《Rebirth of the Strongest Dungeon Master》
Chapter 1 Betrayal
"I would rather end this peacefully. But you forced me to bring death. So get ready."
Thousands of mes flew in the night sky like a rain ofets. The wind blows carried the fishy smell of blood and the burning smell of flesh. Screams, monster roars, metal shes; The voices echoed throughout the city.
The corpses of humans and monsters of various races such as trolls, ogres, minotaurs; decorated the streets like a parade. They pose as they should. Some sat down with frightened expressions. Some were lying on the ground. There were also those who died while pointing at the sky.
Among them,id the carcass of a giant dragon full of hundreds of spears stuck in its body.
The scene was perfect.
A tower that almost pierced the sky, the so called dungeon slowly crumbling down, and just below it, a battle broke out.
"Raaaaawrgh!"
Dozens of monsters screamed as bullets bore holes in their bodies.
,m A man walked through the onught of monsters alone. His white hair and pale skin were stained with blood. Behind the sses, his eyes shine cold. The sawed-off guns in both hands continued to fire out shes of bullets.
Bam! Bam!
On the other side was a red-haired woman holding a giant scythe and dozens of monsters standing by her. However, the woman''s condition was very worrying. Every part of her body had wounds that were oozing blood.
"Isaac, are you going to do everything the Duke tells you to do? I thought you had a will of your own!" eximed the red-haired woman.
Then, the monsters attacked the man called Isaac.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Instantly, the monsters that attacked Isaac turned into lifeless lumps of flesh.
"My loyalty is proof of my will, Lady Alyna," Isaac said. After that, he shot towards the red-haired woman.
Alyna bolted along with dozens of her monsters.
Bang! Bang! nk!
The bullets and the curved sickle shed against each other. Alyna, with a weak condition and pain all over her body, tried to withstand the bullets. Even though she was victorious in numbers, it was still not enough to overpower her opponent''s ferocity.
Whereas Isaac seemed otherwise. He fought with an expression as calm aske water; the bullets spewing from the muzzle of his gun, killing every monster that charged forward.
Bamm!
A mana bullet pierced Alyna''s stomach. Her mouth immediately oozed a gush of blood. The monsters roared with anger when they found out their master was injured.
Sixteen monsters consisting of ogre, lycan, dragon-born attacked Isaac simultaneously.
Bamm! Bamm! Bamm!
The monsters copsed lifelessly. Now only Isaac and Alyna were left.
The gray-haired man walked closer to Alyna, who had run out of energy to fight.
"Let''s end this. Tell me where you hid your Crystal Core."
Alya smiled sarcastically. "The battle isn''t over yet."
The two of them stared at each other for a long time, as if they were waiting for the right time. Alyna seemed to be reaching for something from her clothes pocket.
"What did you take?" Isaac asked curiously.
Once again, Alyna smiled sarcastically. "You want my Crystal Core right?"
Isaac''s eyes narrowed when he saw the hourss in the woman''s hand. Suddenly, he started to have a bad feeling.
"What is that?" Isaac raised his voice. Alyna kept her mouth shut while showing a cynical smile. This made Isaac even more anxious.
Cleak. Bang!
The bullet pierced through the woman''s head. She copsed and was bleeding profusely.
He had a hunch that bad things would happen if he didn''t kill her soon.
Ding!
[The winner of the game has been determined. Duke Gavin Bael.]
Blood, death, and all the cmities that were happening right now were just a game.
Game for Earth domination!
It all started when the Absolute One¡ªthe Creator of Everything¡ªdecided to stop caring for the Earth.
Earth would be given to one of the Nobles of the Nether Realm¡ªthe domain of the demon race. Whereas the number of nobles lived, there were 108 demons.
To determine who the right owner was, a strategy game was made. 108 dungeons descended on Earth. Each dungeon represented a noble in the Nether Realm. They would fight each other until there was only one dungeon left.
Isaac was one of the Nobles. However, in the middle of the game he lost his Dungeon. Luckily, he managed to save himself. Still, he must survive until the end of the game.
Then, he met a noble who wanted to protect him, though in exchange he must help the noble win this game.
That noble was Gavin Bael.
Isaac, who had already lost his Dungeon, had no reason to refuse. In addition, Gavin Bael was a Duke. Their rtionship built throughout the game. Gavin treated Isaac with respect, and vice versa. It didn''t take long for Isaac to give his allegiance.
Together, they conquered every Dungeon on Earth.
Gavin also promised, should he be the winner in thispetition, Isaac would be given a proper position by his side.
Isaac epted the promise. He felt he had no more chance to own the Earth. So it wouldn''t hurt to try serving Gavin to get some power. After all, he would only be wandering on Earth until the game was over.
Alyna Agares, thest remaining Royalty, had just been eliminated from the game. This way Gavin Bael, the only Noble who owned the Dungeon, had finally won the game.
Game over. Isaac could finally rest.
At least for now.
Isaac walked through the pile of corpses towards Lady Alyna''s body. He brushed her hair and adjusted the position of the corpse as a form of final respect. However, Isaac''s eyes were shifted to the hourss lying next to him. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and put it in his pocket.
Not long after, Isaac sensed someone''s presence.
The figure of a handsome young man came from behind Isaac. He had silver hair and violet eyes. A person Isaac was very familiar with. Who else but Lord Gavin Bael?
"Good job, my greatest general. You did your job well," said Gavin.
Isaac smiled humbly.
The silver-haired man then approached Lady Alyna''s body. Behind Isaac''s back, he examined Alyna closely.
"Now I have one task for you, Lord Isaac."
Without hesitation Isaac asked, "What is it, Lord Gavin?"
"To die."
St¡ª!
Unexpectedly, a cold dagger pierced through Isaac''s stomach. He looked at the person he was serving with a questioning face. "G-Gavin?"
Nevertheless, Gavin looked at him with a cold gaze.
Isaac staggered, then copsed. His mouth was bleeding non-stop. He was still shocked by what had just happened. Gavin was standing over him with a stony stare.
"Why are you doing this?"
The silver-haired man knelt down. He innocently said, "You know too much about me. Is it dangerous to live on?"
Gavin''s answer shattered Isaac''s heart to pieces, after all the struggles they had been through. It never even crossed Isaac''s head to betray Gavin.
"I¡ obey everymand¡ and never once doubted you."
Isaac''s face was darkened and grim. His eyes shed with anger and resentment.
"How many demons have I killed to achieve your victory?! I never betrayed you! Is this what I got!?"
Gavin shook his head. "Maybe not now, but someday you will betray me. That is our nature."
After that, Gavin stood up and quickly left, leaving Isaac lying in a defenseless state.
The dagger stuck in Isaac''s stomach continued to eat away at his life. A loyal man died because of a betrayal.
There were only two choices he could make now. Waiting to die or kill himself.
But Isaac couldn''t ept either choice.
"Aaaaaarghhhhh!" His hand pulled out the dagger that had stabbed him in the stomach. Instantly, excruciating pain hit him along with the gush of blood.
Alone, with only the pile of corpses, Isaac screamed with all his might to vent his emotions. When there was nothing left, Isaac''s screams died down. So was his heart rate.
"I don''t want to die."
After saying those words, Isaac breathed hisst on the cold ground.
Unbeknownst to him, the hourss in Isaac''s pocket was glowing.
[The Sand of Time Artefact has been activated.]
[yers can restart the game.]
Chapter 2 Rebirth
Isaac felt he was drowning in the deep ocean. It was cold and as if his body was getting pulled to the bottom. Strangely, the longer he sank, the warmth he felt.
"Master, the meeting begins."
Isaac was sure that he was dead. However, after hearing a soft voice of a woman, he realized this darkness was not death.
He could still feel every part of his body. Then, he opened his eyes.
A woman with pointed ears stood in front of him. The clothes she was wearing were very familiar. Isaac had often seen his servants in the Nether Realm wearing those clothes.
Isaac still couldn''t grasp the situation, but he felt a d¨¦j¨¤ vu. "Yes¡ what?"
Then, Isaac saw the woman walking ahead, as if leading him. His feelings told him to follow her.
The two of them walked down therge hall. The walls along the hall shined in golden colour, while the floor was made of marble tiles covered with a red carpet. Isaac felt the familiarity once again, as if he had visited this ce before.
"No¡"
Not long after walking, they arrived at arge gate with unique carvings.
Only then was Isaac convinced. "There''s no mistaking it¡ This is the assembly hall in the Nobles? Impossible," he mumbled.
"Please, Sir." The woman bowed respectfully, then the gate began to open.
A squeaky sound was heard. Isaac''s eyes tried to peek through the gap in the gate. Not long after, the gate opened wide.
An enormous circr conference table stood in the centre of the room. The nobles that Isaac had killed and forgave seemed to sit rxed in good condition.
''I went back in time¡''
He had just returned to the past. Right on the day the game of Earth would begin!
Isaac''s entire body shook at the sight before him. All of this seemed absurd. He couldn''t believe that after experiencing death, he woulde back to the past.
''I don''t know what happened, but it''s amazing.''
Excitedly, Isaac stepped into the meeting room. His eyes scouted for an empty seat.
''There it is.''
Isaac sat down. He looked at the two demons next to him in disbelief. On Isaac''s right, a demon with a male stature but a feminine face. While on the left side, there was a male demon with goat''s horns on the forehead. Isaac was very familiar with these two demons.
The demon with goat''s horns realized he was being watched. Then, he turned his head and looked at Isaac with a sneer.
"You are not a Duke. Stop looking at me like that."
Like royalty, they had high self-esteem. Isaac didn''t want to cause any trouble on an important day like this, so he kept his mouth shut and smiled at the goat-horned demon.
Even though all the Nobles in the Nether Realm were realm lords, they were actually divided into three castes.
The first was Baron, the lowest caste of the Nobles. They were the lowest ranked Nobles, with a total of 72 demons. Then, above them were Earls, middle-ss Nobles. There were 28 demons.
Lastly, was the Duke, the axis of power in the Nether Realm. They were the top rank Nobles. There were only eight of them. Although eight demons had different ranks, their strength was almost the same. The Baron and Earl had always been the Duke''s vassals, like a swan following its mother.
If seen in the order of chairs, their sitting position clearly separated their ss. Isaac sat in the back seat near the gate, which was where the Barons sat. The further away they sat from the entrance gate, the higher the grade was.
Isaac''s eyes looked at his surroundings.
On the other side was a bright red skin demon with smouldering hair. The demon''s face looked ufortable.
There was also a 3 meters high demon. He had the eyes of a cat. Isaac was very familiar with the demon. He was Edric Vassago, one of the eight Dukes.
Then, Isaac found a demon figure that caught his attention. A purple-skinned demon with pointy ears. Isaac wouldn''t forget this demon. He was Baron Gustav. The demon responsible for destroying Isaac''s dungeon.
Isaac''s eyes suddenly turned full of hatred.
''You¡''
The hatred was not directed at Baron Gustav. He saw the figure of another demon. A demon who had betrayed his loyalty and devotion.
Who else but Gavin Bael¡ªthe demon currently ranked at the very top among the 108 Nobles.
''Gavin Bael¡ you will pay for everything you did!''
Suddenly, from above the hall came a bright light.
Slowly, the light disappeared, and the figure of a man with three pairs of white wings appeared. His face was pure white, and he had beautiful golden hair. A divine aura radiated from him.
He was Gabriel, the Messenger Angel.
"All nobles. Before starting the game, I briefly re-exined the objective of the game."
Instantly, the atmosphere began to tense up. The sound died down into the silence. However, the atmosphere was broken when one of the demons shouted.
"Bastard! You''re taking too long!"
He was Hugh Barbatos, a burly demon with ck hair and ruby-red eyes. He was a Duke, ranked eighth out of all the Nobles.
Without looking at Hugh Barbatos, Gabriel raised a hand. His previously open palms turned into fists. Hugh Barbatos'' voice immediately dissipated.
Then, Gabriel said, "Let''s continue."
All the demons seemed to be listening with serious faces.
"Each of you will get a Dungeon. You fight each other until one Dungeon is left. Inside the dungeon you can create a defensive field and monster soldiers. But of course, to build all that, it''s not free. You need zenny."
Zenny was the currency in this game. It was used to exchange various resources needed to build military strength as well as dungeon defense.
And to get zenny, they needed effort.
"Kill humans, and you will get zenny," Gabriel added.
The angel looked around, observing the expressions on the faces of the Demon Lords. They looked impatient to start the game.
"I guess that''s all. Let''s start the game."
Then, a transparent blue screen appeared in front of the Nobles. The image of a map was disyed on the screen.
"The map you are looking at is Earth, where you are ying the game. One of the worlds located in the Mortal Realm. Choose anding location for your dungeons."
Everyone was silent. They were busy appraising thending location.
Landing was the most crucial part of the game. Not only did it determine the strategic location but also financial conditions.
Most demons would choose a densely popted area. The more humans, the easier it was to collect zenny, and the more resources they could buy.
However,nding in a ce with a high poption didn''t necessarily guarantee victory.
In his previous life, Isaac chose tond in Beijing. This choice was intended to make farming easier, but it was a wrong decision.
Based on Isaac''s memory, 40 % Noblesnded in Asia, especially China. The rest were scattered in various parts of the Earth.
''Big countries with high poptions will definitely be ruled by Nobles, especially by Dukes. I would be killed if I were among them.''
In China there were 10 Dungeons. One of them belonged to Duke Hugh Barbatos. Because of this, Isaac lost in farming, hecked zenny and had manypetitors.
But now, thanks to his past knowledge and experience, Isaac had determined the idealnding location.
China-North Korea-Russia tripoint.
This ce was the border of three great countries, and two of them had high poptions. So Isaac could target the three countries at once. Besides, Isaac''s Dungeon would be far from the other Nobles.
''This time he has to seed.''
As Isaac sank into his ns, one by one, the nobles diminished. They were enveloped in blue light and then disappeared.
The originally crowded hall was now quiet.
"Lord Isaac Constantine? You are the only one left in this hall. Have you made your decision?" Gabriel asked.
In this majestic room, only Isaac and Gabriel were left.
"Of course I have."
Then Isaac chose thending location he had chosen.
[Are you sure?]
[Yes/No]
He pressed the option ''Yes''. His body was enveloped in a blue light and then vanished, just like any other noble.
Chapter 3 Dungeon Master
In the dark room, there was a small crystal in the shape of an octahedral that glowed. A purple light hit Isaacs''s face, who was staring at the source of light.
"Crystal Core..."
Isaac had justnded on Earth. He was currently on the highest floor of the Dungeon.
The thing Isaac was staring at was the core of the Dungeon''s life. Like the heart in a body, this shining object channeled all of its energy into the Dungeon to build whatever was in it and keep it upright.
Without a Crystal Core, the Dungeon would copse.
In his previous life, Isaac lost the Dungeon due to enemy soldiers breaking through the highest floor and destroying the Crystal Core.
"This time I won''t repeat the same mistake again."
The light in the Crystal Core suddenly brightened. From behind the light, a creature appeared.
"Yahoo! My Lord! My name is Pippi. From now on, I will be your aide."
A girl with the stature of a 4-year-old child had just been born from a Crystal Core.
She had fair skin with brown freckles and red hair. She smiled widely, showing her missing teeth on the front. Excitement radiated from her expression.
Isaac sighed when he saw the child named Pippi.
"What did I expect? Of course, this naughty kid is the Dungeon Manager," Isaac thought.
Pippi''s eyes squinted into mere slits at her master''s response.
Dungeon Manager was a position in charge of supporting the Nobles in managing the Dungeon. It could be said they were the right-hand men.
Their duties included building Dungeons on each floor and rebuilding the Dungeon''s destroyed properties. Including taking over the position of Noble when the Dungeon Master was not in ce.
Dungeon Manager was a creature in the form of clumps of energy. They were born and their souls were directly connected to the Crystal Core.
In other words, Pippi''s existence was bound by the dungeon.
"Alright Lord, are you ready to listen to the tutorial exnation?" Pippi asked.
Isaac shook his head. He had been ying this game for 8 years. So, he already knew the ins and outs very well.
Pippi was surprised at Isaac''s response. She insisted on reminding Isaac how important basic information was, especially every feature in the Dungeon. However, Isaac still refused.
"Pippi, you don''t have to." His eyes stared at the little girl. "Do your next task."
Pippi sighed in disappointment. "Okay." She then touched Isaac and the light from the Crystal Core radiated into Isaac''s body.
Ding!
A notification window appeared before Isaac.
[Synchronizationpleted!]
[Disying status information.]
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 21]
[Rank : 99th - Baron]
[Title : N/A]
[Skill Slot : 0/3]
[Strength : 38]
[Magic : 60]
[Constitution : 41]
[Dexterity : 58]
[Perception : 55]
[Dungeon Floors : 0/3]
[Monster Boss : 0/3]
[Poption : 0/300,000]
[Fund : 100,000 zenny]
''Nothing has changed at all.''
When they descended to the human world, the power of the Nobles was converted by the system in the form of levels. For the Baron ss, they had levels between 21 to 30, and for the Earl ss, it had levels between 40 to 50. Meanwhile, the Duke had levels around 60 to 70.
That was just individual strength, not yet with the Dungeons as their base.
The Barons had to start with a three-story Dungeon and stock up with 100,000 zenny. As for the Earl''s ss, they started the Dungeon with five floors and got 300,000 zenny.
And Duke? Among the three sses, they had the most superior advantages. Starting with seven floors and 600,000 zenny.
Each Dungeon was upgraded, the number of floors, and the capacity would increase. However, there were conditions that must be met.
Nobles weren''t allowed to attack other Dungeons that had a different number of floors. They should be fighting each other at the same dungeon level. Neither more nor less.
It was this rule that provided security for other nobles from being devoured by the Dukes.
Therefore, in order to catch up with thisg, Isaac had to take an advance step and worked harder.
"Pippi, you didn''t forget something important again, did you?" Isaac gave Pippi a code.
Pippi patted her head. "Sorry, Lord."
Then, the little girl raised her hand, then from her tiny hand, she collected light grains like fireflies. The cluster of light turned into a wooden box with bronze ornaments.
"Herees the first annual bonus box for Lord Isaac, the Bronze Box!"
Every year, the Nobles would receive a box filled with random things; such as items, artefacts, monsters, and skills to increase individual strength.
The box the demons got would depend on the Nobility ss. Duke ss nobles would receive a Gold Box and Earl''s ss would receive a Silver Box. As for the Baron, like Isaac, got a Bronze Box.
The significant difference that distinguishes one box from another was the quantity and quality that would be received. In the Bronze Box, there was nothing special in it. There were four of them and all of them were F ss. However, there was one item that would be very useful to Isaac when opening it for the first time.
"I have to get that ''skill''. There is only one other noble who has that skill."
[Would you like to open the ''Bronze Box''?]
[Yes/No]
Without hesitation, Isaac immediately chose the ''Yes'' option. Isaac knew the contents of the ''Bronze Box''. There would be three things thate out.
Ding!
[You got the artefact weapon ''Merlion Sword (D)'']
[You got 1000x ''Bloodsucker (F)'']
[You got thendscape ''Heavy Rain Forest (F)'']
[You got the item ''Challenge Dimension (F)'']
Isaac smiled. "Exactly the same."
"Wow! Congrattions Lord! You got a rank D artefact!"
Every item, monster, skill,ndscape; whatever was sold in the shop had its own ss. Starting from the lowest F to the highest S. The higher the ss, the better the effect given.
ording to Pippi, a ss D artefact was a valuable object. However, for Isaac, the artefacts he just got were just trash.
Besides, Isaac already had ns to win this game.
"Open a shop," Isaac eximed.
"Oh! Lord already knows there is a Shop feature in the Dungeon. It turns out that the Lord really knows all the basic information."
Pippi seemed to let out a sigh of relief, while Isaac focused on the blue screen in front of him.
[Buy]
[Sell]
[Upgrade]
[Combine]
After opening the Shop, Isaac sold everything he could from the ''Bronze Box'' except for the ''Challenge Dimension''.
[You get 9,500 zenny.]
Instantly Pippi''s eyes opened wide. "Nooo! What are you doing, Lord?!" She shook Isaac''s legs frantically. "Lord, did you know that everything you sell is half the original price?!"
However, Isaac ignored the little girl.
Then, he spent 45,000 Zenny. He got to buy three skills.
[You purchased the skill scroll ''Mental Strength (F)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll ''Mana Flow Stabilizer (F)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll ''Mind Distraction (F)'']
[All items are added to the inventory.]
Now, Pippi thought her master was crazy.
Buying three skills at the start of the match didn''t sound unreasonable. Considering the skill slot was very limited.
To add skill slots, demons had to level up by grinding desperately. Because the skill slot only increased once every 100 levels.
"Lord, don''t tell me you''re going to use your slot skill?"
Isaac casually replied. "Of course not. Do you think I''m stupid, to waste three of my precious skill slots for a low-grade skill?"
After hearing Isaac''s answer, Pippi''s face pondered.
Isaac essed the bine'' feature avable in the shop. Then, he put on the three skills he just bought.
Pippi was taken aback by Isaac''s actions. The ''Combine'' feature was one of the features of the system to exchange monsters, items, or skills that had poor quality with better quality. But it needed the rightbination. Otherwise, only worse items would be obtained.
Of course, Isaac already knew the rightbination.
[Are you sure you want tobine these three skills?]
[Yes/No]
Without hesitation, Isaac chose the ''Yes'' option.
Ding!
[Thebination process isplete.]
After the result came out, Pippi''s eyes opened wide.
[You got the skill scroll ''Seeds of Mind (D)'']
Chapter 4 Seed Of Mind
"Wow!" Pipi was surprised. She immediately hugged Isaac''s legs. "Extraordinary!"
Pippi didn''t expect thebination of low-ss skills to get a D-ss skill that was ssified as middle-ss skill.
While Isaac himself seemed to have a straight expression. As if this was how it should be.
Of course, all of this was thanks to Isaac''s memories of his previous life.
Long ago, there was one Baron named Krug Dantalion. He was a big-mouthed and talkative demon.
Isaac met Dantalion once during the annual Auction. They were just chatting casually. The goal was to find allies. Throughout the chat, Dantalion bragged about his achievements.
And one of them was about the ''Seeds of Mind'' skill, which helped him to level up and collect zenny faster. Only Isaac was told this secret.
Isaac couldn''t help but think, the boring chatter he was forced to hear at that time turned out to be useful.
And now, Isaac had that skill.
[ss : D]
[Type : Skill]
[Users can control the mind of monsters.]
[Exp or zenny bonus (10% of original amount earned) will be given to the user if every monster that has been nted by the seed kills monsters or humans.]
[Limit of seeds that can be nted : 2]
At first nce, Isaac''s strength seemed ordinary and useless. The Dungeon Master could control monsters, so why would he need it?
If raising the Dungeon level by upgrading using zenny, then increasing the individual level must be by killing monsters and must be a monster outside the dungeon.
The monsters purchased from the shop had limitations. If they killed a human, the Dungeon Masters would get the zenny. Whereas if they killed a monster, they got nothing.
And ''Seeds of Mind'' allows both to happen. When a monster embedded with this skill killed a monster from another Dungeon, the owner would receive individual experience.
That way, Isaac could grinding the experience individually without him having to intervene. However, that wasn''t the reason Isaac chose this skill.
"There is another secret hidden from this skill when it is upgraded to C ss."
After obtaining the desired skill, it was time for Isaac to build a Dungeon.
"Open the Shop."
A transparent blue screen floated in front of his face. Then, he chose the ''Buy'' option and a new list line appeared.
[Monster]
[Monster Boss]
[Terrain]
[Item]
[Artefact]
[Skill]
Isaac was silent for a long time. His fingers yed with the menu options avable in the Shop. While his brain was working hard pondering what he needed to buy. With a meagre amount of zenny, he had to build a Dungeon strong enough tost for the next six months.
In creating a Dungeon, there were three main things that must have existed on each floor.
Monsters, terrain, and monster bosses.
If the Dungeon was a castle fortress, then the monsters in it were soldiers. For that, Isaac needed strong monsters. At the same time, he had to adjust the difficulty level so that there would still be humans surviving when they entered his Dungeon.
Visitor traffic affected financial and financial affected the resources.
[You bought 500x ''Blood Bat (F)'']
[You bought 500x ''Slime (F)'']
p [You bought¡.]
[All monsters are added to inventory]
After purchasing the required monsters. Next, Isaac bought the terrain.
[You bought the ''Pine Forest (F)''
terrain]
[You bought the ''Grasnd (F)''
terrain]
[You bought the ''Maze (E)'' terrain]
[All terrain added to your inventory]
Terrains didn''t just function as human barriers and demons to reach the top of the Dungeon. It also functioned as a habitation for monsters.
If the habitation of the monsters was not suitable, they would weaken. Some were not able to reproduce. Some had died.
Like Goblins who would breed quickly and fought better when living in the forest, but their physique would weaken if they lived in the mountains.
Still, it depend on the monster itself.
"Last, monster bosses," said Pippi.
Monster bosses were the strongest existences on every Dungeon floor, and there was only one. They were thest line of defense, preventing any life forms from outside from climbing to the next floor.
However, Isaac didn''t buy it.
Pippi had a questioning look on her face. But after seeing the amount of zenny Isaac had, she immediately understood.
That was not the reason, though.
In total Isaac spent 44,500 zenny. Now it was time for Isaac to move on to the next stage.
"Activate the control panel."
Another transparent blue screen appeared. This time there were a lot of options listed there and a nk map. Additionally, a visual screen popped up, showing a white scene.
"Pippi, help me recreate the details of the Dungeon''s first floor."
"Okay!"
Not long after, Pippi disappeared and showed up on the visual screen, in that all-white ce.
Right now, Pippi was on the first floor of Dungeon.
"All right, Pippi. Let''s get started!"
Isaac''s hands then moved quickly and his fingers began to press the various options on the control panel screen.
Ding!
[Inputting the ''Pine Forest'' terrain on the 1st floor.]
[Loading the data]
[Processing¡]
[Finished.]
The visual screen that originally looked white had changed to a greenndscape of pine forest. Above him was a bright blue sky with specks of white clouds. Golden rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds gave a bright colour to the ce.
Pippi was bouncing up and down from the visual screen. Isaac immediately reminded Pippi to stay focused on her duty. After synchronizing with the Crystal Core, Isaac was able tomunicate via telepathy with Pippi.
Then, the little girl started doing her work. In both of her hands touching the ground, suddenly a light appeared like a swarm of fireflies. Not long after, the ground turned into water. Little by little, the water expanded and created a river flow.
After that, Pippi started creating other things. Big stones, flowers, ferns, mosses, dead trees; one by one began to emerge from the light that Pippi gave off.
While Isaac still looked busy with his control panel screen.
[Inputs x500 ''Slime (F)'' to floor 1.]
[Inputs x500 ''Blood Bat (F)'' to floor 1.]
[Inputs x500 ''Three horned wild boar (F)'' to floor 1 .]
[Inputs x500 ''Direwolf (F)'' to the 1st floor.]
[Inputs x500¡]
Isaac scattered various monsters onto the map. He didn''t drop haphazardly. Every monster that was sent down was guaranteed to have prey and predators.
"I have to create an ecosystem with a suitable food chain. That way, the poption will be controlled," Isaac muttered.
Thousands of mistakes in his previous life taught Isaac a lot of lessons.
It took 4 hours for Isaac to build the 1st floor. After that, he proceeded to the 2nd floor and 3rd floor with the same process.
The 2nd floor ran faster because the terrain was a meadow. Pippi only gave details in the form ofrge rocks andyers of mist. It was just that there were a lot of four-legged monsters with high defence. It only took 1 hour toplete.
Meanwhile, the 3rd floor took the longest, because the terrain on that floor was a maze. Isaac not only spread monsters but also prepared various traps. On this floor, Isaac really paid extra attention, it must be made as deadly as possible. Because this floor connected to the Crystal Core room.
Without a monster boss, his Dungeon was very breakable. However, there was no worry at all on Isaac''s face.
Chapter 5 Challenge Dimension
After taking more than 24 hours, all three floors of the Dungeon had been built. Pippi quickly returned to the Crystal Core room when her work was done.
"Phew." Pippi sighed. She wiped her sweaty forehead. "Pippi, didn''t expect it to end so soon."
The process of building this Dungeon was fairly fast. Probably the fastest among the other nobles. It would take at least about a month toplete each floor. Considering most of the Demon Lords were perfectionists.
It used to take Isaac four months toplete his Dungeon.
He managed to do it within a day. Not because of experience, but, there were many details that he had overlooked. Moreover, the 2nd floor''s terrain that did not have many natural features sped up the Dungeon building process.
Everything was done quickly because Isaac was being chased by time. He immediately wanted to move on to the next n.
Grinding.
Isaac essed his inventory and activated the item he just got from the Bronze Box¡ªChallenge Dimension.
[ss : F]
[Type : Item]
[Take yers to a special dimension toplete 100 challenges. A certain bonus will be given every time youplete a challenge.]
[Do you want to activate it?]
[Yes/No]
The Challenge Dimension was a ce where demons leveled up individually.
There would be 100 Challenges. The more challenges youpleted, the more difficult the challenges were. However, at the same time, the rewards given were getting bigger.
Hence, the number of challenges a yer could ept was limited, depending on the number of the Dungeon floors.
"Right now, I only have 3 floors in my dungeon. It means I can onlyplete 30 challenges. I need to upgrade my dungeon soon," Isaac thought.
Then, Isaac turned his attention to Pippi.
"Pippi, I will be gone for a while. You are allowed to use all the zenny to defend the Dungeon. Make the best of it."
"Roger, Lord!" answered Pippi eagerly. "But, by the way Lo¡ª"
"Do as I tell you." Before Pippi could finish, Isaac cut her off.
Pippi saluted Isaac, then his body turned into light and disappeared.
There were two reasons why Isaac wanted toplete the Challenge Dimension in less than six months.
One of the reasons was, there was currently no serious threat to the Dungeon. When a demon entered the Challenge Dimension, it meant leaving the Dungeon, and it was actually very risky, especially without the existence of a monster boss.
Since it was still early in the game, the Nobles would be busy attacking the settlement areas or building their own Dungeons.
Meanwhile, humans were still struggling with ''dungeon break'' for the first time. They hadn''t even thought about going into the Dungeon. They weren''t even that dangerous for the next six months.
This was the reason why Isaac wasn''t so worried about not buying the monster boss.
So, this was the perfect time to strengthen his power and to level up.
Before leaving, he spent 10,000 zenny to buy a lot of potion items and weapon-type artefacts.
[ss : F]
[Type : Artefact (Guns)]
[Dual pistol that uses Mana bullets. Offers bonus magic damage of 10% of magic stat.]
"I think this is enough."
Monsters in the Challenge Dimension could kill real demons. And even worse, the ''Shop'' couldn''t be essed.
Therefore, Isaac needed to prepare himself before entering the Challenge Dimension portal.
Isaac gripped the ck stone engraved with ''Challenge Dimension'', then it lit up. In a split second, a ck portal opened in front of him.
[The portal to the Challenge Dimension has opened!]
He took a deep breath. "Let''s get started."
Then, Isaac entered the portal.
.
.
.
Isaac walked into the darkness. He kept walking until he saw a brilliant white light. The closer he got, the dazzling the light was. Then, the light swallowed Isaac.
He opened his eyes.
[Wee to the Challenge Dimension.]
[Are you ready to start the first challenge?]
[Yes/No]
Isaac was not in a hurry to ept the challenges. All of his sensory receptors absorbed all kinds of information around him.
He found himself in the middle of the forest. Tall pine trees surrounded him. Above the ground, fern bushes thrived. Not far from Isaac, there was a herd of kobolds on the banks of the river.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Kobold]
[Type : Beast]
[ss : F]
[Level : 5]
After feeling that he recognized his surroundings, Isaac then pressed the ''Yes'' option in the system window.
Ding!
[First challenge begins.]
[The kobold tribe has just been attacked by a herd of orcs. Their leader died in the process of escaping.]
[Sess condition : Guide the kobold tribe out of the forest.]
[Reward: 1,000 zenny, 30x ''Kobold (E)'']
Isaac''s eyes narrowed when he saw the rewards offered by the system.
The number of gifts that Isaac currently received was rather small. Thirty kobolds were equivalent to 150 zenny. It was a chump change indeed. However, every single challenge would give him a lot of exp.
"The Dimension Challenge is a little deceptive. Behind this small gift are thousands of monsters that can be killed and earn a lot of experience," Isaac muttered. His face was straight.
He walked over to the herd of kobolds. Instantly, they screamed while brandishing stone daggers.
"Kwaaark kwaarrk kwaark!"
[Trantor activated. Everynguage that appears is automatically tranted into demonnguage.]
"Who are you?!" The lizard creature the size of a human baby red at Isaac with a grunt.
Isaac was quite surprised. It had been a long time since a weak kobold dared to point a sharp weapon at his face.
"Somehow it feels nostalgic," Isaac thought.
Then, Isaac replied to the koboldrade. "I see you are in trouble. I''m here to help you."
The kobolds seemed to be whispering to each other, discussing the creature that they had just met.
Isaac, who had a high ''Perception'' stat, had extremely sharp senses. He could hear the kobolds'' discussions.
"He looks like a human. I''m not sure if he''s strong. But he wants to help us," whispered one of the kobolds.
"Just ept it. If the situation worsens, we can use that person as a sacrifice."
Isaac smiled at their conversation. Weak creatures couldn''t sense the power of the Demon Lords.
After a long discussion, one of them approached Isaac.
"We agree to ept your help. Please help us out of this territory. If we continue to follow the flow of this river, we will get out of the forest," said one of the kobolds.
"Hmm."
Then, they walked down the river together. Isaac was leading the way, while the herd of kobolds followed Isaac like geese.
After walking quite a distance, Isaac sensed the presence of a group of monsters.
"Get ready! Someone is going to attack us."
From behind the bushes, 15 orcs leapt and surrounded Isaac and the kobolds.
"Raaawrr!" they roared. The herd of kobolds trembled in fear.
One of the orcs, with a scratch in his eyes, came over to them. "How dare lowly beings like you enter our territory? All of you will die¡ª"
Bang!
Before he finished speaking, the orc died.
Brains and blood sttered on the ground. A three metre tall sinister creature copsed headless. The faces of the other orcs that were originally vicious turned into shock. The kobolds also showed the same expression.
Isaac stood with his gun pointed at them. The muzzle of the gun in his hand puffed out smoke.
"I do not spare any being who dares to threaten me."
Chapter 6 First Challenge
The pack of orcs started to panic. Their leader was killed in an instant. Feeling Isaac was dangerous, they charged forward and attacked simultaneously.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Orc]
[Type : Savages]
[ss : D]
[Level : 25]
Meanwhile, Isaac didn''t seem the least bit affected by their attack. He only raised one of his hands.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The orcs'' bodies had holes and copsed on the ground. They were hit by Isaac''s bullets. The orcs died in just split seconds.
Orcs were ss D monsters, they were middle ss monsters. Their level was indeed higher, but the Demon Lords'' stats were much higher.
The remaining two orcs were still alive. Realizing that it would be impossible to win, they decided to run away. However, Isaac didn''t let that happen.
Bam! Bam!
"Arrrgh!"
Thest two orcs fell with holes in their bodies, as if a ball had pierced their chests.
The kobolds watching behind Isaac looked bbergasted. They almost dug their own grave.
On the other hand, Isaac smiled faintly. Not because of sessfully killing the orcs, but because of the notification window that appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[Experience points massively increased.]
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled¡]
[You obtained 15 stat points in total.]
Based on the number of stats points Isaac got, he had gone up by five levels.
Since it was still early in the game, it was pretty easy for Isaac to level up individually.
"Whoa! Human lord, you are amazing."
The kobolds flocked together to Isaac. They surrounded Isaac, praising him with exaggerated words. Their saviour turned out to be very strong.
It was only a moment ago that they would use Isaac as a sacrifice to escape. Now, they were praising him like a god.
Isaac just smiled faintly.
He said it was very entertaining. The monsters in the Challenge Dimension were slightly different from the monsters in the Dungeon. Monsters purchased in the Dungeon would automatically be loyal to their master.
One of the kobolds asked, "If I may ask, what is the name of the human lord?"
p "Isaac Constantine."
They then cheered while hailing Isaac''s name.
"Isaac the saviour!"
"Long live Lord Isaac!"
However, they still had something inmon with the kobolds from the Dungeon. They were both simple-minded creatures.
They continued their journey down the river.
On the way, they were being ambushed again by the orcs. Their number varied. Regardless of their number, in the end, the result remained the same. They were still massacred by Isaac.
Only this time, the kobolds began to fight actively. Their confidence boosted, thanks to Isaac being by their side.
The kobolds fought in groups. Each of the three of them ganged up on an orc. They seemed to have a hard time knocking down an orc even after joining forces.
Isaac, who knew the kobolds were wrong in their strategy, then gave them instructions.
"Decrease the group number! You guys are too weak to take on the three orcs. Make into six groups, each group consisting of 5 kobolds!"
"Understood, Lord Isaac!" the kobolds replied in unison.
Then, they followed Isaac''s instructions. They changed the number of people in the group. Initially, from 10 groups to 6 groups. The target orcs they faced were lessened, but the time to kill their targets was faster.
"Raar!"
Thest orc fell after the five kobolds finished him.
"Yahoo!" The kobolds cheered with joy. This was the first victory since their Chief''s death.
After they finished celebrating their victory, one of them approached Isaac.
"Lord Isaac¡" The kobold''s face looked doubtful. "Thanks to you, we were able to make it this far. So, after getting out of this forest. We decided to follow you."
Suddenly, a notification popped up.
Ding!
[Congrattions! You are the first demon to receive the recognition of a Beast-type monster.]
[Title ''Chief of Beast'' has been obtained!]
[Effect: All beast-type monster in your domain, their strength will be increased by 20%.]
[All stats increased by 3.]
After seeing the notification that popped up in front of him, Isaac looked quite startled. In Isaac''s previous life, there was no information regarding this title.
The title greatly affected the strength of the demons. To get it, the demons had to get a certain achievement. Even then, only the first person could get it.
In his previous life, after doing various things, he only had 2 titles.
Isaac smiled, not expecting to get the title from the first challenge.
"Alright, let''s continue our journey."
After walking past a long river and thick pine trees, they came out of the forest and arrived at an expanse of green meadow.
Ding!
[First challengepleted.]
[You got 1,000 zenny and 30x ''Kobold (F)''.]
Isaac looked at the gifts he received nonchntly. There were still 99 more challenges that needed to bepleted to restore his financial condition.
Then, the following notification appeared.
[Are you ready to start the second challenge?]
[Yes/No]
Before starting the next mission, Isaac opened his status window to allocate the stat points he got.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 29]
[Rank : 99th - Baron]
[Title : Chief of Beast]
[Strength : 38]
[Magic : 60 (70)]
[Constitution : 41]
[Dexterity : 58 (62) ]
[Perception : 55]
[Unallocated stat points : 10]
Isaac allocated the 14 stats points he got to Magic and Dexterity. The rest was saved for future needs.
He knew his leveling up was fast. However, this still didn''t satisfy him. Leveling up from 1 to 50 was very easy. After level 50 and above, it would be quite difficult, especially after 100 and above. Because the experience points to level up would berger.
"I should level up 300 in three years."
The first three years were still farming times. They focused on upgrading Dungeons and buying lots of powerful monsters. Once that period was over, the real battle began.
"Lord Isaac, where are we going now?"
One of the kobolds grabbed Isaac who was deep in thought.
Isaac then pressed ''Yes'' on the system window options.
[Second challenge begins.]
[The journey out of the forest did not go smoothly. Too many orcs died. As a result, the tribal chief is after you. 120 minutes more orcs will attack.]
[Mission sess condition : Survive from orc attacks for 60 minutes or run from the forest border for 30 km before 120 minutes run out.]
[Reward: 1,000 zenny, skill scroll ''Bulked Up (F) )''.]
Isaac''s eyes opened wide after seeing the number of monsters that were about to attack. He wasn''t surprised because of fear, but he got too excited by the potential experience he would gain.
He turned to the kobolds. "Divide your number into two groups. The five kobolds return to the forest, looking for stones and wood, then make as many weapons as possible. The rest stay here."
The faces of the kobolds were astonished at their new Chief''s instructions. "We are curious, Lord. What are we doing all that for?"
"You''ll see itter."
Chapter 7 Level Up
[Time - 00:00:16]
It doesn''t feel like time had passed so quickly since Isaac epted the second challenge. Soon, a horde of orcs would storm from the forest.
Three kilometres from the forest border, Isaac was standing alone. As for the kobolds, they were told to hide by Isaac.
In both of Isaac''s hands were double guns, Malice and Verdict. There was no slightest expression of fear on his face. He was confident that he would win this challenge.
His eyes stared fiercely into the shadows of the forest.
Ding!
[Preparation time is up.]
[The orc attack wave ising.]
[Survive from the orc attack for 60 minutes.]
[Time - 00:59:59]
The sound of a warhorn was heard from within the forest. The ground in the meadow began to shake. The sound of the war cry was getting louder and clearer.
There were hundreds of tall orcs running towards Isaac. From behind them, Isaac could see a gigantic figure riding a three-horned ck rhino.
Seeing therge herd of orcs, Isaac''s spirits grew hotter. He immediately raised his hands.
Bam¡ª!
Dozens of orcs that were charging forward died one by one because of Isaac''s bombardment, but they still continued to bolt through the Mana''s bullets. There was no slightest fear shed in the orcs'' faces.
[You leveled up!]
So was Isaac. His face was cold, expressionless. For the time being, the muzzle of the gun continued to emit a blue sh.
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled¡]
Level up notifications kept popping up. However, Isaac didn''t care about that. He kept pulling the trigger of his gun over and over.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Adrenaline rushed to his veins.
Although the orcs were easy for him, if they invaded inrge and endless numbers like this continuously, it was not impossible for Isaac to be killed due to running out of stamina.
? What''s more, at a low level, the risk of death was even greater. Maybe it would be a different story if Isaac was in his perfect condition.
Actually, toplete this mission, Isaac could have chosen the second option, namely by running away from the uing battle. It was easier for him to finish the challenge in that way, but he would not choose that option.
There was no way he would leave a pile of precious experience just disappearing into the void.
"The greater the risk, the greater the reward."
If Isaac wanted to win this game, he didn''t just have to work hard and move early. He had to take risks. Or he would end up like in his previous life.
Another two kilometres before the orcs could kill him.
However, the closer they got, the wider the smile appeared on Isaac''s face. He was thrilled to massacre all the orcs in one go.
St! St!
"Aaarrgh!"
There was an orc''s shriek of pain and the sound of a spear thrust through the flesh.
They all died because they fell into the trap that the kobolds had previously set.
An hour earlier, Isaac had ordered the kobolds to set traps in the meadow.
Isaac told them to make a hole 3.5 metres deep and 5 metres in diameter. Then, inside the hole were ced thousands of spears made of wooden branches and sharp stone fragments. After that, the hole was covered by leaves.
If they looked closely, the trap could be seen clearly. However, with this condition and the orc''s low intelligence, Isaac was sure that they wouldn''t notice it in the slightest.
Meanwhile, the kobolds were given instructions to make a trench five kilometres from the scene and hid there until it was finished.
Isaac was sure that the kobolds wouldn''t survive the orcs'' invasion. They wouldn''t be much help in the battle, instead, they would be a burden.
It would be a shame if the 30 newly acquired kobolds just disappeared.
Bam! Bam!
Thousands of bullets shot. The orcs continued to charge forward, not caring even if their bodies were bombarded with bullets. Many of them had already died, but their numbers didn''t seem to have decreased in the slightest.
The distance between Isaac and the hundreds of orcs was less than 10 metres. Then-!
m! Bam!
An orc who was about to hit Isaac hit the ground. The orc missed the chance.
Isaac had jumped as high as three metres. While floating in the air, he aimed at the orcs below him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Aaargh!"
The ten orcs screamed before losing their lives.
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled¡]
Then, Isaded on the ground again.
''Hah, this is getting more and more interesting.''
Isaacughed inwardly as he was surrounded by hundreds of orcs. He pointed both guns and then started pulling the trigger again.
Bam¡ª! One orc lost its head.
Bam! The five orcs had holes in their chests.
Bam! The ten orcs copsed lifelessly.
The number of orcs Isaac had killed was probably over five hundred.
Stil, they were endless. As if they didn''t decrease at all.
Sweat dripped down on his body and his breaths became shorter. The damage done by both of his guns was getting weaker as his Mana started to run out.
Although his condition began to deteriorate, his fighting spirit was still burning. Isaac continued to focus on aiming at his target. He no longer cared about the time he had left.
Isaac kept shooting and shooting.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Without Isaac knowing it, the hours had turned into seconds. At the same time, the frequency of orcs charging from the forest began to decrease.
40¡ 30¡ 20¡
Bam! Bam! Bam!
His index finger continued to pull the trigger while his eyes were on every orc that stood up in front of him. He didn''t avert his gaze from them even once.
9¡ 8¡ 7¡
And then,
Bam¡ª!
Thest orc had fallen. Nothing else emerged from the forest.
Ding!
The notification sound rang in Isaac''s head.
[00:00:00]
[Time is up.]
[Second challengepleted.]
[You get 1,000 zenny and skill scroll ''Bulked Up (F)''.]
Seeing the pop-up notification screen. Isaac looked around. There were no more orcs standing before him.
Finally, he could lie down after defeating 2,468 orcs.
After that, the notification appeared again.
[Are you ready to start the 3rd challenge?]
[Yes/No]
Under these conditions, it would be impossible for Isaac to start the next challenge. He needed to rest for a few days.
Isaac then opened his status window.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 48]
[Rank : 99th - Baron]
[Title : Chief of Beast]
[Skill : 1/3]
[Strength : 38]
[Magic : 70]
[Constitution : 44]
[Dexterity : 62]
[Perception : 55]
[Unallocated stat points : 67]
After killing more than two thousand orcs, Isaac only gained 19 levels. It didn''t matter how many ordinary orcs were killed, including weak creatures, it wouldn''t give Isaac much experience.
"This is not enough. I should have killed more."
He was not satisfied with the achievements this time.
Suddenly, from a distance, a voice called out to him.
"Lord Isaac!"
Thirty kobolds were running towards Isaac who was lying down on the ground.
They looked worried, but that feeling quickly disappeared upon seeing the scene before them.
"Woah! Look at this! Lord Isaac killed hundreds of orcs by himself."
"Absolutely amazing!"
Then, the kobolds started bouncing up and down with joy. They were thrilled because their leader was really strong.
Meanwhile, Isaac just stood there watching the behaviour of his men. Right now, he was too tired to deal with these kobolds. At the same time, he was also not bothered by them.
What was clear right now was he had one goal in mind.
"There are still 28 Challenges left. Everything must end quickly.''''
Chapter 8 Apocalypse
New York East coast.
Boom! Boom! Boom !
The sound of tank gun fire boomed loudly. A burst of hot bullets shot out from the muzzle of the gun. The sound of mortar explosions capable of rupturing the eardrums did not stop.
The normally bright blue sky was gloomy with puffs of smoke. The air was scorching. When it blew, it carried the smell of blood and gunpowder. The tall skyscrapers copsed. Human corpses strewn on the streets.
Currently, New York was defending against a monster invasion.
"Oooo!"
A Direwolf howled in a shrill voice. The big ck wolf was standing on top of the tank. The dozens of soldiers standing around the Direwolf bombarded it with bullets.
Tatatatatata! Tatatatatata!
Cleak!
They ran out of ammo.
The Direwolf''s red eyes glowed fiercely. There wasn''t a single scar on its body.
St!
"Aaargh!"
Pieces of flesh and bones flew. Internal organs mixed with blood sttered on the ck asphalt.
"Aaaarrgghh!"
Madness and terror were painted on the faces of the soldiers who witnessed the horrific incident. They threw away their weapons, running wild to save themselves. The Direwolf preyed on them one by one. The sound of bone grinding was heard as the Direwolf chewed on the head of a soldier.
Those who managed to save themselves from the Direwolf could not breathe a sigh of relief.
From the sky, countless ck bats bolted. The necks of the soldiers were bitten, then every drop of blood that was in the body was sucked out, leaving skin and bones.
Monsters continued to prey on them. One by one, the soldiers died horribly. There was no way to be free from the ferocity of monsters other than death.
However, hope had not been lost.
Amidst the massacre by the monsters, a soldier roared.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Between desperate resolve and remaining willpower, the human attacked the crazed Direwolf all alone. When they were very close, with all his might, he punched the Direwolf.
Bang!
The Direwolf fell down. The soldier who hit the monster was taken aback. What was even more shocking was his entire body shrouded in a strange blue aura. Strength was flowing within him.
He just had a awakened!
The other surviving soldiers watched him with stunned expressions.
"No way¡"
However, the blow earlier wouldn''t kill the Direwolf. The creature rose with fiery red eyes, ring at its prey.
"What happened to me?" the soldier pondered.
Instantly, other soldiers also experienced the same thing. Their entire bodies were shrouded in a strange blue aura. They felt a great power flowing within their body. Suddenly, in their chest, they felt the courage to retaliate what the Direwolf had done to them. They clenched their fists and got up.
"Ooouuurrgg!" The Direwolf howled, screaming in rage.
"Charge forward!" The soldiers did not remain silent. With a short knife, they charged at the Direwolf all together.
sh! sh! sh!
"Oooorgh!" The Direwolf screamed in pain. Dozens of des in a blue aura tore through its flesh.
"Continue! Kill! Kill!"
Direwolf blood sprayed onto the soldiers'' bodies. Sharp des repeatedly stabbed and shed the Direwolf''s body. Until finally, the beast was no longer moving.
However, the battle was not over yet.
The soldiers realized the Direwolf was dead. They shifted their eyes to the other monsters. A look of rage and hatred shed in their eyes.
"Attack!"
This incident did not only happen in New York.
Simr incidents had urred in other parts of the world, especially densely popted cities; Mexico, S?o Paulo, Delhi, Shanghai and Tokyo.
It all started one week ago.
108 mysterious towers descended from the sky almost at the same time. Everything underneath was crushed under, be it buildings or people. Within hours, various media reported the appearance of the Dungeon.
Everything was messed up, especially the inte. Various issues circted.
[Alien tower, harbinger of extraterrestrial life!]
[God sends disaster, harbinger of the apocalypse?!]
[China creates biological weapons against America!?]
Chaos was just the beginning.
From those Dungeons, appeared thousands of monsters preying on humans. Military heavy weapons didn''t have much effect. Even North Koreaunched missiles to eradicate the monsters that came from China, but no monsters were killed.
Humanity continued to survive the onught of monsters, despite fighting back with non-functioning weapons.
However, The Dungeon''s presence was like Pandora''s box. It brought not only catastrophe but also hope.
When mankind fell, they experienced a resurrection. Their bodies were shrouded in a strange blue aura, then their physical strength increased drastically. Thanks to the blue aura that appeared on their bodies, monsters that were ineffective by guns could be killed with knives.
Humans slowly rose from adversity. The gear had changed direction. It was their turn to suppress the monsters. After going through a struggle for three months, humans experienced total victory.
Under the auspices of the United Nations, each country agreed to stop the causes of this disaster. It was by destroying the Dungeon.
Various deadly weapons wereunched to destroy the Dungeon. Unfortunately, all the attempts failed. One of the Dungeons on the African Continent which happened to be far from residents, was attacked with an atomic bomb. The result was Dungeon still stood tall. Not even a minor scratch could be seen.
Instead, the Secretary General of the United Nations made the decision to send awakened people to the Dungeon to hunt down every monster within. With the hope that no more monsters came out to the surface of the Earth.
People who carried out this noble task were called Hunters. They risked their lives for the safety of mankind.
However, the noble task did notst long.
The next month there was an exploration of the Dungeon to investigate what was inside. The first dungeon to be explored¡ªlocated in New Orleans¡ªwas found ming purple pebbles.
After the investigation, it turned out that the stone had a powerful energy. One kilogram of stone could rece the electricity needs of one hundred thousand homes for one month. Researchers called it the Power Crystal.
Instantly, the news of its whereabouts became an uproar. Not because of its usefulness, but because of its price.
A bag of pebbles was valued at 150,000 dors. This value was enough to make people who were below the poverty line and those who were greedy tempted.
People who experienced immediate awakening flocked to the Dungeon. Even though the government and the United Nations forbade ordinary citizens to enter the Dungeon, they still vited it.
The government was overwhelmed. In the end, governments in every country legalized the Dungeons for civilians to enter. Of course, with some terms and conditions.
As time went on, the number of people experiencing awakening increased rapidly. Research on monsters was growing. It turned out that the monster''s body had certain properties and functions, so that every part of the monster''s body began to have value.
People began to switch professions to be Hunters because they were very productive. Entering the Dungeon was amon sight.
Because the number of Hunters increased dramatically, some Hunters began to create their own organizations to amodate and cooperate with fellow Hunters. These organizations were then called ''guilds''.
Hunter, which was originally a noble job, was now like a office work.
From here, the era of hunting in the Dungeon began!
Chapter 9 Status
A wild, bright orange and yellowish me burnt in the centre of the sky. At the top of the rock cliff, Isaac sat watching the sun gradually melting into the water. Right below him, hundreds of monster carcasses were piled high.
[The 30th challenge isplete.]
[You get 1,000 zenny and a weapon artefact ''Vampiric Dagger (D)''.]
[Upgrade the dungeon to the 4th floor to gain ess to the next 10 challenges.]
[Congrattions! You are the first demon to sessfully conquer 30 Challenges.]
[Title ''First Challenger'' has been obtained!]
[Passive effect: every physical damage taken is reduced by 10%.]
[Constitution increased by 5.]
After 6 months of hard work, the Challenge Dimension was finally over. During this time, Isaac had earned a lot of experience and rewards. He even got a new title. However, there was no expression of joy on his face.
Isaac opened his status window.
[ Isaac Constantine - Lv 75]
[ Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[ Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger]
[ Skill : 1/3 ]
[ Strength : 50 ]
[ Magic : 140 ]
[ Constitution : 61 (66) ]
[ Dexterity : 83 ]
[ Perception : 80 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 20 ]
Although Isaac''s individual level was on par with Dukes, in the next 12 months, he would be overtaken by other demons.
For now, not many demons were thinking aboutpleting the Dimension Challenge. Because they thought of upgrading the dungeon first, then cleared the entire Challenge at once. That way, they could leave the dungeon strong.
Isaac''s journey to winning this game was still long and tough. He needed to work even harder.
After that, he took out a ck stone from his inventory and stroked it. A portal appeared, then he stepped into it.
.
.
.
Isaac returned to where hest stayed, the Crystal Core room. The first thing he did after stepping on the floor was to unlock his Dungeon status.
[Dungeon Floors : 3/3]
[Monster Boss : 0/3]
[Poption : 77,987/300,000]
[Fund : 156,800 zenny]
His eyes narrowed when he saw the current poption of the dungeon.
"I remember filling the poptionpletely. Now there is only a quarter left? The humans must have enjoyed ughtering my monsters."
This number was rtively small, but this was normal for the first 6 months. Considering his dungeon had no boss and only weak monsters roaming around here. So the dungeon became a popr ce among humans because it was easy to conquer.
After the first year of catastrophe, the Hunter profession increased drastically. Isaac was confident his ie would be at least around 100,000 to 300,000 zenny per month when the transition period was over.
For now, Isaac put that matter aside.
"I''ve gathered enough materials from the Dimension Challenge rewards. Time to upgrade the ''Seeds of Mind''."
Isaac essed the ''Shop'' then selected the ''Upgrade'' option.
[Upgrade skill ''Seeds of Mind (D)'' ?]
[Material : 0 ]
[Percentage of sess : 0.00%]
Monsters, items, artefacts, skills, and monster bosses; everything sold in the Shop could be upgraded to increase its ss. On the condition that they had to sacrifice the same type of material.
Since Isaac was going to upgrade ''Skill'', he had to sacrifice ''Skill''.
"I got a lot of useless skills frompleting 30 challenges."
In Isaac''s inventory right now, there were 20 skill scrolls. All of them were low ss E, and most of them were of no use at all.
Isaac put skill scrolls as materials.
[Materials : 4 ]
[Percentage of sess : 50%]
The higher the ss was sacrificed, the fewer materials were used. However, if we used low grade materials, more materials needed to be sacrificed. Each percentage given was different, depending on the ss of material we want to upgrade.
Actually, as long as the chance of sess was 50%, Isaac could just process it straight away. Hence, since Isaac didn''t enjoy relying on luck, he sacrificed another 4 skill scrolls.
[Material : 8 ]
[Upgrade percentage : 100%]
[Upgrade? Yes/No]
Without hesitation, Isaac chose the ''Yes'' option.
Ding!
[Upgrade sessful!]
[Skill effect added]
A new notification screen appeared. The information description for ''Seeds of Mind'' had just been updated.
[ss : C]
[Type : Skill]
[Users can control the mind of all kinds of living beings (except demons).]
[Exp or zenny bonus (20% of the original amount earned) will be given to the user if every living thing that is imnted by a seed kills a monster or a human.]
[Limit of seeds that can be nted : 4]
A subtle smile curved on Isaac''s lips. This was the secret of this skill, controlling humans!
Isaac had no ns to use this skill on monsters, but he would use it on humans.
He would nt ''Seeds of Mind'' on Hunters, then send them to the enemy''s Dungeon.
Of course, he wouldn''t carelessly choose a Hunter. He had to choose the best of the best.
No demon would have thought that the humans they used to view as livestock were actually soldiers of a demon.
This was Isaac''s n, but this was only part of it.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Just as Isaac was deep in thought about his n, there were repeated beeps of notification. Instantly, a transparent blue screen appeared in front of his face.
Messages that had been pending during Isaac''s absence from the Dungeon had just entered the system.
Without thinking, he immediately opened it. His eyes opened wide when he saw the contents. After that, he chuckled amusedly.
"Look at you guys, so spirited ."
[Pending message received]
[There are 72 PvP requests.]
Chapter 10 PvP
Dungeons were widespread in all parts of the world. Some were separated bynd with difficult terrain, and some were separated by a vast ocean. So it was impossible to attack Dungeons other than those near them.
p Therefore, to make it easier for demons to invade, this game provided two options.
The first was by directbat. Demons could take troops out and invade another demon''s Dungeon.
The advantage of this method was that demons could attack at any time and were not bound by system rules¡ªrequiring them to attack dungeons that had the same number of floors. It was just that the demons had to travel the terrain outside the Dungeon. This method was not effective if the two Dungeons had a great distance apart.
The second way was by submitting a PvP request. The challenger made a request to attack the Dungeon by offering zenny. Of course, the party epting the challenge might refuse.
If the challenge was epted, the challenger, along with all the troops that had been prepared, would be transferred to the Dungeon of the requested demon. Challengers would be given seven days. And every time they break through one floor, they would get an additional seven days.
If the challenger ran out of time before destroying the Crystal Core, he was dered defeated and lost the zenny he was offered.
However, if the opposite happened, the challenger managed to prate to the top of the Dungeon and destroyed the Crystal Core, the demon who got the request would be eliminated from the game. The demon''s life was determined by the winner.
"In their eyes my Dungeon must look weak. So many people send me PvP requests."
Suddenly, another notification appeared.
Ding!
[Request to speak from Baron Gustav]
One of Isaac''s eyebrows arched up when he saw a noble contacting him. Dreadful memories and resentment rose in his chest. The demon who had destroyed his dungeon in the past spoke to him first.
For a moment, Isaac thought about rejecting it. Not because of fear or trauma, but because he knew this conversation would only be a waste of time. However, in the end, Isaac changed his mind.
"I have to face the past," he muttered.
The light from the Crystal Core was getting brighter and brighter. Then a demon with skin like the me of a Power Crystal and had pointed ears appeared in the form of a light project. His facial expression was arrogant. From the look in his eyes, a look of contempt was clear.
"Hello, Lord Isaac! I thought you were hiding under the bed, hahaha!"
Isaac just kept silent, hearing the insults thrown at him. There was no change at all in his facial muscles. He looked as t as a statue.
Although he looked calm from the outside, his emotions were raging inside. He had to kept his cool. If trivial mockery affected him, then he would never be able to take revenge on Duke Gavin.
"Remember, your target is a big fish. Not anchovies," Isaac muttered to himself.
Isaac suppressed what he was feeling right now. Anger, grudge, hatred; all that he was hiding.
"I heard you turned down all PvP challenges. Don''t you have any confidence against them?" said Baron Gustav. There was a hint of contempt in every sentence he uttered.
"Perhaps," Isaac replied curtly.
"Hah? It''s true that you are a coward! HA HA HA!"
Baron Gustaveughed loudly until his eyes filled with tears. Then, he started throwing various condescending sentences at Isaac.
"Oh, so this is as far as you can go. As a Demon Lord, you are a disappointment."
"Where is your honour? The Constantines must be ashamed to have a descendant like you."
"Your existence is a failure. The Absolute One must have created you by ident!"
Meanwhile, Isaac remained silent and his eyes glued to the demon''s projection of light.
If Isaac had been the old man, he might have burned with anger and got into Baron Gustav''s trap.
Isaac knew what the real motive of this conversation was. Every word that came out of Baron Gustav''s mouth was aimed at provoking Isaac. When emotions were ignited, Baron Gustav would continue to give coals that would turn his emotions into mes of anger.
When Isaac was angry, Baron Gustav would apply for PvP. Then, Isaac, who couldn''t think straight because he was burning with anger, would ept the challenge.
A simple strategy from Baron Gustav.
Isaac built this Dungeon overnight and the monsters he bought were weak. From the very beginning, he made this Dungeon non-lethal. Because the first objective was not fighting, but farming.
Even though his individual strength was enough to kill Baron Gustav, he still needed to be humble. If he managed to win with a weak Dungeon defence, of course, this would attract a lot of attention from the Nobles.
"Tch, you loser. You let other people trample on your pride. You don''t deserve to be born."
This was the umpteenth insult hurled by Baron Gustav. While Isaac only gave the same answer. "It''s possible."
After a while, even Baron Gustav himself was annoyed.
"You-!"
Baron Gustav stopped his words. No matter how much he insulted Isaac, he was only given the same answer. He began to feel that he was being toyed with.
Baron Gustav''s face started to turn red.
"My Lord!"
Suddenly, a little girl''s voice called out in the middle of their conversation.
Pippi appeared with a worried face. "My Lord! We''re in trouble."
"Eh?"
Pippi''s facial expression looked awkward when she saw the projection of a demon. She came to her senses, having just interrupted the conversation of the two Demon Lords.
Instantly,ughter filled the room. From the projection light, Baron Gustav could be seenughing while holding his stomach.
"No wonder this dungeon was almost destroyed. Master and servant, both losers."
"WHAT!"
Pippi could not ept when her master was being insulted. She then got angry and told Baron Gustav to take back his word. However, heughed even harder.
While Isaac sighed.
"It''s useless talking to you guys. Wasting my time. I hope you don''t die in human hands. Ha ha ha ha-!"
Baron Gustav''s projection was lost. He ended themunication. Pippi still looked angry.
"Watch out, ugly demon! My master will beat you!" cried Pippi, pointing at the Crystal Core.
Hearing Pippi''s words made Isaac smile faintly. Because what the little girl said was true.
Isaac would destroy Baron Gustav.
"Wait for me, Baron Gustav. Don''t lose before I destroy you," Isaac muttered.
He had already prepared a n to defeat his first enemy.
Chapter 11 Population
"My Lord! You finallye back!"
Pippi ran to Isaac. She was about to give her master a hug, but a big hand caught her head before she coulde closer.
"When I was away, what had happened?" Isaac asked, squeezing Pippi''s head.
Pippi ignored Isaac''s words. She kept trying to hug her master. "My Lord! Good thing you came home. Our Dungeon is in danger!"
Instantly, the veins on Isaac''s temples bulged out and then he snapped her forehead.
"AW!"
Only then did Pippi calm down.
Pippi began to tell him what had happened during Isaac''s leaving while stroking her red forehead.
"For the first four months, there were no problems, Lord. However, in thest two months, many humans had entered the Dungeon. Some of them have already gone through the second floor." Pippi said it with a worried face.
Instead of getting worried like Pipi, Isaac smiled broadly.
This was exactly as his n. After six months had passed, his Dungeon was already packed with humans to the brim. That way, he could farming without the need to let monsters out of the Dungeon.
However, before harvesting the ripe humans, Isaac needed to check the condition of his Dungeon first.
"Activate Control Panel."
A transparent screen with an enormous map was disyed in front of him. On the map, he could see two dots with two colours. The ck dots showed the location of monsters, while the red dots showed the location of humans.
There were also rows of letters, numbers, and statistical charts regarding the number of monsters in the Dungeon.
After reading the reports for the first four months, Isaac stroked Pippi''s head. "All Normal. Good work."
Hearing Isaac''s praise, Pippi, who was initially worried, smiled. At the same time, she was astonished that the monster poption was almost depleted. However, in the end, she ignored it. As long as her master was not angry, then there was no problem.
Pippi began to brag. "Of course. Pippi is the best!" said the little girl proudly.
Isaac continued to read the report for the past two months. His eyes traced on each row of numbers and charts. Then, he found something odd.
"The human death rate on Floor 1 in the past week was enormous."
Pippi, who heard Isaac''s mumble, puffed out her chest, "Because the number of humans entering is increasing, Pippi bought a special monster that can finish them off, Lord!"
However, Isaac''s reaction was the exact opposite of what she had imagined.
"No, Pippi. It''s dangerous."
Pippi''s face then changed into a questionly look.
The more humans killed, the more zenny generated. At first nce, that sounded like good news, but it wasn''t always the case.
From Isaac''s experience, there was a Baron named Zephyr whonded in a densely popted and rival-free area. Of course, he was very lucky.
He could easily farming, without worrying about dealing with the threats that woulde.
When Baron Zephyr came to the annual Auction, he touted many items and monsters he had bought. The man was so wealthy, he even bought up Dungeon Bosses and high-ss monsters.
Zephyr continued to buy powerful monsters and continued to ughter as many humans as possible. He didn''t give them a chance to survive, let alone enter his Dungeon.
As the time went by, the human poption in that ce decreased drastically. The local government then sealed the area, and all residents were evacuated.
As a result, the number of visitors that came to his Dungeon decreased drastically, as well as the amount of zenny he earned.
Baron Zephyr was starting to have a hard time developing the Dungeon. Meanwhile, the other demons kept sending him PvP requests. Of course, he refused all the requests. As a result, he began to be the subject of ridicule.
At first, he could still ignore all the insults that were directed at him. However, a noble''s pride was too high. He started to ept every challenge from other demons.
With the Dungeon that had already been left behind by the humans, Baron Zephyr tried to withstand the onught of the other Nobles. Of course, he couldn''t defend against them.
When he entered the fourth year of the game, his Dungeon was destroyed.
And Isaac didn''t want that to happen to him.
"What monster did you buy, Pippi?" Isaac asked Pippi.
Isaac''s eyes scanned the control panel screen. Trying to find the cause of human death inrge numbers. There were about hundreds of monster lists in there.
"Red Vipers."
Isaac squinted his eyes into mere slits after hearing the name of the monster.
"Pippi bought them about three weeks ago," the girl added.
The Red Viper was an F ss monster, even weaker than most monsters in Floor 1. With just one sh, the monster died instantly.
For novice Hunters under level 5, the Red Viper''s venom was deadly. There was a possibility that the Red Viper preyed on low-level Hunters.
Isaac then looked at the poption of the Red Vipers in the dungeon. His eyes bulged when he saw the numbers written there.
"10,451! This is overpoption!"
The poption of the Red Viper exceeded the normal limit. Each monster had its own breeding speed. In Isaac''s current case, the Red Viper progressed faster than the Goblin.
Normally, each floor had 100,000 poptions. And each type of monster had 500~1000. It depended on the needs.
Isaac then sold 10,000 Red Vipers.
[You get 5,000 zenny.]
To control the Red Viper poption from soaring up again, Isaac needed to provide them with predators to keep the food chain bnced.
"Pippi, what is the predator of the Red Viper?"
"Hmm¡ Syb Falcon or Goblin."
Isaac looked at the poption numbers of the two. He saw that the poption of Goblins had reached 788. That was enough.
Meanwhile, there were only 50 Syb Falcons.
"No wonder they can sprout. The food chain is out of bnce."
Then, Isaac bought 400 Syb Falcons and immediately dropped them into the Dungeon.
[Input x400 ''Syb Facon (F)'' to 1st floor.]
First problem solved.
After that Isaac checked the other poption numbers, then he bnced them. He didn''t want a simr mistake to happen in the future.
"This way humans canst longer," Isaac muttered.
Pippi''s face was dumbfounded.
"Lord, Pippi still doesn''t understand. Why are you making it easy for them? If they get stronger, they can infiltrate the next floor. They might as well get to the Crystal Core room. Isn''t this dangerous?"
"It''s very risky, but worth the reward."
Then Isaac began to exin to Pippi.
Another alternative to making lots of zenny without having to kill a lot of humans was to kill humans who had high quality.
The stronger the human, the more zenny was produced. Normally, humans who didn''t experience awakening only worth 0.01 zenny. However, those who experienced awakening could be worth 100 to 1600 zenny, depending on how strong they were. A very strong human could reach 6000 zenny or more.
Isaac wouldn''t have to worry if there were a lot of humans dying on the 3rd and 2nd floors. If they died there, it meant that was their time to be harvesting. However, it was a different story on the 1st floor, where the beginners were.
Thus, he wanted humans to ripen fully before they could finally be harvested.
And at the same time, he could not allow humans to get stronger than the monsters. If that happened, not only would he not get the zenny, but the Dungeon''s power would weaken and he would lose the game.
Chapter 12 First Slave
It had been a week since Isaac returned from the Challenge Dimension. During that time, Isaac locked himself in the Crystal Core room, focusing on replenishing the poption and adjusting the distribution of monsters so the poption in his Dungeon was bnced.
As a Dungeon Master, Isaac wasn''t just focused on defense, but also the level of difficulty. Because Isaac''s targets weren''t just demons, but humans too.
Isaac had to create a Dungeon that was friendly to humans, and at the same time challenging. It couldn''t be too difficult and it couldn''t be too easy either. It was like entertaining yers in a video game.
He knew the basic human character well. When it was too hard, they would give up, and if it was too easy, they would get bored. As a result, they searched for more powerful monsters and ended up being killed because they were still weak. And Isaac would only get crumbs.
For thest two days, Isaac found an anomaly.
"The number of deaths on the 1st floor increased again? Even though the monsters in the Dungeon have been bnced by me?"
Feeling something was wrong, Isaac checked the data in the Control Panel one by one. Everything was normal and there were no significant types of monsters.
Facing a dead end, Isaac called Pippi via telepathy. Not long after, a sh of firefly-like light gathered and the figure of a girl appeared.
Pippi, with a salute pose, reported to Isaac. "Pippi is here, ready to take orders."
Isaac then asked if there was anything odd while he was watching the Dungeon. The little girl didn''t answer right away, looking thoughtful for a moment.
"Ah! Recently, I saw a bunch of humans killing each other."
Isaac''s hands clenched at Pippi''s report. He became furious. Not because he heard the news that humans were killing each other, but because they dared to steal from him.
Isaac would only get zenny if a monster or him directly killed a human. However, it was a different story if humans killed other humans. Isaac would get nothing. Instead, he experienced a loss, because he lost a human that might potentially producerge amounts of zenny.
There were many reasons humans killed each other in the Dungeon. Mostmon reason was because they wanted to get Power Crystals in the easiest way.
Finding Power Crystals in Dungeons was fairly difficult. They had to find the source, and it was usually in a monster''s nest area. Dungeon Masters usually put monsters around Power Crystals so they could kill a lot of humans.
Hence, many Hunters chose an alternative path by taking it from other Hunters.
They usually teamed up in 5-10 people, then targeted groups of Hunters who looked weak or exhausted.
Isaac really hated these kinds of people. To him, they were disgusting parasites. Not only did they use a cowardly method, but they also made Issac lose his farming factory.
"I have to get rid of these bastards immediately, or they will ughter all my golden goose," Isaac thought.
Isaac quickly stood up.
"Pippi, next time another human behaves strangely, you must report to me immediately, understand?"
"Aye aye, Lord!"
After that Isaac told Pippi to take himself to the 1st Floor. Their bodies glowed and, in split seconds, broke apart like fireflies.
.
.
.
Floor 1, Isaac''s Dungeon.
Despite being inside the Dungeon, the sky was as bright blue as the outside world. In the midst of dense green trees, Isaac seemed to observe the activities of Hunters who were hunting monsters.
Because Isaac''s Dungeonnded in the middle of the three countries'' borders, he had seen people with different characteristics and skin tones several times. Some people had oriental faces, and some had European faces.
As far as Isaac observed, they all seemed normal. Hunting weak monsters; like a direwolf, a three-horned boar, or a slime.
"Perhaps I should look for a residual ce."
The residual ce Isaac was referring to was the ce where the Power Crystal was located. Everything inside the Dungeon was made of Crystal Core energy. Sometimes, the energy flow settles and crystallizes. Then the crystal stones were called Power Crystals.
After about 30 minutes through the forest, Isaac entered an area where the enormous cave was. ording to the map control panel, this ce was an area loaded with Power Crystals.
When he was about to enter the cave, suddenly a group of people came. There were 5 people. Isaac then backed off, deciding to keep an eye on them from now on.
After observing them carefully, one of them looked familiar. A young man who was in his 20s with ck hair and snow white skin, Isaac had seen him somewhere.
"That person!?"
Seeing that figure, a smile formed on Isaac''s lips. However, at the same time, he wondered why that person came to his Dungeon.
"Guo Chen!"
One of the five humans shouted the young man''s name. Then Isaac checked the information of that human.
[Name : Guo Chen]
[Race : Human ]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : A]
[Level : 10]
After seeing Guo Chen''s ss, Isaac smiled.
Based on Isaac''s memory, in the fourth year of the game, there was one of the most famous Hunters in the world. He was famous for his prowess involved in the conquest of three Dungeons in China. Eventer, the Barons felt anxious about his presence.
He was known as one of the six strongest in China.
However, he had bad luck when he attempted to raid Duke Barbatos'' Dungeon. He died before reaching his highest potential.
This time Isaac would make sure that Guo Chen didn''t die in vain.
With the help of ''Seeds of Mind'', Isaac would make this human a loyal servant. Then, maximized that human potential and turned it into a terrifying living weapon for the demon aristocrats.
''Not only strong but also a strong hunter that other humans respected. A figure worthy of being my ve.''
Guo Chen seemed to be discussing with his men for a while. After that, they went into the cave.
Not long after, another group came to the mouth of the cave. Their number was three times more than Guo Chen''s party. For some reason, Isaac felt they were not part of Guo Chen.
Their faces looked fierce and suspicious. One of them was bald with a terrifying scar on his eyebrow.
From a distance, Isaac observed them. Because Isaac''s perception stat was high, he could hear their conversation.
"See, like I said, right? There will be people who enter this cave," said the bald-headed man.
"That''s right boss, hehe. Now what do we do?" one of them asked.
"We''ll just have to wait. There are many spider monsters inside the cave. Some of them might not make it out safely. We''ll finish off what''s left, then take all the Power Crystals they get."
It was enough from that brief conversation that Isaac could conclude they were going to kill Guo Chen and his party.
"After going around for a long time, I finally found these parasites," Isaac muttered.
He was already clutching his gun, ready to shoot them in the head. But then an interesting idea popped up in his head.
"Hmmm, it''s a shame to finish them off right now. Looks like I can still use them."
Chapter 13 Guo Chen
Guo Chen, he had only been a Hunter for three months.
Before bing a Hunter, Guo Chen was just an odd-jobber. During the day, he worked at a restaurant, and at night, he became a cashier at a convenience store. He did whatever he could to make a living.
Guo Chen who didn''t have any skills was at the very bottom of the social pyramid. Everyday hebsaw other people enjoying their lives. Meanwhile, he had to work hard so that he could still fill his stomach.
His days were just filled with work, work, and work. However, he didn''tin, because everyone had their own fate and time. He was sure that one day the time woulde for him.
And it turned out his fate hade. Guo Chen was awakened as a Hunter.
"This is the turning point in my life!"
Every day, from behind the TV screen, Guo Chen watched the news of a Hunter who achieved glory after entering the Dungeon. Their lives changed 180 degrees after bing a Hunter. Expensive watches, sports cars, and all-brand clothes, they all had that luxury.
Guo Chen was not tempted by the pleasure that the world had offered, but everything he saw gave him a strong motivation that he could live a better life.
Every day he practiced, day and night, he hunted various monsters in the Dungeon.
Starting from the lowest monster like slime, blood-sucking bats, wild boars to monsters that were strong enough for novice Hunters like goblins.
Of course, hunting monsters was not a simple matter. For Guo Chen, the hardest part was killing monsters with his own hands. The senior Hunters gave him advice on equating monsters with farm animals so he could kill him easily.
"They''re not humans, just think of them as animals."
Although it was difficult at first, Guo Chen was finally able to handle it. If he wanted to grow, he had to cross his boundaries.
Little by little, Guo Chen umted experience and continued to level up. His fighting techniques were also developing with the difficulty of the monsters he had fought.
In fact, he often changed teams. Not because he was ipatible with others, but so that he could adapt to various conditions. Thanks to this habit, Guo Chen could understand each character of the Hunters. He could lead and unite people with different mindsets.
It didn''t take long for him to be a very well-known figure among the local Hunters.
Guo Chen was sure, as long as the team was solid, he could deal with any threats in the Dungeon. However, he forgot one important thing.
The situation changed rapidly. In a short time, the threat of Hunters in the Dungeon was not just monsters. Even their own race, humans. We could die in human hands.
And right now, Guo Chen was being surrounded by a group of humans.
Guo Chen managed to collect 100 grams of Power Crystal aftering out of a cave containing thousands of blood-sucking bats, along with his four new friends who he met on the inte.
Unexpectedly, when he came out to the mouth of the cave, 15 fully armed people were waiting for his arrival. From the news circting among the Hunters, these people were known as the Leechers. A group of people who attacked Hunters to steal Power Crystals and monster prey.
Although their actions were ssified as criminal, they couldn''t be touched by thew. It was difficult to prove the actions of those who vited thew. Since there were no witnesses orw enforcement in the Dungeon, anything could happen.
That''s why the Leechers grew rapidly, like bacteria.
"Hey! If you want to be safe, hand over all the Power Crystals you get!" One of the bald-headed Leecher group leaders shouted.
Of course, Guo Chen would not believe his words easily. The Leechers were known to kill each of their victims after they got what they wanted. The four people who were hisrades looked terrified in the face of Leecher''s group.
At first nce, this scene looked a little strange. They were not afraid to enter the monster''sir. Then, why were they afraid to face the Leecher?
Because the Leecher was human. Guo Chen''s group might be stronger than Leecher''s group, but killing humans and killing monsters were two different things.
If killing monsters or eating animals was called survival, then killing humans was called immoral. They couldn''t kill the Leechers because morality prevented them.
"Guo Chen, should we just hand over the Power Crystal?" One of hisrades persuaded Guo Chen.
However, Guo Chen didn''t want to give up easily. He still wanted to fight without having to kill them.
"No, we have to fight. Don''t believe what they say. Whether we surrender or not, they will kill us."
He tried to exin to his fourrades that they would survive against the Leechers. And his fourrades agreed with Guo Chen.
Guo Chen stepped forward tounch an attack. "If you want our Power Crystal, go ahead and get it yourself."
Hearing the taunt from Guo Chen, of course, the Leechers were furious. The leader of the Leechers, the bald-headed man, said, "Well, if that''s what you want, attack!"
Fifteen people attacked Guo Chen''s group. The second sh was inevitable.
Bravely, Guo Chen took the lead against Leecher''s group. His sword swung, fending every iing attack off and countering back, without striking the enemy''s vital
Meanwhile, Guo Chen''s threerades protected one of the female healers who became the heart of their defense.
"What are you guys doing? Attack! Your enemies are only 5 people!"
Even though the Leecher''s group had 15 people, they couldn''t deal with Guo Chen alone. Guo Chenpletely dominated the fight.
Unfortunately, it didn''tst long.
"Arrgh!"
One of Guo Chen''srades was shed by a sword. As a result, their defense to protect the Healer was reduced by one.
"Xiao Lu!" Guo Chen screamed.
sh! St¡ª!
"Argh!"
The sword tore at Guo Cheng''s back. Blood dripped down onto the ground. Instantly, he copsed, but the bad things didn''t stop there.
"No!"
sh! sh! sh!
He had to watch hisrades being killed by the Leechers one by one. There was one female healer who was still alive, but her body was badly injured.
Guo Chen was furious. He grabbed his sword and quickly got up. Then, with all his remaining strength, he charged at the Leechers.
"Fuck! You will all pay for it."
sh! One Leecher fell.
sh! Two Leecher fell.
Guo Chen didn''t care anymore, he put his morality aside. He swung his sword as hard as he could, the sensation of slicing through flesh and bone could be felt in his hands.
"Hey!"
The Leechers suddenly panicked. A seriously injured person turned into a ferocious monster capable of killing anyone.
"Quickly kill this man, before he kills you," the bald-headed man shouted.
Even though Guo Chen had tried his best, his body was badly injured. There was already a lot of blood flowing out of his body. The swing of his sword grew weaker and his vision began to hazy.
One of the Leechers saw Guo Chen let his guard down. Then, he took the opportunity.
Bang!
"Argh!"
A hard kicknded on Guo Chen''s back. Instantly, he copsed to the ground. He tried to get up, but there was no more energy left. At the same time, his body felt cold and everything seemed to be getting dark.
Guo Chen saw that the bald-headed Leecher leader seemed to say something. However, he couldn''t hear it.
''Is this the end?''
Gradually, Guo Chen''s eyelids grew heavier. In thest moment, before his eyes closed, he saw the figure of a white-haired man walking towards him.
Chapter 14 Living Weapon
Isaac watched their battle from a distance. He waited for the right time to step in. Besides, he wanted to see the potential strength of the strongest Hunter candidate in China was.
"He is strong and indeed extremely talented, although his sword techniques are still crude. If I polish him again, he will be truly peerless among humans. It''s just, he looks na?ve."
As he watched Guo Chen fight, it was clear that every swing of his sword had no killing intent. Every time the swordnded on the enemy''s body, it only caused meaningless scratches.
If it continued, Guo Chen would only kill himself. Isaac still didn''t want to intervene. He still had hope in Guo Chen.
"The strongest Hunter candidate in China is unlikely to be killed here."
However, the longer the battle went on, the more clear it was that Guo Chen was cornered. Besides, his four friends fell one by one.
Isaac felt that there was something wrong with him.
"Arrrgh!"
Then, Guo Chen was kicked from behind by the enemy. Isaac couldn''t help but sigh in disappointment when he saw that. If Issac left him, that man would really be killed.
Isaac finally decided to step in.
Bam!
A bullet made of concentrated Mana pierced the head of one of the Leecher members. After realizing that one of their members had died, the Leechers looked for the culprit. From a distance, they could see a man walking from the depths of the forest. His face was cold and expressionless.
"Who are you? If¡ª"
Bam!
[You get 100 zenny.]
One of the Leechers who didn''t have time to finish off what he wanted to say had been shot in the head. Then, a barrage of bullets pierced their heads one by one.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
[You got 100 zenny]
[You got 100 zenny]
[You got¡]
Within seconds, most of the Leechers were killed. Leaving only a bald-headed man, the leader of the Leecher group.
The head of Leecher''s face looked terrified when he saw Isaac''s figure. In his eyes, Isaac was like an angel of death. There was no expression at all when Isaac took the lives of hisrades. As if killing humans was like getting rid of pests.
The bald-headed man knew that there was no way he could escape from this human-like monster. So the only option was to beg for mercy. It was a shameful act, but his life was more precious than his pride. He immediately crawled over to Isaac and hugged his leg.
"Please, Sir. Please forgive me. I''ll do anything for you. I am ready to be your ve. Please forgive me!"
The man continued to cry while hugging Isaac''s legs. Even his tears and snot soaked the Dungeon Master''s pants.
Isaac smiled faintly. Not because he was happy that humans were begging for his forgiveness, but because he thought it was funny.
Just a few minutes ago, this bald-headed man was acting like a ruthless man who would take the lives of others for personal gain. Now, he turned like a frightened puppy.
It was this typical human that Isaac hated the most. Not only did he lose his zenny, this human existence also disgusted Isaac.
Isaac quickly got rid of him, but when he was about to pull the trigger, other ns popped up in his head.
"Is that so?" Isaac asked while showing a curious face. "Then stay alive. Don''t die until I let you die."
The face of the bald-headed man looked confused. Before he could grasp Isaac''s words, suddenly his neck was dripping with blood.
St!
"Urgh!"
The bald-headed man fell helplessly while holding his neck. He tried to scream, but he lost his voice as if he had been mute. Isaac had just snatched his vocal cords away.
Then, Isaac left the man lying on the ground covered in blood. He walked closer to Guo Chen, who was unconscious. Isaac took the Potion in his pocket, then poured it into Guo Chen''s mouth.
Not long after, Guo Chen''s pale face gradually regained its colour.
Isaac touched his own forehead, and at his fingertips emerged a red glow. Then that red glow he pressed to Guo Chen''s forehead. Isaac just nted ''Seeds of Mind''.
"Wake up and be my best ve. But before that, you have to be a strong person."
In Isaac''s eyes, Guo Chen was like an unpolished diamond. Issac could see Guo Chen''s potential. But there were only a few ws that hindered its development. One of them was naivety mindset.
Defending the truth without hurting people, every life was precious, there must be a reason people do evil; All those pitiful mindsets had to be banished from Guo Chen''s head.
If Guo Chen kept thinking in that way, he would only be a weak man and easily killed by others. Even if he was able to survive, the people closest to him would be affected by the impact.
Not long after, Guo Chen woke up.
"Urgh¡. Who are you?"
Guo Chen was surprised to find a foreign-looking man in front of him. He had thought that Isaac was an angel of death. However, after looking at his surroundings, he realized he was still alive.
Guo Chen''s face turned pale when he saw hisrades were all dead. At the same time, he was shocked to see the Leecher group, who died horribly. Then, Isaac told Guo Chen what had happened. Of course Issac didn''t say the whole thing.
"Brother, when I came here, everything already became like this. I checked the others. All of them had died. There were only two people alive. You and that person." Isaac pointed at the bald-headed man, who was still holding his neck.
For a moment, Guo Chen was taken aback by Isaac, who could speak Chinese fluently. However, the shock quickly disappeared after seeing the perpetrator who caused hisrades to die was still alive.
Guo Chen''s chest was filled with rage and resentment. He got up and picked up the sword thatid on the ground, ready to take the man''s life.
The bald-headed man was hysterical when he saw Guo Chening closer. However, his voice had disappeared. It was stuck in his throat.
When Guo Chen was about to stab his sword into the chest of the person he hated the most, his hand halted.
Isaac clicked his tongue. "So weak." Then he used ''Seeds of Mind'', giving Guo Chen a violent surge of negative emotion. Instantly, rage dominated his feelings, and he thrusted a sword into the bald-headed man''s chest.
St¡ª!
[You earned 20 zenny!]
After that, Isaac drew out the surge of emotion in Guo Chen''s mind. The man quickly calmed down, and he realized he had just killed someone.
"Wuaahh!"
Guo Chen was in deep shock. His hands were full of blood.
Then Isaac walked over to Guo Chen and calmed him down. "Rx, Brother. It doesn''t matter. This guy deserves it." He stroked Guo Chen''s back.
Then, Guo Chen burst into tears. Not because he had just taken a human''s life, but out of regret for the death of hisrades.
Had he not restrained himself and immediately finished them off, his fourrades would not have died.
However, the opposite expression appeared on Isaac''s face. He smiled contentedly.
Isaac did this on purpose. He deliberately didn''t jump right in to kill the Leechers or tried to save the others. He let Guo Chen see his friends being killed.
Isaac taught Guo Chen a lesson by giving him regret and trauma.
Regret made people learn, so they didn''t make the same mistakes. While the trauma would be a reminder of their mistakes.
Isaac muttered, "That way you can grow strong and be a deadly living weapon."
Chapter 15 Secret Meeting
On the outskirts of Beijing, there was a restaurant that was deserted with visitors. The tables seemed empty, and the chairs were not upied. A musty smell wafted through the room. The fans hanging on the ceilings of the sky seemed to spin, even though they weren''t blowing wind.
In this restaurant, there were only three customers sitting at the very end of the table.
One of them was an old man in his 40s with a dapper appearance, in a blue suitplete with a ck tie. His white hair was slicked to the back. He had a distinctly European face.
"I hope this meeting is not a waste of time," said the old man.
Across the worn out table was an oriental woman wearing an elegant green dress. Her face was white like pearls with short ck hair. Her expression looked displeased. "Why do we have to eat at this ce? Can you find a worse ce?" the woman said sarcastically.
"Miss Wang and Mr Leonid, I know you don''t like this kind of ce. But I think local restaurants are far away from the media''s eyes." The person who mediated between the two of them was Park Jisung, a young man with a military shortcut hair.
Although they were from different nations, the three of them couldmunicate well. Of course, not all of them could master other people''snguages. Only Park Jisung could speak threenguages.
"Mister Jisung, tell me what you need to make me fly from Moscow to this small restaurant. Don''t tell me you want to set me up with this woman?"
Leonid nced at the beautiful woman across the table with a predatory look. Meanwhile, Wang Mei, who felt herself being looked at with a perverted gaze, was displeased.
"I don''t care who this old man is. Tell him I will slit his throat if he can''t stop staring at me," said Wang Mei.
"What is this woman saying, Mister Park? Does he want to marry me?"
Jisung, as the mediator in this meeting, had to make wise decisions. "Miss Wang said you reminded her of her deceased father."
After hearing Park Jisung''s answer, Leonid nodded.
"As you know, when the Dungeon firstnded on Earth, the entire country had a dungeon break. Except for one dungeon which was on the border of North Korea, Russia, and China." Jisung said in twonguages alternately, so that both of them understood.
"Then?" Wang Mei asked in a skeptical tone. Her index finger twirled in her hair.
"Sooner orter, there will be a dungeon break. Considering thattely the frequency of dungeon breaks is increasing in every country. It''s good for us to do a Clearance in the Dungeon that is on the border of our country."
After the first dungeon break happened, the entire world was safe again. However, it did notst long. While every country was trying to recover, some Dungeons were still releasing hundreds of monsters.
In Germany, there was a dungeon break for the second time. Over 10,000 people died. This number was smaller than before. Then, in Australia, there were seven Dungeons break, the two of them happened at the same time.
To prevent a dungeon break from urring again, it was necessary to take action to reduce the number of monsters in the Dungeon.
That was Clearance.
If the raid was to enter a Dungeon to look for Power Crystals, then Clearance focused more on destroying monsters, both those thate out and those inside.
Few Hunters were willing to do the Clearance because it brought no profit. Unless they got a direct mission from the government.
Of course, Wang Mei and Leonid, as the leaders of a fairlyrge Guild in their countries, rejected Park Jisung''s offer. There was nothing to gain from this. Even if they were rewarded withrge sums of money. If a lot of Hunters were killed in the Clearance, they would have to spend more money to recruit Hunters.
"Your idea is very noble, Mr Park Jisung, but the Clearance needs to deploy many Hunters. The more people that are deployed, the more likely our members will be killed," Leonid said.
The same response was said by Wang Mei. "I will be frank, Mr Park Jisung. Our guild has no time for that. We are currently focused onpeting for the remaining 8 Dungeons. For humanity''s issues, it is better to leave it to the government." The woman then folded her arms and leaned back in the chair.
Humans adapted quickly. In the past three months, there had been a change in the view of the Dungeon. Now, the Dungeon was not seen as a den of monsters, but a gold mine.
Many Hunters entered the Dungeon, but they ended up dead. To reduce the death rate, the government cooperated with the guild.
The government would give a Guild the exclusive right to manage Dungeons on the condition that they would take the inexperienced Hunters and train them inbat. The guild that signed the contract had the right to use the resources in the Dungeon, with a note they had to give some of the loot of Power Crystals to the government.
However, Park Jisung was the Military Commander, as well as the sole Guild leader in North Korea. He must have known about this.
"I didn''t say this was for the benefit of mankind, but for the three of us."
Instantly, the eyebrows of the two Guild leaders arched. They were intrigued by Park Jisung''s n. As the proverb said, nothing was free in this world.
After seeing Wang Mei and Leonid''s reactions, Park Jisung smiled.
"Okay, can you tell me the details, Mr Park Jisung?" Leonid said.
"I''m sure you already know that the Dungeonsnded on the territory of a country will be the property of that country. However, it''s a little different from those on the border."
Wang Mei''s eyes stared intently at Park Jisung. "Since the Dungeon hasn''t been imed yet, it doesn''t belong to anyone."
Park Jisung snapped his fingers. Meanwhile, Leonid only arched an eyebrow. He didn''t understand what the two of them were saying, because Jisung had not yet spoken in Russian.
"Since China is currently busy managing 10 Dungeons and Russia 8 Dungeons, North Korea will im the Dungeon," Jisung exined in twonguages.
The two great Guild leaders nodded at Park Jisung''s exnation. They both knew that North Korea had no Dungeons at all.
The North Korean government was aware that there was great potential stored in the Dungeon. Thus, North Korea wanted to im the Dungeon on the tripoint border.
However, there were one problem faced by North Korea.
The number who experienced an awakening was still small. Based on thetest survey results, the areas that experienced a lot of awakening were those around the dungeon. Researchers theorize that awakening had something to do with the dungeon.
Thus, North Korea needed the help of these two great guild masters to carry out the Raid, without being discovered by the two higher up of the neighbouring countries.
"We know where this conversation is going. You will definitely need our help, right? So what do we get?" Leonid smiled as he rubbed his hands together.
"I, Park Jisung, as the representative of North Korea, will allow the two guilds to raid as much as they want on our Dungeon. Of course, you should give up 25% of the profits from mining the Power Crystal."
After hearing Park Jisung''s offer, Wang Mei and Leonid''s lips broke into a wide smile. The rations they had to give were lesser than usual.
Although it was notparable to having the sole right of the dungeon, it was still a tempting offer.
With a bright face, Wang Mei said, "As long as you don''t involve me in politics, it''s not a problem. I, the Nine Sky Guild Master, ept this offer."
Then followed by Leonid. "Hm, it''s interesting to have an exclusive raid right in another country''s Dungeon. The Siberian Knights Guild epts the offer."
Park Jisung squeezed the ss tightly. It almost broke if he didn''t hold back himself.
"Alright, let''s discuss the n of the Dungeon Clearance at the China¨CNorth Korea¨CRussia tripoint."
Chapter 16 Gunslayer
Bam!
In the middle of the dense forest on the first floor Dungeon, a man had just been shot dead by a Mana bullet. Around him were eight men with shocked faces. They were all Leecher''s group.
They were trying to rob three Hunters who were injured. The three of them had a look of despair.
"Shit! I told you, there''s a lunatic in the dungeon¡ª"
? Bam!
Before he could finish his words, one of the Leecher''s chests had a hole in it. The remaining Leechers were frightened. They began to scatter to escape.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Eight Leechers died instantly.
While the three people who were the victims of Leecher were still shocked after seeing what had happened. They nced at each other in disbelief. Then, they saw the figure of a man with sses with white hair standing far behind the trees.
A female Hunter out of the three of them said, "Could it be¡ that man is the rumored one?"
"Are we going to be killed?" One of the male Hunters looked scared to death.
Thest male hunter shook his head, "Gunyer¡ He will only kill the Leechers."
One week had passed since Isaac''s meeting with Guo Chen. During that time, there were at least 50 Leechers he managed to killed.
Thanks to this action, rumours about his whereabouts began to spread among Hunters. A mysterious man with a dual gun killed the Leechers, who tried to rob the exhausted Hunters.
Because of that, Isaac got the nickname Gunyer.
However, what made rumours about Isaac quickly spread and was known to many people was because of his mysterious nature. Isaac never interacted with any Hunter who survived from the Leechers. After exterminating the group of Leechers, he just left.
"Brother, whatever your name is! Thank you for saving us!" eximed one of the male Hunters who had be the victim of the Leechers. Before the words were finished, the figure who had helped him had disappeared.
Isaac had no interest in helping people. He returned to the first floor of the Dungeon only to hunt down the Leechers.
In the middle of his journey crossing the forest, Isaac sensed someone''s presence. He stopped, then shot at a nearby rock in front of him.
Bam!
"Kyaaa!" the little girl screamed.
"How long are you going to follow me, Pippi?" Isaac said nonchntly.
Then, Pippi came forward while stroking the back of her head. "Hehe, sorry, My Lord. Pippi is just curious. Lord killed the parasites, but why not kill them all? I think, My Lord, is too kind to them."
Isaac smiled amusedly. He didn''t expect his actions to be called ''kind''.
"They are still weak and their potential is not yet seen. I gave them a chance to be a quality fertilizer for my dungeon. If they die from being eaten by monsters, it means that they are indeed weak. Even if they survive and be strong, one day even the stronger monsters will prey on them."
Pippi''s mouth opened in an o shape. She hadn''t thought that far.
"Do you have any news, Pippi?"
The little girl quickly posed a salute. "Report, My Lord. Nothing happened for thest few days. All went normally. The number of humans entering the Dungeon had been increased. The number of deaths was controlled ording to your n, 10-30 people per day. Parasites were also rarely seen. Reportpleted."
Isaac nodded. "Good, get back to work. Looks like it''s time for me to leave."
Pippi''s eyes narrowed. "Where are you going, My Lord? The Challenge Dimension isn''t over yet?"
Isaac gave a short answer. "I''m going to the human world."
.
.
.
The sky looked blue with no clouds covering it, so the morning was so bright.
In the centre of Hunchun City, there was a park with argeke. Blossom trees were visible along the way. On the side of the path, there was green grass and red tulips blooming beautifully. Elderly couples, children, and groups of young people; all mingling, enjoying the beauty of the park.
On the edge of theke, there were trees lined with park benches underneath. Isaac was sitting on a park bench, enjoying the view.
"Peace and quiet."
Isaac''s purpose for going out today wasn''t just enjoying the view, but to adapt in the human environment.
In his previous life, Isaac would only take out monsters and exterminate humans around the Dungeon. In Isaac''s mind, it was just how to make as much zenny as possible, without considering the risks that woulde. He underestimated humans too much.
However, now it was different. Isaac learned a lot of things.
Destroying the settlements and life around the Dungeon was a rash act. It only prevented humans from multiplying and they were afraid to approach his Dungeon.
When his Dungeon was destroyed, Isaac survived alone in the outside world. He had to survive from the humans who wanted to hunt him down. Some of them even managed to corner Isaac.
At that moment, Isaac realized that humans and demons had one thing inmon. They could level up. Unlike the monsters in the Dungeon.
Just as Isaac was deep in thought, he heard someone calling his name.
"Brother Isaac!"
The figure he had been waiting for so long had finally arrived, Guo Chen.
Isaac quickly stood up and put on a cheerful face, as if he met a dear friend. "Wow, Guo Chen! It was a coincidence to meet you here."
Of course, Isaac and Guo Chen''s meeting wasn''t a coincidence. With the ''Seeds of Mind'' embedded in Guo Chen''s head, Isaac could give orders or summon that human through his subconscious anytime he wanted.
Even though Isaac had been in the human world for eight years, there were still many things he didn''t know about those creatures. For that, he needed Guo Chen as a guide to explore the human world.
There was a lot of work that needed to be done as soon as possible.
Chapter 17 Guild
The train sped away like a bullet. Inside the VIP section, there were no passengers other than two men sitting in the end of the row seats. The two of them were Isaac and Guo Chen.
"How many hours do you think we''ll arrive?" Isaac asked.
Guo Chen looked at the clock on his smartphone. "Based on the schedule, we''ll be there in thirty minutes."
They were on their way to Beijing.
Isaac went to the human world with one goal; created human warriors. He wanted to take advantage of the human potential to win this game.
So, to fulfil this goal, Isaac wanted to create a guild!
However, the n did not go smoothly. There were two things that caused it.
First, because the rules for setting up a guild were very strict. To establish a guild, they had to meet several special requirements; such as being registered in the Hunter Association, having a Hunter Rank A certificate, having over 100 prospective members, and finally having over 100 hours of experience fighting in the Dungeon.
Issac could fulfil all of those requirements slowly. However, there was one important reason that caused it to fail. The guild founder must be a native citizen.
Thus, Isaac chose thetter option. That was to join a guild and then take over it.
Because the guilds were based in the metropolis, he had to leave Hunchun. And Beijing became his choice.
Of course, before going to Beijing, he had learned a lot of things. Culture, customs,munication ethics, clothing, and even today''s technology; Isaac had mastered everything.
In a way, Isaac had prepared everything. Including the problem of money.
As a Dungeon Master, finances were not an important matter. He simply took a handful of Power Crystals and sold them to collectors. From selling one kilogram of that purple, sparkling stone, he earned around 1 million RMB.
Isaac could not eptrge amounts of money in cash. He used Guo Chen''s ount to hold all the money. Besidesing as a navigator, Guo Chen was his living wallet.
He didn''t have to worry if Guo Chen took the money away. After all, with the ''Seed of Mind'', he could kill that man whenever he wanted.
After earning the money, the first thing he bought was a suitcase of clothes. Even though in the demon world the clothes of royalty were luxurious and elegant, in the eyes of humans, it looked weird.
Lastly, so that he could take advantage of all the facilities without worrying about anything, he prepared fake documents such as visa and passport. And it turned out, Guo Chen had acquaintances who worked in that business.
"We are finally here," Isaac muttered.
The train stops at the tform. After traveling for 6 hours, they finally arrived at Beijing Railway Station. As far as the eye could reach, only a sea of people could be seen. What a congested, hectic and busy atmosphere.
Then, they quickly took a taxi and stopped at a hotel that was five kilometres from the location.
When they arrived at the Hotel, Guo Chen looked bbergasted. The floor was made of marbles and dozens of crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. This was his first experience setting foot in a hotel, and so was Isaac.
After ordering a room, the two of them quickly went to their rooms.
The Hotel rooms were like private rooms. The walls of the room were white, and the floor was covered with brown carpets with a unique motif. Next to where Isaac stood, there was arge mattress the size of a double bed. Plus a 24 inch TV attached to the wall as aplement.
A room suitable for resting after a long journey. However, Isaac didn''t have much time to enjoy all of those.
"Let''s see which guild is lucky."
Isaac got the information from Guo Chen that the Hunters had their own forum or social media.
He then swiped his cell phone screen and opened a website called the Hunter Society. A forum used by Hunters across China to exchange information about the Dungeons and find partners for Raids. He nned to use this site to search for a guild.
Isaac logged in using Guo Chen''s ount. After that he changed the Jilin region to Beijing.
On the first page was a row of random threads. When one ''category'' was clicked, various rows of threads with one category would appear. Isaac tried clicking the [Dungeon] category.
[How to deal with the poison of the Red Viper.]
[The appearance of a mysterious Hunter, Gunyer!]
[The location of the newest Power Crystal, updated on January 5, 2024.]
[Some spots that beginners must avoid. ]
Isaac only took a nce, and he immediately changed the category. As a Dungeon Master, all this information was useless. Then, Isaac pressed the [Recruitment] category.
"Here it is."
Then, his finger started swiping across the screen, and the page scrolled. His eyes continued to stare at the glowing of his smartphone screen.
[ck Lotus Guild Recruitment - Minimum Rank C]
[Red Crimson Guild Recruitment - Minimum Rank C]
[Soaring Dragon Guild Recruitment - Minimum Rank C]
The rank requirements made Isaac frown. Isaac nned to apply using Guo Chen''s ID, because his current rank was still E.
Isaac skimmed the next page one by one. However, after opening more than 50 pages, none of the guilds set a minimum requirement of E.
"If you make the requirements low, one of your guilds will be a big one in the blink of an eye," Isaac sighed.
Actually, Isaac also understood the reason. It was impossible for them to provide requirements with such a low standard. A warmander would always look for strong soldiers. In fact, it would be suspicious if they allowed anyone with low rank to enter the guild.
In the end, Isaac found none. He pondered for a moment.
"Looks like I''ll have to change my ns."
Isaac closed the [Recruitment] page, then he chose the topic of discussion [Raid]. After that, various threads filled the screen of his cellphone.
[Requires one Hunter, tanker type - Minimum rank C]
[Party of 5 people, less than 1 archer - Minimum rank D]
[Requires real support, not cowards hiding in the back line - Rank minimum C]
Isaac let out a sigh through the gaps in his teeth while reading the requirements one by one. He kept scrolling the screen and changing pages. However, he still couldn''t find Rank E recruitment, let alone Rank F.
"Is Rank E so bad that no one wants to invite them to have Raid?"
Isaac realized his words sounded stupid. He was just annoyed that his ns weren''t going well.
However, he hadn''t given up yet.
After scrolling through the smartphone screen for a while, he saw a thread that just appeared.
[Nine Sky requires 2 Hunters as porters. Wage 3500 RMB - Free rank]
Isaac''s eyes squinted into mere slits when he saw ''Nine Sky''. This name sounded familiar. Isaac closed his eyes while muttering ''Nine Sky'' over and over, trying to remember it.
"AH¡ª! Nine Sky! The guild I once destroyed."
The memories in his head wereing back at once. He remembered he had killed 1000 Hunters who tried to infiltrate his Dungeon. Their leader was a woman with two des. While in the battle, the woman hailed Nine Sky many times to encourage her men. However, in the end she was trampled to death by the Trolls.
Isaac smiled. "Looks like it''s fate."
Without hesitation, Isaac applied. Since there was no further information, he applied for two slots.
[Processed. Wait for the moderator''s reply.]
His face was sour for a moment. Isaac thought he would be epted right away. However, he didn''t lose hope. He had been waiting for a reply all night and still no message came. It crossed Isaac''s head to look for another thread. When exactly it was 12 p.m. his smartphone screen lit up.
[You are epted for the porter team. Gather tomorrow at 10 a.m at Nine Sky Headquarters, Chaoyang District.]
Chapter 18 Nine Sky
Isaac looked at himself in front of the mirror. He was perfect. ck suit and neat hair that slicked to the back. No human would ever think that Isaac was a demon.
Before leaving the room, he put on a ring as his final appearance.
[ss : E]
[Type : Artefact (Ring)]
[Suppresses the demon''s original aura and power.]
[Side effect: all stats cut in half.]
This ring was an artefact he got from the Dimension Challenge.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 75]
[Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger]
[Skill : 1/3]
[ Strength : 50 (25) ]
[ Magic : 140 (70) ]
[ Constitution : 66 (33)]
[ Dexterity : 83 (41) ]
[ Perception : 80 (40) ]
[Unallocated stat points : 20]
Isaac left the room and met Guo Chen, who was waiting for him in the hallway. The human''s eyes seemed to open wide upon seeing Isaac''s appearance.
"Wow, Brother. Are we really going to raid? I feel like we''re going to have a press conference."
Guo Chen''s praise was not without a reason. In his eyes, Isaac looked like a high-ss celebrity. However, Isaac ignored Guo Chen''s joke.
"Alright, let''s go."
The two of them got out of the hotel and headed for Nine Sky Headquarters by taxi.
After twenty minutes, they arrived at a gigantic building. The outer courtyard was tiled in grey stone and along the path leading to the entrance were green ornamental nts.
When Isaac got out of the taxi, people''s eyes began to fall on him. Several people seemed to point their phone cameras at Isaac. Then, the woman''s whispers resounded like flies.
"Who is that? Did any celebrity awaken as a Hunter?"
"Eh, is he the overseas Hunter that Nine Sky recruited?"
"Is he the rumoured Nichs Lim?"
Handsome face and elegant clothes, it was enough to attract a lot of attention. However, Isaac didn''t want this. He only wanted to make a good impression on the Nine Sky Guild members.
"I feel like I''m your manager," Guo Chen whispered. Then, he chuckled.
Isaac entered the gigantic building.
