he spent and felt as though he was bleeding out through his wallet.

"Those bastards tricked me." Uriel let out.

"Hate to be that person, but didn't it occur to you that a company called the Defenders would take on unprofitable jobs if it meant saving people?" Nika had a hard time holding in her laughter. To her, her stay in the old monastery became a relaxing vacation after she was rescued and she enjoyed every minute of it. She knew Uriel's case was the opposite, but she also knew he wouldn't just quit on a job because it was difficult.

"Uhm... this is on you. I would prefer to be at a place with a nice library." Luna muttered while reading the cereal box for the umpteenth time.

"Let's go through what we know once more." Uriel shook his head and took his notepad.

"Here we go again." Nika facepalmed.

"Alfaro, the meteorologist, turned out to be innocent and what caused you to disappear remains a mystery. He only ran away because when the defenders attempted to interrogate them, they also disappeared and reappeared on the hidden basement where we found them."

"Yes, but we have tried to extrapolate a rule about that and all our attempts failed. I also disappeared when I was doing nothing." Luna said.

"You say you were doing nothing, but I think you were raiding the kitchen's pantry."

"My point stands, I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary," Luna insisted then added. "we also tried to replicate the same circumstances that led to us being taken to the basement to no avail. I still think it must be an external factor and not an inherent rule to this place or a cryptid."

"You say that, but it's not like cryptids follow the scientific method." Uriel's words caused Luna to drop her spoon and gape her mouth in disbelief.

"After all this time, you still don't believe cryptozoology is an actual science?"

"I didn't say that." Uriel shrugged.

"Take out your smartphone, this calls for a Vlog...," Luna said, then added with a somber expression. "one specifically about cryptozoology."

Despite having his doubts, Uriel did what Luna asked, but only after Nika directed him a murderous gaze that hinted the only correct answer was to agree. Nika wasn't one to coddle Luna, except in her everyday and during missions where she did coddle her at all times.

"Uhm... hi, this is Luna. Cryptids may be strange creatures and are difficult to categorize, but once this is achieved it is possible to predict certain aspects of their behavior and anatomy. For instance, most cryptids possess different organs that humans and animals don't, but that doesn't mean we can't understand their purpose. Most cryptids do have fangs, but others possess other means to prepare their meal for consumption.

"In the case of a rock golem, they possess something similar to a shredder inside their maws which means they likely can benefit from consuming their victim on their entirety. It is not the same case for vampires since they only benefit from consuming blood. They have protruding fangs that are hollow. This is specially important because vampires were believed to suck blood, but it would be more precise to say they siphon it out."

Luna continued speaking about cryptids in front of the camera, giving the cryptozoologist equivalent to an introductory class. Her annoyingly slow speech pattern made her voice soothing enough for Nika to fall asleep in the first couple minutes, but Uriel figured out the least he could do after offending Luna's career path was to pay attention.

"Sometimes it's impossible to uncover a cryptid's allergy or weakness because they are too weak to begin with and experimenting on beast level cryptids is impossible as they would rather die kicking and screaming than being subjected to testing. However, the same can't be said about entity level cryptids as some of them are sentient and can be coerced or manipulated into participating into some experiments. I believe that this..."

Luna continued on her speech and although Uriel did want to learn, his mind drifted, not because it didn't fit his area of interest, which it didn't, but because he tried to apply what she was saying to her current problem.

No matter how much they investigated the place, there weren't any traced of cryptid activity or even a dungeon nearby and to top it off, the system app that usually tipped him off or warned him remained awfully quiet.

"Because of this, one of the few ways to understand a cryptid's identity is to isolate some of their characteristics and try some of the factors that could produce a reaction. This is a flawed approach, as some cryptids can resist their weaknesses in varying degrees, but it is the best we can do with our limited understanding of these creatures. In this case, we find ourselves investigating a case that likely... uhm, no, certainly involves a demon whom is able to resist the religious symbols and paraphernalia..."

"Hang on one second, how can you be so sure it is a demon? There's not a single clue about it." Uriel said at the same time he prodded Nika to wake up.

"On the contrary, the smell of rotting eggs in the kitchen is impossible to miss." Luna stated.

"Sure, but they do have old eggs stashed away. We already went through this." Nika grunted.

"And what if they keep spoiled eggs just to cover the smell commonly associated with demons?"

"And how would you try this theory?" Uriel asked.

"Easy, we just salt each entrance and see who can't move between rooms." Luna said.

"And why didn't you say this earlier? We wasted an entire week in here." Uriel couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Because this is a priceless opportunity, didn't you listen to me? Cryptids at the entity level or higher can be coaxed into participating into experiments. I have been performing multiple tests this entire time." Luna nonchalantly said.

"And you already found the cryptid?"

"Uhm... no."

"Back at ground zero it is." Nika let out in a sigh.

"No, we're leaving. This isn't worth our time." Uriel said as he stood up.

The group of hunters went to grab their belongings and readied themselves to leave, but Nika refused to do so without checking out and they waited by the desk in hopes that the receptionist would come.

"Let's just leave." Uriel grunted when it became clear no one would come.

"No, no, no... you heard the receptionist complain hunters were rude and would never check out when they were actually missing. If we don't let her know we're leaving, she might think we too are missing. That's not just rude, it's dangerous. What if news of our supposed demise reach the Defenders?"

"It happens rarely, but I agree." Uriel conceded and readied himself for a long wait.

When the receptionist finally showed up she apologized for taking so long and also for the troubles they went through during their stay and for some reason Luna became antsy.

"Stop picking your nose, Luna. They'll think we don't have manners." Nika scolded, but then paled when she realized it wasn't her picking her nose but the agreed signal that something was off.

"What is your name?" Luna asked.

"Oh, It's our policy to never give our names in case we stumble upon grudgy hunters." The receptionist chuckled. It was a valid excuse, but one that didn't precisely put their minds at rest.

"What are you thinking?" Uriel asked Luna in a whisper.

"In mythology, demons won't identify themselves unless compelled by a higher power. That's because their identity is their bane." Luna explained, also in a whisper.

"A higher power," Uriel muttered to himself then looked at the receptionist directly in the eye and said the following word. "Goodbye." When she flinched, Uriel pressed further and said. "Aren't you going to say it back?"

"Oh, sure..." The receptionist waved at them and Uriel's face became stone cold.

"Say it." And yet, the receptionist didn't.

Knowing they were against the enemy, Uriel activated Dash and lunged forward dagger in hand and swung it at the woman.

"That wasn't polite." She said, her voice coming from the severed head on the ground then a deep laughter bellowed from the unseen abyss in the basement and the lights of the monastery now converted into a hotel went out.

"That isn't its physical body, in order to kill it we will have to find it first." Luna said.

"Did he just kill an innocent person who was possessed?" Nika asked in a thin voice, though both Uriel and Luna decided to ignore the question and move to more pressing matters as one of the guests showed up wearing the same disgusting grin the receptionist had on her face after being caught.

"Now that you know my secret, I won't be able to process your check out."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