The hall was huge, filled with people wearing suits and some inbat equipment. About 10 metres in front of him, there was an administration desk for receiving the guests. To the west was a lounge with a few people sitting on the sofa. The guild logo in the form of number nine that formed a cloud hung on the wall.
Isaac looked around, feeling like he couldn''t find any clues. He sent a message to the moderator who had notified him yesterday.
Not long after, someone shouted.
"Guo Chen?"
In the lounge, Isaac could see someone waving his hand.
Guo Chen was surprised when his name was called. Isaac then motioned for Guo Chen to wave back.
Then, they both went to the man''s table. There were 12 men and women sitting around the table.
The man who had previously waved his hand, shook hands with Guo Chen.
"Pleased to meet you. I am the squad leader, Feng Hua."
After that, the attention of the man named Feng Hua turned to Isaac. He scrutinized Isaac from head to toes.
"Are you a foreigner? What''s your name?"
Isaac''s skin was pale white. So Feng Hua thought he was from a foreigner. Then, he reached out his hand to Isaac.
"Isaac Constantine. I''m from Australia."
Isaac answered as it was written on his fake passport. Then, he saw Feng Hua''s status.
[Name : Feng Hua]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : E]
[Level : 9]
"I guess I was expecting too much," Isaac muttered. He sighed in disappointment.
For some reason, Isaac had hoped to meet an A-ss or at least C-ss Hunter, considering they were members of arge Guild in China.
Feng Hua looked surprised when he heard Isaac speak Chinese fluently.
"You''re so fluent¡ ah, anyway, you look handsome. Look, they don''t stop looking at you."
Feng Hua nced at the other table. There were three girls in the group. They showed an annoyed face when Feng Hua teased them.
Isaac and Guo Chen greeted them. Guo Chen looked awkward when he spoke in front of the girls. Meanwhile, their attention was more focused on Isaac. The three girls asked Isaac several times, especially about his background.
"How long have you lived in China?"
"You''re not thinking about bing a model?"
"Rx, Big sister, will protect you."
Isaac replied casually. He didn''t enjoy being bombarded with questions.
Not long after, one of the boys from that group called out.
"How long are you going to interrogate that porter? Their job is just to run errands."
The man sitting at the far end looked displeased. He looked at Isaac and Guo Chen with an arrogant look.
However, the man''s words not only irked Isaac, but the three girls as well.
"This is an important meeting, not a blind date. You guys better go to the kitchen over there!"
Instantly, the atmosphere changed. The man continued to mock Isaac and the girls.
"Look at them. Totally amateurs. We are about to head off to a Dungeon filled with monsters, but you guys treat it like a date."
After that,ughter filled the lounge. All the male guild membersughed.
At this table, only Isaac was wearing a different outfit. All of them were wearingbat equipment; such as iron armour, robes, and light clothing. Meanwhile, Guo Chen was wearing a windbreak jacket with light armour underneath.
Only Feng Hua did notugh. He wanted to rebuke, but he felt inferior towards the mood-wrecking man.
"Sorry, Brother Isaac. They''re just joking. Please don''t take it to heart." Feng Hua tried to smile in front of Isaac.
While Isaac sighed. Once again, he was disappointed. The leader of this groupcked leadership skills. Then, he checked status of the man who mocked him.
[Name : Xue Yang]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : F]
[Level : 14]
"Trash," Isaac muttered. He was increasingly clueless as to how Nine Sky selected its members.
Xue Yang had a fairly high levelpared to normal humans. However, he had a low ss, and no potential could be developed from him. Even if Xue Yang was on the same level as Isaac, it was easy enough for Isaac to kill him.
Isaac remained silent with a poker face. He ignored Xue Yang''s chatter. However, not with his number one Hunter. Guo Chen looked annoyed, his face contorted.
"What was your name earlier? Isaac? Make sure you bring extra pomade, so you don''t spoil your hairdo."
Theughter grew louder. The mood of the three female members was already broken. At the same time, they felt bad for Isaac.
However, Isaac was unaffected. For him, this was not a problem. He knew Xue Yang felt inferior and jealous of him. It was human nature. When they felt small, they would look down on others.
He had often seen people who had the same character as Xue Yang.
"What joke made youugh like this? Is this your doing again, Xue Yang?"
Suddenly, theughter stopped. Everyone was silent, and Xue Yang was no exception. A girl who looked younger than the people at this table appeared before them.
Instantly, Xue Yang''s expression turned sour.
Chapter 19 Alpha
The girl had long ck hair and a face as white as snow. She exuded an aura of domination and sovereignty. Even Feng Hua showed a respectful attitude despite being older than the girl who had just arrived.
Xue Yang, who felt her dominance was suppressed, tried to remain confident.
"Miss Wang Yi, this is nothing. We only teach our three new members a little lesson, so they will do their work seriously. Those girls teased our two inexperienced porters."
The three female members clicked their tongues when Xue Yang threw the me at them. It turned out that they were new members of the Nine Sky guild.
Wang Yi narrowed her eyes at the three new recruits. Then, she nced at Isaac and a surprised expression shed on her face. After that, he looked back at Xue Yang.
"Oh, I see. I thought you gave them a lesson because the three of them weren''t interested in you."
Feng Hua and the three female members seemed to hold back theirughter. Xue Yang''s face was bright red out of embarrassment, but he couldn''t say anything to the younger sister of the Nine Sky Guild Master, Wang Mei.
Wang Yi turned to Feng Hua, giving him a signal to start the briefing.
"Alright, let''s get started," said Feng Hua. He smiled at all the members.
Feng Hua became the leader of the discussion. He exined various things regarding this raid. Their aim was not only to find Power Crystals, but also to train the new members. Including training Feng Hua to be the leader of the squad.
The new members were the three girl. They were healers. Job healers were very rare in the world, therefore a famous guild like Nine Sky was willing to recruit the beginners.
While the rest were more senior members. Although from Isaac''s observations, they weren''t the best members of the Nine Sky guild.
Only Wang Yi really caught Isaac''s attention.
[Name : Wang Yi]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : B]
[Level : 15]
The briefing took approximately fifteen minutes. The longest of the briefing was reading out the contents of various agreement documents.
After everything was settled, they quickly got out of the building and headed off to the minibus.
Along the way, Isaac looked out the window. Buildings lined up as far as the eye could see. However, he was not interested in those buildings of human civilization. His attention was drawn to the dungeon standing in the centre of the city. From a distance, the building looked like a pizza tower that stood tall and gigantic.
Isaac''s hand touched the windshield, as if trying to crush the Dungeon.
"Sooner orter, your Dungeon will be destroyed."
While Isaac was deep in thought, suddenly an rm resonated.
Ooouiiiu Oooiuu. The rm echoed throughout the city. The people in the minibus who heard it immediately put on a tense expression, especially Wang Yi.
"Shit, why now at such a time?" Wang Yi, who was sitting on the front seat, clicked her tongue. "Quick, we are heading there. We can''t bete!"
The driver stomped on the gas pedal and the minibus sped away. After taking about thirty minutes, they arrived at the border post between the city area and the dungeon area.
The area around the dungeon was a dangerous zone. Within a 10 kilometre radius of the dungeon, there was a 10 metre high security border. In the vicinity, there were thousands of military personnel along with weapons and heavy vehicles, such as tanks.
However, this time there was not only the military standing guard on the ce, thousands of Hunters withbat equipment were on standby. Some of them had already entered the dungeon area.
"Everyone, hurry up!"
Wang Yi''s exmation made everyone in the minibus get off in a hurry. After that, they gathered in one ce while Wang Yi stood before all of them.
"The first n was cancelled. From now on, I will take over as the leader."
Feng Hua seemed let out a breath of relief.
"As you all know, a dungeon break is happening right now. Thousands of monsters keeping out of the dungeon and won''t stop until the Alpha dies."
Isaac''s eyes squinted. He showed disapproval with Wang Yi''s words.
Dungeon break in the Dungeon Master''s eyes was farming by killing humans around the dungeon area. Of course, the number of monsters they sent had a limit, depending on the Dungeon Master''s wishes, considering that monster production was expensive.
The Alpha that Wang Yi meant was a boss monster that stood guard on every floor of the dungeon.
The monsters in the dungeon weren''t much different from ordinary soldiers. Each monster race had a chief and the boss monster was the general. In a way, the monsters on every floor of the dungeon were battalion soldiers.
The boss monster yed the role of controlling the monster warriors who came out of the dungeon. If it died, then all the monsters would return to the dungeon, unless the Dungeon Master was involved in the battle.
"All memberse with me." Wang Yi''s eyes were fixed on Isaac and Guo Chen. "Since you work as porters, you can stay here ore with us; but, rembember, all at your risk."
"Of course we are going," Isaac replied confidently. Whereas Guo Chen looked the opposite. The man was about to protest, but Isaac hastily covered his mouth.
"I''ll give you guys time to change into yourbat clothes."
Guo Chen sighed. He quickly took off his jacket and pants, then the worn light armour was seen wrapping his body.
While Isaac just stood with a ready expression on his face, still in his ck suit. Of course, this surprised Wang Yi, including the other members.
"You didn''t bring any equipment?" The ck-haired woman narrowed her eyes, looking at Isaac with a look of astonishment.
"It doesn''t matter. They won''t be able to touch me, anyway."
Isaac''s words made Wang Yi both surprised and wanted tough. She didn''t understand whether the man before her was strong or just an idiot. The other members had the same reaction, especially Xue Yang.
"Okay. Up to you."
Wang Yi sighed as she shook her head. If Isaac died in the middle of the battle, it wasn''t the Nine Sky guild''s responsibility. The man had signed the agreement document. Besides, Wang Yi had warned him.
"Alright, let''s go."
They entered the dungeon area together with another group of Hunters.
Chapter 20 Dungeon Break
The area around the dungeon was like a dead city. Empty buildings lined up in a neglected condition. Some looked crushed, some looked mossy. Cars parked carelessly in the middle of the cracked and potholed road.
Around hundreds of Hunters, from various guilds in China or other countries, flocked together towards to the dungeon. They were filled with adrenaline for a fierce battle.
Along the way, there were loud screams and bangs from a distance. However, these hundreds of Hunters had never met any monsters at all.
"Everyone, hurry up! Don''t let us be left behind!"
Wang Yi called for her men to quicken their footsteps. She ran swiftly even though her body was d in heavy armour that was shiny like moonlight.
Everyone seemed to have a hard time keeping up with the woman''s running speed. Their faces were full of sweat and their breathing became rag. Guo Chen was no exception, although he had higher ss among this group.
His face was covered with beads of sweat and his heart felt like it was about to burst from racing. Then, he turned to Isaac, who was running alongside him. Instantly, his eyes widened.
"Who exactly are you, Brother?" Guo Chen muttered curiously.
Unlike the others, Isaac seemed fine. His condition was still the same as when he just got off the minibus; fit, no sweat, and regr breathing. No signs of fatigue at all.
"Aggh!"
Guo Chen, who was observing Isaac out of curiosity, identally bumped into Xue Yang, who stopped in the middle of the road.
"You stupid! Are you blind?!"
The man''s words annoyed Guo Chen. However, he had to put his emotions aside, for a great battle was unfolding before him.
A sea of humans and monsters shedded blood on each other.
The Hunters swung their swords or axes while screaming, shing every monster in their path.
Not only did they fight with weapons, caster-type Hunters emitted mes, shes of lightning, and spikes of ice; they adorned the dark sky covered by smoke.
On other side, monsters with various shapes and forms resembling humans, quadrupeds, scaly like lizards, or had fangs like lions; they united to ughter humans. Their screams were heard reverberating in the sky with a thud echoing through the air.
"What the¡"
Guo Chen gulped at this sight. This was his first experience in a massive scale battle.
He had heard that the battle on the first dungeon break was the worst.
Whereas when he was in Hunchun, there was never a dungeon break at all. He couldn''t imagine what it would be like if the area he lived in had a dungein break. There didn''t have many Hunters and guilds.
"Listen. This battle will be fierce. Not all people fit to go to the front row."
The group led by Wang Yi was at the rear of the human army. About 200 metres from their position was the front line.
Then, she divided the team into three groups. The first group was led by her, the second group by Xue Yang, and thest group was led by Feng Hua.
Wang Yi and Xue Yang''s group would fight on the front lines. Whereas Feng Huan''s group would be at the back line as the support team.
"Yes, Ma''am!" Feng Huan and Xue Yang replied in unison.
"Good. Let''s go."
The two groups followed Wang Yi into the sea of people. Now, only five people remained.
Including Isaac.
"As you have heard earlier, we will be a support team. Our job is to treat the injured Hunters and make sure no monsters get out of the line."
Feng Hua looked at the three novice healers and Isaac with firm determination.
"Let''s carry out this task."
As the leader, Feng Hua moved first to lead the others. They ran towards where Hunter was receiving medical treatment. It was 100 metres from the back row.
Dozens of Hunters with various wounds were lying on the ck asphalt. They were groaning in pain because of the wounds on their bodies. Broken bones sticking out, stomach tear apart, arms severed; many of them had disabilities.
The three novice healers put on horrified faces when they saw the patient''s condition. Then, a woman wearing priest robe told them to help another healer.
The three of them looked at Feng Hua, asking for approval. After he nodded, they followed the healer in the priest robe.
"Who are you?!"
Arge man wearing armour full of abrasions approached Isaac and Feng Hua, who were standing, watching the healers treat the injured Hunters.
"What are you doing here? Hurry up, go to the front row! Other than a healer or medical assistant, there is no need adding Hunter again in the back row."
The man had a fierce face. His gaze showed an expression of displeasure. Then, Feng Hua quickly exined his reason.
"My name is Feng Hua and this partner of mine is Isaac Constantine. We are the representatives of the Nine Sky Guild. On Miss Wang Yi''s orders, the two of us were asked to assist the rearguard."
One of the man''s eyebrows shot up when he heard the word ''Nine Sky''. Who hadn''t heard of one of the seven great guilds in China?
However, the man still showed displeasure.
"Tch. Just because they are from big guilds that they can go their own way." The man spat. "Help me carry the injured hunters."
Then Isaac and Feng Hua followed the man. The three of them helped other medical hunters carry injured hunters to the treatment centre.
Isaac followed the flow. He realized that right now he was ying the role of a human. Not a Demon Lord.
At the same time, Isaac patiently waited for the opportunity toe. A chance to show his power, so that he could gain their trust and enter the Nine Sky Guild.
"RAAWWWWRG!"
When Isaac was busy carrying the injured hunters, suddenly a lion with a humanoid body broke through to the back row. That creature destroyed the Hunter border with its bludgeon and continued to break through until it finally arrived near the location of the infirmary.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Werelion]
? [Type : Beast]
[ss : E]
[Level : 15]
"Attack! Don''t let the lion monster kill the healer!"
Instantly, dozens of Hunters who were in the back row chased the rampaging werelion. They attacked simultaneously. Swords, spears, including various elemental magic, attacked the lion monster. However, they only managed to scratch its skin.
After receiving various attacks, wereliom went berserk. The monster roared, its voice not only echoing in the air but also deafening the eardrums of the Hunters.
Wow! Wow! Swung!
The bledgeon was swung towards the humans and swept the Hunters in the vicinity. Human bodies flew and hit the walls of buildings or roads. Those who were hit by the werelion bludgeon immediately breathed theirst.
Everyone who witnessed the incident fainted and was frightened. Their faces were deathly pale.
There was only one person who didn''t show any fear at all. Who else but Isaac.
Chapter 21 Six Stars
"Raaargh!"
Once again, werelion roared fiercely, emitting a tremendous vibration in the air. It stung every Hunter''s ears. Several Hunters who stood near the monster immediately fell to the ground. Their eyes and ears were bleeding profusely.
After that, werelion charged towards the infirmary tent, where the injured Hunters gathered.
"Kyaaaaa!"
The female healers screamed as werelion ran towards them with glowing red eyes.
"Everyone! Hold up!"
The fierce-looking man who stood next to Isaac eximed. Instantly, dozens of Hunters who were originally tasked as medical support took a defensive position, preparing to withstand the oing attack.
At that very moment, they were ready to be meat shields.
They swallowed hard when they saw the beast was getting closer. They wanted to run away out of fear. However, if they ran, the lion monster would kill dozens of healers, and thousands of Hunters who were fighting on the front line would die because there was no one to heal them.
"Nice to work with you guys," said the fierce-faced man weakly. There was a hint of desperation in his voice.
Werelion was less than 10 metres away. Everyone held their breath and gripped their weapons tightly.
"Arrrgh!"
The support Hunters shouted a war cry. Right at that moment, a sh of white shadow shot like an arrow towards werelion.
Bam¡ª! Thud!
The boom echoed throughout that ce, as if a meteor had just hit the earth. It wasn''t very clear what was going on there because brown dust was scattered everywhere.
The Hunters were shocked, but they heaved a sigh of relief because they didn''t have to confront the monster directly. Yet, they were also curious about what had happened to the rampaging werelion.
Not long after, the brown dust in the air thinned out and revealed a woman''s figure.
A beautiful woman held des in both hands. Short ck hair and sharp-eyed. She wore clothes that matched her hair, and a white zer draped over her shoulders.
"Huh? It''s Miss Wang Mei!" Feng Hua eximed excitedly.
Instantly, the Hunters'' face, which was originally resigned with desperation, showed a relief expression. They thought they had escaped from that terrible monster.
Even though the monster was not dead yet.
A growl could be heard. Werelion rose to its feet, its eyes glowing red with anger.
Raagh!
The lion dashed towards Wang Mei. Instantly, she jumped into the air and stabbed the lion''s back with both des.
St¡ª!
Rargh!
The lion monster fell in the pool of blood and didn''t move again.
Isaac, who witnessed the incident, opened his eyes wide. The werelion was a low-ss monster that had skin as hard as iron. Sharp weapons were not enough to pierce its skin. Unless the opponent had a high Strength stat.
His eyes started to sparkle as if he found a new toy.
[Name : Wang Mei]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : A]
[Level : 20]
''Great. Perhaps she would be a suitable partner for Guo Chen.''
Then, the woman walked towards the group of healers. Rather, she approached Feng Hua.
"Where are the other squad members? Why are you alone?" asked the woman in a t tone.
"No, I''m with these three new recruit healers and this hired Hunter." Feng Hua turned to Isaac. He purposely didn''t call Isaac a porter. He was afraid it would cause trouble. "We got an order from Miss Wang Yi to assist in the rear, while she and the others came to the front line."
Wang Mei frowned. "That kid never listens."
Not long after, a group of hunters with all-white essories came closer. One of them, a man with a horizontal scar on his nose, approached Wang Mei.
"Leader, the battle has already taken ce. What do we do?"
"Of course we are going to the front line. The other guilds have already advanced to the front. Don''t let them get all the stage."
After that, Wang Mei turned around while flicking her zer gracefully. She walked towards the battle area, followed by dozens of Nine Sky guild members.
Feng Hua looked at them with sparkling eyes.
Then, Isaac asked the man, destroying all of his reverie. "Is she the one in power in the guild?"
"That''s right. Goddess of Twin des. She''s one of the Six Stars, as well as the Guildmaster of the number threerge guild in China."
Isaac raised his eyebrows. "Six Stars?"
"Brother? You don''t know Six Stars?"
Then, Feng Hua exined to Isaac excitedly.
Six Stars were six individual Hunters who had an S Rank in China. They were the highest rank among Hunters. Of course, it was not without reason. Every time a dungeon break urred, they were the axis of power. One of them could at least defeat dozens of monsters by themself.
We could say they were like heroes in battle.
Isaac was not ignorant of their existence. It was just a little different from his memory. Based on his knowledge, there were no women in the ranks of the Six Stars. That meant Isaac didn''t realize that Wang Mei was an S rank Hunter when he killed the woman back then.
"Are the other five here?"
Feng Hua shook his head. "There is only Miss Wang here. But at least the three major guilds are fighting together in this dungeon break."
Isaac''s gaze shifted to the battle that was 200 metres in the vanguard. His high perception stat allowed him to see the battle clearly.
Hundreds of humans endured the endless onught of monsters.
The human army consisted of various hunters from various guilds all over China fighting the monster in the front line. It could be seen from several groups of Hunters wearing simr uniforms. Even though there were many guilds in that ce, only three guilds dominated the battle.
One of thergest guilds was fighting in the west wing. They wore dark silver armour with all red essories, like blood-enforcement knights.
Their leader, a grey-haired man in blood-red armour, stepped forward bravely. Together with dozens of his men, he dashed forward and destroyed the line of monsters.
"Come on! Blood Oath Guild! Do not be afraid! Keep going ahead!"
There was also a guild in dark blue robes. However, unlike the Blood Oaths, who fought with brute force, they tended to use tactics more.
Their group controlled the east wing regrly. A melee-type hunter with immense strength was at the forefront, holding every attack. Right behind him, ranged Hunters and casters wereunching their attacks.
"Everyone stays in formation. Don''t let any monsters barge in!"
The leader ordered his men calmly. There was no glimmer of doubt behind his eyes in those sses at all.
Feng Hua said they were from the Blue Pegasus guild.
Those guilds were among the top sevenrgest guilds in China. However, Isaac only took a nce. He wasn''t that interested in them in the slightest.
His attention was focused on a woman who threw herself into the sea of monsters. She killed every monster that was near her with des in both hands. Her expression was t and emitted a sharp re that seemed like it could pierce her opponent.
That woman was the Nine Sky guildmaster¡ªWang Mei.
Chapter 22 Wang Mei
Wang Mei was known throughout China as the Goddess of Twin des. The woman''s beauty was on the same level as the world''s supermodels. However, not a single man in maind China dared to approach her.
The nickname ''goddess'' did note from her beauty, but her skill in ughtering monsters with her des.
That woman yed a big role in every dungeon break, especially in East and North China. She had saved millions of human lives. Her contribution couldn''t be taken lightly.
While other Hunters seek credit by joining in dungein breaks, Wang Mei was the only female Hunter who dared to confront the Alpha alone.
Wang Mei was recognized by Hunters across the country as one of the six strongest Hunters. The only woman who could stand on the same level as the strong men.
Apart from her greatness and achievements, she actually had a bitter story.
Before Wang Mei became a guildmaster employing over 1500 Hunters, she was actually a nobody.
Sixteen years ago; far from Beijing and before the dungeons descended in the world, Wang Mei was an ordinary eight-year-old child.
She had a big house, a loving parents, and a sweet toothed sister who followed her everywhere. Her routine was to get up early in the morning to go to school ande home in the afternoon.
A normal life.
Hence, like most superhero stories, bad luck destroyed her happiness.
One day, her father became the scapegoat for a murder case, which forced the poor man to receive a death penalty. Her mother, who could not ept her husband''s death, fell ill.
The 12 years old Wang Mei had to take care of her younger sister and mother. Luckily, there was still money in her father''s savings to support the three of them.
The little girl could only hope that things would get better soon, but fate was too cruel.
Her mother died one year after her father''s death. After that, the situation got worse. None of their rtives wanted to take care of Wang Mei and her sister.
Eventually, they were both sent to an orphanage.
During their life in the orphanage, they received unpleasant treatment from other children. The news that their father was a murder made Wang Mei and Wang Yi receive bullying from other children. Quickly, the nickname ''killer princess'' stuck to them.
Wang Mei was fine, but her younger sister, Wang Yi, always cried whenever she received mockery. They could only breathe a sigh of relief when they slept and when the nurses were around them.
They stayed in the orphanage for at least 3 months. Little Wang Yi was lucky to have foster parents who wanted to adopt her as their child. However, Wang Yi did not want to part with Wang Mei, and neither did her sister.
She then made a desperate decision. She and Wang Yi ran away from the orphanage at night. At that time, Wang Mei was too young and na?ve. She didn''t know the impact of her decision yet.
Living in the street was very hard.
Everyone had to fend for themselves. If they hungry, they had to steal just to fill their stomach. There were no adults to protect them. They had to survive alone. Sometimes, they had to run from gangs who tried to take advantage of them. Wang Yi was even kidnapped several times to be forced to be a beggar.
However, the hardest part was when winter came. They both slept cuddled on the floor with smelly nkets, hoping not to catch a cold or pneumonia.
"God, I don''t want to die."
That was what Wang Mei thought about every day. She wasn''t afraid of death, but she was worried that her little sister wouldn''t survive without her. Wang Mei didn''t want to leave Wang Yi alone in this cruel world.
Her firm determination kept her alive. The harshness of life not only tortured them, but also forged them into strong figures.
As time went on, Wang Mei understood more and more how the world worked and how to make a lot of money. She decided to enter the dark side of the world.
Wang Mei began doing dirty work. Starting from small things like stealing to disguising as a club girl to trick the mashers. Her intelligence and tenacity made her adapt quickly.
From here, she began to collect wealth and built a life with her sister.
And finally, her golden age arrived when mankind faced the greatest disaster in history.
The existence of the dungeon and awakening people.
Just like other humans, Wang Mei originally wanted to run away from those monsters. However, there was a moment where she was forced to fight.
That was when the first dungeon break urred. Thousands of monsters came out of the giant tower, preying on humans. Screams resounded throughout that ce, and the majestic buildings crumbled.
When people ran away from the Dungeon, Wang Mei was the exact opposite. She rode a sports motorbike towards the source of the disaster. Because the ce where she lived with Wang Yi was in the same location as the dungeon break.
When Wang Mei arrived, it looked chaotic. Everything was destroyed as if a fierce war had broken in that ce. Half of the building where she lived was smashed, but her efforts to return home were not in vain.
Wang Yi was still alive, though she was crushed by the debris. The situation got worse with the appearance of monsters.
At that hopeless moment, it was not surrender or eptance of fate that was in her head. Rather, she had to fight and survive, that was what Wang Mei thought.
Then, the awakening happened.
With the surrounding objects, she fought against the monsters that surrounded her. Without any help from others, all alone, Wang Mei survived for 6 hours in the midst of disaster. Her firm determination and fighting experience made her survive the deadly incident.
After that incident, instead of being traumatized, she was even more daring. Wang Mei joined the government''s special forces to annihte the monsters. She received great wages in this work, but it didn''tst long.
The appearance of Power Crystal made her resign from special forces.
Wang Mei started by gathering Hunters to explore the dungeons and collecting bits by bits of Power Crystal. Never for a day did she stop exploring the Dungeons.
Even though she made a lot of money from selling Power Crystal, it was still not enough to satisfy her desire. She was sure that money would be useless soon.
Finally, Wang Mei formed an organization of Hunters¡ªNine Sky. She gathered talented Hunters and took them as herrades. Under the name of Nine Sky, she was involved in the Monster Break incident to get the spotlight.
Originally, there were only 10 members in the Guild. However, within five months, hundreds of Hunters had been recruited.
Wang Mei''s life record was full of struggle. She should just enjoy her toil after all of that. However, the woman chose to keep fighting.
Like she did right now, fighting on the front line against thousands of monsters alongside her loyalrades.
Chapter 23 Orc Mutant
Even though dozens of monsters surrounded Wang Mei, there was no fear at all on her face. Her eyes were as sharp as her des, and she continued to swing the des, causing pieces of the orc''s body to fly in the air before it fell on the ground. Strangely, the sight did not look terrible, but graceful. It was as if the woman was dancing in the midst of thousands of ferocious monsters.
Of course, she didn''t fight alone. The Nine Sky guild members, who were also herrades, joined the battle to annihte dozens of monsters.
So did with the other Hunters guilds. They fought with all their might to push back the onught of monsters, especially the big guilds like Blood Oath and Blue Pegasus.
"Keep attacking! Don''t lose to that bitch!"
The leader of the Blood Oath group shouted out to his men to continue breaking through the onught of monsters. As the man said before, his goal was topete against the main star in this battle¡ªWang Mei.
The Blue Pegasus guild also did the same thing. It was just that they were more self-aware. They knew how to put themselves on the front line and used effective strategies to eliminate as many monsters as possible.
Meanwhile, the waves of monsters were gettingrger. There were many of them who were wiped out, but many more came out again to attack the Hunterss. As if one died, a thousand grew.
However, the fighting spirit of the Hunterss didn''t fall off. It was the opposite. They were getting ferocious instead.
"Attack! Hold on as strong as possible!"
The war cries and screams echoed throughout the air. The Hunterss were sure they would win the battle. The presence of one of the Six Stars boosted their spirits.
While Wang Mei was not affected by the current of the battle. She was still like herself, fighting without getting carried away by emotions and thinking clearly.
Besides, the reason she was here wasn''t just for humanity, but to get credit in the eyes of the government.
It was no longer a secret among Hunterss that people who were involved in a Monster Break had a goal. It was to gain power and poprity. If they manage to get achievements, such as performing brilliantly or being involved in killing the Alpha, their name would be famous. Various job offers and invitations to join high ranking guilds woulde to them.
However, for arge guild like Nine Sky, they aimed for something bigger. Something that benefitted them in the long term and could expand their power.
For example, exclusive right to manage the dungeons. Having the exclusive right was the same as they owned a private gold mine.
That was what Wang Mei was aiming for.
"Damn it, they''re endless..."
Wang Mei muttered in the middle of the battle. Orcs, kobolds, goblins, gnolls; they attacked her from all directions. That short-haired woman spun like a tornado and chopped up the monsters right away. She didn''t give them any mercy.
St! St! St!
"Arrrgghhh!"
Dozens of monsters screamed in pain as they faced their death, but that didn''t make theirrades afraid to attack Wang Mei.
St! An orc was torn apart.
St! St! Three goblins died without a head.
St! St! St¡ª!
The battlefield became a pool of blood and monster corpses. The monsters went berserk. They kept sending themselves to death. Whereas Wang Mei mercilessly ughtered all of them.
"Leader!"
A man with a horizontal scar on his nose approached Wang Mei with the rest of the Nine Sky guild members. Then, they surrounded Wang Mei, forming a defensive formation and resisting any iing monster attacks.
"What is it, Captain Chen Wei? Have you found my stupid little sister?" Wang Mei asked as she wiped the monster blood that stained her face.
"She¡ª"
"Sister!"
Before Captain Chen Wei could finish his sentence, a young womannded from the sky.
"Tch¡ Wang Yi, what are you doing here?" Wang Mei looked at her sister with an annoyed expression.
"Of course, to help you. You think I''ll let you fight the Alpha alone again?"
"Huh?" Wang Mei did not expect her sister''s words. "Where are your men?"
"Don''t worry, I told them to stay in line. I forbid them to break through the enemy barrier," the young woman replied.
Wang Mei shook her head. "I want you to return to your unit. As the leader, you have to stay with them."
Wang Yi insisted on going with her sister to fight the Alpha, but her request was rejected by Wang Wei. The debate went on for quite some time, while the captain of the squad just watched them without daring to speak.
In the end, Wang Yi did as her sister said.
"Okay then, I wille back to my unit. You stubborn bitch."
After saying that, Wang Yi dashed away. Wang Mei was surprised to hear her sister''s words. She shook her head.
Even though the siblings'' quarrel was over, the battle between humans and monsters still continued.
"The Alpha still hasn''t shown itself. Do we have to go deeper?"
Before Wang Mei could answer Captain Chen Wei''s words, the fierce roar echoed through the battlefield.
Arrrrrgggg!
It was so thunderous that the people on the border post could hear it. After that, suddenly the monsters became fiercer than before. They attacked humans more aggressively.
About 100 metres from their location, a giant orc appeared, walking amidst the thousands of monsters. Its skin was pale and its lower fangs protruded from its mouth. In each of its hands, there was an axe and a club. Most strikingly, the monster had two heads.
Captain Chen Wei, who saw the monster, shuddered in fright. Somehow, he suddenly got a bad feeling.
"The Alpha has appeared," Wang Mei muttered. Her gaze returned to Captain Chen Wei. "Blood Oath and Blue Pegasus will be aiming for its head soon. We have to hurry."
"But¡ª"
Before Chen Wei could say anything, the woman had dashed forward.
Then, Captain Chen Wei gave instructions to his men, and they pursued Wang Mei, who was already on the front.
The woman barged into the sea of monsters. There was no hesitation at her steps. She ughtered every monster that dared to stand in her way.
After breaking through dozens of monsters, they encountered the Alpha of the dungeon break¡ªthe Mutant Orc.
Seeing the terrifying monster, Wang Mei didn''t feel the slightest fear, but a burning spirit to fight.
"Let''s see how great your strength is."
Wang Mei then gave orders for her men to take care of the other monsters around the Alpha. Then, the woman shot forward and aimed straight at the Mutant Orc''s neck.
ng!
Metal weapons shed. Wang Mei''s small body moved agilely, shing at the Mutant Orc''s body. Every time the Alpha blocked her attacks, her body trembled because of the difference in strength.
"It will be difficult."
Wang Mei jumped high, taking advantage of the dazzling of the sun so the Mutant Orc couldn''t see her position in the air. After that, she swooped down like a meteor attacking the monster.
ng!
However, the Mutant Orc blocked Wang Mei''s attack again like it was nothing, and the woman''s body was blown away.
"Shit!"
Wang Mei flew in the air for a while, then shended smoothly on the ground. However, before she could stand properly, the monsters immediately jumped at her, trying to attack her in all directions.
St! St! St!
Dozens of monsters trying to ambush Wang Mei were killed. After that, she bolted to attack the Mutant Orc.
"Guaargggggh!"
The two creatures of different sizes and races exchanged attacks fiercely. Wang Mei jumped back and forth lightly, dodging each of the two-headed monster''s deadly blows. At the same time, sheunched attacks on the monster''s body.
sh! sh! sh!
Even though Wang Meing managed tond an attack, the monster''s wounds were insignificant, leaving only shallow scratches.
"Guaargggh!"
The monster roared again. Wang Mei''s actions angered it even more. Its voice was so loud that it hurt the ears of the people around that area.
Wang Mei, who was standing closest to the Mutant Orc, got the bigger impact. One of her ears was bleeding profusely.
"Arrggh!"
Wang Mei was in pain and lost her bnce, without her noticing a club hitting her body hard, that she flew a few metres away.
Bam!
"Leader!"
Captain Chen Wei was hysterical when he saw his guildmaster bolted like a baseball. He rushed to the woman who was buried in the debris. Chen Wei scavenged the ruin of the building and helped Wang Mei out; her whole body was covered in dust.
"Cough." Blood came out of Wang Mei''s mouth.
"Hold on."
Captain Chen Wei tried to get the woman out of the pile of debris.
Suddenly, a ck shadow covered their bodies.
Instantly, he had goosebumps all over his body. He slowly turned his head, a monster figure with two horrifying faces standing right behind him.
Chen Wei felt an angel of death was standing before him.
Chapter 24 Orc Mutant (2)
The Mutant Orc raised its axe in the air. When the monster was about to crush it to Wang Mei and Chen Wei, about twenty armoured Hunters bumped into the monster''s legs.
Thud!
The Mutant Orc was pushed a few steps away. The monsters didn''t stand still. They quickly charged at the horde of humans that attacked their boss.
"Rarrrrgh!"
Chen Wei breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the reinforcements from the Blood Oath guild. Then, a grey-haired man in red armour came closer.
"You guys look fine," the grey-haired man quipped.
Wang Mei got up while spitting blood. "Thank you for ruining my ns, Zhang Gang. You made me lose the opportunity I was waiting for."
The man''s eyebrows arched. In his eyes, Wang Mei and Chen Wei had no hope of surviving if he didn''te to help them.
Even though Wang Mei quibbled, she realized that she had messed up; she underestimated the opponent and got hit hard. The Alpha this time felt different from the ones she had fought before.
"Yes, yes. Rank S or not, defeating that monster alone is impossible. Looks like the Alpha this time is different from usual. We have to work together."
Based on Zhang Gang''s observation, the monster had arge body yet very agile movements. Not to mention the skin was very thick and hard, and it had extraordinary strength.
Twenty-five of Zhang Gang''s men and the members of the Nine Sky guild ganged up on the monster, but they still couldn''t defeat the monster. They were overwhelmed by its strength. Usually, mobilizing around 20 C-rank Hunters was enough to defeat the Alpha, but even after they teamed up with another guild, the monster still stood majestically .
This had never happened before.
The man was sure that something was wrong with the Monster Break this time, and Wang Mei also thought the same thing. Thus, she epted Zhang Gang''s offer to cooperate.
"Yes," Wang Mei replied with a spit. "We''d better finish it off before Blue Pegasuses."
The man named Zhang Gang smiled broadly at her response.
After that, they quickly jumped back onto the battlefield. The battle this time was orderly.
Zhang Gang, the guildmaster of Blood Oath, gave instructions to his men to set up a battle formation. Fifteen of his men circled and left an empty space in the middle. They were tasked with separating the Alpha from the other monsters.
So that Zhang Gang, Wang Mei, and those who were fighting against the Alpha directly didn''t get any interference from the outside.
"Focus on locking the movements of the monster!" Wang Mei eximed.
Then, the twenty members of Nine Sky aimed for the legs of the giant monster. While the remaining 10 Hunters from Blood Oath, which were Marksman and Caster, tried to distract the two heads of the Mutant Orc. They were also tasked with making sure it didn''t roar.
Various attacksnded on the Mutant Orc''s body, and none of them could seriously injure the monster. However, the longer the fight happened, the 10 metres tall monster became more and more overwhelmed with the hunters'' attacks.
After about 10 minutes of enduring the barrage of attacks, the Mutant Orc identally dropped the axe that had be one of its weapons. Then, the monster fell down in a sitting condition.
Thud!
"There it is!"
Zhang Gang shouted loudly, nning to order his men to attack. However, Wang Mei, who realized it first, dashed off without thinking about Zhang Gang and their deal.
sh! sh! sh!
"Arrrgh!"
Thousands of shes of des ripped the arm of the Mutant Orc that was trying to cover its face.
Zhang Gang, who didn''t want to lose, rushed to aim for the two-headed Orc.
St! St!
The greatsword shed repeatedly, trying to rip open the Mutant Orc''s stomach.
Another Hunter in charge of locking the movements and diverting the attention of other monsters also attacked the Mutant Orc.
"Keep attacking! Don''t give it a chance to roar!"
Stab! Stab! Stab!
The Hunters began to show an optimistic expression, especially Wang Mei and Zhang Gang. They were both confident of winning against this monster.
The Mutant Orc''s condition really looked pitiful. Its entire body was covered in wounds and blood. It looked like a dying dog that was about to die.
At least, that was how it looked. When they felt superior, that was when the beginning of their downfall.
"Eh? What?"
Suddenly, the monster''s body was boiling. Wang Mei, who realized that, immediately stopped the attack and took a step back.
"What are you doing!?" Zhang Gang shouted at Wang Mei. His face showed confusion.
Wang Mei did not answer and ordered her men to retreat. In that instant, the monster''s body split in two.
"Huh?"
The two 10 metre tall orcs rose before them. Now, Wang Mei understood why the monster had two heads.
RAAAAAWWWRG!
The two Orcs roared fiercely, and instantly the humans around them froze from the deafening sound.
"Uaargh!"
Now, it was the two giant Mutant Orcs''s turn to attack the Hunters.
Swosh! St! St! Three members of Nine Sky died.
St! St! Five members of Blood Oath died.
"No!"
Zhang Gang screamed as hisrades turned into lumps of flesh without souls. When he was in shock at the death of hisrades, his body was kicked by one of the Mutant Orcs.
Wang Mei''s eyes dted as she watched Zhang Gang rolling away like a ser ball. The man was thrown into the sea of ??monsters, and dozens of monsters surrounded him right away as if they feasted on him.
It wasn''t just Wang Mei who watched that scene, dozens of Blood Oath members also watched it as well. Their faces turned deathly pale.
"No¡"
Just as Wang Mei looked away, two giant Mutant Orcs stood before her.
Her whole body trembled. For the first time since experiencing the awakening, she felt fear. At that moment, only one sentence came to her mind.
"I''m going to die¡"
Bam!
One of the Mutant Orcs mmed its club. Dust scattered to the ground. All the Hunters who witnessed that werepletely shocked.
"Wang Mei!"
Chen Wei called out his guildmaster''s name, brimming with emotion. He continued to watch the fog of dust expectantly. In his heart, he wished there was a voice calling him back, but no answer at all.
"No way¡ no¡ she''s one of the Six Stars. There''s no way she''s¡ dead."
The Blood Oath Hunter Guild began to disperse. They went to protect their guildmaster.
"Hey! Don''t go!"
However, they didn''t listen. As a result, the istion area disappeared, thousands of monsters came rushing in. The Nine Sky members immediately gathered on Chen Wei.
"Captain! Let''s get out of here immediately!"
"No! I can''t leave her behind," Chen Wei refused.
"Captain, clear your mind! The guildmaster was dead. It was impossible to survive the attack."
Chen Wei bit his lip. He already knew what had happened, but it was still hard to ept the fact.
The man then nodded. "Okay, let''s retreat and secure Miss Wang Yi."
After that, they quickly retreated through the sea of ??monsters.
On the other hand, the face of the Mutant Orc hitting the club on Wang Mei looked strange. The scattered brown dust began to thin out. Not long after, everything was gone, and the scene was clearly visible.
A man with sses in a neat ck suit embraced Wang Mei. Wang Mei was surprised to find herself in a man''s arms. She looked at the man questioningly.
"Who are you?"
The man just smiled and said, "Isaac Constantine. Your new owner."
Chapter 25 Orc Mutant (3)
The woman looked surprised at Isaac''s answer. Then, she struggled, asking to be put down.
"Raargh!"
After all, the two of them were still in the middle of a battle. The two Mutant Orcs before them went berserk and attacked anyone and anything that stood in the way.
Bam! Bam!
Isaac jumped to dodge the attack just in time. Only then did he put Wang Mei down. The woman looked at Isaac with an annoyed and surprised face. There were many questions in her head, but she realized now wasn''t the time to talk.
Dozens of monsters surrounded the two of them. Surprisingly, the monsters didn''t attack as aggressively as before. They just observed Isaac and Wang Mei from a distance. They looked alert, as if they were fighting a ferocious predator.
Their instincts weren''t wrong, because Isaac had already removed the Mortal Ring from his finger.
''This is outside the Dungeon. I don''t think Baron Gustav can detect my presence.''
This situation was unnned.
The original n for this mission was simple. Isaac would disguise himself as a human and join in on trivial jobs. Then, he would impress the Nine Sky members throughout the mission in order to get a rmendation.
Issac also knew that the Dungeon he was going to visit belonged to Baron Gustav¡ªbecause it was the only dungeon in Beijing. Thus, he used a Mortal Ring that could suppress the demon''s aura so that Baron Gustav wouldn''t know when he entered the Dungeon.
However, everything changedpletely because Baron Gustav released monsters outside the Dungeon for farming.
That way, Isaac wouldn''t have to risk himself entering the enemy''s territory. Instead, he could meet the guildmaster he was after.
''It is my lucky day. Looks like when I get back, I''ll have to call Baron Gustav to say thank you.''
Isaac smiled mischievously. In his head, he imagined what the confused Baron Gustav looked like.
"Hey! We''re still in the middle of a battle."
Wang Mei snapped Isaac from his reverie.
"Oh, yes." Isaac turned to Wang Mei with his lips still curled up. Then, he looked at the monster.
[Name : Ruku & Karuku]
[Race : Orc]
[Type : Monster Boss]
[ss : C]
[Level : 30]
Wang Mei sighed while looking at Isaac, who kept grinning annoyingly. She thought something was wrong with this man. Not to mention he didn''t seem to carry a weapon at all.
"Hey, it is not a time to daydream. Take out your weapon. I will fight the Mutant Orc who carry an axe, while you fight those who carry a club."
Even though Isaac looked weird in her eyes, for some reason Wang Mei felt the man was strong enough to defeat the monster.
"Okay. Lend me one of your des, the one in your left hand."
"Huh?"
Wang Mei sighed. She was sure that Isaac was really crazy. This was the first time she met a Hunter who borrowed a weapon from others. She shook her head, then she immediately handed over one of her weapons.
Isaac received the de.
[ss : F]
[Type : Artificial Artefact (de)]
[A single-edged sword that uses magic damage power. Magic damage bonus of 8% of the Magic stat. (Has a pair of Corpus de)]
One of the perks of being a Noble, he had a system that could check item descriptions.
As soon as Isaac held it, the de''s edge gleamed with blue light.
Wang Mei watched with an amazed face. One month after she bought the des for 15 million RMB, she still couldn''t find the hidden potential of the weapon. However, the stranger she had just met could find it easily.
Isaac swung the de a few times.
''Let''s see how strong a man-made Artefact is.''
Then, Isaac shot off at high speed, grabbing the Mutant Orc who was holding a club.
"ARRRRRGGH!"
sh! St¡ª!
Before the Mutant Orc had time to react, its wrist nearly cut off. Instantly, the giant monster screamed in pain. Blood gushed like a waterfall. Meanwhile, the other Mutant Orc looked panicked.
"What the¡"
Wang Mei, who was watching the grotesque scene, didn''t blink. She was amazed because she had repeatedly shed the monster''s skin, but it only left shallow scratches. Besides, she couldn''t follow Isaac''s movements with her eyes as the man shot toward the orc.
Isaac looked the other way around. He seemed to observe his temporary weapon.
''I should have cut off its hand right away. This de really is useless.''
If Isaac used Malice & Verdict, he could defeat the two monsters easily. However, he thought it wasn''t interesting to just kill the monster off.
Isaac''s attention then returned to the battle. He saw that Wang Mei was staring at him .
"Hey, don''t daydream!" Isaac eximed.
Wang Mei immediately snapped her from her reverie. At the same time, a huge axe was several metres above her head.
Swooosh!
The huge axe swung, and Wang Mei managed to dodge it in time.
"Lucky, the man warned me. Otherwise, my body might split in two."
After shended, dozens of monsters consisting of orcs and kobolds attacked her from various angles.
"Rawwrgh!"
sh! sh! sh!
St! St! St!
Instantly, those little monsters died into chunks of flesh. Then, Wang Mei shot back towards the axe-wielding Mutant Orc.
"Raaa¡ª"
The ugly boss monster was about to roar, but Wang Mei immediately shed the corner of its lip. The monster''s mouth ripped and blood rushed like a waterfall.
Instantly, the Mutant Orc went berserk. Its bloodshot eyes red at Wang Mei. Then, it swung the axe again.
Swooosh! Swooosh!
Wang Mei jumped back and forth, dodging the deadly sh. However, when shended on the ground, her ankle was sprained.
"Goddamnit!?"
sh! St¡ª!
"Raaawrg!"
The Mutant Orc that was aiming for the woman''s life screamed furiously. The monster''s hand was cut off before it could attack her. Of course it wasn''t Wang Mei''s doing.
"Huh? You? I told you, I''ll take care of this monster. You take care of the other one."
Isaac stood beside Wang Mei. "It''s done."
Wang Mei frowned. She didn''t understand Isaac''s words. Soon her eyes opened wide.
"Impossible."
She watched the twin of the Mutant Orcs die in a decapitated state. She had a hard time dealing with that Alpha, even with the help of the two Guilds at once.
However, the mysterious man she just met killed the Alpha in just a couple of minutes.
"Let me face that one. You face the minions there," Isaac said.
"Eh? Wai¡ª?"
Before Wang Mei could finish her sentence, Isaac had gone. The horde of monsters charged at Wang Mei again. While finishing them off, she saw Isaac''s battle against the final Alpha.
The axe shed through the empty air dozens of times. While the target moved freely as if nothing happened. Feeling irritated at being toyed with, the Mutant Orc went berserk and its attacks grew fiercer and brutal.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The axe hit the ground repeatedly, shaking the earth. If Wang Mei looked closely, Isaac was like a bee flying in a human''s face.
Of course, the monster was getting angrier.
"RAAAAWRRRRG!"
The Mutant Orc roared, its sharp voice piercing the ears again.
"Aaaaah!"
Wang Mei screamed while covering her ears. Her body staggered because of the roar, and at the same time, a group of monsters rushed at her.
"No¡."
The woman immediately took a defensive position.
sh! sh! sh!
The roaring stopped, reced by a shing sound.
Wang Mei was stunned.
A ck shadow moved swiftly, leaving a glowing blue line on the Mutant Orc''s body. Then, the shadow shot towards the thousands of monsters around her, leaving a simr blue line.
sh! sh! sh!
Wang Mei felt a gust of wind and suddenly a man in a ck suit stood right in front of her.
At that moment, she knew it was over.
"Who are you really?" Wang Mei asked curiously.
"I told you. Isaac Constantine."
SPLAAT¡ª!
Instantly, the Mutant Orc was chopped into chunks of meat, so did the thousands of monsters around it. The battlefield turned into a pool of blood.
ng!
At the same time, the de in Isaac''s hand broke into three pieces. Meanwhile, the owner of the de didn''t seem bothered at all to see her weapon was broken.
Isaac then reached out to Wang Mei.
"Are you okay?" Isaac asked.
Wang Mei didn''t answer. Her eyes stared at Isaac warily. She then epted his outstretched hand.
"Good." Isaac helped her to her feet. His lips couldn''t stop smiling because soon he would have a new toy.
However, Isaac''s n didn''t go well.
Swing!
Suddenly, a sharp de almost cut Isaac''s neck. Thanks to his high reflexe, he managed to dodge the attack right away.
"Who are you really?" Wang Mei said sharply as she pointed the de at Isaac.
Chapter 26 Failed
After the Alpha''s death, the remaining horde of monsters ran back into the dungeon. Even though there were thousands of them, none of the monsters dared to touch Isaac. They just passed the demon as if he was invisible.
Isaac ignored them either. His mood was awful right now.
Because a de was pointed at him.
"What are you doing?" Isaac asked. He made a displeased expression.
"Stop pretending. You think I''m stupid? I know you have bad intentions."
The veins on Isaac''s face twitched after hearing Wang Mei''s words.
''Howe? Can she read my mind?''
Wang Mei seemed to be getting more and more suspicious. Her eyes looked at Isaac warily.
Wang Mei seemed to get more and more suspicious. Her eyes looked at Isaac warily.
"I just helped you. Why are you even threatening me? What did I do wrong?" Isaac gave an excuse while putting on an innocent face.
"Save your bullshit. Tell me who you really are. What do you want from me?"
Isaac still couldn''t believe Wang Mei''s response. He tried to calm her down by exining that it was all a misunderstanding, but Wang Mei didn''t believe his words at all. She kept pointing the de at his neck.
In the end, Isaac ran out of patience. He sighed. "What a bother."
Pow!
Isaac moved as fast as a shadow behind Wang Mei and hit her in the neck. The woman fainted right away.
"I would have definitely killed you if you were of no use to me."
Isaac finally carried out his original n, nting the ''Seeds of Mind''. He touched his forehead, then the tip of his index finger glowed bright red. After that, he touched Wang Mei''s forehead, who was fainting, with the red glow.
Ding!
[Failed to nt ''Seed of Mind''.]
Isaac was surprised to see the notification.
''Impossible¡ How is that possible?''
It made Isaac frown. He had thought that something like this could happen, but it was only if the level of the target was too high. Whereas Isaac''s level was much higher than the target.
''Does this human ss affect it? ''
When he thought about it again, it was impossible. Guo Chen was of the same ss as Wang Mei, and Issac sessfully nted ''Seeds of Mind'' on him. So it was impossible that the ss was the problem.
''Could there be a probability of sess? But it''s not mentioned in the skill description.''
Isaac then tried to nt the Seeds of Mind again, and simr notifications popped up again and again.
[Failed to nt ''Seed of Mind''.]
[Failed to nt ''Seed of Mind''.]
Isaac''s brows furrowed even more. His head throbbed thinking about the strangeness possessed by this woman.
"Could it be¡ this is an ''innate skill''?"
Demons were provided with a system that allowed them to strengthen themselves, and humans were the same.
Only their ess was limited; such as viewing character stats and seeing level ups. Humans couldn''t ess the ''shop''.
Without the ''shop'', they couldn''t buy skills, items, and artefacts. So it was difficult for humans to catch up on the strength of the powerful demon army. Thus, Absolute One instilled skills in humans who experienced awakening in order to survive.
This was only known by the demons in the third year they stayed in the human world.
"That''s the only exnation that makes sense. Maybe she has a special skill. If only I have ''that'' skill, maybe I can extract it. But¡"
Isaac narrowed his eyes at Wang Mei who was lying unconscious. The woman had seen many things, and she was also suspicious of Isaac. Sooner orter, she was going to give Isaac a problem.
His eyes then shifted to the side, looking at the de lying near Wang Mei''s body.
''Should I kill her?''
As Isaac was considering his decision, a familiar male voice called out his name.
"Brother!"
A ck-haired man in light armour ran towards him. Behind the man, a group of Hunters with the number nine symbol forming a cloud came closer.
They were Guo Chen and the Nine Sky guild members.
"Brother? Are you okay? How could you be here?" Guo Chen asked with a worried face.
"I''m fine. I saw a horde of monsters running back into the dungeon earlier. So I went to the vanguard, looking for injured Hunters. I didn''t realize that I have gone this far. Then, I found this woman."
Isaac''s eyes nced at the woman lying unconscious next to him. Meanwhile, Guo Chen believed Isaac''s words.
"Sister!"
"Leader!"
Wang Yi and Nine Sky''s members rushed with a worried face. They quickly surrounded Wang Mei, who was unconscious.
"Sister! Sister! Get up!"
They all looked worried when they saw Wang Mei''s condition, especially Wang Yi. She cried while hugging and shaking her sister''s body. Captain Chen Wei, who stood next to her, tried to calm the girl down.
"Miss Wang Yi, let me take a look," Captain Chen Wei said to Wang Yi softly.
Then, Captain Chen Wei checked Wang Mei''s pulse and his face turned relieved.
"It''s okay, Miss Wang Yi. Our guildmaster is still alive."
Now, all the Nine Sky guild members looked relieved. Meanwhile, Wang Yi was in tears of joy.
Captain Chen Wei ordered his men to find a healer. It wasn''t long before a group of people in priest''s robes arrived. They quickly gave Wang Mei help then carried her on a stretcher. Nine Sky''s members also went to escort their guildmaster.
Isaac just stood there silently, watching them leave. In his head, he had thought to kill them all here. However, on second thought, it was too early to make that decision.
''I''ll kill her another time.''
He didn''t care. After all, in his previous life, he managed to kill that woman. Killing her a second time wasn''t a big deal.
Isaac''s eyes narrowed. He saw one of the Nine Sky members approaching him and Guo Chen. That person was Wang Yi.
"I apologize if my words were rude earlier. I wanted to show my gratitude."
She sped his hands together, bowing down slightly.
"Thank you for finding my sister. If you don''t find her first, maybe bad things could happen to her. My sister has many enemies."
"It''s not a big deal," Isaac replied with a smile.
"Hmm, how about you guys join our guild? In our guild, there are several non-Hunter job desks avable. Maybe you want to join us?"
"Thank you. We are very happy with your offer. This friend of mine deserves to be a part of your guild. He may be a rookie, but his talent is promising."
Wang Yi held her chin while pondering Isaac''s words. She tried to recall the previous battle with Guo Chen. The man''s fighting style looked amateur, but he could keep up with the team''s agile movements. It was rare for a novice Hunter to do that.
"Well, you''re right, he does have talent. We will consider adding him to the rookie squad."
Guo Chen, who heard those words, smiled broadly.
Meanwhile, Isaac silently touched his forehead until his fingertips glowed red, then he quickly touched Wang Yi''s forehead. The woman was shocked. She felt something strange crawled through her head, as if a spider had crawled on top of her brain.
"Then, please take care of us," Isaac said with a subtle smile.
Wang Yi still looked confused. She shook her head for a moment. "All right, Mister Isaac. I will wait for you in Nine Sky headquarters."
After that, the woman quickly left with the ''Seeds of Mind'' nted in her head.
Guo Chen, who was curious about what had just happened, asked Isaac. Of course, Isaac didn''t tell the man. He just told Guo Chen to forget about it and the man immediately forgot.
''If I don''t get the head, at least I got the right hand.''
Chapter 27 Tokyo
The dungeon break had ended, so the battle was over.
The Hunters did not immediately leave the battlefield. Some of them were on guard at the location to protect the area, because there were many injured Hunters who needed to be evacuated.
After all the injured Hunters were taken out of the dungeon area, they immediately received treatment provided by the government at the border military post. All kinds of medical assistance were mobilized, both conventional and Hunters who had jobs as healers.
There were no Hunters left in the dungeon area. Even the dead one was brought out.
Although the Hunters had their own reasons for getting involved in the monster break, they still helped each other. Humanity always came first.
Isaac and Guo Chen did the same thing. They took the time to help evacuate the injured Hunters. After that, the two of them quickly left.
They did not return to the hotel directly.
They spent time enjoying Beijing; like going to a 5 star restaurant and tasting expensive drinks at a famous bar. The reason was none other than to celebrate their first victory in the face of a monster break.
Of course, this celebration was only for Guo Chen.
Isaac had enjoyed the luxurious life of royalty in the Nether Realm. The only thing that could give him pleasure was power.
As a good master, Isaac felt the need to give Guo Chen a reward. Like a boss who rewarded his employees because he had seeded in achieving quarterly targets. That way, Isaac hoped that Guo Chen would work even harder.
In his opinion, Guo Chen had already done well for having reached level 13 during the monster break this time. For a person who had only been a Hunter for a few months, Guo Chen''s development was fairly fast.
However, Isaac was a little worried about Guo Chen''s naivety and innocence. For example, he became clumsy when dealing with women, especially those who were beautiful. Guo Chen would turn to stone right away. Isaac had thought about taking him to the brothel, sadly he wouldn''t find it in China.
Despite his nature, Isaac believed that Guo Chen could develop better than in his previous life.
They wandered around, entertaining themselves untilte at night. Then, they returned to the hotel.
When they arrived at the hotel, Guo Chen fell in the hallway in an unconscious state because he was heavily drunk. Isaac took Guo Chen to his room and left him lying on the floor.
Just as Isaac was about to leave, Guo Chen, in a semi-conscious state asked, "Brother¡ Where are you going? Come on¡ let''s sing¡ heeheehee¡"
"Sleep. Tomorrow we will go to Japan." Isaac then closed the door.
What Isaac said was true. There were things that needed to be done immediately.
Today, Isaac failed to recruit his main target because the ''Seeds of Mind'' couldn''t be nted. However, the n went on. It was time for him to move on to the third person.
To the person who would make Isaac be a prosperous Dungeon Master.
.
.
.
After being on the ne for three hours, Isaac and Guo Chen arrived at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
They quickly moved towards Shinjuku on the train. After that, they looked for the nearest hotel from Shinjuku Station to rest.
They both stayed at the hotel until the sun set in the distance. When it was 9 p.m, Isaac and Guo Chen moved again.
The two men then started walking down the busy streets of Shinjuku. Just like the metropolitan in general, as long as the eye could see, tall buildings lined up majestically. It was just that the sidewalks were full of pedestrians. Even the highway was crowded with people. If we saw the view from the sky, it looked like a crowd of ants.
They all seemed to walk leisurely, as if nothing had happened. Whereas an ancient giant tower stood high in the middle of the skyscraper.
That dungeon was the only one standing in Tokyo. It could even say it was the one and only dungeon in Japan.
The Dungeon owner''s name was Earl Verzin.
From Isaac''s memory, Earl Verzin was one of the strongest Dungeon Masters in this game. He was famous for having an imprable defense. Many Nobles did PvP with him, but none of them managed to break through above the seventh floor. Even one of the eight Dukes, Krus Marbas, failed on the fifth floor.
Earl Verzin had the undead signature warrior. There were rumours circting that he possessed a skill or artefact that could resurrect all living beings from the dead.
Although he had the potential to win this game, just like most Nobles, he preferred to serve one of the Dukes, namely Edric Vassago.
Isaac recollected his memories. He was sure Earl Verzin died in the seventh year of the game when he attacked Duchess Alyna''s Dungeon. Unfortunately, Isaac never knew the details of his death, so Isaac didn''t know that noble demon''s weakness.
Thus, Isaac had no intention of having a direct confrontation with Earl Verzin, but that didn''t mean Isaac didn''t have ns for the demon.
"Finally, we arrived."
After a long walk, they arrived at an entertainment area that was full of people. As far as the eye could see, there were rows of buildings that had billboards lit with different colours from each other. On the front, there was a curved red gate with Kanji inscription.
Isaac and Guo Chen arrived at a famous nightlife area throughout Tokyo¡ªKabukicho. A shady area that offered a variety of worldly pleasures.
Since Shinjuku was close to the dungeon boundaries, Kabukicho changed drastically. Originally, it was an orderly area, now this ce had turned into a slump area.
The business owners in this ce were gangsters. People could freely trade illegal goods. Besides, 90% of Kabukicho visitors were Hunters, fighting with the life at stake weremon in this ce. Ordinaryw enforcers were incapable of dealing with them. In fact, there were no police at all there. It was aw-free area.
So it was not surprising that Kabukicho became the den of criminals.
Apart from the influence of the existence of dungeons, Kabukicho could change this far because this area was controlled by a syndicate. This syndicate was very strong, it dominated other gangsters.
The name of the criminal organization was the Ryudo Family.
Chapter 28 Vengeance
Oceans of people filled the streets. Their voices echoed through the air like flies. Women in seductive clothes stood in front of the shop, trying to attract male customers. Rows of buildings with colourful light lined up on the street, dazzling the pedestrians.
This was how Kabukicho was.
Isaac and Guo Chen slipped among the hundreds of humans who were looking for pleasure.
There were a lot of foreigners with European looks and dark skin crowding the street. They were overseas Hunters hired by the Japanese government to carry out Dungeon Clearance.
"Brothers, what exactly are we looking for in this noisy and crowded ce?"
Guo Chen didn''t expect that Isaac would have a friend in a ce like this.
"Hm¡ an old friend, maybe."
Actually, Isaac wasn''t sure how to call the person he was looking for. Their rtionship was brief, more like a temporary cooperative rtionship.
When his dungeon was destroyed, before meeting Gavin Bael, Isaac wandered aimlessly throughout China. His existence as a Dungeon Master was revealed all over the world, and Isaac was deemed as a dangerous scourge for mankind.
If Isaac remembered it again, he would say it was the lowest point in his life. Having no troops while the Hunters throughout China were eyeing his life. He could only run.
The only hope he had was getting out of China. However, with enemies on all sides, it was difficult for him to escape. Thus, he needed someone or a syndicate to smuggle him out of China.
Finally, Isaac met a gangster who promised to send him out of China. Of course, Isaac didn''t believe it. After he had killed tens of thousands of humans, there was no way they would just let him go. However, Isaac still followed the gangster''s game because he was confident that he could beat them all.
When Isaac was about to be smuggled to Russia, the Hunter Association troops had waited for him in the border area. Luckily, he managed to escape, although he was seriously injured and failed to get out of China.
At a time, when he was seriously injured, and many people hunted him down, there was one human who was willing to help him.
Even though Isaac didn''t know the motive, he believed in that person. Isaac could tell if someone was lying or not by hearing their heartbeat.
In the end, it was that human who managed to smuggle Isaac to Russia. Of course, it was not free. In exchange, Isaac had to pay 3 kilograms of Power Crystal.
Since then, he never saw that human again, until the end of the game.
As Isaac recalled, thest conversation they had had was about each other''s backgrounds. The man told Isaac that he lived in Tokyo before he stayed in China.
Isaac felt the need to make the man his subordinate.
"Brothers, we''ve been circling the area for two hours. Don''t you know the address where he lives?"
Guo Chen started toin. The two of them had gone in circles and returned to the same ce several times. However, they still couldn''t find the person Isaac was looking for. Even during that time, they had encountered eight fights.
Meanwhile, Isaac paid no heed to Guo Chen''sints. He kept walking, looking for suspicious-looking business locations. The only clue he knew of Haruno Taji''s whereabouts was in the Ryudo Family.
In the midst of their search, the sky dropped water droplets. The frequency of water droplets was getting higher and higher, and not long after, it became heavy rains.
The crowd began to disperse, some entering shops or buildings, some choosing to leave the location.
"Brother, we should take shelter."
"Yes, that''s right."
As they were about to take shelter, the sound of broken ss was heard.
Pyar!
Isaac and Guo Chen nced at the source.
A manid in pain in the middle of the road. In front of the man was a two-story building 20 metres high. One of the windows in the building looked broken.
It wasn''t long before someone jumped through the second-floor window andnded smoothly on the asphalt.
The man was wearing all ck clothes and an Oni mask. He was holding a dagger. At first nce, he looked like a ninja.
Isaac smiled broadly when he saw the man.
"Guo Chen, I''ve found my old friend."
After the man''s appearance, it wasn''t long before fifteen people carrying Katanas came out of the building. They all surrounded the Oni masked man.
From Isaac''s observations, they were all Hunters. However, they didn''t hunt monsters; they hunted humans. There were many humans who died at their hands. So there was no doubt in every swing of their Katanas.
"You bastard! This is the Ryudo Family''s Gambling House! How dare you seek trouble with us! Don''t expect us to let you live!"
The man in a unique motif shirt cursing while brandishing his Katana. He was the leader of the group.
Yet the Oni masked man didn''t seem afraid of the man''s threat, he even challenged him back.
"I came to bring destruction to the Ryudo Family."
Then, all the Ryudo Family members attacked him at once. Instantly, bloodshed was inevitable.
Five men took turns swinging their Katanas, trying to sh the masked man''s head.
ng! ng! ng!
p But all the deadly attacks were dodged and blocked.
"He''s alone! We are five! Quickly kill that person!"
The man in the shirt with a unique motif started to get annoyed. None of his subordinates managed tond an attack on the Oni masked.
The Ryudo Family members were also annoyed that they started attacking more aggressively. They took turnsunching attacks.
Swosh! Swosh! Swosh!
The sharp Katana came from all directions, emitting a whooshing sound cutting through the wind.
ng! ng! ng!
All iing attacks were deflected by the masked man, so the gangsters hurt each other.
"Arrgh!"
Despite winning in numbers, they couldn''t match the masked man.
Now, it was the masked man''s turn to ughter them.
sh! St!
"Keugh¡ª"
One man was shed to death.
Stab! Stab! St!
Two men were stabbed to death in the stomach.
"Argggh!"
After that, the Ryudo Family members died one by one. Until leaving only the group leader.
"Oh no, this is crazy."
Thest man left looked terrified after seeing all his men die. His fear only deepened when the masked man started walking towards him.
"Please forgive me. I-I''m a¡ an important person in the R-ryudo Family. I can rmend you to the chairman and make sure you get a good job. J-just say your name."
The masked man stopped walking. "My name?"
Instantly, the man''s face brightened. "Yes! Your name!"
"I''m Vengeance."
Chapter 29 Taji
The Ryudo Family was a small Yakuza family headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Starting from thirty members, including the founder, Haruno Ryu, they collected a lot of money from illegal activities; gambling, narcotics, extortion to murder, and many more.
The Ryudo Family was rtively weak in the underworld. They couldn''tpete with other syndicates. For 20 years, since the organization was formed, there had been no significant development at all. Even so, their brotherly bond remained strong.
However, everything started to change since the Dungeonnded on Earth. All members of the Ryudo Family experienced an awakening.
At that time, Japan was in turmoil, just like any other country. Violent monsters that only existed in fantasy stories appeared in the real world and preyed on humans. It was a national disaster.
While people viewed this as a disaster, there was one person who saw this situation as a golden opportunity. It was Akira Takaoka, Vice Chairman of the Ryudo Family.
"Every disaster has an opportunity."
Akira advised Haruno Ryu to recruit people who had experienced awakening, especially those people with criminal records. When the government focused on dealing with disaster, the Ryudo Family expanded its power. They got rid of all their rivals in the same area.
Within 5 months, they took control of Shibuya and Shinjuku. They even managed to make Kabukicho the business centre of the dark world.
Thus, the Ryudo Family became the most powerful syndicate in Tokyo.
However, the power achieved by the Ryudo Family brought corruption.
It turned out that without Haruno Ryu''s knowledge, Akira built strength. He gathered strong and loyal people, then disarmed all of Haruno Ryu''s confidants. In the family meeting, he forced Haruno Ryu to step down from his position, but the man refused. As a result, Haruno Ryu was killed on the spot.
That way, the Ryudo Family fell into the hands of Akira Takaokapletely.
Haruno Ryu not only left the Ryudo Family, but also a descendant who has been prepared to be the heir¡ªHaruno Taji.
He was the ''old friend'' that Isaac was looking for.
"After all I gave, this is what I got?"
Taji had devoted his time, energy, and even morals to the Ryudo Family. He had been involved in many criminal acts. He was even willing to get his hands dirty with blood by bing a hitman for the Ryudo Family.
None of his targets ever managed to escape alive.
He studied the systema at the highest level and even mastered various weapons; everything he did was toplete every task given by the Ryudo Family.
After his selfless devotion, those he trusted the most paid him back with betrayal and his father''s death.
Hence, Taji tried to im his right. If he couldn''t get his right back, then he would just destroy it.
And he did it right now.
In the midst of heavy rain, Taji ughtered the Ryudo Family members witnessed by dozens of pairs of eyes, though they were only a small part of this big syndicate.
"Come on¡ let''s forget about that problem."
There was only one person standing in fear. The man repeatedly persuaded Taji to join the Ryudo Family, but his words were ignored.
Taji continued to walk while aiming his dagger at the man''s neck.
"Traitor must die."
St¡ª!
The man''s neck was bleeding, and he suddenly copsed.
Thest man had died.
With this, the bloodshed ended. At least for the first wave.
"OOOOYY!"
A loud cry echoed amidst the sound of the pouring rain. Taji''s attention immediately shifted to the voice.
A group of fierce-looking men came with weapons. They appeared from two directions, blocking all the escape routes. If Taji counted, their numbers reached 100 people.
They were members of the Ryudo Family. All of them were E-ss Hunters with a level above 10.
The actual bloodbath was about to begin.
A man with dyed blond hair stepped forward. He looked around. Hisrades were lying lifelessly on the asphalt.
The blonde-haired man spat out. "So, you''re the one who''s been interfering with our business?"
"Yes," Taji replied firmly.
The man with polished hair was furious. "Kill that bastard!"
Instantly, a sea of people attacked Tanji who fought alone. The Oni masked man swayed because dozens of humans attacked him in turn.
St! St!
"Arrrg!"
Various sharp weapons; axes, swords, spears, katana, came close to his neck. Some of the weapons managed to graze on his skin.
However, what happened was the opposite. Tanji ughtered them all. Not the other way around.
St! St! St!
Everyone who tried to approach Taji was killed. The dagger in his hand was incessantly stabbing at the human stomach and chest.
"Don''t let him escape! Attack!"
Taji quickly jumped high and floated in the air for a split second to find a position, but the enemy did not stand still. Instantly, bolts of mes and ice crystals aimed out of his life.
ng! ng!
Taji managed to block off the ice crystals, but he couldn''t dodge the mes. Part of his arm was burned.
Hended on the body of one of the enemies and slit the man''s throat.
St!
After that, dozens of people immediately attacked Taji in various directions. Some of the attacks were deflected, and they hurt each other. However, many attacks alsonded on Taji''s body.
"Arrrgh! Run forward, all of you!"
Stab! Stab! St¡ª!
Three people died covered in blood. Their bodies were trampled.
sh! sh! St!
Five people died. Two of them had their necks nearly cut off.
"Arrrrrgh!"
The one-on-a hundred battle continued. As time went by, the battle got fiercer.
The rain grew heavier, sweeping red blood into the gutter. Screams echoed along with the sound of trickling water.
p Taji continued to fend off the onught of dozens of humans. His body continued to move, even though his muscles screamed in pain.
St! St! St!
He kept fighting, regardless of his condition.
"Keugh¡ª"
As time went on, his body became heavier and heavier. His movements slowed, and he started to feel pain every time he moved.
"Hiyah!"
Bang! Bang! sh!
Suddenly, his body stopped moving, then various attacks hit him.
"Arrrgh!"
When Taji saw himself, his entire body was covered in blood and full of cuts. The mask was half shattered, showing part of his face.
"Looks like I''ve reached my limit¡"
After that, Taji copsed. His body was lying in a pool of rain and blood. He realized he had lost. At that moment, Taji had epted his fate.
However, strangely, his opponents kept their distance. This surprised Taji.
Then, he saw the figure of a man standing before his face. The man looked like he was a foreigner; white hair while holding guns.
"Who are you?"
Taji''s voice was weak, but the man still could hear him.
"Nobody. Just someone who wants to return the favour."
Taji closed his eyes. After that, all he heard was the sound of non-stop gunfire.
Chapter 30 Massacre
Isaac stood in the middle of a bunch of gangsters. Dozens of pairs of eyes red at him with an annoyed face. Some of them seemed impatient to get rid of the man who tried to interfere with their business.
Of course, Isaac didn''t stand alone against them. There was Guo Chen protecting his back.
"Brothers, there are a lot of them. It''s just the two of us¡" Guo Chen''s words quivered amidst the sound of the pouring rain.
"It''s okay. Everything will be fine."
Isaac knew that his man was afraid of this situation, and he understood that.
Guo Chen could be great at ughtering monsters, but hecked in a fight against humans.
Thus, Isaac took advantage of this situation to train Guo Chen, giving him battle experience as well as strengthening his mentality in dealing with life and death situations.
"Yeah, right¡ everything will be fine."
After hearing Isaac''s words, Guo Chen tried to calm himself down.
Then, the man with blonde hair, the leader of the enemy groups, began to threaten Isaac and Guo Chen.
"Fuck! Come again, the geeks who want to intervene. Do you really want to die, huh?"
Isaac didn''t seem to budge at all. Instead, he smiled amusedly.
"That should be the line I said."
Isaac''s words irritated the blonde-haired man. He ordered two of his men to finish Isaac off.
"Kill that bastard."
Two men came up to Isaac, about to sh his head. However, before they could raise their swords, gunshots erupted first.
Bang! Bang!
[You got 140 zenny!]
[You got 120 zenny!]
Instantly, two men fell, lying in a pool of their own blood. There were holes as big as oranges on their chests.
The blonde-haired man was surprised, as were all his men. They wore ''special armour''. At least, it required great strength to prate the armour. Even a machine gun shot wouldn''t be enough.
And now, two Hunters wearing special armour were killed with a gun in seconds.
Guns were rarely used by criminals. Considering those weapons couldn''t kill monsters and couldn''t prate metal forged with Power Crystals; like the armour the gangster group was wearing.
So far guns hadn''t been developed to kill monsters. Only a handful of countries were trying to create them. Russia and America were among them.
Seeing gunshots that could pierce through their armour easily, of course, made the gangster party worried.
Their faces darkened. Fear began to take over them, but not with the blonde man.
''If I get that weapon, the boss will be happy.''
That was what the blonde-haired man thought. He imagined the reward he would get from the Ryudo Family.
"You fool! What are you waiting for? Attack! There are only two people! They can''t beat us!"
The gangster group just realized that their boss''s words were true. They won in numbers, they definitely could win against those two.
"Kill them!"
After the order was issued, dozens of Ryudo Family members charged at Isaac and Guo Chen.
Isaac just smiled at the decision they made. "You stupid humans."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
[You got 140 zenny!]
[You got 108 zenny!]
[You got 122 zenny!]
"Arggggh!"
Notifications, gunshots, and human screams echoed through Isaac''s head in harmony.
[You got 131 zenny!]
[You got 100 zenny!]
His two index fingers kept pulling the trigger, and the muzzle of the guns didn''t stop spewing Mana bullets.
The dozens of people who had attacked Isaac fell one by one, and they became a pile of corpses. Even though many of them died in vain, they still attacked.
"Keep attacking! He will soon run out of bullets!"
However, their guess was wrong. The guns kept spewing Mana bullets non-stop.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
St! St! St!
Sometimes Isaac nced back, not out of wariness of the attacks, but to make sure Guo Chen wasn''t hurt. He didn''t want his life weapon to be damaged before it could be used.
On the other hand, Guo Chen fought well despite only using an iron pipe. He deflected every iing attack and made the enemies injure each other.
St!
"Argh! Watch out for your attack, you fool!" The enemies were cursing each other.
Using non-lethal weapons such as a double-edged sword, it had both favorable and unfavorable consequences. Guo Chen attacked the enemies without having to worry about killing humans. However, he had to work hard to knock them out. He had to aim for the part of the body that didn''t have armour on. Besides, it was possible that his weapon would be destroyed.
"Shit!"
The blonde-haired man bit his lip. The longer he watched the battle, the more members of his men fell.
"Why didn''t that guy run out of bullets? This is crazy!"
The enemy leader started to go crazy and he couldn''t think clearly. He kept ordering his men to attack. Even to the point of cursing them.
Meanwhile, Isaac just stood there casually, waiting for his enemy to throw themselves at him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, the enemies fell. Their numbers were rapidly decreasing like dry burnt leaves.
Unbeknownst to them, there were only eight of them left.
"Shit! Run-!"
Isaac didn''t let them go.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven people died while trying to escape.
Right now, there was only one of them who was standing still. Who else but the blonde-haired man, the leader of the gangster group?
"Please, don''t kill me." The man looked frightened. He knelt, begging for his life.
Without thinking, Isaac finished them all off.
Bang!
There was no one standing there other than Isaac and Guo Chen. However, the demon hadn''t finished yet.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Isaac shot at the dozens of corpses lying around. He could sense that some people were still alive, and they pretended to be dead.
Guo Chen froze while watching Isaac shoot them. He could only lower his head and clenched his fists. Even though he knew they were all bad people, he felt that all of this was wrong.
At first nce, Isaac''s actions look cruel, but he did all of that because it was his job.
In his eyes, they were all zenny pieces. Letting them live was a shame. Besides, this ce was a rival farming area.
Isaac''s actions were not only seen by Guo Chen, the people hiding in the shops and buildings also watched him. They were horrified, and at the same time, satisfied. So far, no one had dared mess up with the Ryudo Family.
"Gunyer¡"
After confirming that no one was alive, Isaac checked Taji''s condition, who was lying unconscious. At that very moment, he nted the ''Seeds of Mind'' in the man.
"He was seriously injured, but still alive. Let''s take him away immediately, Guo Chen."
Guo Chen froze, not listening to Isaac''s words. His face looked nk.
"Guo Chen!"
Only after Isaac snapped did Guo Chene to his senses. Then, Guo Chen helped Isaac carry Taji and quickly left Kabukicho.
Chapter 31 Deal
It was all white. The room was filled with the smell of medicine. Under the gleaming of themp, a man sat on a bed. Some parts of his body were wrapped in bandages. In the corner of the room, a white-haired man stood while leaning against the wall.
"So¡ Isaac, huh? You helped me and took me to the hospital," said the man sitting on the bed.
"Yes, right."
After the battle in Kabukicho, Isaac and Guo Chen immediately took Taji to a nearby hospital to treat the man''s injuries.
Isaac had been in this room for three hours, waiting for Taji to wake up. Meanwhile, Guo Chen waited outside for some fresh air.
However, Isaac knew that wasn''t the reason.
After the incident in Kabukicho, Guo Chen fell into a moral dilemma, especially after seeing Isaac ughtering dozens of humans as if it was nothing.
Thus, Isaac left Guo Chen alone to calm himself. He could just erase Guo Chen''s memory or change the way the man saw the world.
However, Isaac preferred for Guo Chen to make the decision himself. He didn''t want to kill Guo Chen''s real character.
Isaac had already prepared a path for him.
''For now, I''ll take care of my other man first.''
Taji still stared at the empty air. He had a lot of questions in his head right now, but he didn''t know which one he should ask first. This was strange for him.
In all his life, he never had any problems or clients from overseas. Then, what was the motive of this man?
Only one thing he knew.
"No kindness is truly sincere. Humans are kind to others when they just want something. So, what do you want from me?"
Taji looked at the man in front of him with a fierce re.
Meanwhile, Isaac smiled. The man who helped him before was still the same person. Honest and didn''t like beating around the bush.
"I want you to work for me," Isaac said.
Taji''s eyes were wide open. After that, heughed weakly.
"First, thank you for helping me. But don''t expect to hire me cheaply. Work and personal matters are different."
His words sounded arrogant because he had a reputation.
Among the Japanese underground, Taji was known by the nickname Batosai. Besides his fighting ability, he never once failed to kill his target.
A pouchnded on hisp. Then, he looked at Isaac with a questioning look on his face. Isaac just smiled, making Taji even more curious.
The pouch was heavy, and it felt like there was a hard object inside.
"What''s this?" Taji showed a curious look.
Isaac just smiled. "Just open it. You''ll love it."
Finally, Taji opened it. And Isaac''s guess was right.
"Shit!"
A dazzling purple glow hit his face as he opened the pouch. A one kilogram Power Crystal was in his hand. Taji swallowed his saliva until his Adam''s apple bobbed. Never in his life had he held such precious stones.
If he counted them, it was about 20 million Yen, or about 150,000 USD. To get this much money, at least Taji needed to extort those wealthy humans for years.
And the mysterious man just gave it to him like it was nothing precious.
"That''s what you get every month if you work for me. Of course, it doesn''t include the bonus."
Taji swallowed hard at the offer. However, he didn''t ept it right away. He wasn''t a novice who was easily tempted by money. The higher the wage, the higher the risk.
"So what should I do?"
Isaac smiled in satisfaction. "I want you to wipe out the Ryudo Family''s influence on Kabukicho."
After hearing Isaac''s answer, Taji narrowed his eyes. "Why? You want to rule Kabukicho?"
"Let''s just say we have amon enemy." Isaac smirked.
Not long after, Taji also smiled. He didn''t know what kind of business Isaac had with the Ryudo Family, but this work was marvellous.
Taji had a problem with the Ryudo Family and he was hired to destroy his enemy''s business. It was like diving while drinking water.
"It''s interesting. So I''m just in charge of getting rid of my enemy''s business? Only that?"
Isaac shook his head.
"Your work is not only focused on getting rid of the Ryudo Family. I want you to get stronger too. Leveling up is also part of your job."
[Name : Haruno Taji]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : B]
[Level : 12]
Taji''s potential was pretty decent, but when hepared it to Guo Chen, the man was still left behind. Thus, Isaac wanted Taji to work even harder to survive until the end.
"Six months from now, I wille again for a visit. In that time I want you to reach level 50."
Isaac''s orders sounded absurd. In Taji''s eyes, this was the same as being the strongest Hunter in Japan. Even the S-rank Hunters in Japan had only reached level 21.
"What if I fail?"
"If you fail, I will stop hiring you."
The consequences given by Isaac didn''t burden Taji at all. However, Taji didn''t know that Isaac would kill him if the man couldn''t fulfill the order.
The ''Seeds of Mind'' slot was very limited. Isaac didn''t want to give it to the weak or cocky humans.
Meanwhile, Taji thought this job was very strange, yet interesting.
"Okay. I ept this job."
An agreement had formed. The two shook hands. Then, Isaac pulled out a dagger from his pocket and handed it to Taji.
"Consider this your first bonus."
[ss : D]
[Type : Artefact (Dagger)]
[A dagger that steals life force. The user gains 25% of the opponent''s HP recovery every time they kill the target.]
Taji was astounded at the details of the dagger. It dominated with red and had serrations like dragon scales. He held it carefully.
"Haha, this is amazing. Thank you, Boss."
Isaac not only gave him a Power Crystal but also an artefact weapon. Now, Taji was sure that his new boss was really wealthy.
With this, Isaac had done his business with Haruno Taji.
"My business here is done. I have to go."
When Isaac arrived at the doorway, Taji called out to him.
"Hey, Boss. We just met and you paid me straight away. Even gave this special weapon. Aren''t you afraid I will break the contract and run away?"
Isaac was silent for a moment.
"If you want to run, just run. I can kill you anytime."
Then, Isaac left the room.
It was only Taji in the room. His hands trembled and the hairs on his neck stood up. Fiuh, he had goosebumps all over his body.
"What a monster¡"
As Isaac spoke hisst sentence, Taji could feel a terrifying aura from the man. He had met many murderers and criminals, but this was the first time there was someone who could make his instincts scream ''run''.
Chapter 32 Sister
In a cafe full of visitors, at one of the tables, there was a girl enjoying a cup of coffee. Then, she stood up and waved at someone.
"Sir Isaac! I''m here."
A man with white hair came over to the girl. He sat across from her.
"Would you like something to drink?" the woman asked with a sweet smile.
Isaac shook his head. "I''ll be leaving soon. Let''s get straight to business."
"Oh, I see. So, what kind of business do you have with me, Mister Isaac?"
"Wang Yi, you are a Vice Guild Master. I believe you have a lot of connections, right? I want you to introduce me to someone."
"That''s right."
Nine Sky wasn''t just focused on Dungeon and Monster Breaks. They alsopeted with other guilds. They had intelligence members to gather various information.
And no exception to the dark secret of high-ranking officials. If one day the guilds were faced with government problems, they didn''t hesitate to use the information to ckmail them.
"Indeed, who do you want to meet?" Wang Yi asked curiously.
Isaac''s lips curved up. "Could you arrange a meeting with Anatoly Kramnik?"
After Isaac said that, Wang Yi''s eyes opened wide. It wasn''t long before she bit her lower lip.
"I''m afraid I can''t do that for you."
Instantly, Isaac''s eyes squinted into mere slits. "Why? You said you had a lot of connections."
"It''s true. My sister entrusted me with the meeting and negotiations with high-ranking and important people, but the Marshal of the Russian Federation is too difficult for me."
Isaac let out a disappointed sigh.
Anatoly Kramnik was the most powerful man in Russia. He was in charge of all the armed forces, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force. He was in control of the military power in Russia.
Even though the military power had been taken by Hunter, there was a special reason he still became an influential person. He had a special force¡ªHunter Force Defence.
The HFD was not just a military organization, but also an organization that controlled all guilds in Russia. It was the same as the Hunter Association in China. The difference was HFD monopolized the entire Dungeon in Rusia.
''Now, how can I meet that person?''
Isaac tapped his finger on the table. Not long after, Wang Yi seemed to remember something.
"I don''t know if this is of any use to you. Recently, I heard Anatoly Kramnik was rumored to be close with a woman."
His fingers halted. Then, his gaze turned to Wang Yi.
"Woman? His family?"
Wang Mei shook her head. "No, she is much younger. Probably his mistress."
Isaac nodded.
''This could be useful.''
"In that case, look for the information about that woman. From the trivial things like where she lives, and any information rted to her."
Wang Yi smiled. "Alright, give me a few days. I''ll call youter. By the way, Mister Isaac, why did you want to meet Anatoly Kramnik?"
"I want to have him."
Of course, his words made Wang Yi curious. She wanted to ask what Isaac meant, but her tongue suddenly went numb.
Isaac had done his business. It was time to go back. However, before that, there were a few things he wanted to know about the Nine Sky Guild Master.
Isaac was still curious about what happened the other day.
"By the way, what do you think your sister is like?"
Wang Yi''s face turned sour. "As usual. She''s annoying."
Then, Wang Yi started to talk about her sister''s personality. Based on Wang Yi stories, her sister was a tough, bossy, and selfish woman. Wang Mei often made decisions for her, even though Wang Yi had refused.
Wang Yi kept bbering about her sister''s behaviour, like a childining about the bad things her sister had done to her parents.
''This is not the information I need.''
Isaac took a deep breath. After that, he stopped Wang Yi who was busy talking.
"Then, do you know your sister''s ns?"
Wan Yi was silent for a moment. She just remembered something.
"There are several agendas that my sister had nned. But her main focus is to take control of the Dungeons."
"Taking control of the Dungeons?" Isaac''s eyes narrowed.
After that, Wang Mei started to exin some things; including the guild cooperation agreement with the government, exclusive rights to explore the Dungeons, the Hunter Association, and all things rted to the Hunter''s world.
"Hmm¡ humans are indeed interesting. Even though their race will soon be annihted, they are still busy ying politics." Isaac shook his head. "Say, which dungeon Wang Mei ns to conquer first?"
"There are three Dungeons that attract Big Sister''s attention. The first dungeon is the one that stands on the outskirts of Beijing. She has wanted to take over it for a long time, but we have topete with the Blood Oath Guild. However, seeing their guild master, Zhang Gang, is seriously injured, there is a high chance that Nine Sky will be able to take control of the Dungeon."
Isaac remembered the man who was kicked by a mutant orc then beaten by hundreds of monsters on the Monster break a few days ago.
''It seems the man is still alive.''
"The second dungeon that Big Sister ns to take over is located in Tianjin. It''s just that there are three major guilds who are after the dungeon. There''s a chance she will let it go."
Isaac nodded. So far, the Dungeon Wang Mei chose was safe.
''As long as she doesn''t try to take over the Dungeon in Shanghai, there''s no problem.''
"Then, thest Dungeon?"
"Thest dungeon is located in the China¨CNorth Korea¨CRussia tripoint, Mister Isaac."
Isaac suddenly rose from his seat. "What? Why did she aim for the Dungeon at the border?"
"Nine Sky got a ''special'' offer from North Korea to carry out the Clearance. Of course, the goal is to im the Dungeon. The clearance will be carried out with the North Korean Guild and the Siberian Knights Guild."
Isaac squeezed the corner of the table. He was angry, and at the same time grateful to hear this news. His dungeon was still set to ''friendly'' mode, so it wasn''t ready for arge-scale attack.
He had estimated that no guild would take a nce at his Dungeon until the first Auction was held.
"When will the clearance take ce?"
"The 27th."
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief. There were still three weeks left. That was enough time to reset the Dungeon.
"Alright. Once you find that woman, let me know."
"Yes, Mister Isaac."
After that, Isaac quickly got up and left the restaurant.
Chapter 33 Construction
[Grasnd, Isaac''s 2nd Floor Dungeon.]
In a wide expanse of green grass, four-legged monsters withrge bodies roamed freely around that ce. Four-eyed bison, red-eyed antelope, blue-horned rhino, and many more; they lived in groups.
In the middle of the herd of monsters, there was a group of dwarves who seemed to be busy working.
Some of them crushed the rocks sticking out in the middle of the expanse of grass. Then, several of them carried the stone shards to the construction site, where dozens of dwarves seemed to arrange them into a building.
Among them was a little girl riding a giant white bear. She led the dwarves, who were busy working.
Who else but Pippi?
"Hurry! Work harder! Don''t bezy! Soon we will have a great war!"
Pippi ordered them harshly. She even called them indolent several times.
She was assigned to supervise the reconstruction of the dungeon by Isaac.
The 1st floor had beenpleted, and the 2nd floor was still under construction. Meanwhile, on the 3rd floor there was no change at all.
The busy working dwarves suddenly stopped and knelt down. Pippi, who saw their action, was surprised. However, she knew the reason.
"My Lord!"
A white haired man appeared out of nowhere. Pippi hurried over to him eagerly. When the distance between the two of them was only an arm, she jumped to him.
Hap!
Her headnded in the man''s grip, but Pippi kept trying to hug him.
Isaac was already very well with his Dungeon Manager''s habits. Every time they met, the little demon would run like a trance to hug him. Isaac didn''t really mind being hugged, only that Pippi always ended up nudging his stomach.
Tack!
A hard flicknded on the little girl''s forehead. Instantly, she fell silent.
Pippi posed a salute. Her forehead was bruised red. "Report, My Lord. The reconstruction of the 2nd Floor was almost 70%. Probably in one day, it will be finished. Reportpleted." After that, she posed standby.
Isaac just nodded. Then, he ordered the dwarves to work again.
''I have to make this Dungeon very strong.''
It had been 7 days since Isaac had reconstructed the Dungeon. He was currently focused on rebuilding the defences on the 2nd Floor, considering that this ce only had an expanse of grass.
Isaac observed the process of the construction. The faces of the dwarves lookednguid and dispirited, as if they were working out by force.
"Pippi, have you done what I told you to do?"
"Of course I had, Lord. I did as you ordered. I gave them a reward, 10 kilograms of Mithirl and Orichalchum every day. I was also strict with them."
A long sigh escaped Isaac''s lips. There was a clear tone of annoyance.
"How about I just build it, Lord? I can do it in a sh."
Isaac shook his head. "No, just let them do it."
Each monster had its own specialties. Not all of them could be put in the fight. Some monsters existed to be used as workers, gather materials, and any other trivial things. There were even monsters that function as ''food''.
This was the reason why Isaac chose the dwarves over Pippi, even though the girl had strong magic power to rebuild the dungeon.
The dwarves were ss B monsters. Theirbat power was standard, not much different from Orcs. However, if they created something, the result would always have special power. High durability, special item effects, buff effects, and even increased stats on the user.
However, they had one deficiency; it was self-interest. Even if they were ordered by the Dungeon Master, they would still ask for something in return. Threatening them was also not an option, considering that they were quite expensive.
''I have to give them something else to cheer them on.''
Isaac tried to think of what other things the dwarves liked. He had already given them their favourite items, Mithril and Orichalcum, but it still didn''t satisfy them.
Suddenly, Pippi tugged at his arm.
"What''s wrong, Pippi?"
"Pippi knows why they are being like this. Pippi wanted to promise them something to cheer them up. But I need your approval, Lord?"
Isaac narrowed his eyes. He was curious about the little girl''s words. "What''s that?"
Pippi smiled broadly, then gestured with her index finger toe closer. Isaacplied with the girl''s request. He bent down, then Pippi''s whisper entered his ear.
"Is that what they want?"
"Yes, My Lord." Pipi nodded excitedly.
"Alright, gather all the workers."
"Aye Aye, Lord."
The little girl posed a salute. Not long after that, she ran along the bear''s back and shouted loudly.
"All of you! Gather!"
The dwarves shifted their attention to the little girl riding on the bear''s back. Their faces lookedzy.
"Lord wants to announce something important!"
Isaac walked into the centre of the spotlight. Everyone around him immediately bowed down, including the giant bear and Pippi.
"In less than 14 days, we will have a big day. They are not just ordinary humans that you can kill easily, like on the 1st floor of the Dungeon. Nor is it stupid humans who are only tempted by Power Crystals. They were true warriors trained to kill monsters. One of them can kill ten of you at once."
Isaac''s voice was loud. The majesty vibrations shook in the thin air and pierced through the ears of the dwarves. Meanwhile, they continued to look down and stare at the ground.
None of them dared to look into their Dungeon Master''s face.
"Tomorrow''s battle will be a tough one. Many of you will die."
The dwarves'' hands were clenched tightly to the ground. They looked worried and anxious.
"Thus, I want you to build the dungeon as quickly as possible and as best you can. Otherwise, many monsters in this Dungeon would be killed. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
The monsters'' voices boomed in the air.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction at seeing their firm answer. Now, it was time for him to give them additional motivation.
"Now, get up and look at me!"
All the monsters started to stand up, then looked at their master.
Isaac raised one hand.
"If any of you manage toplete the construction in less than 9 days, there will be a reward waiting for you."
They nced at each other, wondering what their master''s words meant.
Isaac smiled, seeing the monster look curious.
"I will reward each of you, an elf woman."
Instantly, the dwarves'' eyes dted. Their whispers that sounded like groans started to echo in that ce. They really couldn''t believe how generous their master was.
Then, a dwarf roared until its voice reverberated through the air. The roar was not a war cry, but a mating call.
Not long after, the other dwarves shouted as well. Among those exmations, they hailed Isaac''s name loudly.
"Lord Isaac!"
"Lord Isaac!"
"Lord Isaac!"
Now, all the monsters had got a boost of motivation. This way, thebat morale of the Savages-type monster warriors would smoulder.
Each monster was divided into several types; it was Savages, Elemental, Beast, ntae, Undead, Fye, Dragon, Insecta, and Pisces. Each of them had its own character.
For example, like dwarves who were savage-type monsters, they had strong physical strength and high reproduction, but their lifespan was short.
Due to the high speed of reproduction, their libido was also high. Thus, they were very excited when they got the female elf as a reward.
Elves were the most beautiful monsters that lived in the Dungeon. Compared to female dwarves, their differences were like heavens and Earth. All dwarves had beards.
"Hehehe, what was Pippi''s idea, Lord?" The little girl beside Isaac looked proud while touching her nose with her thumb.
"Good work."
Isaac then patted Pippi''s head. After that, she hugged his master''s leg.
"Yay, Lord! It''s great!"
The girl jumped with joy while she kept hugging her master''s legs. Meanwhile, Isaac just smiled, seeing the dwarves worked with enthusiasm.
Chapter 34 Chupacabra
[Pine Forest, 1st Floor of Isaac''s Dungeon.]
Among the towering pine trees, three men were seen running with frightened faces. Two of them were tall, and the rest were fat. Their hair was ck, in contrast to their pale white skin. Everything in front of them was cut down, whether it was shrubs orrge rocks.
Now, their lives were in danger.
Right behind them, three monsters in the form of dogs chased them while drooling disgustingly.
"Ivan, you bastard! You said the dungeon here is safe. Why is there such a terrible monster?!" the fat man grumbled as he ran with difficulty. Sweat dripped down his face.
"Damn it! I shouldn''t have followed you two, you fool!"
While running in the front, Ivan had a look of irritation mixed with anger on his face.
"Shut your mouth and quicken your footsteps, you idiot!"
The three of them continued to run as fast as they could, even though their legs hurt and their hearts felt like they were going to explode. If they stopped for even a second, they would be food for the monsters.
A pack of dog monsters chased the three of them fiercely. Saliva dripped down from their mouths. Their red eyes glowed eerily. And the thorns on their backs thrived like the hedgehog thorns.
"Blyat!"
p Suddenly, the man named Ivan was entangled in the bushes, and he instantly fell to the ground. Then, his friends who ran behind him also fell because they got bumped by him, including the fat man. They piled on each other.
"Idiots, why did you guys fall?!"
"You idiot! Why didn''t you dodge it?!"
"Fuck! You all shut up! Get out of the way!"
Ivan, who was at the bottom, groaned in pain. Meanwhile, the fat man seemed to have difficulty getting up because of his overweight body.
They fought like children.
Rrrrrgggg¡
After hearing the growling of the dogs, they immediately fell silent.
"Good boy, please don''t eat us, hehe..." The fat man grimaced in fear. His lips trembled violently.
But, the pack of dogs growled louder and louder. They drew near to the three Russian Hunters.
"You fat... don''t suddenly move like that..." Ivan whispered.
The fat man swallowed hard. He got up slowly. After that, his friends also stood up one by one.
"Wrrrouff!"
"Waaaa!"
One of the dogs barked, making the fat man run spontaneously. The pack of dogs immediately jumped on them.
"You idiot¡ª!"
"Waaa¡ª!"
St! St! St!
"Arrrrg!"
Blood spurted onto the green grass, followed by the screams echoing throughout the forest.
Not far from their location, a man and a little girl watched the fateful event indifferently. The man just stared at it with a t expression, while the little girl looked excited.
"Woah!" The little girl jumped up and down, her eyes shining as if she was about to get a new pet.
"What do you think, Pippi?"
"Wonderful, Lord! They run faster than direwolf and their bite force is stronger than direlion!"
Isaac whistled, then the dogs stopped eating the Hunters. They rushed to their master.
"Woof Wooof!"
In front of Isaac, the dog monsters acted like cute puppies. They sat down and wagged their tails. One of them immediately rolled on the ground when Pippi stroked its head.
"Kyaaaaa! Good boy~ good boy~ Come here and let Mama stroke your belly."
The other dogs immediately rolled on the ground, hoping to have their bellies petted too.
"They''re so cute~! I''ve never seen this monster before! What are the names of these dogs, Lord?"
"Chupacabra."
A few minutes ago, Isaac created a D-ss monster from abination. The Chupacabra was abination of five ''Coyotes (F)'' and fifty ''Red-Eyed Hedgehogs (F)''.
Isaac needed to create a powerful army of monsters at a low cost. From thebination of the two monsters, it only cost at least 150 zenny, while all D ss monsters cost 500 zenny for each one.
The Chupacabras certainly helped Isaac financially. He also had bought 100 dwarves at a price of 1000 for each.
Of course, Isaac didn''t just create the Chupacabra, he alsobined other D-ss monsters; such as ''Sabretooth (D)'', ''Raptor (D)'', ''Hobogoblin (D)'', and many more.
However, Isaac''s n to strengthen the Dungeon didn''t just stop at adding middle-ss monsters.
"Pippi, you trained them to hunt other humans. These dogs will not be used to fight head-to-head, we use them to prey on the Hunters. Understand?"
"Yes, my Lord!"
"Also, I want to rearrange the monsters that are guarding this dungeon. Secure the surrounding area. I don''t want any distractions."
"Roger!"
As usual, Pippi put on a salute pose after receiving Isaac''s orders. Then, she took the eight dogs to train them how to hunt the humans.
Isaac was left alone.
"Time to move the monsters."
Isaac opened the ''Control Panel.'' He moved some weak monsters to the 3rd Floor. These monsters were moved because they were very weak and useless against humans. Their only role was to act as fodder to increase the level of novice Hunters.
Every single one of them was bought with zenny. There was no way Isaac would let them die in vain.
[Process¡]
[Moved x684 ''Slime (F)'' to floor 3.]
[Moved x574 ''Bloodsucker (F)'' to floor 3.]
[Moved x1239 ''Horned Rat (F)'' to floor 3.]
[.. .]
''I reced all monsters on Floor 1 with Beast-type monsters.''
Since Isaac currently had the title ''Chief of Beast'', all Beast-type monsters would receive an additional 20% strength buff. Thus, he rearranged all the monsters in the Dungeon.
Of course, not all monsters on Floor 1 would be filled with Beast-type monsters. Some monsters in the forest that got buffed would be kept, such as goblins. Then, he shifted the position of the non-Beast-type monsters to the outskirts of the Dungeon and the ces that were least visited by the humans.
Isaac wiped his sweaty forehead. "There''s still 10 days left. I actually move them too fast, but I need them to get used to fighting against humans."
After taking 60 minutes, he managed to move all the weak monsters to the Upper Floor.
Chapter 35 Workshop
Isaac was standing in front of the Crystal Core room, which showed the light projection of a temple-style building standing tall in the middle of a green meadow. His lips formed a smile at the sight. The construction process in the 2nd Floor Dungeon had beenpleted.
Then, a voice entered his head.
"My Lord! The cksmith workshop construction process waspleted as nned."
Pippi contacted Isaac through telepathy.
"Good, Pippi. After that, give them orders to repair any broken equipment and ept weapons forging requests from the Hunters on the 2nd Floor. They are allowed to ask humans for the wage."
"Yes, My Lord!"
As usual, after receiving an unusual order from his master, Pippi was quick to ask a question.
"By the way, Lord. Why did we create a cksmith''s workshop for humans? Besides, there are also buffs that speed up their recovery. As if this ce is a safe zone."
"Indeed, that ce is a safe zone."
"Hah?" A dumbfounded tone of voice rang in Isaac''s head. "Aren''t we going to ughter them all tomorrow? Pippi doesn''t understand why we need to go this far for humans."
Isaac sighed. Once again, the Dungeon Manager doubted him again. However, he wouldn''t get angry. He knew Pippi was only worried about him. Besides, he couldn''t me Pippi''s curiosity.
"To give them hope."
The Clearance n that would be carried out in his Dungeon in 5 days, Isaac already knew how it would turn out.
The ughtered of hunters would happen.
If the three great guilds from three different countries failed to carry out the Clearance in his Dungeon, the news would definitely circte in disarray. Of course, this had a negative impact on his Dungeon. One of them was the possibility that the number of Hunters who came would decrease.
He couldn''t prevent the bad news of the Clearance tomorrow from circting out. Besides, at the same time, he could also spread the good news.
And the good news he would spread was the cksmith forge.
The weapons used by humans were very fragile and weak. With the cksmith forge in the Dungeon, they could get better weapons. They would get a little stronger, or at least feel that way. That way, they would be more confident, feeling that there was still a chance to conquer the Dungeon.
,m "To control humans, we do not use fear, but hope. Even if they experience failure and see death over and over again, they will stille back. As long as there is hope."
Pippi eximed enthusiastically in Isaac''s head. While Isaac just silently stroked his palm.
''Hope is like a spark, which can cause a fire to ze.''
From this n, it was possible for humans to take advantage of the opportunity he gave and conquered the Dungeon. He realized that the decisions he made this time were risky. However, he believed the higher the risk, the higher the payoff.
Not long after, Pippi''s voice could be heard again in his head.
"Oh yes, Lord. Pippi forgot. What about the dwarves? They have started to demand the promise you gave yesterday."
Isaac smirked. "Why should we give them?"
"Isn''t that if they do it in nine days, you will give them the elf women?"
"I said if they finished it in less than 9 days. They finished it in 9 days and 45 minutes. They didn''t meet the conditions I gave, they got nothing."
"Okay, Lord!"
Isaac knew that the dwarves wouldn''t make it in time. He only gave them hope to work harder. With the small number of workers, less equipment, and therge size of the building, there was no opportunity for the dwarves. He had calcted everything.
Besides, the Zenny he had now wouldn''t be enough to buy an A-ss monster for every male dwarf. The funds alone were running low forbining monsters and buying the dwarves.
If they seeded, of course Isaac would fulfill his promise. But, not now or in the near future.
"If they can''t ept it or feel cheated, tell them that they have to ept the consequences. It was the same as insulting the Dungeon Master, a grave sin. No mercy."
"Yes, my Lord."
After that, Pippi''s voice couldn''t be heard anymore. Isaac''s attention returned to the Crystal Core projection that showed the view of the cksmith''s forge.
Thousands of dwarves seemed to be gathering towards a big bear and a little girl standing on it. They became noisy after hearing Pippi''s words. The disappointed whimpers reverberated in that ce. After that Pippi was seen giving them an ultimatum. The girl stated again the promise given by Isaac. Then they quickly fell silent and lowered their heads.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction, seeing that his right-hand person had managed to control the situation as expected. He wanted to see Pippi''s capabilities as a Dungeon Manager. In his previous life, Isaac managed the monster issue by himself. He only entrusted Pippi with the Dungeon building business. From this, he learned that Pippi had a lot of potential that had not been unleashed.
Beeps! Beeps! Beeps!
His pocket vibrated. There was a message on his cell phone. He read the message. Then, his lips curled up.
"Good job, Wang Yi. There''s still five days."
Isaac contacted Pippi again through telepathy. "Pippi, I will be away for a few days. Come here. I have a n I want to discuss with you in case Ie backte tomorrow."
.
.
.
The night was dark because the stars in the sky were not visible because of the light of Moscow City. Among the buildings that hadrge chimneys, there was a magnificent building that was heavily guarded. Heavy vehicles loaded withrge containers were seening in and out of the ce. The guards were not ordinary, but Hunters from special military personnel, HFD.
This building was a factory, as well as a Russian weapons developmentb.
Inside the factory, the air was hot and stinging the skin from the metal smelting machines. The conveyors carrying tons of minerals and metals seemed to move non-stop. Among them were crystal stones that glowed bright purple ¡ª it was Power Crystal. Thousands of workers were seen forging weapons; swords, axes, warhammers, spears, and various melee weapons.
Above them was a room covered in ss. Inside it, there was a line of researchers wearing whiteb coats. They all put on a tense expression. Among them stood a man wearing a military uniform with a star symbol on the shoulder. His face was pale and his skin ck, but his grey eyes shed a sharp re.
That man was the number one man in control of the Russian military¡ªMarshall Anatoly Kramnik.
"How many weapons were sessfully produced today?"
One of the researchers standing next to the man in military uniform looked tense. His hands trembled as he opened the sheet of notes in his hand.
"Report, Sir. Today, we managed to produce 40 swords with four different variations: 10 axes, 10 shields, 10 spears, and 30 units of equipment and other weapons. A total of 100 items were produced."
Marshall''s face turned sour. "100 units per day, meaning there are 3000 units per month. That does not include the result of the daily weapons. Didn''t I tell you to increase the production by 35%?"
"But, sir, increasing the production speed will reduce the quality¡ª"
The researcher immediately went silent, because Marshall was ring at him. His eyes were sharp, filled with intimidation.
"You know, my soldiers out there are over 50,000 units. And it will continue to increase every day. Each of them needs the best weapons and equipment to have a battle in the Monster Break. You want them all dead?"
The researcher lowered his face. "Very well, Sir. We will increase the production speed and maintain the quality of the weapons."
"Good. Do it properly."
Then, the cell phone in Marshall''s pocket vibrated. The man stared at his phone screen for a moment, then stepped away from the crowd. Instantly, the researchers breathed a sigh of relief. They were free from Marshall''s domination.
Meanwhile, Marshall picked up the phone call. A soft and seductive voice tickled out of the cell phone.
"Honey, it''s cold tonight. Won''t you go home?"
His lips smiled with a soaring desire.
Chapter 36 New Slave
A man wearing a coat and a fedora could be seen standing in front of the door of an apartment room. He had been knocking on the door for a long time, but there was no response. The man was starting to run out of patience. Finally, he tried to turn the knob and found the door unlocked.
It was dark in the room. There was no sound indicating the owner was inside. This raised suspicion in the man.
"Vanya?" said the man quietly.
No response.
His instincts as a war veteran rose. He pulled out the gun hidden in his coat pocket. Then, he walked slowly. His eyes, that were no longer as sharp as when they were young, traced around the dimly lit room. The furniture still remained in ce. The carpet that lined up the living room was tidy. There was no strange smell.
All seemed normal. No sign of someone breaking into the apartment at all.
"Hello, Marshal Anatoly Kramnik."
Instantly, the man was surprised. His eyes traced around the room to find the source of the voice. In the corner of the room, a white-haired man was sitting in a rxed manner. Spontaneously, the muzzle of the gun pointed at the mysterious man.
"Who are you?" All the nerves in Marshal Anatoly''s body tightened. His index finger pressed against the trigger, ready to pull it any time.
While the white-haired man sitting on the chair looked calm, instead of being frightened, he smiled. Then, the man stood up. "I''ve been patiently waiting for you. Come here, I don''t have much time."
"Blyat¡ Who sent you? CIA? dimir? Trust me, you''re looking for trouble with the wrong people. I don''t care what you do to that bitch. You won''t get anything from me."
The white-haired man clicked his tongue. He started to put on a displeased expression. "I really don''t have much time."
Zwooosh!
In an instant, the mysterious man disappeared without a trace, as if swallowed by the darkness. Suddenly, Marshal Anatoly was surprised. It took him only a few seconds to react. Palms gripped his neck and his body crashed to the floor. He couldn''t breathe. His face darkened.
"Be an obedient dog," said the white-haired man.
The tip of the man''s index finger glowed bright red, then he pressed against Marshal Anatoly''s forehead.
"Kuagh!"
Marshal Anatoly struggled. An electric shock sensation ran through his brain. For a moment, he was horrified and frightened, then all those feelings disappeared. It was reced with a feeling of calmness.
His eyes returned to the mysterious man. He immediately recognized who the figure gripping his neck was.
"Mister Isaac."
A smile bloomed on the white-haired man''s face. He released his grip. Meanwhile, Marshal Anatoly knelt down to apologize. He felt ashamed, as if he had made a grave mistake.
"Stand up. Let''s finish this business as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mister Isaac."
Isaac stretched out his hand into the empty air and his arm disappeared as if he had entered another dimension. When he pulled his arm out of the dimension, dozens of parchment scrolls fell strewn on the floor.
He had just taken the entire skill scrolls from the ''inventory''.
"Give all this to your best smith. I know you''re trying to mass-produce weapons to kill the monsters."
In his previous life, when Isaac managed to escape to Russia, his fate was not much different from when he was in China. He wandered aimlessly, only that no one hunted him like before.
While living in Russia, Isaac saw a lot of things happening. One of them was the coup d''¨¦tat carried out by Marshal Anatoly.
The man took advantage of the crisis resulting from the Dungeon''s disastrous emergence to take full control of the military, including mass-producing weapons. Then, he would also take advantage of the Monster Break''s chaos to increase his value in the eyes of society.
With the help of military power and the support of sympathy from the citizens, Marshal Anatoly took over the highest seat in the Russian government. Although his leadership would notst long, the Marshal would be a dictator in the future.
Thus, Isaac nted the ''Seed of Mind'' on the man first before that happened.
"Thank you very much, Mister Isaac."
Marshal Anatoly was now his new ve.
The old man picked up all the skill scrolls that were scattered on the floor. These were all ss F items; the items to learn the forging skills.
Learning these skill scrolls could increase the forging speed by 10% and the durability of the forge items would also increase by 5%. The results of the forging would not be as good as the results of the dwarves. But, at least, it would increase the efficiency of the mass production.
Marshal Anatoly kept the skill scrolls.
"Is there anything else I need to do, Mister Isaac?"
Isaac stroked his chin. "How many personnel do you have? I mean, the personnel experiencing the awakening."
"The special unit for resurrected soldiers is around 50,000 personnel. They are all members of the HFD. It is possible the number will continue to grow, as thetest recruitment and military service regtions have been implemented."
The report made Isaac nod. "Good. I want you to send 1000 of your best soldiers every month to the Dungeon at the tripoint border. Besides, I want you to focus on increasing the training of the soldiers and reducing the death rate in the dungeons of Russia. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mister Isaac."
A wide smile bloomed on Isaac''s face. "Good, that''s all for now. I will contact you again in the future."
With this, Isaac''s business in Russia was finished.
''I have to go back soon.''
Just as Isaac was about to leave, he sensed a presence that had been eavesdropping on their conversation. In one of the bedrooms, a pair of eyes and a pale face peeked through the door. Isaac looked directly into those eyes. She suddenly heard the sound of someone falling on the floor.
His attention then returned to Marshal Anatoly.
"Did you share a lot of secrets with that woman?" Isaac asked.
Marshal Anatoly shook his head. "I don''t think so."
However, the answer Isaac had heard still didn''t convince him. "Even when you''re drunk?"
Marshal Anatoly was silent. His face was t and stiff.
From the man''s expression, it was enough for Isaac to know the answer.
"What I said just now and what happened tonight, only we can know. No one should know."
"Yes, Mister Isaac."
After that, Isaac quickly left the apartment room without a word. Meanwhile, Marshal Anatoly walked into the bedroom with a gun in his hand.
Chapter 37 The Day
The long awaited day hade. The Clearance in the tripoint border Dungeon began.
Around 5000 Hunters consisting of three different guilds gathered in the 1st Floor Dungeon. They set up a camp in the middle of a field surrounded by pine trees, whereas to the south of the pine trees was a long river. Out of the dozens ofrge tents that stood in that ce, there were three symbols of the g fluttering majestically.
A white g with a cloud symbolizing the number nine¡ªNine Sky¡ªand a blue g with a symbol of two crossed swords¡ªSiberian Knights. Finally, the g that fluttered the most. It was ck and had a dragon''s head painted in gold ink. This g was the symbol of the only guild that existed in North Korea¡ªthe Heavenly Dragon Guild.
The Heavenly Dragon Guild was indeed not very well known in the world; they never had a raid or a fight with monsters in their dens. However, all the guild members were a group of trained soldiers in North Korea. Their mentality, discipline and loyalty were much better than most Hunters in general.
Today''s Clearance would be their debut, as well as proof that North Korea had a strong Hunter organization.
At least, that was what they thought.
Among the dozens of tents that stood in that ce, there was arge ck tent guarded by dozens of Hunters. Inside, the three Hunters had a serious look on their faces. Two of them were men, and the rest was a woman.
An oriental-looking man led the three of them''s discussion.
"Miss Wang, Mister Leonid, let''s discuss this Clearance n again."
In the middle of the three of them was a round table with three maps on it. Other papers of Dungeon information were also scattered on the table.
"This is the map of this Dungeon."
"All floors." Leonid arched an eyebrow.
"Right," replied Park Jisung, the leader of the discussion. "All floors. These maps are obtained from the inte. The local Hunters made these maps. They had already explored all the floors in this Dungeon. Of course, not the whole area has been touched."
"Interesting." Leonid smiled. He didn''t expect that there would be a whole floor of the Dungeon map. "All the Dungeons in Russia have only been touched by one or floor two. And in this Dungeon, it has already been explored to floor three. The Clearance this time will be very easy."
Leonid then nced at Park Jisung. "Then, North Korea will prove to the world that they are the first country to conquer a Dungeon sessfully."
The middle-aged man''s words did not affect Park Jisung. He knew what the man just said was satire, and he didn''t heed it.
While the only woman in this tent, Wang Mei, remained silent. Her eyes focused on the three maps on the table.
"As we have previously nned, the 1st Floor will be handed over to the Nine Sky Guild and the Siberian Knights. So a total of 2000 Hunters will be doing the Clearance on the 1st Floor, while the Heavenly Dragon Guild will be in charge of the 2nd Floor."
Park Jisung spoke in twonguages ??alternately. He observed the two guild leaders before him. After making sure they both understood, then he started to exin the details of the operation.
The Clearance would be carried out over a period of two weeks. The location of the Clearance target was only on the 1st and 2nd Floors. The base of operations remained on the 1st Floor. Nine Sky would move to the north and the Siberian Knights to the south on the 1st Floor.
Since the operations were on two different floors, once every three days there would be a Hunter from the 1st Floor who sent food supplies to the Heavenly Dragon Guild on the 2nd Floor.
The guild''s job was not only to eradicate monsters, but also to record all the things in the Dungeon; monsters, natural terrain, and including the resource in it. North Korea wanted to evaluate this Dungeon.
During the Clearance, no one should take anything in the Dungeon. Whatever it was. If one of the Hunters was caught taking items from the Dungeon, the guild would be penalized.
"Do you all understand?" asked Park Jisung. His eyes looked at the two of them alternately.
Leonid sighed. "Sure, we understand. We will do as nned. And all the credit will go to Heavenly Dragon."
The middle-aged man smiled sarcastically. However, Park Jisung didn''t care.
"What about you, Miss Wang Mei?"
The short ck-haired woman was still silent. Ever since she entered this Dungeon she had sensed something was odd.
"I understand. It''s just¡ isn''t this Dungeon weird? There was never an Alpha, no Monster Break, and even a rtively low death rate for Hunters. But look!"
Wang Mei pointed at the 3rd Floor map.
"The 1st and 2nd Floors are 90% explored. These two maps were made over a period of three months. However, on the 3rd Floor, for more than three months, the novice Hunters made a map within a 3 kilometre radius. There may not be 1% of the real territory. Isn''t this weird? It''s as if everyone who entered the 3rd Floor died."
Leonid didn''t understand what Wang Mei said. He could only frown. Meanwhile, Park Jisung remained calm.
"Of course. Based on the information circting among hunters, the 3rd Floor terrain was abyrinth, so it was difficult to explore the ce. There might be a lot of Hunters who ended up getting lost. That''s why we''re going to do the clearance on only two floors."
However, the woman still showed doubts. Park Jisung then tried to calm her.
"You don''t have to worry, Miss Wang. We''ve calcted everything. Everything will be fine. We''ll get home safely."
Only then did Wang Mei calm down. What Park Jisung said was true. She and her men would only operate on the 1st Floor. There was a lot of information that had already been dug up on this floor. Everything would be fine. But for some reason, her instincts told her the Dungeon was far more dangerous than any other Dungeon she had ever been in.
.
.
.
Isaac stood while staring at the Crystal Core emitting light. The light not only hit his face, but also disyed the projection of a camp standing in the middle of a pine forest. His eyes scanned every detail in the projection; tents, people, equipment, gs, and even the activities carried out there.
Pippi sat behind Isaac and dug up her nose with her little finger. She wore battle armour with an oversized ck robe.
"Lord, when are we going to attack them?" The expression on her face was bored. She couldn''t wait to have a battle with the humans.
"How many times have I told you? Patience is the key to victory. Taking hasty action will only lead to failure. Even if we seed, there will be a lot of loss for us."
"Yes, My Lord."
Even though Isaac had the advantage in this battle, being in his own territory and monsters inrge numbers, he didn''t want to rush to execute them. It was true that having them surrounded at one point would have guaranteed Isaac''s victory. Just attacked them continuously and waited until their supplies ran out.
However, it also brought him a loss.
They won in numbers. The 5000 humans who experienced the awakening were the best Hunters. They were experienced. Unlike the Hunter in general.
At least one of them could face three to five monsters. They were able tost a long time facing the herd of monsters.
It was long enough to finish off a lot of the monsters.
Isaac didn''t want to waste his monster soldiers on a war of attrition.
''They are like a bunch of sticks, hard to break at once. I need to unravel them, so it''s easy to break them all.''
He needed to wait for the right time to finish them off.
Just as Isaac focused on observing the projection of the Power Crystal, his cell phone vibrated. An iing call. He put the phone to his ear, then his eyes opened wide. Not long after, his lips curved.
"Pippi, prepare to enter your post."
Instantly, Pippi stood up. The little girl became very excited. "Roger!" She put on a salute pose and her body vanished, turning into shards of light like a firefly.
Meanwhile, Isaac smiled at the Crystal Core.
"Let''s get started."
Chapter 38 Selection
The Crystal Core emitted a projection light, which showed a group of humans hunting for monsters in the thick of the pine trees. They killed anything they came across without hesitation, even if the monsters weren''t life-threatening.
It had been three days since the Clearance operation had been carried out in his Dungeon. During that time, Isaac only observed the movements of the intruders who entered his territory, on the 1st Floor.
From his observations, the way the Nine Sky Guild and the Siberian Knights swept the Dungeon had a simr pattern. They moved in small groups and kept the distance between the groups less than 100 meters. So if one group was attacked by a stronger enemy, they could quickly get help from another group.
"It''s as if they are dispersed, even though it''s only expanding their reach. Clever strategy."
Isaac smiled.
[Name : Kang Suh]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : D]
[Level : 17]
¡
[Name : Ling Wu]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N /A]
[ss : F]
[Level : 17]
¡
[Name : Fei Li]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : B]
[Level : 19]
¡
[... ]
His eyes were focused on the data that contained rows of letters and numbers. What he checked was the status information belonging to the Nine Sky guild members. The reason he checked on their status information was to sort them out; which human he should keep alive and which one he should get rid of. In other words, Isaac was selecting the guild members.
Even though Nine Sky was currently a threat to his Dungeon, the guild was still part of his pawn. He wouldn''t kill all the guild members, only those with a ss below C. If all of them were killed, it would naturally raise suspicions. If the other two guilds that entered this Dungeon were wiped out, and only the Nine Sky guild was left.
After a long time of checking the status information of all of them, Isaac finally finished. He clicked his tongue when he counted all of them.
"Out of the 1000 members, 800 have a ss below C."
This result made Isaac feel a little disappointed. Then, a voice entered his head.
"Lord! Pippie to deliver a report! 3000 identified humans approached the cksmith''s forge. Reportpleted."
Isaac smiled. "Good."
He then opened his smartphone and sent a message.
"Okay, Pippi. You go to Floor 1 and take 500 D ss monsters with you to the southern region. Send 100 monsters to guard the teleportation gate connecting the 1st and 2nd Floors. It''s time for our operation."
"Roger, Lord!"
Isaac licked his lower lip as if he was about to enjoy a delicious meal.
.
.
.
[Grasnd, Floor 1, Isaac''s Dungeon]
"It''s over there! The monsters!"
A man with a horizontal wound on his face eximed. He dashed through the thriving fern grass, along with nine of his men, attacking a pack of hunting direwolves.
"Awwoooo!"
The wolf monsters didn''t want to lose either. They howled, then charged towards the attacking humans.
"Hey!"
sh! sh! sh!
"Kainggh!"
St! St! St¡ª!
Within seconds, the pack of direwolf fell lifeless on the ground. Their red blood stained the armour worn by the Hunters.
"Fuck! Why do we have to hunt those damn weak monsters?"
One of their members seemed to beining while kicking the corpses of the wolf monsters. Then, the man with the horizontal wound on his nose smacked the man''s head.
"Ow! Damn¡ª" He was about to curse at the person who smacked him on the head, but after finding out who it was, he quickly grimaced. "Hehe, sorry Captain Chen Wei."
Captain Chen Wei snorted. "Stopining, Xue Yang. If the Leader ever heard your words, she would definitely kick you out of the guild."
"Sorry, Captain. Please don''t tell the Leader." Xue Yang stroked the back of his head.
"Tell what?"
A woman with nine of her men came closer. Xue Yang, who recognized the figure, spontaneously swallowed hard.
"Eh¡ªLeader! It is nothing. Ano¡ that¡ª"
"All units are fine. The hunt is proceeding normally."
Captain Chen Wei quickly cut in before one of his men got into trouble. He then faced the Guild Master, Wang Mei.
"I see¡" Wang Mei''s words sounded less enthusiastic. "How many monsters did your squad kill today, Chen Wei?"
"20 monsters. Including these direwolves."
Wang Mei stroked her chin. Her gaze fell on the carcass of the wolves lying around her. Captain Chen Wei realized that the woman had something on her mind.
"Is something bothering you, Leader?"
"Yes. Don''t you realize there''s something strange about the monsters here?"
Captain Chen Wei frowned. He didn''t seem to understand Wang Mei''s words. "What kind of strange thing is that?"
"During the 6 hours I walked through the forest, my squad only killed 30 monsters. In other Dungeons we can kill 60-80 of them."
,m "You mean, there are very few monsters hanging around?"
"Right. But what surprised me more, they were stronger than usual."
Hearing Wang Mei''s words made Captain Chen Wei frown. During the past three days of hunting monsters, he had not experienced any significant problems. All finished quickly.
"I think they''re normal, Leader."
Wang Mei shook her head. "Look."
She showed one of her des. Then, Captain Chen Wei observed it. There were many scratches on the body of the sword, especially on the de. Some parts looked jagged, as if they had been used to hit a hard object. At that moment, he realized what Wang Mei meant.
"The monsters in this Dungeon are stronger than usual. Within three days, my weapon was nearly dull."
Captain Chen Wei then quickly checked the armour protecting his body. There were some scratches on the chest protector. Although it did not prate, the marks left were quite deep. The scratches were the w marks of the direwolf he just fought earlier.
"Right! There was something strange about this Dungeon. Looks like we should stick together, Leader."
The other members who overheard their conversation became uneasy.
Wang Mei nodded. "That''s why I''m here. Call the other teams to gather at this point."
"Roger, Leader."
Captain Chen Wei quickly raised his arm. On his wrist was a device resembling a smartwatch. This item was used tomunicate within the Dungeon.
When themunication line was connected, suddenly a loud scream broke the silence of the forest.
KUAAAAAAAAA!
Instantly, everyone was shocked. Wang Mei was no exception. They all looked up at the sky.
"Dammit¡ we''rete," Wang Mei muttered.
"Leader, should we check it out?" Captain Chen Wei quickly asked with concern.
All the members were ready to attack. Just one word from Wang Mei, and they would rush off to the source of the voice.
However, the situation said otherwise.
Wang Mei had no time to approve it. Suddenly, another scream boomed in the sky.
KUAAAGH! KYAAAA! KAAAAGH!
There was not only one scream, but many screams reverberated in that ce. They followed one by one. Making everyone in the ce bbergasted.
"What happened?"
Xue Yang, who had been silent all this time, spontaneously asked with a panicked face. The the other members also showed the same expression. While Wang Mei looked frustrated. She was still trying to grasp the current situation.
KYAAAAAA!
Among the dozens of screams that echoed in the forest, a loud voice of a girl that sounded familiar could be heard. A very familiar voice in Wang Mei''s ears, as if she had heard it for decades.
"Wang Yi¡"
Without thinking, Wang Mei quickly dashed into the forest, even though her subordinates who were left behind shouted her name.
Chapter 39 Bait
Twenty-one Hunters with exhausted faces were resting. Some of them were eating, and some were smoking cigarettes. Then, one of them suddenly stood up. All attention immediately turned to that person.
"Boris!"
Someone rebuked him, but the man stood still.
"Oi! What happened to you?"
"Perhaps he has a hemorrhoid again."
Then, that group of Hunterughed. Except for Boris, who was still standing like a statue. His face looked serious.
"Hey, didn''t you hear that?"
One of the Hunters who was eating lunch replied, "Oh, sorry. That was my fart."
Once again, the sound ofughter echoed in the air. Boris got annoyed because hisrades didn''t give him a serious response.
"No, you moron! I heard screams earlier."
However, hisrades stillughed, ignoring Boris'' words. One of them even said that Boris had drunk too many burkas.
However, theughter instantly disappeared when a man mmed an axe into the ground. They all fell silent when they saw the man''s serious expression.
That man was Leonid, the Guildmaster of the Siberian Knights.
"Boris, what did you hear?"
"Ugh, Boss, I heard screams."
"Screams?" Leonid arched one of his eyebrows.
Boris nodded. "Right. Human screams."
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed drastically. The Hunters, who originallyughed and thought Boris was drunk, they started to take this matter seriously.
"The voice was faint. I''m sure it''s far from here."
After hearing his men''s words, Leonid frowned. He hadn''t heard anything since earlier, but there was no way his men would lie to him. Even though the 1st Floor only contained weak monsters, this ce was still a Dungeon. Anything could happen in this ce. He had to take it seriously.
Leonid was still standing. He tried to grasp the situation. Then, he started to remember Wang Mei''s strange reaction at the meeting three days ago.
"Alright, call another squad. We''re going back to¡ª"
KUAAAAGH!
Sat¡ª!
Suddenly, a monster resembling a dog jumped on one of them. The other Hunters were surprised. They quickly stood up and grabbed their weapons. Meanwhile, the poor man who was attacked by the monster could only squirm when his neck was ripped apart by the dog monster.
"Gerrrh¡"
At the same time, eight simr dogs appeared from the shadows of the forest. Their eyes glowed red seeing the humans in front of them. Despite being outnumbered, there was no sign of fear at all on the faces of the monsters.
The Hunters were furious when they found theirrade was being attacked. They were about to attack, but they were still waiting for a signal from their leader.
"Boss! Quickly give us orders."
Leonid was a cold-hearted leader. Even though his men were eaten alive, he didn''t get carried away by emotions, nor did he rush to make a decision.
"Hold on¡ they are outnumbered, but they dare to attack us. Don''t be in a rush to attack back."
Meanwhile, the victim of the monster continued to scream for help.
"B-boris¡ Gregor¡ help me¡"
Hisrades couldn''t bear to see the poor man. They had faced life-and-death situations dozens of times, so their bond was much stronger than blood rtions. It was hard to remain silent when watching one of them die slowly.
"Boss! Please give us orders!"
"Right, Boss! What are we waiting for? We won in numbers."
"He is Igor! Are we going to let it go?"
No matter how hard his men persuaded him, Leonid still gave the same instructions.
"Blyat!"
One of Leonid''s men couldn''t take it anymore.
He was determined to attack alone. Seeing one of his friends moving, of course, the others also followed. They all ignored the instructions given by Leonid.
"Stupid! What are you doing?!"
Leonid growled. He repeatedly told them to back off, but none of them listened.
"Eliminate those bastard monsters!"
"Don''t let Igor die!"
Meanwhile, the two dog monsters quickly turned around and entered the forest, dragging the man named Igor. The Hunters, who were burning with anger, chased after them.
"You stupid bastard!"
Whether he liked it or not, Leonid followed suit. He didn''t want his men to die in vain. Thus, the whole group of Hunters entered the forest.
Unbeknownst to them, not far from the location, a figure was seen stalking them. A little girl riding a monster resembling a lion.
The little girl smiled.
"Report, Lord. The target has been eaten by the bait."
.
.
.
Isaac smiled at the light projection. All of the targets had been devoured by the bait. The first phase of his n went smoothly.
"Good, Pippi," he murmured. "Proceed to the next step."
He took a deep breath.
"The southern region is finished. Now, back to the north region."
Then, he waved his hand. The light projection changed, showing a girl with short hair running through the forest.
.
.
.
Wang Mei ran through the forest. The only thing she thought about was saving her sister. She kept running to the source of the screams. Her head started to think of unwanted things.
"I shouldn''t have brought her here¡ no¡ I shouldn''t have allowed her to be a Hunter."
She kept running. As time went on, Wang Yi''s screams grew louder and clearer. Wang Mei became more and more convinced that she was getting closer to her sister.
"Wang Yi!"
When she arrived at the source of the sound, her eyes opened wide. It wasn''t Wang Yi that she found, but a giant sized bird. Its body wasrge, about the size of an adult human, and it had a curved beak. Its fur was as deep ck as ink.
The bird monster continued to scream repeatedly, imitating the exact same sound as Wang Yi''s.
Wang Mei was bbergasted at the bird''s strange behaviour. In all her life, she had never encountered such a monster.
"Leader!"
Captain Chen Wei and the other members arrived. They were equally surprised when they found the giant bird monster.
"Hah? A monster that can imitate human voices¡"
"It''s like a parrot?"
Confusion began to cover them.
Captain Chen Wei gulped. "Leader, could this be¡"
"That''s right. It''s a trap."
After encountering the bird monster, Wang Mei realized that she had fallen into a trap. When the bird monster screamed, imitating human voices, the other squad would think that his squad was under attack. Spontaneously, the other squad would move to the source of the sound to provide assistance.
If there were a lot of screaming voices, then there would be a lot of squads following the source of the sound. With the source of the screams in multiple directions, they would scatter, moving away from each other.
"Those monsters, they are trying to widen the distance between the squads that are dispersed. We are being divided."
Xue Yang squeezed his head, as did the other members. They had never faced this situation before. It was as if there was a mastermind capable of orchestrating all of this.
However, the real threat just began.
Wang Mei quickly drew her two weapons. She felt a presence. "Everyone, prepare for battle."
Dozens of pairs of glowing eyes appeared from behind the shadows of the forest. Then, followed by a groan, like the sound of a tiger preparing to attack its prey.
Chapter 40 Cliff
Leonid and his men chased the packs of monsters that kidnapped theirrades. After a long time of chasing the monsters, suddenly the pack of dogs stopped in their ce. A cliff was blocking their way.
"Haha, got you, you jerk!"
Unfortunately, their pursuit ended in vain. The poor man who was kidnapped by a pack of dogs was dead.
"I¡ Igor¡!?"
Instantly, their anger turned to resentment.
GRAAAWWRRRR!
A sh between the two races was inevitable.
"Hyaa! Kill them all!"
"Grrrr!"
The Hunters fought with the darkened look on their faces because of the grief after losing a dear friend. They swung their weapons brutally.
sh! sh! Sat¡ª!
Meanwhile, the dog monsters were still fierce even though some parts of their bodies had ripped and torn apart. They didn''t care what happened to their bodies; they had only one goal in their mind. Kill humans!
St! St! St!
The green grass was decorated with dark red. The dog monsters died in a pool of blood.
The Hunters won this battle, as well as managed to avenge their deadrade. However, there was no look of satisfaction or euphoria on their faces. As with movies, sex, and life, after reaching the climax, only the sentiment remained.
"Igor¡ forgive us."
At a time, when the atmosphere was gloomy and mournful, the ground shook with a loud rumbling.
BANG!
Leonid had just mmed the axe into the ground. His face looked displeased.
"You idiot!"
His men just kept their heads down. Seeing their reactions, Leonid didn''t say any further. His words would only make things worse. Besides, he wanted the day to end here. He felt that something was wrong with this Dungeon. His hunch was telling him to gather all his men back to the camp quickly.
Bad things could happen at any time.
Leonid then gave orders for his men to retreat and contacted the other squads. One of them asked for Igor''s body to be brought home and buried him in the right ce. And the requests were granted by Leonid.
One of his men came to Leonid.
"Boss, not all the squads have been confirmed yet. Only squad 39 and squad 47 have responded."
"Contact them one more time."
Leonid frowned. Usually his men always respond quickly. He always emphasized to all the Siberian Knights thatmunication was the most important part when entering the Dungeon.
He started to feel something off. He thought something bad was going to happen. And his instincts were right.
GRRRRRR!
The roar of snarling beasts rang out from all directions. The Hunters began to grip their weapons tightly. They all knew what was going to happen.
"Blyat¡ this is why I said don''t rush¡ now, look¡ we''re under attack," Leonid muttered.
From behind the shadows of the forest appeared dozens of four-legged monsters. They looked furious, as seen from their glowing red eyes. Their bodies wererge and there were no hairs at all; only ck skin with sharp thorns growing along the line of the spine.
Among them was a monster resembling a lion, with a pair of 30 cm long fangs. The figure of a dwarf creature in battle armour rode the monster.
"Isn''t that¡ Sabretooth?"
The Hunters swallowed hard at this situation. In front of them was a swarm of monsters and behind them was arge cliff. There was no way out.
"Boss¡ what should we do?"
Leonid spat out. "Remember, this is the result of your stupidity. What else should we do? Of course fighting."
The dwarf who was riding the lion monster pointed at Leonid.
"Chupacabra Troops! Attack!"
Dozens of dog monsters charged at Leonid and his men.
Leonid was surprised to hear that there was a monster that could speak. However, he didn''t have time to think thoroughly. A life and death battle was going on.
GRAAAAWWRRRR!
The second sh broke out.
The Hunters who were being attacked from various directions mustered all their strength. Some of them emitted mes, some had wind magic, some grew up their bodies to three metres high.
"Haa!"
sh! sh! St!
The Chupacabra charged towards the Hunters without hesitation. They took turns throwing themselves, trying to take down the groups of people who dared to break into their territory.
"Kayak!"
"Healers! Healers!"
The Hunters'' faces were in horror and anger. All their adrenaline pumped crazily. No matter how many monsters they had shed, it was endless.
They were able to survive thanks to two things. The first was the presence of two healers who were actively treating the injuredrades, and the second was the presence of Leonid.
The man fought like a raging hurricane. Anything that came near him would be shattered to pieces. Every time a Chupacabra pounced on him, the dog monster was instantly split in two.
All of this was thanks to Leonid''s innate skill¡ª''Power Up (C)''. A skill that maximized the body''s potential, its entire stat would be increased by 25%.
"We can survive!"
"Don''t let them die!"
"They''re just dogs! Kill them!"
The morale of his men burned, thanks to his prowess. As long as Leonid was around, they were sure they could go home safely.
"Hyaa! Come to me, all of you."
Leonid looked straight into the eyes of the monsters, as if to challenge them to a battle.
.
.
.
The light projection of the Crystal Core showed Leonid and his men being surrounded by dozens of monsters. They were outnumbered, and at a disadvantage, they struggled to withstand the onught.
Isaac looked amused watching their fierce battle. He didn''t expect that they couldst long enough.
"If it wasn''t for him, they would all be dead."
Isaac''s eyes fell on Leonid.
[Name : Leonid Toptunov]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : A]
[Level : 24]
A voice entered his head.
"Lord! Lord! How about this?! Our soldiers were wiped out! One of them is very strong!"
This was Pippi''s first experience with leading soldiers. Isaac wanted to give his Dungeon Manager an experience, that there were humans strong enough to break through the Dungeon. That way, he wouldn''t make the mistake of underestimating the enemy.
Even if this was a lesson, Isaac would not leave all this battle with Pippi. The first experience was always difficult.
"Rx, Pippi. Clear your mind. No need to panic, we will win this battle. Follow my instructions."
"Okay, Lord!"
"No matter how strong humans are, they still have their limits. Sooner orter, they will be exhausted. Order the weakest monster to attack the man, no need to injure him, just provoke him. At the same time, order the strongest monsters to target the weakest ones."
From the light projection, it could be seen that Pippi did as Isaac was told.
"Good."
Isaac grinned and licked his lips. He had been amander for a long time.
.
.
.
"Kuaaagh!"
Leonid could only wince bitterly when he saw hisst subordinate fall to the ground. His body was covered in wounds and blood. His vision started to blur. His consciousness began to disappear. Therge axe in his hand began to feel very heavy.
All of his best menid lifeless. The monsters ate their corpses.
''How did it end like this?''
Everything was running normally. His men werepacted. He dominated the battle. His axe had ughtered dozens of the Chupacabra. No matter how many monsters invaded, he was confident about escaping this situation.
However, suddenly, the tide of battle changed.
The movement of the monsters became strange. They be unpredictable. Sometimes they attacked and sometimes they just passed through. It was as if they were fooled. The battle became long and tiring. Without him knowing it, his men fell one by one. And the situation changed quickly after the two healers died.
Now, it was just him, kneeling in the middle of a swarm of monsters.
"All because of you, you¡ BLYAT!"
He was out of breath and his throat hurt. His eyes stared intently at the dwarf figure riding the Sabretooth.
Meanwhile the dwarf wasughing loudly.
"If you''re angry, don''t me Pippi. me yourself for not knowing your limits. You are weak, but try to protect others. In the end, no one was able to protect you, including yourself."
As soon as Leonid was on fire, he screamed with anger, but his body couldn''t move anymore. At the same time, dozens of monsters charged at him and started tearing his body apart.
Chapter 41 Cooking Place
[You get 800 zenny!]
A notification screen appeared when Leonid was killed. After that, Pippi''s voice cheering in his head followed.
Isaac smiled in satisfaction.
''The leader is dead. It is just a matter of eliminating the remaining minions...''
His eyes darted around the ''Control Panel'' screen. The red dots on the map began to disappear one by one. It was a sign that the number of people in the area had begun to decrease. Isaac then gave Pippi instructions to kill all the remaining members of the Siberian Knights Guild.
''Now, let''s see how things are in the north.''
His gaze returned to the Crystal Core of the light projection screen. It was seen that Wang Mei and 20 of her men were running away from the monsters.
Isaac licked his lips. "Escape, huh? It''s a wise decision. Looks like this is going to be a bit of fun."
He had thought that Wang Mei would fight the monsters out like Leonid. If she did that, her fate would end the same with the man.
Isaac didn''t n on letting Wang Mei live. He wanted to get rid of that girl and rece the leadership of the guild with her younger sister, Wang Yi. That way Isaac could control Nine Sky more easily.
His ns didn''t go well, but at the same time, he was impressed.
"If she dies so easily, her abilities as a guild master and the holder of the Six Stars title are quite questionable."
Isaac sighed.
"For now, how''s my future weapon of life?"
His hands waved. The light projection changed, revealing a group of Hunters battling a swarm of monsters. A young man looked very domineering. He fought at the very front, and he was very aggressive in ughtering the monsters. There was no sign of fear on his face at all.
Isaac then checked the man''s status.
[Name : Guo Chen]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : A]
[Level : 14]
Isaac snorted.
"His technique and confidence have increased, but the development of his level is very slow. Even his ''innate skill'' has yet to appear. Even though I gave him good Artefacts and sent him a lot of monsters. Looks like he is too focused on being aggro."
A frown appeared on Isaac''s forehead. In fact, Isaac could change Guo Chen''s mind by abandoning hisrades and focusing on killing monsters. However, if Isaac changed his mind too much, the Seed of Mind could damage the man''s brain.
''Should I take him to ''that'' ce? But it''s too early¡ No¡ he needs to go there. I''m sure he can handle it.''
Then, his eyes fell on another figure in the hunter group, a graceful young girl with long ck hair.
"Wang Yi, it''s time for you to do your job."
After that, his lips started to form a smile.
.
.
.
Fresh red blood flowed over the de. Thest hobgoblin of its flock had just fallen to the ground.
Guo Chen looked breathless. He didn''t know how many monsters he and hisrades had killed, but the monsters kepting; as if they were endless.
"Hey, are you all right?" A girl with long ck hair approached him.
"I''m fine, Miss Wang."
The girl clicked her tongue. "How many times have I told you? Call me Wang Yi."
Guo Chen''s expression was frantic.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Those screams¡ is it alright for us to ignore them? I think the other squads are in danger."
Wang Yi smiled. "No need to worry. I''ve contacted another squad. He said it was the sound of a bird monster that imitated a human voice. No significant problems. The squad coordinated quickly."
Guo Chen was still unsure. Then, Wang Yi approached and held his shoulders.
"Hey, calm down. Everything is fine."
In the end, Guo Chen chose to believe her.
Wang Yi gathered the entire squad members.
"Alright, let''s continue the hunt. We''re going to a hunting ground. ording to the information gathered, there is a ce rich with Power Crystals, but there is a den of monsters there."
Wang Yi''s words immediately raised a question for all his squad members, including Guo Chen.
"Are we there to hunt monsters? Didn''t the leader forbid us to enter the monster''s den?"
"That''s right, Miss Wang." The other members joined in. "Our goal is to hunt monsters in the forest to get them into the den, then we''ll kill them together. It is the original n."
Hearing her members'' innocent words, Wang Yi smiled broadly.
"Did I ever say I was there to hunt monsters?"
Only then did all the members understand. The greedy expressions began to appear on their faces.
"Don''t worry, I won''t see anything while I''m there."
In the original agreement, they were forbidden from taking the Power Crystals or other items in the Dungeon. If it was the Guild Master''s younger sister who sparked this idea, then they didn''t have to worry. As members, they just follow the team leader.
The only one who looked disapproving was Guo Chen. However, he kept quiet.
Then, the entire team, led by Wang Yi, quickly moved.
Their destination was in the northwest. Their journey was fairly smooth, there were almost no obstacles at all. In fact, the frequency of the monsters they encountered had decreased.
The journey ended after they arrived at arge cave. The whole squad was a bit hesitant when they entered the ce, but Wang Yi assured them everything would be fine.
Along the passage of the cave, there were phosphate minerals that illuminated the path. They also encountered various kinds of monsters; goblins, kobolds, blood-sucking bats, and snakes. They were typical monsters that experienced Hunters could beat.
They continued to explore and enter the depths of the cave until finally they touched the end of the cave. After arriving there, their eyes opened wide.
The whole room was doused by a purple light. The ceiling and walls of the cave were filled with the Power Crystals. Their size was muchrger than the crystals in general.
"Wow! Look! We''re going to be billionaires!"
The whole squad members cheered with joy. They quickly rushed up to mine, while Wang Yi just smiled sarcastically at their behaviour.
"Miss Wang¡ªI mean Wang Yi. Is it okay to break the deal?"
Guo Chen, who was standing next to Wang Yi, put on a worried expression on his face.
"As long as no one knows, we don''t vite the deal."
However, the answer he received made him feel like he was doing something wrong.
THUD!
Suddenly, a giant boulder copsed and blocked the exit.
Guo Chen and Wang Yi were shocked. The muscles on their faces tensed up.
"Wang Yi, what should we do?"
The girl who was their squad leader just kept silent. Her hand was already wielding a sword. Guo Chen narrowed his eyes. He still couldn''t grasp the situation.
Meanwhile, the other members became noisy.
"Our way out-!"
"What happened?!"
"Damn it! We''re trapped here!"
Then, the nightmare just started.
"L-look at that!"
The cave''s wall suddenly created a hole. From there appeared dozens of giant ck spiders. They had three pairs of red oval eyes that resembled drops of blood.
Without a warning or signal, the spider monsters charged towards the Hunters.
"They''reing!"
After that, a scream echoed in the depths of the cave.
.
.
.
"Oh, it''s already started. Now, it''s all up to you, Guo Chen."
Isaac sent Guo Chen and Wang Yi to the ''cooking ce''. That ce had been designed to raise the level of his human minions. They could onlye out after killing all the spider monsters that were in the ce.
Of course, he wouldn''t let them die. He had already arranged for the spider monster not to kill their target. Only the unlucky ones in Wang Yi''s squad would die.
p "Guo Chen''s matter is solved. Now, let''s see what happens to the leader''s fate."
Isaac waved his hand, changing the visual projection of the Crystal Power. Then, his eyes opened wide.
"Gosh, this girl can''t stop surprising me."
It was seen that Wang Mei was surrounded by her men. Their number increased, from 20 to 60.
Wang Mei not only managed to escape her members from being chased by the monsters, she also managed to gather several other scattered squad members.
"If she manages to gather the rest of the squads, my ns to finish off the Hunter on the 2nd Floor will fall apart. It''s about time I intervened directly."
Isaac then put on a mask. Instantly, his originally white hair turned into ck mes.
"I think this is enough."
After that, his body vanished, turning into shards of light.
Chapter 42 Mysterious Figure
Wang Mei''s top priority right now was the safety of her guild members.
After contacting the entire squads, out of 100 squads, only 38 responded. Seven of the squads had already gathered together with Wang Mei, while the remaining 62 were not yet known.
ording to the squad leaders who had been contacted earlier, they experienced the same thing as Wang Mei. They were fooled by a bird monster that imitated the human voices, then was ambushed by a group of monsters. Luckily, they managed to escape, although only in small numbers.
Wang Mei asked them to return to the camp. However, most of the squad members were seriously injured and lost the healers, making it difficult for them to move. Even if they could do it, it would take them a long time to return. Only a few teams were able to return to the camp.
She also contacted the Siberian Knights and the Heavenly Dragon Guild Masters for help, but there was no response.
Whether she liked it or not, Wang Mei had to pick up all her guild members. Moreover, one of them was the most precious person in her life, Wang Yi.
Even though the situation was chaotic, she believed that there was a chance for them to survive. They might still be alive somewhere in the Dungeon.
First, Wang Mei and her men would search for all the squads whose whereabouts were known. After that, they returned to the camp to get the supplies and informed their allied guilds. Then, she would look for other squads that had lost contact.
Wang Mei didn''t look for her sister first because she put her hopes in Wang Yi. She was sure that her stubborn sister would not die so easily. Besides, the girl''s whereabouts hadn''t been found yet, so it would take a long time for her to find Wang Yi. Before she could find her sister, many of her members would be dead.
This time, she would not let her ego.
"I will save as many of my guild members as I can. Wang Yi is a strong girl. She will survive. Yes¡ She will be fine."
That was what she thought.
However, without her knowing it, the death g was about to fly.
After exploring the forest for a long time, their search was stopped because their path was blocked by a river. Some were sent to find a way across the river and the rest took the opportunity to rest. While Wang Mei herself seemed busy discussing with Captain Chen Wei.
"Are you sure there is no other way?"
"There isn''t other way for now. If we want to cross, we have to turn 10 km away or go through the river."
Captain Chen Wei pointed to a giant dead tree that had fallen in the middle of the river. The dead tree connected to the other side.
"It can''t be helped. We''ll all cross over the river."
Wang Mei then called on all her men to get back on their feet. They began to rise with exhausted expressions on their faces.
Captain Chen Wei was the first to walk on the dead tree. Then, followed by other members. They crossed the river like a line of ants. Meanwhile, Wang Mei still remained behind. She nned to be thest person to cross the river after making sure all her men made it to the other side.
After 10 minutes, half of her men had reached the other side of the river.
"Quick, quicken your footsteps! There are a lot of people waiting!"
In the middle of the crossing process, suddenly there was amotion on the other side. Naturally, this caught Wang Mei''s attention.
She ced her palm on her forehead while she squinted her eyes, trying to focus her vision.
Instantly, her eyes opened wide.
"No¡"
A swarm of monsters, about hundreds of them, appeared from behind the forest. They charged at the thirty Nine Sky members who were on the opposite side. Including Captain Chen Wei.
"We are under attack! We are under attack!!"
"Monsters!"
"Stay the course! Keep your positions!"
A scream was heard from a distance. Hearing that, Wang Mei''s instincts automaticallymanded her to make a move. However, her body was restrained.
"What are you doing?!" Wang Mei snapped. One of her men restrained herself.
"Leader! We are under attack too!"
"WHAT?!"
Wang Mei looked back. Her eyes widened as she saw hundreds of monstersing out from behind the pine forest. Direwolves, chupacabras, direlions, lycantropes, and various beast-like monsters swarmed in droves, charging towards them. Now, she couldn''t help the battle on the other side.
"I have to end this as soon as possible¡"
The woman quickly dashed through the crowd of Hunters. Before the monsters could sh with her men, Wang Mei had already shed down a werelion!
SLASH!!!!!
SPLAAT!
The fighting spirit of her men began to re up when they saw their leader had advanced towards the monsters first. Without a doubt, they quickly followed.
"Attack!"
The thirty members of Nine Sky rushed towards over the 100 monsters. At first nce, the battle was unbnced, but Wang Mei''s presence covered the difference in their numbers.
The woman fought like a goddess of war. Dozens of monsters attacked and charged from various directions, none of which managed to scratch her skin. In fact, she was the one who ughtered every monster around her.
sh! sh! St! A lycantropes died.
sh! sh! St! Two direlions died.
sh! sh! St! Four gnolls were killed.
"Kuaaaarrrgh!"
The screams of a monster echoed through the air, mixed with thumping and shing sounds. They died like ughtered cattle.
Even though Wang Mei''s existence had a great impact, it didn''t mean that there were no losses on the human side.
"Haaaaaaaaargggg!"
One by one, Wang Mei''s men fell, bing the prey to the monsters. Some of them lost their limbs, some died slowly from loss of blood, and some died without them noticing.
No matter how hard they fought or how high their spirits were, there were always casualties on the battlefield.
Everyone knew this. Wang Mei was no exception.
She fought with all her might, trying to finish the battle as quickly as possible to reduce the number of casualties.
"No¡ no¡ no more die¡ please¡"
Wang Mei released more mana. Instantly, the blue aura that enveloped her body grew darker.
"Hyaaaaaa!"
Raging like a storm.
sh! sh! sh!
She continued to swing her sword. Wang Mei didn''t stop. She kept cutting whatever was in front of her.
Spat! St! St!
Blood sttered, soaking the green grass and the scattered pebbles. The thick red liquid flowed into the river, turning the water that was originally clear like crystal into crimson red.
"Haaaaa!"
She continued to fight until there were no more screams. Until there were no more crashes. Until everything was quiet.
Until the battle was over.
Only then did she stop.
Wang Mei looked around her. The monsters that invaded her squadid lifeless on the ground, as did her men. Out of the thirty people who fought alongside her, eighteen remained.
Then, she looked to the other side. Instantly, her face turned pale. Not a single human was seen standing. There was only a sea of ??monsters that seemed to be feasting on a meal.
They had died. All of them.
"No¡"
A weak tone came from Wang Mei''s words. Her knees were shaking. She was going to fall, yet she was still trying to stay strong.
Meanwhile, her men who survived were also not much different. Their faces were pale, with expressions of disbelief.
"No way..."
"They''re all¡. dead."
"Even Captain Chen Wei¡"
When Chen Wei''s name was mentioned, Wang Mei was struck. She couldn''t believe she was losing the most loyal person to her. Regret and sorrow quickly flooded her heart.
"Chen Wei¡. No¡"
Unknowingly, one of her eyes welled up with tears. Then, she hastily wiped it off. She didn''t want to look weak in front of her men.
"Leader¡ it''s best if we get out of here! While we still have a chance¡"
While Wang Mei was still silent. She was still in deep shock. Her eyes were nk when she saw her dead men. Then, the man shook Wang Mei''s body again.
"Leader! We have to get out of here!"
Only then did the woman realize her surroundings.
"Yes¡ we¡ we should go. We''re going back to camp."
The man nodded. Then, he called for the other members to get ready to leave. After that, Wang Mei and her remaining members quickly left the battlefield.
This was the first time Wang Mei had cried since her parents died. Today was the second worst day of her life.
However, today''s rotten luck did not stop here.
Just as they were about to leave, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He wore a ck coat with unique decorations. His face was covered by a mask. And what stood out the most and caught Wang Yi''s attention, his hair was ck mes.
Instantly, they were surprised when they saw the mysterious figure. At first nce, the person resembled a human. However, everyone knew that the mysterious figure was not part of them.
They begin to feel a depressed sensation. Wang Mei was no exception.
One of the brave members drew a sword at the figure.
"Who are you?!"
Wang Mei quickly rebuked her men. "Hey!"
Her men felt awkward when Wang Mei scolded him.
Then, the mysterious figure answered. "I am the owner."
Everyone frowned, not understanding what the man had said. The only one who understood the meaning of the mysterious figure''s words was Wang Mei alone.
Then, the mysterious figure pointed at something. Wang Mei''s eyes opened wide.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Bang!
The sword fell to the ground. Blood flowed profusely. His men fell with their heads smashed like melons.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Then, the sound of consecutive gunshots echoed through the air, apanied by a hysterical scream.
Chapter 43 Debuff
Ding! ding! ding!
[You got 134 zenny!]
[You got 123 zenny!]
[You got 142 zenny!]
[You got 212 zenny!]
[You got¡]
The notification of getting zenny kept popping up. Even so, Isaac looked displeased. His eyes were fixed on the battle that was on the river bank. There were a lot of his monsters killed just to take down 60 Hunters. Then, he turned his attention to a woman covered in blood.
[Name : Wang Mei]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : A]
[Level : 28]
Isaac clicked his tongue after seeing Wang Mei rapidly increasing level progress. Much faster than Guo Chen. He got annoyed when he remembered failing to control the woman''s mind.
''She can be a great weapon if I can nt a Seed of Mind.''
In his previous life, there was not much information about Wang Mei. Isaac only knew that he was the one who killed the woman. At the time, she was still weak. However, in his eyes now, Wang Mei was like a tumor that was getting bigger and more malignant.
Isaac then took out the mask he had kept in his pocket.
[ss : F]
[Type : Item]
[A mask used by Nether Realm nobles to party or attend certain events.]
He put on the mask, then his hair turned into ck mes. His appearance was like that of a demon imagined by humans right nows.
Not long after, the battle by the river was over. With the results that could be considered a draw. Across the river, the monsters managed to finish off the Nine Sky members. On the other hand, Wang Mei and her members managed to survive the monster invasion. They then quickly fled from the location.
Meanwhile, Isaac clicked his tongue at the monster''s behaviour. They didn''t care that there were humans on the other side of the river yet.
''Youzy bastard. I''ll discipline them once this is over.''
Isaac quickly sped off. He blocked Wang Mei and her men at the right time.
"Who are you?!"
One of the members drew a sword at Isaac''s neck. The man''s actions made Isaac even more furious. Wang Mei seemed aware of what was happening and she immediately reprimanded her member.
However, she was toote. Isaac quickly pointed the muzzle of the gun at them.
"I am the owner."
Bang!
[You got 201 zenny!]
The impudent man died. Then, Isaac pointed his gun at the other Nine Sky members.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
[You got 171 zenny!]
[You got 184 zenny!]
[You got 167 zenny!]
[You got...]
"Kuaaagh¡ª"
One by one, they fell in a matter of milliseconds. Wang Mei could only watch it without doing anything.
"NOOOOOOO!"
Wang Mei was utterly devastated to see her men being killed before her eyes. She finally fell to the ground, kneeling weakly. She could no longer bear the weight of grief.
Meanwhile, Isaac just watched. Behind the mask, there was no expression on his face at all.
He deliberately didn''t kill Wang Mei to see the ''skill'' that the woman had. Curiosity still haunted him since he failed to nt the Seed of Mind.
''When you fall to pieces, you will be reborn. Your full potential will be awakened. Show me what you have. Show me your skill!''
Isaac was still standing in front of the grieving woman. One minute, two minutes, four minutes. Time was ticking, and Isaac was still patiently waiting for it. However, she was still crying.
As time went on, Isaac''s patience was running out.
''I need to provide a stimulus.''
He then knelt beside Wang Mei, but the woman seemed not to care about him in the slightest, still crying for her dead guild members.
"If you keep quiet, I''ll kill you. Then, I will send your sister toe with you."
Instantly, the woman silent. Her body stopped shaking. Isaac made it. Then, he stood and waited for the woman''s reaction.
Wang Mei got up. Both hands held the des tightly. Isaac Immediately smiled.
''Good¡''
However, without Isaac knowing, he had just opened Pandora''s box.
Wang Mei stood up, but her feet floated in the air. A strange aura emanated from her body. Her eyes were white, a sign that she had lost consciousness.
Isaac smiled in satisfaction at his opponent''s reaction. His curiosity grew wild.
Ding!
A notification popped up in his head.
[Warning! You are affected by the debuff.]
[All stats reduced by 25%]
[Temporarily lost stats taken by the opponent]
[The debuff effect will increase after 10!]
"Huh¡?"
[ Isaac Constantine - Lv 75]
[ Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[ Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger]
[ Skill : 1/3 ]
[ Strength : 38 (27)]
[ Magic : 90 (66) ]
[ Constitution : 49 (36)]
[ Dexterity : 72 (53)]
[ Perception : 62 (56) ]
Isaac was surprised when he saw the numbers of stats. Then, he felt his body weaken, as if his energy was being absorbed.
In that instant, Isaac knew what ''innate skill'' the woman had.
He chuckled. "Either I''m lucky or unlucky today¡ª"
Swoooooosh!
Without warning, his neck was nearly severed by the sh of the de. Luckily, Isaac''s ''perception'' stat was still quite high. However, he couldn''t breathe a sigh of relief yet.
Wang Mei attacked again, even though she was in an unconscious state. It was as if his body was controlled by instinct only.
sh! sh! sh!
The sound of a sword shing through the wind sounded buzzing. Several times, it nearly sliced Isaac''s skin and flesh.
Wang Mei attacked Isaac blindly. She moved like lightning. Every sh of the sword emitted a fiery blue line, like a neon light.
She started to keep up with Isaac''s speed. If Isaac waste to dodge the attacks even a little bit, he might have had his limbs cut off, considering he had a low ''constitution'' stat. Besides, the opponent stole his stats temporarily, making him very vulnerable.
Even so, there was no sign of worry at all on his face. In fact, his lips were smiling so widely that they touched his ears.
"Show me how strong you are!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
nk! nk! nk!
The solid mana bullets and iron collided, creating a metal shing sound. They exchanged attacks profusely.
Wang Mei was fast and her attacks were deadly, but that didn''t mean Isaac was in a rush. After all, their difference in power level was quite far.
"HYAAAAAH!"
sh! THUD¡ª!
Wang Mei''s sword sh released a tremendous amount of mana, enough to sh the pine trees behind Isaac.
"Huh¡ You''re amazing."
After taking 8 minutes, Isaac had enough. He felt that it was time for this battle to end. If it continued again and exceeded 10 minutes, he would get another debuff effect. His chances of defeat would increase even more.
He wouldn''t risk herself to die.
"Time to end it!"
Isaac shot back. He made a great distance from Wang Mei. Then, he focused his shot on one point.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
nk! nk! nk!
Wang Mei fend off every shot that came towards her, then she zigzagged to dodge the shot. Surprisingly, the bullets continued to chase her, no matter how fast she moved.
nk¡ª!
Suddenly, Wang Mei''s two des shattered into pieces. Seeing that, Isaac quickly took advantage of the opportunity.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
St! S! St!
Four bullets pierced her body. Then, the woman copsed to the ground and didn''t move anymore. At the same time, a notification appeared.
Ding!
[Negative effect gone.]
[All stats returned to normal.]
Isaac holstered both guns. He walked over to Wang Mei, who was lying on the ground covered in blood. Her condition was very worrying. However, she was still breathing, at least.
Chapter 44 Demon Eater
Isaac remembered. In his previous life, Duke Gavin had been looking for a special ''skill''. The man once said that the ''skill'' was a terrible scourge for demons, no exception to the Nobles. However, until the end of the game he never found it.
The skill could only be activated in dealing directly with a demon. His name was ''Demon Eater''.
Whoever mastered the skill, they could weaken the demon and absorb their power. However, what made the skill a scourge was, those who mastered it would be immune to demonic magic.
And now, the woman who was unconscious beneath Isaac''s feet had it.
''I understand why I couldn''t nt a Seed of Mind in your head.''
Isaac sighed. Then, he aimed his gun at Wang Mei''s head. He wanted to finish her off right away.
In the previous battle, if their levels were even, it was not impossible that he would win this battle. Moreover, Wang Mei still couldn''t control her strength, she was unconscious while fighting.
His index finger was ready to pull the trigger. However, he gave up his intention.
An idea crossed his head.
''If I can''t control her thoughts, I can control her feelings.''
Both of his weapons were sheathed. He stripped off the equipment of one of the corpses in that ce. Then, he lifted the woman''s body and carried her away.
.
.
.
Her head felt dizzy and pain ran through her body when Wang Mei opened her eyes.
"Ugh¡"
She tried to get up, then fell again as her body was undergoing excruciating pain. She saw that her whole body was wrapped in bandages.
''I¡ am still alive¡''
She looked around and found herself in a cave.
The memories in her head were reying like a movie. Thest memory she had was the meeting with a mysterious masked figure who had hair like ck mes. After that she didn''t remember anything.
She thought she was dead.
"You''re awake."
A hoarse voice caught her attention. Beside Wang Mei was a man with white hair. His condition was not much different from Wang Mei. He was wearing half-destroyed armor and his body was wrapped in bandages that had blood seeping through.
"You are?" Wang Mei asked in a hoarse tone.
The white-haired man narrowed his eyes. He looked surprised. "You do not remember me?"
"Have we met before?"
Unbeknownst to Wang Mei, the white-haired man grinned.
"Look at this." The man showed the Nine Sky Guild''s symbol engraved on his pauldron. "My name is Isaac Constantine, I am a member of your guild, although I am new. But, we met during the Monster Break in Beijing."
Wang Mei felt strange. She felt like this was the first time she had met Isaac. She also never knew that a foreigner had joined her guild. If they had met, she should have remembered him. Isaac''s appearance was quite conspicuous, especially his pale white hair.
Besides, she was surprised how a new member could be included in a major operation.
Wang Mei started asking who recruited him to join the guild, and the man answered it was Wang Yi. After hearing her sister''s name being mentioned, her curiosity about Isaac turned into panic. She was distracted.
"Wang Yi¡"
Wang Mei quickly stood up, instantly, her body screaming in pain.
"Aw¡"
She copsed again, and Isaac quickly grabbed her body.
"Are you all right, Leader?"
Wang Mei didn''t respond. She seemed to be still whimpering in pain.
"You''re still hurt. You can''t move too much."
Isaacid Wang Mei down. The two of them were silent for a few moments.
Then, Wang Mei thought of her men.
"Where are the others¡Chen Wei¡what happened to the battle on the river¡ aww¡damn."
"Calm down, Leader. You should rest."
Isaac''s words irritated Wang Mei.
"Tell me where they are?"
Isaac''s expression turned grim. He started talking .
At that time, Isaac and three other squads were walking through the forest. Suddenly, they heard the sound of fighting. At first, they thought it was a trap, but when they heard gunshots, they quickly checked it.
They saw dozens of bodies of monsters and humans scattered on the ground. In the midst of that, there was a fierce battle between Wang Mei and the mysterious masked figure.
One of the team members took the initiative to help Wang Mei. Finally, they decided to join the battlefield.
However, unbeknownst to them, the enemy they were fighting was much stronger than they expected. In that battle, they were cornered, even though they won in numbers. The moment Wang Mei lost consciousness, the situation changed drastically.
They werepletely ughtered.
The squad leader, named Feng Hua, took the initiative to save Wang Mei. One of the members would have to go take her away, while the other members would try to distract the opponent.
And Isaac was the one chosen by them.
He ran with Wang Mei who had fainted on his back. He kept running without stopping, until he finally found this cave. He decided to hide and treat the woman''s wounds.
"So that''s how it is¡"
After hearing Isaac''s story, Wang Mei instantly became gloomy. Her gaze was fixed on the ceiling of the cave and her clenched fists couldn''t stop shaking. Sorrow, grief, regret, shame; all those negative feelings flooded her heart.
It wasn''t long before tears started to flow on her cheeks. One of her hands covered her face. She didn''t want to look weak in front of her men.
"Sorry¡ I''m a bad leader¡ sorry¡ I''m really sorry¡."
Just as she was at her worst, she felt a warm rough hand grip her hand.
"If I wasn''t weak¡ everyone died because of me¡ if I wasn''t selfish"
"No, Leader. Bad things can happen at any time, we never know. You''ve done your best."
Wang Mei spontaneously gripped Isaac''s hand tightly.
The two of them remained together in the cave. Isaac remained silent, while Wang Mei let out all her emotions. The two didn''t speak at all apart from holding hands.
After quite a while, Wang Mei''s feelings finally improved. He started talking.
"Thank you¡ uh¡."
"Isaac," said the man sitting next to her.
"Ah right, Isaac. I even forgot your name. I''m really bad." Wang Mei chuckled, though it sounded bitter.
"No, don''t say that. You''re a great Guild Master. There are very few people who can be like you. You are going through very difficult times. I know it''s not easy."
Wang Mei smiled faintly. Isaac''s words made her feel better.
Kruuuugggh!
Wang Mei''s face turned red. At a moment like this her stomach growled loudly. She was really embarrassed.
"Ehem¡ please don''t tell this to anyone."
Meanwhile, Isaac just smiled broadly.
"Okay. Your secret is safe." After that he got up. "I''m going to find some food first. I saw a berry bush earlier."
Wang Mei grabbed his hand. They both stare at each other''s eyes. Isaac looked surprised to see Wang Mei looking at him with a serious look.
"You don''t have to do that. Go to basecamp, there are people there. I can take care of myself."
Isaac smiled. He showed his wrist, there was amunication device that resembled a circr smartwatch.
"I already contacted Wang Yi. She said she''d take care of it."
Hearing her sister''s name being mentioned, relief blooming in her chest. After that she let go of the man''s hand.
Isaaac then got up and left the cave.
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.
.
Now, there was only Isaac alone in the forest. He took advantage of this opportunity to inspect his Dungeon. His hand waved, then a status window popped up.
[Dungeon Floors : 3/3]
[Monster Boss : 0/3]
[Poption : 250,030/300,000]
[Fund : 339,745 zenny]
Thest time Isaac checked the funds after rebuilding the Dungeon there were around 50,000 left. If he assumed that he had killed the Nine Sky and Siberian Knights members on Floor 1¡ªexcept for the 200 that Isaac selected¡ªwith each killing of a human, it would result in 125-150 zenny, meaning Isaac had earned around 270,000 zenny in this clearance.
That number did not include the additional zenny generated from Taji eradicating the criminal Hunters in Tokyo and the dead Hunters who were not part of the Clearance operation.
"If I kill 3000 Hunters who are on the 2nd Floor, I can earn around 400,000 to 450,000 zenny. I was able to collect over 1,500,000 zenny before the annual Auction which is 5 months away."
Isaac smiled while imagining how much money he would make. There were three valuable items that he was after in the first year Auction.
For now, he put the matter aside. He needed to deal with Wang Mei and take care of the Heavenly Dragon Guild on the 2nd Floor first.
"Open shop!"
The shop window opened, then he bought a high-ss monster.
[You bought the monster ''Doppelganger (B)'']
He spent 5000 zenny on the doppelganger. Without wasting any time, he immediately summoned it.
[Input monster ''Doppelganger (B)'' on Floor 1]
A humanoid ck liquid-shaped monster figure stood before him.
Isaac extended his hand. "Hold my hand."
The monster touched Isaac''s hand. Gradually, the ck liquid-shaped monster changed to resemble Isaac''s appearance. Every detail part like specks, hair, armor scratches, bandages; all exactly the same.
The surprises didn''t stop there. The creature also imitated his gestures and speech styles.
"Lord, I am at your service."
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Doppelganger]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : B]
[Level : 25]
"Perfect."
Doppelganger was a monster that could imitate other living things. Be it physical, thinking patterns, speech styles, and even tastes. The only thing it couldn''t emte was power.
Isaac nned to use a doppelganger to apany Wang Mei instead. He wanted to take advantage of this moment to build a rtionship with her. Now was the most appropriate time. The woman was in a frail state, and somehow, the memory of their bad meeting was gone, a stroke of luck.
Unfortunately, at the same time he needed preparations to face thest guild¡ªHeavenly Dragon.
''I''ve made a good first impression, it should be fine.''
Then, Isaac began to exin what the doppelganger needed to do; such as treating Wang Mei''s wounds, digging for information, and how to interact with other members if it identally ran into them. Isaac even made up a fake backstory about himself for the doppelganger.
After exining everything, the doppelganger began to carry out its duties. The monster quickly walked away into the forest to look for berries.
"The task here is done. Now on to the next task."
Isaac turned into shards of light and then disappeared.
Chapter 45 Teleportation Gate
nk! nk! nk!
The sound of shing metals echoed throughout the room, the burning furnace emitted a bright orange light and gave off a stinging air. Even though the air inside the forge was scorching hot, the dwarves seemed to be working hard.
Park Jisung, who watched their performance, looked astonished.
"Hey, human! Who told you toe in?!"
A dwarf with a long ck beard approached him. Its skin was brown, and it looked like it was burnt by the fire.
Even though this wasn''t the first time he talked to a dwarf, Park Jisung was still surprised when he heard them speak in the humannguage. He just found out that the system could automatically trante the monster''snguage.
Park Jisung cleared his throat. "I want to find Goyo."
Goyo was the leader of the dwarf race monsters. Most of the monsters didn''t have names, except for those with special positions; like chiefs and bosses.
"Hah?! Why are you looking for our tribal chief? You want to die, huh?"
The dwarf snapped at Park Jisung. Instantly, it got its karma.
p!
A hard pnded on the back of its head.
"Stupid! Why are you behaving like that?! He''s our client! Back to work there!"
The dwarf quickly put on a sour expression on its face. It couldn''t do anything if Goyo had already stepped in. Then, it chose to leave.
Goyo faced Park Jisung.
"Hey, jerk. Who told you toe in here? I said take it easy, your weapons and equipment must be done well. You don''t have to worry. No monsters dare to attack you here."
Park Jisung sighed. "Yes, I''m sure the result will be good. I won''t doubt you. I just want to say goodbye. We all need to get back to the 1st Floor soon."
"Hah? Why? Only 300 units left to finish. You''re in such a hurry." Then, Goyo narrowed its eyes. It smelled something suspicious. "You won''t run away, do you? You still owe me 1 ton of titanium metal."
"What? Of course not. I''m a man who keeps his word."
The first time they met the dwarves, Park Jisung and the rest of the Heavenly Dragon Guild were almost about to exterminate them. However, they changed their minds after learning that the dwarves could bemunicated with.
Then, they ended up being a service provider and client rtionship.
The dwarves would receive repairment to their weapons and equipment, in exchange Park Jisung and his members had to pay the dwarves with metals from the human world. Park Jisung agreed, but he couldn''t pay it right now. He promised to bring inrge quantitiester.
The dwarves, who weren''t so intelligent, agreed. The reason they epted it was because they were curious about the weapons made of materials other than orichalchum and mithril. Another reason, they got an order from Isaac.
On the other hand, Park Jisung had no intention of breaking his promise. He wanted to establish a long-term rtionship with the dwarves. He could see a bright prospect from them.
"I have to go back to the basecamp. My men haven''te back from picking up food supplies. We''ve been staying here for two days. Ourmunication device was also broken after fighting the thunderbird monster, so we couldn''t contact them and the people in the basecamp. We have to get down immediately."
Goyo clicked its tongue. "Just send your men again."
Despite receiving harsh treatment, Park Jisung could still maintain his patience. "I can''t. For thest two days, my men only ate half a portion. Our emergency supplies will be running out soon. Unless you guys want to share food with us."
A snort came out of Goyo''s nose. "Well that''s it then. Just go there, asshole." It waved its palm in the air.
Meanwhile, Park Jisung thanked Goyo while bowing his head. Then, he left the forge.
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.
.
The Crystal Core lit up brightly. The light projected a man walking through a dense forest while carrying a seriously injured woman. Isaac felt a little strange seeing himself doing such a romantic thing to a human.
"Like a drama show." Isaac smirked.
Right now, he was making sure the doppelg?nger was doing a good job. This was very important, regarding Wang Mei''s viewpoint of him.
And it seemed his worries were unnecessary.
Wang Mei seemed to be speaking openly with the doppelg?nger. Even a few times she was seen smiling.
"Looks like the doppelg?nger did a good job. Let''s see the others."
Isaac waved his hand. Then, the light projection disyed a different scene. There were hundreds of Hunters in massive numbers marching towards the portal connecting the 1st Floor to the 2nd Floor.
"Oh, they''ve realized it."
Isaac smirked. He called Pippi telepathically. Not long after, a cheerful little girl''s voice could be heard in his head.
"Hello, Lord! Pippi reported. All the humans in the southern region were wiped out 6 hours ago. Right now, Pippi is in the teleportation portal, along with 1000 monsters, based on the n."
"Good."
After getting the details of the Clearance strategy from Wang Yi, Isaac made a few tweaks to his n. Originally, he wanted to make the cksmith forge be good news that spread among the Hunters after the Clearance was over.
However, because they split the troops into two, he used the cksmith''s forge to buy the Heavenly Dragon Guild''s time.
Most of the monsters on the 2nd Floor had high defense. They had hard skin and were difficult to prate through. Thus, it elerated the damage to the weapons the Hunters used.
? When they arrived at the cksmith''s forge, there was a chance that they would make a request for the repairment of their weapons.
Isaac told the dwarves to slow down the process. So, Heavenly Dragon would be stuck on the 2nd Floor, while Isaac finished off the Nine Sky and Siberian Knights on the 1st Floor.
ording to Isaac''s calctions, the probability of this scenario happening was below 50%. There was a possibility that they would sh with the dwarves, considering they were also the Dungeon monsters.
He had already prepared another n in case the Heavenly Dragon Guild exterminated the dwarves.
"Good, Pippi. From now on, I will take over. Follow the instructions."
"Aye, aye, Lord!"
Isaac stared at the light projection with a grin on his face. His eyes fell on themander of the Hunter squad, Park Jisung.
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[Grasnd, 2nd Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
In the middle of the vast expanse of grasnd, stood a gigantic gate. The size was almost equivalent to a floor apartment building. Not far from the location, around 3000 Hunters were seen wearing ck armour and robes.
They were Hunters from the Heavenly Dragon Guild.
"Everything! Hurry up and enter the gate!"
As they approached, the gate opened on its own slowly. Then, a portal shaped like a whirlpool appeared. All the guild members went inside.
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.
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[Pine Forest, 1st Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
In the middle of the pine trees, there was a terrain with grass on it. There stood a gigantic gate which was opening widely, the portal''s purple light zed brightly.
From within the portal, a group of Hunters from the Heavenly Dragon Guild appeared. They all managed to cross the portal safely.
Arriving at Floor 1, a warm wee awaited them.
About 200 meters in front of them, an army of monsters could be seen. Of course, the sight took them by surprise. Not an exception for Park Jisung.
"Now, I understand why they never came back," Park Jisung muttered.
He wouldn''t be surprised if the monsters were able to go this far. After his encounter with the dwarves, the view of mindless beasts had changed. Those monsters couldn''t be underestimated.
However, that did not mean the Hunters were afraid to face the swarm of monsters.
The guild master turned around and faced his men. Their faces looked ready to fight, none of them looked scared. Park Jisung smiled at their courage.
"Soldiers, listen to me carefully! We have been surrounded by monsters! But don''t worry, we''ll kill them. Let''s show them our power!"
"Hyaaaaa!"
All members of the Heavenly Dragon eximed. Their voices shook the air.
"Attack!"
Park Jisung, who was in the front row, led the attack, then all his men followed. Meanwhile, the monsters still remained in ce, as if they were waiting for the right time.
Chapter 46 3000 Vs 1100
The Heavenly Dragon''s troops charged forwards. They ran while roaring loudly. Each step of their feet stepped on steadily and firmly, causing the ground to shake. Park Jisung, the highestmander, was in the front row as the spearhead.
On the other hand, the monster''s side still remained in ce. A dwarf wearing battle armor shouted loudly.
"ton 1, ton 2, ton 3 and ton 4. Attack!" A shrill voice resembling a little girl made the monsters begin to move. Four hundred monsters dashed towards 3000 Hunters without any fear.
Within seconds, a sh between the two was inevitable.
SPLAAT!
A werelion fell. The first blood had been spilled. The fangs began to tear the flesh, and the swords cut through the bones. The green meadows be the ughter fields of the monsters.
"Kill them all!"
"We won in numbers!"
"Keep pressing them!"
In just a few seconds, the monster army was knocked back. Many of them died, unable to withstand the onught of the Heavenly Dragon''s forces.
sh! sh! St¡ª!
Swords, axes, spearheads; all the sharp weapons didn''t stop swinging and stabbing the monsters. The Hunters mustered all their strength. They didn''t hesitate to cast ''skill'' that drained their mana, like the magic attacks.
Several Hunters seemed to be spitting fire through their palms, burning the monsters alive. Some of them flowed thunderbolts from their swords, those who were hit by the shes instantly became cripple. Some even fought in the air, as if they were flying.
Various Hunters with ''skills'' showed off their capabilities in this battle. However, the most interesting human in that ce was their guild master, Park Jisung.
He fought only with iron gauntlets covering both hands. Even so, he greatly dominated the battle. Each of his fists managed to pierce through the monster''s body, to the point that there was a lycantropes whose head was smashed.
Papapapapha! Papapapah!
"Kuaaaagghhh!"
The fist barrages bombarded every monster that jumped at him. The monster that was hit by him could only roar in pain.
Park Jisung was not known in the world. However, in North Korea, he was known as the Asura Fist.
This nickname was obtained not without a reason. Long before the awaken, Park Jisung was a Military Instructor. He was in charge of disciplining North Korean soldiers. In carrying out their obligations, it was not umon for soldiers to not ept or run away.
Park Jisung gave them a chance by allowing them to have a hand-to-handbat with him. If he lost, he would release them, even though military punishment awaited him.
However, everyone who ever fought with him would end up in aa.
When the awakening happened, his bare-handed fighting talent endowed him with the skill ''Hardening (D)''. A skill that could harden every part of his body.
With the right skill and martial arts, making him the strongest Hunter in North Korea.
Thus, he was very confident in his abilities.
"Hyaaaaa!"
Bang! The jab crushed the kobolt''s head!
Bang! The hook blow broke the werelion''s neck!
Bang! Sat¡ª! An uppercut just cut off the necks of the lycantropes!
Park Jisung crushed every monster within a 1 metre radius. The monsters tried to tear him apart, but none of them left any wounds.
Seeing the number of monsters being dispatched decreased, Pippi did not stand still.
"ton 5 and ton 6, attack!"
Two hundred monsters invaded. They helped theirrades who were fighting in the front line.
"Enemy reinforcements areing! Kill them all!"
"Hyaaaaaa!"
However, it didn''t change things much.
The Heavenly Dragon Hunters were even more smoldering. Their fighting spirit had already reached its peak.
They werepletely unstoppable.
The Hunters continued to crush the monsters, making the number of monster kept on decreasing over time.
500¡
450¡
350¡
The army of monsters began to be devoured by the Hunters. The number of monsters that fell was increasing. Humans dominated the battle.
However, the battle was still not over. Anything could happen.
Suddenly, the warmander of the monster withdrew her troops.
"Retreat!"
Once again, the shrill, girlish voice echoed throughout the air.
Not long after that, the swarm of monsters in the middle of the battlefield turned around and ran for their lives. Spontaneously, the Heavenly Dragon Hunters were shocked.
They had already gained the momentum, and Park Jisung wouldn''t let them run away. In his eyes, victory was very close.
"Soldier! Chase them! Don''t let it get away."
Some of the monsters had already set foot in the forest. The monsters, who were too close to the front line, did not have time to save themselves. The Hunters quickly butchered them.
St¡ª!
"Kuaaaaaarkkkk!"
With Park Jisung as the spearhead, he chased the front, and all his men followed him. They all ran into the forest, hunting the monster.
Park Jisung followed the trail left by the swarm of monsters. The nail bushes looked broken, and dozens of footprints of various shapes seemed to be imprinted on the ground.
"They''re still close. Chase them away!"
As they chased the monster, suddenly, some of them fell into the ground, as if the earth swallowed them up.
"Kuaaaaak!"
St¡ª!
It turned out that there were manyrge holes with dozens of pointed bamboo at the bottom. They didn''t notice it because it was covered with leaves and bushes. The poor Hunter who fell was stabbed and died instantly.
Park Jisung panicked, realizing that he had fallen into a trap. He quickly ordered all his men to stop.
"Stop!"
However, Park Jisung waste.
Since they were running fast, it was hard to stop suddenly. The Hunters in the back bumped into the troops in the front line. Many people were pushed into the pit of the trap.
St! St! St!
More than 50 of his men died in an instant.
And it stopped.
Park Jisung let out a breath of relief, but the death g was still flying.
Suddenly, the previously fleeing monsters appeared from various directions.
"No¡" Park Jisung swallowed hard in bewilderment.
The swarms of monsters surrounded them, and they pushed the Hunters from all sides. The jostling Hunters were unable to support their bodies properly, causing them to be pushed back. Then, one by one, they fell into the hole.
"Hold up!" one of the Hunters shrieked.
Chapter 47 3000 Vs 1100 (2)
However, the attack was just the beginning. On top of the tree, dozens of goblins that had been hiding there appeared to join in the battle. They threw bags filled with sticky liquid to the Hunters.
St! St!
"What''s this?"
"This is sticky, disgusting!"
"Focus on the battle!"
The goblins continued to throw the sticky liquid at them. Thanks to that, the movements of the hunters were interrupted. Many of them started to be pushed into the pit.
St! St! St!
The monsters continued to suppress the Hunters.
"Fuck! This sticky liquid is annoying! Should we finish off the goblins above?" one of the hunters eximed in annoyance.
Several Hunters tried to flip the table. They cast fire magic with the intention of burning the tree up there. However, they were the ones who were burning by the fire.
"Kuaarghh!"
p The sticky liquid turned out to be a mmable material, such as oil. As a result, in a matter of minutes, the fire spread quickly.
"You fool!" Park Jisung couldn''t hold back his anger when he saw the carelessness of hisrades.
The screams and the scorched smell of flesh wafted through the air. The situation became increasingly out of control. One by one, his men died, either pushed into a trap hole or burned alive.
Now, it was the turn of the monsters who took control of the situation.
"Kuarrrrrgghh!"
St! St! St!
3000¡ 2500¡ 1500¡ The number of the Hunters troops began to decrease rapidly.
Park Jisung clenched his fists. He felt angry and hopeless at the same time.
"I had no choice¡ there had to be a survivor."
The man quickly jumped high and plunged into the sea of monsters. Then, he broke through the rows of the enemy. His men were confused by his actions.
"Where did he go?!"
"Commander! Do not go!"
"He left us!"
Park Jisung could hear the screams of his men who were left behind. He ignored them and focused on breaking through the monster defenses. He no longer saw any hope in his men.
After that, he dashed as hard as he could to leave the scene of the massacre.
"I have to report to the President. This dungeon¡ is very dangerous."
While trying to escape, Park Jisung had to stop his footsteps. A mysterious figure stood in his way. The man wore a masquerade mask and had ze-like hair. An immense pressure radiated from him.
Park Jisung raised his vignce spontaneously. However, he did not rush to take action. He looked at Isaac from head to toe.
"Judging by your appearance¡ I''m sure you''re different from all of them, aren''t you?"
Isaac seemed to show some interest in Park Jisung. "You are right."
A wide smile appeared on Park Jisung''s face.
"My name is Park Jisung. I am the Guild master of the Heavenly Dragon Guild, as well as the Hunter Representative from North Korea."
"Then?"
Park Jisung saw an opportunity. "I know very well the ins and outs of the government. Since I was the strongest Hunter there, my position was very high. I can be your subordinate."
He wasn''t sure if he could beat the man, so he chose to lick the man''s shoes. Isaac also seemed interested in him.
"Be my minion?"
Park Jisung confidently said, "Yes, that''s right. If you are willing, I can give you a lot of advantages."
"What''s that?"
"Whatever you want. Minerals, gold, metals, all kinds of resources; you name it, I can give. Including the human soldiers." Park Jisung smirked after saying thest sentence.
After his encounter with Goyo, he learned that every monster in the Dungeon had its own characteristics. Some were intelligent, some were nothing more than wild animals. They were different, but they had one thing inmon. Every monster had an interest in something.
In Goyo''s case, the chief of the dwarf tribe was interested in mining material. As for this mysterious person he had just met, judging from his appearance, the man was not just a random monster. Park Jisung had never seen and heard information about a monster who had such manners as Isaac before.
He thought that Isaac was the ruler of this Dungeon, although this was still just a guess.
Seeing Isaac, who was silent for a long time, made Park Jisung feel confident that the mysterious figure would ept his offer.
"Okay."
Instantly, Park Jisung smiled triumphantly. However, Isaac had not finished his sentence.
"Now, I want you to kill yourself."
Park Jisung''s hopes were shattered into pieces. He did not understand.
"Wait¡ if my words are not clear, I can give you what you want. Even the human soldiers. I can give it to you."
Isaac threw his dagger and stabbed it into the ground, right under Park Jisung''s feet.
"I don''t need corpse candidates like them. What''s more, I don''t need someone like you. Not only did you fail to lead your men, but you also betrayed them and your country. Do you think I need someone like you?"
Cold sweat started pouring down his temples. Park Jisung immediately kneeled in front of the man, begging for forgiveness.
"I beg you, Sir! Please spare my life! Please! I have children and a wife! If I die, what will happen to them? No one can protect them, except me. Especially my son, he is only 6 years old! Please!"
Isaac chuckled. "Look at you, you are getting more and more pathetic, hiding behind your wife and children."
Park Jisung banged his head on the ground so many times, hoping for forgiveness, making the blood dripping down his forehead. His actions were futile. He sought a glimmer of mercy from a demon.
Cleak!
Isaac pointed a gun at him. "Now choose, die by your own hands or you''d rather die with your brains sttered on the ground. It is my form of forgiveness."
Park Jisung stopped banging his head. His body trembled, he realized that there was no chance for him to live. However, his survival instinct was very strong. When a rat was cornered, it would eventually fight back.
"Hyaaaaa!"
Park Jisung got up and put all his strength into hisst attack. ''Hardening'' made his body hard like a diamond. He quickly ran into the enemy in front of him. Then¡ª Bang!
Sat!
He hadn''t had time to fight yet. The man died with his head busted.
"Your level is the lowest among the three guild masters. I''ve given you a chance to die with honour, but you''d rather die like an animal. Have all humans sold their pride?"
Isaac holstered his gun. Then, he quickly walked away from the headless body.
Chapter 48 Side Effect
The Clearance failed.
Park Jisung, the leader of the operation, was found dead with an iplete body. The operation was quickly stopped, and the leader of the operation was handed over to Wang Mei.
All the guilds involved in the operation suffered heavy losses. Over 800 Nine Sky members were killed, and the Heavenly Dragon members were only a handful of people left. Meanwhile, the Siberian Knights Guild waspletely wiped out.
Guo Chen and Wang Yi managed to get out of the ''cooking ce'' after being trapped there for two days. They were found back in the camp in disarray and starving. Even so, the two of them seemed stronger than before.
Wang Mei became the leader of the operations, pulling all his guild members and all the guilds involved out of the dungeon.
On the other hand, Isaac was also at a loss. At least 1000 more of his monsters were killed in this operation. However, it was proportional to the amount of profit he got.
He earned 800,000 zenny from this operation. It was slightly higher than he had expected.
Of course, this event brought not only benefits but also bacsh. A few days after the Clearance wasplete, an unpleasant news circted in the human world. One of the great Guilds from Russia disbanded, causing an uproar in the Hunter world.
ording to rumours, the Siberian Knights teamed up with a Chinese guild to help North Korea im the Dungeon on the border. However, they failed and were finished with nothing left. This gossip became hot news on the inte. Of course, this had an impact on Isaac.
Over the past few weeks Isaac''s Dungeon had undergone a decrease in visitor traffic. However, this situation did notst long. His Dungeon visitors started to increase again after the rumours of the existence of a cksmith''s forge on the 2nd Floor circted. Many Hunters were interested in making weapons and requested repairment to the dwarves because the results were satisfactory.
This matched Isaac''s prediction, although there were some predictions that were wrong.
.
.
.
Isaac looked deep in thought in the Crystal Core room all alone. His eyes stared nkly into the air, but his brain kept thinking hard. Then, a voice interrupted his concentration.
"Lord, is something bothering you?"
Pippi suddenly appeared beside him. She showed a curiosity on her face.
"Pippi, what do you think about the current state of the Dungeon?"
The little girl frowned as she pouted her lips. "Pippi feels fine. The number of visitors did go down a little, but it has started to rise and is even more than usual now. Especially on the 2nd Floor, there are a lot of humans queuing up at the cksmith''s forge."
"That''s it, most of them are focused on the 2nd Floor. There were only a few who were trying to explore the Dungeon again. It was as if they had no interest in levelling or looking for the Power Crystals. As a result, the number of deaths has decreased."
Now, Pippi understood what Isaac was worried about. The number of Dungeon visitors increased, but not the ie.
Even though the Hunters got good weapons from the cksmith''s forge on the 2nd Floor, they didn''t want to level up or look for the Power Crystals. They just get new weapons and equipment, after that they go home through the monster-free route.
''Why don''t they want to hunt monsters or look for Power Crystals?''
"They might want to hunt in another Dungeon," Pippi chimed in.
Instantly, Isaac''s eyes opened wide. The little girl was actually just talking nonsense, but she showed the real root of the problem.
"That''s right¡"
Humans had been willing to risk their lives to enter a monster''sir for one reason, the Power Crystal. And these items could be found in every Dungeon on Earth.
Since yesterday''s Clearance, the Hunters considered his Dungeon to be a very deadly ce. If there were dangerous predators in the hunting grounds, the hunters would look for prey in other ces.
''So, they''d rather steal the Power Crystals elsewhere, huh¡ how unbelievable.''
Isaac clicked his tongue. He wanted to send the monsters to finish them off. Unfortunately, he couldn''t be careless. It would only mess up his efforts on restoring the Dungeon''s reputation.
He had to find a way to get the Hunters to hunt monsters and mine the Power Crystals in his Dungeon again.
"Pippi, what do you think that makes humans interested in exploring the dungeon again?"
Isaac thought again, and Pippi seemed to be doing the same. The little girl seemed to squint her eyes into mere slits. It wasn''t long before she came up with an idea.
"How about we make them do the treasure hunt?"
"Hunt¡ the treasure?"
The little girl nodded. "That''s right. Every day humans enter the Dungeon only to get the Power Crystals. I think they are bored. So we can give them a new experience. Hehe¡"
Once again, Isaac was taken aback by Pippi''s words. To think that the creature he thought was innocent and stupid could give him a great idea.
Although he saw Pippi''s ideas in a different light.
He needed to give them, the Hunters, something more valuable like the Power Crystals. Something that could only be found in his Dungeon and nowhere else.
''I''ll let you guys taste the special thing that the Demon Lords have.''
Isaac then stroked the little girl''s head.
"You''re a genius Pippi."
Pippi was taken aback, then the girl turned arrogant. She puffed out her chest and said, "Of course, Pippi."
,m After that, Isaac opened the ''Shop''. Then, he started buying various items and artefacts. From ss F to D.
[You bought x1000 item ''Low-Potion (F)'']
[You bought x500 item ''Medium-Potion (E)'']
[You bought x1000 item ''Low-Ether (F)'']
[You bought the artefact weapon ''Durandal Sword (F)'']
[You bought the artefact armor ''Rosefinch (F)'']
[You bought the artefact ring ''Willow (D)'']
[You bought the scroll ''Speed Up (F)'']
[.. .]
Pippi looked surprised to see Isaac spend 40,000 zenny at once.
"Lord! What are you doing? Why did you spend your money on those items?"
Now, it was Isaac''s turn to be surprised. "Weren''t you the one who said to make them do the treasure hunt? This is the treasure we gave them."
"Oh, I see, Lord. Hehe¡" Pippi stroked the back of her head.
Isaac shook his head. It turned out he had overestimated his assistant. He wouldn''t ask Pippi what the ''treasure'' meant for her.
"Now, I have a task for you."
Isaac gave all the items to Pippi and told his assistant to scatter the items in every corner of the Dungeon. Of course, those items wouldn''t just sit on the ground. Some of them would be carried by monsters.
"Aye aye, Lord." Pippi posed the usual salute before leaving to do Isaac''s order.
After that, her body turned into shards of light and disappeared. It was Isaac and the Crystal Core left in the room.
Chapter 49 Side Effect (2)
In an office, a man seemed to be drowning himself in a pile of papers on the desk. He was not young anymore. It could be seen from the wrinkles on his skin. He stared at each line of text written on the sheet of documents. When he finished reading all of it, he signed it and threw it in the pile of other paper.
On the table, there was a que made of crystal, written ''Hunter Association Chairman Xiong Li''.
Just as he was busy with the other documents, there was a knock on the door at the far end of the room.
"Get in!"
The door opened. The figure of a graceful woman in formal clothes entered the room. Then, the woman saluted at Xiong Li. The old man nced at her, and he quickly stopped his work after recognizing who his guest was.
"Miss Wang Mei, please have a seat."
The woman sat in the guest chair. Xiong Li got up from his desk and sat down in front of Wang Mei right away.
"I''m sorry, Miss Wang, I can''t prepare tea or snacks. I really wanted to, but as you can see." Xiong Li pointed at his desk. "There''s a lot of paperwork I have to check."
"It''s fine. I''m sure you didn''t invite me here for tea."
After that, the two of them started to talk a little, like asking how each other was doing, including their families. The conversation was light and pleasant, and it turned serious when Xiong Li asked Wang Mei''s condition after carrying out the Clearance in the dungeon at the border.
"I''m fine after resting for a week. There''s a lot going on in the Dungeon," Wang Mei said bitterly.
"It must be hard on you." The old man looked into Wang Mei''s eyes with sorrow.
From the start, Park Jisung and Wang Mei''s meeting was known by the Hunter Association. The association allowed Nine Sky to establish a cooperative rtionship with North Korea with the aim of making Wang Mei their eyes and ears. Of course, Wang Mei was rewarded. Nine Sky would have an exclusive right to manage the Dungeon located in Beijing.
However, their n changed after the tragedy happened in the Dungeon. The two major guilds involved were disbanded after failing toplete the Clearance operation.
Thus, the Hunter Association''s attention was on the cause of the destruction of two major guilds. That was a dungeon on the tripoint border.
"Can you tell me in detail, Miss Wang?"
Wang Mei nodded, then the woman began to tell her bitter experience. Her face darkened when she recalled the traumatic parts of her story. Meanwhile, Xiong Li listened attentively. He didn''t ask any questions.
"Hm, so that''s how it is."
When Wang Mei finished telling her story, Xiong Li was silent and in deep thought. He still couldn''t believe what he had just heard.
About the dwarves forging the weapons, the monsters fighting strategically, and even the appearance of a masked figure whose hair was smouldering ck mes. It all seemed unreasonable to him.
Xiong Li covered his mouth and stared at the empty air. He needed some time to grasp Wang Mei''s story.
"There''s a lot we don''t know about the Dungeon¡ the more we know, the more terrifying and strange it feels."
The two of them fell silent. Not long after, Xiong Li spoke again.
"I''m sorry for what happened to you." The old man''s face darkened. "Eh, ording to the agreement, the Hunter Association will give the dungeon in Beijing to you."
Hearing that, Wang Mei brightened up again. "Thank you, Mister Xiong."
After all the sacrifices she had put in, she finally got her reward. At least that was what she thought.
"But, I can''t give it to you now."
Instantly, Wang Mei''s eyes opened wide. Disappointment and confusion appeared on her face. "W-why? I''ve done what we have agreed on. I even lost 800 of my best hunters because of this."
"Right. I know that and I''m sorry. But, looking at the current condition of Nine Sky guild, it''s almost impossible to leave the dungeon to you. Like you have said, you''ve lost a lot of your best people. Nine Sky is not what it used to be."
Bang!
Wang Mei hit the table hard. Her face burned with anger. She looked at Xiong Li with hatred.
"After everything I have sacrificed, this is what I got?"
On the other hand, Xiong Li looked calm andposed. The old man lookedpletely unprovoked.
"I''m sorry, but we can''t give the dungeon exclusive rights to a guild that is on the verge of copse. With the current conditions, Nine Sky is no longer among the 10 strongest guilds in China."
Wang Mei clicked her tongue, then sat back on the sofa with a bitter expression on her face. She had expected this to happen. Not only was the strength of the guild destroyed, the reputation of her guild also fell into the pit. The news of Nine Sky''s failure was already widely circted on the inte. Everyone already knew about it. The damage had spread like a gue. It would be difficult to recover soon.
However, her hope had not been lostpletely.
Xiong Li spoke again. "But, you still have a chance."
Instantly, the woman''s attention returned to the Chairman of Hunter Association. "What''s that?"
"I want Nine Sky to ''voluntarily'' participate in the raid on the dungeon in Tianjin."
"Raid? Not the Clearance?"
Xiong Li shook his head.. The man then told the details about the raid.
In Tianjin, there were the top three of the 10 Strongest Guilds in China. The threepeted to conquer the dungeon,peting for the exclusive right. However, they all never managed to beat the Alpha on the 1st Floor.
Xiong Li saw this as an opportunity. He asked each of the guild masters to carry out a raid together with the other guilds.
If they managed to conquer the Dungeon until the 3rd Floor, the first Guild that managed to finish off the Alpha on that floor would get the exclusive right.
After hearing that, Wang Mei was slightly astonished. She thought the n seemed childish, but somehow Xiong Li was able to persuade the three major guild masters to ept the terms.
"Those three big guilds¡?" Wang Mei asked, making sure she didn''t hear it wrong. She still couldn''t believe it.
"Yes, it''s true. Phoenix Armada, Crimson Dawn, and Fight Club."
Wang Mei was silent for a moment. She knew Xiong Li''s goal. The sly old man wanted to take advantage of her once again. This time, her guild would not gain any material benefits at all. However, at the same time, if the raid was sessful, Nine Sky''s name could be restored.
In other words, she had no choice. Wang Mei took a deep breath.
"When does the raid start?" the woman asked with a gloomy expression on her face.
Xiong Li smiled in satisfaction. "Don''t worry, the raid will be held in seven months. The Phoenix Fleet Guild Master, Chan Fei, was seriously injured. He needs time to recover first. Besides, Fight Club is busy helping to deal with the dungeon break in Guangzhou. So, you still have time to recover your guild''s power."
Wang Mei nodded. "Very well, Mister Xiong. Please tell them Nine Sky is voluntarily helping them."
Xiong Li''s smile grew wider. "With pleasure."
The two of them quickly stood up. They shook hands after getting what they wanted. Wang Mei paid her respects to the elder, then she left the Hunter Association chairman''s office.
Chapter 50 Disciplinary
[Pine Forest, 1st Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
Five hunters seemed to be fighting a herd of kobolds. Even though they were outnumbered, they had no trouble fighting against those baby-sized monsters. After defeating the kobolds, they didn''t leave quickly. They seemed to be looking for something in the clothes attached to the bodies of the kobolds.
"Whoa! Look what I found!" One of the hunters found what they were looking for. He held a transparent bottle filled with red liquid and showed it up to hisrades. They quickly approached him.
"Wow! Damn it, we really found it!"
"It turned out that the information posted on the forum was correct. I thought the ''item drop'' only existed in the games."
"Whoohoho! We will be rich!"
They all looked delighted with the item. One of the men snatched away the bottle filled with the red liquid.
"Let me see it. Is this ''ether''?"
Instantly, the man who found the item smacked the head of the man who took the item he had found.
"You idiot, this isn''t ''ether'', it''s ''potion''! This liquid can cure various diseases."
The man whose head was hit spat out. "It''s the same. What matters is that we are rich! 10 million Rubles await us!"
"HA HA HA!"
The five huntersughed together in the middle of the forest.
"Stop, stop. Let''s go find some more!"
Then they left the bodies of the kobolds, which were lying lifelessly on the ground. They continued hunting the monsters.
.
.
.
[Crystal Core Room, The top of the Dungeon]
Isaac stared at the control panel screen in front of him. On the screen, there was a map spread out, with thergest red and ck dots.
''Good, the red dots are starting to spread. That means humans have started exploring the dungeon.''
His lips curved mischievously. Then, he swiped at the control panel screen. The map view changed to a row of numbers and statistical symbols.
''The human mortality rate is still low, but it''s starting to show signs of increasing. It''s only been two days, it''s still reasonable.''
Isaac waved his hand as the control panel screen disappeared.
''Wang Yi¡ you have to do your job properly.''
It had been a week since Isaac had distributed items in his dungeon. Since then, the hunters had started hunting the monsters again and exploring the dungeon.
To speed up the process, Isaac spread rumours about the existence of the ''item drop'' in his dungeon. At first, he spread this information directly to visitors while disguised as a hunter. He had also spread information in the Hunter Society and inte forums about the existence of valuable items other than the Power Crystals.
However, the n did not go so smoothly. For the past few days, the death rate in his dungeon had remained low.
Then, consulted with Wang Yi on how to spread the information in the human world¡ªconsidering that she could find a way to bring him with Marshal Anatoly.
And Isaac found the cause. He had no credibility as a source person.
Spreading the information on the inte was indeed the right solution, but the problem was that the inte did not filter the information. As a result, the information between true and false was jumbled up. So, the information that was spread by Isaac was considered fake or just a fraud by the hunters.
In the end, he ordered Wang Yi to spread the information.
And now, Isaac was waiting for the results.
"Lord!"
Suddenly, Pippi''s voice sounded in Isaac''s head.
"What is it, Pippi?"
"Lord, I have gathered all the monsters you asked for."
Isaac nodded. "Good, Pippi. I''ll be waiting there."
"Aye aye!" The little girl''s voice disappeared.
''Time to discipline the disobedient monster.''
Not long after, Isaac turned into shards of light and his body disappearedpletely.
.
.
.
[Pine Forest, 1st Floor, Isaac Dungeon]
On the side of a crystal clear flowing river that was surrounded by lined pine trees, there was a group of monsters bowing their heads before the figure of a white-haired man. Beside him, there was a little girl standing with her hands hanging from her waist.
Isaac looked at the monsters with an angry expression on his face.
"I know most of you are unintelligent and just following your instincts, but I believe you understand everymand I give."
The monsters kept their mouths tightly shut. Those with intelligence lowered their heads, while those who had no intelligence just whimpered like frightened puppies. They didn''t know why their master had ordered them to gather in that ce, but they knew their master was angry.
"I''ve provided you with a ce to live, hunt, and even make love as much as you want. But, why can''t you execute even a simplemand?"
A lycan that was three meters tall and wielded an axe stepped forward. It knelt down and spoke while lowering its head.
"My lord, we don''t know our fault. We feel we are doing a good job."
Isaac clicked his tongue. "You don''t know your fault?" Then, he pointed to the river."Look at this ce. Did you guys forget what ce this is?"
The monsters nced at each other. They still didn''t understand their master''s intentions.
"Ten days ago, I ordered you to kill ''all'' humans who were crossing this river."
The lycan replied again. "But, our Lord managed to finish off¡ª"
"SILENCE!" Pippi snapped. "Lord is talking, you dare to interrupt him?"
Instantly, the lycan was silent. The mighty monster was frightened. Meanwhile, Isaac was getting more and more furious. He really wanted to crack the head of the wolf monster with a human body in front of him.
"I had told you to finish off ''all of them'', both on this side and on the other side. But you ignored the humans on the other side, even though they had killed yourrades. You guys were busy eating the humans instead!"
The lycan swallowed hard. It just realized what mistakes they had made. So did with the monsters behind it.
Instantly, all the monsters bowed down, and a loud noise begging for mercy resounded in the air.
"Forgive us, Lord!"
"We have made a big mistake!"
"Show us some mercy! We beg you, Lord!"
"Gerrrrraaa."
They all cry for mercy. Some of the monsters that couldn''t talk just roared like the beasts in pain.
However, Isaac did not budge. He had experience dealing with monster minions like them. If he let this slide, they would repeat the same mistakes in the future.
They must be taught a hard lesson.
Bang!
St!
The lycan''s head cracked. Its mighty body fell to the ground and wallowed in its own blood.
Instantly, the other monsters trembled in fear, but they still remained in their ces. There were only a few monsters who ran by instinct. They were also wiped out in seconds.
Bang! Bang! St!
After that, no one dared to run anymore. Isaac stopped shooting. He told the monsters to look him in the eye.
"This is the punishment for those of you who dare to disobey my orders. I will give you a chance to fix your mistakes. If the same thing happens again, there is no second chance. Now, get out of my sight!"
As soon as the monsters quickly dispersed, they ran helter-skelter. Meanwhile, Isaac sighed in disappointment. He still couldn''t believe anyone would dare to flee before him when he hadn''t ordered anything.
Then, Pippi innocently asked.
"Lord, I thought you would finish them all off. We already have plenty of Zenny. No need to worry about recing those ckers."
Isaac then shook his head.
"I''m just giving them an example of punishment, so they don''t make the same mistake. Besides, if I kill every one of my minions who makes a mistake, who will I lead?"
Pippi nodded. "Is that so, Lord? Pippi now understands."
"Wee just need fixing a broken structure."
Dungeon was like a machine. Each part had its own role and ran ording to the system. The failure of one small gear could cause damage to the engine. Thus, Isaac had to make sure that everyone in his dungeon fulfilled their duties properly. That way, the dungeon would be able to survive until the end.
Chapter 51 3rd Floor
Isaac''s eyes remained sharp even after three full days of staring at the control panel screen inside the Crystal Core Room. His hands moved quickly and nimbly, pressing every option that existed in the panel. Sometimes, his eyes looked at the crystal light projection that showed the conditions in his dungeon.
At the same time, Pippi''s exhausted voice sounded in his head
"Lord, I have reduced the traps on the 3rd Floor which is in the southern region. Besides, the gnolls were constantly protesting against the different territories of the goblins. Is there anything else I need to do?"
Isaac didn''t answer. He was still focused on the control panel screen. It wasn''t long before he spoke.
"Good, Pippi. Now take some monsters with you to hunt the Leechers."
The sound of a long sigh rang out in his head. "Okay, Lord."
Two weeks had passed since Isaac had scattered various items and artefacts in the dungeon. The n worked, but it was a little out of the way.
The hunters who visited the dungeon were not only interested in the cksmith''s forge on the 2nd Floor, they started hunting monsters to get item drops from monsters. The number of deaths slowly increased over time.
Even the number of visiting hunters increased drastically in a few days. People from all over the world started flying to China or Russia to have the dungeon raid. So that the more ripe humans Isaac could harvest.
However, these positive effects came along with the negative effects.
The number of hunters who visited was increased highly, and the interest in hunting monsters was also high, causing a drastic decrease in the number of monsters in the dungeon. The hunters preferred to hunt monsters rather than looking for the Power Crystals.
Beside, the ''leecher'' began to grow fast again in the dungeon. Robberies and murders of the fellow hunters appeared. The zenny potential that Isaac would receive was reduced.
Thus, Isaac was currently busy reorganizing his dungeon.
''Only a little more, and the terrain rearrangement on the 3rd Floor isplete.''
Isaac had been working for a week to reorganize the terrain on Floor 3. The terrain on Floor 3 was abyrinth full of illusion traps, deadly traps, and level 30 to 35 monsters¡ªthe majority of the current hunters were at level 20 to 30.
It could be said, previously the floor was designed to be impossible to prate, and it was so deadly. He made the 3rd Floor his ''harvest'' ce. There was a high probability that the hunters who went up there would die.
This led to the emergence of a myth among the hunters that the 3rd Floor was a ck hole. Anyone who entered the 3rd Floor would die, so it was not surprising that hunters were reluctant to go up.
At first, this was not a problem, but after various hunters around the world entered, there was an imbnce in the dungeon.
The high-level hunters preferred to hunt the monsters on the 1st and 2nd Floors. The monsters there were ughtered, forcing Isaac to burn the zenny continuously to upgrade the poption in the dungeon.
Pippi suggested buying a ''boss'' to ce on the 1st and 2nd Floors. However, Isaac refused, because he wanted to make the first two floors a ce for low-level hunters to thrive.
Besides, Isaac already had ns of his own.
To make the hunters want to hunt on the 3rd Floor, Isaac made a few tweaks to the number of items in the dungeon.
He reset the item values and drop rates of the monsters on each floor. The lower the floor, the lower the item''s value and drop rate.
In other words, hunters would have a hard time finding the items on low floors. Even if they found them, they would only get low grade items. If they wanted to get more items of high quality, they had to go up to a higher floor.
The n Isaac had arranged: Floor 1 would have a 5% drop rate, Floor 2 a drop rate of 10%, and Floor 3 a drop rate of 30%.
However, before that, Floor 3 difficulty needed to be reset. He had to make sure that many hunters returned alive after entering the 3rd Floor. That way, the rumors circting among the hunters could be dispelled, and they could spread good news.
Actually, Isaac could eradicate them just like during the Clearance carried out by North Korea, but he was worried that the reputation of the ''friendly dungeon'' would be damaged again.
Phew.
''Finally¡''
Isaac quickly took a deep breath. Theplex and tedious process of building the terrain on the 3rd Floor was finallypleted.
''Just putting on the finishing touches.''
He opened the ''shop'' and took out 200,000 zenny to buy the ''boss''.
[You bought the boss monster ''Asterius - Ancestral Minotaur (C)'']
After that, he quickly sent Asterius to the 3rd Floor, as the lord of the floor.
? [Inputting the boss monster ''Asterius - Ancestral Minotaur (C)'' to the 3rd Floor]
Then, Isaac smiled bitterly. He checked the dungeon''s status.
[Dungeon Floors : 3/3]
[Monster Boss : 1/3]
[Poption : 180,000/300,000]
[Fund : 639,745 zenny]
''I hope the price of 200,000 zenny is worth your abilities.''
Since the difficulty of the 3rd Floor was reduced, there was a chance that the hunters could conquer this floor. So, to prevent them from breaking through to the Crystal Core Room, Isaac needed to put an unrivalled guard, at least for now.
Minotaurs were generally D-ss beast-type monsters and had a level of 30. They were very strong in terrain that had twists and turns and tight spaces. And they would weaken in open spaces, such as fields or meadows located on Floor 2.
With Floor 3 being the Labyrinth and plus a 20% buff effect from Isaac''s title, Chief of the Beast, making Asterius the strongest monster in the dungeon.
''I''m sure everything will work out.''
Isaac wiped the sweat off his forehead. Then, Pippi''s voice sounded in his head again.
"Lord! Pippi was done patrolling. Today, 25 Leechers were found. Reportpleted." Pippi''s voice was weak.
"Good, Pippi," said Isaac with a smile on his face.
"May Pippi rest, Lord?"
"Of course ..."
Then, Pippi could be heard cheering. Unfortunately, the little girl was celebrating too early. Isaac hadn''t finished speaking yet.
"... After you helped meplete the final dungeon task."
Instantly, a tone of disappointment sounded in Isaac''s head. "Pippi has been working non-stop for days, Pippi''s body is very tired. May Pipp rest for a moment, Lord?"
Isaac frowned. "Since when did a being made of Crystal Core energy feel exhausted? You want to y with your pet bear, right?"
"Hey¡ª!"
Although Isaac seemed unconcerned, he kept an eye on Pippi''s activities every day. He knew very well that his assistant was very fond of the beasts.
"Don''t bezy, Pippi. If you want to y with your bear quickly, help me finish thest task."
"Aye aye, Lord!" Pippi''s voice suddenly changed.
Then, they move on to the next task.
Chapter 52 Warden
[The Labyrinth, 3rd Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
Everywhere the eye looked, there were only grey walls towering high to the sky. Meanwhile, when looking up ahead, there was only darkness, as if it was an infinite ck sky. The atmosphere was eerily quiet. There was no sound other than the blowing air.
This was how the terrain on the 3rd Floor was. It was dark, cold, and quiet.
Even so, Isaac looked rxed as he walked down the winding road. He was not alone. Pippi walked beside him and behind them, the twenty dwarves followed obediently. Goyo, the chief of the dwarves''s tribe, also came with them.
"Lord, why did wee to this ce?" Pippi asked. Then, her eyes nced at the dwarves lined up behind. "Are we going to build something again?"
"That''s right," Isaac replied. His eyes remained focused on looking ahead. "I want to give some safe zone points on the 3rd Floor for the hunters to rest. It''s not only a ce that can prevent monster attacks, but has a healing effect."
Goyo, the dwarves'' chief, who was walking behind him spoke up.
"My Lord, I''m sorry to interrupt. But, when ites to monitoring the area, I think I''m enough."
"No, Goyo. You need Pippi if you want to survive in this floor."
Pippi, who was originally angry by Goyo''s words, turned arrogant after hearing her master''s words.
"Hey, short creature. Just shut up. Who asked you to speak?" Pippi looked contemptuously at the dwarves'' chief.
"You''re also short. Why did you also call me short?" Goyo shook its head. "Idiot."
Pippi instantly got angry.
"You¡ª! You only wanted to work after the Lord offered you the orichalcum! You greedy monster!"
"I''m not greedy. The work in the forge is very busy. But since the Lord has given me a gift, as the representative of the dwarves, I must appreciate it."
Not long after, the two started arguing. Pippi, who had a quick temper, was repeatedly devoured by the taunts thrown by Goyo. The chief of the dwarf tribe was quite good at provoking someone''s emotions.
Isaac seemed unconcerned. As long as his subordinates did well on their assigned tasks, he didn''t have any problem with their annoying attitude.
The two of them continued to argue until they heard a loud growl.
"Hey!"
The dwarves trembled in fear, and Goyo was no exception. Only Isaac and Pippi looked calm.
"Heh¡ you coward," Pippi looked at Goyo with a disappointed look. Meanwhile, the dwarf could only be silent.
The ground began to shake. Over time, the vibrations got stronger. Two crimson red dots appeared from within the darkness. Not long after, the figure of a monster with an enormous body appeared. If it was measured, the monster would have a height of 5 metres. Its entire body was covered with ck hair. It had a face resembling a cow and a pair of horns the size of elephant tusks grew on its head. In both hands, the monster held an iron club and an axe.
The creature walked closer. The dwarves were getting scared. Their instincts screamed when they met a stronger monster.
Then, the creature knelt down.
"Servant greets the Dungeon Master."
[Name : Asterius]
[Race : Minotaur]
[Type : Boss]
[ss : C]
[Level : 35]
It was Asterius, the Ancestor of the Minotaur, the new warden of the 3rd Floor.
"Stand up, Asterius."
The Minotaur ancestor quickly got up after being ordered by its master.
Isaac then began to introduce Asterius to his minions behind him. As usual, Pippi seemed happy when she was introduced to a new monster. In contrast to Goyo and its men, they were truly frightened by Asterius''s presence.
After that, Isaac exined to Asterius the reason he came here.
In thisbyrinth, a safe zone would be created, which was spread over several points.
The 3rd floor''s terrain was different from the two floors below. There was no water and edible nts here. So if the Hunters got lost, they would starve to death. Not to mention the monsters in thebyrinth. They would also get devoured by them.
The safe zone would be filled by a fountain with a small garden that had fruits around it. That ce would have a recovery buff. That way, the probability of the hunter being able to survive was higher.
Of course, Isaac wouldn''t just create the safe zones. He also ordered the dwarves to create a ''special'' trap chamber.
He would fill the trap chamber with ''treasure''. When a hunter entered that ce, the room would be locked and various monsters woulde out. It sounded ssic, like a typical treasure trap room, but there was actually a hidden mechanism to this room.
''This treasure room will be an attraction for hunters.''
During the construction process, Isaac didn''t want anyone to disturb them, be it from other monsters or hunters.
"Very well, Lord. I understand," Asterius said in a polite tone.
Isaac looked at Pippi.
"Pippi, I''ll leave the rest to you. Tell them which points will be built into a safe zone."
"Aye aye, Lord." Pippi put on a salute pose.
"Besides, I will be leaving the dungeon for quite some time, maybe a few weeks. Give Asterius instructions to select hunters that are worth killing and those that aren''t."
"Understood, Lord."
Ding!
Just as Isaac was about to leave, a notification sounded in his head. He looked at the contents of the notification, then a wide smile bloomed on his face.
[Request to speak from Baron Loke]
Isaac chuckled while covering his face with hand.
''There are still a few months before the auction starts. They are moving early. It seems they are in a hurry.''
He waved his arm.
[Request denied.]
Isaac didn''t take the call. He already knew what their conversation would be. Pippi, who was watching her master was curious, but she decided not to ask.
Then, Isaac''s body turned into shards of light, and his figure vanishedpletely.
Chapter 53 Specialization Jobs
[Pine Forest, 1st Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
Amongst the rocks and tall trees, there were small tents made of animal skins. A group of human baby-sized monsters, with green skin, seemed to be in action. Some were mixing some ingredients, some were turning stones into spears, some were breastfeeding.
It was a goblin tribal camp.
In the midst of their busyness, suddenly the figure of a white-haired man appeared from the empty air. The goblins quickly stopped their activity. They knelt down to the man.
The elder of the goblin, who had pale green skin and a white beard, knelt in the front row. The creature was holding a stick with a trembling body.
"Dungeon Master, wee to our small camp."
In unison, the goblins greeted Isaac.
[Name : Oga]
[Race : Goblin]
[Type : Savages]
[ss : F]
[Level : 5]
Before Isaac left for the human world, there was one trivial thing he needed to do.
"How many men do you have in your camp?" Isaac asked without beating around the bush.
Oga stroked its white beard. "There are about fifty. Fifteen of them are women and children."
"Alright, I will increase the number of goblins in your camp."
"Thank you, my Lord."
"In exchange, I want you to produce potions and ether every day."
The old goblin was taken aback after hearing its master''s order.
Just like the dwarves who were good at making weapons and equipment, there were monsters that had the ability to produce potions.
Isaac had ordered them to produce potions to use as ''item drops''. If he constantly bought the item at the ''shop'', it would only deplete his finances, so he chose to set up ab.
"But, Lord, there is no alchemist in our tribe. We can''t help you."
"You don''t have to worry about that. Bring here the member of your group that you think is the smartest," Isaac replied in a low, cold tone.
"Yes, my Lord."
Oga called some of its men. Then, twenty goblins knelt before Isaac. They fearfully faced the Dungeon Master, their bodies trembling.
"They are the smartest goblins of my group, My Lord."
Isaac observed the twenty goblins.
"You guys are the luckiest goblins."
He then opened the ''shop'' and pressed the ''upgrade'' option. He would raise the ss of the goblins.
[Upgrade x20 monster ''Goblin (F)?]
[Material : 0]
[Percentage of sess : 0.00%]
Since goblins were monsters, the materials sacrificed must be monsters too. Isaac sacrificed 100 slimes and 50 horned mice.
[Material : 150]
[Percentage of sess : 80%]
''I think this is enough.''
[Upgrading¡]
Suddenly, the twenty goblins emitted a bright blue light. They looked surprised by what had happened, so did Oga and the other goblins.
Ding!
[Upgrade sessful!]
[Neen goblins upgraded to ''Goblin Alchemist (E)'']
[A goblin upgraded to ''Goblin Shaman (D)'']
After a notification buzzed in Isaac''s head, light enveloped the eight goblins'' bodies disappeared. Their appearance changed drastically. The goblins looked at themselves with bbergasted facial expressions.
"Wow¡"
They were no longer wearing loincloths. The clothes were made of leather. One of them was dressed in a sheepskin coat and had a buffalo skull on its head like a crown.
"A Goblin Shaman, huh? Not a bad thing," Isaac muttered with a grin. He didn''t expect to get such a rare monster.
Every upgraded monster would definitely go up in ss and level. However, there were certain types of monsters or certain races that would get special jobs when they were upgraded.
Among them were goblins.
The specialization jobs they could get depend on the stats they had. If the ''strength'' stat tended to be high, it was likely to get a warrior or barbaric job. If the ''magic'' stat tended to be high, it was likely to be a mage, shaman, or alchemist.
Goblins were creatures at the bottom of the food chain. However, the weak creature was the most versatile monster. They had stats that tended to be bnced, allowing them to get a variety of jobs when they were upgraded.
That was why Isaac chose a goblin for this task.
Of course, the goblins wouldn''t be as skilled as other higher-ss monsters. They wouldn''t be able to forge as well as the dwarves and did alchemy as well as the elves.
"Thank you for your blessing, Lord!"
The goblins began to worship Isaac.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Goblin (Alchemist)]
[Type : Savages]
[ss : E]
[Level : 10]
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Goblin (Shaman)]
[Type : Savages]
[ss : D]
[Level : 15]
Isaac smiled at their new status. However, he was not done yet. He opened the ''shop'' again.
[You bought x100 monster ''Goblin (F'')]
After that, he quickly summoned them. Not long after, a bright blue light appeared, then slowly dimmed and disappearedpletely. A hundred goblins stood before Isaac.
''I''ve already spent 15000 zenny on upgrading and buying new goblins.''
Once again, the goblins stared at their master in admiration.
"Now listen to me carefully," Isaac ordered.
The green monsters began to put on serious faces. They looked at their master attentively.
"I want you to make me as many potions and ether as possible. Every week, I want you to produce 70 potions and 30 ether. I don''t want to hear excuses for beingte andcking. Do you get it?"
"Yes, Lord," the goblin alchemists replied in unison.
"Good." Isaac''s attention returned to Oga. "Pippi wille here every week to pick it up. While the other goblins focus on gathering ingredients for potions and guarding the camp. You don''t need to hunt humans."
"Yes, my Lord." Oga, the elder of the goblin, lowered its head, and it epted the task with great honor.
The goblin shaman asked Isaac.
"My Lord, is my duty the same as the others?"
An answer didn''te right away. Isaac stroked his chin, thinking about what kind of task the monster would be suitable for.
Goblin shaman could use low-level magic, making use of them for physical work like gathering materials and making the potions was a shame.
Then, Isaac remembered that the goblin shaman had useful magic in helping to increase the poption.
"I want you to visit other races of monsters that have intelligence; such as orcs and kobolds. I want you to cast fertility magic on old female monsters so they can give birth again. If they refuse, say my name."
"Yes, my lord!" the goblin shaman replied obediently.
After that, Isaac didn''t say much. He quickly left the camp. The goblins were stunned as they watched their master turning into shards of light and disappeared before their eyes.
Bang!
Oga stomped its wand on the ground. Then, all attention turned to the elder of the goblin.
"Do you hear what the Dungeon Master has said? We have a week to produce 70 potions and 30 ether. Now it''s time for us to get to work!"
"Yes!!!"
Even though Oga was very old and the weakest among them, its voice was loud.The goblins quickly got to work.
Chapter 54 Demons
An octahedral crystal floated in the dark room. The object glowed and emitted a purple light. A muscr man stared at him, as if the man was waiting for something, his face looking impatient.
The purple light on the crystal slowly turned into a projection, revealing six faces. They had a unique appearance, some had a human-like form, some resemble aliens. The only thing they had inmon was the typical aristocratic clothes that cling to their bodies.
After seeing them, the veins of the ruby eyed man moved. He started to form a smile.
"Now, what good news do you guys bring?"
They were all Nether Realm Nobles. The Demon Lords. Even though they were all equal, the ruby eyed man seemed to intimidate the other demons.
One of the demons who was in the light projection spoke up. She resembled a human, had long ck hair and eyes as red as blood. It was just that on its back there was a pair of ck wings.
"No special news, Lord Barbatos. It''s just, the other day some stupid humans tried to finish off my maid on the 1st Floor. Thanks to that I caught more humans. The homunculus warrior project can go much faster."
The ruby eyed man smiled at the news from one of the demons. "Good. I am waiting, Lady Xenovia."
Duke Barbatos'' gaze was fixed on another demon. "What about the other?"
A demon with pale skin and dishevelled ck hair raised his hand. At first nce, the man looked like a malnourished human being.
"How many times have I told you, Lord Loke. You don''t need to raise your hand. Just say it when I ask. What news do you bring?"
Another demon chuckled. Meanwhile, Baron Loke did not react. His expression remained t.
"I contacted all the dungeons in East Asia, as you ordered."
Duke Barbatos narrowed his eyes. "Then?"
"Out of the twenty dungeons, there are only two Dungeon Masters who agreed to join our force, Lord Argus and Lord Adelio. Both are based in China, Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan."
Hearing that, Duke Barbatos sighed. His hands clenched. "That means there are still two more Dungeon Masters in China who haven''t joined us yet."
Baron Loke nodded. "That''s right. It looks like they still want to wait for the Auction to make a decision."
Duke Barbatos stroked his chin while narrowing his eyes. Something was bothering him.
"Then, what about the Dungeon Master who is at the tripoint border? That demon nevermunicates with other demons. Have you persuaded him?"
"Yes," added Baron Loke. "He didn''t respond to my calls. Maybe he was busy taking care of his dungeon, considering the humans had already broken through to the 3rd Floor."
Then, a cynicalugh rang out. Only Baron Loke remained expressionless.
"We''ll just have to wait until the Auction day then. If they don''t want to join us, it can''t be helped. We can''t force them. We will just destroy them."
In unison, the demons on the projection screen replied, "Yes, Lord!"
Silence returned. The demons were silent. There was no sign of them wanting to report anything. Duke Barbatos studied them one by one, then his attention fell on the demon who had purple skin and pointed ears.
"How about you, Lord Gustav. How are you doing in North China?"
Baron Gustav didn''t answer. He kept his mouth shut while rolling his eyes silently. He was asked once more, but still reacted the same. Finally, Duke Barbatos ran out of patience.
"Lord Gustav! Did you hear me?!"
Instantly, Baron Gustav was shocked. His face was pale, and he broke into cold sweat. Another demon started grinning.
"Y-yes, Lord Barbatos. Forgive me."
Duke Barbatos was furious. The veins on his temples bulged and his face darkened.
"You''re facing me. Do you think I''m an insect?"
A look of surprise appeared on Baron Gustav''s face.
"I didn''t mean to underestimate you, Lord Barbatos. My mind is distracted. There''s a lot going on in the dungeon."
Duke Barbatos narrowed his eyes. He stared at the purple-skinned demon.
"What''s with your dungeon? Isn''t everything fine? A few days ago you released a monster."
"That..."
Baron Gustav''s lips trembled. Seeing his response, Duke Barbatos immediately understood. His eyes bulged and his face turned red. Anger crept through his body.
"Don''t tell me you failed!?"
Baron Gustav fell silent for a moment.
"Your task is quite simple. Take the monsters out of Beijing and send them to Mongolia! It''s a territory without power. How could you fail to carry out such a simple task? How about Duchess Alyna or Duke Vassago who rule Mongolia?"
"I''m sorry¡ª"
"NO EXCUSE!"
The other demons smirked, seeing Baron Gustav being humiliated. Only Baron Loke didn''t react. It was the nature of the demons that they liked to see other demons fail.
Meanwhile, Duke Barbatos hit the ground to vent his emotions. After a moment, his emotions subsided.
"I want you to finish the task. This is yourst chance. I don''t want to hear of this kind of stupid mistake again." Duke Barbatos looked into Baron Gustav''s eyes. "Understood?"
"Understood, Lord Barbatos," replied Baron Gustav.
"You will suffer the consequences if you continue to make the same mistakes."
Baron Gustav swallowed hard. "Yes, Lord Barbatos."
Then, Duke Barbatos turned his attention. He looked at all the demons in the light projection. The demons quickly changed their expressions into seriousness. They felt pressure from Duke Barbatos.
A murderous aura emanated from Duke Barbatos'' body. "This also applies to all of you."
"Yes, Lord Barbatos," the demons replied in unison.
Duke Barbatos turned around, his back to the projections of the demons. He raised his hand and waved it. "Go."
Instantly, the light projection of the demons disappeared. However, Duke Barbatos'' anger had not dissipated.
"WHAT A TRASH!"
Thud!
He hit the ground until the dust flew into the air. The clothes clinging to his upper body were torn off, revealing his muscr body.
Chapter 55 Recruitment
The entrance hall of Nine Sky Headquarters was filled with a sea of people. They all carried weapons of various kinds; from the heavy ones like the warhammer, to the mostmonly used weapons like the sword.
These people were hunters who wanted to join Nine Sky.
Long before this day, Isaac had received word from Wang Yi that Nine Sky would recruit the new hunters again. He knew this would happen since many members of Nine Sky died during the Clearance.
Isaac wouldn''t be surprised. This was part of the n. From the start, he wanted to reorganize the guild members, recing them with new people who had prominent potential.
"Brother Isaac!"
A young girl with long ck hair was waving in the crowd. Isaac saw her at the end of the entrance hall, and he came over to the girl.
[Name : Wang Yi]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : B]
[Level : 28]
Since thest time he saw her, Wang Yi had experienced a significant level up. Isaac became curious about the development of Guo Chen''s level. He hadn''t seen the man sinceing out of the ''cooking ce''.
"They are new members? Where do we start the selection?"
As usual, Isaac didn''t beat around the bush. He got straight to the point. The time he spent outside the dungeon was precious.
Wang Yi nodded. "Right. Come with me, Brother Isaac."
She then guided Isaac to the selection site.
After passing through the elevator and a long hallway, they arrived at the selection site. As far as the eye could see, it was arge room with iron walls. Isaac saw that this ce looked like a wide istion room in a mental hospital.
"We have arrived. Wee to the Nine Sky Guild''s practice room."
Wang Yi led Isaac back to the door in the corner of the practice room. The two of them climbed the stairs until they arrived at the small control room. In front of them, there was a mirror showing the selection room being carried out.
"The new recruits will show their power in the practice room. We will judge them from here."
"Just us?"
Wang Yi smiled. "Yes, it is true. My sister left the whole matter of recruiting members to me. Even though there are actually two more people, I have convinced them not toe."
Now, it was Isaac''s turn to smile.
He asked Wang Yi to process the selection of the new members so that he would be the one to hold it. He didn''t want anyone to interfere in the selection of the new members.
Besides, Wang Mei was also busy with taking care of thepensation for the families of her guild members who died in the Clearance and solving the administrative matters. So she could not participate in the process of selecting the new members.
Thus, Isaac could really choose the strongest and potential human to be his warrior.
"Alright, Wang Yi. Let''s start checking the new recruits."
.
.
.
Ten hunters entered the training room. They carry melee weapons. It could say they were all melee types. A confident expression appeared on their faces.
"Everyone, please line up."
A girl''s voice came over the loudspeaker. The new recruits followed the instructions.
From the control room, Isaac observed them. After that, he checked their status.
[Name : Fang Xi]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : D]
[Level : 18]
.
[Name : Xiao Lu]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : E]
[Level : 13]
.
[Name : Feng Bao]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : C]
[Level : 14]
.
[...]
Isaac took a deep breath. Then, he signalled Wang Yi by shaking his head. The young girl nodded, then brought her mouth closer to the mic.
"Thank you for participating in the selection process for the new members of Nine Sky. We will contact you to receive the results."
The faces of the new recruits turned into confusion. They stared at each other, trying to figure out what was going on. They had not shown their teeth at all, but they had been assessed.
They left the practice room with a mind full of confusion.
"Huh, that''s bad."
Isaac leaned back in the chair with a deep sigh. He had done the selection process for four hours and only ten were deemed eligible to join.
''They have a decent level, but their ss is low.''
The criteria set by Isaac were hunters with sses between C to A. Below that everything was considered trash, not much different from the monsters he usually fed for the hunters.
On the other hand, Wang Yi was curious about the appraisal method used by Isaac. In her eyes, the man only took a nce at the new recruits. After that, he made a decision. It was as if Isaac was judging just by their appearances. The man didn''t even see the history or rank of the new recruits.
"Brother, I don''t know how you judge them. But, wouldn''t it be better to let them show their abilities?" Wang Yi suggested with a worried expression on her face.
"No need."
The answer Wang Yi received made her frown, but her instincts told her to trust Isaac.
The next batch came in.
Ten new recruits lined up. They followed Wang Yi''s instructions. This time two of them were hunters with magic-type. It could be seen from their weapons, which were staff.
Wang Yi thought they wouldn''t pass either. Judging from their data, none of them had any experience going into the dungeons. Besides, they were all F rank hunters.
The girl had prepared to eliminate them.
"They all passed."
"Huh?!" Wang Yi''s eyes were wide open. Her face waspletely shocked. "Sorry, Brother. They are all still of low rank."
"Yes, why?"
Isaac''s answer surprised Wang Yi. She didn''t understand how the man made his decision. The only thing she knew was that her sister would be furious after seeing the new members they had chosen.
Wang Yi then showed Isaac their data.
"They don''t have any history of joining a guild and not having a permanent guild. Their history of raid failures is veryrge. They are typical hunters who change guilds, because they never feelpatible with the partners they get. They are solo hunters, typical selfish hunters who can''t work as a team."
Isaac calmly replied, "You''re wrong, Wang Yi. They''re amazing."
"What? Sorry I don''t understand." Her eyes were wide open. Once again, Wang Yi didn''t understand Isaac''s way of thinking.
"Listen carefully, Wang Yi."
Then, Isaac started to exin.
The Dungeon was a dangerous ce. To conduct a raid, it required a team that had strong cooperation. And to build it, practice and fight together over and over again was necessary.
If there was a group of people who always had a raid with differentrades and they could survive so far, it meant their individual abilities were above average.
Such people were able to adapt to a wide variety of situations. They were typically people who were confident in their own abilities.
With a little training and the right pair of partners, Isaac was sure that they would be the best warrior.
"You understand?"
Despite the exnation, Wang Yi seemed unconvinced.
Isaac took a deep breath. Then, he looked into Wang Yi''s eyes. The girl turned her head, feeling awkward when their eyes met.
"Trust me. You don''t need to be afraid if something bad happens. No need to be afraid that your sister will be mad about this decision. I will help you no matter what... Nine Sky will be better than before. Got it?"
Wang Yi nodded. The man''s words seeped into her head like paper absorbing water.
"Okay, then."
Isaac smiled. "Good."
Then Wang Yi informed the new recruits that they had passed. After they left, the next group entered the practice room. Then, the process of recruiting new members continued.
Chapter 56 Training
Eight hundred people in training uniforms lined up in a room surrounded by iron walls. The air felt stuffy, and the temperature was high like in summer. They stood firm, even though their bodies were sweating profusely.
"What are we really doing? We''ve been standing here for six hours."
"Didn''t you hear what that person said? It''s training."
"Rather than training, it''s like conscription."
As the two men were speaking, from the front end of the line, a voice scolded them.
"Who told you to speak? Shut up!"
The two new members were shocked. They spontaneously shouted apologies. They didn''t expect that their conversation could be heard.
The one who scolded the two men was Isaac.
The white-haired man wore a long ck long coat and stood in front of them.
"When I say no one is talking, no one can speak. Do you understand?"
"Yes, we understand!"
Right now, Isaac was training the new recruits.
The recruitment process waspleted three days ago. As a result, there were 516 C-ss hunters and 283 B-ss hunters. Most of them were melee-type fighters and range-type fighters, the rest were magic users.
Out of the many new members he recruited, there was one that caught Isaac''s attention.
That person was standing in the front row and at the right end. A fat man, had skin resembling copper, and curly ck hair like fleece. At first nce, the man looked like an ordinary immigrant worker rather than a hunter.
The man''s name was Aditya Khumar. An immigrant hunter from India.
Like most other newbie hunters, he had an F rank from the Hunter Association test, making it difficult to find a team to raid. He was often rejected. Even if he got a team, the payment given was small because he was a foreigner.
Of course, that wasn''t the reason Isaac epted him. Even though the man seemed unconvincing, he had a ss A.
In the future, Khumar would be a legendary healer.
Based on Isaac''s memory, at the end of the second year of the game, a simultaneous dungeon break would ur in the US. On that day, the sky turned dark and tall buildings copsed. The streets were painted crimson red with blood. A massive war between humans and monsters happened. More than a quarter of the US poption died. Most of them were hunters.
This event was known as the Red Night.
All hunters who had job healers around the world were gathered to heal the hunters who joined in the battle.
One of them was Aditya Khumar.
His name would be known throughout the world because he never held a weapon at all.
His healing magic worked faster and stronger than most healers. On a battlefield filled with ferocious and savage monsters, Khumar only focused on treating the injured patients. Even though he was on the front line, he never stopped casting healing magic.
Thanks to his services, he was known as the Doctor with the Hand of God.
''It seems like reorganizing the guild members is the right choice.''
Isaac smirked.
The new members looked at Isaac in horror. In their eyes, Isaac looked like a demon; not sweating, expressionless, and only smiling when they were fed up.
Only Guo Chen didn''t think badly of Isaac.
The young man stood at the front and outside the line of the new recruits. Isaac deliberately put Guo Chen there to serve as a role model.
Sinceing out of the ''cooking ce'', Guo Chen had developed rapidly.
[Name : Guo Chen]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : A]
[Level : 30]
His level rose significantly, even higher than Wang Mei who was one of the Six Stars. It could be said, Guo Chen was the strongest hunter Isaac had met so far.
''He''s grown more than I expected. I wonder what ''innate skill'' he has.''
Isaac took a deep breath.
''For now, I will focus on training my new army.''
He looked back at the new members.
At first nce, the training given by Isaac looked easy. They just needed to stand up straight and do nothing. The difficulties they faced were the hot temperatures and long periods of time.
For hunters, this practice was nothing.
The physique of a human who underwent a resurrection was many times stronger than that of an ordinary human. Even if they were dried in direct sunlight, in the middle of summer, and without wearing any clothes, they wouldn''t feel anything.
What Isaac emphasized in this training was mentality.
In Isaac''s eyes, they were a group of cadet soldiers. Before they were put into real training, their personalities needed to be reshaped.
They were told to be quiet and do nothing. The goal was to discipline them. They were roasted at a high temperature all together, so that they shared the same suffering. In this way, a sense of tension and solidarity would be formed between them.
The essence of this training was to create obedient warriors. No matter how strong the soldiers were, if they always disobeyed orders, they were useless.
Isaac wanted to have soldiers who would die for him. He needed pawns that could be sacrificed.
''It''s useless to have a strong army if they don''t obey my orders. No matter what kind of soldier; whether it''s a human, a monster, or even a demon.''
Isaac clenched his fists behind his waist.
On one wall of the practice room, there was a ck mirror. From behind the ss was the control room. Two graceful female hunters seemed to be observing the training process.
One of them was a woman with short ck hair, the other had long ck hair.
"Isaac Constantine," muttered the short-haired woman. His eyes fell on Isaac who was leading the training process.
"Yes, he''s a B rank hunter. He previously joined a small guild in Australia. He also has a military background. Before the dungeonnded on Earth, he had joined the PMC organization. Thus, cing him as a trainer, I think he is suitable for that position."
The short-haired woman nodded once, then turned her gaze to the side. "Wang Yi..."
"Yes, Sister."
Their eyes met. Instantly, Wang Yi became nervous.
"Is¡ he looking for me? I mean did he ask you anything after the Clearance?"
Her sister''s words made Wang Yi narrow her eyes. "Eh¡ no. What''s wrong?"
Wang Mei shook her head. "Oh, it''s nothing. I''ll leave the new recruits to you. I have a lot of work to do right away."
"Yes, Sister," Wang Yi replied with a smile.
Then, Wang Mei turned around and walked towards the exit of the control room. After her sister''s figure left, the smile on Wang Yi''s face disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief.
"I thought she would be suspicious¡"
Wang Yi had just given Wang Mei false information about Isaac. She made up everything, even created a new identity for Isaac, including creating a fake hunter certificate.
''As long as Sister doesn''t dig deeper into Brother Isaac''s information, everything will be fine.''
Even so, Wang Yi still harbored some worry.
Chapter 57 Training (2)
The first week of training was the most boring time for the new members. They just stood for eight hours a day, doing nothing. Silent and not moving.
However, as they entered the second week, they missed the boring training.
Isaac trained the physical endurance of the new recruits. They were obliged to spar with each other all day long. Once every thirty minutes, they changed partners to spar again. If normal physicalbat wouldn''t be a problem for hunters, they were required to spar with all their skills. In other words, they continued to drain their mana non-stop.
If their mana ran out, they were allowed to rest for twenty minutes. After that, they should return to sparring again.
The purpose of the training was to measure the endurance and mana capacity of each human soldier. Mana was the most crucial thing in a battle; like energy. When mana was no longer flowing in the body, they would weaken. If that happened in the battle, the result would be death.
Isaac wanted them to be more sensitive to the expenditure of mana in the body, thus, they could learn how to manage mana usage in a battle.
In the third week, Isaac trained the members on how to fight as a team. He taught about battle formations, how to deal with an enemy who was superior in numbers, how to control the flow in the battlefield, and various other kinds of knowledge.
He poured out as much of his knowledge as a Dungeon Master that humans could apply.
Isaac''s task here was not only to teach them how to fight in a team, but how to unite various characters in one group.
This phase was enough to give Isaac a headache. Most of the new members were solo hunters, they had high egos. They didn''t like being controlled or bing someone subordinated. As a result, there was more fighting than cooperation.
p To handle this, Isaac used some force.
Isaac divided them into 80 groups. It meant each group consisted of ten people. Then, he made them fight with other groups and gave them a ranking. The group that was ranked in the bottom 30 would receive a penalty, namely four hours of extra sparring practice when they should have returned home.
If they didn''t want to get punished, they inevitably had to put their egos aside andmunicate with each other. They must have the will to fix themselves.
Isaac wanted his human soldiers to unite. He knew that in order to unite people with different characters; they had to face a crisis. That way, they would have onemon goal. Diversity was great, but simrities were certain.
In the fourth week, Isaac ordered them to practice the same as in the second week. He felt there was nothing more to give to his men. He just needed to provide repetitive training to improve discipline.
Besides, Isaac had already seen a lot of development in his men. Although there was no change in level and stats, mentally and in readiness, they were much better than before.
''Training humans is fun too.''
Isaac smirked as he watched the new recruits train vigorously.
It had been almost a month since he left his dungeon. During that time, Pippi had not contacted Isaac via telepathy. It meant the dungeon was in good condition.
While Isaac was training the new recruits, a girl with long ck hair came over.
"Brother Isaac, I''ve studied the pile of papers you gave mest night."
"Good," Isaac replied.
Wang Yi was in a dishevelled state. Dark circles formed above her eyes. She didn''t sleep all night because she studied the training materials that Isaac had made.
"I didn''t think you had the time to write all of that. Don''t you ever sleep?" she added curiously.
Isaac tapped Wang Yi''s shoulder.
"From now on, I will leave them to you."
"Eh¡ª!?"
Wang Yi''s eyes, which had been close to closing because she was sleepy, suddenly opened wide.
"You''re going again? Until when?" A curious expression appeared on the girl''s face.
Isaac didn''t answer.
Wang Yi sighed. She realized there was no point in asking Isaac. The man never told her, but strangely, she didn''t suspect him in the slightest.
"Okay," she replied in a disappointed tone.
Then, a young man seemed to run over them.
"Brother!"
Guo Chen arrived before the two of them. His whole body was drenched in sweat, but his face didn''t show any signs of fatigue.
The young man started to show his childish nature. He started to act friendly towards Isaac in front of Wang Yi. When Isaac told him that he was about to leave again, a look of disappointment etched on the man''s face.
"What?! You want to go again, Brother? Come on, just stay here."
Seeing Guo Chen whining, Wang Yi clicked her tongue and then scolded him.
"Hey, don''t act like a ten-year-old child. Go back to training there."
One of Guo Chen''s eyebrows arched. "Why are you controlling me? You want to abuse your power as the Guild master''s younger sister? Tsk tsk¡ how disappointing."
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
Instantly, the two adults quarrelled. Isaac saw that their rtionship was closer without his knowledge. He also didn''t expect Guo Chen to be so bold with Wang Yi. He remembered that Guo Chen was very shy in front of a woman. Even the young man looked like a quiet boy when he met Wang Yi for the first time.
Now, Guo Chen''s attitude had turned 180 degrees.
''Did something happen between the two of them?''
Isaac shook his head, ignoring the thought. As long as it didn''t go against his n, there was no problem with it.
He then walked away. Spontaneously, Wang Yi and Guo Chen stopped their bickering.
"Brother!" they both eximed in unison.
Isaac didn''t turn around and just waved his hand. He then left the practice room.
As Isaac walked in the lobby, his chest felt a strange sensation. A familiar sensation.
He stopped and touched his chest.
''What is this¡? Sentiment¡?''
Isaac chuckled. This feeling was simr to the one he had felt before. He took a deep breath, then it exhaled slowly. He neutralized his feelings.
''I have to be objective.''
Demons never had friends. They only had allies. Isaac was no exception. Having contact with humans reminded him of his stupidity. He didn''t want to repeat it one more time.
Thest time he felt it, a cold dagger pierced through his stomach.
.
.
.
"Lord! Finally you came back!"
Isaac had just arrived in the dungeon. Pippi quickly ran towards him. The little girl hugged her master while crying happily. Isaac''s clothes were wet with tears and snot.
He then flicked his assistant''s forehead.
"AW!"
Pippi let go of the hug and held her red forehead right away.
"What happened while I was away?" Isaac asked in a cold tone.
Pippi quickly posed a salute. Her attitude changed in a matter of seconds.
"Report, Lord! The dungeon is safe. The stupid humans started climbing on the 3rd Floor. The number of deaths increased rapidly, but there was no sign of the number of visitors decrease."
Isaac opened the ''control panel'' to make sure of Pippi''s report. He checked all the data. The distribution of humans on the dungeon map was evenly distributed, the number of monster deaths decreased, and the highest human death rate urred on the 3rd Floor.
Nothing went wrong, as he expected.
"How many zenny have we got this month?" Isaac muttered. Pippi who heard that just smiled, as if she wanted to give her lord a surprise.
Isaac then opened the status window.
[Dungeon Floors : 3]
[Monster Boss : 1/3]
[Poption : 200,639/300,000]
[Fund : 1,007,894 zenny ]
His eyes were wide open. Thest time the funds he had left was around 600,000 zenny. In less than a month, he earned around 400,000 zenny.
"Excellent..."
Isaac''s lips curled up unconsciously. This exceeded his expectations. The ''treasure'' hunt would take a long time, but the results could be harvested faster.
"As you nned, Lord. There were many humans who died because of the treasure room on the 3rd Floor."
As it was known, the treasure room was a trap for humans.
The treasure room had a hidden mechanism, namely selecting victims. Inside the room, there was a statue of a goddess that gave buff and debuff effects. When humans entered, one of the effects would be activated.
If the hunters who entered the treasure room were at a low level¡ªfor now, between level 15 or below¡ªthe buff effect would activate, giving a 50% increase in ''strength'' & ''magic'' stats.
However, if the hunters entered the treasure room were at a high level¡ªfor now, between level 20 or higher¡ªthe debuff effect would activate, giving a 30% ''strength'' & ''constitution'' stats drop.
Those who were weak would survive, while those who were strong would die.
His goal in creating this was to provide evidence to the hunters that there were humans who had survived after entering the treasure room.
Humans weren''t stupid creatures. It was quite easy for them to figure out the trap. They would not fall into a trap for the second time, even if there was a valuable item inside.
However, there were still one or two greedy humans who were desperate to enter the room.
If they could get out safely and carry a high-ss item. This would trigger other hunters to try to enter the treasure room.
Even though there were many who died, as long as there were still some who managed to get out safely, the hunters would risk their lives to fall into the trap. Isaac was well aware of human greed.
As a result, Isaac not only managed to recover the ie but also managed to harvest ripe humans.
"Now, what is our n?" Pippi asked innocently.
"Waiting."
Pippi narrowed her eyes in confusion. She didn''t understand. "Waiting?"
"Yeah. We''ll wait until auction dayes."
Chapter 58 Auction
Isaac saw himself through the Crystal Core''s light projection. He wore a white shirt and dark blue vest wrapped in a ck long coat. His bone-white hair was neatly styled to the back, coupled with gold-framed sses. His appearance really looked elegant, typical of a noble.
p p p!
Pippi was seen pping her hands at her master''s new appearance. After that, she gave two thumbs up.
"Lord, you''re cool!"
Isaac turned to Pippi. "Do you think something is missing?"
The little girl shook her head. "No, Lord. You''re perfect! You''ll definitely be the most handsome demon at the auction!"
Hearing that made Isaac chuckle. To humans it might be apliment, but to the demon''s ears it sounded like a joke.
Appearance was important for demons, to show their worth. However, handsome or attractive was not one of them. In the Nether Realm, demons of ordinary beauty and good looks worked to satisfy lust.
They were seen more as objects than demons. That was why Isaac didn''t really like being called handsome.
"Thank you, Pippi. But that''s not apliment I wanted to hear."
Pippi raised her eyebrows.
"I''m sorry, Lord. Pippi misspoke. Pippi means, you look terrible, anyone who sees you will freak out."
Isaac narrowed his eyes, taken aback by what he had just heard. Now, he felt like he was being insulted rather than being praised.
Cetak!
"AW!"
A hard flicknded on Pippi''s forehead. The little girl put on a questioning face. She didn''t understand what mistake she had just made. Meanwhile, Isaac didn''t say anything.
From the empty air, a speck of golden light appeared. Then, the golden light expanded and created a kind of vortex.
A portal had just formed.
Then, the figure of a beautiful woman with light brown hair and a pair of white wings appeared from behind the portal. An angel from the Heaven Realm picked him up.
Isaac quickly straightened his cor.
"Lord Isaac Constantine. Are you willing to enter this year''s auction?"
"Yes," Isaac replied firmly.
The angel invited Isaac to enter the portal.
"Pippi, take good care of the dungeon," Isaac said.
"Aye aye, Lord!" Pippi posed a salute.
Isaac entered the portal and was followed by the angel. The golden portal then disappeared againpletely.
.
.
.
When Isaac opened his eyes, he found himself in a magnificent hall.
The walls were decorated with beautiful carvings. In the air, the candles floated and lit up brightly. A red carpet was spread out on the marble floor. The round white tables with various dishes served on top of them.
Isaac took a deep breath.
"Eden Pce¡ a demon''s dream that never came true."
The noble demons, with various shapes and forms, dressed in noble clothes acted like guests of honor. They mingled, chatted, and enjoyed every dish that was served perfectly.
From the outside, they looked friendly, not hostile at all, but actually not a few of them harbored hatred for each other.
It was not a secret that demons would do anything to achieve what they wanted. They suppressed all their hatred and grudges for one reason, namely to build a rtionship.
The annual auction was not only a ce where they bought high-ss items or monsters to build the dungeon''s power, but it was also a time for demons to determine which ones should be enemies and allies.
Isaac saw familiar faces. They mingled and formed into eight groups. Each group was an alliance led by a Duke.
With a total of 108 noble demons, if they decided to destroy each other, there was little chance for them to win, even for a Duke ss. Thus, they decided to cooperate and get rid of the other demons to reduce the number of participants. After the other demons were eliminated, there were two possibilities.
They left the victory to one of the demons, then shared the power. Or they would kill each other.
Demons were always looking for power.
Isaac was no exception.
"Lord Isaac Constantine!"
A familiar deep voice was heard calling his name. Isaac turned towards the voice. A demon that resembled a human form, skinny in stature and had ck hair, came up to him.
The demon seemed to be smiling. Isaac also quickly put on the same expression.
"You look fine. I think something happened to you," said the demon.
The words sounded clearly like bullshit in Isaac''s ears. No demon was worried about the fate of his enemy. Isaac knew what it meant.
"Sorry I couldn''t return your call, Lord Loke. My Dungeon is currently in a critical state," Isaac lied.
Baron Loke frowned, as if he was sympathetic to Isaac''s trouble. "I see. We, Barons, are at a huge disadvantage, especially the difference in zenny that we have got to start the game."
The smile on Isaac''s face grew wider.
''He''s still the same demon.''
Isaac was very familiar with Baron Loke. A demon who was good at hiding emotions and desires. It was really hard to read the man''s mind. In his previous life, Baron Loke was Duke Barbatos'' right-hand man. He wouldter be a figure who yed an important role in domination in China.
Even though the demon was only a Baron, Isaac saw him as a threat.
"With our current state, it''s hard to fight alone, especially against the Earls and Dukes. A lot of blood and sweat will need to be sacrificed. So, how about we build power together?"
Isaacughed inwardly.
''A cautious and no-nonsense approach. Baron Loke¡ you''re amazing. You must be eliminated as soon as possible.''
Baron Loke continued his words. "There are already 10 Dungeon Masters, all based in China. Added to you, I believe our strength can rival that of other demons."
He looked into Isaac''s eyes with firm determination. However, Isaac had made up his mind long beforeing here.
Isaac smiled.
"It''s an honor to work with you, Lord Loke. I''ll consider it after the auction is over."
Lord Loke''s facial expression was still smiling, but his gaze became sinister. He was smart enough to know the meaning of Isaac''s words.
"Very well, Lord Isaac. I hope you ''really'' consider it."
Lord Loke showed respect for a moment, after which he turned and left Isaac. The demon walked towards a group of demons who were chatting with each other. One of them was a male demon with a muscr body and ruby-red eyes. When Lord Loke confronted him, the demon turned towards Isaac with a sharp gaze.
A feeling of pressure and intimidation crept through the body as Isaac looked into the demon''s eyes. Isaac quickly put on a friendly smile. After that, the demon stopped staring at him.
''Duke Barbatos¡ after the level I reached so far, you can still pressure me like this.''
Isaac didn''t flinch. He smirked instead. There was no word "fear" in his dictionary. He had fought various demons, and some of them died at his hands. The stronger the opponent he managed to destroy, the higher the satisfaction he got.
He was very curious about what it would be like to destroy Duke Barbatos.
Isaac looked around, those demons ncing at him like he was prey.
Among them, there were faces that he had not seen for a long time. Duchess Valefor, a female demon, had a fat body and two goat''s horns on her forehead. On both of her wrists, there are many jewellery made of gold. She was surrounded by male demons who praised her beauty.
At the end of the hall, there were two groups of demons gathered across from each other. The two groups were the alliance of Duke Rein Aamon and Duke Gatt Samigina.
However, there was one demon that really caught his attention. The demon who managed to make Isaac boil with rage when he saw his figure alone.
''Duke Gavin Bael¡''
The silver-haired male human-like demon became the center of attention of the demons. He was near the dining table, making the demons who wanted to take the dish feeling reluctant.
Duke Gavin looked friendly, putting on a smile when he spoke to his group. From a distance, Isaac could hear every word he said sounded sweet. This made Isaac really ashamed of himself.
''How could I fall for that cheap show¡ ?''
Isaac took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging emotions.
''Now is not the time to face Gavin.''
Isaac''s eyes shifted to another figure. It was a graceful woman with a cold expression on her face. Her hair was blood red, a stark contrast to her skin, which was as white as snow. A strange feeling started to appear in his chest.
The demon hest killed in his previous life, Duchess Alyna.
''Nice to meet you again, Lady Alyna.''
Isaac smirked.
Therge gate at the south end of the hall opened. The figure of a man with long golden hair and skin that glowed like a pearl appeared. On his back, there were three pairs of white wings.
Instantly, all the demons'' attention was drawn to the figure. A tense expression appeared on their faces.
Chapter 59 Auction (2)
"O Demon Lords, my name is Asriel, the host of the auction."
Isaac smiled.
Asriel, that name still rang clearly in Isaac''s head. He remembered the angel very well, or more urately, the man was called the prospective fallen angel.
''I can''t wait to see it a second time.''
Asriel continued with his words.
"The main event is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves."
Dozens of other angels appeared from the gate. They approached the demons. Those angels were tasked with apanying the demon to the dressing room. During the auction process, the demons were required to cover their faces with masks in order to protect their identity.
In a way, the auction bnces the game so that demons who bought high-ss items or monsters were not being targeted. This was very helpful, especially for the demons among the Barons.
Even so, there were still demons whose identities had been exposed. It was because most of them used it right away or carelessly showed off the things they had bought openly. They wanted to show how intimidating they were to others.
The reason was none other than that, so that they got recognition from other demons.
A beautiful female angel approached Isaac. She had golden hair and blue eyes.
"Lord Isaac Constantine, my name is Abigail. From now on, I will apany you every time there is an event that takes ce. Come with me."
"Go ahead, Abigail," Isaac replied with a smile.
Abigail led Isaac into the gate along with the others. Some of the demons looked displeased, and some even gave insults. Thepanion angels remained silent. They didn''t show any expression at all. It was no secret that demons hated angels.
They walked down arge corridor with many doors. The demons and theirpanion angels entered their respective rooms.
Inside was a small room with a mirror and two doors. One door led him into the corridor, while the other door led him into the auction hall.
After Isaac entered his dressing room, Abigail gave him a ck robe, a number te that read 99, and a mask. He epted it except for the mask.
"You just keep it. I have prepared my own mask."
"Yes, Lord." Abigail lowered her head.
Isaac took off his sses and kept them in his pocket, then he put on the ''Demon Masquerade'' and ''Mortal Ring.'' Instantly, his hair turned into ck mes. Only then did he wear the ck robe.
He wanted to make sure his identity waspletely unrecognizable. Because today, Isaac would buy a lot of items and monsters.
Before he entered the auction hall, Isaac whispered something to Abigail.
"You understand?" Isaac asked with a smiling face behind the mask.
Abigail''s eyes opened wide. She couldn''t believe what she had just heard.
"But, Lord¡ª"
"Sssssttt!"
Isaac quickly silenced the angel''s mouth by touching his index finger in front of her lips.
"Don''t ask too many questions; do as I say."
Those words were enough to make Abigail gulp. She quickly nodded and then left the room.
''Good¡''
Isaac smiled. Then, he entered the auction hall.
The auction hall looked like a theatre stage. Hundred and eight soft seats were lined up neatly, facing a stage covered by a crimson curtain.
The demons seemed to have upied their seats with their ck robes and unique masks. The effect of the masks they wore changed the appearance of their facial skin or hair.
Neither one recognized each other. Except for one demon, of course he was Isaac.
Isaac had fought until the end of the game, so he knew every demon hiding behind the mask.
''Where are you sitting?''
His eyes trailed. He looked around the room, looking for someone fitting the image in his head. His pupils shrank when he saw the figure of a demon wearing a red mask that covered half of her face. She had striking blue hair and chubby cheeks.
Isaac quickly approached the demon, and he sat next to her.
"Are you aiming for certain items or monsters?"
"It''s none of your business," the demon replied curtly.
Isaac smiled, he leaned closer to the demon''s ear, "I''m sorry, Lady Alyna."
As soon as the demon turned her head, she looked at Isaac with cold eyes. The shock and threat were evident on her face. Her physique hadpletely changed, but there were still demons who recognized her.
"I don''t know what kind of skill you have that makes you recognize me. Trust me, you''re looking for the wrong person," Alyna threatened in a cold tone.
"Don''t worry, I''m not here to be your enemy."
Alyna clicked her tongue. "If you''re not my enemy, show me your identity."
She suddenly grabbed Isaac''s hand, then gripped it tightly. Instantly, his hand screamed a pain, every knuckle of his finger seemed to be crushed. Thanks to the ''Mortal Ring'' effect, making his physical defense weak.
Isaac remained calm, showing no reaction. Even if his hands were crushed, he wouldn''t scream. To him, this pain was a small fee to face the Duke''s head-on without any backing.
He knew very well the character of the female demon.
"Oh, you seem pretty tough. The other demons must have begged for mercy."
"Believe me, this is nothing after what I''ve been through."
Isaac could see a confusion in Alyna''s eyes. Instantly, the demon released her grip. While Isaac quickly withdrew his hand.
"You''re not afraid of me? I am one of the eight Dukes. Imend your courage."
"No fear remains from me," Isaac replied in a rxed tone.
Suddenly, Alya chuckled.
"A fearless demon will lose it all, buddy." Alyna stared fixedly into Isaac''s eyes. "Fear helps the demons to choose their battle. That way, they willst until the end. You don''t have it, meaning you don''t know who you''re up against. I don''t understand. Are you brave or just a stupid, arrogant demon who doesn''t know his ce?"
In the past, he would definitely be intimidated by her. But now, he was different. He had seen it all. Without Gavin, without soldiers, not even a dungeon, he wouldn''t be afraid.
Isaac brought his face closer to Alyna. He returned her gaze. The female demon looked slightly surprised.
"I don''t choose my battles. In the end, I will face them all. I will not run. Never. The game is not over and the war is still on. They will fall, Lady Alyna. It will end after their defeat."
The demon''s eyes widened even more. Then, she burst outughing, attracting all the attention of the demons. The Dukes were no exception who were hiding behind their robes and masks. The whispers began to resound like flies. Meanwhile, Isaac remained silent.
After her stomach felt hurt, Lady Alyna stoppedughing.
"You''re so funny, buddy. I''ve never met a demon this confident before. You got my acknowledgement. What do you want?"
Isaac smiled. His n worked.
In his eyes, Duchess Alyna Agares was like a bored child. Since being born into the Nether Realm, she had never once met a demon who dared to oppose her. The Agares Family forged her into the best fighting knight. On the battlefield, she was like a killing machine.
Even Isaac needed to sacrifice thousands of Gavin''s monster troops to weaken the demon before he could defeat her.
Provoking her was a dangerous way. However, since during the event auction, violence was not allowed, Isaac was sure the demon wouldn''t dare to do anything like that.
Moreover, Isaac daring to provoke Alyna was not without any preparation.
"I want to build an alliance. I mean a real alliance. We are in an equal position, unlike other demons."
Alyna chuckled. "What do you have?" The curious look in her eyes was visible.
Just as Isaac was about to reply, the curtain on the stage suddenly opened wide. Asrieal''s figure seemed to be standing on the stage. All the attention of the demons was on the angel.
Asriel said, "Ladies and gentlemen, let''s start the auction."
Instantly, the mood of the auction hall changed.
Isaac smirked. He nced at Alyna.
"You want to know what I have, don''t you? Then, I''ll show you."
Instantly, a curiosity began to surround the female demon.
Chapter 60 First Bid
Isaac sat leaning back in a rxed manner, watching Asriel on the stage being bathed in the beam of light. Dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on the angel with various res; tense, impatient, and nervous.
Meanwhile, Asriel looked calm.
"You must have received an exnation before, but I will repeat it once more. The auction is a special event in the game, which is held once a year. Wide range of products; high quality items, monsters, terrain, bosses, artefacts are provided for you. Of course, only the highest bidder will get it."
Thest sentence of Asriel''s words caused whispers among the demons, while the angel just smiled. His eyes rolled over to observe the demons in the hall.
Until his eyes met Isaac''s. The two of them began to stare at each other, for a long time, as if he was attracted to Isaac.
Isaac just smirked.
"Let''s start with the first of the 100 products that will be auctioned¡"
All the attention of the demons seemed to be fixated on Asriel''s words. They gripped the armrests tightly, feeling impatient to see the first item to be sold.
The first year Auction stuck in Isaac''s head, he would never forget about the first product to be auctioned. All the demons were after it, including him.
''There are three products that I must buy. One of them is the first item of the auction.''
The floor of the stage opened, slowly, a four-legged monster trapped behind the bars appeared.
It had the embodiment of a bengal tiger with white hair and ck stripes. Its body wasrge, had sharp fangs dangling from its mouth, and zing blue eyes.
The monster went berserk, trying to break the shackles holding its body.
"A creature that was once glorified. The symbol of autumn. The tiger that protects the western part of the world. However, when it rages, the sky will turn dark and the storm will not stop. One of the five Spiritual Beasts, Byakko, the Guardian of the West Gate."
[Name : Byakko]
[Race : ???]
[Type : ???]
[ss : S]
[Level : 100]
The demons looked surprised. They didn''t expect the first product to be a Spiritual Beast.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. They held to their scoreboards tightly, preparing to make their first bid.
"It looks like you guys are getting impatient. Let''s start the auction of the first item. Price opens at 50,000 zen¡ª!"
"60,000 zenny!"
Before Asriel finished his sentence, a demon had already made an offer.
"Number 69 bid 60,000 zenny! Any other!?"
Then, the demon wearing a pig mask with fangs stood up.
"70,000 zenny!"
Asriel pointed at the demon. "Number 76 bid 70,000 zenny! Who else?"
"80,000!"
"90,000!"
"100,000!"
One by one the demons made their bids.
The Spiritual Beasts were one of the first creatures created by Absolute One. They were assigned to guard the Mortal Realm. Unfortunately, carrying out a rebellion by massacring the humans caused them to be imprisoned.
Now, they were ced back in the Mortal Realm and became part of the game.
They had much greater power than demons and angels. Even Duke ss couldn''t beat them without the system''s help. Besides, what made them special was that they could level up like humans and demons.
It was no wonder the demons wanted it.
The demons kept raising the bid price, and Asriel didn''t stop raising it. When the number of the bid reached 250,000 zenny, they began to doubt.
"It looks like the small fries have reached their limit."
Alyna muttered under her breath, but Isaac could hear her. The female demon then stood up while holding up the number te that read 53.
"300,000 zenny!"
Asriel''s mouth formed an ''o'' shape when he heard Alyna''s offer.
"310,000!"
"330,000!"
"355,000!"
The range of bids given was getting higher. It meant the Dukes were starting to push themselves. The small-scale demons could only bite their fingers. There were still 49 more products on offer. It was impossible for them to burn their money for a single monster.
A demon wearing a ck rabbit mask with a number 10 board stood up, bidding for a price.
"400,000 zenny!"
"Number 10 bid 400,000 zenny! There are more?"
The hall was silent. No one stood or made a sound. That meant they had given up on the first product.
Even Alyna could only remain silent while grumbling in annoyance. She had also reached her limit.
Isaac saw the behaviour of the demon sitting next to him and just smiled in amusement.
"Lady Alyna, you wonder what I have, right? Then, I''ll show you."
Alyna narrowed her eyes into mere splits at that statement. As if she couldn''t believe it.
Without hesitation, Isaac stood up.
"500,000 zenny!"
Instantly, all attention was on Isaac. The whispers began to echo throughout the hall.
On the stage, Asriel looked delighted.
"Ohoho! Number 99 is amazing! 500,000 zenny! Anyone want to bid again?!"
Isaac looked at the demon wearing the ck rabbit mask. Behind the masks, they stared at each other. After a while, the two of them sat down again.
"Byakko, the Guardian of the West Gate fell into the hands of Number 99! Congrattions!"
The curtain then closed.
A long sigh sounded beside Isaac. He turned his head to see Alyna with a look of defeat in her eyes.
"You''re amazing. You can spend 500,000 zenny on the first product. There are still 49 items left. I hope you don''t spend more than half of your wealth."
"1,789,192."
"What do you mean?" Alyna asked, not understanding Isaac''s answer.
"The amount of zenny I have now."
Alya''s eyes opened wide. She couldn''t believe what she just heard.
That was a fantastic number for the first year in the game.
No demon was capable of possessing such arge amount of zenny. Even the Dukes.
The average demon had 600,000 to 800,000 zenny up for auction in the first year.
The demons needed adjustments to produce zenny optimally, and it took 12 to 18 months, depending on the demons'' ability to manage the dungeons.
"Do not lie to me."
"It''s up to you to believe it or not."
Isaac smiled in satisfaction, letting Alyna fall into disbelief.
In this first auction, he had done two great things.
First to prove to Alyna that he had power. The second was pping the face of his mortal enemy, namely a demon wearing the ck rabbit mask.
That demon was Gavin Bael.
Isaac knew that the demon really wanted Byakko. Thus, he waited until thest second to get it.
''It feels very satisfying, but this is only the beginning, Gavin.''
Asriel opened the curtain again. The attention of all the demons was fixed on the stage.
"Let''s start with the second product!"
Chapter 61 Dark Fate
A silver armor with gold embellishments on its surface reflected the gleam of the beam of light. Several demons looked amazed when they saw it.
[ss : B]
[Type : Artefact (Body shield)]
[An artefact created by the dwarves, made of extraterrestrial material. It has high durability and density.]
"Silvermoon, a silver armor created from the dead stars. Forged by the dwarves and received magic spells from the High Elf. There are only a few who have this armor."
Asriel''sst sentence caused an uproar in the hall.
"Prices open from 20,000!"
One of the demons stood up and held up a te number.
"25,000!"
"Number 43 bid 20,000!"
After that, the other demons followed suit.
p "30,000!"
"40,000!"
"45,000!"
Alyna, who saw another demon targeting the item, began to show some interest. She was about to pick up the number te, but Isaac quickly stopped her.
"What?" asked Alyna with an annoyed expression on her face.
"If I were you, I wouldn''t offer my money for a B-grade armor te."
The female demon narrowed her eyes, showing curiosity.
Isaack looked into her eyes with a firm determination. "Believe me."
In the end, Alyaplied. She didn''t know why, but she could feel the sincerity in Isaac''s words.
The demons kept fighting over each other, trying to bid the highest price. After the bid touched 175,000 zenny, the price just stopped rising.
"Silvermoon fell into the hands of Number 21! Congrattions!"
The Demon who won Silvermoon looked satisfied.
Isaac just smirked at him.
''His bad habits haven''t gone away.''
It needed precision when buying auction items. The items and monsters that were auctioned were of high quality, but most of them had no special function.
The auction host was very good at ying with the auctioneer''s emotions.
He understood the greedy characteristics of demons. He only said what needed to be said and gave exaggerated intonations so that the items being auctioned seemed valuable. That way, the demons would be interested in buying it.
''Angels never lie, but they also never tell the whole truth.''
The auction went on, item after item, monster after monster; all sold at high prices. The dukes hiding behind their masks and robes dominated the purchase of products that had special value, while the mere demons only got crumbs.
Isaac was just bidding without buying. Apart from enlivening the auction, he wanted the dukes to think that he had lost a lot of zenny after buying Byakko.
In the 17th product, he bought an artefact ring named ''Strange Pendant''. As the name suggests, the effect given by the item was quite strange, making the demons not interested in bidding on it. So, Isaac only spent 20,000 zenny to get the item.
Until, they were at the 35th product item.
"This is the next product to be auctioned."
A full armor set with a sword appeared. All parts of it were pitch ck like ink. A dark aura radiated from the item.
"This is thebat gear used by the legendary warrior during the Great War II in the Nether Realm, Diablo F. Lux. It was said that his armor used to be dark grey in color, but because there were a lot of demons dying in his hands and their blood sttered on the armor, it caused it to turn pitch ck. You can feel the terrifying aura emanating from this armor set."
The demons quickly gave off their greedy gazes.
Isaac was no exception.
[ss : S]
[Type : Artefact (Armor set)]
[The formerbat equipment belonged to the former legendary demon warrior, Diablo F Lux. The terrifying aura radiating from it is from the blood of the in demon.]
[The user''s entire stat will be increased by 30 points.]
''I have to get it.''
Asriel quickly opened the price.
"Dark Fate, this legendary artefact, is not just an ordinary item. So, the opening price is quite expensive. Starting at 75,000 zenny!"
The first demon to bid was Alyna.
"100,000!"
"Number 53 bid 100,000 zenny! Any other?"
The other demons didn''t want to lose. They started offering prices.
"110,000!"
"115,000!"
"120,000!"
They kept bidding for the highest price. However, the price skyrocketed even more when the dukes began to interfere.
"300,000!"
"Wow! Incredible! Number 02 Immediately bid double the highest price."
"325,000!"
"400,000!"
Asriel looked excited to hear the bidding price that the demons eximed. His smile grew wider when Alyna became the highest bidder.
"500,000!"
"Number 53 bidd 500,000! Highest price so far¡ Who else wants to bid again?"
Alyna nced at Isaac with a worried look on her face. She was worried that the demon next to her would make an offer. And her worries were right.
Isaac stood up.
"600,000!"
WOAAAH!
An uproar filled the hall. Again, precious and special products fell to the same demon.
"600,000 zenny? Anyone else want to bid?"
Asriel peered at the demons in the hall. He kept his mouth shut for a while. No demon showed any signs of being able to exceed that budget.
"No one else can bid. Dark Fate, the armor set of the former legendary warrior, Diablo, falls into the hands of Number 99! Happy!"
Isaac quickly sat up with a smile on his face. Alyna seemed to give off an unpleasant aura.
"Looks like 1.7 million zenny isn''t bullshit. Congrattions, you have stolen valuable items," said Alyna in an annoyed tone.
"Thank you."
The aura of annoyance was not only shown by Alyana, but the other demons also showed the same reaction.
ss S was the rarest ss, because the effects given were very significant. There were never any items or monsters with a high ss for sale in the shop. It was natural for the demons to be jealous of Isaac, who had two ss S products at the auction this time.
Isaac was sure that if the auction didn''t oblige the demons to wear a mask, he would have be the target of other demons.
''Now, only one more important item remains.''
The auction continued again. The demons quickly moved on.
The rest products were monsters. Most of them were B-ss monsters; such as elves, dwarves, dragon-born, or drakes. There were only two A-ss monsters up for auction; High Elves and Dark Knights. They belonged to the Boss type.
It could say that there was nothing special until all the auction products were sold out.
"Thank you for participating in this delightful event, Demon Lord. I hope that many of you will survive until next year."
After Asriel delivered his final words, the stage curtain closed. The demons rose to their seats and quickly left the hall. Some of them seemed to be ncing at Isaac.
There was a look of curiosity and worry in their eyes.
"You win, ck-mes haired Lord. I''ll be waiting in the banquet hall," whispered Alyna. The woman didn''t say much. After that, she quickly left with another demon.
The auction hall was empty. All the demons had left the hall. Only Isaac and the empty chairs remained.
"Lord¡"
Abigail''s voice came from the front door of the hall''s exit.
"Please leave the hall."
Isaacplied with Abigail''s request. He and his guardian angel left the hall of the auction.
After they arrived at the dressing room, the figure of an angel who was the host of the auction was standing in the corner of the room. He crossed his arms in his chest and looked at Isaac with a disapproving look.
"So, what does Lord Isaac Constantine want from me?"
Isaac just smiled at Asriel''s expression.
Chapter 62 Alliance
"I''m sure Abigail has conveyed my message to you."
Isaac took off his mask and ck robe. His appearance returned to its original state. The ck me hair disappeared, it was reced by the bone white colour haired.
Meanwhile, Asriel was still putting on a displeased expression on his face. He told Abigail to leave the room.
After there were only the two of them, then Asriel opened the conversation.
"In all my life in the Heaven Realm, I''ve never met a demon, not even from the ss of Duke, to talk about the position of the Knight Leader of Heaven. Suddenly, my servant came with a message from a Baron, saying that he would help me upy the highest position in heaven? What makes you think I would be interested?"
Like demons, angels had their own position in the Heaven Realm.
If in the Nether Realm there were many rulers, then in the Heaven Realm there was only one, namely the Absolute One. This strongest entity had a Heavenly Army consisting of millions of angels.
The thirteen strongest of them were called the Knights of Heaven. Every single one of Heaven''s Knights led at least one million angel warriors.
The Knights of Heaven were a terrible scourge for demons. They were on par with the reigning Dukes of the Nether Realm.
Asriel was one of them.
"Every living being has its own desires. No exception to the angels who are submissive to Absolute One. I''m sure you really want that."
Isaac replied in a rxed tone.
Meanwhile, Asriel clicked his tongue in annoyance. His eyes, that shone with displeasure, were getting worse. He didn''t like to be read, as if Isaac had seen his whole mind. He had never been treated like this before.
Then, he approached Isaac. There was no trace of an angel''s friendly face at all, only a t expression and an intimidating look.
"Don''t mess with me, Demon."
Isaac showed a friendly smile. "Calm down, Asriel. I''m here to help you. I''ll make you the Knight Leader of Heaven, recing Gabriel."
Like Gavin Bael, Gabriel was an angel who had the strongest resources among the Knights of Heaven.
"What can Baron-ss Demon Lords do?"
A threatening aura emitted from Asriel. Isaac felt a tremendous amount of pressure, just like when he faced the Duke. He controlled his breath, trying to stay calm.
There should be no violence in Eden Pce. Asriel wouldn''t risk his position by attacking Isaac.
"You question my capabilities, but you''re still here. Wouldn''t you rather ignore my message?"
"Because you jeopardized my position! Saying that you will help me to take the ce of the Knight Leader of Heaven is like rebellion! Do you think it''s a joke!?"
The smile on Isaac''s face vanished. He looked into Asriel''s eyes with a serious expression.
"I''m always serious about what I say. You will not fall, you will be at the top. Now, did you want to hear my offer or not?"
Instantly, the tension disappeared from Asriel. The two of them didn''t say a word, just stared at each other, as if trying to read each other''s minds.
"First, I want to hear how you helped me."
Isaac smiled.
''Oh, Ariel. You''re still as desperate as ever.''
In his previous life, in the fourth year of the game, the host of the auction was reced by Lauriel, one of the Knights of Heaven.
ording to the rumours that Isaac heard, it turned out that Asriel had cheated during the auction. He sold the auction products to the demons before the auction started. He charged a price five times higher than the opening price.
His goal was to get more zenny.
In the Heaven Realm, zenny did not act as a currency, but as a measure of contribution to the Eden Pce. The more zenny they had, it meant the better their performance was.
The amount of zenny affected their ranking. From one to thirteen, Asriel was second. Right under Gabriel.
Their zenny difference was quite thin. That was why he risked himself by cheating in the auction.
Isaac then began to exin his n to Asriel. The angel listened carefully to every word uttered by him.
He seemed to be frowning for a long time.
"This method requires arge amount of money. Are you sure you can rival the Dukes in producing zenny?"
An arrogant smile appeared on Isaac''s face. "I bought two S-ss products. The dukes didn''t."
Asriel was silent again, then he nodded.
"Okay. Then, what do you want in return?"
Isaac smiled so widely that his lips almost touched his ear
"I just want two things. First, you have to give me a list of products to be auctioned off. Including the details of the product."
Asriel nodded. "That is easy. Then, what''s the second?"
"I want a Soul Taker skill scroll."
After hearing that, Asriel''s eyes opened wide. He couldn''t believe what he had just heard.
"You forgot your ce, demon. It wasn''t an arbitrary skill that could be simply handed over. Besides, the skill can only be owned by the angel of death," Asriel replied while shaking his head in refusal.
"I''m not saying you have to give it up for free. I''ll pay for it."
One of Asriel''s eyebrows arched. It was easy enough for him to understand Isaac''s intentions.
"How much do you offer?"
"300,000."
"400,000," Asriel replied.
"350,000."
Asriel was silent for a moment. "Deal. But remember, you shouldn''t use this skill haphazardly."
Then, the two shook hands. They both got what they wanted.
"All of your things will arrive in the dungeon."
Asriel called Abigail, telling her to apany Isaac back to the banquet hall.
.
.
.
The banquet hall looked dested, there were no demons showing the bridge of their nose. There were only golden portals and dishes on the table. They had returned to their dungeons.
Isaac walked hand in hand with Abigail.
''Has she gone too?''
From behind, a voice called out to him. He turned and saw four demons. One demon resembled a male human form, the other was a goat-headed demon, and finally it was a graceful woman with hair as red as blood.
They walked over to Isaac.
"You''re the ck me-haired demon earlier, right? You take quite a long time."
Alyna seemed to have run out of patience. Her eyes fell on Abigail, then she snorted.
Isaac understood the situation, he allowed Abigail to leave.
"You have bad taste as a Demon Lord," the goat-headed demon quipped.
"You''re telling us to wait here long so you can make love to that disgusting creature?" The male demon seemed to have an expression of disgust at Isaac. "Lady Alyna, should we include this Baron?"
Alyna was silent, ignoring the words of her subordinates. She folded her arms while looking at Isaac from head to toe.
"Baron Isaac Constantine. 99th out of 108. I''ve heard rumors of a stupid Dungeon Master who almost lost his dungeon. And apparently¡ he managed to buy a Spiritual Beast and a legendary armor set. Even knowing my identity easily. You really are a great surprise."
"Thank you, Lady Alyna," Isaac replied with a genuine smile.
Meanwhile, the two demons behind Alyna looked surprised to hear their master praising Isaac. Even them, who were in the Earl-ss didn''t get it.
"But that''s not enough to prove yourself."
The two demons behind Alyna smirked at their master''s statement.
While Isaac only arched his eyebrows. He didn''t think this would happen. After impressing her, he thought the rest would go smoothly.
If Isaac would only be the duke''s subordinate, just like the other demons, he might have been unconditionally epted by the alliance created by Alyna. However, he asked for more than that.
''It''s not easy to get a position equal to a Duke in the alliance. But if it was this easy, it wouldn''t be fun either.''
A grin appeared on his face.
"Am I stillcking?" Isaac asked.
"You''re really good at managing the dungeon and have a lot of confidence, I''ll admit it. However, this game isn''t just about getting a lot of points, but a life-and-death battle. I need a partner who is really capable of managing troops."
Isaacughed inwardly. He wanted to show his memories of the past.
Alyna continued her words. "For now, we''re in an alliance. But if by the next year''s auction you haven''t hit rank 50, our alliance is over. This isn''t an order, it''s a demand."
The Demon Lords could rank up by defeating other higher ranked Demon Lords. Isaac had conquered many dungeons in his previous life.
This was not a difficult thing for Isaac.
"Alright, I ept this demand. I hope you keep your word."
Alyna smiled with satisfaction. She extended her hand and Isaac took it.
An alliance had just been formed!
Just as they were done with their business, unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes were watching secretly.
Chapter 63 Byakko
[The Labyrinth, 3rd Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
In a dark and spacious room, the sound of crashing and booming could be heard, deafening people''s eardrums.
Pippi hid behind his master while trembling in fear. A giant white tiger with ck stripes seemed to be raging in a cage. The white tiger monster was incessantly wing and smashing against the iron bar.
"Demon! Get me out of here! How dare you lock the Great Byakko in a cage?! I will destroy you!"
In all her life, Pippi had never seen a monster that behaved ferociously before the Dungeon Master.
Meanwhile, Isaac looked calm. There was no fear or worry at all on his face.
He knew that Byakko would act like this.
Although the Spiritual Beast was very strong, it was not easy to tame or control. After all, before bing a monster locked up in a cage, it was a being that was considered majestic.
This was one of the negative sides of buying monsters or items from the auction. It was like a double-edged sword, each item or monster had consequences that brought advantages and disadvantages.
''This is a risk I have to take. Hard work awaits me.''
Isaac sighed.
He walked over to Byakko. Instantly, the monster attacked Isaac with its ws. If it wasn''t for the cage, Isaac''s body might have been torn apart.
"Hey, demon¡ let me go! Release me from this damn cage!"
Byakko kept trying to get free. At the same time, it also tried to grab Isaac.
"I''ll let you go, but on one condition."
Instantly, Byakko stopped its rampage. A cold breath that sounded like growl flowed from its nose.
"Don''t expect me to be your ve. Only death awaits you."
Then, the white tiger monster went berserk again.
"No, I won''t ask you for that. I want us to make a bet."
"A bet?" Byakko was not interested in the words of the demon in front of it.
Isaac nodded.
"We will use the old method. We will fight, the loser must obey the winner."
Byakko was silent. Its yellow cat eyes red at Isaac intently.
"Demons like to break promises, just like humans do. How will I know you''re telling the truth?"
Isaac shook his head. "I am a Demon Lord, a noble of the Nether Realm. I always keep my word. I, Isaac Constantine, swear in the name of the Constantine Family; if I ever break my promise, I will withdraw from the battle for Earth."
Byakko snorted. "I don''t care about your battle. I want you to keep your word."
Isaac nodded.
"Alright, I ept the bet."
Byakko''s tone was soft, but enough to scare Pippi, who had been hearing it.
Meanwhile, Isaac just smirked.
"Good."
Isaac opened the cage door. Byakko stepped out, the air suddenly turned cold and a deadly aura filled the room. Pippi was shaking with fear, but she couldn''t move. Her feet were stuck.
The white tiger monster walked around Isaac. Its eyes were fixed on him, as if it saw a prey it could pounce on at any moment.
"You''ve been confined for a long time, haven''t you? Get used to moving."
Byakko snorted. "I don''t have to."
"Then, give me some time to prepare."
The white tiger monster didn''t answer, it passed him just like that.
Isaac took that as approval.
''Foolish arrogant monster¡''
He walked over to Pippi. The little girl looked pale. She knew the level difference between her master and the monster.
"Lord, are you sure you will do this?" Pippi gripped his hand.
"Everything will be fine. Don''t worry."
Isaac wasn''t a fool who jumped into a fight he couldn''t win. Everything had been taken into ount by him.
He opened the inventory, then took out a full armor set; it was jet ck and emitted a terrifying aura.
[ss : S]
[Type : Artefact (Armor set)]
[The formerbat equipment belonged to the former legendary demon fighter, Diablo F Lux. The aura radiating from it was thanks to the blood of the in demon.]
[The user''s entire stat will be increased by 30 points.]
Isaac quickly put it on. Instantly, he felt power coursing through his body.
''Incredible!''
Ding!
A notification sound was heard.
[The effect of ''Dark Fate'' is activated.]
[All yer stats are added by 30.]
[Artefact contains curses. If the yer wears Dark Fate for too long, it will damage the user''s soul.]
[The time limit is 20 minutes. Adjusted to user''s level]
A 30 stat increase per stat was the same as a 50 level increase. There were always consequences of great power, especially cursed items. Isaac was well aware of that.
He checked his status.
[ Isaac Constantine - Lv 75]
[ Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[ Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger]
[ Skill : 2/3 ]
[ Strength : 50 (80) ]
[ Magic : 140 (170) ]
[ Constitution : 66 (96)]
[ Dexterity : 83 (113) ]
[ Perception : 80 (110) ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 20 ]
A smile bloomed on Isaac''s lips. However, he still needed one more item to prepare.
A silver ne in his hand. On the pendant, there was a small mirror in the shape of a triangle, the size was only a thumb.
[ss : B]
[Type : Artefact (Pendant)]
[A mysterious artefact created by magicians. Any user will experience an anomaly.]
[The ''strength'' stat will be exchanged for ''magic'' and the ''constitution'' stat will be exchanged for ''dexterity''.]
Isaac quickly put the pendant on his neck. He felt something strange in his body.
[ Strength : 170 ]
[ Magic : 80 ]
[ Constitution : 113]
[ Dexterity : 96 ]
[ Perception : 110 ]
This was the strange effect of Strang Pendant.
Most demons focus more on one area; between melee fighters or mana users. They only focused on one or two specific stats to keep the damage they dealt optimal.
That was why no demons were that interested in this artefact.
However, Isaac was a little different. He was an all-rounder type fighter; he was flexible and could use any weapon.
With the ''Strange Pendant'', it was possible for him to optimize the damage of each attack, both physical and magic.
"Now, I''m ready."
Isaac walked up to Byakko full of confidence, even though the monster was emitting a murderous aura.
"Demon, you have an interesting toy. I can taste death from you. You didn''t even carry a gun in this fight. You seem very confident."
"I''m very confident," Isaac replied casually.
Byakko snorted. Its killing aura grew even more intense. It felt belittled.
Actually, Isaac didn''t look down on it, as he said, he was confident of winning this fight. He just didn''t want to hurt his new soldier before he could use it.
Isaac still kept one trump card behind his arm.
"We''ll start on the count of three," said Isaac. However, Byakko was silent.
Pippi, who was watching the battlefield from the side, seemed to tremble. Between worry and fear. The little girl wanted to call off this fight, but she knew nothing could stop her master''s decision.
Isaac started counting.
"One¡"
His legs were ready to dash forward.
"Two¡"
He would immediately attack Byakko when the count was over. A surprise attack was the key.
''The sooner the fight is over, the better.''
Isaac smirked.
"Th¡ª!"
Swooosh!
Before the count of three was finished, suddenly the figure of his target had disappeared first. For a moment, he was covered in question.
''What¡?''
By the time he realized what had happened, his body felt a violent impact, as if a truck was hitting him.
Bang! Thud!
A loud bang could be heard. Dust scattered in the air. After that, it was followed by the screams of a little girl''s voice.
"Lord!!!"
Chapter 64 Taming
After seeing her master being cheated, Pippi spontaneously jumped in front of Byakko.
"Ugly monster! You cheated! Lord hasn''t finished counting yet, but you''ve already attacked him. Shameless bastard!"
The little girl pointed at the face of the white tiger monster. Her tiny hand was shaking, yet she tried to ignore her fear.
Meanwhile, Byakko looked down at her, as if she was just a lowly being not worthy of its attention.
"You are merely a being created from a bunch of energy. Your existence is nothing more than a parasite. How dare you call me shameless? Since when did I agree that the fight starts after the count of three?"
"That is the basic rules of a duel! Are you stupid!?"
Pippi''s words were like igniting gunpowder. Instantly, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt a terrifying aura from Byakko.
"Heeek¡ª!"
Pippi was about to scold it once more, but her words stopped in her throat.
Byakko walked slowly towards her. Its eyes glowed like moonlight. The air around her turned cold and piercing. It brought its face closer to Pippi. The little girl seemed to be shaking in fright.
"If you were really alive, I would have devoured you."
Pippi fell silent, only swallowing her own saliva.
Then, Byakko''s attention was distracted. Its eyes narrowed when it felt a very strong presence.
A demon figure d in ck metal emerged from the scattering of dust. There didn''t appear to be any signs of injury. A dark aura enveloped him.
Pippi saw the figure of her master immediately smiled.
"Lord!"
There was no answer from Isaac. He just walked slowly towards them.
"As a demon, you''re pretty decent. Even if he''s hiding behind that old junk," Byakko said quietly. A tone of contempt could be heard from every word that came out of its mouth.
Isaac was silent, ignoring the tiger''s words. He touched Pippi''s shoulder. The little girl was startled. Her hair stood on end. She could feel her master''s mood.
"Get out of the way, Pippi. Don''t interfere."
"Okay, Lord!" Pippi ran quickly. For the first time, she didn''t want to hug Isaac.
Byakko chuckled. "You''re mad, huh?"
Once again, Isaac ignored Byakko''s words.
"This is my fault. I shouldn''t treat animals like civilized creatures. I''m too soft¡ too soft because this wild beast can think. I should have whipped it, so it became an obedient animal."
Byakko''s four legs gripped the ground until they crumbled.
"Fuck! You look at me like a circus tiger. You''re looking for a pro¡ª"
BANG!
A hard fistnds on Byakko''s face. The white tiger monster was blown back two metres.
ROAAARRRR!
Byakko roared with anger. The gravel and shards of rubble around it floated up. Without another word, the monster wed at the air. Then, the air in highpression shot out like a thrown knife.
sh! sh! sh!
Isaac quickly dodged the air de.
Thud!
The cold-wall around copsed, leaving a sh mark. The brown dust scattered.
Byakko quickly shot out like a bullet to pounce on Isaac.
"RAAAAWWWRRGH!"
Isaac managed to dodge. He quickly attacked by throwing a barrage of fists at the monster''s body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of metal and bone shing boomed loudly.
Byakko roared, as if dozens of warhammars hit its body. Of course, it didn''t stand still. The monster retaliated with its ws.
sh! sh! sh!
Every w that Byakko swung releases the air des capable of slicing through various objects. The walls of the room crumbled.
Isaac kept his footing. He didn''t back down or tried to keep his distance. He continued to suppress Byakko, not giving the monster time to breathe.
Papapapa! Papapapa! Papapapa!
"Raawwr!"
Then, Byakko roared in pain.
Isaac realized his opponent was getting weaker, quickly took advantage of it. He grabbed the tiger monster''s neck, then strangled it with both arms.
Byakko tried to break free, attacking in multiple directions. The hall shook as if it was about to copse because of its rage.
Pippi watched the battle with an astonished face. All this time, she had thought that the Dungeon Master didn''t engage in battle.
Now, she saw with her own eyes that her master fought valiantly.
"This is amazing. Pippi will always remember it."
However, this was only half the show.
Byakko was getting more and more trouble having a hard time breathing. Its chest felt tight and its body became limp. The thoughts of death shed through its mind.
"N¡ no¡ no!"
His eyes glowed. Then, the air around him slowly spun. Over time, the airflow got bigger and created a vortex of wind.
""Raaa¡wrrg!"
Four whirlwinds swirled and danced. Rock shards, debris, and dust flew wildly in the air.
Isaac could feel the wind as if pushing him. His body felt pressured by the immense force, but he persisted. He realized that if he let go, it would all be over.
''I have to endure it!''
Swoooow! Swooosh!
A typhoon urred inside the hall.
The whirlwinds was getting crazier, tearing up everything around him. Pippi screamed. Her body was being sucked into the whirlwind. It was fortunate that her body was made of energy, so she would get injured.
While Isaac was on the defensive, a notification sounded in his head.
Ding!
[Dark Fate''s usage took more than 15 minutes.]
"Keeguh!"
Isaac gritted his teeth. The time limit for using Dark Fate was about to end. The longer the time passed, the more his soul felt like it was blended with the cursed armour attached to his body.
Luckily, the wind flow began to weaken. Byakko started to stop struggling.
''Here it is!''
Suddenly, the tornado stopped spinning. He quickly released his grip.
Thud!
Byakko then copsed. The tiger monster drooped weakly, looking helpless. If Isaac was still strangling Byakko, it would have been dead.
"I lose¡. demon¡"
Hearing that, Isaac smiled triumphantly.
"Based on our deal, from now onwards, you will be my servant."
Byakko looked silent. This angered Isaac.
"Answer! Or I''ll kill you now!"
A few minutes ago, he was toyed with by a Spiritual Beast. They were famous for being a cunning creature, but they wouldn''t go back on their word. Isaac wouldn''t repeat the same mistake.
Byakko blinked. "From now on, I will serve Isaac Constantine as my master."
With this, Byakkopletely became Isaac''s ve. After Byakko took its oath, a notification sound could be heard.
Ding!
[Congrattions! You, the Dungeon Master, sessfully tame Spiritual Beast - Byakko!]
[Tittle ''Master of the Wind'' obtained!]
[Effect: Magic power and wind element resistance increased by 60%!]
[Magic stat increased by 10!]
The smile on Isaac''s face grew wider. From the start, he was aiming for this title.
''I''ve got one.''
However, Isaac still wasn''t done.
"As a form of proof of loyalty, so that you don''t turn away, I will take one of your fangs."
Byakko could only surrender. He couldn''t do anything about his new master. Now, Isaac''s will was its will.
The Spiritual Beast opened its mouth, Isaac saw this as a sign of approval. He was holding one of its fangs, which resembled tusks.
"Get ready..."
Saat!
Blood flowed profusely as Isaac pulled out the Byakko''s fang.
Byakko that was originally fierce looked gloomy right now. For a tiger, fangs were the crown. Losing fangs was tantamount to losing some of his pride.
Meanwhile, Isaac seemed to think otherwise. He smiled triumphantly. Not only he got a new Spiritual Beast and title, he would have a new toy.
Chapter 65 New Form
Her hair was long and white. A bright blue crescent moon seemed to glow in her eyes. There were three transverse stripes on her cheeks. They were violet, like the w marks.
Pippi could not blink at the sight of Byakko''s new form which resembled a goddess.
"Wow, why don''t you just use this form from the start? You don''t look scary," Pippi said innocently.
The little girl was about to touch Byakko''s face, but her hand was immediately pped by the tiger.
"Aw!"
"Get your hands off my face, you little thing!"
"Eeeeek¡ª!"
Isaac quickly pulled Pippi back. He knew that if he let them for one more minute, a fight would happen.
In front of Isaac, Byakko lowered her head. She looked embarrassed, and Isaac understood that.
After losing one of her fangs, Byakko''s spiritual power was reduced. She couldn''t maintain her true form for long.
Besides, her level also dropped.
[Name : Byakko]
[Race : ???]
[Type : ???]
[ss : S]
[Level : 65]
In Isaac''s eyes, Byakko was like a cat that dared to scratch her master with her ws. Therefore, he purposely weakened her so that she could be tamed.
''Spiritual Beast is different from normal monsters. I need to improve the rtionship between us.''
Isaac told her to stand up. Byakko followed his orders, but she still didn''t dare to look her master in the eyes.
"There''s no need to be nervous. I won''t kill you."
"Thank you, Lord. I promise I will never betray you."
Isaac snorted. "I never believe people who im to have never betrayed someone else. Prove your loyalty with actions."
"Yes, my lord."
Later, Isaac assigned Byakko to be Pippi''s assistant in managing the dungeon. Of course, Byakko was surprised to hear that. She wouldn''t mind having to serve under Isaac directly, because she had sworn allegiance to him after all.
Being a servant and losing her fang was already a great disgrace. Now, she had to be a subordinate of a subordinate? If not bound by the oath, Byakko would have chosen to kill herself.
However, everything had already happened and couldn''t be changed again. She didn''t have any choice but to say, "Yes, my lord."
Meanwhile, Pippi looked very happy. She didn''t expect to have a servant. Never had she heard of the Dungeon Manager having an assistant. She thought she was the only one.
Then, the happy smile turned into an evil smile.
"Hehehe¡"
Isaac did this for no reason. The dungeon only had three floors. He felt there was no need to put Byakko in one of them. The existence of a single Spiritual Beast on a low floor could destroy the dungeon.
Byakko was too strong for humans to deal with right now, even in her weakest state.
Besides, the aura released by Byakko could destroy the ecosystem. The low level monsters would be frightened by Byakko''s presence. They would continue to hide instead of hunting humans.
At least Isaac needed to upgrade the dungeon to Floor 5 to make her a warden.
Thus, he temporarily entrusted Byakko to Pippi.
"Pippi, I leave Byakko to you. From now on, he will be your responsibility. Understand?"
"Understood, Lord!" Pippi posed a salute.
Isaac nodded.
''Good. Now it''s time to make a new weapon.''
Then, Isaac''s body turned into light and broke apart like a firefly.
Pippi and Byakko remained on the spot.
Pippi looked at Byakko condescendingly. A mocking smile appeared on her face.
Her hands hung on her waist. "Did you hear what the Lord had said earlier? From now on you will be Pippi''s assistant. You have to obey every order Pippi gives you, understand?"
Tak!
"Ow!"
Byakko smacked the little girl''s forehead.
"Your forehead isn''t red. I''m sure it was pretty hard, but you''re still in pain. Is it only the Lord who can leave that kind of scars on your forehead? Interesting."
Pippi''s face turned red. She was angry, yet she did not understand what Byakko meant.
"Damn it! What are you doing? How dare you¡ªAw!!"
Byakko pinched Pippi''s cheeks.
"Listen to me carefully. Don''t order me. Don''t talk to me in a high tone. Don''t mess with me. Only the Lord canmand me. You understand, little shit?"
Pippi didn''t answer. She tried to get rid of the pinched on her cheek, but Byakko''s pinch got stronger instead.
"You understand?!" snapped Byakko.
"Yes-! Pippi understands."
"Good."
Only then did she let go of her pinch. She smiled broadly, satisfied that she had taught a creature that dared to be so impudent to her.
Pippi could only surrender while stroking her cheeks. Her revenge n failed before it even started.
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[Grasnd, 2nd Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
The forge that stood in the middle of the grass seemed to be filled with a sea of people. They were all in fullbat gear; some had gathered to rest, some had stood in front of the forge to queue up for orders.
Even in the vicinity of the forge, the tents were set. The number was not only one or two, but tens. The upants were seen doing activities such as cooking and conducting briefings.
This sight really caught Isaac''s attention.
''A humanmunity formed from just a small cksmith''s forge? This is really crazy.''
Isaacughed inwardly.
He had expected that the 2nd Floor would be the most visited ce by humans, but he didn''t expect it to go this far.
He could feel the atmosphere of peace.
''Let''s see what''s inside.''
Isaac was really curious as to what the developments in the forge were like. He then moved towards the ''smallmunity'' of hunters.
People seemed to ignore him. There were many humans of various races here. No one thought that Isaac was a demon. In their eyes, Isaac was like a European.
When he broke into the queue, a hunter got mad at him.
"Hey, damn it! Don''t just break through, wait in line!"
Isaac was surprised. There were humans who dared to yell at him. He only saw the face of the male hunter who scolded him with a t expression on his face. The other Hunters were also annoyed by him, but they kept their mouths shut, not wanting to interfere.
Isaac knew humans had a queuing culture, but he didn''t have time for long queues like snakes.
The Hunter continued to scold him, but Isaac just stood still. There was no way he would kill because of human stupidity and ignorance.
Then, a dwarf came.
"Fuck! What is this fuss!? If you want to fight, just get lost!"
"He''s trespassing on the queue at will."
The dwarf turned towards Isaac. It was about to get angry, but after knowing who he was, the dwarf quickly gulped. It hit the hunter''s testicles instead. The man copsed and writhed in the grass.
"You bastard! He''s a special guest. He''s free to queue up." The dwarf turned towards Isaac with a friendly face. "Please, Mister,e with me."
Then, the dwarves guided Isaac into the forge.
Seeing that, it caused quite a stir among the Hunters.
"Damn it, who is he?"
"Special guest? How did he be a special guest?"
"I wonder what the dwarves owe that man."
The whispers of gossip echoed like flies. They didn''t stop making noise until Isaac entered the forge.
Once inside, Goyo, the tribal chief, greeted Isaac. He offeredpliments that reeked of pleasantries.
"Does the Lord need help running the project again?" asked Goyo with a big smile on his face.
Isaac nodded. "Right."
Isaac''s hand reached into the inventory, then he pulled out arge fang that resembled an elephant''s tusk.
"L-lord¡ don''t tell¡ this."
"Right. Spiritual Beast fang."
[ss : A]
[Type : Item]
[The fang of one of the Spiritual Beasts, Byakko the West Gate Keeper, has a high affinity for the wind element.]
Goyo was shocked when he received it. His hands were shaking. For dwarves, this thing was ssified as a legendary item. Getting it was almost impossible to think of in their heads.
"Lord, what do you want me to do with this thing?"
"I want you to make a greatsword. Heavy, solid, and very, very sharp."
Goyo nodded. Usually, a greatsword was created with very heavy weight, to get massive damage. "Yes, it''s possible."
"Good. How many days will it take?"
Goyo''s eyes nced up, while stroking his chin. "I think it will take me about three weeks."
"I want you to finish it in two weeks."
"Ugggh¡" Goyo took a deep breath, the air flowing through his teeth. "I''m sorry, Lord. For the best quality, it took us three weeks. That''s the fastest to finish. Plus, this fang was a legendary material. We need to be extra careful to get the potential out to its fullest."
Isaac sighed. He knew exactly what Goyo wanted.
"I will give you 1 quintal of mithril. Finish it in one week."
"Yes, my Lord, we will do it as soon as possible!"
Chapter 66 First Attack
After visiting the cksmith''s forge, Isaac noticed that human level development had increased significantly. On average, they were at level 25 to 35.
Besides, the humans were concentrated on the 3rd Floor. The hunters became more daring to explore the dungeon, showing that they had grown stronger. Even Asterious was starting to have a hard time dealing with humanspared to three months ago.
This level of growth couldn''t be separated from the role of Dwarf-made potions and weapons that speed up the process of increasing their level.
Of course, it had a bad impact on the dungeon. The humans were getting closer to the Crystal Core. Luckily, he had Byakko who was thest strongest defense in the dungeon.
On the bright side, the gain of zenny Isaac had gotten, tended to increase. Most hunters died due to the debuff effect of the treasure trap rooms scattered in the Labyrinth.
Even so, Isaac couldn''t sit still.
''I need to upgrade the 4th Floor.''
After returning from the auction, Isaac had 350,000 zenny left. There were still 650,000 less to add to the number of floors in the dungeon.
"Lord! Pippi bring them here!!"
Isaac snapped from his thoughts when Pippi called out to him. He stopped staring at the Crystal Core, his attention turned to Pippi who was apanied by Asterius and Byakko.
"Good, Pippi."
The reason Isaac gathered them was to prepare to invade the humans. In other words, the Dungeon Break.
After the past six months, the dungeon had a significant increase in visitors. To keep up with their strength, Isaac increased the poption of the monsters. For example, like when he asked the Goblin Shaman to cast a fertility spell on the female goblin.
The poption soared. Even before the auction started, the number of monsters in the dungeon reached 310,000; while his current dungeon capacity was only 300,000.
If the poption exceeds capacity, the system would automatically throw the monsters out of the dungeon.
Thus, Isaac wanted to do a Dungeon Break to reduce the poption of the monsters. He had to collect as much zenny as possible in less than a year.
Of course, Isaac''s decision would affect the dungeon''s ''friendly'' reputation.
Actually, Isaac could sell his monsters, but getting half the original price wasn''t a good choice. He needed to update with more powerful monsters, considering the humans were starting to pose a threat.
''I have to earn more than 5 million zenny for next year. Or my agreement with Asriel will be ruined.''
Invading human settlements was his best option right now.
Isaac observed his two trusted generals. Then, his eyes fell on Byakko.
"If you were given 5000 troops, would you dare to lead it?"
Byakko narrowed her eyes. There was doubt on her face. "I''m sorry, my lord. To be honest, I have never led an army in my life. Since I was created, I can take care of myself. I don''t need troops. No one has ever been able to match me other than my lord and Uriel."
Isaac nodded. He already knew that Spiritual Beasts were individual beings. They had no experience in socializing, let alone leading the troops. But still, Isaac had to offer to give Byakko a chance. Then, his attention turned to Asterius.
"How about you?"
Asterius seemed to think for a moment. "I''m pretty confident, my Lord."
''As expected.''
Isaac sighed.
"Pippi, gather the troop of 30,000 monsters. 10,000 troops consisting of low-ss monsters on Floor 1. Then, the 5,000 middle-ss beasts and the rest are up to you. Gather them all on the 2nd Floor. Make sure no humans are seen at the gathering location."
"Okay, Lord!" Pippi replied. She quickly turned into light and then disappeared.
Byakko and Asterius remained. Isaac walked over to them. He handed Asterius a box of mid-grade potions. The minotaur was surprised to receive it.
"80 middle grade potions. This is your supplies to lead the raids into human settlements. You will lead 15000 of the best monsters in the dungeon."
Asterius'' eyes opened wide when he heard thatmand. He quickly knelt down.
"It is an honor to have this order directly from you, my Lord. I, Asterius, swear by all the minotaurs that I will not let you down."
"Get up¡ and prove it."
Asterius got up. Isaac patted him on the shoulder. Instantly, the minotaur''s expression looked proud.
"Go, get ready."
"Yes, my lord!"
After Asterius left the Crystal Core room, Isaac looked at Byakko.
The nervous look was painted on Byakko''s face. She lost her confidence when she wasn''t in her true form.
Isaac grabbed both of her shoulders, and Byakko was taken aback.
"Your task will be the most important thing. Asterius and I will be outside for a few days. The dungeon would be very vulnerable during the raid on the human settlements. I want you to protect the dungeon."
"Yes, Lord," Byakko replied, lowering her head.
Isaac then ordered Byakko to stand guard on the 3rd Floor.
''The troop preparations areplete. Now I have to prepare myself.''
Since the hunters were already getting stronger, Isaac needed to upgrade hisbat gear. Using Dark Fate in the human world would be too eye-catching.
He opened a shop, then bought some new artefacts.
[You bought the artefact ''Tyrannical Long Mantle (D)'']
[You bought the artefact ''Elpis Goddess Gift Ne(C)'']
[You bought the artefact ''Jekyll & Hyde (D)'']
20,000 zenny had been lost for the 3 new artefacts.
[ss : D]
[Type : Artefact (Coat)]
[An outfit made of mithril material. Lightweight and resistant to sharp object cuts.]
.
[ss : C]
[Type : Artefact (Ne)]
[A ne created from the tears of the goddess. Divine power radiates from the pendant. Mana consumption will be reduced by 25%]
.
[ss : D]
[Type : Artefact (Pistol)]
[A pair of pistols belonging to a famous treasure hunter. The bulletse from the mana of the user. The bonus of the magic damage is 20% of magic stat.]
Isaac''s appearance changed. A dark blue coat enveloped his body right now. A silver ne with a blue pendant hung around his neck. Finally, a pair of ck and white deagle pistols were holstered at the waist.
''I''m ready.''
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[Grasnd, 2nd Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon]
30,000 thousand monster warriors gathered on a vast expanse of green grass; some of them were wearingbat gear, some were wearing nothing, some were crawling on all fours. They all lined up neatly, facing their superiors.
Isaac rode on a giant white bear, with Pippi sitting beside him. Meanwhile, Asterius seemed to be standing right next to them. He was wearing new battle armor. On his shoulders hung arge axe and club.
"My soldiers, do you know why I gathered you here?"
The monsters fell silent. They knew, but they were not sure about the answer. Pippi only told them that their master asked them to gather to attack the humans.
"We gathered here to ughter humans!"
"GRAAAAWRRRR!"
An orc roared, the other monsters followed.
Isaac raised his hand. For a moment, they were silent. He looked at his soldiers.
"We''ve always been patient, letting them roam around here and take what they want. However, the more we let them do anything in this dungeon, they keep taking more and more. Until they finally cross the line."
Whispers began to resound in the air. Isaac could feel their emotions starting to ignite because of his words.
"Do you remember? About five months ago, 5000 human soldiers came just to finish us off. For no reason, they came, attacked, and killed our family. Our family, our friends; they were ughtered like cattle."
"Yeah right! They killed my wife!"
"They killed my brother!"
"Graw! Graw!"
Their emotions burned. They were hysterical; invoked anger, disgust, and hatred. What Isaac said reminded them of how human greed had taken their family''s and friends'' lives.
For them, it was a nightmare that would never go away.
"Thanks to your toughness, we were able to beat them back. However, instead of giving up, they got more and more crazy. Every day, the number of humans who came was increasing. They kept taking our possessions; again and again. They kept shedding blood to satisfy their greed. ."
Isaac was silent for a moment, letting his soldiers burn with anger. Then, he put an angry expression on his face.
"It is time for us to fight! It is time for us to rise! They are the ones who ask for this, not us! Let us show our strength! The power of the dungeon!"
The ground shook. The sound of the angry shouts of the monsters echoed in the air. The orcs pounded their chests. The goblins continued to pound their weapons on the ground. The gnolls kept on roaring, shouting warcry.
All the monster warriors were burning with fighting spirit. Isaac smiled contentedly at it. He managed to ignite their morale.
"Lord is great. Pippi also wants toe, too bad I can''t," said Pippi.
As a being born from a Crystal Core, she was bound by the dungeon. She couldn''t leave her house.
Isaac then rubbed the little girl''s head.
"Take care of the dungeon while I''m away."
Pippi nodded. Then, she quickly descended from the white bear''s body.
Isaac''s attention returned to his soldiers.
"Everyone! Come with me! Let''s show them the nightmare!"
"Yeah!"
Isaac moved, then his soldiers followed suit, carrying hatred and murderous intent.
Chapter 67 Sirine
Right on the tripoin border, previously, there was a river that separated North Korea and Russia. However, since the dungeon''s appearance one year ago, the surrounding structures were destroyed. It turned the river into a field within a radius of 20 km.
The border area was far from the city, making the atmosphere of the night at the dungeon guard post feel deste.
Captain Chang seemed to be rxing, eating noodles while staring at the rows of monitor screens captured by thetv. His subordinates in charge of monitoring looked bored; they yawned and asionally rubbed their eyes from sleepiness.
To ward off their boredom, some of them yed mahjong. Captain Chang would not scold his men, as long as they were not asleep.
This was the condition of the dungeon guard post at the border.
They had been in charge of guarding the dungeon for over a year. There was no incident that carries a serious threat.
The activities remained the same; looking at the monitor screen and seeing a group of huntersing in and out carrying the prey. The change was only the name of the day. There were no ''dungeon breaks'', no monsters trying to get out of the guardrail. Everything was safe and peaceful.
Their job, which should have been a noble role, turned into a tedious security job. However, thanks to this, Captain Chang and his men did not suffer like other soldiers serving in other dungeons.
"Ah! I lost again!"
A young soldier seemed to be hitting the table. The mahjong blocks flew in the air. The three soldiers sitting at the same table just looked at him with surprised expressions.
"Why am I so unlucky today?!"
"Your heart is not pure. You should go to the temple to pray everyday," quipped one of the soldiers. He scooped up the money that was scattered on the table.
The other two soldiers who had also lost had wry expressions on their faces.
"You trash!"
Tak!
The young soldier was in pain. A pair of chopsticksnded on his head.
"Hey! Noisy! Who told you to gamble? Clear the table, back to work!" Captain Chang eximed in annoyance.
"Understood, sir!" the four soldiers replied in unison.
"Get me new chopsticks!"
The soldier who won the bet replied Captain Chang with enthusiasm. He quickly left the control room. Meanwhile, three of his friends picked up the mahjong blocks.
Within this unit, no one could refute Captain Chang''s words. He was the highest in charge of the dungeon border post, the first to notify the central government in case a dungeon break urred.
Then, a soldier who was watching the monitor suddenly stood up.
"Captain! M-monsters!"
"There are monsters approaching? Call Squad 88, send the soldiers to clean them up."
Since thest three months, the monsters that came out of the dungeon and approached the guard post had begun to be seen frequently, but there weren''t many. There were only one or two. If any of them came, usually the guard post sent a squadron of soldiers to chase them away.
However, this time was different.
"N-no, Captain! This isn''t the usual stray monster! There are a lot of them! It''s t-thousands!"
After hearing his subordinate''sst sentence, Captain Chang put his noodle bowl on the table and quickly dashed towards the soldier. He wanted to confirm with his own eyes. As he looked at the monitor screen, his eyes opened wide.
Three thousand monsters consisting of goblins, kobolds, gnolls, and other small-sized monsters were seen flocking to the guard post.
"Damn it!"
Captain Chang quickly pressed the red button in front of him. Sirens sounded, and red light filled the entire room.
Captain Chang grabbed the mic.
"Warning soldiers! Alert Level 5! This is not a training simtion! I repeat, alert Level 5! It''s a dungeon break!"
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.
.
Isaac breathed the fresh night air. The sound of sirens echoing from various directions tickled his ears.
"Looks like they''ve started moving¡" A smile appeared on his face.
He was currently 100 meters away from the dungeon entrance with some of his warriors. Asterius, Isaac''s general, who had been standing beside him, seemed impatient to jump into the battle.
He didn''t understand why Isaac didn''t just charge right away. With the current number of troops, he was confident he could finish off the humans in an instant.
The minotaur wanted to ask, but the question stuck in his throat. He was afraid of being mistaken for doubting his master. If Asterius was Pippi, he would have asked without hesitation.
On the other hand, Isaac noticed the oddity on the faces of his men.
"If something''s bothering you, say it, Asterius. I will not be offended."
The opportunity approached Asterius.
"Lord, allow your foolish servant to ask. We have 30,000 monster warriors. Not all of them are strong, but looking at the pitiful human defenses, it''s easy for us to finish them off. Why do we have to send 10,000 monsters, as if giving them a warning that we are about to attack?"
Isaac replied, "Like you have said. Our goal is to give them a warning."
After hearing his master''s answer, more questions lingered in Asterius'' mind.
In normalbat, a surprise attack that exerted full power was more effective than dividing thebat power.
However, Isaac''s target here was not only raiding settlements, but also farming.
No matter how many humans were ughtered, if it wasn''t those who experienced resurrection, he would only be left with crumbs. The results he got would not beparable to the monsters that would be sacrificed.
Thus, he sent his 10,000 monster warriors as a warning, to give them time to summon the hunters.
"Oh, I see. I understand now. What a great tactic."
Asterius smiled, satisfied to hear his master''s exnation.
In Isaac''s n, there would be three phases of attack.
The first phase was the warning phase. As he had exined to Asterius, he sent soldiers to give the humans time to summon the hunters. He sent 10,000 warriors; which were divided into three groups that attacked three different targets.
6000 monster troops stormed the Chinese and Russian guard posts, while the remaining 4000 invaded North Korea.
''North Korea has very few hunters. Their guard post must have the strongest military defense. But I''m sure they will be wiped out by my 4000 monsters.''
The second phase was the mental attack phase. Based on Isaac''s experience, the reinforcements would arrive within 1-3 hours at thetest. Considering the dungeon was in an area far from the settlements and guild headquarters, it was likely that the reinforcements would arrive in 6 to 12 hours.
If in the previous method, he used ''friendliness'', this time he used ''threat''.
Isaac would use this time to instill fear in humans. He would spare the humans to make sure they returned home with a terrible experience, so that the government would be more aware of his dungeon. With the hope that the government would ce a guild and paid hunters to guard around the dungeon.
Isaac had to make sure they suffered massive damage, but at the same time, he also gave them hope.
The reason he didn''t use this method long ago was because he wasn''t sure about the dungeon''s power yet. However, after getting Dark Fate and Byakko, Isaac was sure that no human would be able to prate his dungeon.
Thest phase was harvesting. The goal was only one, to ughter as many hunters as possible who entered his teritory.
''I should get a lot of zenny in this raid.''
Isaac smiled. He imagined the results he would get while hearing the sound of the gunfire and screams that went on and on.
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.
.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The muzzle of the gun continued to spit out thousands of hot bullets, the sound of which echoed through the night sky. The troops were constantly sweating and screaming.
"Shoot! Get rid of those damn monsters!"
"Reload! Reload!"
"Blyat!"
The Russian troops seemed to have a hard time defending against the endless monster attacks.
Even though they used thetest modern weapons capable of eliminating the monsters, they were still powerless.
Most of the monsters were small, and they moved quickly. Besides, the darkness of the night made it difficult for the troops to aim at the target. In addition, the limited resources; like ammo, was one of the problems they had to face.
Moreover, so far, no heavy weapons of mass destruction monsters could be created. Like it or not, they could only rely on the long-barrelled weapons in their hands.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thousands of bullets were shot out, but only one kobold was killed.
"Blyat!"
A squad seemed surrounded by dozens of kobolds. They ran out of ammo. It had been 4 hours since they were forced to fight against the onught of monster troops. At first, there were 50 people, but there were 15 people left right now.
"Lieutenant Yuri! One magazine left! I have nothing left!"
"We can''t hold out much longer! We must retreat!"
The remaining squad members were getting overwhelmed.
"Don''tin, you bastard! If we retreat, all the wounded soldiers will die! You want them dead? Hold on as hard as you can!"
Hearing their superior''s orders, the soldiers returned to fire their weapons.
However, they did notst much longer.
"Kuagh!"
St! St¡ª!
Two soldiers died after the kobold weapons stabbed them in the head. The other members grimaced in horror at the terrible sight, one of them even screaming to their lungs.
"Petrov! Gregory!"
Therades who had been together for seven years died just like that. Lieutenant Yuri snapped at his remaining men to stay focused. They pulled the trigger again.
Until finally, thest pull stuck.
Cleak!
They ran out of ammo.
"Lieutenant¡"
A frightened, trembling voice sounded weakly in Lieutenant Yuri''s ear. He knew what would happen to them next.
From the start, Lieutenant Yuri was given orders to hold back the attacks on the front line for as long as possible. Actually, he thought and wished the same as his men, to run away, but their superior ordered him to stay put no matter what happened kept him in that ce. Holding on until help came. Like it or not, soldiers had to obey their superiors.
Besides, he realized, in war there have to be sacrifices to achieve victory.
"Nice to lead you to the end," Lieutenant Yuri said.
The hope in her subordinates'' hearts quickly disappeared after hearing that sentence. They didn''t reply to Lieutenant Yuri''s words, only swallowing their saliva in terror.
"Kraarrr Kraarrr!"
Meanwhile, the koboldsughed while watching their enemies resign themselves to death.
The kobolds charged at the poor human soldiers in unison.
Lieutenant Yuri closed his eyes.
Then¡
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gunshots boomed in her ears, followed by the goblins screaming and bones breaking.
Lieutenant Yuri opened his eyes slowly. When he saw who the figure was, a feeling of relief flooded her chests.
It was the figure of a tall, well-built man, wearing an elite military uniform. His face radiated a cold aura and showed no sign of fear at all. One of his hands was holding an SMG, and the other was holding a ck dagger. His skin was pale, and he had jet ck hair. In his mouth, there was a glowing cigar.
Lieutenant Yuri and his men gaped at the man.
"I... Ivan Fedorov¡" Lieutenant Yuri said quietly. He still hadn''t escaped from the grip of fear.
The man turned to Lieutenant Yuri and his men. He was silent for a moment, looking at their condition.
"Calm down,dies. HFD hase to the party. You better hurry home before these damn monsters bite you. Leave it to the rest of us. We''ll get rid of them."
Behind the man''s back, fifty uniformed soldiers were carrying weapons. In contrast to Lieutenant Yuri and his men who were terrified, their expressions looked bored, as if ughtering monsters was their daily meal.
Chapter 68 Clash
A white bird flew in the night sky. It looked like a crow, but it had white dove feathers. The bird had three red eyes on its head. Itnded in Isaac''s hands.
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Bul-bul]
[Type: Beast]
[ss: C]
[Level: 1]
"What information did you bring with you?" Isaac asked the bird.
"Their reinforcement squads have arrived, my Lord. There are about 2000 hunters who came from China and Russia brought 3000 elite troops. Meanwhile, in North Korea there are only 500 hunters."
Isaac nodded his head. After about four hours of waiting, fewer reinforcements had arrived than expected. Only the Russian troops came as ordered.
Before starting tounch attacks, he contacted Marshal Anatoly to send his 3000 best soldiers toe to his dungeon. Isaac hoped he would get 300,000 to 600,000 zenny from killing them.
Besides, he wanted to judge for himself the strength of the HFD, the special elite force, in the face of a dungeon break.
''Marshal Anatoly, you have helped me in the auction. As my gratitude, I''ll give them a little evaluation.''
Before the first auction started, once every month, Marshal Anatoly sent 1000 of his soldiers to be sacrificed in Isaac''s dungeon. Thanks to that, Isaac was able to earn a steady ie every month, between 100,000 and 250,000 zenny.
Now, he asked for three times the amount.
"Asterius, bring your 15000 monster to face China hunters. Use the troops wisely and don''t kill all the enemies. Hold on until more reinforcementse. Remember the goal of this mission. I will send further orders through the bird."
"Understood, my Lord," replied Asterius excitedly. His hands were itching. He had wanted to jump onto the battlefield since earlier.
"My warriors! Follow me! Let''s teach the humans who dare to oppose the Dungeon Master a lesson!"
"Graarrrr!"
The army of minotaurs and the other monsters answered in unison. Asterius along with his thousands of warriors quickly moved. The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the air.
After seeing his general depart for the battlefield, Isaac''s attention returned to his 5000 beast army. Chupacabra, lycan, lizardman, sabretooth, and four-legged monsters that resembled other beasts also couldn''t wait to jump into the battlefield.
Even though they were the least in a number of the rest of his troops, Isaac could see the bloodlust in their eyeballs.
"You want blood, don''t you?"
The monster answered with a roar. A flock of lycans howled in the night sky.
Isaac smirked. He wore the ''Demon Masquerade.'' Instantly, his hair turned into ck mes.
"Follow me!"
The giant white bear that Isaac was riding jumped up and ran across the grass. The monster warriors quickly followed their master.
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Tratatatatatta! Tatatatatata!
A scream followed by an explosion resounded. The automatic machine gun spewed hot bullets, until the muzzle of the weapon turned red from the friction of the heat. The monsters were killed, their bodies copsing to the ground, flesh and blood sttered along with parts of their bones.
"Die all of you!"
A female warrior bombarded the monsters with thousands of bullets. Her finger continued to pull on the trigger, even though her shoulders were shaking profusely from the shock of recoil.
After consuming a box of magazines containing 200 bullets, she then released the pull of the trigger.
"Reload!"
The woman changed the magazine right away. Then, a man in his fifties with a glowing cigar in his mouth backed her up. He finished off the monsters that tried to attack her.
"You''re wasting bullets, bitch. How many times have I told you to save your bullets until we find the Alpha?! I don''t understand whether you''re deaf or brainless."
The man spat on the ground after the blood of the monster sttered on his mouth. Meanwhile, the female soldier was still reloading weapons hurriedly.
"Understood, Lieutenant Fedorov."
Then another man came along, helping to withstand the monster''s attack. He had ck hair that was cut in a mohawk style. At first nce, his head looked like the head of a rooster.
"Mia is really stupid, Lieutenant. You tell her today and tomorrow she will forget about it again. It''s amazing how a creature like that could join the HFD."
The mohawk haired man clicked his tongue repeatedly, while finishing off the swarm of goblins and kobolds that charged towards them.
"Shut up, Chicken Head. You can only count to 10."
"Fuck you, Mia!"
"Benjamin, Mia, shut up. We''re in the middle of a battlefield! You stupid soldiers!"
Instantly, the two soldiers fell silent after Lieutenant Fedorov scolded them.
The pale-skinned man shook his head while shooting at the monster.
Although these two of his men were the most troublesome, among the 50 soldiers he led, these two were the strongest. Mia was a rank B hunter with level 34; while Benjamin was also in the same rank, but he was at level 33 right now.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Fedorov was a rank A hunter with level 38.
Before he became the toon leader in HFD, Lieutenant Ivan Fedorov was a member of the Russian Army. He had been involved in various missions, especially in the war mission in Chechnya.
After the dungeonnded on Earth, Fedorov experienced an awakening. His body was capable of releasing lightning that could destroy buildings and make the forest on fire in seconds. It didn''t take long for Marshal Anatoly asking him to join HFD.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Lieutenant Fedorov''smunications device vibrated. He picked it up.
For a moment, Lieutenant Fedorov''s face, which had rxed at first, suddenly stiffened. His men who saw the reaction also became worried. If their leader had a serious expression on his face, it meant that something terrible had happened.
"Something happened, Lieutenant?" Mia asked with a curious face.
Lieutenant Fedorov threw away his cigar butt.
"The Alpha has appeared from the west. The monster brought about 5000 troops. Twenty toons were holding them back. The rest are moving towards the location. We have to go there."
"Roger!"
His men answered in unison.
Lieutenant Fedorov then moved to lead 50 of his men.
After running for 30 minutes, they arrived at the battlefield in the west.
"What the hell¡"
Lieutenant Fedorov and his men were shocked when they saw the scene in front of them.
Dozens of monsters tore humans apart with their sharp teeth. The sound of bone and flesh grinding resounded, along with the terrified screams of humans and gunshots. A dark look of horror appeared on the soldiers'' faces. No matter how many bullets their machine guns spewed out, the monsters still devoured the soldiers as if humans were the most delicious food.
As far as they had experience through countless battles, they had never seen an army of humans ughtered like cattle.
From this fleeting sight, it could be seen that the HFD army was losing against the monsters.
However, what caught their attention more was the figure leading the monsters in rampage.
A masked figure with ck hair zing mes, seemed to be riding a white bear while shooting at the HFD troops who were fighting fiercely.
They had witnessed various types of monsters that had the structure of a human body, they would not be surprised to see that masked figure. However, what took them by surprise was the weapon the figure used. It was a double gun.
"Impossible¡" Mia muttered weakly, but Benjamin could hear the voice trembling in fear.
"That guy¡ I mean, that monster uses a gun? Has this happened before?"
Lieutenant Fedorov was silent. He quickly pulled out the two weapons wrapped around his waist.
"Whether it is a gun or a sword, the monster can still be killed. Let''s help another toon."
"Roger!" replied his men in unison.
After giving the order, Lieutenant Fedorov immediately jumped into the battle. He rammed into the lines of the depressed HFD troops shooting at the monsters who weren''t afraid to die. They were shocked to see a valiant warrior jump into the sea of monsters.
"Hyaaaaa!"
Trartatatatt! Traratatatatta!
His finger pulled the SMG trigger, thousands of hot bullets charged at the monsters.
"Kuaaagh!"
The bullets pierced through the skin and flesh of the monsters. Blood sttered everywhere. However, the monsters continued to lunge, as if preparing to throw their lives away.
His brow furrowed. "Impossible, it''s¡?" Lieutenant Fedorov could not hide his surprise. Only this time there was a monster that had been shot multiple times still attacking. From his experience of facing the dungeon breaks elsewhere, they were instantly killed. Of course, this raised a question in his head.
Three lycans and a horned ck bear covered in blood charged towards him.
"Blyat!"
He quickly threw away the SMG in his hand and reced it with a dagger.
sh! sh! sh!
Cold metal pierced and sliced through the monsters. Only then did they die.
Just as he was about to be blown away, a herd of chupacabra monsters charged towards him.
"Grrrrrar!"
sh! sh! St¡ª! The eight dog monsters were killed. A man with mohawk hair and a woman who had tomboy makeup saved him.
"Hehe! Was my rescue on time?"
"Shut up Benjamin, you''re ruining my show."
Lieutenant Fedorov was relieved to see his two trustedradese to help him. The old man smiled.
"Tch! I''m going to use my lightning if you guys don''te."
Then, another 48 soldiers came. They quickly got rid of the monsters around them.
"Sorry, we''rete, Lieutenant."
The lieutenant shook his head, signalling to his men that he was fine.
"Somehow, these monsters are immune to modified bullets. Use melee weapons to finish them off. Yugo, tell the other toon leaders about this."
"Roger!"
"How can they not notice? This is why I hate working with losers," Lieutenant Fedorov muttered in annoyance.
"Everyone,e with me!"
They quickly charged at the monsters. Since they knew the enemy''s weak point, they became more confident.
sh! sh! sh!
Monster after monster died at the hands of the Lieutenant and his men. They continued to break through the line of enemy defenses, slowly approaching the figure of the masked man riding the white bear.
As Lieutenant Fedorov and his men drew closer, the masked rider noticed their presence.
He quickly pointed the gun at them.
"Watch out! The Alpha!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
St! St! St!
In an instant, eight of Lieutenant Fedorov''s men died.
"Nooo!" Mia was hysterical at seeing herrades die.
Benjamin and the other men were bbergasted. They couldn''t believe what they had just seen. It was so easy for theirrades who had gone through dozens of dungeon breaks to be killed like insects by one monster.
They were allpletely shocked. However, not with their leader.
Instead of feeling stress, he put on a face full of anger. The blue aura that enveloped his body began to emit lightning sparks.
His men who saw the changes that had urred in their leader quickly stepped aside.
"Watch out! Lieutenant is about to go on a rampage!"
Blue lightning shrouded his body, then struck the surrounding monsters.
st! st! st!
"Kuaagkk¡ª!"
Dozens of monsters fell. The smell of burning flesh wafted in the air. Lieutenant Fedorov looked like a raijuu, his entire body covered in lightning sparks, while his hair stood on end.
"It looks like I can''t hold myself to fight you."
He looked at the figure of the masked rider. Their eyes met, looking at each other.
Lieutenant Fedorov took a stance, then he shot at high speed towards the masked rider.
Swoooowsh!
In less than a second, he was in front of the Alpha.
"Take this!"
Bang!
An enormous explosion boomed. Yellow light dazzled the eyes of those who witnessed it. At the same time, lightnings struck dozens of monsters in the vicinity.
Chapter 69 Soul
When he arrived at the battlefield, Isaac saw his monsters being beaten back by the human soldiers. They were bombarded with hot bullets, every part of their bodies and organs sttered on the grass. The scene he witnessed looked more like a massacre than a battle.
Yet, Isaac grinned from behind his mask.
He ordered all his monster warriors to charge forward. Five thousand beasts roared, shaking the air, before they finally dashed over the sloping ins overgrown with grass.
On the other hand, the human soldiers felt the ground shaking. They quickly looked for the source of the sound. Instantly, their eyes opened wide while looking at thousands of monsters with ugly forms rushing from the hignds.
"Watch out! The second wave of attacks ising!"
They stopped chasing after the retreating swarms of monsters. Instead of running away, they held their position and pointed their weapons at the enemies.
"You stupid monsters, you want to die, huh? This is no longer an ancient weapon."
They were confident in their newest weapon. Recently, HFD had developed thetest sophisticated weapons. It had been tested to kill various kinds of monsters that came out of the dungeons in Russia.
When the monster warriors led by Isaac approached, the human army quickly pulled the trigger.
"Uraaaaaa!"
Tratatatat! Tratatatatta!
Thousands of hot bullets came out of the muzzle of the weapon. They shot alternately, so they had time to recharge.
The bullets shot at high speed towards thousands of monsters. They believed that the monsters would be wiped out in seconds.
However, the opposite happened.
No matter how many bullets their guns spewed out, the monsters that had been shot rose to their feet again after falling to the ground. It was as if thousands of bullets that had pierced them only scratched against their bodies, not stabbed them. As time went on, the monsters drew closer, and the faces of the soldiers began to darken.
"Blyat! They''reing!"
As the monsters arrived at the vanguard of the human army, the gunshots began to be reced by screams.
"Kuaaaggkk!"
St! St! Stt!
The monsters went on a rampage. The lycans tore apart human bodies with their nails. A flock of chupacabra bit and ripped the stomach, expelling the organs of the humans. The lizard warriors shed the humans into two pieces.
Within seconds, the situation changed drastically.
Isaac didn''t miss the chance either. He shot the human soldiers who were trying to escape. The bear that he was riding also killed dozens of humans with its ws.
[You got 340 zenny!]
[You got 354 zenny!]
[You got 345 zenny!]
[You got 378 zenny!]
[...]
Notification sounds and human screams kept ringing in his head.
''Anatoly made good use of the skill scrolls I gave him.''
All of this could not be separated from the intervention of Marshal Anatoly, the highestmander in HFD. Isaac ordered him to arm the HFD troops with modified weapons. The modern projectile weapons they used would deal minimal damage when dealing with beast-type monsters. The low-level beasts¡ªbetween levels 5 and 15¡ªwould still be killed. However, when dealing with the high-level monsters, the weapon would bepletely useless.
The example was what had happened right now, the HFD troops were massacred. No matter how many bullets were fired, the monsters still continued to ughter the humans indiscriminately.
"Kuaaaak!"
The number of HFD troops began to reduce. They slowly retreated, while still shooting at the monsters.
Dozens of soldiers died every ten seconds.
St! St! St!
"Kuagh!"
However, their hope was still notpletely lost.
The reinforcements wereing. Hundreds group of ck uniformed troops also coloured the battlefield. And they didn''t just carry empty hopes. Gradually, they were able to suppress the monsters to the back.
There appeared a group of soldiers who were able to find the weakness of the monsters. Instead of using rifles, they used melee weapons. Thanks to them, the flow of the battle slowly returned to bnce. The human army began to show superiority.
Isaac smiled broadly.
''Hahaha¡ this is getting more and more interesting.''
His attention was fixed on one of the humans. An old soldier who looked like a veteran. It seemed he was in his 50s.
The old soldier was seen leading a group of troops, breaking through the monster defenses. He fought aggressively, armed only with a dagger. Isaac was sure that the old soldier had not used his ''skill'' at all.
What attracted Isaac to the human so much was the status information the man had.
[Name: Ivan Fedorov]
[Race: Human]
[Type: N/A]
[ss: S]
[Level: 38]
If it was another Demon Lord, they would definitely kill him. An S-ss human at his current level could at least give them 1000 zenny.
However, Isaac was different.
''Huhuhu¡ I''m so lucky to find another high-quality human. He even exceeds Guo Chen and Wang Mei''s potential. Howe I''ve never seen him before?''
Isaac kept an eye on the movement of the old soldier with his men. As their distance drew closer, he quickly shot eight of their men.
''Let''s see what skills he has.''
Bang! Bang! Bang!
[You got 322 zenny!]
[You got 340 zenny!]
[...]
After Isaac killed Fedorov''s men, anger started to flicker on his face. The electric sparks began to appear, and not long after that, the thunder bolts came out of his body and struck in various directions.
st! st! st!
Isaac''s eyes opened wide at the sight. The monsters around him died in a charred state.
''Wow! Incredible!''
Then, Fedorov gathered arge amount of lightning in his body. He seemed to be taking steps.
Isaac knew what happened next.
''Oh¡ here it is.''
In the blink of an eye, Fedorov suddenly stood in front of Isaac. In the old man''s hand, there was a ring thunderbolt.
But Isaac didn''t lose when it came to speed.
In that brief moment, he shot off his mount. Fedorov''s attacknded on the white bear, causing a violent explosion of lightning. The glint blinded the eye for a moment, then a barrage of thunderbolts struck the surrounding monsters.
st! st! st!
At least fifty monsters were killed by the explosion.
Afterunching the deadly strike, Fedorov looked pale, and his body was covered in sweat. His face grew paler when he saw his opponent''s condition, standing straight, without any scars or damage.
Not a single attacknded on Isaac''s body.
"No way," Fedorov muttered.
The attack earlier wasn''t his best, but it had consumed half the mana in his body at least.
"The Lieutenant has opened the way, there are no monsters protecting the Alpha! Attack!"
Suddenly, one of his men, a female soldier with a tomboy appearance, took the initiative to attack. She sped off with forty-ninerades.
Fedorov shouted, ordering them to retreat, but they were already in front of the target.
Isaac chuckled.
''Oh, there seems to be a mimunication. This is an opportunity to test the man further.''
Fifty soldiers in ck uniforms surrounded Isaac from various directions, then various attacks shot at him.
sh! sh! The sh of the fiery sword de shot out!
Bam! Bam! Bam! The swing of the warhammer and axe hit the ground!
Tratatattt! Trarartaat! Thousands of bullets came out of the mouth of the gun!
Meanwhile, their target seemed to stand still and didn''t move in the slightest. Isaac just stood like a statue, but no matter which direction and how many attacks came, none of them could hit her
"I-impossible¡" Fedorov felt horrified when he witnessed that.
Then, Fedorov''s toon stopped attacking.
"Damn it! What exactly is that monster?! He wasn''t hurt in the slightest." One of the mohawk-haired soldiers eximed.
Isaac drew the two dual pistols holstered at his waist and aimed at the enemies.
"Retreat!" Fedorov eximed.
Unfortunately, the warning was toote.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
St! St! St!
"No!"
Every single trigger being pulled, one life was lost. The elite HFD troops turned into lifeless lumps of flesh. Their blood sttered in the air, then fell onto the green grass like raindrops.
Fedorov became hysterical, brimming with emotions after seeing one by one his men die.
"HUAAAAH!"
Fedorov was in a rage. His body suddenly emitted a lightning spike on a massive scale. Lightning shed everywhere, even human soldiers were affected.
"Back off! Everyone, back off!"
The remnants of Fedorov''s men quickly retreated. Of course, this made Isaac feel unhappy.
''Tch! I have to end this ASAP. It can''t be helped. I have to use the new skill¡ªSoul Taker!''
Isaac was wearing the Strange Pendant. His stats changed quickly.
[ Strength : 50 (150) ]
[ Magic : 150 (50) ]
[ Constitution : 66 (113)]
[ Dexterity : 83 (66) ]
[ Perception : 80 ]
Fedorov shot up at high speed, grabbing Isaac. The grass he crossed was on fire.
Swooosh! Swooosh! Swooosh!
He shot several times, creating lines that cut through each other as the grass burned. The dagger in his hand barely scratched Isaac''s skin countless times.
"Ugh!"
Then, Isaac managed to catch Fedorov, right by the neck. The old man tried to break free, emitting violent lightning. Isaac then tightened his grip.
"Yes, go berserk with all your might. We are still on a different level."
His other hand turned into a shadow. Then, he punched the human stomach writhing in his grip.
"Keeeeughh¡"
Fedorov fainted. Then, the lightning instantly went out and his face turned deathly pale.
A shield came out of the human body.
''Oh, it turns out that your soul is in the shape of a shield. Interesting.''
A smirk appeared on his lips.
''If I pull it out, you''ll die. It''s a shame to throw you away.''
Isaac then returned Fedorov''s soul to his body. His face was colored again. The demonid the unconscious human on the ground.
Meanwhile, the soldiers were seen running away from the battlefield after seeing Fedorov being defeated.
"The head has been cut off. It''s time to take care of the tail."
Isaac called out to his monsters to catch up with the human army that was trying to escape. The monsters roared, then moved on to do their job.
The night was still long, and the battle was still on.
Chapter 70 Record
Isaac withstood the enemy attacks for two days in the area around the dungeon. During that time, the hunters were constantly dispatched to suppress the dungeon break.
A total of 6000 hunters were sent from China. None of them were from the major guilds, so they didn''t do anything to defend themselves. Russia sent 6000 hunters, abination of 3000 HFD troops and 3000 hunters from government-affiliated guilds. Meanwhile, North Korea as a whole was only able to send 1000 hunters.
South Korea had offered to help North Korea. Unfortunately, Kim Zhong-Euh, the current President of North Korea, refused their help. As a result, 4000 monsters managed to break through the defenses and invaded the human settlements. At least two port cities, Sonbong and Rason, had been taken over by the monsters.
This selfish decision resulted in the loss of 10,000 lives. Three-quarters of it were the civilians.
On the 4th day, the resistance given by humans was getting ck. The number of hunters fighting in the dungeon break was getting less and less. This made Isaac''s patience run out.
Isaac decided to make a move.
He then ordered Asterius to invade Chinese territory. The minotaur ancestor and his 15,000 warriors broke through the defenses at the border and marched to the north until they reached Hunchun City.
Meanwhile, Isaac and his less than 5,000 troops marched the Northeast, circling Golden Horn Bay to attack Russia''srgest port city, distovok.
He attacked the human city only to stimte the enemy, so that they would increase the number of hunters fighting in the dungeon break. During the raid, Isaac controlled his troops so as not to inflict massive damage. He didn''t want his farming fields to be destroyed.
Entering the 8th day, the invasion of Asterius''s troops in Hunchun City, forced the Chinese to muster their full strength. 10,000 hunters were dispatched to exterminate the monsters. Five of the ten major guilds were involved in that battle.
These included Nine Sky, Phoenix Armada, Fight Club, Blue Pegasus, and Blood Oath. Despite being outnumbered, they were able to push back the monster army.
Asterius lost three-quarters of his soldiers in one day. Isaac ordered Asterius to retreat on the 9th day.
On the positive side, Nine Sky''s reputation shone again after sessfully showing their fangs during the battle in Hunchun.
Wang Mei proved that the Six Star title was still worthy of her bearing.
Besides, there was one member of Nine Sky who caught the public''s attention after being caught on camera by a journalist who was filming the dungeon break in Hunchun.
That person was Aditya Khumar. The Indian immigrant man became a hot topic on the inte after his video of treating thousands of injured civilians alone. Thanks to his actions,izens called him the Dark Physician.
On the other hand, Isaac who was in distovok was attacked by 10,000 hunters who were abination of guilds in Russia. One of them was the number one guild there¡ªMirage.
The battlefield factor and being outnumbered by troops made Isaac and his troops the subject of pursuit. Besides, the Russian hunter troops also already know the weakness of the monsters.
Even so, Isaac managed to kill 4000 hunters, but he had to lose 1000 of his mosnters as the cost.
Entering the 10th day, Isaac withdrew all his troops and returned to the dungeon.
In this attack, a total of 40,239 people died, and 19,232 of them were civilians.
Of course, this event caused an uproar in the world. The news mentioned that the dungeon break happened on the border of North Korea, China, and Russia; it was the second worst event in history since the first dungeon break urred.
.
.
.
"Since the terrible incident happenedst week, Hunchun is still recovering. The government testified that the Hunter Association¡ª"
Beep.
The newscaster''s face disappeared after the television was turned off.
Xiong Li put the television remote on the table with a long sigh. His wrinkled face showed an expression of exhaustion.
"Am I too old for something like this? Should I retire?"
The old man leaned back while closing his eyes.
After the dungeon break incident that destroyed half of Hunchun City, the media in China reported that this error urred due to the Hunter Association''s dy in response.
Though this was not entirely true. The association had already dispatched affiliated guilds, but they were defeated easily. The requests for help were also sent to the major guilds, but no one was willing toe. They gave all sorts of reasons for refusing requests from the Hunter Association. After the situation became more chaotic, then the major guilds intervened.
The reason they camete was because they wanted to gain poprity from this incident. They wanted to be saviors, like superheroes.
At the same time, the government preferred to wash their hands. They controlled the media, putting all the me on the Hunter Association.
As a result, Xiong Li received various criticisms and insults.
"I''ve been trying to save as many lives as possible, but they''re ying with it instead," Xiong Li muttered.
Knock! Knock!
A knock on the door rang out, snapping Xiong Li who was deep in thought.
"Come in."
A handsome man appeared in a neat white suit. His hair was as ck as coffee on the back. He then gave a polite greeting to the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
Xiong Li nced at the figure of the visiting guest. After recognizing who the guest was, he quickly adjusted his seat and put on a smiling face.
"Hohoho, Ling Tian! What does China''s Number One Guild Master want here? Please, sit down."
Xiong Li greeted him cheerfully, but hisst sentence sounded cold. The man called Ling Tian replied with a smile.
"I came here to discuss an important matter with the chairman."
"Important? What about the Golden Dragon guild being unable to attend the Hunchun incident?" Xiong Li smiled sarcastically.
p "As the Golden Dragon Guild Master, we apologize for not being able to participate in the dungeon break. I was in the US at the time; I can''t allow my men to jump into a big event without my supervision."
Xiong Li nodded. He thought Ling Tian''s words were just bullshit. The Golden Dragon Guild was filled with the A rank hunters, enough to finish off the monsters from dungeon break.
The old man snorted.
"Then, just get on with the business. What thing do you want to talk about, Master Tian? Sorry, I can''t provide snacks or tea. I have a lot of work to do."
"It''s okay, Chairman. I just wanted to say something, and I will leave after that."
The young man took out a brown envelope from his pocket, then handed it to the Chairman of the Hunter Association. He opened the envelope. There were some photographs showing blurry portraits. At first nce, there were some people wearing entric clothes.
Xiong Li''s old eyes traced the photo.
"Who are they?"
Ling Tian shook his head. "To be precise, ''what''."
Xiong Li narrowed his eyes, still not understanding.
"These are photos taken inside the dungeon." Ling Tian pointed at the photos that were lined up on the table one by one. "Sao Paulo, New York, Tokyo, Jakarta¡ I got these photos from my connections in the US."
Xiong Li''s two eyeballs opened wide. "You mean¡ they are monsters?"
"No."
"The Alpha?"
Ling Tian shook his head.
The old man frowned. There were only two creatures to be found in the dungeon. Monsters and humans.
Xiong Li became curious.
"At first I thought it was Alpha too, but Alpha won''t move floors. They are more likely to stay in one area, except during the dungeon breaks. They are more like a head guard."
"You mean, there are creatures that are superior to Alpha?"
Ling Tian nodded. "Right. There is a supreme entity in the dungeon. Alpha and all the monsters in it are subject to this entity. The US government still doesn''t have an official title for these entities, but the people who managed to capture their photos call them as Dungeon Masters."
Xiong Li was at a loss for words. He tried to digest the information he had received. If their existences were widely circted in the public, it would cause a tremendous uproar.
It was no longer a disaster, but a war.
Then, he remembered, during the dungeon break, ording to the reports of the guilds involved that the monster attack on Hunchun was led by the minotaur. In North Korea, there were no signs of monsters showing dominance or giving orders, possibly no one leading the monsters, as if they were just following their instinct. Things like this had happened before, but it was very rare.
Meanwhile, ording to information from Russia, the monsters were led by a masked figure and had ck mes haired.
Chapter 71 Radiant Forest
After the dungeon break was over, Isaac earned 6.3 million zenny. The amount was quite fantastic for farming for 10 days. All of this couldn''t be separated from the strategic location of the dungeon and the role of Marshal Anatoly who had sacrificed his men.
[Dungeon Floors : 3]
[Monster Boss : 2/3]
[Poption : 278,000/300,000]
[Fund : 6,648,234 zenny]
Although Isaac also suffered significant losses, the price he paid was worth what he got.
Now it was time for Isaac to upgrade the dungeon.
"Pippi, I will be upgrading the dungeon. Help me build the 4th Floor."
No answer replied.
Pippi huddled in the corner of the Crystal Core Room. Usually, she would answer her master enthusiastically when her name was mentioned.
"Is something bothering you?" Isaac asked curiously.
"Pippi is grieving. Mister bear is dead. Yet, Pippi could not avenge his death."
Isaac sighed as he shook his head.
The mister bear was a giant white bear that Isaac rode during the dungeon break. The monster died in the middle of the battle, and the person responsible for its death was still alive.
Fedorov was locked up in a prison on the 3rd Floor. Isaac couldn''t control his mind yet because the Seed of Mind slot was full. Isaac needed to upgrade it first to increase the number of slots.
For now, Isaac was prioritizing the zenny allocation for increasing his dungeon''s power, considering that he was already making a big fuss in the outside world. The consequences would alwayse from every decision taken.
Isaac walked over to Pippi who was still huddled in the corner of the room. He stroked her head.
"Get up, Pippi. Mister bear wouldn''t be happy to see you sad like this."
Pippi lifted her head. "Mister bear is dead, those who are dead can''t speak. How could you know, Lord? Could the Lord see it?"
"Yes, I can see it. Every life I''ve ever taken continues to follow me, as well as those who died for me."
The little girl did not understand what her master had said. However, the stroking on her head was able to boost her spirit, and she got up to her feet again.
"Are you ready?" Isaac asked.
Pippi nodded her head.
Isaac smiled when he saw his assistant going back to work. He was gentle with Pippi because this job involved the dungeon.
''Let''s get started.''
Then, he waved his hand, opening the ''shop'' feature. A system window resembling a transparent screen appeared in front of him. It provided four options. He chose the ''upgrade'' option.
[Do you want to upgrade the dungeon?]
[Yes/No]
"Of course, yes,"
1,000,000 zenny reduced from Isaac''s pocket.
Ding!
[The dungeon upgrade process begins!]
[Estimated time: 60 minutes.]
Suddenly, there was a shock, as if an earthquake had urred. The shaking didn''t just ur in the Crystal Core Room, but in the entire dungeon.
Everyone in the dungeon could feel the vibrations resulting from the process of increasing the number of floors. The shaking would not stop until the upgrade process wasplete.
Since it was a first-time upgrade, it only took a short time. Once a dungeon had seven floors, the upgrade process could take days or weeks.
The process could be elerated by paying Zenny.
The shaking weakened as the countdown hade to an end. After waiting for an hour, the shakingpletely disappeared.
Ding!
[Processpleted!]
A smile bloomed on Isaac''s face when he saw the notification appeared in front of him.
"Let''s go to the next stage."
Isaac opened the shop again, then he bought a lot of monsters. This time, he didn''t hesitate to buy a lot of monsters and used the zenny he had collected.
[You bought 1x ''High Elf (A)'']
[You bought 500x ''Elf (B)'']
[You bought 1000x ''Treant (D)'']
[You bought 1000x ''Wendigo (D)'']
[You bought 1000x '' Bulvak (D)'']
[You bought 1000x ''Carnivor Pig (D)'']
[...]
In total, Isaac spent around 3.5 million zenny to buy his new monster warriors. The High Elf''s price was the most expensive¡ª500,000 zenny for one. Even though the High Elf was not a boss.
Isaac bought it because of the conditions that had to be met to create the elf troops. Without the High Elf, the elves would be like humans with ordinary magical abilities. This was a fact that few Dungeon Masters knew.
Then, he bought the terrain.
[You bought ''Radiant Forest (B)'']
Isaac spent 200,000 zenny.
After purchasing everything he needed, it was time to enter the development stage.
"Are you ready, Pippi?"
"Ready, Lord." The answer the little girl gave soundednguid.
Isaac frowned at her condition.
The process of building the 4th Floor was different from the previous floors. Isaac was worried that the little girl''s mood would affect the quality of the dungeon they would create.
He needed to give Pippi some motivation.
"After we finish constructing the 4th Floor, I will allow you to build a house for the bear family."
Pippi''s eyes opened wide. "Really, Lord? Including the honeybee house?"
Isaac nodded.
Only then did Pippi look excited. She had wanted to start a bear family for a long time. Isaac had known about it, even way back in his previous life.
"Pippi will do her job to the best of her ability."
The little girl turned into light and disappeared. Then, her figure appeared in the Crystal Core light projection. Pippi seemed to be standing in the middle of an empty, all-white space. She was on the 4th Floor.
"Let''s get started, Lord!" eximed Pippi telepathically.
Isaac smiled, his palms stroking each other. He then essed the control panel.
Ding!
[Inputting the ''Radiant Forest'' terrain on the 4th floor.]
[Loading the data]
[Processing¡]
[Finished.]
The all-white ce then turned into a wilderness. As far as the eye could see were lush green trees. The nts were bigger than usual. The mushrooms growing on the tree were the size of an umbre hood, the grass was almost knee-deep, and the leaves on the tree were as wide as a te of food.
Unlike other forests in the dungeon, there was never nighttime in the Radiant Forest. The terrain was a suitable ce for fye-type monsters.
"Pippi, help me change the structure of the forest."
Then, Pippi began to change the structure of the forest. Some areas of the tree were pruned, reced with rivers. Somend was dredged, to create a cave.
In addition, he also added decorative objects; such as fallen trees, mossy boulders, or bushes with colourful flowers.
While Pippi worked in the forest section, Isaac created a habitat environment suitable for the elves to live in.
Far in the east of the forest, he ced giant trees that had a diameter of 10 to 15 meters, with a height that could reach 30 meters. He created streams and nts that produce fruit around it, so that the basic needs of the elves were fulfilled.
Isaac did the work with great detail. He kept his eyes glued to the control panel window.
Chapter 72 Unwritten Agreement
After four weeks, the 4th Floor waspletely finished.
"Finally, it done!"
From the Crystal Core projection screen, Pippi seemed to lie down on the green grass. The light hit her face along with the shadows from the leaves of the trees.
Then, Isaac smiled broadly. He was satisfied with the results his assistant had created.
"Lord, Pippi''s job is done. Is there any other task you want me to do?"
Isaac was silent for a moment. "There isn''t any for now. You can rest. And if you want to meet your new bear family, I''ve already stationed them in the south."
Pippi''s eyes opened wide. "Is that true?"
"Yes."
She jumped to her feet. "Thank you, Lord."
Then, the little girl quickly ran happily to meet her new bear family.
Actually, Isaac still had one job for Pippi. However, after seeing his assistant had done a good job in creating the dungeon and with the expected results; he thought it was worth giving her a gift.
Isaac had principles in managing his men.
"Always reward the ves after achieving a great result. That way, they would work harder."
Ding!
A notification sounded in his head. When Isaac looked at notification he smiled widely.
[A request to talk from Baron Loke.]
"They must be so desperate to recruit lower rank demons."
Isaac was silent for a moment, not rushing to refuse or ept the request. He tried to recall the events of the second year.
''I''m sure there''s nothing special other than Red Night and the Easter Egg Hunt events. It must be about the hotzone.''
He had to be careful in every action he took. Since the dungeon break, several events beyond his past memories had appeared. For example, Aditya Khumar, who had the nickname the Dark Physician, instead of the Doctor with the Hand of God.
If he took a step far different from his past, or tried to create new events, the future would be different from his previous life.
Isaac was aware of this consequence. From the beginning, he really wanted to change the future. The path he took also had to be different.
He had already known many of the secrets of this game; legendary items, monster weaknesses, and even the characteristics of the demons. He simply worked harder and took one step forward.
Even so, he had to remain vignt when it came to dealing with the Duke. Right now, he still couldn''t face them.
"Let''s see what game they will y."
Isaac epted the call.
Then, the light of the Crystal Core grew brighter, projecting a man with ck hair and a pale face. Baron Loke still showed the same aura as when he met the demon at the auction.
Isaac quickly put on a friendly smile, as did Baron Loke. The two demons started ying their show.
"Look at our Baron this one. He''s been working really hardtely. Luckily, we demons can''t feel tired easily."
Isaac widened his smile. "Even if we get tired easily, we have to keep working hard."
"Only a few Barons have managed to upgrade to the 4th Floor so far. I have to admit, you are wonderful, Lord Constantine."
The smile on Isaac''s face faded slightly. From thepliment, he realized that he was being watched.
Then, the conversation started rolling. Baron Loke spoke politely and joked a few times. Behind his friendliness, he tucked in some questions to seek information.
"What are the majority of your monsters?"
"During the auction, what did you buy?"
"How much zenny do you get in a month?"
All the interrogative questions were wrapped in sweet words and friendly expressions.
Baron Loke wanted to find his weakness.
It was easy enough for Isaac to figure that out. One principle that Isaac applied in this second round game, never trusted anyone. especially to a demon who suddenly acted nice.
The nicer one''s attitude, the more dangerous the hidden intentions they hid.
"So, Lord Constantine, have you considered joining us? We are looking forward to your answer."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. His guess was correct. Lord Loke still wanted to recruit him.
During the auction, Isaac never showed himself making contact with any other demons. Even after the auction was over, he didn''t show himself to any other demons apart from Alyna and her two men.
Baron Loke still thought that Isaac had not established a cooperative rtionship with anyone.
''Ho¡ this is getting more and more interesting. There''s one thing I need to confirm again.''
Isaac smirked.
"But Lord Loke, to be honest, I am far from worthy of joining your alliance. You know, my dungeon has a bad history."
Baron Loke spontaneously arched his eyebrows. He was quite surprised by Isaac''s humble answer.
He thenughed. "Lord Isaac, I''ve always believed, every demon deserves a second chance. And you''ve proven it. You have conquered four human cities and killed many humans. You have a fairly wide area of ??power."
Isaac smirked. Now, he was sure that Lord Loke really wanted to recruit him.
"You are exaggerating, Lord Loke. I can''t even conquer a single city. The humans even repelled my warriors."
"Or you did it on purpose."
Instantly, the smile on Isaac''s face disappeared. That demon really read him.
While Baron Loke smiled. "Listen, Lord Isaac. I don''t mean to be your enemy. Honestly, I admire. You know how to keep a low profile and not attract attention. You use your resources perfectly. I want us to be on the same side."
Isaac was silent for a moment. He tried to think of what his enemy wanted and how he could take advantage of the situation.
''Let''s remember, what did Duke Barbatos want?''
Isaac reyed the memory in his head like a movie.
In his previous life, Duke Barbatos was obsessed with Mongolia.
The demons had an unwritten agreement in the game. Every territory that had been attacked, became part of the power of the demon who conquered it.
It was the same when Isaac attacked Hunchun, Songbon, Ranson, and distosvok. The city became his territory unofficially. The demons would be reluctant to farm in the area.
If a demon invaded an area that was already taken over by other demons, it was the same as asking for a war.
This would often happen after entering the third year of the game.
Chapter 73 Buffer
Duke Barbatos really wanted Mongolia because it was a ''hotzone''. A region without dungeons, yet there were many humans experiencing awakening in that ce.
Unfortunately, it wasn''t just Duke Barbatos who wanted the territory. Two Dukes based in Russia were also after that territory¡ªDuke Edric Vassago and Duchess Alyna Agares.
That was why Duke Barbatos was eager to recruit many demons by his side. He needed a lot of power to match the two giant demons.
After considering it for quite some time, Isaac finally made a decision.
"Alright, I''ll ''lend'' my power."
A wide smile appeared on Lord Loke''s face.
"But on one condition," Isaac added.
Baron Loke narrowed his eyes. "What''s that?"
"I want this to be kept secret. I don''t want to be in direct contact, especially during special events or auctions."
Baron Loke''s eyes opened wide, thenughed. "Haha, of course. It''s an easy thing."
Isaac smiled.
"Very well, Lord Isaac. Hopefully, our rtionship canst longer."
Just as Lord Barbatos was about to end the conversation, he remembered something.
"Ah, just a reminder. I hope you don''t do anything behind our backs. If so, I will be very disappointed."
A sharp gleam looked into Isaac''s eyes. Baron Loke tried to intimidate him, but Isaac didn''t want to lose.
"I hope you don''t doubt me either."
The two of them looked at each other. Not long after, Baron Loke''s project of light disappeared.
Isaac clenched his hand.
There were two dangerous decisions in this game. The first was to choose neutral. Not supporting anyone was tantamount to suicide. Demons had a tendency to target weaker enemies first. Those without the backing of power would definitely be the first targets.
The second was to be a double agent. The demons who did this usually ended up with their heads cut off.
Isaac was nning to infiltrate Duke Barbatos''s alliance.
Duke Barbatos was obsessed with conquer Mongolia. He needed men to face the two Dukes who were in Russia. Although it did not guarantee if he was got his trust. But Isaac bet on Baron Loke.
For now, he had no n to told Alyna about this. Their rtionship was still not strong enough. He need more gained trust. Besides, revealed his ns to others risked his intrusion being exposed.
.
.
.
In a dark room, a muscr, pomegranate-eyed demon seemed to be staring at the Crystal Core''s light projection.
"How did it go, Lord Loke?"
The demon in the projection shook his head. "He said he would join us, but he didn''t want to make direct contact during special events or auctions, Lord Barbatos."
Duke Barbatos narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"I''m not sure. But it seems he wants to appear neutral."
After hearing those words, Duke Barbatosughed loudly.
"Neutral? What kind of joke is this?" Theughter stopped. Suddenly, the look in his eyes changedpletely. "Is he ying with me?"
"I don''t think so, Lord. Every dungeon master has their way to protect themselves. He''s not going to mess with the Duke. Besides, with the current situation, I''m sure you need him."
Instantly, the anger that enveloped Duke Barbatos disappeared. Right now he was busypeting with Duke Vassago for Eastern Mongolia, while Alyna had also begun to show her moves to dominate Western Mongolia.
"Do i really need him? I know he had upgraded his dungeon to Floor 4, but I''m still not sure his dungeon defenses are strong. He sent 15,000 monsters to a small human settlement and lost against 10,000 hunters. He''s like the loser Gustav. It looks like he managed to upgrade the dungeon after saving his zenny for quite a while."
"I thought so too, Lord Barbatos. However, after seeing the news circting among the humans, the damage done by Lord Isaac seems to be massive."
Duke Barbatos snorted. "You believe in human nonsense? They''re stupid creatures. That Constantine boy could just kill people who didn''t experience awakening. You''re going too far."
Baron Loke was silent. He thought what Duke Barbatos said was true. However, he still couldn''t shake off his suspicions about Isaac. He had a feeling Isaac had something behind his back.
Therefore, he needed to bring Isaac closer to his reach by tying the man through an alliance. So that he could keep an eye on the Demon Lord''s movements.
"Even if he is weak, we need a buffer guarding the southeast area." Baron Loke had not given up on convincing Duke Barbatos. He knew his master wanted to recruit Isaac, but he was still upset.
Duke Barbatos arched his eyebrows after hearing those words. "What do you mean?"
"Lord Isaac''s dungeon is in a strategic location. He is directly opposite Earl Verzin''s Dungeon located in Japan. He served Duke Vassago. Despite being separated by oceans, I believe I can buy a wyvern or draconite within two years. We don''t need a strong dungeon. We just need him to warn us if they attack uster."
Duke Barbatos nodded. "You are right. Earl Verzin served Duke Vassago. The attacks cane from behind. We need an rm. We need him, but I still can''t ept him stealing from me."
The atmosphere became quiet. Both of them were silent. Baron Loke didn''t say a word. He waited for Duke Barbatos to consider his suggestion.
Suddenly, Duke Barbatos snapped his fingers.
"I have an idea. We make the loser Gustav and the Constantine fight each other. Let''s see if he worth to invest."
Duke Barbatos was still annoyed by the failure of the dungeon break in Beijing. Thanks to that, he still med Baron Gustav for his failure to control Inner Mongolia.
This was the perfect time to punish that fool.
"That''s right, Lord Barbatos. It''s a great idea."
Baron Loke agreed. He thought this was an opportunity to measure Isaac''s power.
"It''s going to be interesting. Didn''t Baron Gustav buy drake at auction? Order him to do PvP with Constantine!"
Then, Duke Barbatosughed loudly, imagining those two demons killing each other.
Chapter 74 Elf Village
[Radiant Forest, Floor 4, Isaac''s Dungeon]
Giant trees lined up. Among the thick leaves andrge branches were rows of wooden houses. A hanging bridge dangled, connecting one tree to another.
The pointed-eared creatures inhabited the ce. They had fair skin and silver hair. At first nce, they looked like humans, but if they looked closely, they looked too stunning to be called humans.
They were elves. The monsters in the dungeon were famous for their love of nature.
The elves seemed to be busy with construction activities. They hung in trees, creating shelter by building the log houses or hollowing out the trees. Some had built a connecting bridge. Above the ground level, they created walls by stacking therge stones.
The remaining few were riding on the deer-horned bears, transporting the construction materials and food stocks; such as fruit and water.
"The tubers are put in the warehouse. Fruits and water are put here."
A little girl riding a deer-headed bear seemed to be giving instructions to the female elves who were serving food for the others.
Then, the little girl looked up. She saw a white-haired man who seemed to be standing in the middle of the bridge, as if he was watching them all.
"Lord!"
She gestured ''ok'' at the white-haired man. He nodded, then the little girl smiled broadly for a moment and returned tomanding the working elves.
Isaac sighed at his assistant''s behavior.
''She has a talent for torturing the monsters.''
Right now, Isaac was supervising the settlement building process.
After visiting Goyo to request the making of a weapon on the 2nd Floor, Isaac saw a small humanmunity forming there. Even though the ce was just a cksmith''s forge.
From there, Isaac was inspired to create something simr on Floor 4. A livingmunity muchrger than a small safe zone that stood in the middle of a stretch of monsters; A ce that would be the centre of life in the dungeon.
Isaac would create an Elf Vige.
It would be different from the 2nd Floor which only provided one service in the form of a cksmith forge. Isaac would create many services from various aspects.
He would open a bar, shop, inn, alchemy shop, weapon shop; everything that could support human''s needs while in the dungeon. Isaac would make the Elf Vige a resting ce for hunters who were tired of hunting.
Of course, the purpose of creating this ce was not to make life easier for humans, but also to harvest them.
''In the human world, there is a guild, right? Then, I''ll create one in my dungeon.''
Isaac would create a guild, a ce for hunters to do the quests from the elves.
The Elf Vige guild would provide various types of missions from the hardest to the easiest. The higher the difficulty of the mission, the higher the reward they would get.
He would set the difficulty of the guild missions from Level I to IX.
Levels I to III were green category missions, where hunters who did it would have a high chance of survival. The mission''s difficulties in this category were just a gimmick to pique their interest; It was some kind of tutorial to introduce them to the missions.
Levels IV to VII were yellow category missions. These missions provided moderate difficulty, their chances of surviving these missions were 50/50. Those who were strong would deserve to live, while the weak would be harvested.
Last Level VIII to IX. Red category missions. Hunters who took these missions would be sent on a suicide mission. The chance of them surviving was 1%. These missions were the main trapped of Floor 4.
''It''s not a perfect n, but it''s worth trying.''
In his previous life, Isaac had tended to focus on killing humans by hunting them down. He never tried to deceive them.
They were too smart to deal with life and death situations, but they would be too stupid when it came to the pleasure of the world.
Isaac would lull them into the beautiful life of the Elf Vige, then pushed them to death.
To make this happen, Isaac needed to create a deathly area in the Radiant Forest. Its name was Dire Area.
During the construction of the 4th Floor, Isaac divided the Radiant Forest into two parts.
To the east of the forest was the bright side, a rtively safe ce for hunters at level 25 and above. Most of the monsters there were fye and ntae type monsters.
The ntae type monsters were cheap and most of them tended to be harmless. They had a weakness against the element of fire. Dungeon Masters usually used the ntae-type monsters to maintain the forest and increase the mana content in the dungeon.
While fye was a monster that had a high affinity with mana. Most of them were monsters who had high intellect. They were skilled in magic and very terrifying in massive scale battles.
The only weakness of them was that they were very expensive. An elf used to eat 5000 zenny, one-fifth of the price of a dwarf; even though they were in the same ss. Besides, their breeding time was quite long, giving the Dungeon Master a headache if many of them died.
While the east side was light, then the west side of the forest was the opposite, it was darkness.
The western area of ??the forest was a polluted area. Isaac instilled a poison that damaged half of the Radiant Forest''s territory. The light was hard to enter that ce and the mana content was very low; a terrible ce for magic type hunters. The resident monsters were beasts. The humans who took the Elf Vige guild quest wouldter be sent to the Dire Area to meet their death.
It could be said that the Dire Area was a ce of human ughterhouse.
''I put monsters level 35 to 45 in the Dire Area. It seems they are enough. For now, Floor 4 doesn''t need to have a dungeon yet.''
Isaac smirked at the thought of his n.
He observed the elves who were busy building the settlements. Actually, he could order Pippi to do it, but he felt the elves needed work to practice their social skills.
''The elves are almost simr to humans. The higher their intellect, the more individualistic and arrogant they be.''
His eyes remained fixed on the elf.
Just as he was lost in thought, he felt a harmonious aura approaching him.
"My lord, you really like this ce."
Isaac turned.
A beautiful woman in a blue dress smiled sweetly. She had golden hair like wheat with pointed ears poking out of her strands of hairs. Her sky-blue eyes looked at Isaac with a warm gaze.
Anyone who saw her would fall in love at first sight.
Chapter 75 Jade And Beauty
"Adelia."
When Isaac called out her name, she quickly lowered her head while lifting up her dress slightly, showing respect like a member of royalty.
[Name : Adelia von Koeningswald]
[Race : High Elf]
,m [Type : Fye]
[ss : A]
[Level : 30]
Isaac looked at the High Elf from head to toe. The woman was close to the beauty of the Nether Realm noble daughter. Just without the arrogant aura.
"I am truly honored that the Dungeon Master supervised the construction of the Elf Vige. As the Vige Chief, I am ttered."
Isaac hissed. "Yes. But I want you to reduce your formality. You lead a small vige of only 500 lives, not an empire. I want you to rx a bit, because you will meet a lot of neerster."
"Eh¡ª" Adelia was surprised. "Yes, Lord. I won''t do it again." She immediately changed her speech and intonation.
Isaac nodded his head.
If this was his first time meeting a High Elf, Isaac would definitely be surprised.
High Elf had extraordinarymunication skills. They were able to change attitudes quickly; gestures and intonation of their speech. It was as if they had been trained since childhood. This was one of the advantages of High Elf. They knew how to position themselves when dealing with people who had high status.
High Elf was a creature that was very suitable in terms of diplomacy. They could reconcile hostile monsters in the dungeons or face humans. Of course, only the creature with intelligence could be affected by the High Elves. Meanwhile, monsters were wild and had no intellect, their abilities wouldn''t work on those monsters.
Some of the Dungeon Masters used High Elf only to strengthen the elf warrior''s ranks. The monster had the ability to amplify various elemental magic. It could at least increase 50% damage from its original magic power.
In a massive scale battle, the first monster to be targeted would be the High Elf. They were support for the damage dealers.
However, Isaac used it in a slightly different way.
''She has extraordinary beauty and ethics. Humans will surely like it.''
Isaac would use Adelia''s charm to lure the hunters, especially men. The hunter jobs filled with fighting the monsters definitely put a lot of pressure on them. Adelia''s appearance would be a breath of fresh air.
Besides, their animal instinct to survive would make Adelia a perfect ma.
''I need to change her appearance. Noble clothes are elegant, but simple clothes will bring their own charm. Men tend to get closer to what they can achieve.''
Isaac smiled broadly at Adelia, while the female elf looked surprised at her master.
"Is there something wrong with me, my lord?" Adelia asked awkwardly.
"Yes, there is. Your appearance needs a makeover."
Then, Isaac called Pippi through his telepathy. The little girl who had been busy instructing the elves suddenly appeared in front of Isaac in a salute pose.
"Pippi is here. Ready to do the job."
Adelia looked surprised to see Pippi''s appearance.
"Pippi, change the elf''s appearance ording to what I think."
"Yes, Lord."
Her tiny hand hung in the air, then a splinter of light appeared and covered Adelia''s clothes. The elf woman was surprised. Pippi swayed her fingers, then the light that enveloped Adelia''s body disappeared. Her clothes had changed drastically. The royal blue dress changed into ordinary women''s clothes.
Isaac smiled in satisfaction. "Good." He stroked Pippi''s head.
His assistant looked proud. She puffed out her chest while stroking her nose with her index finger. Meanwhile, Adelia seemed to like her new clothes. She spun around while tossing her calf-high skirt.
"This outfit is simple and light. I can move more freely. Thank you for your gift, Lord Isaac."
Isaac narrowed his eyes. He had never got used to the High Elf''s mindset. In his eyes, Adelia was too positive and innocent.
"Pippi, I leave the rest to you. I will take care of other work."
Pippi posed a salute. "Aye aye, Lord."
His body emitted light, then disappeared and turned into shards like fireflies. Isaac had left the 4th Floor.
What remained of the Dungeon Manager and the High Elf.
Pippi nced at Adelia with condescending eyes, while the elf woman smiled kindly.
"Did you hear what the Dungeon Master said earlier? Lord left the responsibility to Pippi. So, from now on you must obey Pippi''s orders. Understand?"
Adelia smiled and stroked the little girl''s head. "Understood, Dungeon Manager."
"Eh¡ª!"
Pippi pped the hand that was stroking her head, but Adelia kept stroking it.
She tried to get angry, but for some reason she couldn''t resist. Adelia''s hand felt reallyfortable on her head. Without Pippi''s noticing, her face turned red.
For the second time, there was a monster who disobeyed her order.
.
.
.
nk! nk! nk!
The sound of metal shing echoed within the forging room. The dwarves seemed to be focused on work even though the hot air from the fire stung their skin.
Since Isaac upgraded the dungeon, the traffic of visiting hunters had increased dramatically. Most of them were curious about the shock phenomenon due to the increase in the number of floors in the dungeon. They thought the incident had something to do with the dungeon break that happened one month ago.
Of course, they took the time to use the services of the dwarves who were renowned for their forging qualities.
Thus, the orders flooded the cksmith forge. The dwarves had no time to rx. Because they were too busy, they did not notice the arrival of their master.
Isaac just stood in the midst of dozens of dwarves hitting the metal and struggling with the heat. They shouted, cursed, and ordered each other to do their part of the task properly.
''There seems to be a spike in the traffic of hunters visiting the dungeon. I think they still need some time to recover from the dungeon break.''
Just as Isaac was deep in thought, a deep voice called out to him.
"Lord!"
Isaac turned his head to see Goyo with a messed appearance. His hair was disheveled and his body was drenched in sweat. There was a pungent smell of urine as Goyo approached Isaac. It was as if the dwarf had not bathed in months.
"You look really messed up, Goyo," Isaac said.
The chief dwarf hissed while shaking his head. "As you know, my lord. Out there, humans are swarming like ants. There are so many orders. Even those bastards have turned the area in the forge into a summer camp."
"You have to try harder. Where''s my order?"
Suddenly, Goyo''s face brightened. "Ha ha ha! I thought you forgot your order, Lord."
Then, the chief dwarf shouted at his men to bring Isaac''s order. The four dwarves carried arge object covered with a white cloth. They seemed to have a hard time bringing it before the Dungeon Master. Their faces contorted from the weight.
Meanwhile, Goyo smiled broadly. "My lord, if I''m being honest, this is my finest masterpiece." His hand held the white cloth that covered therge object. "With all due respect, I present¡"
Swooosh¡ the white cloth was torn apart.
A great sword emitted a cold aura. Green color like jade with ck gradation. Isaac''s eyes instantly opened wide when he saw the pattern engraved on the sword''s body. Subconsciously, his hand grabbed the hilt of the sword.
"My, my lord. I name this weapon ck Jade!"
[ss : A]
[Type : Artefact (Great Sword)]
[An artefact imbued with the dwarves'' outer spirit. Created from a Spiritual Beast''s body parts fused with selected mithril metal. Has a high affinity for the wind element.]
[The weapon has the power of the wind element. If the weapon flows with mana, each sh will deal wind elemental magic damage.]
[Additional damage bonus of 60% of magic stat.]
Isaac smiled in satisfaction with his new weapon.
''It''s way more powerful than Gavin''s.''
Now, he had a weapon strong enough to kill a Demon Lords.
Chapter 76 Upgrading
[Crystal Core Room, Isaac''s Dungeon.]
Isaac stood in front of the Crystal Core. He was monitoring the dungeon''s condition.
''The hunters were starting to be more active in hunting.''
The control panel window showed Isaac the dungeon dweller''s statistics. The number of monster deaths on Floor 1 and Floor 2 increased by 20% more than usual. Meanwhile, the 3rd Floor was the opposite, the number of dead humans increased by 30% more.
Isaac ordered Asterius to hunt down the hunters at his lower level and forbade him to attack a group of hunters at the same or higher level alone. He would only act as a filter.
For the time being, Isaac wouldn''t be making any adjustments to his dungeon. He waited for the Elf Vige to bepleted first. At least, it would take three to four weeks for the vige to bepleted. Only then he would adjust the monster army.
''The dungeon matter is finished.''
He was sure that the dungeon was under control. His op priority had been fulfilled. Now, he can focus on himself.
Isaac waved his hand, and the control panel system window vanished, reced by the character information window.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 75]
[Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger, Master of the Wind]
[ Skill : 2/3]
[ Strength : 50 ]
[ Magic : 150 ]
[ Constitution : 66 ]
[ Dexterity : 83 ]
[ Perception : 80 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 20]
[Dungeon Floors : 4]
[Monster Boss : 2/4]
[Poption : 221,345/400,000]
[Fund : 2,145,059 zenny]
His eyes scanned the stats.
''I still have 2 million zenny left. I think it''s more than enough to upgrade the Seed of Mind and Soul Taker.''
Isaac then essed the shop and bought four C-ss skills and two B-ss skills. In total, he spent 1,000,000 zenny.
[You purchased the skill scroll ''Hell ze: Fire Magic (B)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll ''East Star: Water Magic (B)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll ''Curaga: Healing Magic (C)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll ''Mutant Gen Body (C)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll ''eleration (C)'']
[You purchased the skill scroll¡]
[All items are added to the inventory.]
After purchasing what he needed, Isaac quickly essed the shop''s ''upgrade'' feature. He inputted the ''Seed of Mind'' skill and 2 C-ss skill scrolls. Since the upgraded skills and materials were at the same level, the sess percentage was 50% for one material as a sacrifice.
[Material : 2 ]
[Upgrade percentage : 100%]
[Upgrade? Yes/No]
Without hesitation, Isaac chose the ''Yes'' option.
Ding!
[Upgrade sessful!]
[Skill effect added]
A new notification screen appeared. The information description for ''Seed of Mind'' had just been updated. The exp and zenny bonuses from killing monsters increased from 20% to 40% and the limit of seeds imnted in living beings increased from 4 to 6.
''Good, but the power of this skill can still be improved.''
Isaac wasn''t done yet. He inputted the ''Seed of Mind'' skill and sacrificed two B-ss skill scrolls as the materials this time.
Ding!
[Upgrade sessful!]
[Skill effect added]
Seed of Mind status description changed again. Isaac smiled widely after seeing his new skill.
[ss : A]
[Type : Skill]
[Users can control the mind of all kinds of living beings (except demons).]
[Exp or zenny bonus (60% of the original amount earned) will be given to the user if every living thing that is nted by the seed kills a monster or a human.]
[Users can take over the body of the creature nted by the seed.]
[Limit of seeds that can be nted : 8]
The strongest secret of the ''Seed of Mind'' skill¡ªtaking over the host''s body.
This was the reason Isaac was wandering outside the dungeon at the beginning of the game. He chose important people and had a strong influence in every country in order to mobilize the power of the masses of people.
Controlling their minds wasn''t enough for Isaac. It would be easier for him to take the host''s body and execute his own ns. Sometimes, there were some crucial events that had to be handled directly by him to prevent failure.
''Now, I really have control over HFD and Nine Sky.''
This was just the beginning of the n.
Now, it was time for Isaac to upgrade his second skill¡ªSoul Taker. A rare skill that only angels possessed. At least until the sixth year of the game.
This skill would be very popr among demons.
[ss : C]
[Type : Skill]
[Users can take the life of the living beings and get their rukh.]
[Rukh: a manifestation of the possessor of the soul in the form of objects.]
Every living being had a soul. When they were born, the soul did not have permanent form, like the water that changed with vessel. As the owner of the soul developed and grew up, the soul would slowly form into an object.
This object-shaped soul was called rukh.
Rukh was a manifestation of the life of its owner. The form taken from rukh followed the mentality, feelings, and thoughts of its owner. The stronger the character of the owner, the stronger the impact rukh produced.
For example, like the spirit of Fedorov''s shield or the fangs of Byakko.
It could be said that rukh was the manifestation of the life of its owner. Rukh couldn''t be used inbat, but it could be used as a basic material for making artefacts.
All artefacts sold in the shops and auctions used rukh as their basic material. Everything was produced in the Heaven Realm.
It could be said, the weapons used in this game came from the lives of the living beings.
That was why Isaac really wanted this Soul Taker skill.
''I will create an extremely powerful artefact to kill demons.''
However, there was still another surprise hidden in Soul Taker.
Isaac inputted the Soul Taker skill into the system and then sacrificed 2 C ss skills.
Ding!
[Upgrade sessful!]
[Skill effect added]
The description of the skill changed.
Isaac read the skill information, his eyes scanning the line of letter words. Then, a smirk appeared on his face.
Chapter 77 Old Man
Isaac walked down a dark passage with torches burning along the walls. The atmosphere was quiet, there was no sound other than the sound of his footsteps and breathing.
After walking for a while, he could smell the fishy of charred flesh and blood in the air.
Isaac arrived at a wide hall surrounded by ck stones. Monsters strewn around in a lifeless state, filling the entire room. Lycans, arachnids, lizardmen, hobgoblins, and various other monsters; they all died charred.
An old man with a muscr body seemed to be standing in the middle of the pile of corpses. His condition looked messed up. His breathing was heavy, and he had difficulty standing up straight. His entire body was drenched in sweat and blood seeping from the gaping wounds. Even so, his eyes were still sharp as he sensed Isaac''s presence.
Meanwhile, Isaac was actually impressed by the man.
[Name : Ivan Fedorov]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : S ]
[Level : 45 ]
Fedorov was very angry. He seemed to be grinding his teeth, the muscles in his temples bulged and his heavy breathing quickened. His entire body began to emit yellow lightning sparks.
''It''s not wrong that I let him live.''
This was very interesting for him. It was rare for humans to show the intention of letting out their anger when dealing with demons.
Even in his past life.
"Oh, God¡ you''ve finallye."
Isaac turned his head. Not far next to him was a woman with white hair and eyes like a crescent moon. She crouched down, blood sttered on her face, and in both hands, she was holding the pieces of a monster''s arm. Her mouth seemed to chew it deliciously.
"Didn''t Pippi give you some other meat?" Isaac asked in surprise.
Byakko shook her head. "She said I could eat the flesh of the monster that the man killed." She pointed at Fedorov who seemed to be struggling to stay on his feet.
Isaac''s eyes narrowed. A look of astonishment was evident on his face. He couldn''t believe Pippi was feeding a Spiritual Beast with the flesh of a monster carcass.
Although in her human form, Byakko was still a Spiritual Beast who had the instincts of a beast. She needed to eat meat.
On the other hand, Byakko also looked surprised at her master''s behavior. Not knowing what to do, she thrust out the monster meat arm in her hand.
"Do you want it, Lord?"
Isaac shook his head. "No, thank you. I''m full."
Byakko''s eyebrows shot up like a cat and she smiled broadly. "Okay."
Then, Isaac turned his attention back to Fedorov.
''Time to tame a new monster.''
Isaac walked through the pile of monsters, approaching Fedorov. The man trembled, not from fear but from the anger that had pervaded his soul. Lightning sparks on his body intensified as Isaac got closer.
Fedorov could feel the same terrifying aura of the masked man from Isaac
The bad memories in his head were ying like rolls of film; showing the tragic incident of the death of hisrades. Anger began to re in his chest.
Fedorov''s hatred for Isaac was unbearable.
Meanwhile, Isaac looked the opposite. He smiled at the anger and hatred directed at him.
When they were only five steps away, a powerful lightning spike suddenly appeared from Fedorov''s body. Dozens of lightning struck in various directions.
Swoooooosh.
He dashed towards Isaac at high speed. There was no slight hesitation on his face.
"Die, you bastard!"
THUD!
There was a huge explosion caused by lightning. Monster corpses flew and huge chunks of rock shot out in various directions. Then, brown dust scattered in the air.
"Keeuuugh!"
There was a man''s scream. It wasn''t long before the dust that blocked the view disappeared.
Byakko was seen clutching Fedorov by the neck to the ground. Her face was grimacing while showing fangs, and she also emitted an extremely cold air.
"Ignorant human, you intend to attack my master. Are you crazy?"
"Keeugg¡ª!"
Sat.
Fedorov vomited from his mouth. His face was pale, and he barely opened his eyes.
Step. Step. Step.
Isaac came over to the two of them.
"Let him go," Isaac ordered.
Byakko still looked grouchy. She was angry, not because Isaac was attacked, but she had wanted to kill Fedorov from the start. She truly loathed humans, but she restrained herself because of her master''s orders.
Byakko had bad memories with humans.
Then, she let go of Fedorov, and the man plopped to the ground.
Isaac crouched down. He looked closely at Fedorov. Even though the man''s face was bruised, he could still see the expression of hatred on Fedorov''s face. This impressed Isaac even more.
Not long after, the man lost consciousness.
Isaac smiled. He took a ss bottle filled with golden liquid from his pocket and poured it onto Fedorov''s lips.
"You''re the first human to taste the elixir. This is my form of respect."
After the elixir passed through his esophagus, all the wounds on Fedorov''s body suddenly disappeared. The gaping wounds slowly closed and the pale face gained back its color.
Isaac touched his own forehead with index finger. A red me appeared from his fingertip, then he pressed it against the man''s forehead.
Byakko seemed curious about what her master was doing.
''Actually, it was such a loss to change his whole memory. But I have to do it if I want to make him my ve.''
Changing memory had risks of injuring the brain of the host imnted by the Seed of Mind. Isaac felt he had scratched his weapon. Had Fedorov been Marshal Anatoly and Wang Yi, he would not have hesitated. Because they were receable.
Fedorov opened his eyes. When he saw Isaac''s face, he quickly got up and knelt down.
"Forgive my impudence, Lord Isaac."
Fedorov''s behavior was like a sleeping soldier awakened by his superiors.
Meanwhile, Byakko looked surprised until her eyes opened wide. She did not expect such a drastic change in Fedorov.
"Good, wake up," Isaac said.
Fedorov then got up and stood straight. He looked surprised that there were so many monsters around, but he ignored them. Before him was now the Supreme Commander.
"You are my best warrior."
Hearing that, Fedorov was immediately taken aback. "Thank you, Commander."
Isaac grabbed Fedorov''s shoulder.
"From now onwards, I will appoint you in charge of the dungeon."
"It is an honor to carry out this noble task," Fedorov replied loudly. There was a clear look of pride and surprise on his face.
Isaac smiled widely. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ck mask. He put the mask on Fedorov. Instantly, the man''s hair turned into ck mes.
Chapter 78 The 31st Challenge
The room that normally filled with Crystal Cores felt more crowded than usual.
Isaac collected the figures he thought had an important role in the dungeon. Among them were Goyo, the Chief of the Dwarves who guarded the cksmith forge on the 2nd Floor and Asterius the boss on the 3rd Floor.
Two beautiful-looking female figures who had recently joined the dungeon were also summoned by Isaac; Adelia the High Elf in charge of the Elf Vige and the Spiritual Beast that lost a quarter of its power, Byakko.
Not to forget the little girl who always helped him in taking care of the dungeon, Pippi, was present at this meeting.
Plus one more new face that made the atmosphere feel a little strange. It was a man who wore a long ck robe, a mask, and had hair like ck mes. At first nce, his appearance really resembled Isaac''s in disguise.
However, everyone in this ce knew that he was a human. He was Fedorov.
No one in this room liked him. Only Adelia didn''t seem to mind with his presence.
p!
Isaac pped his hands, asking for their full attention. He knew Fedorov''s presence made them ufortable, especially Asterius and Byakko. It was clear from the aura of hatred emitting from their bodies.
"Before I tell the reason why I gathered all of you here, I will say, whoever is in this room is a friend."
After the Dungeon Master said that, the monsters couldn''t help but swallow their saliva with difficulty. This decision really displeased them, but they had to obey their master''s orders.
Isaac didn''t care how they felt.
In his eyes, all living things were the same. They were tools to achieve sess.
Fedorov was no exception.
The reason Isaac included Fedorov in his monster troop was because the human would act as his sessor.
He knew that in the near future the existence of the Dungeon Master would be revealed in the eyes of the world. The hunters would chase the demons, just like in his previous life. Of course, this would be dangerous for Isaac.
Fedorov had several aspects inmon with Isaac. He had a fairly high magic stat capacity and extraordinary gun abilities.
This was enough to make the humans find clues that led to Fedorov being the Dungeon Master. It could say Isaac wanted the humans to go after the man.
Isaac scanned the eyes of his men one by one.
"I asked you to gather here for one reason. I will leave the dungeon for an entire month."
The monsters looked surprised to hear that. The Dungeon Master left the dungeon like a kinging out of his castle. If no one managed the dungeon, it would be chaotic.
They had never known that Isaac had gone in and out of the dungeon. He only said it now because the situation was different.
After passing the first year, humans became more dangerous. Moreover, the demons also began to show movement. Although Isaac was sure that nothing significant had happened, but after he was under the alliance of the two Dukes, he had to remain vignt.
"Pippi,e here."
When her name was called, the little girl excitedly stepped forward next to Isaac. Pippi seemed to show an arrogant pose in front of the other monsters.
"As long as I''m gone, do as she orders."
"Yes, my lord," they replied in unison.
Then, he started giving each of the monsters a task about what they needed to do.
During Isaac''s absence, Goyo received orders to reduce the forging quality of human requests. Asterius was asked to let as many humans as possible at level 30 and above to Floor 4.
Byakko was given the task of staying in the Crystal Core Room no matter what, unless there was an emergency. She would be thest line of defense. Moreover, her existence had to be hidden for as long as possible. Then, Adelia, she would be the main star in Elf Vige. In the best way possible, she should be more active in interacting with the humans who wouldeter.
Meanwhile, Fedorov would be in charge of guarding the 4th Floor. He was tasked with hunting down every human who roamed in the Dire Area.
"Do you all understand?" Isaac asked his men for confirmation.
"Yes, my lord."
Isaac nodded. "Good. During my absence in the dungeon, do your best. Ignore your ego for the sake of the dungeon."
He scanned the eyes of his men. They looked serious, but he still felt something was missing.
"I summoned you here not only because I need your strength, but I also trust you."
After giving them a small push, their eyes changed. They looked serious with firm determination gleamed in their faces.
Isaac ordered his men to disperse. Then, the monsters left the room except for Byakko.
There were three people in the room.
"Pippi, while I''m away, keep an eye on human movements. Are any of them acting strange? I left 1 million zenny. Use it wisely. Buy any monsters if something bad happens."
Pippi pped her chest. "Alright, Lord. Pippi will do it."
Isaac smiled. He stroked the little girl''s head and Pippi looked pleased. His attention then turned to Byakko.
"You are the strongest monster in this dungeon. Your position is most crucial. I''m counting on you, Byakko." Isaac patted Byakko on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, the crescent-eyed woman just nodded.
After that, Isaac took out an item in the form of a small ck stone from his inventory. He squeezed it. Not long after, a dark portal appeared in front of him.
''I''ve thoroughly prepared the dungeon. I have Byakko on guard and Fedorov enough to fight the humans on the 4th Floor. Everything will be fine.''
He stepped towards the portal. After he arrived at the dimensional vortex, his footsteps stopped.
Isaac began to change his mind. He hesitated to leave the dungeon. There was one thing that worried him. Baron Loke hadn''t contacted him after theirst conversation. He was worried that there would be an attack on the dungeon directly, instead of PvP.
"Rx, Lord. There''s no need to worry about the dungeon. Pippi will take care of it."
Hearing those innocent remarks, Isaac chuckled. He realized he was getting paranoid.
''Right¡ I''ve prepared everything well. No demons had bought flying monsters until the third year. I can''t back down now.''
Once Floor 4 was formed, Challenge Dimensions for challenges 31 to 40 had been unlocked. This was an opportunity for him to raise his individual level. Isaac had to take two years toplete the Challenge Dimension.
He needed to get stronger to fight the Dukes.
Isaac stepped into the ck portal. Thest sight he saw was Byakko and Pippi waving their hands.
.
.
.
When Isaac opened his eyes, he found himself in a desert. As far as the eye could see, there was only a mountain of brown sand. A gentle gust of wind brushed against his face, carrying dust. The heat stung his skin, as if the sun was right above his head.
A nostalgic sensation swirled in his head. He remembered having a hard time while carrying out the missions in this challenge.
The terrible enemies of this challenge were not the monsters that inhabited this ce, but the desert itself. Night and day here only ran for 6 hours. Isaac still remembered how cold the night wind was, and how hot it was during the day.
"The 31st challenge will be the most troublesome challenge."
[Wee to the Challenge Dimension.]
[Are you ready to start the 31st challenge?]
[Yes/No]
A notification appeared in front of him. He didn''t rush to ept it. From his inventory, he took a bottle of pale blue liquid and gulped it down at once.
Ding!
[You have consumed ''Sea of ??Life (D)''!]
[Resistance to heat increased.]
[Resistance to cold increased.]
[Effect granted 20 minutes.]
Isaac consumed an item costing 800 zenny. Instantly, a cold air enveloped his body. He had prepared various items toplete the Dimension Challenge.
Most of them were resistance items against five elemental magic; fire, water, earth, air, and lightning.
''The challenges 31 to 40 will be against monsters that exploit elemental attacks. This will be the most troublesome challenge.''
After feeling he was ready, Isaac pressed the ''Yes'' option on the system window.
Ding!
[The 31st challenge begins!]
[You are trapped in the Diamond Desert. There are many monsters of various races living in this desert. However, there is one race of monsters that hunts the living creatures that walk on the desert surface, Basilisks.]
[Sess condition : Kill 100 basilisks within 24 hours.]
[Fail condition : yer dies or time runs out (yer repeats or returns to their world) ]
[Reward : 10,000 zenny, Shamsir de (D)]
''Hunting this basilisk is child''s y.''
For Isaac, the mission this time was very easy. He knew how to hunt them all down. In fact, he was sure he couldplete this mission in less than 6 hours.
Basilisk was an aggressive type of monster who liked to hunt down its prey. They tend to approach their prey rather than wait for them. So, Isaac wouldn''t bother looking through the desert.
However, he would not rush to finish it. There was one hidden easter egg in this challenge.
Chapter 79 Easter Egg
Isaac walked through the expanse of desert. His tracks quickly disappeared after being swept away by the wind. He covered his face with a ck cloth to withstand the strong gusts of wind that carried the sand material. One hand held a cloth, while the other held a gun.
In the midst of his journey to find the hidden secrets in this challenge, he heard a hiss.
He let out a long sigh that came out of his mouth.
''They keep popping up non-stop.''
Swooosh!
Arge snake with skin like a crocodile emerged from under the sand. Isaac quickly turned around and shot the snake. The gunshot sounded repeatedly and the ''mana'' bullets shot out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The snake skin was quite hard, and the mana bullet shot was not strong enough to prate it. The monster hissed again while sticking out its tongue.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Basilisk]
[Type : Beast]
[ss : C ]
[Level : 75 ]
St!
The snake monster squirted green liquid. Isaac quickly dodged it. The sand instantly melted when it was hit by the basilisk venom.
Isaac sent another mana shot, but the basilisk plunged back into the sea of ??sand.
''Tch, how troublesome.''
Isaac stayed still. He sensed the vibrations of the surrounding sand to detect where the basilisk was moving.
He opened his eyes, then jumped high.
Brust!
The sand gushed out, and the basilisk struck out of the sand. Its thirty cm long fangs were shrill enough to pierce Isaac''s stomach. From the air, Isaac aimed his two guns at it.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets ''mana'' shot and pierced both of its eyes.
St¡ª!
"Shessssh!"
The basilisk writhed and hissed in pain. Meanwhile, Isaded safely on the surface of the sand. Wasting no time, he aimed his dual gun at the serpent monster.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sixteen bullets struck at the same point simultaneously.
St¡ª!
The Basilisk''s hard skin had been prated by the bullets. Blood gushed out, the snake writhed in the sand like a worm poured with salt.
Isaac shot it again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four holes pierced its head. The Basilisk stopped moving.
The monster was dead.
[Warning, the effect of the item ''Sea of ??Life''s Water'' has been run out.]
[The effect of resistance to heat is removed.]
[The effect of resistance to cold is removed.]
A notification shed in his head. Isaac''s skin felt the heat again. He let out a long, exasperated sigh. He essed his inventory and drank the item ''Sea of ??Life'' again.
After the blue liquid passed through his throat, the buff notification reappeared, and his body felt cold again.
This was the ninth time Isaac gulped down the liquid.
Isaac had been wandering around in the desert for three hours, but he hadn''t found what he was looking for.
''The 60th Basilisk¡ and I still haven''t found it.''
He still had a lot of stock items right now. From the start, he had the intention of repeating this mission. He knew it would be difficult to find the ''secret'' of the mission this time.
He had no problem having to face thousands of basilisks or other monsters. The main problem was how much stock of the ''Sea of ??Life'' he carried in his inventory.
This desert could kill him.
Different from Earth, the Challenge Dimension had a much different environment. Even the demons, who couldn''t feel tired, could feel sweat and thirst on the spot.
This was all thanks to the system in the game that made Isaac feel sick. All the natural features in this ce were like the dungeons, it was made of energy and mana, so that it could harm their bodies.
''Should I raise the stats of my defense?''
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 80]
[Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger, Master of the Wind]
[ Skill : 2/3]
[ Strength : 50 ]
[ Magic : 150 ]
[ Constitution : 66 ]
[ Dexterity : 83 ]
[ Perception : 80 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 35 ]
Isaac then allocated 10 stat points to the constitution.
[ Strength : 50 ]
[ Magic : 150 ]
[ Constitution : 66 (76) ]
[ Dexterity : 83 ]
[ Perception : 80 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 25]
After increasing the stat constitution, he felt his body''s resistance increased.
''I think 10 points is enough to withstand the resistance.''
Isaac continued his search.
He kept walking through the desert. Following the wind where it took him. Along the way, he not only met the basilisk, other monsters such as ghouls, scorpion king, and ankylosaurus. Most of the time, he met ghouls.
They were unded type creatures. They couldn''t be killed with physical attacks, only with mana. To kill them, Isaac needed to use elemental magic or attacks that contained a concentration of mana, such as his dual gun. Ghouls only appeared when it was dark.
Without realizing it, three more hours had passed. The day sky turned back to night. The scorching heat against his skin turned into a bone-chilling cold. Even so, he continued his journey.
Isaac had already drunk eighteen bottles of the ''Sea of ??Life.'' There were still thirty-two bottles left.
''Damn it, I still haven''t found it¡ that damn monster.''
Frustration began to creep in, but he quickly pped himself on the cheek to keep his focus on the goal.
Suddenly, he felt a vibration under his feet.
Isaac turned his head. Behind him, something beneath the sand was moving at high speed, creating a long trail that looked like a dugout. Without seeing what was behind it, he knew what creature it was.
His mouth mumbled, "twelve¡ fourteen¡ damn there are more than 10 basilisks."
Isaac quickly ran away. Not out of fear, but he had killed 97 basilisks. He only had a limit of killing two more. If he killed more than that, the mission would be over. As he recalled, the 32nd challenge was in a different dimension.
He wouldn''t be getting any special secrets from the challenge missions this time.
''Dammit!''
No matter how fast Isaac ran, the basilisks didn''t stop chasing him. They only stopped when they encountered another prey.
"SHEEEEESSH!"
Swooosh!
Suddenly, in front of his face a basilisk appeared from the ground and pounced on him. Isaac reflexively jumped back to dodge the attack.
Misfortune befell Isaac.
"Damn it!"
The basilisks that were chasing Isaac before finally caught up with him. Fifteen eight metre long desert serpent monsters surrounded him. They hissed while sticking out their tongues.
Sat!
The fluid could fly in many directions. The basilisks spitted out the venom like spittle, then it was followed by a swoop.
St! St!
Swooosh!
The yellow sand melts like hot candy. Isaac was trying his best to escape. He then took off his stained clothes.
When he was in a life and death situation, the sand suddenly shook again. This time, the vibration was very strong. Not far from Isaac''s battle with the basilisk group, the sand was floating. So many, as if a mountain had risen from the desert.
The basilisks who saw the scene hissed, their animal instincts stirred and screamed for them to run. They quickly dived into the sand and left Isaac behind.
Not long after, the floating sand fell, revealing a giant ck worm. The size was enormous, more than an apartment building, even though it just showed its head. In its mouth were tens of thousands of teeth that resembled a sword.
Isaac witnessed the creature''s appearance grinned widely.
"I''ve finally found you."
Chapter 80 Caecilian
Anyone dealing with a giant monster worm would run scared. Even a basilisk that was the ancestor of snakes looks like worms in the face of that worm monster itself.
Isaac seemed quite the opposite. He just shows a happy expression.
< Information >
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Caecilian]
[Type: Beast]
[ss: A]
[Level: 200]
His smile widens to his ear. He reaches his hand to the caecilian and that worm monster is moaning. Slowly, it approached Isaac. He looked closely at the worm monster''s head. No eyes, no looks, just a giant mouth with millions of thorny teeth.
If Pippi saw this, she must have thought her master was losing his mind.
The monster''s teeth bloomed and were pointed at him. Before he knew it, his hair stood up and his body began to tremble. His demon instinct says the creature before him is a dangerous predator.
But Isaac fights his instincts. He presses all fear to the bottom of his mind.
"Calm! I didn''t want to hurt you, "Isaac said.
"GRHHHHHH!!!"
Suddenly, caecilian screamed in front of him. Steam over Isaac. His skin could feel the sting, though he has taken a potion buff that increases resistance to heat.
Caecilian stop the scream. The worm monster covers its teeth. Isaac smiled freely at him.
"Heh heh. I did it. She responded to me, "Isaac murmured with a grin.
Isaac was trying to interact caecilian
Despite the terrifying outward appearance, Caecillian is indeed a soft-hearted monster. Her tenderness is nearing the high elves level.
Caecilian is one of the millions of beast - type monsters with high intelligence. Its just can''t speak. Uniquely, the worm monster has a high affinity for the ''mana'' around it, almost approaching the fye type of monster.
ording to their appearance, caecilian has no sense of receptors. But she can detect objects around by sensing the changing mana flows in nature. If projected in visual form, Caecillian would be like swimming in a million moving lines all the time.
"Come here."
Following Isaac''s request, the monster close itself to the demon.
"Good. Any closer, I won''t hurt you."
Finally, his hand came in contact with the surface of Caecilian''s skin. Isaac experienced a thick, coarse sensation of the worm monster''s skin.
Isaac smiled widely. He managed to make contact with Caecilian.
"Good girl, good girl."
He''s stroking the giant worm monster like he''s stroking Pippi''s head. And strangely enough, she seem to cooperate.
Ding!
[Congrattions! You are the first demon to ever make contact with the ruler of the desert. No creature has ever felt her tenderness.]
[You got title "Heart Touch"]
[Effect: the sixth sense is open. The yer can sense the danger of theing attack.]
[Perception stat increased by 10! ]
Isaac managed to get back the first title he''d earned in a previous life.
In the first round, Isaac almost died trying toplete the challenge. At the time he didn''t have much information about the terrain and conditions, causing him to be a victim of the monsters.
Plus, he didn''t bring any consumption item that would give him an effect of resistance to temperatures in the desert. As a result, he was severely dehydrated due to the massive loss of bodily fluids.
Isaac has epted his fate. When he was lying weakly in the desert heat, it would appear before him. The first time Caecillian saw him, Isaac was desperate. He thought the monster was gonna kill him. Turns out it''s the opposite. Caecillian dug the deepest hole to bring out the groundwater.
Water overflows and floods the desert, creating an oasis that resembles a smallke. Thanks to that, Isaac survived death.
But it''s not the end of the story.
"GGRRRRR"
Not long after that, Caecillian turns her head away from Isaac and then she goes back into the ground.
At that very moment, Isaac saw an opportunity. He put both of his gun to inventory and take ck Jade
He leapt down to Caecillian and hung a greatsword in that monster''s body. Caecillian skin is so hard, it''s as if his sword just stuck to the surface of her rough skin.
Isaac then dived into a sea of sand. He felt millions of sand particles devour him and his body seemed driven by enormous force. His hands are holding the handle of the sword and carrying as much as possible to the jade ck.
Boom!
His sword creates a wind shield, pushing the sand that devoured his body and provided him breathing room.
"I did it."
Now, it was just how much mana is left on his body to keep the wind shield active.
Caecilian continues to dive into the sand, until the monster enters a cave. Isaac was quick to jump from Caecillian Body. While the monster continued to dive to the bottom.
"I made it."
Isaac was inside the cave full of luminous minerals. The roof of the cave was filled with pointed stgmites. There was no sound other than a drop of water. Not far from it is ake with crystal-clear water. Isaac could see a fish monster resembling a catfish swimming in it.
He saw the system window. Eta, 12 hours.
"Time to move."
Isaac started exploring the tunnel of the cave.
Along the way Isaac was confronted by monsters. Most of them are insect type monsters; Like the arachnid, the scorpion desert, and the moth monster. In his eyes, they''re just insects of abnormal size. They''re not giving Isaac any trouble.
The deeper Isaac plies the cave''s belly, the fewer monsters he encounters. The minerals contained in the walls of goa were bing less and less visible, until there was finally no light left to shed on the darkness of the cave.
Even so, Isaac did not stop walking. All the receptor''s senses are trying to receive everything around them. His ears kept hearing drops of water and his footsteps.
Until finally, Isaac saw a red light glow in the darkness. Instantly a smile bloomed on his face.
''There it is! ''
He''s elerated his pace. The red light gets brighter, until he gets in.
Isaac arrived inside a cave belly with hundreds of fetuses wrapped in crystalline nds. If humans see it, they think of it as aliens.
Actually, they are the eggs of the monster desert worm-cement-Caecilian!
Caecilian is the only monster on the Challenge Dimensions. They were never sold in shops or auctions. The Angels argued that they are too dangerous to release into the human world, but in reality, Caecilian are not sold because of the potentially huge unbnce of the game.
Hence, Isaac craves it. It''s the secret hidden from challenge 31.
Isaac approached one of the eggs. The size of a human torso. He touched it very carefully.
"I had failed to make an egg before. This time won''t happen."
Unfortunately, things didn''t go so well.
GGGGRRRRR
Suddenly, a groan filled the whole room. The whole cave trembled, dust fell. At that moment Isaac realized that death was right behind him.
Chapter 81 Death
GGGGERRRRRGGR!
The growl grew louder. Isaac quickly put the egg into his inventory, then took out several item bottles filled with green liquid and gulped it down at once.
[''Caecilian Egg (A)'' added to inventory]
Ding!
[You consumed ''Haste Potion (B)''!]
[You consumed ''Receptor Stimtor (B)''!]
[Dexterity increased by 40% for 20 minutes.]
[Perception increased by 40% for 20 minutes.]
The vibration got bigger, and the cave ceiling slowly copsed. The boulders fell. Isaac dodged every rubble in agile movements. He quickly ran away from the caecilian''sir. He passed through the darkness of the cave. The temporary increase in stat perception allowed him to see inplete darkness. Besides, his sixth sense helped him to figure out where to run.
His spine was getting colder and colder.
After running for two hours, Isaac managed to enter the middle of the cave that contained minerals. The light began to appear from the front.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The rocks crumbled, blocking the exit.
Instantly, Isaac''s face turned pale.
"Damn it!"
At that very moment, from the ceiling, teeth shaped like giant thorns appeared and devoured the rocks. The head of a giant worm monster popped out. Isaac swallowed his saliva with difficulty.
He essed the inventory, took out ck Jade, and put on Dark Fate. Luckily, the system sped up the process.
Ding!
[The effect of ''Dark Fate'' is activated.]
[All yer''s stats are added by 30.]
[Artefact contains curses. If the yer wears Dark Fate for too long, it will damage the user''s soul.]
[The time limit of the item is 20 minutes. Adjusted to user level]
[ Strength : 50 (80) ]
[ Magic : 150 (180) ]
[ Constitution : 76 (96) ]
[ Dexterity : 83+33 (113+33) ]
[ Perception : 90+36 (120+36) ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 31]
Even if he had worn the Dark Fate, Isaac wasn''t going to fight the monster. He just wanted to increase his chances of survival. He knew very well the difference in their current strength. Fighting a level 200 monster was a foolish choice.
GGGGGGRRRRRRR!
Caecilian screamed as hot steam hit its body. Isaac could feel the monster''s anger and disappointment. The teeth in its mouth bloomed and aimed at Isaac. Not long after, thousands of teeth the size of a spear shot out like arrows.
Swooosh! Swooosh! Swooosh!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The teeth destroyed the structure of the cave. Rocks and minerals crumbled. Meanwhile, Isaac withstood the teeth that came crashing down using Jade ck. The wind magic emanating from his de helped him deflect each attack.
Even so, two or three teeth hit him. Luckily, there were no significant injuries thanks to the Dark Fate wrapping his body.
Caecilian was getting more and more furious that the one who stole its baby was still alive. The giant female worm monster immediately charged at him.
His sixth sense screamed. It told him that danger was approaching. Isaac quickly sped off, dodging caecilian''s lunge.
THUD--! GGGGRRRRR
The monster devoured the cave floor, crushing it like a drill. Tremendous vibration urred. Large cracks appeared and spread throughout the cave.
Isaac quickly turned around, but due to the tremendous vibration. Arge boulder copsed and blocked the other side of the tunnel.
However, he didn''t give up. He tightly gripped his sword and drained arge amount of mana. A vortex of wind emerged from ck Jade, and he swung it towards the boulders blocking the tunnel.
SWOOOOSH!
A tornado emerged from the sh of the sword, pushing away anything in its path, including the rock blocking the tunnel. At least a quarter of Isaac''s mana was used up on this.
Even though he managed to pave the way, unfortunately Isaac was toote.
The ce he was standing on was crushed. Isaac was plunged into darkness with the rubble and ruins. For the first time in a long time, he felt nostalgic with death. Fear and horror crept over his body.
"NOOOO!!"
His eyes were spinning rapidly. He looked in various directions to catch all the information around him. Not far from him, a giant caecilian body was seen digging a tunnel.
Without thinking, he used the falling rocks as a foothold to shoot towards the giant worm''s body. The sword plunged into its skin.
Then, he could only endure.
Isaac was being pulled by caecilian. His body was hit and stumbled against the tunnel wall. Dark Fate really helped protect him from physical damage, even though his body couldn''t stop screaming in pain from the excruciating pain.
This was a situation that Isaac hated. Powerless against great powers. He wasn''t going to lie that it terrified him, but he used the horror to stay alive.
"I''m getting out of here, alive!"
Hard rocks hit him more and more often. Isaac poured mana into Jade ck again. Not long after that, his sword created a windshield.
Until then, caecilian took him to a giant in the middle of the cave with brightly lit crystal stones. Without thinking, Isaac drew his sword and jumped.
Bam!
Isaac dove andnded, crushing the ground. He quickly ran away from the worm. Then, caecilian''s screams boomed throughout the middle of the cave.
Isaac knew he wouldn''t be able to run away from caecilian, but he had to keep moving if he wanted to survive. There were two ways for him to get out of this situation. First, looking for the remaining basilisk, and second, waiting until the timeout ran out.
The most reasonable option now was to wait for the timeout to run out. Because other monsters always ran away if they sensed a caecilian''s presence.
It didn''t matter if he failed this challenge as long as he survived. Repeating was not difficult.
No matter where Isaac ran, a tremendous vibration always followed him. Suddenly, the back of his neck felt a chill, his sixth sense screamed again. Caecilian approached. Just above his head, a giant mouth with millions of teeth smashed into the ceiling.
Isaac quickly shot off at high speed. If he waste by a split second, Isaac might have lost his leg. He ran again through the middle part of the cave, through the branches of the tunnel. The middle part of this cave was almost like a maze.
Until finally Isaac hit a dead end.
"Damn it!"
Isaac hit the cave wall. At the same time, a notification sound sounded in his head.
Ding!
[The use of Dark Fate takes more than 15 minutes.]
[The Side effect will activate if Dark Fate is not released.]
The Dark Fate buff was about to tan out. If he released it, his body would be vulnerable, and if he continued to wear it, the curse would damage his soul and mind. Meanwhile, the vibration was getting stronger. It was a sign that caecilian would soone. Isaac was really desperate.
"Is there no other way?"
Shhheeeeesh!
Isaac heard a hissing sound. His eyes were wide open. He quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Then, he found a small hole the size of a human body. His curiosity told him to enter it. He then went into the small hole.
The small size of the hole forced him to crawl. He continued to move forward, following the hissing sound that was getting closer and closer.
Then, Isaac arrived at a small alcove that contained two snakes. The snakes were no ordinary snakes; they were baby basilisks.
A smile bloomed on his face.
The baby basilisks hissed. They issued threats at Isaac. Unfortunately, they were dealing with the wrong people.
sh! St!
Two baby basilisks were killed.
Ding!
[Basilsk sessfully hunted: 99]
Isaac clicked his tongue. He needed one less.
GGGRRRRRR!
There was a tremendous vibration until the dust fell. The ce where his feet stood shook.
"Damn it!"
Checkmate. That was what Isaac thought. He was trapped. There was no other way out but crawling back into the little tunnel earlier. However, he didn''t have time for that.
"Damn it!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Isaac was mad. He had just realized he made a fatal mistake.
Shhhshshsh!
His eyes were wide open. There was a hissing sound.
There was still one more baby basilisk!
Isaac crawled quickly, checking through the rocks, then he found a baby basilisk hiding under a small rock.
"Found you!"
GGGG GRRRRRRRR
The ceiling fell, Isaac was crushed.
"Agggrrrjj!"
His body felt crushed, as tons boulder crushed him. He was buried alive, unable to move his body. Then, his hand held something.
"Got you!"
Isaac managed to catch onest baby basilisk. Then, he squeezed it, feeling the baby monster snake''s body crumble in his hands.
Ding!
[Congrattions! You have sessfullypleted the 31st challenge!]
[You got the reward from the mission!]
[You got 10,000 zenny!]
[You got the ''Shamsir de (D)''!]
[The 32nd challenge is executed in a different dimension. Are you ready?]
[Yes/No]
"YES!!!!!"
Not long after, his body turned glowing and shattered into shards of light. Isaac was transferred to another dimension by the system. At thest moment, he managed to escape death.
Chapter 82 Mongolia
While Isaac is away trying toplete the Challenge Dimension, an event that takes ce in the outside world.
Under the blue sky, a woman in ck sitting cross-legged on a grasnd. Her eyes as blue as the sky see the mountains that covered with white clouds, pine trees, and human tent dwellings.
The woman smiled, enjoying the wind in her face that alsa wave her long hair as red as blood.
"Do you like this ce very much, Lady Alyna?"
Behind the woman was a man dressed in a brown robe with a unique motive. His head was covered with a hood, but his face was partly covered with dark skin and dangling white hair.
Alyna leaned her arm against the ground. "Of course. I''m not smelling air pollution here. Not like in Novobirsk, Nettle."
Then Alyna looked back, she nced at the dark-skinned man''s golden eyes. A man called Nettle quickly looks down, avoiding eye contact with alyna.
"And what about you? Does a dark elf like you like this ce?"
Nettle nodded. His face seemed to blush at the woman''s beauty. "Yes. As long as there are no elves, I don''t mind staying anywhere."
Alyna chuckled at the answer she was receiving. She knew her trusted men would answer that way. The dark elves famously hates elves. They are cursed by their own kind.
Again, she turned her attention to the sight before her. Especially in human settlements a half mile away.
The dark elf then returns to ask. "If Lady Alyna likes this ce, why don''t you ce the dungeon here. That way you can enjoy it every day."
Alyna sighed. She didn''t know why she felt she had to exin everything to him. "Look around you, Nettle."
Then Nettle did what he was told, but he still didn''t understand. "I don''t understand, Lady."
"The country, Mongolia, just a handful of people."
Mongolia is lockednd. Have no waterfront and are surrounded by two big countries, Russia and China. Though the country is vast, there are few major cities left standing. Most of its territory isndscape.
However, the main reason the demon lords were reluctant tond in Mongolia was because the poption was sparsely popted. More livestock than even humans.
Demons will have a hard time getting the zenny in Mongolia.
"So you understand now," Alyna asked.
Nettle nodded. But he still kept one curiosity. "Pardon me, Lady Alyna, I don''t mean to offend, but I still don''t understand, why are we watching this territory?"
The question changed Alyna''s face. The red-haired woman seemed more serious.
"That''s what I''m curious about, Nettle."
Nettle squints. He didn''t understand what his master meant. He saw the facial expression of her face.
"ording to data information in the system, the number of awakening in this ce is beyond belief. Almost 90% of its poption is hunters. After I examined them, they were in B-ss. They were like plump chickens ready to be ughtered. Don''t you smell anything strange?"
"Strange? I don''t see anything strange. We can farm here and get extra zenny."
Alyna chuckled. She was really made to wonder about the innocence of her men. Then she looked into the dark elf''s eyes.
"We''re not the only ones looking at Mongolia, two other demon are also interested. You got it?"
The dark elf held his chin. He was not really understanding and tried to appear to be thinking in front of Alyna. The only thing he knew of his master was waiting for his answer.
Then Nettle answered what had shed through his head.
"We¡ had to fight them?"
Alyna suddenly click her finger, her face showing a big smile.
"That''s right, Nettle. We''ll have to fight them if we want to get this popted area. The battle is inevitable. In the midst of two heavily popted countries, they want us to take charge of empty territory and few of these."
Nettle squints. He''s bing more and more clueless.
"Look around," she adds. She spread her hands as she turned. "This country has only vast ins and deserts. The soil ispletely infertile. This ce is more of a battlefield than settlement."
Once Alyna''s final sentence was heard, Nettle readily understood. "You mean, we''ve prepared a ce to fight."
"Right. It seems as if the angels arranged for us to kill each other in this ce."
Her smile slowly turned into an expression of hate. Nettle who saw the expression of his employer was given a cold sweat.
Kweeeeik!
There was a screeching sound. Alyna and Nettle were looking up in the sky. Her expression returned to smiling.
A four-legged monster, the size of a dog, with wings that resemble a bat seems to fly in the sky. It had scales like a snake with bright red color. It had two horns on its head.
Alyna was waving to the little monster. "Come here!"
Kweeeeek!
The monsternded. Suddenly it mouth blew fire at Alyna.
Whooosh!
"Whoa."
Nettle reflex blocked the charge from the little monster, so it wouldn''t burn. While Alyna was justughing at the monster. The creature res up in different directions, setting out a fire on the green grass.
"Rx, Nettle. He''s just a baby dragon, " Alyna says.
Although the master said so, Nettle remained hesitant.
"Baby or not, a dragon is still a dragon!!"
Kwaaak!
< Information >
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Primordial Dragon]
[Type: Dragon]
[ss: S]
[Level: 50]
That little monster is a primordial dragon. The most powerful monsters in the dungeon and the most fearsome creatures of mankind. Even now he''s just a 1 year old baby dragon.
The baby dragon then flew in front of them. Nettle''s still trying to protect Alyna from baby dragon. Then Alyna breaks through Nettle and hugs the baby dragon.
"Hehe, quiet little baby. You like being held by mommy?"
Kwaaaak!
The baby dragon could not stop crying, like a human baby in its mother''s arms. The baby dragon asionally breathes fire.
Alynaughed, while Nettle watching them together seemed worried.
Kwaaak! Kwaaak! Kwaaak!
The baby dragon hoisted up in Alyna''s arms, pping its wings.
"Oh, you hungry?"
Kwaaaak!
"I see." Alyna then let go of her arms, letting the baby dragon fly back.
"There happens to be food nearby."
Alyna looked back, her eyes fixed on tents a half mile away.
"Go!"
The dragon then flew away towards the ce Alyna showed to the baby dragon.
"There''s a hunters nearby. It''s okay if we just let him go."
"It''s okay. That baby dragon is much stronger than B-ss humans."
Nettle nodded.
While Alyna smiled, she saw her dragon burning tents in human settlements and made them hysterical under the beauty of the blue sky.
Chapter 83 Undeads
[Effect of the item ''Haste Potion'' has been run out.]
[Effect of the item ''Receptor Stimtor'' has been run out.]
The first thing Isaac heard after his death was these alert bells echoing in his head.
Ding!
[Warning! The use of dark fate has exceeded limits.]
[Negative effect activated on user.]
[Evil curse starting to take over the user''s mind.]
[Dark energy begins to affect soul''s condition]
"Damn it!"
His vision began to darken, with screams ringing in his ears, and his whole body felt kneaded by thousands of hands. Isaac''s writhing, the effect of the curse actually renders the Demon Lord powerless.
Isaac tried to ess the system, but the window didn''t pop up. Eventually he took off one by one the set of armor wrapped around his body. He throws the helmet, the gauntlet, the boot, and up to thest body armor.
After the ck metal fell off and went to the inventory, he was covered in bruises. The voices of the ghost''s screams ringing in his head quickly disappeared.
[''Dark Fate'' has escaped the user.]
[Negative effects have been obliterated.]
[Cooldown 24 hours until ''Dark Fate'' can be put on again.]
"It turns out to be true... Dark Fate hurt its owner."
Isaacy down, covered in sweat. The terror thrill of Dark Fate''s curse is still embedded in his body.
He saw his hands shaking.
Then heughed.
"I thought my fears were over. It turns out I''m still scared to face death."
Isaac thought that once he was reincarnated, he would no longer be afraid to face death. He thought it was funny.
He takes a deep breath. He couldn''t imagine if there were only two basilisk he''d managed to discover.
"That was pure pure luck."
Isaac closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing and tried to rebuild his concentration.
His eyes were open. He saw a dark night sky with stars on it.
Then Isaac got up and looked around.
As far as the eye can see, there are only barrennds and high cliffs. In some parts there are chasms with a bottom of darkness. Nothing grows but cactus.
From the sight he saw, it was only understandable that this ce didn''t contain a single drop of water.
Then, the notification window appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[Wee to the Challenge Dimension.]
[Are you ready to start challenge 32?]
[Yes/No]
This time, Isaac pressed yes. He felt morefortable after avoiding deaths
[Challenge 32 begins!]
[You''re stuck in the desert. This ce is an area full of undead. But a dangerous one is a vampire. They kidnapped the humans and trapped them in a vige. Save mankind from vampires.]
[Sessful conditions: eliminate the Dracule, King of vampire or save human victims.]
[Failed condition: yer dead.]
[Reward: 10,000 zenny, ''Human (C)''.]
After receiving the mission, Isaac was quick to pick up two jars of liquid and gulp them.
[''Elixir (A)'' has been consumed.]
[All mana and health lost has been restored.]
[''Strong Liquid (C)'' has been consumed.]
[Physical damage resistance increases by 20% over 20 minutes.]
[Constitution stat is increased by 20% over 20 minutes.]
Instantly, all the bruises and pain in his body disappeared. He felt the wounded parts were back to normal. His body really felt weightless.
"I''m ready to hunt down some vampires."
Just as Isaac had recovered, his back neck felt a tingle. He sensed a threat wasing.
Isaac''s Sixth Sense has worked in two different ways. His body will naturally sense a strange sensation when a threat approaches, and the sensation given depends on the extent of the threat.
If he feels a tingle at the back of his neck and the surface of the scalp, then the threat thates is a weak monster. Like right now.
And if he felt a cold and chilling sensation in his neck, then that monster posed a much stronger threat than the user.
The earth trembles, slowly the skeleton warrior rises from the grave. They were only literally bone left, though their battle equipment still looked intact. One by one they rose from the dead. Hatred and revenge radiated in their past lives in the air.
Despite his being surrounded by the skeleton, Isaac seemed to show no fear at all. He smiled as he licked his saliva.
"Let''s get ready to warm up before we fight the vampires."
Isaac quickly seized the greater greatsword, the Jade ck. After that, he walks casually over the skeleton warriors.
No matter how many skeleton soldiers there are, to Isaac, all of them are level 20 E-ss monsters. It was not difficult for him to eradicate them.
"Let''s see how much damage you can do," Isaac mumbled to his weapon.
He flows his mana to the Jade ck, then slowly a vortex formed around the sword edge. The longer the whirlpool grows stronger. Then Isaac swung his greatsword.
Swooong!
Cyclones sweep hundreds of skeleton warriors in one blow. They fly, bones break and parts fall. The earth''s materials are handheld, sand, dust and gravel.
In seconds, hundreds of skeleton warriors were swept away.
Isaac was satisfied with the results, though he did not receive any exp.
''A little stronger than expected.''
Then Isaac started to move.
This time, unlike before, Isaac may soonplete this mission. Challenge 32 to 40 are no longer special. There''s only battle increases the individual levels.
ording to the memory of his past, the location of the vampires holding human beings is a remote vige 800 kilometers from where he was deported.
The walks into the vige are no trouble at all, the monsters that are blocking are poor monsters, most of them are undead monsters with a level of 20 to 40. Suffice it to say, they didn''t give Isaac exp at all.
Isaac arrived at the vige where the vampires have people.
The vige conditions look like a row of haunted houses, buildings nearby looked dpidated and near to copse, as if they had not inhabited for years. It waspletely silent, nothing but the sound of the dust swept away.
Isaac felt the presence.
From one of the houses, a very beautiful woman appeared. Her pale skin and face were absolutely mesmerizing. And so she walked up to Isaac with a beautiful smile.
"Hello, Sir. Anything I can do to help?" The woman asked with mildness.
Isaac smiled widely. Without a word, he pulled the holster at his waist and fired the woman.
Bang!
Mana Bullets shot through the woman''s head, until she fell two feet off the ground. Strangely, no blood or brains sttered. Isaac gripped two of his guns.
The woman rises, in a terrible way. Her face looked like a beast and her mouth gave out fangs. Sharp nails grew on his fingers. Her dark ck eyes looked at Isaac with hatred.
That woman is a vampire.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Vampire]
[Type : Undead]
[ss : A]
[Level : 85]
"KAAAAAAAAAAKKKGGGH!"
After that female vampire screamed, Isaac''s spine felt really cold.
Dozens of winged creatures the size of dogs appeared out of the sky, they flew around his heads. The monsters resembled bats, with pale skin and red eyes. Isaac smiled at their arrival.
"Gargoyle, vampire''s undead babies."
Then, every home came a vampire that resembled a human being. They all seem like normal people, even their faces arepletely good looking. It''s just that the killer''s aura radiates from them.
"The party is about to start."
Isaac holsters his pistols, which are not enough bullets to kill a vampire. He pulled a Jade ck off his back. The monsters he''s fighting right now aren''t fooling around, they''re powerful enough, one of them can break his arm.
Even so, Isaac seemed undeterred.
He smirked as he licked his lips. In his eyes, they were nothing more than a heap of exp ready to be harvested.
Chapter 84 Vampires
The vampires keeping closer, meanwhile the gargoyle''s flying low and low. Isaac quickly rolled the ''Strange Pendant'' onto his wrist.
[ Strength : 50 (150) ]
[ Magic : 150 (50) ]
[ Constitution : 76+15 (83+15) ]
[ Dexterity : 83 (76)]
[ Perception : 90 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 31]
Because fighting vampires, Isaac concentrated on strength. Vampires had high resistance to magic damage and high regeneration rates. They also had extraordinary physical strength. Their punch could at least shatter a big rock. Even so, their bodies were vulnerable, especially when exposed to light, fire, or objects which were carrying heat.
Hence, Isaac decided to fight with ck Jade.
The female vampire with a shot in the head walks up to Isaac slowly. The wound on her forehead slowly covered itself up. The look on that vampire''s face was genuinely unhappy.
"You, how dare you hurt me! You have--"
Saaat--!
Red blood spurts in all directions. The body copses, her head falls off. The red ooze flows at the edge of the sword. Before the vampire had finished her words, Isaac had her throat cut.
"Kuaaaaaaak!"
Hysterical echoes. The vampires who watched quickly shift, the beautiful and handsome faces transformed into monstrous figures. Then they lunged with anger in their chest.
While Isaac was smiling at the sight of dozens of vampiresing from all directions.
"You guys, angry? Apparently I was in a bad mood today too."
One by one the vampires jump. They''re twisting their ws and their fists. Thanks to the Wind Magic that flowed from the Jade ck, Isaac managed to divert any deadly attacks. Misses hit cause massive damage; Ground shattered and buildings copsed. Even that came from a simple physical blow. Their strength was so powerful.
But Isaac seemed to had no difficulty coping with them.
sh! sh! St--! Eight vampires cut to death
sh! sh! St--! Greatsword cut two vampire necks.
Thurst! Ssh! St--! Two vampires punctured together, then Isaac split them in two.
No matter how many monsters surround him, he can still survive and take them out.
Notifications began to sound in his head.
[You leveled up! ]
The Constantine family was a nobleman who was once born of the knighthood. From generation to generation, the Constantine heir was taught to use a wide range of weapons. That''s why Isaac was so adept at using greatswords.
Unfortunately, he''s less interested in the art ofbat and more interested in weapons research.
However, his fighting skills seem timeless.
Air attacks areing in. The gargoyle''s assault was like arrows shooting out of the sky. Their ws and fangs point to the demon''s neck.
"You want to be killed too?"
Isaac flows his mana to his greatsword, the wind begins to turn at the edge of the sword and create a vortex. He swung at them, a curving wind de shot toward the gargoyle group
Swooooh! Swooooh! Swooooh!
St! St! St!
Red drops fell from the sky, along with parts of the body and flesh of the gargoylepany. Female vampires shrieking hysterically. Although the gargoyles were defective monsters, they were still the children of the vampires.
Isaac continued to swing a greatsword and send dozens of wind des to kill the gargoyles.
[You leveled up! ]
[You leveled...]
Seeing the gargoyle wiped out, vampires burned with rage andshed out at them.
Isaac saw the number of the attacking enemies was overjoyed.
sh! sh! sh!
St! St! St!
The vampires driven by their emotions were wiped out easily by Isaac. When someone sinks into their own emotion, they can''t make good use of their mind.
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled...]
These notifications and screams alternated in Isaac''s head.
"Kuarrrgg!!!! Stay back!"
One vampire called out to his other fellow to stand down. He realized they couldn''t stand a demon.
The gargoyles began to fly through the air and vanish into the darkness. While the remaining vampires tried to escape the ughter of their kind.
Of course Isaac would never let them escape.
He sped up, chased after the vampires who were trying to escape.
sh! Thrust! St!
Since they didn''t fight back, it made it easier for Isaac to finish them off.
"Kaaakkk!!"
His eyes hunted down, targeting vampires one by one. They died instantly after Isaac caught them.
In the middle of the hunt, suddenly Isaac had a chill in his neck. He feels a powerful being approaching him.
Isaac turned upward, from the night sky, a vampire figure dressed in noble clothes plunged upon him.
BANG!
Pounding sound echoed loudly, dust falling in the air. It''s lucky Isaac dodged on time. If he''s been hit by that earlier, he''s likely to be dead.
Isaac squinted, focusing his attention on the very figure that had nearly killed him. A dark-haired, pale-faced man wore noble clothing out of the scattering of dust.
A smile bloomed on Isaac''s face. "Atst, their bosses."
[Name : Dracule]
[Race : Vampire]
[Type : Boss]
[ss : A]
[Level : 100]
The vampire king had arrived.
Dracule looks around. Dead vampire bodies in poor condition. Gargolye scattered in the streets like cattle. His men were brutally murdered, even including their babies.
Dracule then turned their eyes on Isaac. Instantly his face turned dark.
"Did you do all this?"
Isaac smirked. "You think?"
The vampire king didn''t believe what he''d just heard. He really felt slighted.
Woooshh....
Dracule vanished from his view. Isaac''s eyes wide open, his intuition screams from the rear, then flips and use his greatsword as a shield.
Bang!
Tremendous force hit him, pushed him far off his body, and destroyed one of the empty houses.
Dracule stands up straight with its hands squeezed tight. He''s still not satisfied. Besides, he was sure the punch wasn''t strong enough to kill Isaac.
"Come on! I bet you''re not dead! Come here, I''ll make you feel what you did to them."
Then there was the sound ofughtering from the pile of rubble. Isaac rose up, one of his hands holding three empty bottles.
[You consume ''Strength Up IV (A)'']
[You consume ''Defense Up III (B) '']
[You consume ''Speed Up III (B)'']
[Physical damage will increase by 50% in 25 minutes.]
[Bodily injury reduced by 30% for 20 minutes.]
[Speed will increased by 30% over 20 minutes.]
Isaac smirked. "Let''s get it done quickly, Dracule."
He runs, and so did the dracule. The sh between the two was inevitable. They exchanged attacks; Isaac with his sword swings, dracule with his fist and bite. They fought very hard
sh! Swooosh! Swooosh! Isaac swings wind de, but the dracule managed to bnce his power
Bang! Bang! Bang!! The Vampire King repeated punch crushes ck Jade
After wiping out every single one of those vampires and gargoyles, Isaac is currently at level 95. Their level differential felt significant. If Isaac is fighting ordinary vampires, he can still handle it, but this time he''s fighting the boss. Even after consuming items buff, it won''t be easy to defeat him.
Isaac swung ck Jade many times, but he did manage to bend the dracule too easily. The longer it takes, the more exhausting the fight bes. Plus, Dracule seems to had no trouble at all.
sh! sh! sh!
Isaac poured mana into his sword, wind started to swirl around the de''s edge. He swung his weapon swiftly, the sound of the wind being cut whizzing.
Several times Dracule''s neck was nearly severed by the greatsword. The wind that came out of enemy''s weapon cut the surface of his skin. If he didn''t had a high rate of regeneration, he might have died.
"Tch it''s very annoying."
Isaac frowned, seeing the wounds he had managed to inflict on Dracule heal quickly. If he continue any longer, he will suffer defeat. His buffs won''t take too long.
Then, in the middle of the fight, he came up with a idea.
A smirk appeared on his face.
Isaac suddenly moved backward quickly, the dracule then followed. The Vampire King did a backflip andnded a kick at Isaac''s.
Bam!
Isaac got away with it.
"You want to run? You can only attack those weaker than you! Come on get me!"
Dracule keeps chasing after Isaac, he brings out fists and kicks. He tried to bite Isaac a few times, but nothing hit him. However, the gap between Isaac and the dracule is imminent.
"Will you keep running!"
Until finally, Isaac stopped short. Dracule smiles, he sees this as an opportunity. Without a second thought, he lunged at full speed.
While Isaac stayed, one of his hands turned into darkness.
"Keuuugh!"
A rough hand managed to catch Isaac''s neck. Dracule smiles bitterly.
"Gotcha, you fool!"
Isaac smirked. "I''ve got you too!"
Dracule frowns, and then he opens wide his eyes when he finds his enemy''s hand thrusted his body. Strangely, he didn''t feel anything.
Then he looked at Isaac, his face full of questions. "What are you doing?"
"You still don''t understand? You get my neck, or I get your soul."
Dracule opens his eyes wide.
Swwororrrooh!
Isaac ripped Dracule''s soul out of his body. His body quickly copsed and fell down on the ground. The vampire king was lifeless. His soul was now in Isaac''s hands
Chapter 85 Clearing
[Congrattions! You have sessfullypleted the 32nd challenge!]
[You got the reward from the mission!]
[You got 10,000 zenny!]
[You got the ''Human (C)''!]
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled up!]
After taking out Dracule, notification sounds echoed in his head. Isaac gets two levels up after ying the Vampire King.
[32nd Challengesplete! 33rd Challenge will be on a different dimension. Are you ready?]
[Yes/No]
Although his mission wasplete, Isaac was still iplete.
He needs to hunt down the remaining vampires. Letting them live is also letting the exp disappear. He found only 50 vampires and got one level up.
After that, Isaac received a gift from his mission--humans. Even though it''s actually more like ''found''.
Isaac found them in one of the vacant buildings. They''re in really bad shape. The humans were locked in cages, allowed to sleep in a row naked. Their bodies were emaciated, as if it were only skin and bone. They look like dying animals waiting for their deaths.
"I believepleting these missions was less hard in the previous lives, and they''re still in the same condition."
They''repletely helpless. Even one of them asked that their lives be cut short. And of course Isaac did it.
After finding them the second time, he realized that human gifts on the 32nd challenge were a bonus after zenny.
"My business is done."
Isaac''s off to 33rd Challenge. Moving to other Dimensions.
If the two-dimensional terrain previously was desert and barren, the 33rd dimensional field would be their opposite, the tropical rainforest.
The forest conditions are almost like the wild forests of the southeast Asia archipgo. The trees rise high, the air is very humid, and the temperature is high. Most of the monsters that inhabit are insect and beast types.
Insect type monsters are not much different from other insects in general, only, among them have giant body sizes. These monsters are highly adaptive to the environment. They have high resistance to the magic of wind and lightning elements, but are very weak to earth and fire elements.
The mission Isaac received was to survive. Isaac is given three days to confront the monster attack wave. There will be six waves and each wave goes for 12 hours.
It''s not a big deal to him, because that''s what he wants.
"I don''t need to hunt them down, they wille after me".
For three whole days Isaac faced the monsters waves. On the first and second waves, most of the monsters faced were beast types. There was no significant difficulty in the initial wave, but he tried to kill monsters as quickly as possible, in order to kill more monsters.
Entering the fifth wave, Isaac was just having a hard time, because all of the attacking monsters are insect types that are immune to the magic of the wind element. As a result, he couldn''t use ck Jade optimally. He eats a lot of magic buff that increases resistance to magic elements earth.
The final wave felt like hell to Isaac. He has to take as many items buff as possible to withstand monster attacks. Attack monsters are very small in size, especially insect monsters, and they are very difficult to cut down or to aim with guns. But in the end, he made it through.
Afterpleting his mission, he went to the next dimension.
Challenges 34, 35, and 36; Being in the same dimension. Isaac was deported to the ice continent.
In that dimension, there was only a vast expanse of snow. The temperature of the air is extremely cold, even reaching -96 degrees Fahrenheit; boiling water freezes instantly when it is thrown into the air. When Isaded there, in less than five minutes his eyebrows turned into crystal.
In a sense, the ultimate enemy there is nature itself. Isaac had to persistently consume cold-resistance potion in order to survive till the end. Isaac was in a real hurry to finish this mission.
Luckily, the mission given by the system was not difficult. On the 34th challenge, Isaac had to hunt the seals, to be given to Bjorn, king of the pr bear monster and ruler of the ice continent. Hunting the seals is not a problem for Isaac, the problem is that he should search the ins of ice.
At the 35th challenge, Isaac had to fight 200 armies of bear monsters and on the 36th challenge he had to face the pr bear king, Bjorn. On this mission, Isaac gains plenty of exp, he made it to level 105.
Challenge 37 to 39 is the opposite of the previous three. This time Isaac teleported to the volcano area. It''s just that it wasn''t very hot there.
? Isaac had to survive on a volcanic mountain terrain that had low air pressure. Some peaks emit a plume of smoke derived from sulfur vapor. Over there, he''s found lots of hot tubs too.
The inhabitants of the mountains are flying beasts - type monsters; Like harpies or garudas.
The mission given to these three challenges was also easy. Isaac had no hard time pulling those off. Most of the monsters he was up against had a weakness for the damage done by mana, so his dual gun was very effective against them.
Lastly, 40th challenge, the easiest and most boring mission of the previous ten. However, the mission takes the longest.
Isaac was sent to a remote ind ten square kilometers away. The ind had only palm trees and white sand. There''s no monsters in there at all.
The mission he received was a survival mission. He has to stay on the ind for two weeks. At the same time, monsters from the sea will attack him.They were pisces-type monsters.
Most of them only live underwater, the rest are amphibians. They are the most rare monsters the dungeon master takes to war because they can''t fight onnd. Even if they could, they could not give everything what they could
Because of that, Isaac had easilypleted his 40th mission.
Chapter 86 Challenge
Pippiid down while looking at the ceiling with a bored expression on her face. It had been almost a month since her master had note back from the Challenge Dimension. Being in charge of the dungeon was a tedious job. She had less work to do, especially since Isaac had divided the task of managing the dungeon to each of his trusted monsters. And whenever a problem urred, it was resolved quickly.
,m Besides, her ying schedule with the bear family was disrupted. Pippi had to stay in the Crystal Core to keep an eye on the dungeon''s condition.
"Hah¡ Pippi hopes that master will return soon."
And Pippi''s wish came true.
A ck portal suddenly appeared before her. Pippi instantly jumped with joy at the sight. She quickly got up, ready to greet her master.
From the portal, Isaac came out in quite a shabby condition; mud and dirt stuck to his clothes, and his hair looked disheveled. However, the aura emanating from him felt much different from before. It was stronger and darker.
"Lord!"
As usual, Pippi dashed towards Isaac with a wide smile on her face. She really wanted to hug her master.
"Aa¡ª"
But, a big hand caught the little girl''s face. Isaac had anticipated Pippi''s presence.
"How many times have I told you not to suddenly run at me?" Isaac said. He then let her go.
Pippi grimaced. "Heh, sorry. Lord. Pippi is tired of being cooped up here for a month."
"Oh, so you''re happy to see me because you will be free from the responsibility of managing the dungeon rather than miss me?" Isaac raised one of his eyebrows with an astonished face.
Pippi realized she had made a mistake. She instantly shook her head.
"NO! Pippi also missed Lord Isaac very much. Pippi would rather live in the dungeon than be confined in a small room¡ª"
Pippi quickly covered her mouth. She made a blunder statement again and realized it toote. Then, she grinned and rubbed the back of her head. "Hehe, sorry, Lord."
Meanwhile, Isaac just sighed at the behaviour of his assistant. But, he wouldn''t get mad. After seeing Pippi''s cheerful expression, he was sure that no trouble had happened to the dungeon during his absence.
Still, he had to make sure of it.
First, he needed to see the status of the dungeon.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 115]
[Rank : 99th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch]
[ Skill : 2/4]
[ Strength : 70 ]
[ Magic : 180 ]
[ Constitution : 96 ]
[ Dexterity : 103 ]
[ Perception : 100 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 30]
[Dungeon Floors : 4]
[Monster Boss : 2/4]
[Poption : 336,875/400,000]
[Fund : 987,785 zenny]
''From the Challenge Dimension, I got a reward of 100,000 zenny. It seems Pippi has spent quite a bit.''
Then, Isaac opened the control panel window to check the condition of the monster poption. The row of numbers in the data and statistical charts showed no oddity at all for thest thirty days. In fact, on the 1st and 2nd Floors, there was an increase.
"Did something happen while I was gone?" Isaac asked.
Pippi touched her chin with her index finger, trying to recall what had been recorded in her head.
"As Pipi recalled, there was not so much trouble going on, Lord."
From the report from Pipi, the situation in the dungeon was under control.
The hunters started to flock to the 4th Floor since two weeks ago. The Elf Vige proceeded as nned. The elves and humans also could coexist. Although there was some tension at first, they were finally able to work it out. The elves did their job well, they could be friendly and able to build rtionships with humans.
Thanks to that, the shops and the economy were running smoothly. In the transaction, they used the dread stone as currency for the payment.
The dread stone was a drop item that could only be found after killing tainted monsters in the Dire Area.
Isaac had calcted beforehand that there would be a scenario where the hunter was stuck in the Elf Vige. A scenario where hunters preferred to enjoy life in that ce rather than carried out their jobs as hunters. If the hunters wanted to continue to experience the service and enjoyment of the Elf Vige, they had to go hunting in the Dire Area, to colletced dread stones.
He used this as a backup n in case there were only a few hunters interested in taking on the tier VIII and IX missions of the Elf Vige guild. That way, death still urred on Floor 4.
Meanwhile, Floor 3 ran normally. Asterius did as he was told. The Minotaur Chief filtered the humans who deserved to go to the top or not. He hunted hunters between levels 30 to 35, making sure weak hunters didn''t dare to go up before they reached level 35 and above. That way, humans who were harvested exactly reached the best quality.
It could be said Floors 3 and 4 went ording to n, while Floors 1 and 2 took Isaac by surprise.
Based on Pippi''s report, the bottom two floors were flooded with newbie hunters. Their number was three times more than thebined number of hunters on the 3rd and 4th Floors.
This was both good and bad news to Isaac.
The good news, of course, the number of humans who would be harvested in the future would increase drastically. As for the bad news, they ughtered a lot of floor dwellers, forcing Pippi to keep burning zenny to buy new monsters. Even though Pippi had enchanted the goblins and other savage type monsters with fertility magic to boost the number of births, it took time for the baby monsters to be adult monsters.
Pippi had done her job properly. Isaac forbade her to kill them before the harvest time. He then stroked her head. "Good job, Pippi. You did your job properly."
The little girl smiled widely. "Thank you, Lord!"
''It''s about the time I apply ''that'' to cut the expenses on Floor 1 and Floor 2.''
Just as Isaac was about to return to tweaking the dungeon, a notification could be heard.
Ding!
[You have received a PvP challenge.]
[Baron Gustav send a request to speak]
Chapter 87 Confrontation
He had expected sooner orter that a demon from Duke Barbatos''s alliance would contact him, but Baron Gustav was thest on list. He thought Baron Loke would be the one to contact him.
Besides, he didn''t expect that there would be a PvP request. Isaac was sure that he had joined their alliance. This was very interesting for him.
"I don''t understand what all of you are nning. But, let''s see it."
Before that, he saw the PvP reward offered by Baron Gustav. Each challenger was required to provide a zenny offer for the challenged party.
[Baron Gustav bids 500,000 zenny for PvP.]
[Would you ept it?]
[Yes/No]
Isaac snorted. "A decent amount, but unfortunately, I have my own agenda for the moment."
Isaac declined the PvP challenge, then he epted Baron Gustav''s request to speak. He felt de javu.
The light of the Crystal Core projected the figure of a demon with purple skin and pointed ears. His eyes looked at Isaac condescendingly. Baron Gustav still looked the same as thest time they had spoken; still haughty and arrogant.
Pippi, who was very familiar with the demon''s face, quickly became angry. She would not forget the insults Baron Gustav had done to her master. The curses that were stuck in her throat would havee out, if Isaac not standing beside her.
"Lord Isaac, why did you refuse my PvP challenge? Are you scared?"
The two eyebrows above Isaac''s eyes rose at those words. He wouldn''t have expected Baron Gustav to say those words to him.
"Of course I refuse, Baron Gustav. We are in the same alliance. I don''t understand why you sent me a PvP challenge?" Isaac spoke in a humble tone.
"Just ept it, you bastard! Is the entire Constantine Family this jerk?!"
Baron Gustav''s insults were enough to make Isaac furious. His hands, which were behind his waist squeezed until the blood flowed out profusely. Pippi saw that, and she could only swallow her saliva with difficulty. She felt a strong killing aura radiate from her master.
However, Isaac didn''t show it to Baron Gustav. He just smiled.
''Why does this bastard dare to act like this?''
Moreover, he smelled something was off. Baron Gustav had always been known to be haughty and arrogant. Even so, he would not dare to do what he wanted without orders, let alone against his fellow alliance members. It was very likely that someone was pressing him.
And, there was only one figure capable of suppressing Baron Gustav¡ªDuke Barbatos.
Isaac still didn''t understand. None of the demons told him anything about this. He then asked Pippi via telepathy if during the past one month any demons had tried to contact him, and the little girl replied with no.
Something really happened behind the scenes. Isaac shouldn''t be reckless, he had to dig up information first.
"Lord Gustav, I really don''t understand. Could you exin it more clearly? I''m sure there was a misunderstanding."
Baron Gustav snorted. "I don''t know if you are stupid or deaf. This is my will."
"I''m not stupid. I''m trying to figure out what''s going on here."
"Quickly ept my request, you bastard! I will crush you and trample your dungeon like trash."
Pippi had opened her mouth, ready to snap 1001 cursing words, but her master held the little girl back.
Meanwhile, Isaac just let out a long sigh; between disappointment and running out of patience.
He felt it was useless to dig up information by talking nicely. Demons like Baron Gustav were stubborn creatures who couldn''tmunicate withmon sense.
''How could I ever lose to a demon like him?''
Isaac then changed the expression on his face.
"Hey, Gustav, listen to me carefully."
Baron Gustav was surprised to hear his name being called without honorifics ''Lord''. To a noble demon, this was a great humiliation, especially if it was a fellow Noble who did it.
A fierce expression appeared on his face.
"Are you¡ª"
"Shut your mouth!"
Just as he was about to let out all the curses and insults, Isaac cut him off.
"Are you deaf?" he added. "I''m trying to be nice, but you''re acting like an annoying underpaid underling."
"You bastard¡ª"
"I haven''t told you to talk!" Isaac snapped. Baron Gustav looked surprised until his eyes widened. "Remember, you are nothing. You can''t order me. No matter how high your position is between them, you''re just an aplice to the Duke. Know your ce."
Those words really pierced him. Baron Gustav was offended. He was really mad. The veins on his temples bulged out, even his purple-skinned face turned red, as if blood had pooled in his face. He wanted to reply to Isaac''s words and let out all the curse words that stuck in his throat. However, if he got hurt, it would only make him look like an idiot.
Meanwhile, Pippi smiled so widely that her lips touched her ears. A cynical look appeared on her face. She waspletely satisfied to see the Demon Lord be silent. The frustration she had been harboring for so long paid off.
Baron Gustav suddenlyughed softly. "You are right. You''re right, Isaac Constantine. Now, I ask you one more time. Will you ept my challenge, or not? I hope the Constantine Boy doesn''t make excuses for turning down the offer, like a coward."
HA HA HA HA!
Isaacughed loudly. His voice echoed throughout the room. Baron Gustav and Pippi who watched were astonished. They wondered what the demon before them was thinking.
Heughed for a long time. Tears came out of his eyes fromughing too hard.
"You must be very desperate, Lord Gustav. That''s how much you want to challenge me to a fight against me. Alright, I''ll ept it."
Seeing Baron Gustav''s behavior, Isaac realized that someone was suppressing the demon.
Ding!
[PvP request sent!]
[Waiting for confirmation.]
From the projection light, Baron Gustav looked surprised, then he looked at Isaac in disbelief. Yet, a smile quickly appeared on the demon''s face.
"Are you sure about being the challenger? I''m currently ranked 70th. You should be aware of your position. I was kind enough to allow you to hide behind your cage."
"Ranks are just numbers. Power is measured by victory."
Baron Gustav snorted. "Alright. Don''t say I didn''t warn you. See you again at your grave."
The light projection disappeared.
[PvP request epted!]
[Please wait 120 minutes for the challenged side to make preparations.]
A long sigh came out of Isaac''s mouth.
''Finally, my first PvP in the second round of life.''
Pippi looked excited. She was still happy to see the Demon Lord''s face crumpled in front of her master. Her excitement grew even more when she imagined Isaac destroying Baron Gustav.
"Lord, Pippi is ready to take orders."
"Tell Fedorov and Byakko to get ready. Collect 50,000 beast-type monsters, 5,000 of which have the ability to shoot out ice."
"Aye aye, Lord!"
Pippi''s body then became a splinter of light and disappeared.
Isaac remained in the room. He stared intently at the Crystal Core, as if he was looking into the future. He saw his enemy begging for mercy while calling his name.
Chapter 88 Ravine
In the midst of a vast expanse of green meadow, there was Isaac along with tens of thousands of his monsters. Among them were Fedorov in a skull mask covering his face and Byakko in battle armor.
In this raid, Isaac only brought his two generals. Asterius was deliberately ordered to remain in charge of the dungeon.
For him, Byakko and Fedorov were more than enough.
Ding!
[Preparation time is over.]
[Please prepare to depart.]
A ck portal appeared in front of him. Isaac smiled widely.
"Everyone, let''s go!"
"Hyaaaaa!"
An excited roar shook the air. Isaac entered first into the portal, then followed by all his men who were waiting behind.
.
.
.
Baron Gustav looked at the Crystal Core light projection with an impatient look. Next to him was a ck man wearing a servant''s attire with a t expression on his face.
"Lord, you seem impatient?" asked the servant.
"Yes, Kirnish. I can''t wait to see that loser fall."
Kirnish was the assistant of Baron Gustav. He was just like Pippi, a being born from the existence of the dungeon.
"I hope victory is with you."
Baron Gusta clicked his tongue. "That is for sure. I will crush that loser. How dare he toy with me?!"
Currently, he already had four floors. There are very few Barons who could achieve that. Even though Isaac''s dungeon also had four floors, Baron Gustav was sure that it was the result of saving zenny.
Based on the information he received from Baron Loke, Isaac sent his 15,000 troops to a remote settlement in China but ended up losing. From there, it was certain that Isaac did not have a strong enough army.
He was sure Isaac didn''t buy any monsters from the auction.
''You''ll regret it, for daring to y with me.''
The visual of the light projection changed. A ck vortex-shaped portal appeared in his dungeon. His face suddenly changed into a serious one.
The enemy had entered his territory.
.
.
.
Ding!
[Challenger has 7 days toplete PvP.]
[Time starts from now]
[6 Days 23 Hours 59 minutes]
The first thing Isaac saw were high cliffs. The wind was blowing hard, and the sound of rustling sand tickled his ears. It was the same sensation as when he entered Baron Gustav''s dungeon before.
''It has not changed at all.''
Isaac snorted.
Baron Gustav was a demon who exerted all his strength at the start of the game. He would make the highest difficulty on the 1st Floor. The demon didn''t care if the hunter had difficulty climbing the dungeon on the first try.
The reason he was able to survive this far was because his dungeon was in a strategic location, Beijing. It allowed him to continue to receive a sufficient supply of humans until the end of the game.
He would put his strongest troops in the vanguard. That was what Isaac had predicted.
''Let''s see if you''re still the same as before.''
Isaac, along with fifty of his men, moved forward. They walked along the high cliffs, against the strong winds.
They arrived at the road that connected one cliff to another. The size was very small, only fit for five people to pass.
Isaac stopped his troops. He looked at the surrounding area. There didn''t seem to be anything at all. The path before him was clearly a trap.
He then ordered his monsters to check the roads around them, to see if there were any other possible routes. Not long after, he received information that there was a ramp that could be passed by taking the valley route. The other option was he had to make a detour to a safer path, but it would take a long time.
''Oh, so he still used the same way?''
Isaac chuckled. He ordered his men to start crossing the cliff. However, Byakko restrained him.
"Lord, shall we really cross?" Byakko asked. The expression on her face was grim.
Isaac realized that his general felt that something was off. But, he let her be.
"Yes."
Byakko held her master''s arm. "I sense that there are many hidden presences here. There is a possibility that we will be attacked when crossing this route."
A grin appeared on his face. "Then, prepare to fight."
The Spiritual Beast''s face was full of questions. She was sure her master wasn''t a fool who would fall into a trap, but it was the decision the man had made.
Most likely the attack came when Isaac and his men crossed the cliff. Due to the small size of the road and the left and right sides of the ravine, it would limit the movement of troops when fighting, especially if the attack came from the air.
For him, it was easier to go down the cliff and move through the valley, which had a wider road size. Besides, it reduced the risk of death falling from the abyss.
However, Isaac chose otherwise. Of course, for Byakko, the action chosen by her master was like suicide.
She tried to persuade the demon, but Isaac just smiled and calmed her down.
"Believe me, everything will be fine."
Byakko finally obeyed Isaac''s words. Most importantly, she had already expressed her concern.
Then, they moved through the small road connecting the cliffs.
.
.
.
Baron Gustavughed loudly until his voice echoed through the room at the sight of Isaac''s decision. He could say this was the dumbest decision he had ever seen.
"Look, Kirnish. He was really stupid. How could he not be aware of such a simple trap? His ancestors were ashamed to see what happenedter. I thought he would take a detour or go down the valley, but instead he chose to cross the cliffs."
Kirnish smiled broadly as he lowered his body. "You are right, my lord. He will fall to death. He made an unwise decision. If I were him, I''d take a detour. Even if it takes three days, it''s better than dying on the first day."
Baron Gustav had already prepared another trap, waiting for them on the valley route. The cliff route trap was a gimmick to make them choose another route. Of course, the trap was still deadly if they passed it.
HAHAHAHA!
"You''re right, Kirnish. He had three options, but he chose the worst option. He is the worst."
Baron Gustav couldn''t stopughing, his voice booming through the room. Kirnish, his servant, watched them with an amused face.
"Use the Harrpy army! Kill that stupid bastard."
A wide smile appeared on his face. He saw Isaac and his army crossing the ravine and imagined their deaths.
Chapter 89 Harpies
Hundreds of bird-like human monsters emerged from under the ravine. Half female body, and half bird. They flew in flocks. Their arms that looked like the wings of a bird were outstretched wide, showing their beautiful ck feathers. They all had enchanting faces with eyes like eagles ready to snatch their prey.
The monster warriors looked up when they sensed the threat. The lycans howled, the werelions roared, and the trolls snorted loudly. All the monsters prepared for a battle.
So did their two war generals. Fedorov seemed to emit lightning sparks in his hands and cold air wrapped around Byakko.
Meanwhile, theirmander looked the opposite.
Isaac didn''t seem to show any signs of worries. His face was t and calm, like the surface of theke. He pulled out the ck Jade from the inventory. The green greatsword gleamed under the dungeon sunlight.
"Kyaaak!"
The harpies floating in the sky started to screech. It was their signal. They began to p their wings fiercely, and the feathers fell off, shooting towards the army of monsters. The feathers released by the harpies were not ordinary feathers. It was as solid as metal and sharp as a knife.
Of course, Isaac didn''t just stare at them.
"Monsters with thick skin and high defenses stand out of the line, withstand their attacks!"
The monsters quickly carried out theirmander''s order. Monsters with strong defenses switched positions to the outermost line; like rhinosaurs¡ªrhino-like monsters with shells on their bodies¡ªpositioned themselves as shields. Meanwhile, monsters with weak defenses hid themselves. Those with small bodies; such as lycans and gnolls¡ªhyena monsters with human-like bodies¡ªhid under the feet of monsters with strong defenses. The ones who were huge and wielded weapons, such as werelions and lizardmen; used their weapons as shields.
Hundreds of feathers rained down on the monster troops. The sound of a metal piercing into a hard object echoed throughout the air. The rhinosaur''s shells were decorated with harpy feathers, and they looked like a hedgehog. Bulvak¡ªthe hippopotamus-like monster with a huge belly¡ªseemed to show no signs of pain, even though dozens of harpy feathers pierced their bodies until they were dripping blood, as if they were only bitten by ants.
Fedorov and Byakko could certainly look after themselves well. They looked fine.
"Everyone keep going!"
The warrior of monsters followed Isaac''s orders by maintaining the formation. Most of the monsters weren''t airbat types. Fighting them was futile. But, that didn''t mean he wouldn''t avenge the harpies.
He was still waiting for the right time.
A quarter of Isaac''s monsters had reached the other side of the cliff, and the harpies were starting to stop pping their wings.
"Bulvak! Get your mouths open!"
The hippo-like monsters opened their mouths, hundreds of insects then came out. The insects were parasites that nested in the bulvak. Its bulged stomach held millions of parasiticrvae that were ready to grow into flesh-eating insects. This was one of the hidden weapons that the monster had.
The small ck insects that resembled beetles attacked the harpies. One harpy was swarmed by at least a hundred insects, their skin and wings torn off and they were eaten alive.
Harpy was one of the dangerous monsters when fighting in the air, especially if they were chased by bigger monsters. They were very good at taking downrge monsters.
However, they were very weak against smaller monsters. Although part of their bodies were covered by feathers as hard as metal, the rest of their bodies were skin and flesh, like ordinary humans.
"Kaaaakk!"
The harpies screamed in pain in the air. They flew back and forth, and they started to fly around, crashing into each other. Some of them even died and fell into the ravine.
"Lord, I can finish them off quickly." Byakko suggested with a frown on her face. She seemed to hate those bird monsters.
"I also can finish off all of them. I''m pretty sure of my level now," Fedorov added.
Two of his best generals looked impatient to be included in the fight, but Isaac didn''t think so.
"No, both of you stillmand the line of the troops. I don''t want any of us to fall."
A look of disappointment crossed their faces, but they carried out the order obediently.
The order given by Isaac was the right decision. Byakko and Fedorov were fighters that had AoE abilities. They could kill thousands of enemies in a wide area. They were perfect for this scale of battle. However, with the current state of the field, they would only injure their ownrades.
Thanks to the bulvak parasite, three-quarters of the monsters managed to cross the other side of the ravine.
The harpies werepletely helpless.
A long-awaited opportunity appeared. It was time for Isaac to fight back.
''Time to show off.''
Isaac then raised the ck Jade. He tightened his grip and poured arge amount of mana into the greatsword. A vortex of wind formed, circling the edge of the de like a tornado.
"Feel this, damn birds."
Swoooooosh!
"Kwaaak!" "Kwaaak!"
"Kwaaak!" "Kwaaak!"
The screams of the harpies boomed throughout the sky, along with the sound of flesh and bone being cut. Sshes of blood began to fall like raindrops. They were crushed by the tornado, with the des of wind swirling in its vortex like a blender. The harpies'' body tore limb by limb and fell into the ravine.
The warrior of monsters watching the scene looked stunned. They knew that their master was extremely powerful, but it had never crossed their minds that Isaac could unleash such immense power, ying hundreds of harpies with a single sh of the sword. This was really crazy.
Only Byakko was not surprised. She had already experienced Isaac''s power. Moreover, she could feel a part of her soul resting on the greatsword. So, she wasn''t surprised.
Most of the harpies were killed, the rest fled, while Isaac''s troops managed to crosspletely.
"Everyone, keep moving."
Isaac eximed in the front row. The monsters behind him followed suit. Their journey to kill Baron Gustav had just begun.
.
.
.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Damn it!"
Baron Gustav was consumed by anger. His face was bright red and his hands hit the Crystal Core multiple times. Kirnish could only watch his master''s behavior.
"How could an army of harpy, C-ss monsters be finished off so easily? Damn it! That bastard must be cheating."
"Calm down, my lord. This is just the beginning. Everything will be fine," Kirnishforted.
The Dungeon Master turned to his assistant with a furious look on his face. His eyes bulged, as if he wanted to crush the man''s head.
"Calm? Calm, you say? He took out 1000 harpy monsters in one hit! How can I calm down?! You idiot!"
Bang!
A hard fistnded on the wall. Baron Gustav was about to hit Kirnish, but the man dodged to the side. Kirnish didn''t seem afraid. He calmly looked into his master''s eyes.
"My lord, please cool your head. If you saw earlier, the power that Lord Isaac unleashed was extraordinary. An attack as vicious as that would definitely require arge amount of mana to be exerted. I''m sure he''s exhausted right now."
Hearing that, the baron''s eyes opened wide. His assistant''s words sounded reasonable. Then, he started chuckling.
"That''s right, Kirnish. You are right. There is no way the loser has that much power. That much power would at least need a high-ss artefact. How could he have it?"
Baron Gustavughed loudly, while Kirnish smiled.
"That''s right, my lord. This is the right time to attack him with Gaviole."
Chapter 90 Grinding Ground
Thousands of dungeon monsters tried to block the movement of Isaac and his troops. They defended with all their strength, even if they had to sacrifice each other.
However, Isaac waspletely unstoppable.
Blood sttered on the ground as Isaac moved to lead his troops. Baron Gustav''s monsters were wiped out with ease, their defense line being ripped apart like cutting butter with a hot knife.
"Keep going! We''re about to reach the teleportation gate!"
Hearing themander''s voice, the monster warriors grew excited. They speed up the movement. The flying monsters belonging to the enemy tried to hinder them. Gargolyes flying in the sky while carrying boulders and dropping them on Isaac''s army could be seen from a distance.
As they swooped down, the stones shrunk to the size of pebbles and burned.
"Watch out, it''s the burned stones! Prepare the defense!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The burned stones rained down on his troops like a meteor shower. They certainly didn''t stand still. The monsters who were able to cast ice elemental magic quicklyunched attacks. The mammoth waved its trunk, then shot a blue light at the stones.
sh! sh! sh!
The burned stones that approached within a radius of 10 meters were quenched into ordinary pebbles, so that when the stones hit them, it felt like being thrown by ordinary stones.
"Keep moving to the teleportation gate. Ignore the gargoyles!"
They continued to move, following themander''s instructions. From a distance, Isaac finally saw a giant gate towering up.
A wide smile bloomed on his face.
''Finally, we have arrived. It''s less than 4 hours.''
The average of the Demon Lords in conquering dungeons, for one floor at least, took one day. It was the ideal time after entering the third year. In the first year, it could take 2 to 3 days to conquer one floor.
Thanks to Isaac''s past memories and the monster data he got from Nine Sky, the process went much faster.
Besides, deciding to cross the ravine was the right decision taken by Isaac. If he chose to take a detour or the valley route, then the subjugation could take longer.
Baron Gustav had already put his troops on the valley route. He was sure that Isaac wouldn''t choose the shortcut by crossing the ravine. Or at least Isaac would choose a detour that would reduce his time limit.
However, Isaac didn''t choose either of them.
He already knew choosing the valley path would only bring him death. Based on his war experience, the high ground position would always be advantageous, especially if he had a ranged assault troop. If Isaac and his troops chose the valley route, he would be in a low ground position, and Baron Gustav''s troops would have been waiting on the cliff tounch an attack.
''Of course they will guard the teleportation gate.''
From a distance, thousands of monsters were seen guarding the teleportation gate. Most of them were savages and beast type monsters. Their killing intention and rage could be felt by Isaac.
He then ordered his men to speed up their pace.
"Prepare for a sh!" Isaac eximed.
"Graawwrrr!"
The enemy troops also did not remain silent. They also attacked. On their side, five mountain trolls the size of a two-story building were seen running at the very front.
[Name : N/A]
[Race : Trolls]
[Type : Savages]
[ss : C]
[Level : 60]
On the shoulder of one of the trolls, Isaac couldn see the figure of a creature with a mighty posture. It had pale grey skin, a muscr build, and long hair that was tied in a ponytail. Its face was very ugly, with two fangs sticking out of its mouth.
[Name : Gaviole]
[Race : Ogre ]
[Type : Boss ]
[ss : B ]
[Level : 80 ]
Isaac grimaced at the status information.
''He even put Lord Ogre on Floor 1? Baron Gustav, you really are funny.''
Thud!
"Kuaak!"
The mountain trolls hit the ground, killing at least 30 of Isaac''s monsters. The first blood had been spilled. Then, the troops of monsters behind them came crashing down. Of course, Isaac''s side didn''t stand still. They quickly put up a fight.
A sh between the two group of monsters was inevitable.
Bam! Bam! Bam! The mountain trolls went on rampage, trampling the monsters like ants.
sh! sh! St! The orcs and hobgoblins swung their weapons, slicing flesh and chopping bones.
St! St! St! The hordes of chupacabra preyed on dozens of kobolds, tearing their bodies, bones, and skulls apart.
The werelion roared, swinging their giant axe. A group of lizardmen and lycans chased the weak monsters. Dozens of thunderbirds flew through the air, shing lightning bolts.
The monsters kept killing each other.
Body parts scattered everywhere. The air was filled with the smell of blood and burning flesh, while the ground on which he stood turned muddy because of the blood.
Every second, the number of victims who died continued to fall, especially on Baron Gustav''s side. His troops were unable to withstand the onught of enemy troops. They were increasingly overwhelmed when dealing with Isaac''s two mainstay generals.
Fedorov fought like a thunder god. Armed with the dagger, he plunged into the sea of monsters and turned them into lumps of charred flesh. His body emitted lightning. Every creature that moved around was killed in seconds.
On the other hand, Byakko was the one that caught the most attention. She created a storm in the middle of the battlefield, sweeping away the enemy troops and sending them flying into the death. The monsters were terrified when faced with the female incarnate of the Spiritual Beast. Their instincts told them to run.
Meanwhile, Isaac just watched them. He did take part in the battlefield directly.
''Byakko, Fedorov... use this opportunity to be stronger.''
The reason he rejected Baron Gustav''s challenge and preferred to challenge him was so that he could level up his two generals. By fighting in the enemy dungeon, the number of monsters Fedorov and Byakko could kill was unlimited.
In other words, this was a grinding ground to raise their level.
"LORD ISAAC!"
A wet and heavy, hoarse voice could be heard calling his name.
When Isaac turned his head, he saw an ogre with an axe in both hands. Its entire body was covered in blood, showing how many monsters it had killed.
"Graaawr!''
Isaac''s monster warriors didn''t stand still when seeing the monster not on their side approaching their master. They quickly attacked the ogre. Sabretooth, wendigos, and gnolls ambushed it simultaneously.
St! St! St!
Within seconds, body parts and blood sttered on the ground.
The ogre had been ughtered by them.
"Lord Isaac, the noble of the Nether Realm. Come and fight me."
Isaac chuckled. "Well, I know you came here by the order of your master. But, I suggest you look for an equal opponent. For example, like the two of them."
He pointed at Fedorov and Byakko who were raging on the battlefield.
"Killing them was quite easy for me. I came here to fight with you, the demon."
,m "You''ll regret it, Lord Ogre," Isaac replied with a smile.
Swooosh!
The ogre suddenly disappeared from its standing position. In a split second, the monster was in front of Isaac.
"Die, you arrogant demon!"
sh! St!
Red blood spurted like a fountain. The head rolled, and the body fell to the ground.
"I told you, you''ll regret it."
Gaviole, Lord Ogre, 1st Floor warden was killed in one sh. The monsters that sensed their boss was dead immediately panicked. They ran inside the teleportation gate, but Isaac and his troops didn''t let them run away.
Chapter 91 Days 2
With the death of Gaviole and its men, the 1st Floor was officially conquered by Isaac. The total time used was 12 hours. An incredible achievement that other demons might never be able to get. Even in his previous life, no demons could do that.
Isaac and his troops moved towards the 2nd Floor.
The terrain they faced was the ruins of an ancient city. Along the road, there were only the rubbles of buildings overgrown with moss. Trees with lush green leaves grew above the boulders and the ruins of the statue.
Maybe if ordinary humans entered this area, they would think this dungeon was a lost civilization.
Isaac led his troops through the ruins of the city. They wiped out every monster that dared to stand in their way. Most of the inhabitants of Floor 2 were ntae-type monsters, like treants. They disguised themselves as trees or hid behind the rocks, then suddenly attacked when the opponent caught off guard.
Of course, ntae monsters like them didn''t give Isaac any trouble. He ordered his monster to burn every tree they came across. In his troops, there was a race of monsters called giltoad, a race of frog monsters that had a humanoid body. They were small like goblins and had ears like fish fins. Giltoad was capable of spitting out a sticky liquid that acted like oil. With one tiny spark could cause a fire.
Every path Isaac crossed turned into a sea of ??fire. This forced Baron Gustav to send in his real troops, the snakesfolk.
The monsters that had scales and snake tails charged towards Isaac and his troops. They were able to spit out acid venom that could melt any object. The surprise attack that Isaac and his troops received was enough to make them feel a loss. At least a thousand monsters died as a warning.
However, the monsters on Baron Gustav''s side still couldn''t withstand the power of Isaac''s monster warriors. Fedorov, with his lightning elemental skill turned them into lumps of charred flesh.
? Within 8 hours, they managed to reach the teleportation gate and confronted the boss of the 2nd Floor¡ªWyrm.
It was a giant snake that was ten meters long, with white scales, and amber eyes that resembled crescent moons. Every time the wrym moved its tail, thousands of Isaac''s troops were swept away like dust. When they stuck out their tongues, the dripping saliva was capable of rotting the flesh of living things. Even the snake could emit a gas that killed thousands of Isaac''s monster warriors in a matter of seconds.
However, the wyrm still wasn''t enough to stop Isaac''s troops.
Byakko faced the wyrm''s alone. They got into a fierce battle. Her ws tore apart the serpent monster''s body. The scales as hard as metal tes were peeled off and its flesh torn apart.
When the wrym had weakened, Byakko cut off the snake''s head with her elemental wind magic.
Boss ss monster died in the hands of Byakko alone.
After that, without wasting any time to rest, Isaac and his troops immediately proceeded to the 3rd Floor.
The 3rd floor was a volcano terrain. Shield-shaped mountains adorned thendscape. At the top of the mountain, redva erupted as high as 10 meters and created ava stream along the foot of the hill. The air in that ce was really hot, so there was no water, let alone green nts. Everything was ck from sand and red fromva.
The monsters that awaited Isaac were not just random monsters. Dozens ofva-golems stood guard at every corner. Their bodies wereposed of volcanic rock and red liquid from theva. Not only could they destroy the enemies but also melt anyone who displeased them.
However, that was not the only threat.
There was arge horde of monsters that were simr to the dragon. They had four legs, like a horse, but their scales were hard like a reptile and ws like an eagle''s. Every breath they took was capable of releasing a burst of mes that could burn dozens of people.
They were me drake, C-ss dragon-type monsters. Drakes were the lowest caste monsters in the dragon power hierarchy, but they were enough to send thousands of monsters to death.
Of course, Isaac had anticipated this. His five thousand mammoth monsters spurted ice through their snout, sending the drake''s mes out and theva from theva-golems freezing. Then, dozens of his monster warriors finished off those enemies who were in a weak state.
After they arrived at the teleportation gate, Isaac and his troops were blocked by the floor guard, Ifreet.
Ifreet was an elemental type monster that was at the boss stage. This monster took the physical form of mes. Like most elemental-type monsters, physical attacks had no effect on them. They could only be defeated with magic skills or mana damage or elements of their opposite.
The boss monster wasn''t alone. It was with the troops of thousands ofva-golems and gene¡ªfire elemental monsters.
In the face of Ifreet, only Isaac and his two generals were capable of giving damage. Meanwhile, his monster warriors faced off against the enemy golem troops.
Ifreet was able to burst out mes and exterminate thousands of monsters in a matter of seconds and increase the power of its monsters, which had a high affinity for the fire element.
Fighting Ifreet was not an easy job, considering the boss was surrounded by powerful monsters. However, in the end, the floor guard died at Isaac''s hands after thousands of mana bullets lodged in Ifreet''s head.
Isaac and his troops quickly entered the teleportation gate and headed for the 4th Floor.
In total, they managed to conquer three floors of the dungeon in two days. Any Dungeon Master would be in deep shock if he saw his dungeon being broken into like this.
It was as if the defense they created that sacrificed sweat and blood was just a joke.
That was how Baron Gustav felt right now.
For the past two days, he could only stare at the Crystal Core screen projection, watching all of his monsters get wiped out, as if they were just mere insects. Even though he had spent a lot of zenny to choose the best monster troops from the shop.
"This is absolutely impossible¡ impossible¡"
The arrogant and haughty look that used to adorn the Demon Lord''s face disappeared. It was reced by a frustrated expression. Kirnish, who was standing behind him, was silent at his master''s condition. He understood very well what Baron Gustav was feeling. He also could not believe the scenes of thest two days.
However, Kirnish couldn''t let his master get caught up in this kind of situation. Or else their dungeon wouldpletely fall.
"Lord, the game is still not over. We can still stop Lord Isaac. We need to do something."
The words sounded like satire in the ears of the demon.
"I know, jerk!" Baron Gustav cursed his men. "I knew we had to do something. That bastard Constantine is currently on the 4th Floor. In a few hours, he might manage to reach the Crystal Core room and slit my throat."
Kirnish lowers his head deeply. He realized he was saying the wrong thing.
Then, Baron Gustav essed his inventory, and his appearance changed 180 degrees. His noble clothes disappeared, reced by red armor covering his entire body.
Seeing this, Kirnish quickly put on a surprised expression.
"Lord, what are you doing?"
From behind his red helmet, Baron Gustave snorted. "What am I doing? Of course I will face him head on. The boss guards of the 4th Floor won''t be enough to deal with Isaac."
Kirnish nodded.
"Although my monsters can''t face them, but not with me. I will show that bastard the difference in our individual power."
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.
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*Author Noted*
Hello readers! I am Wage, the author of the novel Rebirth of the Strongest Dungeon Master.
First of all, thank you for reading my story so far. I''m writing this just to convey my feelings when writing this story.
Honestly, I had a hard time writing Rebirth of the Strongest Dungeon Master :D (as an author this is quite embarrassing). As you can see, there are a lot of inconsistencies, early chapters seem dragging, and sometimes updates are less stable.
I actually wanted to cut my story until chapter 50 xD. However, thanks to your support I was able to write this far.
It was a bit surprising for me when I found that there were people who wanted to buy my chapters, especially the privileged chapters. I really thank you, this is a big support that you give. Of course, also yourments, whether critical or just trolls, this really means a lot to me. Especially your advice, it really helps me in writing on Webnovel. (sorry if there werements that I didn''t reply to, honestly, I was too overthinking when ites to replying to your questions xD).
Once again, I say thank you, readers! I will try my best, so that we can see this story to the end. A satisfying ending.
So that is it, have a good day!
Chapter 92 Battle Of The Barons
Overcast sky spilled drops of water. Two strongholds of the monster troops were seen marching and opposing each other on the barrennd. The killing aura radiated strongly despite the rain pouring down on them. Fangs exposed, weapons drawn; they were impatient to finish off their opponents.
In a moment, the battle between Baron Gustav and Isaac''s troops would begin.
The 4th floor was an apocalyptic terrain. The barrennd and acid rain kept pouring down non-stop. This ce should still be under construction. There weren''t that many monsters upying this floor yet. Baron Gustav was quite rxed about building the 4th Floor, as no humans had yet broken through to the 2nd Floor. So he thought that he would have plenty of time to develop it, but who would have thought his decision had led him into this dire situation?
It never crossed his mind that Isaac would make it through his dungeon to this extent.
Baron Gustav, with blood red armor covering his body, advanced to the center of the field, approaching Isaac who had been waiting for a long time.
"To think that we would meet like this, you really are a surprise, Lord Isaac," said Baron Gustav.
Although his voice was interrupted by the sound of the rain, Isaac was still able to hear it clearly.
"I also didn''t think that it would be this easy to break through your dungeon."
Baron Gustav snorted. "You turned arrogant just because you caught me off guard."
"Well, it''s your fault, not mine." Isaac smirked, his eyes shing ridicule.
Of course Baron Gustav who heard that was not happy. The expression on his face that was hidden under the helmet turned sour. He essed the inventory. Then, a sword shot out of the thin air. He swung his weapon, then the sword lengthened and twisted like a whip.
"How strong will you be against the Snake de?"
On the other hand, Isaac also didn''t want to lose. He took out a dark green greatsword with ck gradations on the hilt.
"We''ll see," Isaac replied.
The two began to re at each other, their eyes looking into one another. Not long after, the sound of metal shing echoed amidst the gurgling rain.
nk!
The sign that the battle had begun.
The monster troops from both sides shed. They charged forward while roaring excitedly, the sound of their footsteps causing a great vibration. Within minutes, bloodshed was inevitable.
"Kwark!"
St! St! St!
They killed each other. The four-legged monsters jumped bravely, ripping apart the opponent''s flesh with their fangs, and tearing their foes to shreds. Without hesitation, Bulvak devoured the heads of the lycan and chewed their skulls like candy. Chupacabra gang up on the drakes at once.
Giant monsters went on rampage, ravaging the battlefield; The five meters tall troll swept over and kicked the monster under its feet like brushing off insects. The golems jumped here and there, stomping thousands of monsters into minced meat and crushed bones.
The monsters who could spit out fire burned the battlefield and scorched thousands of monsters into lifeless lumps of flesh. Ice thorns shot out sharply from the air, bombarding thousands of monsters.
The battlefield hadpletely turned into a killing field. The bodies of the monsters were strewn with mud. Blood colored the puddles of murky raindrops. A fishy and charred smell of flesh wafted through the air along with the cold rain.
There was only chaos and madness on the battlefield.
On the other hand, theirmander seemed to be fighting fiercely too.
"That''s all you can do, Constantine? Bring out your power!?"
nk! nk! nk!
Barons Gustav''s sword shed through the air and struck Isaac several times, while his opponent continued to deflect the attacks with his greatsword. He let out shes of wind several times that were capable of cutting the monster in half, but Baron Gustav managed to dodge it.
Coupled with his skill, ''Levitation (B)'', it allowed his body to fly in the air and kept his distance away from the opponent.
Over the past two days, Baron Gustav had not only sent monsters through the Crystal Core Room. He continued to observe Isaac''s fighting style; how the demon could release the wind element sh and arge tornado that was able to sweep the battlefield at once.
Baron Gustav learned everything.
Whenever Isaac made a move orunched an attack, the Baron immediately cancelled the attack with his Snake de. The weapon he used was a counter to ck Jade. Greatsword prioritized brute strength, so the weight of the greatsword was very heavy and required great strength to swing.
With the Snake de, Baron Gustav was able to anticipate the iing attack.
"Hahaha! Come on, attack me, Boy!!! Show me your strength!"
Baron Gustavughed as heunched an attack, his sword striking Isaac many times. Thanks to that Isaac couldn''t shorten the distance between them.
St! St! St!
Baron Gustav''s sh didn''t hit the target. It eradicated the monsters around Isaac. They turned into lumps of flesh.
He was truly confident in this battle. He had already calcted the opponent''s individual abilities and the strength of the monster''s troops. He was sure he could win this battle.
In addition, he also bought the King Drake.
"Come on, Lord Isaac. Why are you so weak? Where is your prowess that you showed two days ago? Don''t tell me you wait for the help of your two men? Look at them!"
On the other side of the battlefield, there was a drake that had an unnatural sizepared to normal drakes. The creature had a body the size of an elephant and around its body emitted fire; even the rainwater evaporated when it hit the monster''s body.
Drake King seemed to dominate the battlefield. It spouted fire and burned the surrounding monsters. Isaac''s two main generals, Fedorov and Byakko, seemed to be having a hard time.
The monster was impervious to lightning and its scales were hard and couldn''t be cut by wind des.
"HAHAHA!"
Baron Gustav continued to attack Isaac fiercely, his swordshing out like a ferocious snake. Blood started to trickle down through Isaac''s clothes. The wounds gaped from the surface of the demon''s skin.
He could make Isaac beg for mercy and kill him in this battle.
At least that was what Baron Gustav thought.
Baron Gustav grew more confident. Seeing Isaac who was getting more and more cornered, made him fight more aggressively.
nk! nk! nk!
The sound of metal shing continued to echo every time the Snake de was swung. Then, the crashing sound disappeared.
Shreen!
"Keugh¡ªWhat!?"
Baron Gustav opened his eyes wide. The look of surprise would have been obvious had the helmet not covered his face. The Snake de, which became his mainstay weapon, was caught by Isaac with his bare hands.
"Waak...!"
Bam!
Baron Gustav who was floating in the air was pulled hard, falling to the ground. His body was plunged into the mud.
He quickly got up and tried to pull his sword out, but it didn''t move an inch. Isaac''s hand should have been cut in half. He was currently at level 80. Among the Baron ss, his level was already high.
On the other hand, Isaac was smirking.
"Fuck! What item did you use, huh!?"
Instead of answering, Isaac just chuckled. Of course, that angered Baron Gustav.
"What are youughing at, you bastard?!"
Isaac stoppedughing. "I saw a clown. An angry clown."
Those words made Baron Gustav get furious.
"Don''t y with me¡.. Hya!!!"
Baron Gustav activated his skill. Various objects around him floated, and thousands of monsters flew through the air. He tried to fly Isaac into the sky and dropped him.
However, the opposite happened.
"Keeuuuul!"
Baron Gustav was drawn towards Isaac, as if a great force was pulling his body. His neck gripped, he couldn''t breathe. His helmet was removed. An expression of surprise was clearly etched on his face.
Meanwhile, Isaac smiled in satisfaction.
"Baron Gustav, why do you look so surprised?"
Baron Gustav tried to release the stranglehold on his neck. However, Isaac''s strength was far greater than he expected. He tried to scream, to call for reinforcements.
And of course, no one came.
"Don''t tell me you''re waiting for help, Baron Gustav. It looks like no one will help you, including your proud Drake King."
Baron Gustav rolled his eyes, then the two of them opened wide. The Drake King, the monster he got after spending 500,000 zenny looked helpless. The giant monster seemed to be a ything of two human-like monsters, especially the monster that resembled a white-haired and crescent-eyed woman. The woman shed Drake King''s neck with her teeths.
His mouth trembled at the sight. He also felt dizzy because the air had stopped flowing into his head.
Meanwhile, Isaac seemed to smile broadly.
Suddenly, Baron Gustav''s instincts screamed as if a stronger predator were in front of him. Just like the time he was facing Duke Barbatos.
His face began to turn pale, and fear crept through his body.
"Now, it''s my turn."
"N¡ no!"
Baron Gustav''s pupils opened wide. He screamed until his whole soul burst out of his throat.
St! St!
Then, the sound of blood spurting was heard amidst the gurgling rain.
Chapter 93 Conqueror
He was panting, his hands were holding his stomach, which was bleeding non-stop. Baron Gustavid helplessly on the ground after Isaac stabbed him.
His eyes red at the man with hatred.
"Fuck¡ you must be happy¡ to have beaten me." Baron Gustav tried to smile amidst his near death state.
Isaac chuckled. "Why do you feel so important? You challenged me, then you lost. You died on your own."
Baron Gustav was annoyed. He was about to curse Isaac, but his words were stuck in his throat. He realized he had lost badly. He even lost in his own dungeon.
"Alright, you win, Lord Isaac. You can take everything I have. Duke Barbatos is only testing you."
Then, Isaacughed loudly. Tears welled up in his eyes because it was so funny. Meanwhile, Baron Gustav just looked at the man, looking curious.
"What is so funny?" asked Baron Gustav.
Theughter stopped. Isaac grabbed the demon by the cor and red at him with a look full of rage. Baron Gustav could only hold his breath.
"After what you did, you thought I would let you live?"
Baron Gustav seemed to swallow his saliva with difficulty. "Come on, Lord Isaac. Do not take it seriously. This was an order from Duke Barbatos. He wanted to test your power."
Of course, what Baron Gustav said was a lie, and Isaac knew it. A lion never heard amb cry. The Dukes always thought of themselves as higher beings than the other nobles.
Win or lose, Duke Barbatos didn''t care about the oue. He wanted to punish his men who did wrong.
"You think after what you said when you challenged me? I still remember you wanted to crush and trample me."
Baron Gustav''s face grew even more pale. He panicked. "I had to do it. Duke Barbatos forced me to fight against you, but you refused. You know the consequences if you fail to carry out your duties, don''t you?"
"Precisely."
Baron Gustave was taken aback. He understood the meaning of Isaac''s words. He remembered having failed on the dungeon break and thwarting his ns to conquer Inner Mongolia.
"I''ll tell you. From the start, Duke Barbatos just wanted to throw you out."
The demon''s lips trembled at what Isaac had said. Despair began to creep up on his body.
His survival instincts forced him to beg for forgiveness.
"Lord Isaac, forgive me for all the things I have done. I swear on behalf of my family, I will never do it again. I will serve you from now onwards. A good king, will always consider forgiveness of his enemies."
"So, you mean, you will serve me if I let you live, right?"
Baron Gustav grimaced. "Right."
Isaac nodded. Seeing that response, Baron Gustav smiled inwardly. He would do anything as long as he could survive. As long as he was still breathing and could think, things could change at any moment.
Licking his enemy''s shoes wasn''t a big deal. He wouldn''t mind at all. The game was far from over.
"You will still serve me, even if you are under Duke Barbatos?" Isaac asked.
"Right. I will serve you. Why am I serving a master that will throw me outter?"
Isaac nodded. For a moment, he was silent. Baron Gustav put on a hopeful look while holding back the bleeding in his stomach.
In his eyes, Isaac was like a demon who was hungry for power, a type of demon that would ept anything as long as he was served. Baron Gustav was sure Isaac would ept him.
"All right," Isaac replied.
A smile bloomed on Baron Gustav''s face. He made it.
However, he didn''t know that Isaac hated creatures like him the most.
"Thank you, Lord Isaac. From now onwards I¡ªkeugh"
St!
The greatsword was stuck in the demon''s stomach. Blood surged and flooded the ground. Questions filled his face.
"Lor¡ ord¡ Isaac, why?"
"Why? That''s what I should have said." Isaac grabbed Baron Gustav''s neck. "Why would I forgive you? You think I will ept you as a servant who once betrayed his master? Don''t be stupid, Baron Gustav."
"Y¡ you¡."
"Besides, if you were in my position, would you spare my life?"
Baron Gustav could not answer. He was too weak from losing too much blood.
Isaac kept stering at him.
Not long after, the man''s hands fell to the ground, and the breath was no longer blowing from his nose.
Baron Gustav was dead.
Ding!
[Dungeon Master has been killed!]
[You gain the dungeon ownership.]
[New title earned]
[You got the title ''The Conqueror'']
[Strength stat increased by 5]
[Your rank has been increased. Rank 70.]
[823,631 zenny transferred to your ounts.]
[The dungeon ownership has passed to the new yer, Isaac Constantine.]
Isaac let out a long sigh.
There were two conditions for getting victory in a raid or dungeon defense. First, by destroying the Crystal Core, it would automatically eliminate the demon from the game, but the dungeon would be destroyed. The second way, the Dungeon Master admitted his defeat. The defeated demon still owned the dungeon and was involved in the game. However, he would lose 70% of his assets and get his rank dropped.
Thest way, the Dungeon Master was killed during PvP. He was automatically eliminated in the game and all his assets went to the winner, including the dungeon ownership.
Thus, Isaac chose to get rid of Baron Gustav. He wanted to have the demon''s dungeon located in Beijing, a ce that had a dense poption and the headquarters of the Nine Sky.
Besides, by having two dungeons, he had two lives in this game. If one dungeon was destroyed, he still had another.
''This way, my chances of staying in the game will be longer.''
After Baron Gustav''s death, all the monsters suddenly stopped fighting. They then fled in disarray. However, the monster warriors brought by Isaac certainly didn''t stand still. They chased and finished off the remaining ones.
Isaac then ordered his monsters not to hunt them again.
"Stop killing them, or I will kill you all."
With just one sentence, the monsters stopped, then they chose to eat the dead enemies. All beast-type monsters had the habit of eating meat from the enemies'' corpses after the battle had ended. Byakko was not an exception even though she was in a human body right now.
Only Fedorov didn''t seem to touch the corpses of the monsters who died in battle.
He approached Isaac. "Commander, any more orders?"
Isaac saw the look of disgust on the man''s face. Fedorov couldn''t bear to watch the monster partying over the dead monsters.
"You stay here. I have business I need to do."
"Can I apany you? Just in case a monster attacks."
Isaac chuckled. "Stay cool. They won''t attack."
"All right, Commander."
Then, Isaac left Fedorov with the monsters who were partying excitedly. He went to the highest room of the dungeon to meet the Dungeon Manager.
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.
.
The Crystal Core Room looked no different from his dungeon. The room looked dim with minimal light, and there was only a octahedrad crystal that lit up like a light bulb. The only difference here was the Dungeon Manager. It was not a little girl, but a dark-skinned servant.
The servant looked down at Isaac. He knew who the new owner of this ce was.
"So, what''s your name?" Isaac asked.
"My name is Kirnish. I was the previous servant of Baron Gustav, as well as the manager of this dungeon."
Isaac nodded. "You want to serve me?"
"This is part of the rules of the game."
Each dungeon only and must have one Dungeon Manager. They were irreceable because their existence was tied to the Crystal Core. In other words, the Dungeon Manager was the dungeon itself.
Since Isaac was the new owner of Baron Gustav''s former dungeon, he needed to synchronize with Kirnish to make it official.
"From now onwards, you will serve me. Whatever hatred you harbored from me or you got from your former master, you must forget it."
"Yes, my lord. The death of my former master was a serious matter, but as a Dungeon Manager, it is my duty to serve the new Dungeon Master. I will start a new chapter with Lord Isaac Constantine."
Isaac smiled. Kirnish''s words didn''t sound far-fetched or fawning. He waspletely sincere and honest, something Isaac had rarely seen these days.
"Okay, raise your head. Don''t keep your head down. Let''s start the synchronization."
"Yes, my lord."
Kirnish''s body glowed, and so did with Isaac. Then, a notification sounded in Isaac''s head.
Ding!
[Synchronizationplete!]
[Disy new status.]
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 115]
[Rank : 70th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[ Skill : 2/4]
[ Strength : 70 (75) ]
[ Magic : 180 ]
[ Constitution : 96 ]
[ Dexterity : 103 ]
[ Perception : 100 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 30 ]
.
[Dungeon Floors : 4]
[Monster Boss : 2/4]
[Poption : 336,875/400,000]
[Fund : 1,07,785 zenny]
.
[Dungeon Floors : 4]
[Monster Boss : 0/4]
[Poption : 187,875/400,000]
[Fund : 623,631 zenny]
.
After seeing his new status, Isaac smiled in satisfaction.
''Two dungeons and five titles in the second year. This is really crazy.''
The results he got from his previous life were far different. All those insane achievements, only a few demons could aplish them. Even as the game neared its end, the number of demons having such achievements could be counted on fingers.
Even so, Isaac was not in a hurry. He realized this would cause a bacsh.
The title ''The Conqueror'' could only be achieved by the first demon who had killed another participant. In other words, the noble demons would be more and more wary of him, especially the Dukes.
Chapter 94 Adjustment
Now Isaac had two dungeons. He had additional resources to get zenny. Besides, the location of the dungeon was in Beijing, one of the most populous cities in maind China. There would be many quality hunters ready to be harvested.
However, he had to finish the piled up work left by Baron Gustav.
After Isaac carried out the raid, many of the monsters in the dungeon died falling victim to his troops, especially the bosses who acted as warden on each floor. They had all been wiped out.
Isaac had to adjust the dungeon''s defenses.
He needed to think about how humans could stillst longer in the dungeon designed by Baron Gustav.
It would take time and effort, especially zenny. He had to rearrange the distribution of monsters based on the strength level, food chain, and terrain difficulty.
Luckily, he had a new servant who could help him solve the problem.
In contrast to Pippi who was childish and frivolous, Kurnish seemed calm and mature. He was able to solve variousplex problems that existed in the dungeon, such as the quarrel between the tribes.
But before that, Isaac needed to connect the dungeon in Beijing and at the tripoint border.
"Kirnish, I will introduce you to my Dungeon Manager. Even if you manage a different dungeon, I want you to know each other for future rtionships. She''s very childish, but she''s great at her job."
"Yes, my lord."
Isaac then contacted Pippi via telepathy. Instantly, her cheerful voice echoed in his head.
"Oh, my lord! Pippi hasn''t heard from you in two days. Don''t worry, the dungeon is still safe. Those stupid humans won''t be able to break into the dungeon as long as Pippi is here."
Isaac sighed. He could never get used to hearing the way Pippi talked. Kirnish looked at his master''s expression of astonishment. This was the first time he saw a Demon Lord putting on a bored expression.
"Pippi, listen carefully. I want to connect our dungeon with the one in Beijing."
"What?!" The surprised tone of her voice was clear. "Lord, you managed to conquer a dungeon? Incredible! I knew that the Lord would be able to defeat that ugly demon."
Isaac clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Pippi, focus; do as Imand."
"Oh, sorry Lord! Pippi was too happy. Pippi will get to work soon."
His attention then turned to Kirnish. The servant was still looking down on the floor. Isaac who saw him being silent felt like he saw a dog.
"You too, Kirnish."
"Yes, my lord."
Not long after that, Kirnish emitted a light that enveloped his entire body.
He was building a connection with Pippi.
From the outside, the top of the dungeon lit up like a lighthouse, as did the dungeon on the tripoint border. Then, the light shot through the sky and clouds and met each other at one point.
The incident caught the attention of people. As good civilians, they recorded the incident with a phone camera and uploaded it to the inte. The journalists who were in charge of getting the recent news also broadcasted the incident quickly.
Various rumors quickly circted on the inte.
"It''s done, my lord."
Kirnish seemed to have a pale face, as if arge amount of energy had been oozing out of his body.
Then, out of empty air, the shards of light appeared and gathered into one, forming the figure of a little girl with a wide smile on her face.
Of course, she was Pippi.
"Lord!"
The first thing Pippi did was run and hug Isaac. She missed her master very much, even more so after not seeing the man for two days.
Isaac quickly flicked the girl''s forehead to calm her down.
"I never understood why you never remember what I said, Pippi."
"Heheh, forgive Pippi, Lord," the little girl replied with a clumsy look on her face.
Kirnish, who saw how close their rtionships were, looked dumbfounded. He had never done that to Baron Gustav. His former master was arrogant and short-tempered. Trying to hug the demon was like defiance in his eyes.
After linking his dungeon to Baron Gustav''s former dungeon, it was now possible for Isaac to teleport to both of his dungeons.
Not only the Dungeon Manager and the owner that could teleport but also the monsters.
Isaac nned to transfer some of his monsters to this dungeon. It was to save costs and get rid of monsters that were rapidly overpopting; such as orcs and goblins.
"PIppi, this is Kirnish. Kirnish, this is Pippi. Now that both of you are partners."
"Pleased to meet ypu," Kirnish said. He reached out to Pippi with a smiling face.
Meanwhile, Pippi seemed to have a different reaction. She raised one of her eyebrows. The little girl didn''t hide her displeasure even since she saw Kirnish for the first time. As Isaac''s first Dungeon Manager, she felt superior to Kirnish.
Pippi smirked as she greeted the dark-skinned servant.
"Even though both of you are in charge of different dungeons, you have to work together to keep the dungeon you are guarding at its best. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lord," they both answered in unison.
The first stage was over. Now, Isaac moved on to the development stage.
"Alright, let''s get to work."
Isaac told Pippi to transfer the savages-type monster to this dungeon and send his remaining troops back. Meanwhile, Kirnish was ordered to help him reorganize the dungeon.
The terrain on the first floor was a barrennd full of ravines and high cliffs. Isaac changed the natural setting. He lowered the height of the cliff and lowered the wind speed. It was to reduce the risk of death if a human fell from a height. In addition, in several ces, he provided wells for hunters to draw water.
For the inhabitant monsters, he put on monsters that had low affinity; like slim and grass monsters. He shifted the cirction of former monsters¡ªsuch as harpies¡ªto the edge of the map, so that humans wouldn''t get in touch with them. Of course Isaac didn''t mean to protect them, but it was to prevent humans from dying prematurely.
After all, Floor 1 was a ce for hunters to learn and adapt. In other words, it was a ce for tutorials. The goal of the first floor was to make it easier for beginner hunters to level up.
Then, on the 2nd Floor, Isaac made it a little moreplex. He changed the colour gradation of the buildings and the surrounding area. In this floor redevelopment, Kirnish took most of the work, as it involved environmental details.
Isaac''s purpose in doing that was to increase the visibility of the monsters that were camouged or hiding there, such as the treants disguised themselves as trees or golems disguised as rubble. Isaac changed the colour of the surroundings; rocks, debris, leaves, and so on. So that humans could understand the difference a little.
On this floor, he didn''t change the distribution of the monsters, because most of them weren''t carnivorous types. Instead, he sent a lot of goblins to the 2nd Floor.
On the 3rd Floor, Isaac didn''t do much to the environment. Volcanic mountain terrain was dangerous terrain. The temperature was high,va pools were everywhere, and elemental-type monsters appeared once every 100 meters. No matter how much Isaac changed it, this terrain was still difficult for humans to traverse.
Besides, there were only a few monsters that could survive there, such as drakes and elemental monsters.
The only thing Isaac could do was to ce a safe zone free from the threat of monsters.
Last, Floor 4 was where the most changes were made. This floor had an apocalyptic terrain, where nts couldn''t grow because the water was polluted. Moreover, there were many monsters that had been mutated due to the bad environment. Their existence ruined the quality of offspring.
Even during the battle, Isaac observed them.
p Although some mutated monsters became twice as strong, the next lineage got weaker and most of the monsters were born disable. In other words, the 4th Floor was the dungeon''s weakest point.
Isaac was a bit frustrated with managing this floor. He cursed Baron Gustav several times for the stupid decisions the man had made, especially cing the drakes on this floor. It was a waste of resources.
To ovee this, Isaac stopped the acid rain. Then, he made a regional scheme like the Radiant Forest by dividing the 4th Floor into two areas; one part was the polluted and the other was the safe area. He sold all the monsters that had the gene mutation and reced them with the new ones.
Isaac bought new monsters with high quality and reproduction speed such as; hobgoblins, ogres, lycans and gnools.
It took at least half a month for Isaac to readjust the dungeon. During that time, he was really busy and didn''t want to be disturbed. He ignored all kinds of interference from outside, including from Baron Loke who kept contacting him.
Chapter 95 Control
Kirnish returned after helping Isaac readjust the dungeon conditions. For some reason, he looked satisfied; some of his advice was epted by Isaac and applied to the dungeon. This made him feel valued. Compared to when he served Baron Gustav, none of his ideas were ever epted.
Most demons were too arrogant to hear the thoughts of the beings they thought were inferior, while Isaac was quite open-minded. As long as he got suggestions that were reasonable and useful for the dungeon, he wasn''t hesitant to implement them. He realized that ego did not make him win this game.
Every creature had hidden potential, and Isaac would use them to achieve his goals.
"Learn every element in the dungeon, and use them to the fullest."
"Yes, my lord," Kirnish replied.
The affairs in the Beijing dungeon were over. It was time for Isaac to return to where he came from. He gave Kirnsih a little advice before his departure; such as exterminating the ''leecher'', choosing the right boss as a warden, and determining which humans were quite perfect to harvest.
Isaac applied the second dungeon''s scheme to the first dungeon; the first two floors were where the beginner hunters grew up, the next floor was for selection. He told Kirnish to ce two bosses on Floor 3 and Floor 4. As for which boss to choose, the decision was left to the Dungeon Manager.
The reason Isaac let Kirnish make the decision was to gauge how high the servant''s abilities were in managing the dungeon. He needed someone he could trust to hold the dungeon in Beijing; the best option was Kirnish, but Isaac still needed to determine if the man was really worthy.
In the end, it was quite difficult for him to manage two dungeons at the same time.
On top of that, he was more focused on his dungeon that was on the tripoint border. Because the location of the dungeon was a major determinant of victory over domination in East Asia.
"Alright, Kirnish, I''ll leave the rest to you. I''ll be back in a month to see how it goes. And if something happens, you must call me immediately. I don''t care at any time. You understand?"
Kirnish lowered his head respectfully. "Yes, my lord. I won''t let you down." Every word that came out of his mouth was full of pride.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction hearing that. Then, he hurried back to his ce; his body began to glow, preparing to be teleported.
However, Isaac canceled it. His face turned sour. Kirnish who saw it squinting his eyes; there was something bothering his master, but he didn''t dare to ask.
A few seconds ago, Isaac heard a notification.
[A request to speak from Baron Loke!]
For the past few weeks, Baron Loke had tried to keep in touch with him, but Isaac didn''t ept it because he was busy reorganizing the dungeon. If he ignored it again, it was likely that an unnecessary conflict would ensue.
Isaac epted the call.
The Crystal Core lit up brightly, projecting the face of a skinny male demon. He smiled, the lines on his face pulled up, showing that his expression wasn''t just a show.
Meanwhile, Isaac was the opposite. He quickly put on a smiling expression, even though he was fed up inside. He needed to hurry.
As usual, Baron Loke greeted Isaac in a pleasant manner, asking how he had been and his condition for the past few days.
"Every time I see you, you seem tense, Lord. You really need a break. Even if you''re not tired, you need time to rx. The brain is like a knife, if it is used continuously it will be dull."
"Thank you for your concern. I''ll try to apply your advice another time. But right now, I''m really busy."
Baron Loke smiled. "Of course, you have two dungeons now. There is more work to do, and you must divide your attention."
Isaac had already guessed what Baron Loke wanted to talk about. It must be about the dungeons, especially after he rose to rank 70 and obtained Baron Gustav''s assets. Of course, this was getting the attention of other demons.
Moreover, with how Isaac got it, they must be a bit taken aback.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Baron Loke?" Isaac asked without beating around the bush. Once the demon spoke of the ''dungeon'', there was no point in procrastinating with pleasantries.
His interlocutor also did not want to linger their conversation.
Baron Loke seemed to take a deep breath. "It''s good news that you beat the Dungeon Master; sessful in the first pvp. What''s more, you also get all his assets. However¡"
Baron Loke''s expression turned serious.
"You killed Baron Gustav who was part of our alliance. We''re not angry, but we can''t ept this. Killing one of the members is tantamount to weakening the alliance."
Isaac narrowed his eyes while continuing to put on a fake smile. He kept listening to Baron Loke''s chatter.
"I''m sure you know enough about it," Baron Loke added. "Especially the location of Baron Gustav''s dungeon is close to Mongolia and Russia. Beijing is the vanguard against the attacks from the North. If Beijing copses, the whole of China also copses. So, dungeon ownership in Beijing was crucial. I suggest you leave Baron Gustav''s dungeon to us."
Isaac finally let go of his theatrical smile. The atmosphere had changed. Now he could actually clearly see Duke Barbatos and Baron Loke''s ns.
From the start, they were aiming for the dungeon holdings in Beijing. Baron Gustav, the Dungeon Master they believed in was not working well, thus, they used all the possible ways to take it over.
They chose to bring Isaac and Baron Gustav into conflict and made one of these two Demon Lords die. If Baron Gustav won, he would rule the dungeon at the tripoint border. They would have the dungeon in Beijing handed over, while Baron Gustav was operating in Isaac''s former dungeon.
If Isaac won, they would make Isaac a criminal who broke the agreement. They demanded that he give up the Beijing dungeon in exchange for his penance. In addition, this method would make Isaac an obedient dog.
No matter which of them died, the dungeon in Beijing would fall into their hands.
However, Isaac would not allow himself to be taken advantage of. He wouldn''t let another demon rob him of his hard work.
A smirk appeared on his face.
"If not?"
The short sentence that came out of Isaac''s mouth made Baron Loke narrow his eyes. The demon didn''t expect Isaac to not feel guilty at all. Under these conditions, Isaac should have either given excuse for killing Baron Gustav.
This was beyond his expectation.
"Killing an alliance member is not a trivial matter. This is a great sin. You have to pay for your mistakes."
Baron Loke stared intently into Isaac''s eyes; the gleam of intimidation shone.
"He came to me with insults and death threats. I had asked nicely, giving him a chance to exin, but he wanted blood. So I gave him what he wanted. But what surprised me even more, he came on someone''s orders."
Baron Loke opened his eyes wide. "It seems you misunderstood. I''m not here to hear your exnation, but to hold you ountable. Simply hand over the dungeon in Beijing. All your mistakes will be forgiven. Besides, the alliance members will trust you even more, Lord Isaac, especially Duke Barbatos."
Isaac chuckled. Baron Loke looked astonished by the reaction he had just seen.
"You''re the one misunderstanding here, Baron Loke. Since when did I say join the alliance? I just said ''lend'' my power. I agree to help your alliance, as long as it''s not a binding rtionship like this. I don''t want to get involved in the dominance of power between the Dukes."
Instantly, Baron Loke was furious. "Lord Isaac, don''t y around."
"That''s what I should say; don''t y with me, Lord Loke. Your alliance is just a ygroup created by Duke Barbatos. If Duke Barbatos really considered me an equal, he should have spoken to me directly, instead of telling the courier to deliver the message. I''m sure all of you held a meeting without inviting me, right? You still consider our bullshit rtionship an alliance? Stop joking around."
Instantly, Baron Gustav''s face turned red, the veins on his head bulged. The demon, who usually always had a poker face, was now showing his anger.
"Do you realize with your words? You are tantamount to waging war on Duke Barbatos. There are nine dungeons surrounding you. They can attack you without going through PvP. Are you aware of that, Lord Isaac?"
"Then, I will destroy the dungeon in Beijing. Duke Vassago and Duchess Alyna will freely invade China from the north once they take control of Mongolia."
"You¡ª"
At that very moment, all the words caught in his throat. Baron Loke couldn''t argue or threaten Isaac any further. Right now, Duke Barbatos was in desperate need of a dungeon in Beijing.
Baron Loke could only click his tongue. He failed to control Isaac.
Chapter 96 Tree Leaf
Seeing Baron Loke''s silent expression, Isaac knew that he had won this little game. The man underestimated him too much.
''This is what happens when you toy with me.''
Isaac learned from experience that being a submissive one would end up being a tool of someone else. No matter how high the demon faced the orders, he must not obey every decision. Otherwise, he would only continue to be used for the rest of his life.
Even so, Isaac wouldn''t threaten Baron Loke any further. He knew the supporting power behind the demon. He also knew that he had to choose an opponent.
"Rx, Baron Loke. I don''t want to be hostile towards you. But, if you keep poking on my nerves, I won''t stay silent."
Baron Loke said nothing. He was still looking at Isaac with an angry look on his face.
"Tell Duke Barbatos and yourrades, I will continue to help your alliance. I will guard the dungeon in Beijing safely and ensure there is no attack from the north."
Then, Baron Loke snorted. "After threatening us, you still want to cooperate without joining the alliance? You really are ridiculous."
"But, this ridiculous demon managed to make you feel threatened," Isaac replied lightly.
"You--"
Again, Baron Loke was silenced by Isaac.
"Baron Loke, I would be of great help if I became a friend, but it would be very troublesome if I became an enemy. I didn''t mean to threaten anyone here. I just didn''t want to be anyone''s subordinate."
After that, the two of them were silent for a long time.
"Very well, Lord Isaac. I hope you really keep your promise. I will make sure to pass this message on to Duke Barbatos."
The light projection disappeared. Themunication with Baron Loke ended there.
Isaac sighed. His action was considered very brave. He was sure that in the near future, Duke Barbatos'' alliance would contact him again.
''I must quickly strengthen my dungeon defenses.''
Kirnish was tense seeing the conversation of the two Dungeon Masters. He didn''t expect that the dungeon he was in now became a mess.
However, he was also amazed to see his new master. While serving Baron Gustav, he often saw his master being severely pressured by Baron Loke. Never once did the demon show any objection. The demon even tended to apologize. Isaac was different. He was more daring and even provocative.
For some reason, Isaac seemed to be a breath of fresh air for him. There was no one who was not proud to have such a brave master.
"Lord Isaac, that was a very bold decision. I admire you."
Isaac sighed. "That was nothing. I''m just defending my pride and worth. You should do it too."
Kirnish bowed respectfully. "Yes, my lord. I will remember it well."
With this, all of Isaac''s affairs in the Beijing dungeon were finished. Now, it was time for him to go back to where he came from and finish the pending work.
Isaac then quickly teleported.
.
.
.
[Radiant Forest, 4th Floor, Isaac''s Dungeon at the tripoint border.]
The Elf Vige that was once just arge tree, had now turned into a bustling settlement. The hunters from all over the world visited this small ce. They swarmed around Elf Vige like ants.
Humans wearingbat gear and weapons hanging from their backs were seen passing by on the main road. The shops which were above the tree looked crowded. The bridge between the trees also looked lively with people passing by. The hunters could be seen interacting with local elves; some teased the young female elves, and some joked with them.
The atmosphere of the Elf Vige was really lively.
Isaac watched it inplete astonishment. He was sure that the Elf Vige would definitely attract a lot of hunters, but he didn''t expect it to be this crowded. What''s more, the elves and humans seemed to blend into one. They really get along well.
For him, this was the most sessful n so far.
''Look at them, these humans, as if they were my monsters.''
Isaac smirked.
Then, he walked through the crowded humans and headed for the biggest tree in the Elf Vige. He could see arge building with a wooden carved name te stered above the door; it read ''Tree Leaf''. A crowd of hunters seemed to be swarming in front of the door.
The smell of barley and oak wafted as Isaac stepped inside. The hunters seemed to fill every avable table in the hall. They joked andughed while toasting. The elf waiters were passing around the beer to the guests. In the corner of the room, the other hunters were queuing up in front of a board full of paper mission requests. Then, at the end of the hall was an administrative desk office, where hunters lined up to receive rewards. On the other side of the room, the bartender''s table was also filled with hunters who were ordering drinks.
That ce was the Elf Vige''s guild headquarters, Tree Leaf.
''Adelia did a great job. Shebined the concepts of a tavern and a guild into one. Great idea.''
Isaac was impressed by the situation of the guild headquarters. He handed over the whole vige concept and design to Adelia. Isaac did not interfere at all during the manufacturing process, other than that he requested that the vige be built simply.
At first, he just wanted to gauge the woman''s ability. It turned out that his decision yielded good results.
"Come here, honey, bring me a warm beer. Tonight, I''ll definitely warm you up."
In the midst of the crowd, a man was seen teasing an elf woman with golden hair and in clothes. The elf woman didn''t seem angry at all. In fact, she just smiled kindly and replied.
"Unfortunately, you''re not my type."
The man did not give up. "Come on, honey, I''m great at ying in bed. Mine is big. I guarantee you will be satisfied."
Then, the people aroundughed.
p The female elf narrowed her eyes. "Big? You mean like this?" She showed the tip of her little finger in front of the man''s face.
Instantly, the louderughter echoed through the room. The seductive man alsoughed while holding his stomach.
Seeing what had just happened, Isaac smiled amusedly.
''Her social skills are really great. It''s not wrong that I spent 500,000 on a High Elf.''
Adelia then noticed Isaac''s presence standing in the crowd of hunters. She then quickly greeted the master.
"Lord Isaac, sorry for not weing you properly. I didn''t know you were going to visit the guild."
Isaac shook his head. "No problem. You don''t have to be too polite either. Besides, call me Isaac in front of humans. I don''t want people to suspect me."
Adele smiled widely. "Yes, understood."
Isaac didn''t want his identity as the Dungeon Master to be exposed. If humans were to see the High Elf acting so politely towards him, of course they would be suspicious.
"Then, let''s find a good ce to chat. It''s too noisy in here."
Adelia then showed Isaac the way. The two of them went up to the second floor, towards the guild master''s office.
"So, what do you think after being both a Guild Leader and Vige Chief for a few weeks?" Isaac immediately asked without beating around the bush.
"Honestly, for the first few days, I had quite a bit of trouble. But, after interacting with them for a long time, it turned out that humans were quite interesting. Many of them were interested in the mission requests from the guild. Most still choose safe missions, between level I to IV. There are only one or two people trying to take on a level VII mission."
Isaac nodded his head. "This is still the first month. I''m sure they still prefer low-level request missions. They are still ying safe. Besides that, they still haven''t explored the 4th Floor. Then, what else?"
Adeline put on a subtle smile. "As you might expect, Lord. I got a lot of information from them."
Hearing that, Isaac also smiled.
The reason Isaac created the Elf Vige was not only to increase the amount of traffic but also to gather information. Based on Isaac''s experience in his previous life, when he visited the human bar, he heard a lot of drunk hunters boasting about their experiences while exploring the dungeons. Although some of the stories sounded like bragging, what they said had some truth in it.
From there, Isaac tried to create a tavern and guild so he could gather information from the hunters who had explored other dungeons.
That way, Isaac could analyze the enemy''s defenses.
"What information have you got so far?" Isaac asked.
"Though most of the information is still mixed with rumors and stories. Out of the many stories told by humans, there is one that I heard often. Their faces all turned dark every time they talked about it."
Isaac narrowed his eyes. "About what?"
"An army of homunculus monsters in the dungeon located in Tianjin."
Instantly, Isaac raised one of his eyebrows.
Chapter 97 Homunculus
Adelia just smiled sweetly when she saw her master lost in thought. After she exined in detail about the rumors of the homunculus in the dungeon located in Tianjin, Isaac was silent for a long time.
Based on the rumors she heard from among the hunters, they were often attacked by humans who had the same characteristics; white hair, pale skin, and blood-red eyes. They had above average skills and had great strength too. At least one of them could fight three C rank hunters alone.
Since those humans lived in the dungeon and attacked the hunters, they weren''t humans. They were monsters.
The hunters called them the Homunculus.
Homunculus was an artificial monster created from human flesh and blood. They had an appearance not much different from humans in general. The only fundamental difference was that they were obedient like dogs. Any orders given would be carried out by them, even if they were ordered to jump into the ravine.
They had the physical strength of an orc, and the mana capacity of an elf. It could be said they were above averagepared to dungeon monsters in general. They were ideal troops for Dungeon Masters.
Unfortunately, there were some significant weaknesses that made them less valuable; they were very short-lived.
Homunculus usually took on the figure of an adult, male or female, with a physical appearance of 20 to 30 years old. They were only able to survive for three months after being released to the world.
This human-shaped monster was never sold at the auction or shop. Their existence was like caecilians worm, and they could be obtained by certain methods.
During the game, there was only one Dungeon Master who possessed it¡ªthat was Earl Xenovia.
The information Isaac knew about the female demon was minimal. ording to the rumors circting, Earl Xenovia was an entric woman. She was antisocial; she didn''t want tomunicate with demons, except when it came to her interests. She was known to be very fond of experimenting with humans. Because of her passion, the other demons thought she was crazy.
Homunculus was just one of her masterpieces.
As Isaac recalled, she had many other monsters from experimental creations. Most of them had irregr shapes and strange abilities. Thanks to that, it was quite difficult for other demons to prate her dungeon.
In a way, Earl Xenovia was the only Dungeon Master that used off meta troops.
''She has the troops of troublesome monsters. In the next few years, she would be a joker for Duke Barbatos. Should I get rid of her now?''
Isaac finally took a deep breath. Adelia immediately widened her smile. The master finally snapped from his reverie.
"So, that''s all you heard? There''s nothing else about the dungeon in Tianjin?"
Adeline shook her head. "Yes, that''s all, my lord. Currently only homunculus is a hot topic among hunters. The news about the homunculus grew rapidly and became an exaggerated story; conspiracy theories began to emerge. They were worried that a homunculus would disguise themselves in their lives and overthrow the humans from within."
Isaac was silent, because what the hunters thought was true.
Earl Xenovia would use the homunculus to infiltrate the humans. She wanted to impregnate ordinary humans with homunculus. With the hope that the resulting offspring will produce superior quality; have great strength and a long life. Luckily, the n failed miserably. The babies born from humans and homunculus had a disgusting shape, not even said to be in shape.
However, she seeded in carrying out Duke Barbatos'' n. These Homunculus were sent to the dungeons on the Asia Continent to finish off the hunters; stealing zenny from the Dungeon Masters. It was just that this tactic onlysted for two months, because the homunculus was detected in the system as a monster. Of course, it was quite easy for the Dungeon Master to finish off the strange monsters that had infiltrated his home.
Even so, at least Earl Xenovia earned millions of zenny from that imperfect n.
"In that case, alright. You have done well, Adelia. I didn''t make the wrong choice."
The High Elf smiled happily. "Thank you, my lord. It''s an honor to have yourpliments."
The performance check on the 4th Floor waspleted, all went ording to n. Even beyond expectations.
Now it was time for Isaac to get into the real business.
"Then, I need your fifty men to be sent to the 1st Floor. Make sure the elf you send is very good at making ''runes''."
One of Adelia''s eyebrows rose. She was curious, but she didn''t ask because it seemed rude. So she just replied, "Yes, my lord"
Isaac then got up from his seat. His business with Adelia was done. He quickly left the room. The High Elf lowered her head as she watched her master leave.
.
.
.
After a long time not setting foot on the 1st Floor, the environmental conditions were still the same as thest time Isaac came; The pine trees lined up towering the pce, and there were many hunters hunting the monsters.
A normal condition for the tutorial floor of the hunters.
Pippi and three bears with deer horns oversaw the construction of a monument. The monument was made of giant ck oval stone carved by the dwarves. Not only were the dwarves working, the elves were also visible from the construction site. They seemed to gather in one ce, chanting spells in turn.
In the midst of their busy life, they suddenly stopped working. Their attention was distracted by Isaac''s presence.
"Lord!"
Of course, among those who were aware of Isaac''s presence was Pippi. The little girl jumped off the bear''s back and ran to her master excitedly. Right in front of Isaac, she stopped quickly, then put on a salute position.
Ever since Isaac got a new dungeon, Pippi tried to change her attitude. Kirnish''s existence threatened her position as Isaac''s right-hand man. She didn''t want her master to turn away from her. Thus, she tried to show that she was the best assistant.
Pippi would prove it on this project. A project that would have Isaac flooded with zenny in the near future.
Chapter 98 Missing
Before attacking Baron Gustav, the dungeon on Floor 1 was filled with beginner level hunters. After Isaac returned, their number was three times more than before. As a result, many monsters on Floor 1 were killed. It forced him to keep buying more monsters. Even though the monster birth rate was high, it took time for the baby monsters to grow and be ready to fight.
The zenny cycle between ie and expenditure moved quickly. Isaac didn''t get any loss, but he still wanted to optimize his ie.
The trick was by building an exp grinding area.
Isaac ordered his monster to build a monument at some point. The monument had special effects within a radius of 500 meters. Every human who killed a monster in that area would receive an additional bonus experience.
If normally they needed to kill 100 monsters to get to level 2, then they just needed to kill 50 monsters in the exp grinding area. Humans could level up faster without having to kill a lot of monsters.
That way, at least Isaac could cut the death about half. Besides, the harvest time was faster.
Of course, Isaac would have imposed a limit on the effect of the monument to prevent humans from exploiting it. The special effects on the monument would not work on hunters who were above level 15. So they had the initiative to go up to the next floor.
To actualize his n, Isaac ordered the dwarves and elves to work together. The dwarves would build the monuments that had buff effects, while elves would amplify the effects of the buffs issued by the monuments.
Unlike the dwarves, who were very skilled in crafting, the elves tended to be varied. The very high level of intelligence of the elves made them able to explore various fields; gathering, beast taming, magic, and evenbat.
However, the most famous among them was their skill in creating runes. Rune were the symbols that could activate magic. It was like a master key to activate items.
Thebination of elves and dwarves would create an extraordinary item.
"So far, how many monuments have been built?"
"Only 10 monuments, Lord," Pippi replied.
Isaac nodded.
He nned to spread the monument to 72 points. With each point, there were three categories.
The first area was a high exp bonus area. Every time a human killed a monster in that area, they would get a 20% exp bonus. The second area got a 50% exp bonus and the current area was 70%. Of course, the higher the bonus exp given, the more dangerous the monsters were.
The goal was, of course, to bnce the number of hunter poptions on each floor.
Unnatural hunter development was also not good for the dungeon. Because if a high-level hunter rose to the top floor in massive numbers, it was the same as epting enemy troops attacking Isaac''s own fort.
He needed to be careful about raising humans in his dungeon.
"Good, you did a good job. I want to improve the development process," said Isaac.
Pippi smiled widely. "Yes, my lord."
Then, the smile on Pippi''s face turned to curiosity. She just realized Isaac''s appearance wasn''t different from usual. He wore a ck suit with his hair slicked to the back.
"Lord, why do you wear human clothes? Are you leaving again?"
"Yes. I''m going out for a few days. There are things I need to confirm in the human world."
Ever since Isaac heard Adelia''s story about the homunculus, he couldn''t get it out of his mind. Isaac wanted to go visit the Nine Sky to check the condition of his second troop, especially Guo Chen''s development.
He also wanted more detailed information about the dungeon in Tianjin.
"Aye aye, Lord." Pippi smiled widely.
Before leaving his dungeon, for thest time he confirmed the construction process again. Not long after, his body glowed and cracked like fireflies.
The smile on Pippi''s face then disappeared. Her gaze turned back to the elves and dwarves who had stopped working. They used Isaac and Pippi''s conversation to rest.
Of course, Pippi turned furious.
"Youzy bastard! Back to work!"
.
.
.
After Isaac conquered Baron Gustav''s dungeon, the journey to Beijing was very fast.
The condition of the base looked magnificent as usual. However, it looked quiet inside. Usually, the hall was filled with hunters carrying weapons, but now it seemed that there were only normal employees there.
This sight was enough to make Isaac frown
''Where did they go? Are they raiding? But, I didn''t receive a report from Kirnish that they entered the dungeon.''
In Beijing there was only one dungeon, that was Isaac''s. He then walked over to the administration desk, requesting ess to meet Wang Yi.
For five minutes Isaac stood in front of the administration desk, then a woman with long ck hair in formal clothes came over to Isaac. She seemed to have difficulty wearing high heels. Her face was pale as if he was exhausted from working hard.
"Brother Isaac, it''s good to see you back." Despite saying that, Wang Yi''s facial expression didn''t look that way. "Why did youe here all of a sudden? At least contact me first so I can properly greet you."
"My phone broke during the dungeon raid," Isaac replied.
Wang Yi sighed. "I understand. I''ll buy you moreter."
Hearing Wang Yi''s words, the female administrative officer raised her eyebrows. She was really surprised, a Guild Master''s younger sister being polite towards a stranger. Moreover, she was willing to go down 30 floors to meet Isaac. Though, with her own older sister, she had never made it this far.
It was as if Isaac''s position was much higher than Wang Yi''s.
"Wang Yi, where are the other humans? The ce has be quieter than usual."
His question made Wang Yi look even more pale. Sadness rose from her face. She took a deep breath.
"They disappeared in the dungeon, including my sister."
Chapter 99 Responsibility
Isaac entered the Guild Master''s office. A messy desk with documents that piled up high, Wang Yi seemed immersed in her temporary job. Since her sister had not returned from the dungeon, she was the one who had taken over the position of Guild Master now, even though the namete on the table still read, ''Director Wang Mei.''
After the Clearance with the Siberian Knights and ck Dragon guilds, Wang Mei made the decision to raid without her sister.
If the two of them went to the dungeon together and something bad happened, then both of them would die. It would cause Nine Sky to fall into the hands of strangers.
Wang Yi said that her sister was still quite traumatized by the Clearance tragedy that killed 800 of her men. Because of that, Nine Sky almost went bankrupt. A lot of money was used to cover thepensation for the families of the victims. Besides, she had to burn money again for the recruitment of new members.
"Sit down, Brother. I''m sorry if I can''t focus one hundred percent on you. There is a lot of work to be done. Please, make yourselffortable."
Isaac wouldn''tin. He understood the situation Wang Yi was in. What the woman did was for her own good.
"So, how long has your sister and the other members been on the raid to the Tianjin dungeon?" Isaac asked.
Wang Yi didn''t answer right away. Her attention was divided. Her eyes that had dark circles were still fixed on the sheet of paper she was holding.
"It''s been almost three weeks. She raided together with the Phoenix Armada and Crimson Dawn. Until now, there has been no news from them."
In contrast to the usual Clearance, which had a time limit, this raid did not have a time limit; it could be several hours to days. It depended on the party leader''s decision.
However, if the raid took more than 72 hours, they would normally make contact with the outside to make sure they were still alive. At least every three or seven days.
Meanwhile, Wang Mei and her men, along with the other two major guild members had not made any contact at all, even though they had been in the dungeon for the past three weeks.
Something happened to them, but the government had not taken any action.
The woman fiddled with the pen in her hands. She tried to brush away her anxiety by ying with the pen.
Isaac then touched her hand. Their eyes met. "Calm down. You don''t have to worry. Your sister is still alive."
Those words made Wang Yi feel better. For some reason, she felt he could trust the man. Then, a smile bloomed on her face.
"Thank you, Brother Isaac."
Isaac then let go of his touch.
What he said wasn''t bullshit, or just trying to calm the woman''s feelings. Isaac could still feel Guo Chen''s existence in his head. The Seed of Mind was still embedded in the man''s head. If he were to die, Isaac wouldn''t be this calm.
Although it did not guarantee whether Wang Mei survived or not. However, given that woman''s innate skill, Isaac was sure the Demon Lord would have a hard time dealing with her.
"Well, you''re right, Brother. My sister went on a raid with two major guilds. There''s no way they can die so easily."
Isaac was then curious about the Phoenix Armad and Crimson Dawn. He had heard of those two major guild names in his previous life. He remembered that there were even Six Stars hunters who had joined Crimson Dawn.
However, Isaac didn''t know what kind of person the man was because he had never met him in person.
"Phoenix Armad and Crimson Dawn. If I remember correctly there was a Six Stars who was in one of those guilds, right?"
Wang Yi raised one of her eyebrows, but her face still looked t.
"Right. He is a veteran hunter who used to work for the government with his brother. He is He Dong. People nicknamed him the One Man Army because of his fire magic that could kill thousands of monsters. That man is one of China''s pride."
Isaac nodded. Now he understood why the government didn''t take action even though Wang Mei and the other guilds were lost in the dungeon.
''Two Six Stars and three major guilds. Of course, the government is not taking action in a hurry. They think these humans can handle it.''
Even so, Isaac felt something was off.
A long sigh escaped his mouth.
Isaac knew that this joint raid would happen, but he didn''t take it seriously. Because for him, this was not an important event.
In his previous life, thebined raid was only carried out by Phoenix Armada and Crimson Dawn. As a result, they returned in a battered condition. Phoenix Armada lost half of their members, while Crimson Dawn lost their hero, He Dong. Even if they all died, there was no significant effect on Isaac.
However, now it was different.
There was a small change in the events of his previous life and his current life. The change was Guo Chen and Wang Mei''s involvement in the raid on the Tianjin dungeon.
If the oue of this event was the same as before, there was a possibility that the entire guilds would be wiped off, including Nine Sky. Moreover, there was a possibility that his mainstay weapon against the demon, Guo Chen, was also killed.
Of course, this wasn''t good news for Isaac. The n he had prepared could be crushed before it could even begin.
''There is no other choice.''
Isaac took another deep breath. Wang Yi, who had been busy reading the words on the document, nced at Isaac.
"Wang Yi, how many hunters do you currently have?"
The woman narrowed her eyes. "100 people. Some are being lent by other guilds to help with the dungeon breaks, and some are still mining Power Crystal in the dungeon in Beijing. Meanwhile, there are only 20 Hunters currently standing by. Why do you ask, Brother?" A confused expression appeared on her face.
"We''re going on an evacuation mission," Isaac replied.
Wang Mei''s two eyes opened wide.
"We need 50 hunters. I don''t care what rank they are. I will choose my own members to go with me."
Wang Yi let out a sigh, the air blowing through between her teeth. "I agree, but¡ Brother, I have to stay in the headquarters while my sister goes to the dungeon, and vice versa. I''m sure they''re fine as you said."
Her hand gripped the pen tightly. Wang Yi was really in a dilemma. On one side, she wanted to go pick up her sister, and on the other side, she had to do her responsibilities here.
Isaac then began to convince Wang Yi by tell what a homunculus was; about what creatures they really were and how they were created. Wang Yi was instantly shocked to hear the story. She knew about the existence of the homunculus in the Tianjin dungeon, but she had no idea how they came to be.
"Homunculus¡ I don''t think they were created that way. My stubborn sister is in danger. We also need to warn others."
Isaac nodded. "Right, we need to make sure of the danger in the Tianjin dungeon¡" He shook his head. "¡ We need to save them."
He looked into Wang Yi''s eyes. The woman squeezed her hands on the table. She felt that what Isaac said was true.
Bam!
Wang Yi then mmed her hand onto the table.
Her gaze was fixed on Isaac.
"Brother, I will call the hunters who are ready to go to Tianjin."
Isaac smiled in satisfaction. "Good. Do it as soon as possible."
Wang Yi nodded. Then, she grabbed the phone that was on the table and went to do her job.
Of course, Isaac had no intention of saving them at all. His goal was to make sure Guo Chen and the human army returned safely.
''Guo Chen is strong, but there is a chance that he will die in the raid. I won''t let him die before I can use him.''
Just as Isaac was focused on his own thoughts and Wang Yi was busy with the phone, there was a knock on the door.
Knock! Knock!
Wang Yi asked the person toe in. A man with tan skin and ck hair like a fleece entered the room. He grimaced as he lowered his head. Wang Yi quickly hung up the phone.
"Oh, Aditya, you have returned from India. I thought you''d be back in two days."
"Yes, my mother''s condition has improved, so I can return to China sooner. It''s not good if I leave for too long." Then the man''s attention was drawn to Isaac. "Instructor! Long time no see."
A smile then appeared on Isaac''s face. "You came at the right time."
The man called Aditya narrowed his eyes. He had just arrived, but he suddenly got caught up in something.
Chapter 100 Golden Dragon
Aditya Khumar was an ordinary person. A single father who made a living as the owner of a small Briyani Briyani stall in Aligarh. His life was fairly peaceful; cooking in the morning, trading in the afternoon, and resting at night. He devoted his days for his family.
And like most other happy people, his life changed after the dungeonnded on earth.
Three dungeonsnded in India. One of them was on the edge of Delhi City. The city turned into a nightmare. Dense buildings crept up in mes, millions people were killed, and screams echoed from sunrise to sunset. The incident that left a scar of fear that couldn''t be erased until now.
However, like a rainbow after a storm, the tragedy brought new hope.
India gave birth to humans who experienced awakening in the world the most. Thanks to that, the first dungeon break was sessfully cleared within four weeks. Then, the guilds grew quickly in India. People left their old jobs and became hunters. Aditya was no exception.
India government rules were slightly different. They required hunters to join a guild to enter the dungeon.
He tried to join a guild, but unfortunately, no guild epted him. The number of hunters in India was very high, makingpetition among them very tight.
At that time, the guilds did not yet have a standard for epting members, so they chose a young man, who looked still fresh and strong. Meanwhile Aditya was just a middle-aged man trying to improve his standard of living. Thanks to his appearance; old and chubby, it knocked him out of thepetition.
However, Aditya hadn''t given up yet. He met an acquaintance who was able to make him work as a hunter, but he had to work in China. The offer was epted by him without thinking much, in the hope of getting a better life.
And it didn''t turn out as expected. Living in a foreign environment, with foreign people, and a foreignnguage, made him feel like living in hell. Luckily, he was blessed with a high level of understanding, making him quickly learn Mandarin.
However, it was not enough.
Simr discrimination happened to him. Aditya was often deceived by the opening of guild member vacancies on the inte. Besides, he often got a small share in the party because he was a foreigner. In fact, several times, he was not paid after doing a raid.
It often crossed his mind to return back to his own country, but he had owed arge sum of money to fly and live in China. It was necessary for him to work a lifetime to pay it off. The only way to be free from this debt was to be a hunter. He had to hold on, no matter what.
And his struggle did not end in vain.
Aditya found information on recruiting guild members and the guild was not a mere guild. It was Nine Sky, one of the ten major guilds in China. Without thinking, he registered himself.
He had low self-esteem when he saw the queue of hunters who were interested in joining the guild. They all looked young, athletic, and intimidating. At that time, his mind kept telling him to just go back because it was unlikely that he would be epted. Moreover, his hunter certificate was Rank F.
However, Aditya ignored his thoughts and good fortune came to him.
He finally joined arge guild. He became one of the ranks of the top hunters. He even had his own title, ''Dark Physician''.
The hard work and sacrifice paid off. He gained wealth. He even built a house for his mother and sent his two sons to university. Even his potbelly was now gone and reced by solid muscle mass due to hard training.
It was all thanks to Nine Sky, especially the instructors who gave him the opportunity and trained him to enhance his potential. Aditya was very grateful to Isaac. The man changed his life for the better.
Thus, he would show his gratitude by carrying out this mission well.
Currently, Aditya and the other members were on their way to the dungeon in Tianjin.
Ten ck vans were speeding down the highway. The distance between Beijing and Tianjin was 150 km. They left at seven in the morning and arrived at the location at nine in the afternoon.
The location of the dungeon was on the outskirts of the city. It upied a former residential area consisting of empty buildings. It used to be a t that was inhabited by middle ss citizens, but now it became a nest for monsters that came out of the dungeon.
Their vehicle stopped at the dungeon area border post. When Aditya got out of the car, there was a huge crowd. They were hunters, whether they had finished running a raid or not. Some of them were journalists who were trying to find the recent news. They came here to make news about the ''rumor'' of the three major guilds that were reported to have lost contact in the dungeon.
This rumor was quite hot on the inte. The news that made an uproar was very attractive to the public. Even so, the hunters didn''t seem to care.
"Wow, look. Isn''t the rumor about hunters still widely circted? This dungeon is still very crowded."
Aditya mumbled while amazed watching the crowd.
"Of course. There are still monsters to hunt and Power Crystals to dredge up. Money doesn''te by itself. They have to keep making a living."
Someone responded to his muttering. Aditya turned his head, a man with white hair and ck clothes was next to him. He was instantly surprised.
"Instructor Isaac!?"
Isaac smiled. Behind him, Wang Yi seemed to follow. The other members quickly saluted.
"Miss!? You came, too?!"
Wang Yi sighed. "Adit, what''s wrong with you? Why did you look so surprised today? Is this mission stressing you out?"
"Eh... actually yes, Miss Wang Yi. This is my first time entering a dungeon in Tianjin. Besides, I''m quite curious about the rumors of homunculus."
""Then, be calm. You''ll be surprised when you look into it."
Aditya nodded, his face looked serious. He didn''t take the woman''s words lightly even though she was actually just being sarcastic. The other members held back theirughter.
Wang Yi ordered all her men to line up. She and Isaac stood in front of them.
"Listen to me carefully." She put on a serious face. "I won''t lie, the mission this time is to find the traces of our members, including the Guild Master. I know this may sound like an exaggeration. The missing hunters are strong people who can take care of themselves. However, I want to remind you of what happenedst time. At the time we were doing the Clearance in the dungeon on the border, we almost died miserably."
Wang Mei looked at their members one by one. The members seemed to have serious faces. Some of them turned somber.
"So, I want to prevent a simr incident from happening again. Moreover, recently rumors of hunters being kidnapped by human-like monsters, the homunculus, are hot. I don''t know how strong they are, but we have to unravel their mystery. I hope you understand this."
The members looked down. Some of them looked doubtful. Aditya realized the situation of his colleagues quickly took the initiative.
"We are now family! Apart from fighting monsters, we have fought together. Don''t let the monsters kill our family. We can definitely beat that bastard homunculus!"
There was no reply after that motivating remark. However, all attention was on Aditya, including Wang Yi. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Meanwhile, Aditya quickly covered his mouth while staring ahead. He realized he had just done something embarrassing.
He wanted to bury his face into the ground.
Not long after, loudughter was heard.
All attention turned to the source of the voice. Isaacughed, until tears welled up in between his eyes. Wang Yi was also surprised to see himughing like that.
"You are very interesting. You''repletely different from anyone I''ve ever met. If only all humans were like you, maybe the Earth wouldn''t be destroyed."
Now it was the turn of the members who were astonished by their instructor''s words. Wang Yi was no different. The woman then cleared her throat loudly to draw their attention back to her.
"Alright, nice words Adit. Now it''s time for us to go to the dungeon."
"Yes!" they replied in unison.
Aditya smiled widely at Wang Yi''s praise. Then, they rushed off towards the dungeon.
Then, a noisy wind sound suddenly rang out from the sky.
The hunters gathered at the dungeon border post raised their heads. So did Wang Yi and his group. An infantry helicopter with two propellersnded down.
Instantly, the atmosphere became lively. After the propellers stopped turning, whispering voices began to ring out.
"Helicopter? Who are they?"
"Did the government send their minions again?"
"It''s not from the government, look at that person!"
A group of men in gold armor in white robes descended from the helicopter. The one who walked at the front was a man with slicked-back ck hair. His face was handsome and had a look full of confidence. Everyone''s attention was on that figure.
The hunters around started to mention the name of the Golden Dragon. The man standing in the front was said to be the leader. The hunters called him Ling Tian.
Chapter 101 Golden Dragon (2)
Charismatic.
That was the impression Isaac got when he saw Ling Tian, the strongest hunter and leader of the number one guild in China. The man and his entourage walked through the crowd, the golden gleam of the red armor attracting all the attention of the hunters.
They were like heroes who saved the day. Everyone thought of them that way, the Nine Sky members were no exception.
"It''s always been like this. I wonder whether they are hunters or celebrities."
"They are in a different ss."
"I heard that the Golden Dragon helped with the dungeon break in America. Thanks to them, the rtions between China and America improved, even though it seemed impossible before."
"Can you guys shut up!?" Wang Yi scolded her men. "If my sister hears you; You will definitely be fired."
Instantly, they were silent.
Isaac noticed that Wang Yi had a sour look on her face.
Golden Dragon''s and Nine Sky''s rtionship was like rivals. Theypeted for the exclusive rights of the dungeon management. If the two met during a dungeon break, there was always a heatedpetition to kill the Alpha. And of course, their guild masters, Wang Yi and Ling Tian would be the main stars on the battlefield. The hunters involved would only watch the two of thempete to kill the most enemies.
Unfortunately, Nine Sky often lost to the Golden Dragon. They always managed to steal the spotlight and take all the credit.
It was because of this that Wang Yi could not shake off her sour face. She didn''t hate the Golden Dragon, but she was annoyed that people thought her guild was only a sidekick to them. Even more so if the mediapared Wang Mei and Ling Tian.
Wang Yi''s expression grew even more sour when she saw Ling Tian and his men approaching.
"It looks like the situation will heat up," Adit muttered.
And what he said was true. Just as the Golden Dragon group arrived before them, Wang Yi quickly spit out sarcasm.
"You seem to love attention so much that you have toe to us."
The people around watched the meeting of the two great guilds. Isaac could hear every sound that came out of their mouths.
Meanwhile, Ling Tian seemed to put on a friendly smile.
"If my friends and I don''t greet you, people will get boisterous¡" Ling Tian quoted a word with his finger. "¡ Look, the Golden Dragon ignored Nine Sky. It seems like Nine Sky is nothing anymore."
Those words irritated Wang Yi even more. Her face scrunched up.
"Oh, now, our guild needs recognition from the Golden Dragon? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Wang Yi replied in annoyance.
Ling Tian snorted. "You thought so, not me. I consider Nine Sky to be a rival. Everyone knows it, and keeping it that way is good for your guild. Nine Sky ''still'' is still the Golden Dragon''s rival."
Isaac saw that Wang Yi was speechless. He could tell the woman was grinding her teeth.
Since the tragedy that befell Nine Sky and the issues rted to North Korea, the name of the guild that Wang Mei raised had dimmed. Nine Sky was starting to lose its prestige.
So, what Ling Tian said was a pill that was hard to swallow. If the Golden Dragon still regarded Nine Sky as a rival, then people''s views would also be affected. They thought Nine Sky was still on same level.
Finally, Wang Yi put her emotions aside. Then, she changed the subject.
"So, what are you guys doing here? I heard you were not in China."
"Well, as you know, our guild is helping with the dungeon break in New Orleans, it was done a few weeks ago. I''m here to rece the Fight Club guild who can''t participate in the joint raid. So, we came here."
Wang Yi was silent for a moment. "Then, pleasee in first. Enjoy your hunting." She wanted to end this show immediately.
But, Ling Tian didn''t think like that.
"Why don''t we go in together. I saw you guys just arrived from the helicopter. I''m sure you guys are here to enter the dungeon as well, aren''t you?"
Wang Yi snorted. "That''s a great idea, but being with arge group will only attract monsters." The woman smiled sweetly. She gave a code that she refused Ling Tian''s offer.
The man with slicked back ck hair nodded. "Alright, if you guys want to go separately. I thought you guys came here to find your missing Guild Master; that''s why I invite you to join our party."
Suddenly, Wang Yi was furious.
Calling the guild master and her strongest hunter squad lost in the dungeon was like saying they were dead. In her eyes, this was an insult. She was about to vent her anger, but someone grabbed her shoulder.
Isaac stopped Wang Yi.
He signalled to the woman that people were watching them. Even the Nine Sky members seemed to be holding their breath due to the tension between the two of them. She quickly caught her breath to calm her anger.
On the other hand, Ling Tian raised one of his eyebrows. He didn''t expect that there was someone in the Nine Sky who was able to calm such a vtile young woman apart from her older sister.
This was enough to get his attention. Even more so when Isaac stepped forward, recing Wang Yi as the speaker.
Isaac took out his persona mask. He smiled kindly as if dealing with a guest.
"I''m sorry, Master Ling Tian, our vice guild master is currently in a bad state, moreover with the guild master we haven''t made any contact. They are rted by blood, of course this is enough to make her depressed. I think anyone who has empathy understands this simple thing."
Liang Tiang narrowed his eyes. He was snapped by Isaac for taking advantage of Wang Yi''s weakness, while Wang Yi could only be surprised to hear that.
"Well, I''m just conveying the goodwill to go raid together. I didn''t mean to offend Miss Wang Yi. I''m not mad that you turned it down."
Isaac smiled. "But, we haven''t given our answer yet. Right, Wang Yi?"
Ling Tian raised both of his eyebrows. Wang Yi did the same thing.
Then, Isaac blinked one of his eyes. Wang Yi quickly understood what the man meant.
"Yeah, I just said moving inrge numbers will attract the attention of monsters. I haven''t even given my answer yet."
"Eh¡ Is that so?"
Now, Ling Tian seemed to put on a face like a fool. He just realized he had just made a mistake. His intention was to bring up Wang Mei who had lost contact and snapped Wang Yi for her arrogance, but the opposite happened.
Ling Tian quicklyughed to neutralize the mood and guilt. The people who saw their feud looked even more curious.
"Forgive me for drawing my own conclusions. So, how is it? Do you want to join us?"
Wang Yi nced at Isaac; ask for a decision. Then, the demon gave his approval.
"Of course we ept it. The more people, the more monsters we invite, the better. Right now, we want to hunt them down."
"Oh good. I''m very happy to hear that," Ling Tian replied.
Then, the two of them smiled. Seeing that, Adit sighed in relief, as did the other members. They thought that the tension had reduced.
However, Wang Yi and Ling Tian weren''t done yet.
"So, who will be the leader?"
Each party had one group leader. If the two parties werebined, then one of the leaders must step down from their position. There couldn''t be two maestros in one orchestra. Two leaders in one group would only lead to chaos and mimunication, especially if they had opposite mindsets.
Wang Yi nced back at Isaac. She epted the suggestion to let Ling Tian lead the party.
"Since you are the guild master, you are more worthy of leading us."
Ling Tian seemed to smile with satisfaction. "Very well. I dly ept it. Then, what are you waiting for? Let''s go."
The man quickly moved, and the gold-armored army followed closely behind. Then, Wang Yi reluctantly followed them with Isaac, while the Nine Sky members stared at each other. They tried to confirm it before moving, and then they followed the leader.
"Sigh, I thought Miss Wang Yi would reject it," Adit muttered.
"I think so too. At least, we can be with the Golden Dragon."
"Yeah, right. Our risk of dying is reduced."
Isaac could hear their whispers, but he chose to remain silent. There was no point in scolding them. Humans, if they warned today, they would still repeat it tomorrow.
On the other hand, unnoticed by anyone, Ling Tian had a frown on his face. He harboured a curiosity for Isaac. In all his life, he had never been toyed with like this.
Chapter 102 Canyon
Upon entering the First Floor of the dungeon, they were greeted by a beautiful view of a giant canyon. A row of cliffs of hard brown soil rose high. Green bushes adorned some ces. Arge green river flew through thend. The view was even more perfect with the orange sky from the sunset.
A paradise of earth that hid in the den of monsters.
Before exploring any further, Ling Tian held a briefing. Wang Yi as the representative of Nine Sky stood next to him. Meanwhile, Isaac hid himself with the other members. He kept a low profile.
"Since we''re already in the dungeon and be a team, it''s best if we match our goals to enter this dungeon."
Ling Tian nced at Wang Yi for a moment, and the woman nodded in agreement.
"The Golden Dragon actually came here at the request of the government. They were worried that the incident that happened in the dungeon on the tripoint border would also happen in this dungeon; as we knew, the Siberian Knight and ck Dragon were destroyed in a few weeks. Thus, we were sent to search for their whereabouts."
Hearing Ling Tian''s words, all the members of Nine Sky darkened. Only Wang Yi and Isaac remained normal.
"So, our objective is Floor 2. Based on thetest news, Alpha from Floor 1 was already dead and they haven''t had any contact with the Hunter Association since then. Most likely, they''re still there. We don''t know what''s going on in Floor 2, so I hope we can help each other and let go of our egos for now."
Now, the Golden Dragon''s motive had been revealed. Wang Yi''s suspicion of them had lessened, although she still didn''t understand why the Hunter Association didn''t contact her instead of asking for the help of the Golden Dragon.
Then, they moved.
The path they took was around the cliff. They followed the flow of the long river that was in the canyon. ording to the information they got, the teleportation gate was on an ind in the middle of ake that became the mouth of a river.
Along the way, they were confronted by low-ss beast-type monsters such as; mutant rodents and kobolds. Of course, monsters of that ss couldn''t put up a fight against thebined forces of Nine Sky and Golden Dragon.
There were only a handful of monsters that bothered them enough.
Herds of mountain lions attack them in small numbers. The monsters were fearless. They jumped into the crowd of hunters and pounced on anyone in their path. However, no one was hurt when the hunters were confronted by those monsters.
The monster that troubled them the most was the centaur. They were half human and half horse monsters. Unlike the wild mountain lion monsters, centaurs had intelligence. They attacked through higher ground; hit the hunters with fire arrows and stones. Afterunching a ranged attack, they quickly left the location.
The guerri tactics of the centaurs were enough to make the hunters curse them in annoyance.
Throughout the battle against the monsters, the members of Golden Dragon and Nine Sky seemed to be trying to dominate each other. They tried to show off their abilities. The person who seemed to be trying their best was Wang Yi. Several times, she would throw herself into the monsters and finish them offpletely.
Meanwhile, Isaac only did what he needed to do. He became a supporter and killed the monsters that were within his reach. He didn''t want to show off his strength. On top of that, he used a ''Mortal Ring'' that cut his entire stat in half to hide his demon''s aura. He even wore a helmet for the sake of maintaining his identity.
Everything was done so as not to be detected by Earl Xenovia.
Isaac took advantage of this moment to watch, observe, and analyze thebat power of the Golden Dragon, especially their leader, Ling Tian.
He was now observing the man facing a group of giant tarant monsters with his other members.
''This human is pretty good too. If only he had a higher ss.''
[Name : Ling Tian]
[Race : Human]
[Type : N/A]
[ss : B]
[Level : 60]
So far, Ling Tian was the highest level of human Isaac had ever seen.
The gold-armored troops formed a formation. There were 50 people, thirty of them were closebat type, they served as a barrier for iing attacks, while in the back row, there were long-range attackers.
"Everyone! Strengthen the front defenses; no lust to kill them, keep the formation tight!"
Ling Tian as theirbatmander was in the vanguard. He raised his shield and swung his longsword at every tarant that came at him.
The dozens of spider monsters tried to attack from all directions, but the solid formation of Golden Dragons didn''t leave any gaps.
"The attack came at nine o''clock!"
After shouting that, the wizards in the gold chain mail raised their staff, then various elemental magics; arrows of fire, ice crystals, whirlwinds, raining down on the tarants.
Kaaaakkkk
The monsters let out a strange squeaky sound. The scorched and strange smell filled the air. They were burned, split, crumbled, and ended up lifeless.
Gradually, the number of monsters decreased little by little.
On the other hand, a different sight was set on Nine Sky. If the Golden Dragon formed an unbreakable solid formation, then they took up the tactic of fighting as a group.
They fought in teams. Each team consisted of five people. Three melee fighters and the rest were mages or marksmen. One strongest person became agro, two fighters guard the two ranged attackers.
This tactic was different from what Isaac had been taught during his training. This was the standard tactic used by the Hunter Association.
And the person who ordered it was naturally Wang Yi.
This tactic was effective when used for exploration, but not in massive scale battles. As a result, the members of Nine Sky received a lot of damage from being outnumbered.
Wang Yi seemed to be struggling hard. She and her team took out as many monsters as possible and helped other squads.
"Hurry up! Squad 18 is being surrounded! We have to hurry or they will die!"
The woman shed every monster in front of her.
sh! sh! sh!
St! St! St!
The tarant''s body pieces were strewn across the pool of blood.
Wang Yi had the ''Teleport (B)'' skill that allowed her to move from one point to another within a radius of 10 meters. Thanks to that, she was able to kill dozens of tarants by herself.
On the other hand, Aditya who was included in her group seemed overwhelmed by the movement of his leader. Whenever he treated an injured member, Wang Yi quickly moved to another squad to help them.
"Miss Wang! You''re too fast!" Aditya eximed.
He ran while hitting the tarant with the staff in his hand. Other members helped withstand the attack that targeted the big man.
"Do notin! Or there will be a lot of people dying. You don''t want that to happen, do you?"
Aditya could only hiss at themand. Inevitably, he had to quicken his footsteps even though his lungs were screaming.
He tried to treat the injured hunters as quickly as possible. In less than 10 seconds, the entire wound above the skin surface was healed. Then, he moved to follow Wang Yi again. Thanks to that, Aditya pushed his abilities to the limit.
Isaac saw that smiling widely.
''Another potential arises in an unexpected situation.''
However, his smile quickly disappeared when he saw Wang Yi.
He was disappointed how the woman led her members. Wang Yi made a decision without considering the capabilities of her men. Besides, she didn''t use the tactics Isaac had taught her.
"If you continue like that, you will die. It''s just a matter of time," he muttered.
Isaac saw Wang Yi throw herself again into the sea of tarants. She left her men behind to block the attacks targeting the other members.
Blink! Blink! Blink!
She teleported every second, killing the tarant monsters one by one. After killing one tarant, she disappeared and moved to another tarant and split them from behind.
Wang Yi was unstoppable. Until finally she started to run out of mana.
"Keeeeguhh--"
Wang Yi''s teleportation distance decreased. Shended in the wrong ce; not behind, but in front of a three meter tall tarant monster.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
"Arrrggggk!"
A small mass of bullet-shaped webs pierced the woman. She screamed. Her body felt like being thrown with hard pebbles. Even her head was bruised, although the webs were sticky liquid.
Wang Yi immediately teleported again.
Blink!
Unfortunately, not in a safe ce; instead she moved to the opposite.
Wang Yi found herself in the middle of being surrounded by the tarant monsters. Dozens of pairs of red eyes stared at her as if she was their prey. She tried to teleport again, but her mana wasn''t enough. Not to mention that her entire body was covered in a sticky web that made her unable to move freely.
Fear began to creep and overflow. Wang Yi shook.
"Miss Wang!"
Her squad members, who watched their leader in danger, screamed their lungs out. Aditya thoughtlessly dashed through the crowd of tarant monsters, trying to save the woman.
However, they were too far apart.
The tarant monsters opened their mouths and let out a pair of w-like fangs. Instantly, Wang Yi''s face turned deathly pale.
Not long after, a woman''s scream echoed through the air.
Chapter 103 God Of Hellfire
Wang Yi closed her eyes tightly.
At that moment of death, a light appeared from above the sky. Its gleam was as bright as the sun. The air temperature suddenly started to rise. The tarant monsters that were about to prey on Wang Yi quickly moved away after seeing the falling objects.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Dozens of mes fell and burned the tarant. Their shrieks of pain were heard along with the smell of burning flesh that wafted through the air. They ran, bumping into each other and making the fire spread rapidly.
Wang Yi felt a scorching heat against her skin, and she opened her eyes. She saw the ferocious monsters burning like charcoal.
Surprisingly, she wasn''t affected by the fire in the slightest.
"I survived¡"
A ck-haired man in golden armornded gently from the sky. He held a sword and shield. His face was full of beads of sweat.
Then, he smiled gently at Wang Yi who was sitting on the ground.
"Fortunately, I was on time," said the man. He reached out to the woman. "I don''t think you want to sit there for long, do you?"
Wang Yi looked away as her face adorned with pinkish hues. The person she disliked the most had saved her life.
With embarrassment crawling on her heart, she took the man''s hand.
"There is no thank you?"
Wang Yi sighed. "Thank you, Ling Tian."
The man smiled contentedly.
On the other hand, the Nine Sky hunters watching the scene were amazed. They had often heard rumors of Ling Tian''s power, but this was the first time they had seen it in person.
They started whispering about the Golden Dragon Guild Master.
"The nickname God of Hellfire is well-deserved for him. The rumors circting about him are no joke."
"Not to mention, Ling Tian is only one of them. There are still two more monsters in the Golden Dragon," replied his partner.
"Yeah, three of the Six Stars in one guild."
Isaac who heard their conversation was just silent.
He knew this would happen.
Ling Tian and his men managed to finish off the hordes of tarants that surrounded them straight away. After that, they quickly helped the Nine Sky guild members.
If Ling Tian came even a little bitte, Wang Yi would definitely die.
Isaac didn''t help Wang Yi on purpose. He wanted her to learn a lesson from this incident. From the horrible experiences, humans could learn to be more careful in making decisions.
Then, other troops of Golden Dragon charged at the remaining tarants along with the members of Nine Sky. The monsters were defeated in a matter of minutes. Most of them died, but some managed to escape.
After the battle, the healers quickly treated the injured hunters. In this session, Aditya became the star. He healed the wounds and recovered the hunters''s condition very quickly. While another healer had only treated one patient, Aditya had already treated three injured people.
Aditya was in the spotlight of the hunters. Isaac was no exception. He also observed the man.
''If that human is on the enemy''s side, he''ll be very troublesome.''
Isaac took a deep breath. He was standing in the middle of a group of wounded hunters. Then, he felt someone''s presence from behind.
A man''s voice greeted him. Ling Tian came over to Isaac.
"I heard that you were in charge of recruiting the new members of Nine Sky."
Ling Tian spoke in a friendly tone. It was clear that he was trying to get along with Isaac.
"Yes, that''s how it is."
"Well, you have good eyes. You picked good seeds."
The person Ling Tian was referring to was Aditya. The Indian man caught the attention of many people after the dungeon break in Hunchun.
Isaac was silent. His face lookedpletely uninterested. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. He had his fill of dealing with someone like Ling Tian.
If a stranger came in a friendly manner, it meant they wanted something.
"If you have something to say, just say it," Isaac said. He didn''t like going in circles.
Ling Tian raised one of his eyebrows and then chuckled. He didn''t expect Isaac''s attitude to be like that. No pleasantries or polite remarks; just straight to the point.
"I haven''t seen someone like you in a long time. I am on cloud nine because people always treat me politely."
"Everyone who has experienced a high position will be like that. So long in the wind that you forget what it feels like to step on the ground."
Ling Tian sighed. "You''re right."
Then, the man looked at Isaac with a serious look on his face.
"Your name is Isaac Constantine, isn''t it? I know your name from the other members. I invite you to join the Golden Dragon guild!"
Isaac raised one of his eyebrows. He was quite surprised by the offer. Though he was sure that he did not show his greatness at all. He even tended to be passive in the battle earlier.
It would make more sense if Ling Tian invited Aditya.
Isaac chuckled.
"On what basis did you invite me? I''m just an ordinary hunter."
Ling Tian shook his head. "No, you''re strong. I can see it. You can hide your strength, but not your habits."
Now, Isaac was really interested in Ling Tian''s words.
"You were still standing tall when the other members were resting. You were on standby if the next attack came. Your attention could not be separated from the injured members. You were also able to recognize someone''s talent, for example the Indian. Others would definitely not recruit him. Besides, you were able to suppress Wang Yi''s ego, the vice-leader of the guild. You are much more worthy than her. You''re not just a mere hunter."
Isaac chuckled inwardly.
"Join the Golden Dragon. Nine Sky doesn''t deserve a talented person like you. If you be a member of the Golden Dragon, I can push your potential."
Chapter 104 Lady
Ling Tian put on a serious face. He really wanted Isaac.
"Well, then, if I join the Golden Dragon, what do I get?"
"Whatever you want. State your worth. You will also receive the full facilities and support of the Golden Dragon."
Isaac smirked. "Then, I want the Golden Dragon."
A frown appeared on Ling Tian''s forehead. He didn''t understand what Isaac meant. "What? Sorry, I don''t understand what you mean."
"What I want is clear. I want your guild. I want the position of leader."
"WHAT-!?"
Instantly, the veins bulged out on his forehead. What Isaac said sounded like an insult to his ears. He had never been treated like this before, even before he became the strongest Guild Master in China.
"Mister Isaac, I have made a good offer to you." Ling Tian''s voice was low, but there was anger in his tone. "If you don''t like it, you can refuse. I may look friendly, but that doesn''t mean I won''t do something to you."
The hunters who were resting and undergoing treatment started sweating. They felt the air suddenly be hot.
Isaac nced at Lian Tian who was clenching his hands tightly.
''Why is there always a human who wants to make me kill them?''
He took a deep breath.
If Isaac wasn''t currently in enemy territory, he would definitely have killed the man.
He held out a hand.
"Shake my hand."
"Huh?" Ling Tian didn''t understand what Isaac meant. "Don''t y with me."
"I''ll tell you the reason why I declined your offer."
Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. Now he wondered about Isaac''s strange behaviour. He didn''t understand what the man wanted. Then, the idea of teaching Isaac a lesson shed in his mind.
He shook Isaac''s hand.
"Keeut¡ª"
Instantly, his bones screamed in pain. His hand squeezed with great force. Even the gauntlet protecting his hand was crushed.
"Keuggh¡ª"
"If you don''t want to embarrass yourself, you better not scream."
Isaac strengthened his squeeze. Ling Tian wanted to scream as cold sweat started to trickle on his face. The other members watched the two of them look astonished. They didn''t realize that the two men were fighting.
"Le¡ let go¡"
"You did not offer me to join your guild; you tried to buy me. You think I''ll be happy? Having a high position definitely makes you feel above all else. You see other people as someone lower than you. Be thankful that we are currently in the dungeon."
After that, Isaac let go of the handshake. Ling Tian quickly pulled his arm. His face was pale.
Then, Isaac waved his hand and called out to Aditya who was treating the hunter.
"Adit,e here. I need your help."
"Yes, instructor. Wait a moment."
Not long after, Aditya came. Isaac told him to treat Ling Tian''s hand while the man only grimaced because of the pain in his hand.
When Aditya checked Lian Tian''s hand, he waspletely shocked.
"Wow, the tarant caused this? This is really bad. I''ll treat your wound immediately."
Adit quickly cast a healing spell on Ling Tian''s arm while Isaac just smiled at him.
Ling Tian had a bitter look on his face. He looked at Isaac warily. Even though there were only a few hunters who managed topete with his strength, nothing had ever made him injured like this.
From then on, he saw Isaac as a monster.
.
.
.
In a dark and damp room, there were rows of water tubes filled with human bodies. A giant pipe stuck to the top of the ceiling. An electric sound echoed along with a strange reverberation.
In that dark room, there was a ck hair woman with blood-red eyes. On her back was a pair of ck wings.
She seemed busy with the beaker arranged on the table.
"Lady Xenovia."
A fat man appeared behind the woman. His face was full of wrinkles and his nose was t. At first nce, his face looked like a pig.
The woman called Lady Xenovia turned to the man. Her expression was truly displeased. The pig-faced man immediately lowered his head in fright.
"How many times have I told you, Piggy? Don''t ever bother me if there''s something unimportant."
"No, Lady. This is an important matter."
Xenovia got busy again on her beaker. She distilled a strange red liquid in her hand.
"There are 100 humans who broke through to the 1st Floor. They are currently heading for the teleportation gate on the 2nd Floor," said the Pig.
"You stupid! Every day, there are humans who enter my dungeon. Why do I have a stupid Dungeon Manager like you?"
Piggy lowered his head even more. He bit his lower lip.
"But, Lady, they don''t seem like random people. If you look at them, their level and ss is the same as the human group currently in 2nd Floor."
Hearing that, Lady Xenovia stopped her activities. One of her eyebrows was raised, then she looked at Piggy with a smirk on her face.
"You mean another A-ss human?"
"Yes¡. one person. The rest are ss B and C."
Xenoviaughed loudly.
"Today I was very lucky. It looks like I''ll be distilling 3000 humans. They will make suitable materials for my homunculus army."
Piggy grinned when he heard his master sound happy.
"Send Aman and Lawrence, order them to drive the humans to the 3rd Floor."
Piggy opened his eyes wide. "Yes, Mydy."
Not long after, Piggy quickly left to do his job. Meanwhile, Xenovia was back busy on her experimental table, along with hundreds of homunculus sleeping in the tube.
*Author''s Note*
First of all I would like to thank the readers! (^_^) Especially to those of you who support me through positivements and buying privileged chapters. Recently, I just found out that my novel was hit by piracy (ToT). I don''t know if I should be happy or sad to hear the news. But I''m sure there are still good-hearted readers who want to read through legal sites.
That''s all I want to say. And have a nice day!
Chapter 105 Rain
A group of hunters led by Ling Tian arrived at ake with a small ind. The teleportation gate could be seen standing majestically in the center of the ind. They just didn''t know how to cross to that ce.
"Isn''t there a way to get there?"
Wang Yi muttered to herself. She was standing by theke with Isaac.
"There must be. The previous party managed to cross over to the 2nd Floor. There should be a way."
A man''s voice answered, but it was not Isaac. He was Ling Tian. The man approached Wang Yi with a handful of dried meat as his lunch.
"But how? I don''t see any traces of the road. There are no bridges or anything to cross."
Ling Tian nced at Isaac. He bit his lower lip for a moment. "Perhaps Mister Isaac knows how to cross it."
Isaac heard his name being called and quickly turned to the two of them. All this time, his attention was focused on theke.
After he taught Ling Tian a lesson, the man started to be more polite. He seemed to try to forget the trouble that had urred between them before.
"We will cross as usual. No need for tools."
Of course, Wang Yi and Ling Tian were surprised to hear that. They didn''t know how deep thiske was. Besides, there was the possibility of monsters living underwater.
Wang Yi frowned. "Isn''t it dangerous, Brother Isaac? We don''t know what''s in thatke."
"Right." Ling Tian also chimed in. "Swimming across theke is not a good idea. Not to mention we use fullbat gear."
"Do not be afraid. There''s nothing in thiske."
After saying that, without any hesitation Isaac walked past theke. Ling Tian and Wang Yi were taken aback again. They quickly called Isaac toe back.
"Brother Isaac!"
The other members were also surprised to see Isaac''s actions. For them, Isaac''s actions were tantamount to suicide.
On the other hand, Isaac looked calm walking across theke. When he got closer to the ind, the water rose around his stomach. Then, the water level gradually decreased when he arrived on thend.
Everyone who saw Isaac''s action became boisterous.
Unfortunately, they still looked hesitant despite having seen Isaac cross safely.
"Well, I guess I have to set a good example for my men."
Then, Wang Yi crossed over. Seeing their leader crossing over, the Nine Sky members followed suit. The first person after Wang Yi was Aditya.
It was only when many people had crossed safely that Ling Tian felt sure. He then ordered his members to cross theke.
''Finally, you believe in me.''
Isaac could tell theke was safe purely based on his observations. His experience as a Dungeon Master helped him in making judgments.
Along their way to the teleportation gate, Isaac didn''t see a single sign of a monster living in the river. He saw many herbivorous monsters drinking in the stream leisurely.
Moreover, along the 1 kilometer radius from the location, there were no monsters attacking them. If no monsters dared to enter this area, it meant that the area around theke was probably the boss''s territory.
However, there was no boss in sight. That meant the boss had been eliminated by the previous raid party.
"You are wonderful, Brother Isaac. You can tell just by looking at theke at the first nce. It''s not wrong to follow your orders."
Wang Yi stood beside Isaac, observing the other members who were still crossing theke.
However, Isaac showed a displeased expression.
"But, your actions showed otherwise."
Wang Yi looked confused at Isaac''s words. "What do you mean, Brother Isaac? I don''t understand. After you crossed, I also crossed."
Isaac then looked into Wang Yi''s eyes.
"During the battle against the tarant monsters earlier, why didn''t you use the tactics I have taught you?"
Wang Yi now started to understand what the man meant. "I''m sorry, brother, most of them are old members. The member you selected was brought by my sister. They were more used to the Hunter Association''s tactics. So I used the old tactic."
Isaac clicked his tongue. "Wang Yi, I taught you to be a leader. Being a leader means having to know how to coordinate yourrades. Don''t you realize that your previous decision was at risk of harming all of your men? Even yourself. If there was no Golden Dragon, you would definitely die."
"But¡"
"No excuses!"
Wang Yi then lowered her head while biting her lower lip. She contemted her mistake.
Of course, Isaac did it on purpose. It was not just to make Wang Yi feel guilty; he wanted her to keep remembering her mistakes, so she didn''t make the same mistakes again.
Not long after, Ling Tian and his men arrived. The man came over to Isaac with a smile on his face.
"Isaac, it looks like I wasn''t wrong. You have extraordinary observational abilities."
Ling Tian''s attention then turned to the gloomy-looking Wang Yi.
"What''s wrong?"
"Nothing," Isaac replied. "Let''s go."
Ling Tian chose to remain silent, even though he knew something had happened. After his unpleasant experience with Isaac, interfering was not the right choice for him. He didn''t know where the man hade from. Given his strength, he could have be a powerful and influential person. However, his whereabouts had not been heard until now. It was easy for Ling Tian to conclude that Isaac was hiding his true identity; and Ling Tian wouldn''t be surprised, because he also knew someone like Isaac.
p Thus, Ling Tian chose not to interfere.
Then, their party moved in towards the teleportation gate and departed for the 2nd Floor.
.
.
.
The sky was overcast, covered by dark clouds; asionally, shes of lightning appeared briefly with a roar. Thousands of drops of water continued to fall on the trees heavily.
This was the scene that greeted Isaac, and his party upon exiting the teleportation gate.
"Damn it! Why does it have to rain?!"
The members of the groupined under the pouring rain.
Rain was bad news for them. The equipment they wear became heavier, especially with cloth-based materials. Besides, the sound of rainwater would block their sight and hearing.
This condition was really unfavorable for the hunters.
"Everyone! Follow me! We''re looking for shelter!"
Ling Tian eximed loudly. Then, he walked through the heavily pouring rain. The other members quickly followed suit.
Without them knowing, in the shadows of the forest, dozens of pairs of eyes pried on them.
They continued walking into the forest. The bushes blocked their path. The popping sound of water droplets and armor resounded.
This time, there was only Ling Tian leading the way. Usually, Wang Yi would go along with him, trying to show his existence as a leader.
However, after receiving criticism, she walked with Isaac and his members in the back. She lowered her ego and prioritized the safety of all members.
Wang Yi learned from her mistakes.
On the way, Isaac suddenly stopped.
"What''s wrong, Brother Isaac?"
Wang Yi also stopped in her ce, and so did the other members. Isaac didn''t answer. He paused and raised one of his hands, asking them to stop talking. They became curious about Isaac''s behaviour.
Not long after, Isaac drew his sword. Instantly, all of Nine Sky''s members were shocked.
"Prepare for battle. We are being ambushed."
Without asking, they quickly drew out their weapons. Meanwhile, Wang Yi, who understood what she had to do, called out to warn the Golden Dragon members on the vanguard.
"Ling Tian! We are being ambushed!"
Her loud voice cut through the rain until it reached the leader''s ears. Hearing that, Ling Tian reflexively drew his sword, while the other members didn''t give any response. They just looked at their surroundings in confusion. It took them a split second to process the situation.
When they realized it, it was toote.
"Kuaaagghhh¡ª!"
A scream was heard from one of the members. Their eyes searched for the source of the attack. They saw a human with in cloth clothes, white hair, and red eyes. He wrestled with one of the members of the Golden Dragon. In his hand, he held a dagger.
The other members were still watching.
"What are you looking at?! Help me!"
It was only when he was begging for help that the other members came to their senses. Unfortunately, they were toote.
The white-haired man had already slit the throat of the poor member.
Instantly, the other members got mad. They quickly stabbed their weapons at the strange man many times. Then, a scream was heard.
Then, another scream sounded.
"Watch out for ambushes! We are being ambushed!"
Dozens of albino humans jumped from the bushes. They appeared in various directions, carrying daggers. The looks on their faces were like wild animals. They attacked the unprepared Golden Dragon members.
At that very moment, the cloudy rainwater flowing over the ground was stained with a blood-red color.
Chapter 106 Blood And Mud
The homunculus attacked blindly. They didn''t care if the sword pierced or tore through their stomachs; they kept throwing themselves at the dozens of silver-armored troops.
On the other hand, the Nine Sky members seemed to have a hard time dealing with them. Not because they lost in terms of ability or power. The morale within them prevented the members from killing the homunculus. After all, they really did resemble humans.
They fought doubtfully. Only a handful of people dared to kill a homunculus in one powerful sh.
Isaac couldn''t let things go like this.
"Don''t hesitate to kill them! They''re homunculus! Not human! They are monsters!"
The members of Nine Sky still hesitated even after hearing his words. Until finally Isaac drew his sword and shed at the homunculus mercilessly.
St! St! St!
In a matter of seconds, ten homunculus died, splitting in two, and their pieces fell into a puddle of mud.
"If you don''t kill them, yourrades will die!"
Seeing Isaac kill the homunculus to motivate her men, Wang Yi finally followed him. She quickly shed every homunculus before her until the Nine Sky members dared to do the same thing. They shed the homunculus in front of them with a little doubt that still harboured in their hearts.
The tide of battle instantly changed.
This time, Isaac was forced to take the initiative.
He knew that most of the Nine Sky members weren''t ready to face off against a human-like monster. They were only trained to take down ordinary monsters. Thus, he had to set an example, otherwise they would be wiped outpletely.
Isaac couldn''t let his troops die in vain.
Only Wang Yi seemed to have no qualms about killing the homunculus. Isaac guessed that the woman had killed humans before.
Meanwhile, the Golden Dragon troops seemed to handle the attacks well. They ughtered every homunculus without a doubt. The swords pierced the monster''s stomach and cut through the flesh. Various kinds of magic were cast. They used whatever they could to finish them off.
Ling Tian looked active in the battle. The man led his members calmly.
The Golden Dragon was experienced on the battlefield against monsters that resembled humans.
Even though the forces of the Golden Dragon and Nine Sky were superior in battle, they beat back the homunculus with ease. However, Isaac felt something strange.
''Why is it so easy? Their appearance is strange and very weak. It is very different from in the past.''
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Homunculus]
[Type: Savages]
[ss: C]
[Level: 35]
The Homunculus that Isaac remembered was a monster that had a form identical to that of a human. Their skin and hair, it 100% resembled the living humans; not pale skin like a corpse. They had pigment, while the Homunculus they were currently fighting was more like an albino.
These were different homunculus.
''Is there another version of the homunculus? Or is this a low-ss homunculus?''
The more he thought about it, the more questions filled his head. A smirk appeared on his face. He thought all of this was getting interesting.
Isaac then became more and more eager to kill the homunculus.
The people who watched Isaac had a look of astonishment on their faces. They began to think that the man was not human.
"Are he monsters?! How can he kill humans?"
"They aren''t. The Golden Dragon also did the same. We also should sh them offpletely."
"Miss Wang Yi believes him. So, he''s not a random person."
In the end, they also took part in the battle.
The sky was starting to look bright. The ck clouds above the sky lessened, and the rain stopped falling. The battle between humans and homunculus was over; with all the homunculus dead.
There was only one casualty in this battle. The poor man was from the Golden Dragon. The rest only suffered minor injuries.
This battle was more like a one-sided massacre.
"Damn it!"
Wang Yi looked drenched. Thanks to the rainwater, there was no blood stuck to her body, while the other members looked gloomy. Their faces were dark and their eyes were nk. They were really gloomy. Some of them even stared at the homunculus'' corpse. Some vomited; Aditya was one of them. The same thing was also shown to the members of the Golden Dragon, a few of them were shaken.
Although they often took the lives of monsters, they almost never took the lives of humans.
This was their worst experience.
"Are you all right, Miss Wang Yi?"
Ling Tian walked over to Wang Yi. He held her shoulders to lighten her burden. However, the woman looked even better than he expected.
"You seem to be able to handle this?" Ling Tian asked. There was another question he wanted to ask, but he didn''t ask it.
"Yes, that''s how it is. But, I can be as good as him."
Ling Tian observed Wang Yi. The woman''s eyes fell on Isaac who seemed to be wiping his sword, which was dirty with mud and blood. There was no expression on the man''s face at all.
Ling Tian was amazed and more curious about Isaac. In his head he wondered, what was that man''s mentality made of? He didn''t know if Isaac was heartless or determined. Normal humans always felt regret every time they took the lives of others. However, Isaac didn''t seem to have that. It was as if taking a life was normal for him.
Ling Tian wanted to approach the man, but he didn''t have the courage to do so.
His instincts already said ''no''.
Meanwhile, Isaac was busy checking his weapon. The sword he used was an ordinary weapon that came from the Nine Sky armory. It wasn''t artefacts or man-made artefacts. The de''s edge had started to be dull and jagged after being used to cut through many of the homunculus'' bodies. From there he realized that the monster they had defeated just now had high defense.
''I should have brought more than one weapon. I can''t rely on ordinary weapons. I underestimated them too much.''
Isaac then sheathed his sword. He couldn''t use artefacts. The weapon had a special aura that could trigger the Dungeon Master. Even ordinary humans could feel it, let alone demons.
In the midst of the silence after the battle, there was suddenly amotion.
His attention was diverted. A ck-haired young man caught the attention of the Nine Sky members. Wang Yi looked visibly surprised to see him. Meanwhile, the man seemed happy to see Isaac.
"Brother Isaac!"
Guo Chen came along with the five missing members of Nine Sky.
Chapter 107 Cave
"You''re finally back."
Guo Chen smiled widely at Isaac. He had not seen his saviour in a long time.
Isaac also smiled. He then saw the progress of his subordinates. The man had grown stronger than before.
[Name: Guo Chen]
[Race: Human]
[Type: N/A]
[ss: A]
[Level: 55]
"Hey, look who''s here. I thought you were dead." Wang Yi joined the conversation between the two of them.
Now, it was Guo Chen''s turn to put on a surprised face. "Wang Yi?! Why are you here?! You shouldn''t be here."
"This is my body. It''s up to me where I want to go."
"Your sister must be furious to see you here."
Wang Yi hissed. "This is my body. It''s up to me what I want to do with it. It seems you have be valiant ever since my sister put her trust in you."
Guo Chen shook his head. "Whatever."
The people who watched Guo Chen and Wang Yi looked astonished. In this situation, they could still fight like children. Isaac only saw the two of them as puppies.
"Guo Chen! You are safe!"
Suddenly, Aditya came out of nowhere and patted the man on the shoulder. Guo Chen quickly smiled again.
"Adit, are youing too? I thought you were in India. Is your mother getting better?"
"Yes, that''s how it is. I quickly returned to China to save you. After the instructor suggested this mission, I quickly joined in." Aditya smiled broadly while patting Guo Chen''s back.
After hearing the word ''instructor'', Guo Chen quickly understood who the man meant. He looked back at Isaac with his eyes wide open, then he smiled gratefully.
Isaac nodded. He felt the need to do it.
"Heeh~ You change your attitude quickly when ites to it, Brother Isaac. It looks like you have a brotherplex, huh?"
Wang Yi sneered at Guo Chen with a mischievous smile on her face.
Whereas Guo Chen only replied with a hiss. Then, his eyes turned to the gold-armored troops. His eyes opened wide upon seeing the leader.
"Master Ling Tian? From the Golden Dragon!?"
Guo Chen looked at Wang Yi and Ling Tian in turn. The look of astonishment was evident on his face, while the Golden Dragon Guild Master himself just smiled.
"I came here at the request of the government. We were ordered to trace the trail of the joint guild that carried out the raid. You guys hadn''t contacted the Hunter Association for a few weeks. They thought you were missing. It turned out their worries were wrong."
Then, Ling Tian also told Guo Chen that he had invited Wang Yi to do a search together. After that, he asked about the other members, including the Crimson Dawn and Phoenix Fleet guilds.
However, Guo Chen''s face quickly darkened.
"Well, it will be long to discuss it in this ce. Let''s find a better ce to talk."
Guo Chen nced at the corpses that scattered around. The look on his face was bitter because of the sight around him. Ling Tian quickly understood, he then gave instructions to his men to start moving.
They moved to follow Guo Chen and his men leading the way. They moved towards the west of the forest. Along the way, they rarely met monsters. Only a few monstersmonly encountered in the forest such as treants and orcs. Of course, they were not a threat.
After walking for half an hour, they arrived at a cave. There, they could see the hunters in white uniforms guarding the mouth of the cave. They looked surprised to see Guo Chen with the gold-armored entourage.
"You brought troops? Who are they, Guo Chen?!"
"Eh¡ª? Miss Wang Yi"
Their shock quickly vanished upon seeing the figure of the Guild Master''s younger sister. They both quickly saluted the woman.
"Miss Wang, I didn''t think you would follow us into the dungeon."
Wang Yi paid no heed to the small talk. "Where''s my sister?"
"The leader is currently on the 3rd Floor, with Phoenix Fleet and Crimson Dawn. They''re trying to finish off the Alpha."
Hearing that, Wang Yi suddenly became furious. "Then, why are you guys still here!? Why didn''t you help my sister?!"
The two guards fell silent. They nced at Guo Chen. Then, Wang Yi''s eyes also fell on him. The look in her eyes demanded an exnation.
If there were troops that didn''t go to the front line, there would be two possibilities. They were tasked with guarding or fleeing from the battlefield. Considering that they made it to Floor 3, it meant that there was no serious threat on Floor 2. He thought the alpha of this floor had been wiped out. There was no reason for them to leave the troops here.
Of course, Wang Yi guessed the second option.
"Like I said, let''s find a ce to talk first. Besides, there''s something you need to see."
Isaac then grabbed the woman''s shoulder. Instantly, the emotion harbouring in her chest vanished. Ling Tian just watched them. He didn''t want to interfere.
"You''d better give a reasonable exnation."
Then, Ling Tian ordered his men to rest, as did the members of Nine Sky. Because the cave was small, it couldn''t amodate 100 people, only those who were curious could enter the cave. One of them was Isaac.
They came in.
Inside was damp, dark, and quiet. There was only the sound of dewdrops and the sound of their footsteps. Not long after they walked, they saw another Nine Sky hunter who seemed to be enjoying the bonfire. Beside him was a pile of bags and a ce to sleep. He quickly stood up when he saw the arrival of guests, especially after seeing the guest was the younger sister of the Nine Sky Guild Master.
"Eh¡ªMiss Wang Yi?"
Once again, Wang Yi ignored him. He observed the hunter from head to toe, then looked around the cave. After confirming nothing else, she looked at Guo Chen with an annoyed look.
"What do I need to see? Thiszy person?"
The hunter who was on guard looked surprised at Wang Yi''s words. Meanwhile, Guo Chen shook his head.
"So, what is it?" Wang Yi asked in annoyance.
Isaac grabbed her shoulder. She noticed Isaac who was pointing at the pile of bags and bed beside the hunter. Wang Yi narrowed her eyes.
She saw a little girl with blue hair with fair skin sleeping soundly. She was like Pippi, but looked a little older. The little girl looked like a doll.
Now, Wang Yi opened her mouth wide. She couldn''t believe she would see a child in the dungeon.
"Who is this little girl Guo Chen? Why would he¡ª"
Guo Chen quickly shut Wang Yi''s mouth.
"Don''t be noisy, Wang Yi. You will wake her up. She''s the Alpha."
Chapter 108 Little Girl
After hearing Guo Chen''s words, everyone in the cave became rowdy, especially Wang Yi. The woman almost let out a scream, but Guo Chen quickly shut her mouth.
Wang Yi instantly snapped the man''s hand away. "Let go! Why the hell are you doing?"
"I should be the one asked that. What are you doing? You can wake up the Alpha."
Then, Wang Yi shut her mouth and wiped her lips. She looked away from Guo Chen. Ling Tian looked stunned. He did not expect the little girl who was sleeping so soundly as the Alpha.
The dungeons never ceased to surprise them.
Everyone in the cave was silent. They tried to process the situation. Only Isaac seemed to understand what to do.
Ling Tian took a deep breath. After that, he drew his sword. Guo Chen understood the man''s intentions and quickly blocked him.
"Stop it!"
"Get out of the way! We must kill her immediately."
Guo Chen opened his eyes wide. "We''ve already killed a lot of adult homunculus. Are we going to kill a child too?"
"A child?" Ling Tian snorted. "Don''t treat that monster as if it were a human. She is not a human child. She''s a homunculus. A monster born from the dungeon. That creature has probably killed dozens of us."
"The little girl is different. She canmunicate and understand us. You can''t just kill her. Besides, we''ve already killed too many of them. Should we really kill the little girl too?"
"What is the difference? Monsters are still monsters. Then, why don''t you all spare all the baby monsters in the dungeon? We kill them every day. There''s only one monster that looks the same as us, and you want to spare her? Don''t tell me we have to apply double standards on the monsters¡"
Ling Tian didn''t know how a dungeon monster could sleep so soundly under the hunter''s protection. All he knew was the monster had to be killed immediately.
On the battlefield, anything could kill them.
He then pushed away Guo Chen who stood in his way. The man then fell on the ground, then he quickly grabbed Ling Tian again. Tension was unavoidable when Guo Chen also drew his sword.
"You drew a sword at your ownrade?" Ling Tian''s words sounded low, but full of threats.
"We just met."
Ling Tian snorted. He had no idea what he had just heard.
On the other hand, Guo Chen didn''t care if the man in front of him was Six Star or the one who got the title of the strongest hunter in China. He just wanted to stop the man from killing the little girl.
The two of them started to re at each other. The atmosphere was really tense.
Guo Chen then nced at Wang Yi, asking for support. However, Wang Yi still kept her mouth shut. She couldn''t defend her men, because what Ling Tian said was true.
No matter what form it took, a monster was still a monster. They had to be killed or humans would die.
This was thew in the dungeon. Kill or be killed.
Wang Yi could only look away.
"What¡"
Disappointment rose on Guo Chen''s face. Then, he looked at Isaac, hoping for support. He was sure the man would not let him down.
Isaac sighed.
"If you want to fight here, you will wake up the Alpha. I don''t know how much power she has, but if the previous guild''s entourage let her live, there must be a reason."
Guo Chen quickly showed a bright expression. His hope was not wrong. Meanwhile, Ling Tian just tightly squeezed the hilt of his sword. He didn''t agree, but he couldn''t argue back. Because what Isaac had said made sense. Three thousand hunters couldn''t possibly lose to a monster that had the form of a little girl like that.
Finally, Ling Tian sheathed his sword. He chose to give in.
Seeing the fighting subside, Isaac quickly spoke up.
"You all better get out. Get some fresh air and clear your head. You are stillrades. Guo Chen, tells Wang Yi and Leader Ling Tian the chronology. I think we should understand the situation first before making a decision."
Guo Chen smiled triumphantly. He also sheathed his sword.
Ling Tian left first, his face was bitter, then followed by Wang Yi. They had seen too many things today.
"Brother? How about you?"
"I''ll be on guard here." Isaac turned to the hunter who was in charge of guarding the little girl. "You can get some fresh air too. I''ll stay here."
"Alright, if that''s what you want."
The man didn''t obey Isaac, he just didn''t want to stay longer in the cave with the Alpha.
Then, Guo Chen and the guard left. Isaac remained in that ce with the Alpha.
Isaac walked over to the homunculus. He crouched down and looked at the little girl''s face. At first nce, the creature really looked like a human child.
Then, a smirk appeared on his face.
"How long are you going to keep pretending to be asleep?"
The little girl was still sleeping soundly.
Isaac snorted. He then gripped her neck tightly.
"Keeuggh!"
Instantly, the girl''s eyes opened wide. She red at Isaac. Instead of being in pain, the little girl smirked like a demon.
"Kukuku¡ I thought all humans were stupid. In the end, my cover was blown."
Her voice was the opposite of her appearance. A grown man''s deep voice escaped her mouth.
"Well, I''m not stupid enough to be tricked by such a lowly homunculus."
[Name: Aman]
[Race: Homunculus]
[Type: Savages]
[ss: B]
[Level: 50]
That girl was Aman. She was the special homunculus, but not a boss.
As a Dungeon Master, Isaac had learned various characteristics of every monster in the dungeon, even umon monsters like Caecilian or homunculus. The only thing that monsters had inmon was that once they had a master, they had no will of their own.
They would do whatever their master told them to do. They would have no empathy or feelings for humans.
Therefore, a ridiculous trick like this would not work on a Demon Lord.
"I have to admit, you are amazing. I don''t know how you can trick 3000 hunters who have high greed, and even im to be the floor guard boss. You have my appreciation."
Amanughed even though Isaac still strangled her neck. "You also seem different from the stupid humans out there. There is no doubt at all in your eyes. You''re great. s, you have failed. Yourrades will not survive. Lawrence will send them to their deaths."
Amanughed loudly. She tried to mock Isaac, but she was wrong about one thing.
"But, they can still live if you follow my orders."
Aman smirked even though her breathing almost stopped.
However, Isaac just chuckled. Of course, this raised questions for Aman.
"Why are youughing? What is so funny?"
"You''re the funny one."
Aman''s eyes opened wide. The grip on her neck tightened. Her head started to feel dizzy.
"Keeugh."
As time went on, the grip on Aman''s neck got strong. Her eyes were about to pop out. The man who was choking her stared at her intently. She then saw horror in the man''s eyes. Instantly, fear crept through her body.
She felt the same sensation when dealing with her master.
"Keegh¡ who are you? You¡ want yourrades dead, huh? You think I''m ying around?"
Isaac paid her no heed. He continued to strangle her and tighten his grip.
"I don''t care if they die or survive. I just want to enjoy this."
"!!!"
Isaac didn''t care about this rescue mission. He didn''t care whether Nine Sky was destroyed again or Wang Mei died. In the first ce, he didn''te for them.
He came for another reason.
"You homunculus are interesting creatures. I want you guys, but I don''t know how to get them. So you have to help me get it."
From those words, Aman quickly understood who she was dealing with. The person before her was not human.
But the Demon Lord!
Instantly, the homunculus kept struggling. She wed at Isaac''s arm and tried to free herself. However, the difference in their strength was like heaven and earth.
"Now, be an obedient dog," said Isaac.
He touched his own forehead, then a red me appeared on his fingertips. Isaac then pressed it against the homunculus'' forehead.
A Seed of Mind was being imnted into Aman''s head.
The monster in the form of a little girl continued to struggle until finally the red light disappeared. She then stopped moving.
Isaac let go of his grip. A smile appeared on his face.
Aman then knelt down and lowered her head.
"Forgive my impudence. I am at your service, Lord Isaac."
From now on, the homunculus became his ve.
Chapter 109 Enmity
Therge tents stood in front of the mouth of the cave. Some of the tents were yellow, some were brown. The two guilds set up their respective camps. However, they blended together. Some of them were seen chatting andughing with each other. Some were doing arm wrestling, and some were ying cards. They get along well, like old friends.
This one long day had made them get to know each other.
However, the condition of the subordinates was different from their superiors. In one of the yellow tents with a golden dragon g coiled around it, tension was brewing.
Wang Yi, Ling Tian, and Guo Chen. The three of them seemed to be in a state that no one could interfere with.
"So, Guo Chen, can you tell me how the guild left you with that little Alpha?"
The only woman inside the tent started the conversation. Wang Yi didn''t want to beat around the bush. She wondered if her sister was involved in the decision, considering that their raid was a joint raid.
She was sure the leader this time was not her sister. If it was her sister, she would definitely kill that Alpha. Wang Mei was a practical person, she only cared about the safety of her members. She wouldn''t have made such a reckless decision.
On the other hand, the two men in front of her seemed to be tense up with each other, but they could still hold it in.
Guo Chen took a deep breath.
"That little girl, Aman, she is a victim of the dungeon."
Suddenly, the whole tent was shocked. Wang Yi and Ling Tian nced at each other. Of course, they could not ept that kind of answer.
Then, Guo Chen began to exin the chronology of the incident.
The Conquest of Floor 1 was quite short. They only took two weeks. In the first 12 days, they went on a search for the teleportation gate. At that time, they also did dungeon mapping and surveyed the Power Crystal mining site. On day 13, they found the teleport gate and finished off the Mutant Troll, the floor guard or the Alpha.
After they arrived on the 2nd Floor, they went on an exploration. Just like Isaac and his entourage, during their exploration, they were ambushed by the homunculus. The first experience of fighting monsters in human form was enough to overwhelm them. Their hearts were not strong enough to kill a homunculus. It took time for them to do it.
Entering the night of the second day, they realized that theirmunication device was not functioning well. They did not know what caused it, but a hunter from Crimson Dawn said that there was a maic field that damaged all the electronic devices.
Since themunication device was damaged, the raid was paused for a while. There was a debate within the group.
Nine Sky, represented by Wang Yi, refused to continue the raid. Themunication devices were the most vital tools. Without them, their movement would be limited as they couldn''t disperse. Besides, if something happened to the raid, they couldn''t notify the outside world.
Themunication devices were like thin threads that could keep them connected.
Wang Mei learned from her bitter experience in Isaac''s dungeon.
However, the Crimson Dawn and Phoenix Armad parties refused to back down. They wanted the exploration process to continue because the resources they had spent would be wasted. They had used a lot of potions and ether. All of them weren''t cheap.
In the end, Cheng Ho, the Guild Master of the Phoenix Armada, and the man appointed to lead the joint party, decided to continue the raid.
They then continued to climb the dungeon.
The process of exploring the 2nd Floor was also not as difficult as they had imagined. It was even easier than Floor 1. Most of the monsters in the forest were low-ss monsters, such as goblins and kobolds. They explored for a week and found the teleportation gate on thest day.
And the main problem started from here.
The hunter group found the teleportation gatekeeper was an old man and a small child. Of course this surprised them.
At first, they thought the old man and the girl were the same as the homunculus they had met before; fighting like an animal and having nomon sense. However, the two of them were the opposite.
A frail old man who couldn''t do anything about it and the other was just a strange little girl with an entric appearance. However, she has extraordinary physical strength. The girl was able to crush rocks the size of tennis balls with her two fingers. She even threw the rocks at the hunters and caused eight people to break their bones.
Because of that, there was almost bloodshed.
The anger of the hunters who were attacked quickly disappeared when Lawrence knelt while crying in front of the hunters. Even if they killed hundreds of homunculus, they would still have trouble making decisions when it came to young children and the elderly.
Because after all they were Hunters, apart from seeking profit, they had a duty to protect weak humans.
"You mean the homunculus begging for forgiveness for what his granddaughter did? Impossible. This sounds absurd."
Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. His face shrouded in disbelief. He had a hard time epting the exnation from Guo Chen.
Wang Yi also pointed out the same thing. "This is weird."
"But, the reality is like that. The old man quickly begged for mercy after his granddaughter attacked us. The little girl thought the hunters were going to attack her," Guo Chen retorted.
Ling Tian was silent. However, he still harbored doubts. So far the story was still understandable, but he didn''t understand the reason the old man and his granddaughter could be Alphas.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn''t find a usible exnation.
"Okay, then what does that have to do with you taking care of his granddaughter?"
"That''s right," said Wang Yi. "Don''t tell me you guys made a deal to save his granddaughter from being an Alpha."
Guo Chen then nodded his head. Instantly, Wang Yi opened his mouth wide. She didn''t expect her original random guess to be correct.
"WHAT!?" Ling Tian also showed a simr reaction.
"Right. The old man wanted the little girl to go to the outside world. He wants his granddaughter to be free from the Dungeon Master''s very."
After hearing that, only the two of them were interested. Wang Yi was hearing this term for the first time, while Ling Tian looked familiar. However, he pretended not to know.
Guo Chen then continued his story.
The old man was named Lawrence, while the granddaughter was named Aman. However, they were not rted because they were homunculus.
The two of them were born in ab on the 3rd Floor. They didn''t know the location, but the old man still remembered well the giant gate that connected theb to the dungeon.
ording to the old man''s confession, the person who created them was a woman with an entric appearance. She caught every human wandering in the 1st Floor dungeon. After that, she put them in a tube and turned them into a thick ck liquid. Then, she would create a homunculus from that liquid. The old man said, at least 10 humans were equivalent to a homunculus.
Lawrence was one of them. It was just that he was a failed product. He had aged like a man in his 40s after the first three days of being created. Entering the seventh day, he was like a war veteran.
Because of that, the old man often received unpleasant treatment from other homunculus. However, there was only one homunculus on good terms with him. Namely Aman, a variant homunculus who possessed extraordinary powers. She had a physical strength and mana above the average homunculus. She was almost equal to the top quality. It was just that she was immature.
Lawrence did not know the name of the creator. However, the homunculus referred to her as ''Lady'' or ''Dungeon Master''.
Due to their close rtionship, the Dungeon Master ordered Lawrence to apany Aman to guard the 2nd Floor.
For more than three months, Lawrence devoted himself to the dungeon. He then began to wonder, what he was created for. Every day his life was just to wait at the teleportation gate with Aman. His life feels empty and has no purpose. Until he finally met a human.
Lawrence several times descended the 1st Floor and tried to interact with the humans there. Then he discovers the fact of a world beyond his own.
Since then Lawrence has continued to increase his interactions with humans. He wanted to get out of the dungeon and be free from the Dungeon Master''s shackles. Of course he wanted to take Aman with him.
Until the day he met a group of hunters who carried out a joint raid.
Lawrence made a deal with Cheng Ho to help him out of the dungeon, as long as he helped them find theb and the location of the 3rd Floor guard boss.
Of course Lawrence was willing, but he wanted someone to take care of his grandson. He didn''t want to get involved either.
Then, Guo Chen and a few people were appointed to guard Aman.
"Nonsense¡"
WAng Yi muttered while biting his tongue. He had received too much information from Guo Chen.
Likewise with Ling Tian.
Even though they both got an exnation, they still couldn''t ept it.
"What if it''s a trap?" said Ling Tian.
"No, that geezer is really honest. You''ll understand once you see her eyes," Guo Chen argued.
Then the two started arguing again. They fuss about traps and tricks in the dungeon. Meanwhile, Wang Yi could only remain silent. He didn''t know how to respond to the current situation.
High-pitched voices echoed within the tent. Until someone finally came in. Instantly Guo Chen and Ling Tian''smotion stopped.
"Ling Tian, he is right. The old man wants to be freed from the shackles."
Isaac came. They all saw it, but their attention was more focused on the little blue-haired boy hiding behind Isaac.
Chapter 110 Enmity (2)
Their arrival took the people inside the tent by surprise, especially with the little girl hiding behind Isaac. Ling Tian seemed to be holding the hilt of the sword tightly, while Wang Yi reflexively took a step back.
Only Guo Chen looked happy to see the two of them.
"See, right? Like I have said, she is different. Only Brother Isaac can see it."
The young man smiled broadly. The closeness of the two of them showed Isaac was on his side. Guo Chen felt he had won the debate.
On the other hand, Isaac had a straight face. He knew what his right-hand man was thinking. He was actually rather disappointed that Guo Chen was still so innocent; even a homunculus could trick him so easily.
At least Isaac could rx a little because this would give him an advantage.
"Brother, that thing didn''t do anything to you, did it?" Wang Yi asked suspiciously.
Ling Tian was silent. There were no proper words for him to say to Isaac. He was sure the white-haired man had the right judgement, but the scene he was seeing right now made him think otherwise.
"Don''t worry. This little girl won''t hurt you."
Isaac pushed Aman to face them. She looked shy, like an ordinary human child in general. Meanwhile, the three adult men looked doubtful.
Surprisingly, Guo Chen who was desperately defending Ling Tian not to kill the little girl also looked worried. His instincts as a fighter told him to be vignt.
Wang Yi narrowed her eyes at Guo Chen''s strange behavior. She realized the man did not fully believe in the little monster before them.
"Hey, weren''t you the one who took care of it all this time? Why are you nervous?" asked Wang Yi in a whisper.
"A baby tiger is still a tiger. They can bite and make you bleed."
Wang Yi snorted as she shook her head. She couldn''t believe the answer she heard from Guo Chen.
"I think you''re used to her. Then, why are you defending her if you feel threatened?"
"That little girl can take down eight B-rank hunters alone. Even my pinky was almost broken from stopping her when she was angry. Besides, I have to fulfil my duty from Cheng Ho. I don''t want to embarrass Miss Wang Mei for having ipetent subordinate."
Only then did Wang Yi fall silent. Now, the man''s words only made sense. Isaac also heard his words even though the young man said it in a whisper.
This made Guo Chen get a plus.
"Mister, Miss, my name is Aman. I am the guard on the 2nd Floor. Nice to meet you."
Her voice was shrill, typical of a child who had just turned eight years old. Her physique was also not a much different human child. They still couldn''t figure out how they could be wary of such a creature.
Then, Guo Chen was the first to return Aman''s greeting. They already knew each other, even though they were not too close. The two of them rarely spoke because Guo Chen was patrolling more often to prevent the monsters froming. Even the guard in charge of taking care of Aman didn''t talk much to her.
He was actually quite surprised to see Isaac and Aman''s closeness in such a short amount of time. They had only met a few minutes ago.
After that, Wang Yi followed suit. She only said her name, and not smiling at all. Even the way she answered the little girl seemed insincere.
Meanwhile, Ling Tian didn''t care. He held his sword tight and saw Aman as a threat.
"Since you guys already know each other, let''s sit down together. There is something we need to discuss. It''s regarding the homunculus and the kidnapping of humans in this dungeon."
They looked at each other. After that, they sat around the seat. Not long after, the discussion began.
"Tell them, Aman, about theb and the dungeon."
The little girl still looked shy.
"I am the homunculus that was created by the Dungeon Master. My job is to prevent humans from going up to another floor. I was born in ab, together with my grandpa."
After that, Aman began to tell a long story.
She told the same points as Guo Chen''s story; aboutbs, the dungeon, creator, and orders to kill humans. One point that differed from their stories was the location of the whereabouts of the newly born homunculus.
ording to her confession, on the 2nd Floor there was ab, it was different from theb where they were born on the 3rd Floor. Theb located on the 2nd Floor was a ce where the homunculus born with defects were redefined. In other words, thisb was a ce for recycling failed products.
Failed and imperfect homunculus were turned into materials, then sent to Lab on 3rd Floor to be remade into the homunculus again.
This news made everyone in the tent shocked, especially Guo Chen. He truly felt disgusted by the homunculus being treated like the wild animals. Even the animals had a higher degree than them, but the homunculus were treated like objects. Their feelings, pain, and thoughts were not considered.
"This is really hard to ept." Wang Yi seemed to be biting her lip. She felt the same way.
Meanwhile Ling, Tian remained expressionless. All the craziness he had heard had never made any sense, but he still managed to ept it well.
Besides, he had one thing on his mind.
"Why do we have to know about this information? I mean, once we know there''s anotherb, then what?"
Ling Tian''s words caught the attention of Wang Yi and Guo Chen. If an issue was brought up for discussion, then they needed to do something about it. That was happening right now.
Then, all eyes were on Isaac. Meanwhile, the man who became the center of attention smiled broadly.
Isaac stood before them.
"As you guys heard from Aman, there were a lot of homunculus who became the victims. They were not treated like living beings. Even the cattle are better than them. We will save them."
Instantly, the whole room became lively. Even Guo Chen.
Ling Tian quickly stood up. "This is crazy. Why do we save them? I understand that we are going to destroy theb and exterminate them. Save them? This is bullshit."''
The man argued, no matter how badly they were treated, homunculus were monsters. Even if they had human traits, their existence was created to kill humans. There was no guarantee that after rescuing the homunculus, they would not pose a threat to humans.
If Ling Tian met with the joint raid memberster, he would talk to Cheng Ho to discuss again the deal he had made with Lawrence.
He could not ept this n.
"I don''t agree. We shouldn''t do something like that. Saving them is a waste of time. We will only create threats in the future."
Of course, Guo Chen didn''t go against Isaac''s opinion. He would support the man no matter what. Loyalty had already been nted in his head since they first met.
"You are too closed-minded, Ling Tian. From this, we know that not all the monsters in the dungeon are dangerous. Besides, didn''t you hear about the dungeon at the border? There, they have monsters that are friendly to humans. The dwarves who make weapons and the Elf Vige. Don''t you know that?"
Ling Tian chuckled.
"Then, did you forget the tragedy? Did you forget that 800 of yourrades died there?"
Guo Chen instantly fell silent, and his head hung low. Of course, he would not forget the bitter experience in that ce. Grief and nightmares still lingered in his head.
"Never believe the things dungeons offer to us. There is only deception in this ce," Ling Tian added.
No one could refute the man''s words. Meanwhile, Wang Yi also couldn''t say anything, although she was a little touched after hearing Aman''s story.
The tent was silent for a while. Until the originator of this n spoke up.
"Then, how long are we going to continue like this?"
Ling Tian narrowed his eyes, surprised by Isaac''s words. "What do you mean?"
"How long are we going to keep fighting the monsters in the dungeons? Until when are we going to enter their territory and kill them? How long are we going to send humans to die?"
"I don''t know, but we must fight to survive."
"What kind of life? Watching parents lose their children? The child who lost his father or mother? Seeing our loved ones disappear one by one?"
"That''s the price to pay," Ling Tian replied. His words were cold. Guo Chen heard him look displeased.
Isaac sighed.
"I didn''t say we should save them to let them live; especially after what they did to us. If we want to win, we must recognize our opponent first. However, there are many things we don''t know about them. We don''t know whether our opponents are monsters or the person who created them is the monster. Or something else."
Ling Tian was silent. He couldn''t give an answer, because he also agreed with what Isaac had said.
Isaac then continued.
"If we just keep killing them indiscriminately, there''s nothing we can learn from them. Sometimes we have to look at things from a different perspective to solve problems, including this war."
The situation in the tent was silent. No one spoke at all. Everyone was contemting.
Until finally Ling Tian stood up with a frustrated look on his face.
"Damn it! I don''t really know who the leader of this party is. Fine, let''s see your n. I want to see how it turns outter."
Guo Chen immediately smiled broadly. Aman, who kept silent, also smiled. Wang Yi would follow what the result would be. She chose to be neutral, although inwardly she tended to support Isaac.
Meanwhile, the originator of this n grinned widely. The first of the dungeon infiltration missions began.
Chapter 111 Lab
In the drizzling rain, ten people were seen half running through the forest. One of them was a girl with blue hair. She walked in the front row among the men in gold and white armor.
"How far do you think we need to go?" One of the armored huntersined to his partner. His lips seemed to be wrinkled from the cold night.
"Who knows? Far enough to leave us cold in the rain," another colleague chimed in.
"What are we saving monsters for?"
"Shut up, don''tin too much. If the white-haired man hears about it, we can be reported to the leader."
The man clicked his tongue. After that, they kept their mouths shut again.
Isaac who was listening to the whispers of their conversation didn''t respond. He didn''t like them, the members of the Golden Dragon, their nature was far different from Ling Tian. He even didn''t want to take them on the homunculus ''rescue'' mission.
After a heated conflict in the camp, Ling Tian as the party leader agreed to Isaac''s n. He was willing to lend his men to join the homunculus rescue operation.
Isaac only needed eight people. At first, he only chose from the members of Nine Sky. One of them was Aditya. However, Ling Tian persuaded him to bring some people from the Golden Dragon. The man felt the need to lend his guild power as a form of responsibility and participate in this n.
Ling Tian couldn''te with them because he had to take care of his men. So did Wang Yi. Guo Chen insisted oning along, but was refused. Isaac wanted his trusted man to remain in the camp to guard against the monster attacks.
The reason he only brought troops in small numbers was so it did not attract the attention. In fact, he could actuallyplete this mission by himself. However, people would be suspicious if he was the one moving alone.
So, these eight people only served as meat shields.
After a long journey, they arrived at a cave. There were two homunculus with pale skin and white hair guarding at the front.
"We''ve reached the ce."
They hid behind the bushes, watching two human monsters wielding spears.
"Are we going to finish them off?" Aditya asked. The dark-skinned man shook slightly. His teeth trembled as he spoke.
"Yes," Isaac replied curtly. He looked back and saw the eyes of his subordinates one by one. "Which of you can kill without a sound?"
Two men raised their hands. They were both the members of the Golden Dragon.
"Good. I will distract them. You finish them off."
"Alright," they replied in unison.
The two men got up and lurked into the bushes. They hid close to the two homunculus who were on guard. The two of them hid in separate ces.
They gave Isaac a signal that they were ready. Then, Isaac threw a stone near the bushes where they were hiding. The homunculus heard it.
The two homunculus seemed to be looking at each other. It wasn''t long before one of them set out to check on the sound. Isaac threw another stone. The remaining homunculus guarding the mouth of the cave finally got curious too. The creature came to check it out.
After they showed their backs, the two hunters who were hiding quickly jumped from the bushes and killed them quickly.
St! St!
Blood spilled on the ground. The sound of the rain covered them. The monsters died without making a sound.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction after seeing them doing their job well.
''Good.''
They were grouchy and obnoxious, but at least they were useful.
Then, Isaac and the others came out of the bushes. They quickly entered the cave safely as Aman guided for the way.
Inside like a cave in general. It was dark, damp, and the sound of dripping water was heard. One of the Golden Dragon members was about to cast fire magic as a light, but Aditya quickly restrained him.
"Do not do it. Remember, we''re infiltrating the monster''s den."
They really couldn''t see anything but pitch ckness. They touched the shoulders of the man in front of them so they didn''t get separated. In a way, they depended entirely on Aman.
Inside their minds, they were wondering what homunculus''s sensory abilities were like.
"Hey, did you guys see it?"
"Yes, I see it."
After going deep enough down the passage, they saw a glimmer of green light in the darkness. The hunters quickened their footsteps. They couldn''t stand being blind.
After they arrived at the light source, their eyes opened wide. They couldn''t believe the sight they saw.
Water tubes with body parts and organs in it lined up neatly. The green light from the tube glowed brightly. The sound of bubbles rang out along with a buzzing sound. It was as if they had entered the zombieb they used to see in the horror films.
"Hey, stay focused."
Isaac''s rebuke snapped them from their fantasy world.
"I need three people toe with me."
"I aming along."
Aditya was the first to propose himself. Of course, Isaac included Adit. He was the first person that came to his mind.
Then, the two members of Nine Sky also proposed themselves.
"The rest stay here. Don''t touch anything. Do not do anything that could trigger any rms or traps. You understand?"
"We understand."
Only one person responded. The rest seemed still transfixed by the sight they saw.
Isaac and the selected members walked into the passageway of theb. Aditya walked while looking around. It was difficult for him to ignore the rows of human organs and limbs.
Their footsteps stopped when they arrived at a room with the homunculus asleep in the capsule. Iron hoses stuck in their bodies. Aditya and two other members were shocked to see it. The things that surprised them even more was that they were of the same age as Aman.
Instantly, the feelings of pity overflowed their hearts.
"What kind of creature would do this to children?" Aditya muttered. He really felt hurt after seeing them.
The other members were the same. Their view of Aman began to change.
Isaac nced at the expressions on all of their faces. He wondered what would happen if they found out that Ling Tian wanted to kill all of these homunculus. Would they still be the same?
It was enough to make Isaac curious. Because in his dictionary, the Demon Lord never felt pity for their opponents.
Pity was a weakness of the heart that would one day lead to regret.
"Now, let''s release them," Isaac ordered.
His men were surprised to hear that.
"Is it okay if we release them?" asked Adit with a worried face.
Isaac nodded. "It''s fine. They can survive. Besides, it''s your job right now."
Adit swallowed his saliva with difficulty, quite surprised at the responsibility he had just received. He was used to dealing with the lives of adults, but not with children. This was enough to pressure him.
Then, they moved and released a homunculus from the tube. Aman gave them instructions on how to remove the hoses attached to the body. Aditya quickly cast healing magic to heal him.
After receiving the treatment, the homunculus opened his eyes. He really was like innocent children.
Isaac was the first to invite him. He stroked his head with a smile.
''Good now. I am your master.''
This was what Isaac aimed for from the start, stealing Earl Xenovia''s homunculus.
Every monster had immoderate obedience and loyalty to its master. That applied to dungeon monsters purchased at the shop, but the homunculus was different. They were not sold from the shop. To make them obedient, a bond was needed first.
They were like newly hatched chicks. The first creature they saw would be their mother. Isaac tried to take advantage of this situation to build a rtionship with the newly awakened homunculus into the world.
From now onwards, they would consider Isaac as the master.
"Alright. From now on, you are safe. No need to worry anymore. Understand?" Isaac said gently.
The homunculus children nodded obediently. They were really innocent.
After that, they started releasing the other homunculus one by one from the tube. Aditya treated them at high speed, making the extraction process go faster.
In less than thirty minutes, about thirty homunculus hade out.
"Finally, we managed to get them all out."
Aditya smiled widely while wiping the sweat off his forehead. A look of relief was evident on his face. So was with the others.
Isaac smiled too. The mission was a sess.
"Now it''s time for us to return."
Aditya raised his eyebrows.
He was about to ask Isaac if the homunculus children were able to walk out, considering that they had just woken up from their long slumber. Moreover, they had no footwear to walk in the middle of the forest.
Unfortunately, he didn''t have time to say the question, because a scream echoed in theb.
Chapter 112 Heads
"What sound is that?"
"It''s definitely a monster. Is there anything else in the dungeon?"
Aditya was getting pale. It wasn''t because they were afraid to face whatever they were going to fight, but from watching the homunculus children who put on innocent faces. They really didn''t understand the current situation.
This worried Aditya, as well as the other two hunters. Only Isaac still looked normal.
"What should we do, Instructor Isaac?" Aditya asked in a low tone.
"Of course, we''ll face those things."
"What about them?" Aditya nced at the homunculus children. "Should we take them? It''s too dangerous to take children to face the monsters."
"Our only way out is that way. Do we have any other options?"
Aditya couldn''t believe hearing this. Even more so after seeing that there was no doubt on Isaac''s face.
"What if they get impacted by the fight? This rescue will be in vain."
"Right," said another member. "We don''t know how powerful the monsters at the front are."
Isaac sighed. "I didn''t say I would engage them in battle. One of you will look after the children; hide during the fight and sneak out immediately if you get a chance."
After hearing Isaac''s exnation, they looked relieved.
This situation was enough to make Isaac wonder. A few hours ago, they were quite disturbed by the existence of Aman, who was a homunculus. Now they were panicking for fear that these homunculus children would get hurt.
No matter how long Isaac had known humans, there were still many things he didn''t understand about them.
"You guys panicked so much that you couldn''t think straight. Try to stay calm in every situation."
They nodded simultaneously.
"Aditya will take care of the children. The reste with me to fight."
After that, they all quickly moved.
Every step closer to the source of the sound, a feeling of dread welled up in the hunters'' chests. The tension was getting more and more visible on their faces, especially Aditya.
They arrived at the mainb hallway.
A monster with three beast heads was seen ughtering five members of the Golden Dragon. The creature had the head of a lion and a goat. Its tail was in the form of a snake''s head, while its body had scales like a crocodile. It had a pair of wings spreading about three meters long like an eagle.
One of the hunters who faced the monster was seen kneeling in terror. His face darkened in sorrow after witnessing his threerades being chewed alive by the monster lion''s head. Meanwhile, one of the remainingrades tried to escape from the ce, but the snake''s head quickly devoured half of his body.
The hunters by Isaac''s side had pale faces. The five members of the Golden Dragon were A-rank hunters. They had high experience andbat hours. At least three of them were enough to deal with the Alpha.
Of course, this gave immense terror to hunters with ranks below them.
"Ins¡ Instructor Isaac¡ shall we stick to the n?" Aditya asked in a trembling voice. He couldn''t hide his fear.
"Yes."
It was a short and clear answer. There was no tinge of doubt or fear. Aditya nced at Isaac. The man looked grinning.
What was this man thinking?
Those were the words spoken in Aditya''s mind now. The others also thought the same thing.
There were only two people who would smile when they saw death in front of them. Crazy people or people who had ever felt the death itself.
Without a word, Isaac suddenly shot towards the monster. There was no hesitation in his eyes at all.
The monster noticed Isaac''s presence. The lion''s head quickly roared, vibrating the air and the surrounding objects. A Golden Dragon hunter who was close to the monster died instantly after his ears and eyes bled.
Aditya and two other hunters were also affected. One of Aditya''s ears became deaf and bleeding. However, he ignored it and preferred to hug the homunculus children. Those homunculus looked scared.
"Nice roar."
Meanwhile, Isaac looked fine. He managed to get close to the monster, then shed it without the slightest hesitation. He swung his sword many times.
sh! sh! sh!
He was about to cut off the goat''s head, but the monster quickly covered itself.
St!
Blood sttered on the floor. His sh only managed to injure the wings. However, the wound quickly closed within seconds.
Isaac narrowed his eyes.
Then, the snake''s head quickly aimed for Isaac. He quickly dodged it. However, the monster didn''t let him go. It ran after Isaac. The lion''s head of the monster looked furious.
GGRAAAAAWRRRRR!
Sash! Sash! Sharp ws repeatedly aimed at Isaac''s neck, but none of them managed to touch him.
The snake head was also aiming for Isaac''s life. It pounced on him quickly.
Isaac certainly didn''t stand still. Every time the opportunity was wide open, heunched an attack. And every attack thatnded on the monsters managed to inflict a wound, but it healed quickly.
On the other hand, the Nine Sky members who watched Isaac''s struggle to fight the monster were seen biting their lips. They were still inplete shock after seeing how the five rank A of the Golden Dragon members were wiped out so easily.
Just as they felt anxious and confused whether they should help or not, Aman unexpectedly jumped into battle.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Aditya eximed.
The little blue-haired girl didn''t care. Her attention was only on the front; on a monster that seeked to harm her master.
The monster knew of Aman''s arrival but wasn''t prepared to ept her attack. The little girl punched the lion''s head until it sank to the floor.
BAM!
The hunters who watched were astonished. Aman''s power was beyond their imagination.
"Woh!?"
That brief incident was enough to embarrass them. A little girl without a doubt jumped into death, while they could only stand and did nothing. Their pride as hunters was tarnished.
At the same time, their fighting instincts rose.
"Adit, we will stick to the n. We will try to divert them. You bring these homunculus children out."
Aditya turned to his two colleagues. He looked at them with a serious look.
"Yes, do your best," Aditya replied.
"You too. Make sure they get to the camp safely."
"Be careful, Adit," said another colleague.
Aditya nodded. After that, he and the homunculus children quickly slipped out.
Meanwhile, the other two members of Nine Sky quickly joined the battle.
"Finally, you guys came. I''ve been waiting a long time," said Isaac.
"Sorry, I amte. We''re a bit of a coward. It takes time to prepare ourselves," one of them replied.
Isaac sighed. At least his men were telling the truth and not making excuses. So, he wouldn''t be so mad at them.
"Then, I hope you guys have prepared yourself."
The monster rose. The wounds that adorned the lion''s head slowly closed; recovered by itself. Its eyes looked fiery. A new battle would begin.
Chapter 113 Chimera
Out of every monster that Isaac had seen since the game started, there was one that still left a deep impression on his head. A monster that was quite troublesome for him and Gavin. No matter how much weapons or magic hurt it, the monster would not die.
The scratches healed. Its missing body parts would grow in seconds. The monster continued to regenerate its body until it recoveredpletely.
The monster was a Chimera.
There was only one Dungeon Master who had it. It was Earl Xenovia.
Isaac remembered, in the third year, there was a dungeon break in Tianjin. Earl Xenovia unleashed various experimental monsters; they all had strange shapes and abilities. Of course, the hunters had difficulty fighting them.
Out of the many monsters, the most hideous monster was the Chimera. The Chimera was truly unstoppable. Millions of lives died because of this creature. Even more so when it was out in the open space; the monster could fly freely to escape the pursuit troops. The hunters had a hard time dealing with the monsters that could fly. As a result, the Chimera continued to live and roam freely.
That monster was a disaster for mankind. It couldn''t be killed, and its presence would kill thousands of civilians.
And now, Isaac faced it.
[Name: N/A]
[Race: N/A]
[Type: Boss]
[ss: A]
[Level: 60]
However, there was no worry at all on his face.
''Finally, we can meet.''
After Isaac nted the Seed of Mind on Aman in the cave; the little girl told him everything.
Aman and Lawrence were assigned to deceive the humans. They were made to sell sad story. It was about how Aman was exploited to be the boss on the 2nd Floor.
Then, the humans who believed in the story would be led by Lawrence into theb on the 3rd Floor to be ughtered. They would be used as materials for making the homunculus.
Meanwhile, the real boss was the Chimera. The creature was assigned to guard theb on the 2nd Floor from being entered by anyone.
Isaac was really excited after seeing it. There was something he wanted from that mixed monster. He couldn''t even stop grinning.
A different sight was shown to his two human minions.
They looked surprised when they found the wound on the lion Chimera''s head slowly healing. This was their first experience.
"As you can see, the monsters we fought were quite troublesome. It will continue to heal no matter how much we hurt it. However, we can still finish it off."
Two of his men nodded. They believed Isaac''s words.
"What is your name?" Isaac asked.
"Xiao."
"Fang Ge"
"Okay, Xiao and Fang Ge. From now on, follow my instructions. The first thing you need to do is cover your ears."
They didn''t understand the reason Isaac ordered it. Each of them was so stupid. However, they still covered their ears.
GRAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!
The Chimera lion''s head roared. Its voice still pierced through their heads even though they had covered their ears. At the very least, the damage they received was minimal.
Then, the Chimera lunged at them.
"Aman! Catch the snake head!"
The homunculus girl quickly jumped behind the Chimera. Then, she caught the snake''s head and pulled it away. The Chimera was stuck, and it was unable to reach Isaac.
Then, it turned to attack Aman instead.
"Fang Ge! sh its hind legs!
"Alright!"
The man ran and slid under the Chimera''s body.''s Then, he shed its hind legs.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
However, the Chimera''s legs were too strong. Fang Ge failed to cut off the legs, but at least he managed to cut the muscle, causing the Chimera to limp for a moment.
Fang Ge quickly rolled over as the lion''s head tried to eat him.
Its attention was distracted, and its movement was limited. Of course, Isaac would take advantage of this opportunity. He ordered Xiao to catch one of the monster''s wings. He then jumped onto the chimera who was busy with Fang Ge. There was no hesitation in his eyes.
"Hyaa!"
sh! St!
The same thing happened to its wings. Xiao''s sword was unable to cut the Chimera''s body parts. Even the sword just stuck to the wing.
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
Xiao tried to pull it off, but his sword was still stuck. The Chimera went on a rampage. It quickly pped its wings and flew in the air.
Aman was being pulled by the chimera. As a result, she was tossed around in the air while Xiao was thrown away.
Wosssh!
"Aaarrrggj!"
The man flew and hit the tube. The sound of ss breaking echoed and liquid flooded the floor. The fishy smell then wafted through the air.
Fang Ge, who saw hisrade being thrown away, screamed his lungs out, calling out to Xiao. However, he was wrong to worry about his partner. The Chimera quicklynded and pounced on him instead.
Sat! Kuaak!
His chest was torn into two pieces. Blood soaked the floor as screams echoed through the air.
GRAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRR!
The Chimera roared in front of Fang Ge''s face after it devoured the man.
CREAK! CRACK!
A crushing sound was heard inside the Chimera''s mouth.
At that moment, Aman jumped to grab one of the Chimera''s wings and broke it into two pieces.
"Now!" Aman eximed loudly.
Out of nowhere, Isaac suddenly appeared on top of the Chimera''s back, then he beheaded the goat.
sh! St!
The red liquid was spurting like a fountain. The goat''s head rolled across the floor. The other head then roared again, deafening the ears. Its voice vibrated the air.
However, Isaac wasn''t done yet.
He then returned to stab the creature repeatedly. Fresh blood spurted out along with the sound of an animal in pain. The wounds on the Chimera''s body could not be healed. The savage and monstrous creature writhed on the floor like a worm.
"HYAAA!"
St! St! St!
Isaac kept stabbing it non-stop. Until finally the Chimera did not move again. Only then did he stop. At the same time, his sword broke into two pieces.
To defeat the Chimera, the goat''s head must be killed first.
That part of the body was the strength point as well as the weakness of the Chimera. The head of the goat that made the Chimera could heal continuously and had extraordinary physical endurance.
"It could have been faster if I didn''t use the ''Mortal Ring''¡"
His eyes shifted to the two men who were helping him. They were already in a lifeless state. One died withrge shards stuck in his body. The other one died and was torn into two pieces.
A long sigh escaped Isaac''s mouth.
From the start, they functioned as sacrificial pawns.
Fang Ge and Xiao were at level 40. They had no chance to finish off the Chimera. They served as a distraction, so Isaac could behead the goat.
The Chimera had a tendency to protect its weak points. The snake''s head would continue to interfere, and the wings would be used as a barrier. Those things made Isaac have a hard time, especially with his half status.
So he needed someone to keep the Chimera busy. And it was those two poor men.
"Fang Ge and Xiao. I will never forget your sacrifice. Thanks to you, I achieved my goal."
Isaac then picked up the pieces of his sword. He turned the Chimera''s body over, then split open its stomach. All internal organs were removed.
Then, a smile appeared on his face after finding the thing he was looking for.
"The Heart of Chimera. The perfect part for my n."
Chapter 114 Dying
Aditya and the homunculus children run through the forest. The rain did not stop, and the wind continued to hit their faces. The air was so cold that it made their lips tremble. The children kept running even though they were barefoot.
Even with this condition, they did notin at all.
Aditya looked back from time to time. In his mind, he hoped hisrades would follow soon. He was sure they could all survive. Even if the monsters they fought were impossible to defeat, at least they were able to save themselves.
Besides, Isaac was with them. After seeing the man make decisions and solve problems during this raid, Aditya thought that the instructor was reliable.
"All of you must survive!"
Now, he focused on evacuating these homunculus children to the camp safely.
However, their journey was certainly not as easy as they expected.
One of the homunculus children slipped. He fell andnded in a puddle. When he got up, his face was covered with mud.
Aditya stopped and quickly helped the child. The other children also stopped.
"Hey, are you okay?" He cleaned the child''s face. "Could you still keep running?"
The child nodded. Aditya smiled seeing his response.
"Good, let''s get back to moving. It''s not safe here."
And what he said came true. Suddenly, the bushes around them moved strangely.
He spontaneously carried the child in a hurry.
"Hurry! Hurry! Ran faster!"
The homunculus children obeyed. They ran fast. Aditya kept telling them to run faster. The man looked tense. Even the veins on his face tightened as his heart beat like a drum.
"Keep running! Don''t look back!"
Even though Aditya said so, he still looked back. His eyes opened wide when he saw a horde of giant monsters resembling humans ran after them.
Their skin was pale green. Sharp fangs dangled from the lower mrs. Their long, ck hair which was wet because of the rain, moving relentlessly. They red at Aditya and the homunculus kids with nk white eyes. The ferocity was evident on their faces. They roared while brandishing their weapons in the air.
"Ogre!!"
Aditya cursed in a desperate tone. Meanwhile, the ogres chased them with murderous intent.
He screamed, telling the homunculus to run faster. However, the distance between them and the horde of ogres kept shrinking.
The ogres hadrge bodies, their feet were wider, and their muscles were able to run fast.
Of course, Aditya was aware of this. It was just a matter of seconds for the monsters to catch up with them.
He ran while biting his lower lip anxiously.
"Damn it!"
Then, he stopped. Aditya turned around. His determination was clearly etched on his face. It mixed with fear that harboured in his heart.
One had to make sacrifices to keep the other safe.
"Do not stop! Keep running!" eximed the Indian man loudly.
Yet, the homunculus children still stopped despite being told so. The confused looks appeared on their faces. Even if they ran, they didn''t know where to go. From the start, they had no purpose, just going with the flow. They really were like thembs who lost their way.
"Run!"
After being scolded a second time, they finally ran aimlessly.
Aditya smiled in relief, but it didn''tst long.
The horde of the ogres was only five meters away from him. The man gripped his staff tightly and ran over towards the monsters.
"Haaaaa!!!"
He screamed until all the air in his lungs came out. Aditya mustered all his remaining determination and courage to attack the ogres.
GRAAAWWWRR
The ogres roared. Then, there was the sound of bones breaking.
BAM!
A hard clubnded in the man''s face. His body was thrown 10 meters away and hit on the ground. Blood was seeping. It rushed down profusely, staining his face with dirty brown mud. He couldn''t feel half of his face. His consciousness was also floating.
However, Aditya was back on his feet. He must not lose consciousness. Not yet, he was not dead yet. He needed to buy time so the homunculus children could save themselves.
His hand gave off a green glow. He cast a healing spell, then treated the wound on his face. Not long after, the wound closed and he could feel half of his face again.
The ogres who witnessed that roared in rage.
"I can do this all day. Heheh¡"
Then, Aditya attacked them again with the staff in his hands. He threw himself into death once more. The ogres certainly didn''t just wait.
"Haaa!!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
St! Crack!
The club kept hitting Aditya. His bones and skull screamed repeatedly. His skin was bruised and torn apart, releasing the flesh encased in it. The blood didn''t stop flowing like a waterfall.
The man fell down; he was badly hit. The pain crept through every part of his body. Slowly, the pain turned numb.
Even so, he still persisted. He cast recovery magic on himself once again. He didn''t mean to survive, but he just wanted tost a little longer.
If his sacrifice was able to save thirty innocent children, he wouldn''t mind feeling the pain a little longer.
On the other hand, the ogres mercilessly continued to hit the poor man in turn. They didn''t care about the homunculus children. They just wanted the human to die.
GRAAAAWWWRR
The roar echoed in the drizzling rain. The club continued to crush Aditya''s body. His breath began to hitch. His heartbeat was weak. He couldn''t even move his fingertips.
At that critical moment, the ogres stopped beating him. They looked up in the air and nced at their surroundings.
They sensed the presence of another being.
A man walked up to them. His white hair was wet and raindrops trickled down his face. He had a t expression and a cold stare. In his hand, he held a sword.
The ogres quickly roared. Threats spread through the air and the sound of gurgling rain. They didn''t like having someone interrupt their fun.
GRAAAAWWWRRR
The ogres charged at him all together. Yet, the man continued to walk leisurely toward them. There was no sign of fear at all on his face.
He smirked as the dozens of ogres arrived before him.
"Give it your best."
Swooss! Swooo! Soosh!
The clubs swung rapidly until the air was cut off. The ogres attacked the white-haired man repeatedly, but none of the attacksnded on his body.
He dodged every attack calmly, as if he was dancing in the drizzling rain. He wasn''t touched. Not even a scratch on his skin could be seen.
The ogres attack the man blindly. They surrounded him and tried to attack from all directions. But still, the result was zero.
"I think that''s enough. Now, I will finish you off."
sh! St!
He swung his sword. With a single sh, the three ogres split into three parts. Blood spurted in all directions. The puddles began to turn red.
The ogres screamed in anger as they watched theirrades die. They went berserk and started attacking him indiscriminately.
However, the thing that happenedter was the opposite.
The man ughtered the ogres instead. The sword sliced ??through the flesh and cut the bones of the ogres. He killed them all like it was nothing.
On the other hand, the hysterical ogres were full of madness. One by one, they turned into pieces of meat. They could only watch theirrades die and wait for their next turn.
The terrible monsters turned into cattle ready to be ughtered.
sh! St!
"Keeeeeik!"
Thud!
Onest ogre fell. The group of ogres was exterminated in just seconds.
After eliminating them all, the man still looked calm. There was no sweat on his body. It was as if he had just finished off a pest.
Then, his attention turned to Aditya.
He walked up to Aditya. His eyes zed over at the poor man''s condition, lying in the middle of a puddle of mud in a battered condition. The man''s condition was like a lump of meat. He barely had any shape.
"I¡ Inst¡ instructor¡ Isaac."
Aditya tried to call out the name of his savior. His voice was hoarse and weak.
Meanwhile, Isaac just stood and looked at the man. His eyes were cold.
Aditya, with all his strength left, grabbed Isaac''s leg. He held the man''s pants weakly.
"P¡ please¡"
Isaac stood still with his expressionless face.
"Please¡ please save¡ the children¡"
Then, Aditya''s hands drooped and fell to the ground. After that, he didn''t move anymore.
Isaac opened his eyes wide. He covered his face, then he smiled broadly. It wasn''t long before he chuckled amusedly. He was trying to hold back hisughter half to death, yet it still slipped out of his mouth.
Chapter 115 Swamp
"Interesting. This is really interesting. I haven''t seen a creature like you in a long time."
Isaac essed his inventory and took out a bottle with a golden blue liquid. Then, he poured it into Aditya''s mouth.
Slowly, the wounds healed, and the bruises were gone. His body returned as if he had never been injured.
Isaac gave Aditya an elixir.
He thought that man would ask for his help, but who would have thought he would have preferred the homunculus children to be saved first? He was more worried about others than himself.
Aditya''s actions were enough to impress him.
He might not have saved Aditya if the man begged to be saved.
"Lord, I''ve managed to secure them."
Aman appeared along with the other homunculus children. They were in fine condition. It was just a sad look etched on their faces.
Naturally, the homunculus children approached Aditya who was lying on a puddle of mud. They held the man gently.
Even though they were clueless, it was quite easy for them to understand Aditya''s sacrifice.
"The man is fine. You better get ready to go. Staying here any longer is not safe," Isaac said.
The homunculus children nodded innocently.
After that, Isaac lifted the man onto his back. They couldn''t stay still for long. They had to return to the camp right away.
.
.
.
"Brother!"
Guo Chen was really surprised to see Isaac holding the unconscious Aditya. What''s more, he was seen together with the homunculus children. The man quickly ran to Isaac and helped lift Aditya.
The people in the camp also became noisy.
"Take him to the treatment tent."
"Okay, brother." Guo Chen then asked the other members to help carry Aditya.
Then, Wang Yi and Ling Tian appeared. The first thing Wang Yi did was to ask about Isaac''s condition. As for Ling Tian, his eyes seemed to be searching for something.
Their number was less than when he sent his men. The five talented hunters couldn''t be seen.
"Where are the others?"
Isaac shook his head. That response was enough to make Ling Tian understand.
Ling Tian''s attention then turned to the homunculus children. They looked drenched and their lips had turned blue. Some of them seemed to be shivering.
The Party Leader quickly ordered his men to take the children to the tent, but Wang Yi proposed herself to take care of them instead.
"After saving them, then what? There''s no way we''re going to let the childrene with us. You still remember our goal, right?"
Ling Tian said it without beating around the bush.
Isaac snorted. "I will speak to Wang Yi; persuade her to take them back. Half of the Nine Sky members might as well go. Then, the rest stay with us, continuing the search for the missing joint raid members."
Ling Tian nodded. "But, are you sure you can persuade her?"
"We will seeter."
Then, Ling Tian was silent.
He felt as if Isaac controlled the Nine Sky members rather than the vice chairman. Besides, every decision made by the man seemed to have been thought out thoroughly beforehand.
Ling Tian didn''t understand whether Isaac nned this rescue from the start or purely based on their current situation.
Surely, in his eyes, Isaac seemed to be able to see through everything.
There were many questions andints he wanted to convey. However, nothing coulde out of his mouth. Every time he tried to understand Isaac, more puzzle pieces appeared, making all of his questions stuck in his throat.
"You should rest, Brother Isaac. You had a tiring night."
Ling Tian patted the man''s shoulder. After that, he left the ce, while Isaac could only sigh.
''Brother? It seems he knows how not to look for enemies.''
Isaac shook his head for a moment, then headed for the tent. He needed to rest for tomorrow''s journey.
.
.
.
Rays of light began to prate the forest and hit the camp. The party members were seen rolling up the tents. They prepared to continue their journey.
However, now the party was split into two groups.
Wang Yi took half of her members to bring the homunculus children down to the 1st Floor. She followed Isaac''s orders to secure them to the outside world. Aman didn''te with her, as the little girl would be the guide on the 3rd Floor.
Meanwhile, the other half continued to search for the raid members who were rumored to be missing, along with the Golden Dragon. Isaac was appointed by Wang Yi to represent the members of Nine Sky.
"All right, Brother Isaac. I trust them to you. Be careful."
"You too."
After a brief farewell, they quickly resumed their respective journeys.
The group led by Ling Tian moved towards the north. Aman showed a safe route that was rarely traveled by albino homunculus and other monsters. So that along the way, they were almost not attacked by monsters at all. Only a few goblins were trying to rob them, and of course they were nothing.
Their exploration of the 2nd Floor stopped after finding a teleportation gate that stood in the middle of a dense forest.
"After passing through this teleportation gate, we will face different monsters. Nothing stopped us so far, but don''t underestimate them no matter what."
Ling Tian gave a short speech before leaving for the 3rd Floor. Then, their group entered the gate.
.
.
.
It was a swamp.
That was a short description to describe the 3rd Floor. As far as the eye could see, they didn''t see the ground once. The murky green water pooled as high as the calves. Besides the water, they saw giant sized trees towering up. The leaves were orange like in autumn and had giant roots.
Out of the many terrains they had traveled, the swamp was thest option on their list. Swamp water and soft mud hindered their movements. Pisces type monsters were quite dangerous because they would hide under the murky water. They were patient enough to wait for prey toe close. Moreover, it would be difficult for hunters to find a ce to sleep because swampy terrain rarely contained drynd.
However, this did not stop them.
Ling Tian along with his party members moved following the directions of Aman. Thanks to the little girl, the journey became easy once again. They avoided vulnerable areas. They even found drynd to take a rest.
And unexpectedly, for only two hours of their journey on the 3rd Floor, they already found tents with white armor people guarding outside.
Guo Chen, who recognized them right away, eximed excitedly, "We found them!"
Chapter 116 Swamp (2)
They managed to find the joint raid troops'' camp.
However, their condition looked pitiful. Their faces were dreary, and their bodies were full of wounds. The white bandages that wrapped around their bodies still oozed blood. There wasn''t a single healer in sight. They really looked like war victims.
The smile on Guo Chen''s face vanished as soon as he saw their conditions. Moreover, many of them were the members of Nine Sky.
"What is this?" The man''s voice sounded bitter.
The attention of those people then turned to the troop of the golden-armored and white-robed troops. They seemed surprised by the appearance of Ling Tian and the others.
"Their raid didn''t go smoothly," Ling Tian whispered. The man stood beside Isaac.
Isaac did not give anyment. He had already guessed the oue of the raid.
A man with a battered condition came out of the tent. He was like the other members in this camp. The man''s body was wrapped in bandages. One of his legs appeared to be limping. He walked while being assisted with a wooden cane. Even in such a poor condition, his gaze still looked arrogant.
Guo Chen quickly changed his attitude. Meanwhile Ling Tian puffed out his chest proudly, trying to show his authority.
The two people''s reaction caught Isaac''s attention.
''Don''t tell me¡ he''s a Six Star.''
The crippled man stood before them. He just looked at Ling Tian and ignored the rest.
"If the Golden Dragon Guild Master came here to look for us, our condition must be really bad. It''s really a shame," he said.
"There''s nothing embarrassing about going into a dungeon. Anything can happen, He Dong."
The man called He Dong only nodded his head. His attention was briefly drawn to the figure of the little blue-haired girl beside them. He looked at her for a long moment, then snorted.
Ling Tian immediately understood something was going on between them. He nced at Isaac, trying to figure out if the man had noticed it or not. Isaac just put on a t expression on his face.
"You guys alwaysete. Thinking of being a hero, huh?" He Dong clicked his tounge. "Let''s get inside. We have much to discuss."
Ling Tian tried to keep the smile on his face longer. He then ordered his men to rest. Then, he and Isaac entered the tent.
He Dong put on a scornful face.
"Who is this person?" He pointed at Isaac without looking at the man. His eyes fell on Ling Tian instead.
"He''s Isaac Constantine. The representative of the Nine Sky guild. I invited them to look for you."
He Dong nced at Isaac, looking him up and down. He turned his face away and walked back to his tent.
After they were inside, He Dong quickly sat on the seat. The injuries on his body made him look like an old man who was tired from working all day, even though he was only in his thirties.
Isaac looked at him with a disappointed face.
[Name: He Dong]
[Race: Human]
[Type: N/A]
[ss: C]
[Level: 55]
''For someone who is considered a Six Star. Even got the nickname One Man Army, he is only to this extent. It looks like I have to visit the Hunter Association next time. I wonder how they determine the rank of each hunter.''
With a ss limited to C, He Dong''s potential was very limited. In the human world, Isaac saw many hunters who had higher potential than the man who was the pride of the Crimson Dawn guild.
In a way, He Dong was not much different from the average hunter. He just leveling faster than other hunters indeed, making him seem even stronger.
Ling Tian was the first to open the conversation.
"I came here with Golden Dragon and Nine Sky to look for the joint raid. We are asked by the government to check your tracks. Honestly, I don''t know if finding you guys is good or bad news."
He said in a concerned tone, while He Dong only snorted.
"You think the camp filled with injured and disabled people can still be called good news?" He Dong chuckled.
Ling Tian was silent for a moment. He felt guilty.
"You can still be arrogant in such a condition. I think that''s good news."
Isaac said calmly. Of course, his words offended the man who became the pride of Crimson Dawn. He Dong raised one eyebrow and looked at Isaac with an irritated look.
Meanwhile, Ling Tian hissed. He tried to restrain himself from uttering insulting words, but Isaac broke them in seconds.
"For that bitch''s underling, you''re so brave, huh?" He Dong said in a low and intimidating tone.
"For a battered person struggling to walk, you are quite arrogant. "
"You¡ªkeeuuugh!"
He Dong wanted to get up and grab Isaac by the cor, but the wound in his stomach opened up again. Whether he liked it or not, he had to give it up for now.
Ling Tian quickly spread his arms in front of Isaac''s chest. "Please, Brother Isaac. He''s probably been through a lot."
He tried to signal Isaac to watch his word. Ling Tian wanted to avoid causing any trouble. However, Isaac didn''t care about such a thing.
"Look at your condition. You''re like a dying dog waiting to die. You already know the reason we came here. So, stop this bullshit and tell me what has happened. Stop wasting our precious time."
He Dong''s face looked bright red. Blood pooled on his face due to anger. After being part of the Six Stars for so long, he was finally being humiliated again for the first time.
He wanted to burn Isaac right here and right now. However, with his current conditions, it was impossible. Moreover, Ling Tian was by the man''s side. There was no way the man would stay silent.
In the end, he had to give in.
He Dong clicked his tongue. "You have enough guts. I think Nine Sky''s people are just cowards."
The man still did not want to end up being humiliated. On the other hand, Isaac was silent.
He could actually shut the man''s mouth and make him get even angrier, but he didn''t have time for that. Isaac wanted to finish his business in this ce quickly and leave right away.
Ling Tian cleared his throat, trying to break the sour mood.
"If you''re still here, then the others are still alive. So, where are the others?"
He Dong''s face quickly darkened. He looked away and hissed for a moment. Then, he looked at Ling Tian with an annoyed look mixed with sorrow.
"Maybe they''re all dead."
Chapter 117 Mangroves
Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. He quickly denied it.
"Don''t y around. If they were dead, there''s no way you''d still stay here."
He Dong only sighed. There was doubt in his eyes. Something bothering him, but it was difficult to express.
That was what Isaac saw on the man''s face.
"Don''t tell me you ran for your life when others were fighting."
Isaac provoked him on purpose. It was enough to make the limping man go anger for the second time. He Dong mmed the table.
"Who do you think I am!? I''m He Dong, I''ve never run away from battle in my life. If you don''t know anything, you''d better shut your mouth."
A long sigh escaped Ling Tian''s mouth. He hissed, trying to hold his temper as Isaac continued to pissing He Dong.
On the other hand, Isaac did not care about the opinions of the two people around him. He only cared about what happened to the party members. He was quite curious about the monster that left them in such a chaotic state.
"Of course, I''m sure someone like you wouldn''t abandon his partner. You don''t need to be angry,"forted Ling Tian.
He Dong finally leaned back. He let out a long sigh. His emotions subsided.
Although Isaac did not see it that way.
Then, He Dong began to tell him everything.
After their group entered the 3rd Floor, they quickly explored it without wasting any time. Lawrence guided them well. Thanks to the old man, they discovered many Power Crystal mines and dry path routes. So they rarely fought in the swamp.
Everything went smoothly for the first three days. Until they finally arrived at a mangrove forest.
There were no big trees like the areas they had visited before. Only mangrove nts as high as three meters and salt water. ording to Lawrance, the mangrove forest was the location of theb.
Wang Mei, the Nine Sky Guild Leader, suggested not to enter immediately, because the difference in environmental conditions. She said, if there was an area with a special environment, there were usually powerful monsters inhabiting it.
However, Cheng Ho rejected her opinion.
As long as they explored Floor 3, they didn''t had much trouble. Cheng Ho fully trusted the old man homunculus. Moreover, they got a lot of Power Crystals after bringing Lawrance along with them.
Just like on Floor 2, there was a brief debate between Wang Mei and Cheng Ho. As Lawrance proved to be beneficial in helping the party, Wang Mei once again lost the debate. The woman could only obey.
"Then what about you, He Dong? Didn''t you do anything?"
Ling Tian interrupted in the middle of the story. He Dong had a sour look on his face.
"Honestly, I agree more with that bitch. It''s hard to believe in monsters, but Cheng Ho seems to rely on him a lot. Besides, the other members also agree with Cheng Ho."
Ling Tian nodded, understanding the situation. Isaac, on the other hand, didn''t seem to. He only agreed with He Dong on the part of not trusting dungeon monsters. Trusting them was tantamount to suicide.
The possibility of monsters betrayed their masters was zero. The hunters needed special skills to make the monsters side with them. For example, like Isaac''s ''Seed of Mind'' skill or some kind of taming skill.
"That man''s decision led us all to hell"
He Dong continued his story.
They finally entered the mangrove forest. At first nothing happened. Everything went smoothly. They could still deal with monsters; such as frogman, giant eels, crab monsters, and other pisces-type monsters. Of the many monsters they faced, only the triton was quite troublesome for them.
Tritons were the only pisces-type monsters that were close to human form. They had a simr body structure; they had arms and legs. Walk and act like humans. However, their bodies had fish parts; like scales and fins on their head. Tritons had lungs and gills, allowing them to live in two realms.
However, tritons were quite weak when living onnd. Theirbat power would be drastically reduced. On the other hand, in the water or ocean, they were like ogres living in the sea.
Throughout the exploration of the mangrove forest, they werepletely confident. Especially Cheng Ho. That man felt he had the upper hand. He kept instructing his men to attack aggressively. The group of members also felt invincible.
Of course, it did notst long. Their self-confidence led to disaster.
Lawrance led them to a strait that separated two mangrove forests. At first nce, the strait looked like a river. The old homunculus said that this route was the fastest way into the Lab, but he also warned that hecked information about the ce. He advised Cheng Ho to consider if he wanted to cross it.
However, having gone through dozens of battles before, there was no monster that they couldn''t defeat. Cheng Ho was confident enough to be able to face the obstacles on the strait. He decided to cross it.
At that moment, Wang Mei told He Dong that she had a bad feeling.
"I ignored her word. During the whole trip, her opinions were always wrong. I thought she was just paranoid or trying to justify me. I didn''t take her seriously. But I regret it."
He Dong looked gloomy. The shadow of a nightmare could be seen on his face.
The man then resumed his story.
The more they walked to the center of the strait, the depth of the water increased. Only a quarter of the way, the water level was approaching their navel. Wang Mei suggested turning back, but Cheng Ho disagreed. They had already entered the strait.
They continued crossing. By the middle of the strait, the water level reached the neck of an adult. The party members began to worried. They were no longer walking in shallow water.
"Then, everything just happened."
Suddenly, one of the Phoenix Armada members screamed. Then one by one, their members drowned. The other party members quickly panicked. They couldn''t see anything because of the murky brown water.
Until finally, a red color surfaced. Instantly Cheng Ho eximed, ordering his men to retreat.
Unfortunately, his decision came toote.
A five-meter-tall giant crocodile monster stood in their midst. It stood on two legs like a human. Then other crocodiles with simr forms also came to the surface. Only their bodies were smaller, about the size of an adult man.
Within seconds the murky water was stained with the color of blood. Screams and ripples echoed through the air. Pieces of hands, feet and human body parts began to float.
The party was ughtered by the crocodile monsters with ease.
"The depth of the water made it difficult for us to retreat. We couldn''t even move. Everything became chaotic. People were trying to save themselves. No one cared about anyone else. We werepletely fucked up."
He Dong lowered his face. The arrogant look he had been showing turned somber.
Ling Tian also showed a simr expression. He felt the grief of the man. There was nothing more terrifying than being helpless in the face of death.
On the other hand, Isaac was just silent. His face remained t.
"Cheng Ho gave orders to save ourselves," He Dong added. "He told those of us who survived to return to the camp immediately."
Now Ling Tian understood why the arrogance in the man disappeared. Then, he tried to ease He Dong''s feelings.
"You did your job well. At least you managed to save the remaining members who managed to survive."
He Dong snorted. "I hate to say this, but thank you."
Ling Tian smiled. He turned to Isaac. "What do you think, Isaac?"
Isaac, however, wasn''t like Ling Tian. He saw things differently. And the answer he gave was different too.
"Coward."
That single word made the two men inside this tent open their eyes wide. Especially He Dong, that man really looked furious.
"Asshole!"
With an angry look on his face, He Dong got up, not caring about the pain in his abdomen. He grabbed Isaac''s cor.
Ling Tian rushed to separate the two of them.
"Hey! Calm down!"
"Calm down!? You think I can calm down after this guy''s mouth says what he wants? You bastard!"
Isaac wasn''t angry. Instead, he had a smirk on his face. It was made He Dong burn with anger.
"You think you can trick me? Your story sounds like bullshit. I believe you that you were attacked by a crocodile monster, but not in the ''self-rescue order'' part."
"Keugh!"
He Dong ground his teeth.
"I don''t know Cheng Ho, but I can judge him from your short story."
Based on the stories Isaac heard from Guo Chen and He Dong, he concluded that Cheng Ho was a stubborn man. He had high self-esteem and tended to make decisions based on his ego. Cheng Ho was a typical person who decided things based on what he believed.
Even if his decision plunged his members into death, the man would still stand by his decision.
"You''re just making excuses to escape the battle. One Man Army? What a nonsense."
He Dong was absolutely furious. Until unknowingly, mes appeared around him.
Ling Tian had a look of disbelief on his face after listening Isaac''s exnation. Moreover, when he saw He Dong''s overreaction.
"You ran away?" asked Ling Tian in a snide tone.
He Dong looked at Ling Tian with a shocked look on his face. "You believe this bastard''s bullshit?"
"You don''t need to be angry if you saying the thruth."
He Dong hissed. His face was red, between embarrassment and anger. His lie was exposed. If it spread out, the reputation he had built up over the years would bepletely ruined.
His mind was in turmoil, then a huge fire began to re up from his body. The man ready to finish off the two men in front of him.
Chapter 118 Conflict
The fire began to spread.
Ling Tian was surprised by He Dong''s actions. That man without hesitation casted fire magic to harm Isaac. Ling Tian quickly pushed him away.
"Stop it, you bastard!"
He Dong tumbled down, his injured stomach screaming in pain. ring at Ling Tian, he got up as the mes that burned his body grew bigger and hotter. The stuff in the tent started to burn.
Ling Tian began to panic at the sight.
"Stop it! You want to burn down this camp."
However, He Dong had already lost his mind. He didn''t care anymore.
"Shut up, Ling Tian... That crazy man can''t control his mouth."
"You''re the crazy one here!" retorted Ling Tian.
Isaac only chuckled. Naturally, his reaction raised a question for the two men before him, especially He Dong. He looked even angrier as his temples bulged.
"What''s so funny asshole!?" A hateful tone came out of He Dong''s mouth.
"Look, you''re acting like a kid who got caught lying. And you''re still asking? How did someone like you be a part of Six Stars?"
Ling Tian hissed. By now, he could no longer control the situation. He Dong took Isaac''s words seriously.
That man had already turned into a torch, his entire body cloaked in mes.
"You''ll teach yourself a lesson so you can watch your mouth."
The surroundings were on fire. The me spread and slowly devoured the tent. ck smoke began to billow. Some of the people outside smelled it.
Isaac saw the situation and felt the need to take action immediately.
''The parasite needs to be removed.''
"Die you asshole!"
He Dong with his body enveloped in mes swooped down on Isaac. In his head, he envisioned strangling and slowly burning Isaac. He wanted Isaac to feel the torment before finally dying.
He Dong couldn''t wait to kill Isaac, but the opposite happened.
Saaat!
His eyes opened wide as one of his arms flew through the air. Fresh blood spurted out like a broken dike.
Instantly the mes zing from his body vanished. He Dong copsed, wriggled, and screamed. His blood continued to spurt in various directions until it extinguished the fire that was about to burn down the tent.
Ling Tian was just glued to the sight. He then looked at Isaac with incredulous eyes. The man had unhesitatingly cut off He Dong''s hand. But what amazed him was how Isaac shed the man''s arm quickly and the cut was clean.
"Pathetic."
After saying so, Isaac quickly left the tent.
"Hey! Wait!"
Ling Tian shouted, looking confused. He didn''t know whether to stop Isaac or help He Dong first.
"Aargg, damn it! You guys are giving me a headache!" Ling Tian ruffled his hair. He finally chose to go after Isaac.
When he exited the tent, people were already gathered outside. They all looked panicked. Some were already carrying buckets of water. Ling Tian told one of the crowd to help He Dong, before his condition could no longer be helped.
Meanwhile, he chased after Isaac.
"Hey, what the hell was that? You want to wage war on Crimson Dawn?" Ling Tian held Isaac''s shoulders.
Isaac stopped. He turned around and faced Ling Tian who looked worried. "Wasn''t that obvious earlier. I taught him a lesson."
"Huh?" A big question mark was clearly drawn on Ling Tian''s forehead. "Lesson? You made him crippled for the rest of his life. You call that lesson?"
Ling Tian might think Isaac''s actions were excessive. But for Isaac himself, sparing the life of the person who tried to kill him was a mercy. If Pippi was here, she would probably say that Isaac was too soft.
"Yes," Isaac replied briefly. He then walked away.
"Hey, wait, where are you going?" Ling Tian half ran after him.
"Of course, we''re leaving."
"Leaving?" Ling Tian raised one of his eyebrows. "We''ve just arrived at the camp---" He immediately cut off his words. He had just realized that Isaac was making a decision of his own. "Now you''re leading the party?"
Isaac sighed. "If you don''t mind. You should have understood right away after hearing that man''s story. We don''t have much time. Cheng Ho''s party might be in danger."
Ling Tian stroked his forehead. He had just realized it. All this chaos was messing up his concentration.
Ling Tian sighed. "Alright, give me a moment. I need to clean up your mess. Don''t act on your own."
He walked backwards while pointing at Isaac, after which ran into He Dong''s tent.
Isaac shook his head.
Then, Guo Chen appeared. Beside him was Aman who was holding his hand like an innocent little girl.
"Brother, did something happen? I saw people running around frantically outside."
The man really didn''t know anything.
Isaac shook his head. "Nothing. Gather the members of Nine Sky. We''ll be leaving soon."
"Ah, okay."
Without asking many questions, Guo Chen carried out the orders. Meanwhile, Aman still remained in ce.
"Do you need anything from me as well, my lord?"
The little homunculus girl was sensitive to her employer.
"Yes. You still have influence over the homunculus on this floor, right?"
Aman nodded. "Yes, I am."
Although the little girl was now under Isaac''s control, by status, she was still a monster belonging to Earl Xenovia. So Aman was still part of this dungeon.
"Order them to finish off everyone in the camp after we leave."
"Yes, my lord."
Like Guo Chen, Aman quickly went about his duties after his master''s orders.
ording to Isaac, keeping He Dong alive was like leaving the seeds of a disease. After Isaac cut off He Dong''s hand, surely the man would hold a grudge against him. He would be an obstacle in the future. So, before that happened, Isaac decided to get rid of him. Including the people who lived here.
They were all deserters. Even if there were members of Nine Sky, Isaac didn''t care. He didn''t need soldiers who fled from battle.
.
.
.
The Golden Dragon and Nine Sky party continued the search. They waded through the murky and damp swamps. Aman was the pathfinder, as usual, she walked in the front with Ling Tian and Isaac.
The Party Leader looked annoyed as he walked through the swamp.
Before leaving, Ling Tian faced He Dong''s tantrum for the umpteenth time. The limped man demanded retribution. He wanted to cut off Isaac''s hand.
Of course, Ling Tian did notply with the request. In fact, he tends to defend Isaac.
Although in his heart he was worried that there would be a feud between Crimson Dawn and Golden Dragon in the future.
"Do you think they''re still alive?" asked Ling Tian. He was trying to take his mind off He Dong.
"I don''t know, but I know a strong woman with them," Isaac replied.
Ling Tian knitted his eyebrows. He looked curious.
"Wang Mei?"
"Who else?"
Ling Tian nodded. He agreed with Isaac.
Of the thousands of hunters he had known, Wang Mei was the only outstanding woman out there. It was also because of her that Nine Sky was able topete with Golden Dragon.
Ling Tian recognized Wang Mei''s capability.
"Here we are."
After traveling for three hours, they arrived at their destination----the mangrove forest.
The aura of the mangrove forest seemed different. All the party members could feel it. A mystical aura emanated from every part of the forest.
"Let''s go."
Ling Tian murmured. The man stepped into the forest along with his men.
The mangrove forest felt different from the swamp forest. The air smelled fresher, as if they were on the coast. Some members were seen trying to drink the water because it looked clear, but they quickly spit it out after the water touched their tongues. The water contained salt, tasted bitter.
After they had gone deep enough into the mangrove forest, the roots of the mangrove trees were suddenly seen moving.
Instantly, the party''s awareness increased. Ling Tian raised his hand into the air, instructing his men to stop. After which he put his finger to his lips and hissed.
The party members quickly understood their leader''s intentions.
Then, Ling Tian drew his sword. A fiery me shot out from the sword. He shed towards the mangrove trees, then the mes spread and burned the rows of mangrove trees.
At that moment, dozens of giant crabs came out from the roots.
"Prepare for battle!"
Swords were drawn, shields raised, and staffs were gripped tightly. The battle against the first wave of monsters began.
Chapter 119 Crabs
The giant crabs crashed into them.
The first thing Isaac instructed his men was to defend. Most of his members were not ready to fight the crab monsters, he could see it from the tense looks on their faces.
A simr scene was also shown by the Golden Dragon members.
They didn''t seem to be fighting as aggressively as usual. Their fighting style tended to be passive, the melee fighters kept guarding the front lines, while the casters and marksmenunched attacks from behind.
Isaac was impressed with Ling Tian. He felt that man''s decision was right.
These giant crabs had hard shells. Physical attacks wouldn''t work against them. It would take fire and lightning magic that could at least cause them significant damage. However, with watery terrain like the swamp, both magic elements were ineffective. Especially the lightning elemental magic. It could harm the people around.
However, that didn''t mean they couldn''t be defeated. Isaac''s knowledge as a Dungeon Master certainly knew how to finish them off.
The monsters continued to crab the party. Theirrge cow-like size and two-metre-long ws pushed the hunters back. Isaac called for his men to follow the flow of the battle. With his men unprepared, he needed to get them used to it first. He wanted his men to understand how to deal with monsters that had a wide attack range and strong defense.
"Stay calm! Don''t let your concentration be distracted. Focus on their movements!"
Isaac called out in a loud voice, instructing the members of Nine Sky to defend. His call also affected Ling Tian. The man with the spirit of a leader did the same.
The fighters seemed to be defending with all their might. Those with shields withstood every attack, while those armed with only weapons parried every crab w that tried to break the defense of the ranks.
Patiently, Isaac organized his men to stay close. He waited until they were ready.
And his patience paid off.
After being pushed back for a while, the party was finally able to hold their position. Seeing the change in battle conditions, Isaac grinned. A sign that his men were ready to face the crab monsters.
Of course, he quickly took advantage of the situation.
Isaac ran out and jumped into dozens of crab monsters. The people who saw him looked shocked, especially Ling Tian. For the umpteenth time, that man had to see himself one step behind.
"Isaac!" Ling Tian shouted, letting out all the air and annoyance in his chest.
The exmation was like wind blowing in the ears. Isaac ignored it. He was standing in the middle of a giant crab monster. There was no tension at all on his face, instead he smiled broadly.
"Watch and learn!"
The party was stunned hearing Isaac''s words. Ling Tian was also one of them. They opened their eyes wide and watched him fight alone.
Isaac moved nimbly, passing through every crab and w trying to cut his body into two pieces. At the same time, he swung his sword quickly.
sh! sh! sh!
Crab legs and ws scattered in the air. Dozens of crabs were mutted, leaving only the head immobilized. Their mouths bubbled as Isaac cut them.
"Whoaah!"
"Who exactly is that guy?"
"Howe I never heard his name."
Whispering voices echoed like flies. The party members looked stunned watching him fight dozens of giant crab monsters. Especially those wearing golden armor. Even some Nine Sky members were astonished by his actions. Only Guo Chen looked amazed. That young man had never once doubted Isaac''s abilities.
"What are you guys looking at? Let''s go!"
Ling Tian jumped into the dozens of crab monsters. After seeing Isaac initiate the attack, that man didn''t want to be left behind. The other members quickly followed up.
Isaac smiled widely.
They followed his demonstration. Their attacks targeted the crab''s legs and ws. Some were sessful, some were not.
Seeing that some of the party members still seemed to be struggling with the crab monsters, Isaac shook his head.
"Don''t swing your sword carelessly. Aim for their joints."
After he said that, the party members understood. Then theyunched their attacks at the intended point.
sh!
Like cutting butter with a hot knife, the crab''s limbs detached and fell into the water. They looked surprised.
Isaac smiled as they made it.
There was no doubt that those crab monsters had imprable shells. But, they still had weaknesses. Just like wearing armor, there must be some parts of the body that were not protected by the shell for them to move. And it was the joints.
In addition, the shells of crabs limit their movement. They were very sluggish and could only move sideways. Therefore, Isaac did not hesitate to give a demonstration for the party members to dive into the monsters. The human''s small body and agile movements made them difficult to target.
From the start, these crab monsters were only low-ss monsters. They were only used to scare humans.
The tide of battle changed quickly. The hunters dominated the battle. Once the ws and legs of the crab monsters were mutted, they easily defeated them. They stabbed the crab right in the face to kill it.
In less than fifteen minutes, the battle was over. All the crab monsters were sessfully eliminated. There were no casualties on the human side.
Isaac recognized this as a big victory.
''If guided properly, they can be an unbeatable army.''
He waspletely satisfied with the result of the battle. However, the journey was not over yet.
"Everyone, let''s move. We don''t have time."
Isaac heard Ling Tian give the order after thest crab was taken down. The golden-armored squad leader seemed to nce at him. Their eyes met for a moment, then that man quickly looked away.
Seeing his behaviour, Isaac only chuckled. It was clear from the look in his eyes that the Golden Dragon Guild Leader was visibly upset. Of course Isaac understood. He dominated the party and the spotlight began to shift.
What leader wouldn''t be upset if his men were taken away?
Nevertheless, Isaac didn''t see any hateful glint in that man''s eyes. Just a feeling of annoyance.
The search resumed.
It wasn''t just giant crabs that confronted them. Throughout exploring the mangrove forest; they encountered eel monsters, swamp kobolds, treants, and tritons. Isaac allowed Ling Tian to lead the battle. The result did not disappoint. The ck-haired man was able to control the course of the battle and continued to had easy victories.
After passing through various monsters and obstacles, they arrived at the location. The location that was reportedly thest ce where Cheng Ho''s party was heard of.
They arrived at a strait that separated two mangrove forests.
"What happened?" Ling Tian muttered as he set foot on the edge of the strait. Simr expressions were shown on the other members.
Isaac was also astonished at the scene before him.
He saw crocodiles floating upside down on the surface of the water. Their bellies were exposed. The water looked murky. A stink smell wafted through the air. There were no signs of human bodies.
The crocodiles had been killed long days before. A different scene from what He Dong had told them.
Chapter 120 Strait
Something had happened beyond Isaac''s expectation.
''What happened to them? Were they caught?''
There were many questions in his head right now. This was why he hated misinformation the most. The slightest mistake would lead to many problems or mysteries. The crocodiles were different from He Dong''s description. They were shaped like normal crocodiles. Moreover, there were no signs of scars at all on their bodies.
Of course, this raised questions. Something had killed them, but what?
Isaac scooped up the water with the palm of his hand, then he smelled and tasted it. He checked whether the water contained certain substances; such as acid or poison. The people around him looked confused.
"Did you find anything?" Ling Tian asked curiously. His face clearly showed many questions.
Isaac waved his hand as his attention was drawn to the crocodiles floating in the strait. His eyes narrowed into mere slits. He was really curious now. "Water only contains salt. No acid or other dangerous liquid. I don''t know how they died."
Hearing the white-haired man''s answer, Ling Tian nodded his head. He understood the situation. "Perhaps the lightning magic killed them all. The high voltage is enough to kill anything in the water in an instant."
"Including the people," Isaac added.
A frown appeared on the man''s forehead as Isaac agreed with his answer. Since their feet had set foot in the mangrove forest, they hadn''t stepped on drynd at all. Everything and everywhere was water. The previous joint party wouldn''t be stupid enough to use lightning magic on the watery terrain.
Ling Tian bit his lip as he realized his stupidity.
Isaac tried to ask Aman, but the little girl also didn''t know about it. As for his right-hand man, Guo Chen thought that it was likely that they died from parasites, but it would be hard to prove it.
They faced a dead end, but the search had to continue regardless of their current situation. Ling Tian thought that Cheng Ho''s party was still alive. As long as their bodies had not been found, and the search had only been a few days, they were still considered alive. The leader of the gold-armored army believed that there was a possibility they had managed to defeat the crocodile monsters and made it to the other side of the forest.
Isaac didn''t deny it. So, Ling Tian decided to cross the strait.
Before that, they had to make sure there was nothing in the strait, so one needed to cross first to find out about it. It was better for one person to be a victim than all to be killed. They needed a volunteer now. Isaac had volunteered, but Ling Tian didn''t agree. The Party Leader didn''t want the spotlight to be fixed on him again.
Of course, Isaac knew that.
"Okay, I''ll cross over. If something happens, you will take the lead," said Ling Tian. A slightly tense expression appeared on his face as he said that.
Isaac just nodded.
Ling Tian took off the sword and golden armor that wrapped around his body, making sure there was nothing burdened him while crossing the strait, then he walked into the water. The hunters who were watching the action of their leader looked worried.
Seeing the man getting further and further into the middle of the strait, Isaac kept his eyes on the crocodiles floating around. He didn''t take his eyes off them at all. The closer Ling Tian got to the middle of the strait, the more uneasy he felt, his hunch getting stronger. Isaac couldn''t stop flicking his fingers.
''Is this a trap?''
Then, he saw bubbles all around. Instantly, his eyes opened wide.
"Ling Tian! It''s a trap!"
His loud voice reached the man''s ears. However, Ling Tian still looked clueless about his own situation. Until the bodies of the crocodiles around him flipped and started to move around.
The crocodile monsters changed their shapes. Their posture transformed to that of a human, and their four short legs were elongated. They stood on two legs. Their yellow eyes glowed and fixated on Ling Tian.
Ling Tian instantly froze. For the first time, the man regretted making the decision. The people on the shores of the strait started to get hysterical, especially the members of the Golden Dragon. It was a nightmare to see their leader would be killed right before their eyes.
Isaac realized it toote. The monster was no ordinary swamp crocodile that was sold in the shop. In fact, they had never appeared in his previous life. Those crocodiles that surrounded Ling Tian right now were monsters resulting from Earl Xenovia''s experiments.
The gold-armored troops prepared to dive into the strait to help Lang Tian, ??but Isaac quickly stopped them.
"Fuck! Get out of the way, don''t get in my way!"
"Are you blind? The leader is in danger!"
"Do you want him to die?!"
Various swears mixed with a tone of anger pierced Isaac''s ears. He didn''t care. The Nine Sky members also helped him to restrain them from making rash action.
"Hey! Didn''t you hear your leader''s words earlier?!" Guo Chen stopped the Golden Dragon members while reminding them about the previous words uttered by their leader .
Of course, they didn''t ignore him. They kept trying to break through. However, they couldn''t break through Isaac''s power.
"Calm down. As his men, you should know the power of your leader." Isaac''s words instantly stopped them.
Suddenly, in the middle of the strait, a huge fire zed fiercely. Everyone who witnessed it was stunned. Isaac just smirked.
''You should have done it earlier.''
The crocodile monsters screamed, and a scorching smell of flesh wafted through the air. Crocodiles were cold-blooded creatures, they were never used to the heat of fire. Simultaneously, they dived into the water right away.
Ling Tian managed to survive. At least for now, he would be fine.
After casting fire magic that drained most of his mana, the man looked a little pale. Ling Tian quickly swam with all his might back to theirrades. The members of the Golden Dragon shouted for their leader toe back fast.
"Leader! Swim faster!"
"Leader!"
The screams were in the end just a sound. It didn''t help to change the situation one bit. Ling Tian seemed to be swimming with all his might to save himself from the crocodiles.
Unfortunately, the man''s leg was caught.
"Arrgggg!"
Lang Tian screamed his lungs out. His voice echoed throughout the air and his blood stained the river red.
The faces of the Golden Dragon members turned pale when they saw their leader screaming in pain.
"Brother, are we going to keep standing still?" Guo Chen asked in a low tone. The young man looked eager to dive into the strait and join the battle. He wanted to help Liang Tian.
Isaac didn''t answer. There were no words he could utter. With the water level almost touching their chests, it was difficult to fight in the strait. Even if Isaac and the rest of the party jumped in, it wasn''t enough to help the poor man. Unless he used an artefact or took off the ''Mortal Ring''. However, if he did it, his infiltration would be exposed.
Of course, Isaac wouldn''t risk himself for it.
"There''s nothing we can do."
Guo Chen''s face looked bitter after hearing his answer. Other members looked the same, they had gloomy expressions on their faces. They could not bear to witness their leader being eaten alive. The worst thing was that they couldn''t do anything about it.
However, luck was still on Ling Tian''s side.
In the midst of that hopeless situation, from above the sky, dozens of fire arrows suddenly fell and pierced the crocodiles. Instantly, the cold-blooded monsters screamed as the burning arrows stabbed into their bodies. Some of them died, some quickly dived into the water.
The Golden Dragon members cheered happily. Their leader finally escaped from the grip of the grim reaper.
Meanwhile, Isaac smiled broadly. On the other side of the forest, he saw dozens of hunters with various colored armor riding in canoes. In one of the canoes, there was an old man with grey hair and a grumpy look. That old man raised his sword while saying, "ughter those goddamn monsters!"
Chapter 121 Canoes
"There''s nothing we can do."
Guo Chen''s face looked bitter after hearing his answer. Other members looked the same, they had gloomy expressions on their faces. They could not bear to witness their leader being eaten alive. The worst thing was that they couldn''t do anything about it.
However, luck was still on Ling Tian''s side.
In the midst of that hopeless situation, from above the sky, dozens of fire arrows suddenly fell and pierced the crocodiles. Instantly, the cold-blooded monsters screamed as the burning arrows stabbed into their bodies. Some of them died, some quickly dived into the water.
The Golden Dragon members cheered happily. Their leader finally escaped from the grip of the death.
Meanwhile, Isaac smiled broadly. On the other side of the forest, he saw dozens of hunters with various colored armor riding in canoes. In one of the canoes, there was an old man with grey hair and a grumpy look. That old man raised his sword while saying, "ughter those goddamn monsters!"
The crocodile monsters scattered in the face of the surprise attack. They let go of Ling Tian and fled. The canoe-borne troops repulsed them in a matter of minutes.
Isaac naturally seized the opportunity. After they stopped shooting fiery arrows, he called for his men to dive into the strait.
"Secure Ling Tian! Kill the injured crocodile monsters!"
"Aye!"
With fervor, both Nine Sky and Golden Dragon threw themselves into the water and attacked the cold-blooded monsters.
This decision was a bit dangerous, but it was a golden opportunity to boost the hunter''s morale. What''s more, with their leader in critical condition, their morale must be high.
And Isaac''s decision was right.
In an unfavorable terrain, his men were able to finish off the crocodile monsters. They fought ferociously, without hesitationing at them, and brutally killing each crocodile monster. There were even one or two monsters that tried to escape that were chased down and killed on the spot.
The murky water turned red. Crocodile corpses floated in the river.
"Save the leader!"
Of course not all were drowning in madness and anger. There were still some sensible people who prioritized Ling Tian''s safety. Four Golden Dragon members pulled that man to the edge.
The man''s face still looked calm even though he was almost eaten alive by hundreds of crocodiles. His leg was torn and continued to bleed. The people who saw him looked worried.
In order to look humanized, Isaac yed his role. He examined the man''s near-death condition. His hands inspected the injured leg, then deftly wrapped it in a clean clot. This was first aid.
"How does it feel after swimming among crocodiles?" Isaac asked in a joking tone, trying to break the ice.
Ling Tian hissed. "It was an amazing experience. I won''t forget it." Then the man winced widely. The looks on people''s faces were relieved.
"At least our search wasn''t in vain. We managed to find them," Ling Tian added.
Isaac turned to the saviors with their canoes. They seemed to be helping Golden Dragon and Nine Sky fight against the monster.
Among them, there was a familiar figure in his eyes, a short-haired woman with dual de weapons. It had been a long time since he hadst seen her.
[Name: Wang Mei]
[Race: Human]
[Type: N/A]
[ss: A]
[Level: 56]
Wang Mei helped her men by shooting arrows at the crocodiles. All the members of Nine Sky were excited by that woman''s arrival.
"Wow! None Wang Mei!"
"Chief! She''s safe!"
Joy could be seen in their smiles. Wang Mei, however, looked the opposite.
"Focus on the battle!"
For a moment, the faces of that female subordinates looked surprised, then they put on serene faces. "Yes, ma''am."
Isaac smiled at their actions. His expression fell t again when he saw one of the canoes pull over.
A forty-year-old man with a stern gaze stood at the front of the canoe. His face was covered in scratches that showed how much battle experience he had. The old man puffed out his chest as he stepped off the canoe.
Isaac''s attention turned to Ling Tian. That charismatic man asked his members to help him up. The arrival of the old man forced him to look dignified.
A sigh escaped his mouth when he saw Ling Tian struggling to stand.
"The boring charade is about to begin," Isaac muttered.
Arriving before Isaac and Ling Tian, the old man smiled broadly. His hand patted Ling Tian''s shoulder as if meeting an old friend.
"I didn''t expect to see the Golden Dragon and its leader here. It must be the government that sent you," said the old man.
"Yes, as you can see, Senior Cheng Ho. We were sent to save you, but the opposite happened." Ling Tiap replied humbly.
Seeing Ling Tian trying to smile even though his leg was in excruciating pain made Isaacugh inwardly. He knew how burdensome being a leader was. No matter what the situation was, a leader had to look strong; and Ling Tian was doing that right now.
Besides, Isaac was a little interested in Cheng Ho after seeing his status.
[Name: Cheng Ho]
[Race: Human]
[Type: N/A]
[ss: C]
[Level: 49]
In his eyes, Cheng Ho was neither weak nor strong. You could say he was average. Nevertheless, the old man was able to lead a raid so far, that mean his talent as a leader could not be underestimated. Only a few people were able to make it to this stage.
"This human is pretty good."
Isaac tried to hold back a grin.
Cheng Ho frowned. The old man noticed the wound on Ling Tian''s leg. "You''re injured, didn''t you bring a healer?"
"They''re helping other members," Ling Tian replied. "I always ordered them to prioritize the battle first."
"A wise decision." Cheng Ho nodded, as if the old man agreed. Although the look in his eyes said otherwise.
The Phoenix Armda Guild Leader ordered one of his men to get off the ship. A healer arrived and quickly treated the wound on Ling Tian''s leg. Green light illuminated the torn skin of the leg, instantly closing the wound.
A relieved expression was shown on Ling Tian''s face. "Thank you."
"It''s our duty to help others." Cheng He once again smiled. The old man''s attention turned to Isaac, his eyes looking up and down.
Isaac just smiled while squinting. He didn''t like himself being judged. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have cut his head in half.
"Judging from the characteristics of yourbat gear, you''re from Nine Sky. I''ve never met you before." Cheng Ho made a curious face.
Isaac smiled in response to the old man''s response. "My name is Isaac Constantine. I''ve only been with Nine Sky for a few months, as a new member instructor."
Cheng HO simply nodded. Upon hearing his position, the interest vanished from the eyes of the bearded man. This was enough to make Isaac raise one of his eyebrows. He was annoyed, but still managed to hold it in.
"You''re lucky to work under Wang Mei. That woman is quite good."
Cheng Ho''s words sounded like nonsense to his ears. Isaac just huffed.
The old man''s attention returned to Ling Tian who was already able to stand up well. "You can already stand up, right? I''m sorry to rush you, but we''d better get out of here. There''s something we need to discuss."
Ling Tian raised one of his eyebrows. "Of course. This ce isn''t."
Cheng Ho looked at Isaac and the Golden Dragon members. "You guys areing too. Wang Mei left many of her men at the camp. I think there should still be some room left in the canoe."
Cheng Ho and Ling Tian then boarded the canoe. At the same time, the battle on the water was also over. The group of hunters with the 10-meter long canoes pulled up to them.
On one of the canoes, a short-haired woman stood at the end of the boat. Her light brown eyes were glued on Isaac. It was as if she had something to tell him.
Wang Mei got off the canoe. She walked over to Isaac. For a moment, the woman was silent. Then words emerged from her mouth.
"After all this time, I can finally see you."
All attention was then focused on the two of them. Ling Tian and Cheng Ho were no exception. The old man thought that Isaac was a nobody, but he was wrong.
Isaac once again had to put on a smile to face this woman.
Chapter 122 Cheng Ho
On one of the canoes, a short-haired woman stood at the end of the boat. Her light brown eyes were glued on Isaac. It was as if she had something to tell him.
Wang Mei got off the canoe. She walked over to Isaac. For a moment, the woman was silent. Then words emerged from her mouth.
"After all this time, I can finally see you."
All attention was then focused on the two of them. Ling Tian and Cheng Ho were no exception. The old man thought that Isaac was a nobody, but he was wrong.
Isaac once again had to put on a smile to face this woman.
.
.
.
The group of canoes led by Cheng Ho began to move. Not crossing to the other side of the mangrove forest, but moving along the strait. They continued rowing until they reached arge body of water. There was no tree sighting at all, just a vast stretch of water.
Isaac was travelling in Nine Sky''s canoe.
Along the way, he felt dozens of eyes looking at him. Ever since his meeting with Wang Mei, the members had been curious about him.
Wang Mei herself looked as usual. She just wore a t face while looking at the shadows of the mangroves that lined the strait. She was trying to show that she didn''t care.
Amidst the silence of their journey, she suddenly spoke to Isaac.
"So, Wang Yi sent you here?" she asked without looking at him. Her attention was still elsewhere, not Isaac.
Her behaviour irritated him. In the Nether Realm, speaking without looking at the other person was impolite behaviour. If he was in the role of Demon Lord, he would have sentenced Wang Mei to death without hesitation. However, he was currently ying the role of Isaac Constatine, a human and veteran hunter under Nine Sky.
"Yes, it can be said like that. Although Miss Wang Yi actually came here as well."
After he mentioned her younger sister''s name, Wang Mei turned to him.
"She came here?" a look of concern was evident on the woman''s face. "That stupid child can never listen. How many times have I lectured her, but she never understands."
Isaac pursed his lips, trying to show that he cared. "He''s very worried about you. After all, you''re rted by blood. I guess it''s only natural. But don''t worry, she''s already out of the dungeon."
Isaac then began to exin everything, the chronological events from when they entered until now. The woman listened carefully to every word that came out of his mouth. She was asionally annoyed, asionally smiling. Her expression changed depending on Isaac''s story.
"You saved the homunculus children?! The seeds of the disasters? Are you crazy?" Wang Mei was ring when Isaac told her that it was him who came up with the rescue idea.
Isaac smiled. "We should try different things to get different results. By saving that homunculus monster, maybe we can learn something new about the dungeon."
What started out as a conversation about Wang Yi, now turned into a debate about dungeon monsters. Wang Mei was seen vehemently refuting Isaac''s opinion, while he remained calm and gave the woman an exnation.
On the other hand, the Nine Sky members observing the two of them looked astonished. In all their time working under the stern and cold leader, they had never seen Wang Mei as expressive as she was when talking to Isaac. To them, this was a rare sight.
Guo Chen, the man who was said to be Chen Wei''s sessor, could never make Wang Mei look like that.
"Brother... you''re really amazing... How could you melt that icedy''s mood." At the end of the canoe, Guo Chen smiled while shaking his head.
The two of them continued to talk, until they didn''t realise they had arrived onnd.
At first nce, thend was like an ind in the middle of the ocean with murky water. An unusual camp was seen there. Not only were there tents set up, there were people busy building canoes. There were not just one or two, but dozens of them. It was as if they were preparing to transport arge number of people.
The group of canoes pulled over and the people went ashore.
The Golden Dragon and Nine Sky members led by Ling Tian were invited to rest, while their leaders went with Cheng Ho into the big tent that stood in the centre of the camp. Wang Mei was also one of them.
It was easy enough for Isaac to guess that those people were going to have a discussion. He didn''t mind noting along, but the man who had apanied him from outside to inside the dungeon invited him.
Of course, this raised a question for Cheng Ho. The man didn''t expect that Isaac would have any influence on Ling Tian. Neither did Wang Mei. She didn''t think Isaac would be able to get that close to the leader of number one guild in China.
"You don''t mind if he joins us do you, Cheng Ho?" Ling Tian asked with a charismatic smile.
Whether he wanted to or not, the bearded man had to ept it. "Of course. The more heads that think, the better. Come here, Mr Isaac."
Cheng Ho smiled as he invited him to join the discussion. His voice and eyes were friendly, but the old man couldn''t lie to Isaac.
The high perception stat made Isaac able to hear the heartbeat. Even the slightest lie could be clearly seen in his eyes.
As they entered the tent, Wang Mei walked side in side with Isaac. She whispered into his ear. "We need to talk again after this meeting is over."
Isaac shook his head. Unimportant problems kepting to him.
All the important people went into the tent. Inside was one more person. An old man. The skin on his face looked saggy, as if it was about to fall off. There was barely any hair on his head, not even grey hair. His body was hunched and curved. He seemed to have been waiting inside the tent for a long time.
Catching a glimpse of the man, Isaac recognised him immediately.
"Before we begin this important conversation, I''d like to introduce an ally. I think you already know from Aman. He is Lawrance. Homunculus, the caretaker of Alpha on Floor 2."
Isaac remained silent and stared at the old homunculus. A simr response was also shown by the Golden Dragon Leader.
However, Lawrance seemed to be the opposite.
"What did you say? Aman? She came here!?" The old homunculus was angry after Aman''s name was mentioned. "You''re saying you won''t involve her on it?"
"Please calm down. I didn''t expect it either. There are always unexpected variables to every n. I hope you understand." Cheng Ho held Lawrance''s shoulders and held the homunculus up.
A smallmotion ensued. Lawrance was angry that Aman went up to the third floor, and Cheng Ho tried to exin to the older man that it was an ident. It took him a while to get Lawrance to tune out. The old homunculus only stopped whining after Cheng Ho promised him Aman''s safety.
"You promised!? Keep your word!" Lawrance said with grumpy eyes.
Cheng Ho nodded. "I will."
Then, the joint raid leader started the main discussion at this meeting.
"Beforehand, I apologise to you, Golden Dragon Leader, Ling Tian and Mister Isaac. I know you''ve just gone through a disastrous and exhausting journey. There must be many questions in your minds after finding us. But right now, I want to discuss this as soon as possible, we don''t have much time."
After arriving at this camp and seeing them create many canoes, Isaac knew where this was going. Hence, he chose not toment. His goal and the bearded man''s n were the same.
Ling Tian, on the other hand, seemed just the opposite.
There were many questions inside the man''s head. Such as how could He Dong leave them and give different information, why their members were separated, or why they didn''t return immediately and chose to continue climbing dungeon after finding out theirmunication device wasn''t working on 2nd Floor.
All of Cheng Ho''s decisions seemed controversial in the eyes of the man in golden armor. Nevertheless, Ling Tian still held back his curiosity.
Isaac was stared at by Cheng Ho for a moment, and so was Ling Tian. That bearded man opened his mouth.
"I need your strength. Especially the Golden Dragon. Your arrival is like a destiny. I want you to lend your strength, for tomorrow''sb raid."
Chapter 123 Island
Isaac listened as Cheng Cho told him about his n. Before that, the bearded man recounted the chronology of his time in the dungeon.
The story told by Cheng Ho was not much different from He Dong. The difference was when they crossed the strait. The crocodile monsters attacked them and they were able to survive. However, due to this incident, a quarter of the raid members were seriously injured. One of them was He Dong.
The arrogant man proposed that the raid be cancelled. Of course, his proposal was tly rejected by Cheng Ho. Then he started to influence the other members in the party. He Dong tried to attract people to side with him. At least, all the injured raid members agreed with him.
Thus, there was a split in the group.
The situation got worse with Cheng Ho threatening to expel his men from the Phoenix Armada if they did not agree with him. He Dong took advantage of this situation. He told the other members that if they were expelled from their guild, then Crimson Dawn promised to take them in.
Cheng Ho and Wang Mei took the man''s words lightly. As a result, some of the hunters chose to leave the guild and side with He Dong. Especially with the injured members. In fact, not a few Nine Sky members left.
Wang Mei did not prevent her members from leaving. She gave them freedom.
In the end, those people chose money over loyalty. They considered hunter to be a job. Not a responsibility, let alone a pride. As long as the ie they earned was the same, they would choose the less risky option.
Later, the group went their separate ways.
With the loss of a quarter of his members, Cheng Ho still continued the raid. The old man did not entirely consider that this incident was a loss. In fact, the man thought he was relieving the burden carried by the group. Because, those who left the raid were the ones who were injured. They were only an obstacle.
Before they explored the unknown area, Cheng Ho turned around, exited the mangrove forest and entered into a swampy area filled withrge trees. With the terrain watery and the depths, the bearded man decided they needed water transport. He ordered his men to cut down trees and build canoes.
Thank to magic, they were able to create one quickly. Although the results were still quite rough. At the very least, the canoe could float and carry people.
Cheng Ho sent one or two groups to search for drynd in the area around the mangrove forest. Meanwhile, he and other members built more canoes.
After a few days of his men exploring the mangrove forest, they returned with two important pieces of information. The first was the fact that this dungeon contained arge body of water. In their search, they found somergend masses covered withrge trees that could be used to make camps.
The second piece of information was that they found theb Lawrance was referring to. In the centre of the deep mangrove forest, there was an ind of sorts withrge rocks around it. Water could not enter and kept thend dry. Inside the ind were various monsters with strange shapes that they rarely saw.
Lawrance confirmed that the ind was where theb was.
Without a second thought, Cheng Ho moved the location of the camp to thend where they were now settled. In this ce, the bearded man instructed his men to create more canoes to carry the men to storm theb.
As Cheng Ho and his men were about to observe the ind, they heard amotion. They checked the scene and found Ling Tian surrounded by hundreds of crocodile monsters. That''s how Cheng Ho came to meet the Golden Dragon swarm.
"As I said before. Our meeting here is fate. We''ve been destined to attack theb together. This is the will of god. He got rid of that coward He Dong and sent you here instead."
Isaac who heard the bearded man''s exnation did notment. Ling TIan also showed a simr response.
After hearing Cheng Ho''s intention, Ling Tian asked that old man to exin everything. He wanted to know the whole story during their disappearance before deciding whether to help Cheng Ho or not. Because after all, Ling Tian was sent here to confirm their condition, not to help them. So he had no need to lend his men for risky missions.
"So, how is it?" asked Cheng Ho in a curious tone.
Ling Tian was still silent. Not long after, his eyes nced at Isaac, as if asking for his opinion.
Of course Isaac realised that. He even wanted Ling Tian to join Cheng Ho''s attack n. However, Golden Dragon was not his responsibility. He had no intention of taking over Golden Dragon, because he didn''t want a new factor to arise that could change the future again. Therefore, he chose to manage what was in his hands now.
After considering for a moment, Ling Tian finally made a decision.
"Alright, I''ll help with this raid. But still, Golden Dragon should get the credit. I want the Power Crystal mining rights for this dungeon."
A smile bloomed on the bearded man''s face. "Of course. There is no way I would say no." With He Dong out of this raid, he could give Golden Dragon the Crimson Dawn allotment. Cheng Ho had nothing to lose.
Then the two men shook hands. Isaac covered his face with a smile. Across the table, Wang Mei watched him with narrowed eyes.
"Alright, let''s listen to my n." Cheng Ho said excitedly.
That person opened wide the illustrated paperboard on the table. Then he began to ce one by one the pawns on it. The index finger touched a picture of an ind with a ck dot around it.
"This is the location of the ind. The ck dots are rocks. The ind is almost surrounded by tall boulders, the canoe cannot pull over. There are only two areas where there are no obstacle in the way."
Cheng Ho tapped his finger on the part of the ind image where there were no ck dots. All pairs of eyes were watching it.
"On the west and east of the ind. However, ording to the information from the people I sent there, these two areas are heavily guarded by strange monsters."
"Aren''t all monsters freaks?" Ling Tian chided. That man said with a t face.
"That''s true. But the monsters here are ''really'' strange. All the monsters you''ve seen from the dungeon have unusual forms. Three-headed goblins,rge-bodied kobolds, and even slimes that have bones."
Hearing that, Linng Tian was shocked till his eyes opened wide.
Lawrance joined in on the conversation. "That''s right. This ce is the result of experimental monsters. Whatever you''ve seen in other dungeons are ordinary monsters. Master, you''ll understand once you see it."
Lint Tian sighed. "Then how are we going to get there?"
Cheng Ho smiled widely. "So, here''s my n."
He would divide the hunters into two groups and send them to the two sides of the ind. The first group, sent to the west with a hundred men. They would attack the monsters standing guard there and make a scene, drawing the attention of all the monsters on the entire ind to the west side. In other words, they served as a decoy.
While all the monster''s attention was on the west side, the second group, the main army, would move in through the east side. They would attack theb and take out the boss on the 3rd Floor.
"Then, boom. We kill Alpha and get to destroy theb. Missionplete. The three of us will get exclusive rights to manage the dungeon from the government. What do you think?"
Cheng Ho looked enthusiastic. Confidence was evident on his face. He was sure that his n would be a sess.
Seeing the bearded man''s expression, Ling Tian was swayed. Moreover, he thought that this n was also reasonable and workable.
However, not with Isaac. He saw many loopholes in this n.
"This n will be good if everything goes smoothly. Then how about something happens outside the n. The decoy group certainly can''t stay distracted for long. If they retreat, all the monsters will spread back to the ind. Besides, there''s no guarantee we can win against Alpha on this floor. Even if we win, we will certainly suffer damage. Have you thought about this scenario?"
Isaac''s words opened the eyes of everyone in the tent wide. Wang Mei then spoke up.
"I think he''s right. It''s too dangerous to assume everything will go ording to n. There are bound to be one or two things that deviate from the n. We need a n B."
Cheng Ho took a deep breath when he heard two people doubting the n. "Of course things like this will happen. Therefore, we will impose a time limit on this operation. The decoy group will have their attention diverted for one hour. That''s the longest limit for a B rank hunter. During that time, we will infiltrate theb and eliminate Alpha."
"Travelling to theb, from entry and exit will take some time," Isaac replied. "Let''s say it takes us twenty minutes. That means we only have forty minutes against the Alpha. Are you sure you can defeat a monster we know nothing about in that time?"
Hearing Isaac''s answer, Ling Tian changed his mind. Wang Mei became even more hesitant about this n. Of course, this made Cheng Ho unhappy. Nevertheless, the man with the ck beard continued to persist.
"We have to take risks if we want to seed. Besides, even if this n fails, we can get information about Alpha. We can defeat him in the future."
"Then what if we all die?" Ling Tian uttered the sentence he least wanted to hear. If everyone in this raid died because of the dungeon boss, then this raid mission was a waste.
Cheng Ho was silent. Words were stuck in his throat. Ling Tian gave him a pill that was hard to swallow.
Seeing that the bearded man was speechless, Isaac finally intervened. He was already quite satisfied seeing the thinking capabilities of the Leader of Phoenix Armada.
"But, we have to do it anyway." His words changed the mood in the tent. "We''vee this far. Retreating is not an option. Then we might as well justify what that coward He Dong said. Even if it takes a toll, we have to do it. Getting something without sacrifice is impossible."
Instantly, the expressions on Wang Mei and Ling Tian changed. Hisst sentence changed their thinking. Finally, the two people agreed to this n.
"Someone has to be a martyr? Bad idea, but for the sake of mankind, I''ll do it." Ling Tian said with great dignity.
"No pain, no gain," Wang Mei added.
Thus everyone inside the tent agreed. Cheng Ho seemed to nce at Isaac with a smirk on his lips, as if the bearded man was indebted.
"Alright, we''ll attack theb!"
Chapter 124 Castle
The sky turned dark. The numerous canoes sailed on the surface of the water. There were burning torches one on each of them to light up the path.
Isaac was with Guo Chen and Wang Mei in the same canoe. Behind him, 600 canoes followed suit. They entered the mangrove forest. Their canoes kept moving forward along the flow of the stream, following Cheng Ho''s canoe at the front. Strange noises were heard as they entered the mangrove forest.
After they had rowed in the darkness of the forest for an hour, they arrived at a vast area of water with an ind in the middle. They quickly extinguished the light from the torches. Cheng Ho raised his hands in the air and twirled his fingers, then some of the canoes parted from the group.
One hundred canoes consisting of 5 crew members moved to the west. The remaining five hundred canoes were still in their ce.
Anxiety was evident in Ling Tian''s face. His expression was stiff, as if every vein in his face tightened with anxiety. However, Cheng Ho was different. The person in charge of this mission put on a t expression, making the other couldn''t guess what the man was thinking.
"Do you think this mission will seed?" A gentle voice came out of Wang Mei''s mouth. In the shadow of the night and the cold air, her beautiful face was still clearly visible. The woman was skeptical of this mission.
"As long as we believe in ourselves, we will definitely seed," Guo Chen replied. As usual, the young man was optimistic about everything. Besides, Isaac was involved in this mission. It made him believe the mission would seed.
Wang Mei sighed. "Thank you for your opinion, Guo Chen. But, I asked Isaac."
After realizing that the question was directed at him, Isaac raised an eyebrow. He turned to the woman beside him. "50-50. No matter how perfect the n and meticulous it is, there is always the possibility of failure. Never have high expectations, it''s better to always think of the worst."
His words made Wang Mei frown. "Sounds pessimistic," the woman replied.
Isaac didn''t answer. Guo Chen looked astonished, yet he didn''t dare to give anyment. As a Demon Lord who had a taste of failure, hope was Isaac''s greatest enemy. Hope would only make people sink into empty dreams. He only used hope for others, not for himself.
Silence enveloped them for a long time. There was only a ragged breath and an erratic heartbeat. Everyone nervously waited for the signal.
Not long after, a red tinge appeared in the darkness. Then, a roar was heard from a distance.
Guo Chen puffed out his chest. Wang Mei was heard taking a deep breath. Cheng Ho, who was in another canoe, stood up.
"Everyone. We''re moving!"
The hunters began to row again, and the canoe moved deeper into the mangrove forest. They headed to the other side of the ind. The grey stones that were covered by the darkness seemed to stand tall like fortresses. Then, they pulled over the canoes to the outskirts of the ind.
People quickly got out of the canoes. Cheng Ho, as the main leader, was at the front line, leading his men along with the homunculus old man, Lawrence. Their footsteps shook the ground.
Isaac was half running, his eyes sweeping around therge trees and bushes. Behind him, Wang Mei also ran, followed by dozens of Nine Sky members. Guo Chen ran behind them.
"Hurry! We''ll be there in a minute!" A gasping voice came out of Lawrence. Even though the homunculus was very old, his movements were like a young man in his prime time. As if his wrinkled skin and shriveled body were just a disguise.
After walking deeper through the depths of the forest, Isaac saw a castle made of red bricks. There was no monster guarded at the front, only a 10 meter high concrete wall and a small trench surrounding it. The iron gate was open with a bridge stretched out wide.
Seeing the poor condition of the castle, Cheng Ho smiled broadly. "It''s true. Your information is correct, Lawrence," he muttered. The bearded man ordered his men to charge into the castle without hesitation.
The group of hunters quickly rushed to the gate.
Just as Isaac was about to enter the gate, Ling Tian grabbed his shoulder from behind. He was clearly anxious.
"Is it safe to go in?" The golden-armored man''s breath seemed to rag when he said it.
Wang Mei, who was about to dash forward, halted in her ce after seeing Isaac being stopped by Ling Tian, including Guo Chen.
Seeing the nervousness shown by the Golden Dragon Leader, Isaac smirked. "Calm down. Everything will be fine."
Naturally, Ling Tian wouldn''t believe Isaac''s words. He didn''t agree with the white-haired man. "The gates are wide open, as if they are letting us in. If thisb is heavily guarded, they shouldn''t be this careless."
Isaac sighed. He touched the man''s shoulder. The Golden Dragon leader had a sharp foreboding indeed. "This is the moment, Ling Tian. An opportunity. Anything can happen, including traps. However, judging by the current condition, this is pure carelessness."
Ling Tian''s expression turned strange. He really couldn''t believe what Isaac had said. It sounded like bullshit.
Of course, because after all, what Isaac said was a lie. It was easy enough for him to guess this was a trap. He even sensed a demonic energy within the castle. He would bet with his life now, that the demon didn''t realize his presence.
"We enter now, or never. We don''t have much time."
Isaac looked at Ling Tian with a reassuring look, while the man in front of him was seen closing his eyes and looking down. Ling Tian then took a deep breath.
"Okay. We will go inside!"
Ling Tian chose to believe him. Instantly, Isaac smiled widely.
Then, the Golden Dragon Leader and his members also ran towards the castle gate. Isaac followed behind, along with the members of Nine Sky.
They all finally arrived inside the castle grounds. Cheng Ho, the first to arrive, ordered his men to disperse.
"Disperse! Some troops to the rear! We''re going in from both paths!"
However, the man did not know that their arrival had been awaited.
Just as Cheng Ho gave his orders, there was suddenly a creaking sound behind them. Everyone was shocked. They turned towards the gate and found the 30 centimeter thick metal gate closing really fast.
"What happened! Why is the gate closed!?"
"We''re trapped inside."
The hunters began to panic. Tension rose and cold sweat trickled down on their skin. Cheng Ho, who was originally excited, started to look worried after his n failed when it was just about to start.
Bam!
The gate was tightly closed. The sound of metal banging reverberated in the air. This was just the beginning of the catastrophe.
Not long after, on the guard wall, dozens of homunculus appeared, wearing fullbat armor. They were different from the homunculus on the 2nd Floor. There was no white or red hair because of theck of pigment. They looked exactly the same as humans. Some had blonde hair and blue eyes, some had tan skin with ck hair like sheep''s fur, some had yellow skin with nted eyes. Humans of various races gathered into one.
Meanwhile, from above the sky, appeared dozens of ugly creatures flying in the dark night. They looked like bats with red eyes and white fur. Their wings were just thin membranes of skin. Sharp teeth visible from their mouths because they did not stop drooling.
The hunters who witnessed them were stunned for a moment.
"What the hell are they? Human?" Unknowingly, those words came out of Guo Chen''s mouth.
"No humans are born from dungeons. They are homunculus," replied Wang Mei in a cold tone.
All the hunters couldn''t hide their panic. They realized they had just fallen into a trap.
However, the shocking things didn''t stop there.
Lawrence, who was originally by their side, suddenly guarded the front of the castle door. The homunculus old man seemed to burst intoughter. Everyone who witnessed it was shocked, including Cheng Ho.
"Lawrance! What is this!?" The bearded man looked furious. His face turned red, as if blood had risen to his head. The veins on his temples bulged out.
Meanwhile, the homunculus he trusted was stillughing.
"You stupid human. You''re still asking? Of course, I obviously tricked you."
The homunculus old man''sughter echoed amidst the disappointment and panic of the hunters. It was Cheng Ho who felt betrayed the most.
"So all these deals are just bullshit? Even after the kindness I''ve been given to you?" Every word that came out of Chen Ho''s mouth sounded disappointed. Even so, Lawrence didn''t care. Heughed even harder.
"Na?ve human. You used me while you were with me. Some of you even talk about me from behind. You think I don''t know that? Humans are hypocrites. You deserve to die!"
"YOU BASTARD!" Cheng Ho cursed his lungs out. He was really furious. "Kill that traitor!"
Lawrenceughed. "ughter these filthy creatures!"
Cheng Ho lunged at Lawrence. His men who were still in shock finally followed their leader''s orders even though they were not ready to attack the homunculus.
"Didn''t you hear it?! Attack!" Ling Tian also shouted loudly, ordering his members to charge forward. The members of the Golden Dragon then joined the attack.
"Nine Sky! Fight or die!" So did Wang Mei. The mighty woman eximed without hesitation.
The homunculus standing on the fortified tower shot arrows and cast magic. The flying monsters swooped down sharply.
shes were inevitable. The castle grounds turned into a battlefield. Everyone involved in this battle screamed. Their faces were full of anger.
There was only one person who was smiling brightly, enjoying the current situation. It was Isaac Constantine.
"Time to clear things up."
Chapter 125 Bloodshed
"Kuaaaggh!"
A hunter''s scream echoed out, signaling the first blood had just been spilled. Then the sound of metal shing and wind whistling intermingled.
The Homunculus shot arrows at dozens of hunters. Bat monsters the size of five meters swooped down and picked up hunters several times, carrying them into the sky, then dropping them from a height. Hundreds of homunculus armed to the teeth came out of the castle, breaking through the hunter''s defenses.
Of course, the hunters didn''t stand idly by as they were attacked by the enemy forces. They finished off every threat that came their way. Swords, axes, spears; every weapon in hand swung with full force. Tearing the flesh of the homunculus. Various magic was casted. Fire spurted in the air. Lightning shed like snakes. The wind whistled and blew dozens of homunculus into the air.
They fought with all their might, as if they would not see tomorrow.
Cheng Ho along with his men looked drenched in sweat. The bearded man valiantly and relentlessly called for his men to keep their ranks tight.
The hunters of the Golden Dragon fought with burning fervor. They were at the rear blocking the rain of arrows with shields and magic. Their shiny golden armor was stained by blood. Ling Tian with bated breath swung his sword relentlessly.
So were the hunters led by Wang Yi. Although this guild was almost destroyed in the past, now they were no less savage than the other two guilds. The white armored troops implemented a concentrated strategy. The soldiers formed a circr formation and moved in an overwhelming manner to sweep away the enemies blocking their way. The snipers and casters cast various types of magic towards the sky to kill the bat monsters.
"Some of them follow me! Find a way up to the top of the defense wall, stop the enemy archer squad!!!"
After saying it, Wang Mei quickly ran towards the defense wall. The sound of her screeching took the attention of several Nine Sky members, one of whom was Guo Chen.
Dual des clutched tightly in hand, Wang Mei ran through the ranks of soldiers, then scaled the wall with just her two feet. The homunculus didn''t sit idly by with that woman in their territory. They quickly attacked her.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
Instantly, blood spurted like a fountain. Body parts flew through the air and fell. What happened was that dozens of homunculus were killed by Wang Mei. The action of that woman attracted all the attention of the hunters. Ling Tian, who noticed that all the hunters were glued on Wang Mei, quickly took advantage of the situation.
"We still have a chance! Don''t give up! Give it your all!"
After the charismatic man shouted, the air instantly became trembling. All the hunters roared like hungry tigers.
Guo Chen didn''t want to be outdone either. "Didn''t you hear! Let''s go help the Leader!"
The ck-haired young man ran through the sea of people. Dozens of Nine Sky members followed him. They tried to do the same as their leader, but they failed. Only Guo Chen was able to run on the wall. Those who witnessed it seemed to have shocked faces.
Guo Chen quickly approached Wang Mei and helped the woman fight against dozens of homunculus. They fought with their backs to each other.
"Sorry I''mte Miss Wang!" said Guo Chen. His face was covered in beads of sweat and sshes of blood.
"Focus on the battle. We can''t go on like this!" Wang Mei replied by continuing to swing her sword. The two of them were not enough to face dozens of homunculus.
In the midst of facing the homunculus attack, Guo Chen was thinking of ways to bring the hunter army up.
"Earth magic! Someone use earth magic to make adder to the wall!"
From the other direction, came the hoarse and wise voice of an old man. The person who called out was Cheng Ho.
An earth element mage chanted a magic spell. The ground trembled and then it rose up gradually with varying heights. An earth staircase was formed .
"Finish off the homunculus above!" Cheng Ho screeched with all his might. All the air in his lungs came out and the muscles on his face tightened.
The Nine Sky hunters quickly ran in droves to the top of the wall. They helped Guo Chen and Wang Mei who were fighting alone. With emotions running high, they ughtered the homunculus there.
The homunculus tried to block the iing attacks, but they were pushed away. Swords and sharp objects shed through their bodies. They screamed in pain, some of them crying while groaning. After the blood drained from their bodies, they copsed and fell into the courtyard. Their bodies were trampled by the hunters.
Everything was chaotic and madness. Everyone was killing each other.
The homunculus continued to send themselves to death while watching theirrades one by one die horribly. It was as if they were born only to be sacrificed. Meanwhile, the hunters didn''t care. They continued to mercilessly kill the human-shaped monsters. Some even seemed to enjoy this battle. They didn''t realize that they weren''t fighting for life, but for bloodlust.
"Sometimes, humans can be more terrifying than monsters."
Lawrance, the trickster homunculus, stood on the outskirts of the chaotic battle. He did not fight, did not call out, did not move an inch. He just stood watching all of this as if it were an interesting spectacle.
As a homunculus, he felt grateful to be a failed product. It meant he was getting further away from human form. Because, the perfect homunculus is truly the embodiment of a human being.
In his eyes, this was the sight of humans killing humans.
"Is that how you think?"
Without him realizing it, an unfamiliar voice interrupted his mutterings. Lawrance did not know a white-haired man had been standing next to him all along. His eyes opened wide when he realized it was the enemy.
Naturally, the old homunculus jumped away from him.
"Asshole! Who are you!" The cursing words escaped from his mouth.
Meanwhile, the white-haired man just chuckled.
"I''m getting tired of hearing that line," the white-haired man retorted.
Lawrance squinted. His enemy''s behavior seemed arrogant. Of course this disgusted him. "What an ignorant human being. You think because I look old and weak, I can''t fight? You''re dead wrong."
"Even if you''re strong, you can''t beat me." Once again, the stranger''s words made her sick.
Then, Lawranceughed softly.
"You humans are not only stupid, but also blind. You are easily fooled by outward appearances. I will show you my true power."
Suddenly, Lawrance shook. His body slowly grew taller and bigger. Muscles began to appear on his legs, arms, and stomach. The wrinkled skin that covered his body tightened. The crooked spine turned straight.
The old homunculus became the size of an ogre.
However, the white-haired manughed. It was raising questions and anger at Lawrance.
"What''s so funny asshole!" Lawrance snapped as he pounded on the wall. Even so, the white-haired stranger was stillughing.
The man wiped away tears. "For a failed product you''re hrious. Just because you grew up like a gori can scare? Well, for a creature living at the age of corn you''re really funny."
Emotions were unstoppable. This was Lawrance''s greatest insult. Without warning, the homunculus shot out at high speed.
Bam!
A loud bang sound was heard.
His eyes opened wide. He found the figure of a little blue-haired girl resisting his blow.
"A-aman!?" His face was wondering. Lawrance really didn''t understand the current situation. The creature he had cared for so much was now on the enemy''s side.
"What the hell is this Aman! Why are you defending that guy!" Lawrance shouted.
In a casual tone, the little girl replied, "To help my master, of course."
"What!?"
By now, Lawrance waspletely immersed in confusion. Everything was turning out to be absurd. Monsters should only be loyal to their masters. They would never empathize let alone swear allegiance to humans.
"Who are you really...?" Lawrance looked at the white-haired man.
However, the man ignored him.
"Aman... kill this disgusting creature. I leave it to you," the man said.
"Yes, my lord," Aman replied.
Hearing the word ''lord'' from Aman, Lawrance instantly frozen. That title was only shown to the strongest entity in the dungeon. The Dungeon Master.
The man walked into the castle casually. While Lawrance could only watch him slowly vanish.
Chapter 126 Daydreaming
In a dark room,rge tubes filled with green liquid and fetuses were lined up. The sound of water bubbling and electricity screeching could be heard several times. Large pipes were visible in the ceiling along with dangling cables.
A woman with long ck hair and a pair of wings around her waist was busy with her desk full of beakers. She picked up a ss filled with green liquid and swirled it around. Her red eyes watched as the liquid slowly turned blue.
Then a smile broke out on her face.
"It worked!"
The woman looked ted, then she ran to one of the tubes containing a human fetus. Her hand picked up a hose connected to the tube. She injected the blue liquid.
The liquid inside the tube turned cyan. The fetus inside slowly grew; from a baby, to a toddler, a child, a teenager, and into an adult man. Its muscles grow muscr and its skin was grading like quartz sand.
The winged woman spread her arms andughed so loudly that her voice echoed in the room.
"Finally! The Super Homunculus is created! Hahahaha!"
Seeing the homunculus inside the tube, she touched the ss with a smile.
"My dear baby, you can''t wait to jump into the world, right? Mommy will let you go. Be patient."
In that mother-son moment, a fat man interrupted them.
"Sorry to interrupt, Lady Xenovia." The fat man said with a trembling mouth. A frightened tone could be heard in his every word. "The situation outside theb is getting worse. The humans seem to be able to break through the castle''s defenses. While other monsters are busy fighting in the west of the ind."
Hearing that, the smile on Earl Xenovia''s face vanished. She looked at the fat man with a disgusted expression on her face.
"Piggy, why is it that every time I hear a word out of your mouth it''s always about bad news."
The man called Piggy lowered his head. His body was trembling. "I''m sorry if I''ve displeased you, mydy. I''m here to suggest that we should evacuate to the Crystal Core Room immediately."
The expression shown by Earl Xenovia turned sour. She stretched out her hand as if reaching out to Piggy. Suddenly, the fat man floated in the air and flew towards her.
"Keeeugh!"
Her delicate hands tightly gripped Piggy''s neck. The poor man could only squirm like a strangled pig.
"You disgusting creature," Earl Xenovia scoffed. "Don''t act like you''re going to die. How dare you order me around. Didn''t I tell you, you just go along with my n. Do you think your mistress is powerless against those lowly humans?"
Bam!
Earl Xenovia mmed Piggy so hard that he rolled on the floor. Then, that man quickly prostrated himself.
"Forgive me, Lady. I did not dare to fight you. I will not repeat it."
Piggy said those words repeatedly. His body was shaking. Tears streamed down his face. His tongue tasted salty.
"You ipetent Dungeon Manager." Instead of mercy or pity, another insulting sentence escaped from the cruel-hearted woman. "Let the human morons in here. Deploy the main monster warriors on the 3rd Floor. Now get out of my sight."
Oink!
The breath stopped in his chest. Piggy quickly got up and ran towards the exit. However, the poor guy stopped.
Seeing her assistant stop at the door, Earl Xenovia was stunned. She reprimanded him, but Piggy was still silent. The fat man did not answer or move at all. Instead, he seemed to open his mouth wide and trembled.
"What''s wrong? Hurry up and do your work!" snapped Eark Xenovia.
"You''re so rude to your assistant."
It was not Piggy who answered her, but a charismatic and unfamiliar voice. Gaping, his assistant slowly stepped back. A white-haired man appeared from behind shadow. The man''splexion looked pale white, but the look in his eyes was intense. Blood seemed to stain the ck clothes he wore.
Earl Xenovia squinted. "Who are you? How did you get in this far."
Her head was filled with questions. Inside the castle was not empty, hundreds of powerful monsters from her experiments stood guard on every corner. Earl Xenovia had only deployed homunculus to test their strength. Judging from the blood staining that man''s clothes, it was likely that he finished all monster inside the castle. It would take at least a toon of C and B ss human troops to defeat her monster warrior.
Only demons could possibly do that.
However, the system did not detect it. Moreover, she did not sense any demon aura from the man at all.
Earl Xenovia swung a hand in the air, essing the control panel. She opened the 3rd Floor dungeon map. There were no ck dots.
"You''re not human. Who the hell are you?"
The white-haired man only smirked. He walked over to her. When he passed Piggy, he turned his head and smiled at the Dungeon Manager.
"You may leave. Do as your mastermands."
"Keeeuggh!"
Without hesitation, Piggy quickly ran out of theb. He left his master and the mysterious man alone without any hesitation.
Now, Earl Xenovia had a serious face. Her red eyes were staring warily at that mysterious man.
"Come closer, you will meet your death..." A soft, cold, and threatening voice escaped from Earl Xenovia.
The mysterious man was seen raising his hand into the air, then his hand seemed to be swallowed by space. Not long after, a ckish-green greatsword was in his grasp.
Seeing that, Earl Xenovia suddenly opened her eyes wide while smiling, her lips almost touched her ears. Sheughed loudly.
"This is interesting! There''s a demon infiltrating my dungeon together with a human! This ispletely beyond my expectations! Brilliant! I didn''t expect that there would be demons who would take advantage of these dumb creatures."
The sound ofughter stopped. The expression Earl Xenovia showed turned serious. "What is your name, Lord?"
The man grinned. "Isaac Constantine."
Hearing the answer, both of Earl Xenovia''s eyeballs opened wide for a moment.
"Oh, so you the one who killed that moron Gustav. Shouldn''t we be on the same side?" The Earl snorted. She shook his head. "Well, that''s doesn''t matter anymore."
Her red eyes glowed. Her wings spread out. Tiny invisible dust jumped up and down. Chemical equipment, tables, hoses, tubes; various objects around her shook.
"For a Baron you don''t know your ce. I will show you death."
The situation turned gripping. A strong murderous aura emanated from Earl Xenovia. However, there was no fear on Isaac''s face.
He just grinned while brandishing the greatword. "Come, let''s begin."
.
.
.
"Guo Chen!"
A woman''s yell awakened him. Wang Yi was shaking him as if his spirit was leaving his body. The woman looked very worried.
"Fool! How could you daydream in the middle of battle!"
Guo Chen was still not one hundred percent conscious. Then a hard pnded on his cheek, only then did he return to the world.
The sounds of battle continued to ring out again. The dark sky was filled with giant bats. Bursts of fire and shes of lightning from magic repeatedly decorated the terror-filled night. The hunters are still fighting desperately against the homunculus. In the midst of the battle, an ogre-like monster was seen rampaging in the middle of the field. A little girl with blue hair jumped here and there, trying to kill that monster.
Seeing the horrifying scene before him, Guo Chen finally realized that he was still in the middle of the battle.
He hissed, then a name appeared in his head. "Brother Isaac..."
Wang Mei squinted when she heard it.
Suddenly, from the top of the 10-meter-high concrete wall, Guo Chen jumped into the sea of people. The sudden action of the ck-haired young man astonished Wang Mei.
"Hey! Where are you going!"
Guo Chen ignored her call and continued to run through the crowd. Wang Mei was about to chase after her subordinate, but her attention was drawn to the sound of warhorns echoing through the air.
Not only her, the hunters who were busy fighting were looking up at the sky.
Dozens of monsters with iprehensible shapes appeared. The ogres had bat wings; the harpies were masculine-looking; the centaurs had snake hair and bird wings. Various unusual monsters filled the ck sky. Meanwhile, the giant bats quickly stepped aside, as if they were afraid of bing prey. Everyone who witnessed it turned pale.
However, that was not all.
One of the hunters shouted while pointing towards the outside of the wall.
"Look!"
Hundreds of pairs of red eyes glowed in the darkness. The distracted monsters on the west side of the ind were heading towards the castle. In fact, the battle had only been going on for less than ten minutes.
At that very moment, without leaning back Wang Mei said, "We''re fucked up."
Chapter 127 Brother
The tens of ogres flying through the sky roared loudly. Then, theynded on the battlefield at once. With a morningstar capable of crushing rocks, the monsters rampaged in the crowd of hunters. The iron ball with sharp thorns all over the surface struck the humans'' heads. Strong metal helmets crushed like a can, while their heads smashed like a watermelon.
The other monsters joined the battle, partying joyfully. The harpies swooped down sharply, grabbed the hunters, and sent them flying while ripping their bodies in midair. The centaurs turned every human looking at their eyes into stone.
In a matter of seconds, the battle became a killing field.
"Arrrrrgggg! Everyone, don''t be afraid! As long as they breathe, they can still be killed!"
Cheng Ho screamed all his emotions out until his lungs felt like they were being ripped out. The bearded man killed every monster in front of him. Their blood stained his body until the armor he was wearing turned red.
The gold-armored hunters were still fighting fiercely even though the number of monsters kept increasing non-stop. It was thanks to their leader, Ling Tian. The charismatic man knew how to boost the morale of his men, so they weren''t afraid of the onught of endless waves of monsters.
"We are the Golden Dragon! The strongest hunters in all of maind China! Nothing can stop us! Including today! Let''s fight till the end!"
"Yeah!"
On the other hand, Wang Mei and several of her men who were facing the homunculus didn''t seem to be burning with passion like the two leading figures at this party. The cold-headed woman did not rush to call her men to fight in the battle and mustered all their strength even in this dire situation. She was still silent, as if her head was deep in thought.
"Leader, what should we do??!"
"The enemy reinforcements areing. At this rate, we will be finished."
Some of her men couldn''t hide their worries. The monsters outside the walls starteding out of the shadows and running towards the castle. Ogre with wings and the centaur with the Medusa head, the invading monster forms had unusual bodies. The two-headed hobgoblin; the slim that had bones; the orc that had a skin like wood, all of them charged towards the castle at once.
Wang Mei couldn''t fight the monsters with little information carelessly, so she took a different decision.
"You guys kill all the homunculus here. We must take control of the high ground position. Tell the casters and marksmen toe here. The rest, the fighters, we''ll hold at the gates. Don''t let them in. We take advantage of this castle fort."
"Yes, Leader!"
After giving her men an order, Wang Mei quickly jumped off the wall and broke through the battlefield. The woman ran towards the crowd of gold-armored hunters.
Wang Mei walked over to Ling Tian who was busy restraining the attacks of the two ogres. He jumped onto one of the ogres and his dual swords shot out swiftly, inflicting red lines on the monster''s massive body.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
Within seconds, the monster''s body turned into chunks of flesh.
After that, Ling Tian quickly finished off the remaining ogres with wings. His sword emitted embers, then he swung it at the monster.
Wooosh!
"Keugh!"
Instantly, the ogre caught on fire and copsed. It squirmed until it finally didn''t move again.
Lin Tian was about to say thank you, but the woman cut him off.
"Save your thanks forter. I need your help."
Hearing that, Ling Tian''s face became curious. A group of homunculus came to attack them. The two of them talked while fighting the monsters.
"What do you need?" Ling Tian asked. Six homunculus attacked him simultaneously. He deflected it and attacked them back several times.
"The monsters that should still be busy fighting in the west of the ind areing here."
Instantly, Ling Tian opened his eyes wide. He quickly killed the six homunculus with fire magic, then he ordered his men to set up a defensive barricade for the two of them.
"What do you want me to do?" A serious tone sounded in every word that came out of Ling Tian''s mouth. His eyes were fixed on the eyes of the woman in front of him.
"I need some of your men to hold the gate area. We leave the battle in the courtyard to Crimson Dawn," replied Wang Mei.
She paused for a moment. Her expression darkened as if trying to swallow a bitter pill.
"If we fail to stop them, we will all die."
.
.
.
nk! nk! nk!
The sound of metal shing echoed within the darkb. Various objects flew and shot at high speed.
Isaac dodged every attack that came his way, while asionally deflecting them with ck Jade. On the other hand, Earl Xenovia didn''t move an inch from her ce, only moving her fingers in the air. The woman had a telekinesis skill that was able to move various objects without having to touch them directly.
"You''re a Baron. No wonder you''re weak. Still, if your strength is only this much, you''re a real disappointment."
Earl Xenovia only used basic magic. That cruel-hearted woman hadn''t used any artefacts yet. She tried to test Isaac''s strength since the man had an extraordinary weapon. Moreover, a strange aura radiated from his greatsword made her curious.
Of course, Isaac held back his power. He still hadn''t unleashed his full power. The Mortal Ring was still hanging around his neck, half of his power was still blocked by that artefact.
This was part of his n.
From the start, he used the hunter joint raid as bait. He wanted Earl Xenovia''s entire attention to focus on the hunters and send all their monsters to them. That way, he could infiltrate the castle without being caught.
And now, Isaac could freely fight against that rank 20 Dungeon Master without any distractions.
However, defeating Earl Xenovia was not his main goal.
The longer it went, the more boring the fight got. Both sides hadn''t pulled out their trump cards yet. Earl Xenovia was still ying with her telekinesis, throwing various objects, while Isaac just dodged and deflected the attacks. The thrown objects were encased in high-concentration mana, his skin would be injured even if it got on him slightly.
Both of them were so patiently waiting for the opponent to bring out their true power. However, if the situation were to drag on, it would only benefit Earl Xenovia. Isaac didn''t have much time. The hunters fighting in the outer courtyard wouldn''tst long.
Too tired of waiting, Isaac tried to find a way to get the woman with wings to be a little serious. His gaze swept through the room. He looked around, then he came up with an interesting idea.
A smirk appeared on his face.
Swooosh! Swooosh! Swooosh!
Rocks, ss bottles, metal, table; Various objects flew towards Isaac, as if gravity seemed to be centered on him. He stopped dodging and strengthened his foothold.
Isaac gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. A vortex of wind flowed and enveloped his sword, as if it was forming a tornado. He then swung it with full force, the highpressed wind that formed a crescent moon shot out swiftly.
Seeing the deadly winding towards her, Earl Xenovia quickly dodged it.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of broken ss and loud bangs boomed deafening ears. When Earl Xenovia turned her head, she realized the tubes containing her experiment had been crushed. A thick green liquid pooled on the floor along with the squirming bits of flesh. The veins on her temples and hands protruded, and she clenched her soft hands until they bled.
The woman turned to Isaac while ring furiously. "You savage demon! How dare you kill my future babies?!" A threatening tone of anger came out of her mouth.
Isaac just smiled as if he did nothing.
"Why are you so mad? Sooner orter, I will also kill them."
His words made the long ck-haired woman get angrier. She essed the inventory, then her hand held a staff with a blue crystal ball at the tip.
"This time, I will really kill you!"
Hearing the death threats aimed at him, Isaac was not afraid. Instead, he smiled broadly. He then checked the artefact that the woman was holding.
[ss : A]
[Type : Artefact (staff)]
[A staff that was once given to a chosen human named Moses.]
[The Staff has a strong affinity for the elements of air and water. The use of magic from these two elements will reduce mana consumption by 60%.]
Isaac moistened his lips after reading the item''s description.
''A legendary artefact. If I''m not mistaken, this item became a bone of contention at the auction yesterday. It''ll be a troublesome battle if I''m doing it half-hearted.''
ck Jade was a weapon with the element of wind. With Moses''s Staff having the same affinity, this battle was less in his favour.
Suddenly, the air around him turned cold. Snowkes began to form in the empty air. The floor suddenly froze. Around Earl Xenovia, dozens of crystals were seen floating. The sharp edge of the crystal pointed at Isaac, as if ready to pounce on him anytime.
"This time, you will die by my hands," Earl Xenovia threatened him.
At that nerve-wracking moment, a voice suddenly interrupted their battle.
"Brother¡"
From the direction of the exit, there was a young man with ck hair in white armor. The nerves on his face seemed to tighten after seeing the sight of the woman surrounded by the crystals.
"Brother...?" A question popped up in Earl Xenovia''s head. This was the first time she had heard a human consider a demon as a brother.
Not long after, sheughed out loud.
Guo Chen frowned. The young man did not understand why the woman wasughing at him. On the other hand, Isaac had a worried look on his face.
"This is interesting! How interesting! There is a demon making a rtionship with a human. I would have never thought that someone would go this far!"
Earl Xenovia was talking andughing to herself like a madman. Guo Chen was still like an ignorant child, while Isaac looked worried.
"Guo Chen! Get out of here! Just help the others fight outside!" Isaac eximed. Cold sweat trickled down on his face.
"No, Brother. I''ll help you!" Guo Chen paid him no heed. The man even drew his sword.
Earl Xenovia smiled broadly. Her face looked terrifying.
Suddenly, dozens of ice crystals shot towards Guo Chen. Of course, the young man was not prepared for the surprise attack.
"Dodge!" cried Isaac emotionally.
However, the young man stiffened in his ce, watching the crystals charge at him.
Without hesitation, Isaac shot towards Guo Chen. Unfortunately, the ice crystals were too fast.
St! St! St!
A thick red liquid stained the floor. Guo Chen opened his eyes wide.
"BROTHER!!!"
Chapter 128 Frozen
Isaac copsed. Three ice crystals were embedded in his chest. Guo Chen quickly caught him before his body hit the floor.
"Brother!" The young man eximed while shaking him repeatedly.
Isaac remained silent. A little blood flowed out of his lips. His face was so pale and his eyes were wide. He only saw Guo Chen''s face which was inplete shock.
On the other side, Earl Xenoviaughed watching the two of them. This was the first time she had witnessed a demon who wanted to sacrifice for a human. If other demons saw it, they would alsough at this scene.
"What kind of joke is this? I thought something like this wouldn''t happen. It turns out... I didn''t expect the rtionship between demons and humans to go this far."
The dungeon master could not stopughing at them. Various sentences of scorn came out of her mouth. Nevertheless, Guo Chen paid no heed. His attention was still on Isaac who was drooping helplessly.
"Brother... hang in there... hang in there..." Every sentence that escaped from Guo Chen sounded soft and stuttered. His body trembled and tears began to well up in his eyes. They hadn''t met for long, but for some reason, seeing Isaac slowly losing his life scared him to death.
With a pale look, Isaac said, "You always act like this. Without powers... you''re trying to protect others."
"Brother..."
"You''re weak... In the end, you won''t be able to save anyone..."
After that, Isaac closed his eyes.
Guo Chen was silent. His face turned dark.
In that moment, he did not feel sorrow, but regret. A feeling he had once felt and tried to forget. The feeling that arose when watching hisrades die in front of him when he promised to protect them. He vowed not to repeat the same mistake, and now, the opposite was happening.
Fear, failure, regret, trauma. Bitter emotions that he did not want to feel filled his chest.
Guo Chen curled up like a doll.
On the other hand, the woman who caused this event looked very happy. To her, there was nothing more enjoyable than seeing the suffering of others. Happiness can only be obtained in two ways; creating it or taking it away from others.
In addition, she was satisfied that she could avenge Isaac after his entire experiment was destroyed.
"Interesting... and pathetic. Emotion is fun, but it will weaken you, Lord Isaac. You deserve to die."
Earl Xenovia raised her hand, ice crystals forming from the empty air
"Get lost..."
Swooosh! Swoooosh! Swoooosh!
Dozens of ice crystals shot out at such a high speed that the wind whistled.
At that moment, Guo Chen should have died in the blink of an eye. However, the opposite happened.
Creack! Creack! Creack!
The ice crystals shattered like pieces of ss. The Dungeon Master opened her eyes wide.
"Ho... so, it turns out you awakened your skill."
A crimson aura seemed to envelop Guo Chen. The man seemed to change 180 degrees. His originally pitch-ck hair turned white as snow. His clothes were torn, and his body became burly. The man stared at his enemy, his ck eyes with red pupils radiating hatred.
Earl Xenovia looked excited to see the changes in her opponent. What''s more, she felt a strong killing aura from that man.
"Hmmm... Let''s see-"
Bam!
Before she could finish her sentence, a metal table was thrown in front of her. Luckily, Mistress Xenovia had quick reflexes, before the objectnded on her face, she had time to cast magic and create a wall of ice that fortified her.
Her veins was throbbing. The woman clenched her fists while looking at Guo Chen with a displeased gaze. The incident angered the Dungeon Master.
"Humans are sassy. Even dogs know how to be ethical." Earl Xenovia uttered in a soft, threatening tone. "You will die."
Despite this, Guo Chen did not look intimidated. In fact, the man looked confident.
He looked at his own hands. He felt a great power flowing within him. His instincts told him nothing could stop him in this world. He could devour anything that came his way.
Guo Chen took a deep breath, then looked back at the woman with the crystal staff in front of him. Puffing out his chest, he walked over to the enemy.
Of course, Earl Xenovia did not remain silent. The woman flicked a finger, and once again dozens of crystals ice shot out at high speed.
Unexpectedly, Guo Chen vanished.
Both of her eyes were wide open.
Suddenly, the man with the aura of death was already five steps ahead of her. Earl Xenovia quickly cast ice magic without a second thought. A spike of ice shot towards Guo Chen.
Creack! Creack!
She squinted. A red aura devoured her ice. Just a second after she responded to the attack, Guo Chen suddenly appeared in front of her. His hand enveloped by the red aura looked like it was about to kill the female demon.
St!
Swoooosh!
Thud!
The human was mmed into the wall. ck dust scattered. Nevertheless, Earl Xenovia seemed to be in deep shock.
She touched his cheek. Her eyes bulged, then her whole body trembled. She saw blood on her fingertips.
Just before she used telekinesis to push Guo Chen away, the man managed tond a wound on the Demon Mistress''s face.
"How...how dare you?"
The wound she felt was not much, but her pride waspletely tarnished. For a great noble of the Nethend, it never entered her head that a human who was a lowly creature would be able to touch her.
This was an insult. This was a disgrace. No one should know about this. Especially not a demon. Even if she hated and disliked them, if this spead out, then it was the end of her life. The Barons would despise her, the Eight Dukes would be unwilling to cooperate with her. Her rtionship with Duke Barbatos could be jeopardized.
But what she was most afraid of was if other nobles would target her dungeon. Of course this would be a bad news,.
A demon lord was sessfully harmed by humans, surely they were very weak, right?
Before that happens, Earl Xenovia must get rid of the source of the problem.
"I WILL KILL YOU...."
Earl Xenovia''s roar echoed in theb.
The red aura thundered, the dust in the air vanished. Guo Chen could be seen standing tall, his white hair floating in the air. While on his body emitted a fierce mana surge.
He looked serious about facing Earl Xenovia. So did his opponent.
The woman''s eyes shed blue. She floated in the air as thousands of ice crystals formed. The entire room froze. The floor, the ceiling, theboratory items; everything was covered in ice.
The crystal ball at her staff shed brightly. Guo Chen was seen squinting his eyes. After that, thousands of tiny ice needles shot out at a speed that made the air whistle.
Swoooosh! Swoooosh! Swoooosh!
Without hesitation, Guo Chen also lunged out. A red aura enveloped his body like armor.
Creack! Creack! Creack!
Seeing her ice crystals shatter, Earl Xenovia quickly changed her attack. She let out an ice spike and a loud angis.
"You can dodge that, how about this!"
Guo Chen jumped here and there, dodging every ice attack. A crystal the size of a human body shot towards him, without a second thought, he smashed it. However, his hands froze instead.
"Gotcha!"
The ice woman fired another round of frozen bullets.
Sash! Sash! Sash!
However, the size of the object was so small, making it difficult for Guo Chen to avoid it. He again cloaked his body with red aura.
"How long are you going to hold out?"
The female demon chanted wind magic, instantly a fierce wind blew, a blizzard ensued. Snow filled the room.
Guo Chen was trying to survive the tremendous push of the wind. The red mana wrapped around his body was slowly thinning. His feet slowly began to freeze.
Realizing he had no more time, the man of steel gathered all the strength in his legs. Then he darted through the strong winds of the storm magic.
A grin appeared on Earl Xenovia''s face. She saw an opportunity.
"Scram!"
At the moment Guo Chen was three steps away, an ice spike appeared from the mounting snow pile.
Bam!
"Keugggg-"
Guo Chen was mmed against the frozen ceiling. The ice that pierced a portion of his abdomen flowed blood.
Wasting no time, Earl Xenovia took advantage of her superior situation byunching dozens of ice crystals at the man. Guo Chen quickly cloaked his body with red mana, the sharp crystals shattering.
However, it did notst long.
St! St! St!
Ice crystals broke through the mana armor.
Earl Xenoviaughed hysterically.
"Die!"
After torturing Guo Chen with her ice thorns for a while, she stopped her attack. Her hand rose into the air, then the man''s body was pulled up and into her palm.
The female demon strangled his neck.
"How does it feel to be in the presence of death? Isn''t it fun?" quipped Earl Xenovia.
Guo Chen looked helpless. His entire body was frozen. He couldn''t move an inch.
"A creature like you, how dare you injure the face of a noble. However, I recognize your strength. Not many creatures have managed to touch Demon Lords, even ordinary demons."
Earl Xenovia grinned widely as she tightened her grip. Guo Chen looked in pain, his head beginning to feel dizzy.
"You''re lucky I''m a good demon, I''ll take your life without making you suffer."
Guo Chen will die. That''s how it should be. However, fate said otherwise.
St!
"Kuarrrrrgggghh!"
Fresh blood rushed out. Earl Xenovia screamed in pain. She watched as her handy on a pile of snow. Her breathing was ragged, her pupils dted. The woman didn''t understand what had just happened.
Everything had happened so fast.
Until she heard someone chuckling. She turned to the source of the sound and her eyes opened wide.
A man who should have died was standing right in front of her.
Chapter 129 Win?
"Fire!"
The battle in the castle courtyard was getting crazier. The number of deaths from both sides increased dramatically. Corpses, whether human or monster, were trampled like trash.
Screams echoed without pause. Smoke billowed in the sky like clouds.
"Everyone! Follow me!"
A handsome man in golden armor called out amidst the chaos of battle. Dozens of men in simr armor followed him. Among them, there was a ck short-haired woman with blood sttered on her armor.
"Ling Tian, we must hold the gate as soon as possible!" the woman shouted.
"I know!"
They broke through the crowd of monsters. Ling Tian turned into a human torch and burned away any monsters that got in his way. Wang Mei also helped clear the way for the golden-armored troops to pass. She jumped ten meters, then finished off the monsters.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
Dozens of monsters turned into lumps of meat.
"Everyone, ready on defense!"
They arrived at the gate of the castle wall. From outside, countless monsters flocked towards them. Seeing their numbers, the Golden Dragon hunters gulped.
Goblins, gnolls, trolls, lycan, and various others; all sorts of monsters with strange shapes were running around as if they were looking for prey.
"Don''t be afraid! We''ll be able to face them! We''ll win!" eximed Ling Tian mightily.
Within seconds, the sh happened.
"Graaarwwr!"
Werelion roared to start their sh. Swords swung. Flesh was torn. Blood spilled onto the ground. Casters in golden armor chanted spells; the soil rolled like waves; ice flew through the air; and mes spurted like the breath of a dragon.
The Golden Dragon troops led by Ling Tian withstood the onught of the monsters. Wang Mei confidently jumped onto them.
sh! sh! sh!
Her dual des danced and uprooted thousands of monster lives, ughtering them like mowing grass.
"Miss Wang! We''ll help!"
From the top of the castle wall, the hunters of Nine Skyunched an attack.
Swooosh! Swoooosh! Swooooosh!
St!
"Kuaaak!"
Thousands of arrows wrapped in lightning, ice, and fire; rained down on the monsters. They copsed in seconds. The hunters of Golden Dragon were on fire watching the scene. Their confidence grew.
Seeing the situation gain the upper hand, Wang Mei smiled while killing the monsters.
From the beginning, she nned to use the enemies''s castle as a defense. As long as there was only one entrance, the monsters would only move at one point. That way, it would be easy for the hunters to eliminate the monsters that came charging in. Even if there were thousands of them.
"We can survive! Keep fighting!" Wang Mei eximed passionately.
The woman was confident that she could survive this battle as long as she could withstand the waves of monsters from outside the castle. However, reality was always different from expectations.
In the midst of their superiority, something suddenly fell from the sky. The ground shook. Everyone''s attention was drawn to the object, but ck dust covered the scene.
"What was that?"
"Comet?"
Various questions popped into their heads. Not long after, the dust gone and everything became clear.
Everyone opened their eyes wide. Wang Mei and Ling Tian were no exception. They stuttered and their lips trembled.
A giant creature appeared amidst thousands of monsters. That thing was Lawrence. What scared them was not his appearance, but what the creature was holding.
Lawrance seemed to be grinning widely. He threw it.
"You think you can win? Don''t be stupid..."
It was a human body split into two.
"No... way..." Ling Tian actually looked pale.
While Wang Mei was frozen. Both of her hands holding the sword trembled. "Cheng Ho..."
.
.
.
Isaac stood up straight. His face looked rxed. No wound, no blood. He waspletely as he was before. Mistress Xenovia who saw his condition waspletely astonished.
"You sly fox...!" A soft tone rang out from her words, but the hatred was thick from. The female demon held her severed arm which continued to ooze blood. "All this time you were pretending and waiting for an opportunity, you coward."
"Well, I have hundreds of potions and dozens of elixr in my inventory," Isaac replied in a casual tone.
What Earl Xenovia said was true.
However, he pretended to be dead not just to wait for an opportunity. In fact, Isaac was confident enough to face the Earl alone. His real goal was, he wanted Guo Chen to awaken his innate skill.
That human had an extraordinary skill that was fairly rare and desired by demons. Even this skill would be fought over at the auctionter. The name of the skill was "Blood of Asura."
A skill that allows the user to increase physical strength and mana capacity by 200%. The user would continue to experience an increase in strength as time goes by, but would shrink when bleeding too much.
That was the reason why Guo Chen''s strength was declining. He continued to receive relentless attacks from Earl Xenovia. If they at the same level, perhaps the oue of the battle would had been different.
Isaac took advantage of the trauma the young man had. Humans would had a breakthrough when they were at rock bottom. When they has nothing left, they would unleashed all their hidden potential.
And his n to utilize that was a great sess. Guo Chen managed to bring out an innate skill.
Crackle! Crackle!
Naturally, Earl Xenovia raised his hand into the air and crystal shards shot out. Isaac just swung Jade ck, the sharp ices that rushed at him were knocked away like nothing.
A smirk appeared on his face. "If I were you, I would take my staff first instead of attacking my opponent."
Realizing the faux pas she hadmitted due to being consumed by emotions, Earl Xenovia quickly reached a hand into the air, trying to retrieve her weapon lying in the snow. However, a sharppressed wind came.
Swooosh!
"Arggg!"
Bam!
Snow scattered through the air. The Mistress managed to dodge the killing blow, but did notpletely escape. Her shoulder was scratched 30 cm.
"Sneaky fox!!!" cursed Xenovia. Her lips pursed.
Isaac just chuckled. "Never trust what your opponent says. Lesson two."
The long-haired demoness quickly picked up her staff with telekinesis. When itnded in her hand, her eyes glowed blue, then a blizzard for the second time urred. The wound on her arm also froze.
The fierce wind, the ice pellets, the cold temperature; all attacked Isaac simultaneously.
Nevertheless, the white-haired man did not seem worried.
"You forget there''s not just one enemy," he said.
Without Earl Xenovia realizing it, a hand-shaped red aura wed at her. Her waist was torn. Pain spread throughout her body. Blood spurted out and instantly froze in the air.
Guo Chen had already broken free from the ice trap. That young man did not give the earl time to breathe. He unleashed a thicker red aura andunched a multiple attack.
Sash! Sash! Sash!
Dozens of hand-shaped red auras came at the demoness. She could not dodge them, only able to bring out a dozens wall of ice to withstand the attacks. However, the ices that should be solid as coral shattered like ss.
"Arrrgggg-!"
Earl Xenovia was unprepared for Guo Chen. With only one hand, she could not use telekinesis because she had to hold Moses''s Staff. s, she could only defend.
Seeing a great opportunity to kill the Earl, Isaac took the opportunity. He gathered mana on Jade ck. Then swung the greatsword.
Swooooosh!
An invisible wind de shot out at high speed, cutting through wind, snow, shards, and anything in its path.
Including the ice walls.
Creak! Creak! Creack!
Earl Xenovia tried to resist the attack with all her remaining mana, unfortunately she was toote, as a result her body was blown away.
Thud!
The demoness was pinned against the wall, thorns piercing her body. Her remaining hand was crushed along with her left leg. Moses''s Staffid in a pile of snow. She waspletely immobilized.
Earl Xenovia had lost.
Guo Chen stood in front of the woman with a hateful gaze. His hands were shaking. He was trying to restrain himself from killing her.
Isaac walked over to the Earl who was covered in blood on the wall.
"You win... Lord Isaac..." said the dying demoness. Her face was pale, covered in blood, and her eyes looked desperate. The arrogance had vanished from her. "What... are you waiting for? Kill me..."
Isaac smiled. Not because of seeing Earl Xenovia''s terrible condition, but herst words. The Demon Mitress chose to be killed in order to maintain her pride. Even though he intended to forgive her.
"I''m giving you a second chance. Serve me, I will let you live," he said.
Earl Xenovia chuckled. "There is nothing left of me... other than my pride and my word. I already gave my oath to Lord Barbatos. Don''t expect me to be your dog..." She spat at Isaac, but her blood and saliva fell into the snow.
Isaac took a deep breath. He understood the earl''s decision. "I respect your decision. You are a true noble." He nced at Guo Chen. "End her suffering..."
Hearing Isaac''s order, the female demon opened her eyes wide. Her pale face suddenly seemed to stiffen.
"Lord Isaac! What are you saying!? You want that dog to kill me? Kill me with your own hands! Kill me! Lord Isaac!" Earl Xenovia struggled while screaming with all the strength he had left. Meanwhile, the demon who decided his fate did not seem to budge in the slightest.
His attention was glued on Guo Chen.
The man carried out the order. He quickly strangled the dying demon. Earl Xenovia uttered an curses, but none of it came out. Her breath and speech were stuck in her neck.
"Keeeeuggg... L...l-ord... Is... a..."
The grip on her neck grew stronger. Breath began to falter. Saliva gathered in the mouth. Her eyes began to get wet. Her head began to feel dizzy. Slowly everything became a blur. Until finally, everything she saw went dark.
Earl Xenovia was dead.
Ding!
[The Dungeon Master has been killed outside of PvP!]
[Nearby demon detected!]
[Isaac Constantine]
[Do you want to receive the dungeon?]
[Yes/No]
A notification appeared. Since this battle was not PvP, if the dungeon master was killed, the system would detected the demons inside the dungeon and would gave them options.
Bam.
Guo Chen fainted. The man returned to the way he was before. His hair turned ck and his body back to normal.
"Hm... not bad, you can survive this far. I thought you were going to die."
Just as Isaac was about to press the option, he felt someone''s presence. A short fat man with an almost pig-like face walked cautiously towards the demon.
The fat man trembled and bowed his head when in Isaac''s presence. Inferior, there was no confidence in him at all.
"Lord... my name is Piggy. I''m the... dungeon manager. I... I am at your service," he stammered.
Seeing Piggy''s behavior, Isaac wondered how Earl Xenocia treated her assistant.
Isaac sighed.
"You don''t have to do that. You won''t be my assistant. This dungeon will be in ruins."
Instantly, both of Piggy''s eyeballs opened wide. He was truly surprised that Isaac would not im the dungeon.
Chapter 130 Hope
"Wh-what?" Piggy stammered. "It seems I heard wrong" The fat man still couldn''t believe what he had just heard.
"You didn''t hear wrong. I will not im this dungeon."
Hearing Isaac''s firm answer, Piggy lowered his shoulders. Disappointment was evident on his face. He had long hoped to find a new master. A master who would treat him well.
However, that hope had to be dashed.
Isaac did not im the dungeon for no reason. Xenovia was an Earl, a middle-ss noble. Despite her ugly and anti-social nature, that female demon had quite a good image. Her strength could not be underestimated. She was the first demon invited by Duke Barbatos into his alliance.
If an Earl was defeated by a Baron, this would certainly attract the attention of the dungeon masters. Especially since it had only been a year since the game started. They would definitely pay more attention to the demon that defeated her. The Dukes would definitely mark the demon.
Isaac would be the bounty.
A nail sticking out needed to be hammered. People tend to dislike individuals who stand out. Anyone who looks unique will be beaten down to look the same as everyone else. This also applies to demons. The nobles would crush Isaac if he rose too high in the ranks. It was not impossible that they would kill him before he reached his full power.
Even more so the Dukes. They have high paranoia.
Hence, Isaac decided to keep a low profile. He chose to give up the dungeon rather than face 106 Demon Lords simultaneously.
Piggy let out a disappointed sigh. "Alright if that''s your decision, lord."
That fat man suddenly bowed down. Of course, this surprised Isaac.
"I thank you for relieving my suffering from Lady Xenovia," he said in a sincere tone.
Isaac smiled and shook his head.
His attention was then drawn to the Moses''s Staff lying in the snow. He picked up the legendary weapon and checked its condition.
"Lucky this artifact wasn''t destroyed."
Actually, Isaac didn''t n to get Moses''s Staff at all. Although his magic stat was very high, he had no talent as a caster. He was an all-rounder fighter who could use a variety of weapons, but not magic casting.
This was pure luck. However, there was another piece of luck waiting for him.
As he put Moses''s Staff into his inventory, something caught his eye.
Among the debris, there was a me of light in a pile of snow. Isaac approached the object. He walked up to it while squinting. His hand rubbed the snow that buried it. Slowly, a bright green light hit his face.
His eyes opened wide as he grinned.
A dormant homunculs was inside the capsule tube. His body was athletic. His skin looked as shiny as quartz sand. Not a single hair was visible on the man''s body. He waspletely different from the average homunculus.
"This is...!"
[Name: ???]
[Race: Super Homunculus]
[Type: Savage]
[ss: S]
[Level: 1]
Isaac discovered the strongest creature from Earl Xenovia''s experiment. Super Homunculus. In his past memories, this creature was often seen in Duke Barbatos'' battle troops. Isaac did not have detailed information on how he fell into the demon''s hands. He suspected that Earl Xenovia gave Super Homunculus to Duke Barbatos as a form of proof of loyalty.
Overall, it is not much different from homunculus in general. Has a slightly higher strength than humans who experience awakening. It''s just that, the super homunculus is able to level up without the need to upgrade.
"Not too great, but it''s pretty decent."
Piggy looked curious. He joined in on what Isaac was looking at. Instantly, his eyes opened wide as well. He had often seen homunculus, but had never seen one with such a strong aura.
Just as the fat man was about to ask, Isaac broke the ss of the cotton tube. Green liquid instantly spurted and drenched his body.
As the green liquid diminished, the homunculus'' sleeping face sensed the air. Then, his eyes opened. A pair of golden pupils stared at Isaac.
"Papa..." said the super homunculus.
Isaac grinned. He touched the homunculus'' face. "Good boy, good boy. I am not your father. I am your employer. From now on, you will obey me. I give you a name, Seth."
"Seth?" her eyes looked questioning. The homunculus really looked confused.
"Go back to sleep. I''ll wake you back up."
"Yes, Master." The homunculus closed its eyes again.
Isaac smiled widely.
Piggy pursed his lips. The fat man had not expected that the lord would be able to tame a sleeping monster.
The demon essed the inventory.
[Do you want to put ''Super Homunculus (S)'' into inventory?]
[Yes/No]
Ding!
[Monster is put into inventory!]
Because of the super homunculus'' conspicuous form, she chose not to carry it along.
Isaac then approached Guo Chen who was passed out on a pile of snow. He lifted the young man onto his shoulders. His attention returned to the system window.
His finger pointed at the ''No'' option.
"My business is done. Goodbye, Piggy," he said.
Piggy smiled widely. For the first time, the man felt treated with respect. He bowed his head. "I pray you win this game, my lord."
Isaac pressed the option.
Ding!
[You did not receive this dungeon.]
[The dungeon''s possession is empty.]
[The dungeon will be destroyed.]
[Ranking will be randomized in order.]
[Starts the destruction of the dungeon.]
[Within 24 hours, the dungeon will be destroyed!]
After the notification disappeared, a huge shock suddenly urred. This didn''t happen to theb alone, but the entire floor of the dungeon.
The self-destruction began.
Piggy slowly vanished. His body faded into fragments of light. Since he was born from the Crystal Core, his existence was tied to the dungeon. In other words, the dungeon vanished, and so did he.
Isaac then walked leisurely towards the exit.
.
.
.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of explosions echoed through the air. Lawrance raged in the center of the battlefield. The hunters fought desperately. Bitterness could be seen on their faces. The death of Cheng Ho was enough to break their morale.
The bearded man was not a Six Star, but still, his existence was very influential. He was the leader of the party. His every decision determined the fate of his members.
However, they still couldn''t give up. If the raid leader died, the position would automatically fall to the highest rank in the party. Since Ling Tian and Golden Dragon were not part of the party from the beginning, this position went to Wang Mei.
Now, that mighty woman was inmand of the battle.
"The battle still continues. Hope still hasn''t been dashed! We will win this battle!"
Wang Mei shouted with all the breath left in her chest. Her words sounded excited, but she was actually really pessimistic about winning the battle.
The morale of herbat troops had plummeted. Especially the hunters from Phoenix Armada. Their mentality really couldn''t be helped. Many of them were killed.
Lawrance was rampaging in the middle of the battle. He ravaged the battlefield. Meanwhile, the low-ss monsters continued to pressure the hunters from various sides; from the front, from the back, and even from the air.
The small number of Golden Dragons made it difficult for them to withstand the endless waves of monsters. Even if the hunters from Nine Sky helped out on the frontlines, their presence still wasn''t enough.
The human troops continued to be pushed back.
Seeing the increasingly dangerous situation, Wang Mei began to make decisions.
"Ling Tian, please hold the front line as much as possible," she shouted in the middle of the battle.
"This is what I''m doing!" Ling Tian snapped back. The man who always appeared charismatic looked frantic. This situation made him desperate.
Wang Mei only bit her lip when she heard his reply. The woman ran to the back, brought 50 of her men, then helped the rearguard troops sweep away the enemies inside the castle. Though the Phoenix Armada was superior in numbers, they were overwhelmed by the few homunculus and ogres.
She quickly jumped into the crowd of monsters and killed them off. Her sword shes cut off dozens of monster heads.
St! St! St!
"Everyone! Don''t be afraid! We can win this battle!"
Wang Mei shouted hope to the hunters of Phoenix Armada.
"Don''t give up! Remember your loved ones who are waiting for your return home. Remember them! Fight for them!"
Her shouting prated the heads of the maroon-armored hunters. They opened their eyes wide and mumbled the names of their loved ones.
Hope reignited their spirit.
"Yeah! I want to go home! We''ll beat them!"
"My mom''s waiting at the hospital! I must go home!"
"We''re going home!"
Various exmations of encouragement echoed through the air. Instantly, their morale was boosted. They began to kill the ogres and homunculus on the castle grounds.
Seeing her men''s condition improve, Wang Mei smiled. Although the smile was actually bitter.
She was well aware of the situation. She was only prolonging the lives of her men by taking over the castle. This n was a gamble, as an attack coulde from within. Wang Mei didn''t know what was inside the castle. But since no monsters came out, she assumed that castle was empty.
This was all she could do. After Cheng Ho''s death and Lawrance''s appearance, the possibility of them winning was small because many hunters were killed. They could only survive until the end.
At least that''s what Wang Mei thought.
The monsters inside the castle courtyard were sessfully wiped out. Slowly, the human army entered the castle. They held back the onught of monsters from behind the walls.
"Is this all you got?! HAHAHA!"
Lawranceughed as he fought Ling Tian in the form of a human torch. The gold-armored hunters fought with all their might to help the man.
In that moment of hopelessness, suddenly, a massive earthquake urred.
Chapter 131 Get Out
Everyone instantly panicked. The vibration was getting stronger and stronger. The hunters nced at each other. They had puzzled looks on their faces, trying to figure out what had happened. They were afraid if there was a threat or a more powerful monster appeared. If it was true, the hope they had created would crumble again.
However, something surprising shook that fear away.
Suddenly, all the monsters stopped attacking. They all looked desperate. The homunculus put down their weapons. The ogres and goblins knelt down. The harpies circled in the sky. Lawrence, who looked arrogant, suddenly curled in fear with his mouth wide open. It was as if the thing he had been afraid of, finally came true.
"Impossible¡"
Wang Mei still couldn''t process the current situation, but she took a chance on the situation.
"Do not just stand still! Attack them!" The woman''s shrill voice echoed throughout the air, reaching every hunter''s ears.
Thousands of hunters quickly attacked the remaining monsters. Without the slightest doubt, they ughtered the monsters who were in despair. Even though only a few seconds ago the monsters appeared ruthless and vicious, now they havepletely surrendered. There was no resistance at all. They let the hunters ughter them.
Of course, this situation surprised Wang Mei, while her men didn''t care. They continued to ughter the defenseless monsters amidst the strong vibration on the ground. They were already drowning in anger after seeing the deaths of theirrades.
On the other hand, a ck-haired man d in golden armor was seen gazing at the empty air in the middle of the battlefield.
"What really happened?" murmured the man.
Ling Tian was taken aback by the drastic change in the situation. The front line suddenly became easy. His men ughtered the monsters like livestock. They should be suppressed, yet it was the other way around.
Then, Ling Tian saw Lawrence who lookedpletely terrified. An opportunity finally appeared before him.
His eyes narrowed fiercely. Fire began to envelop his body. Then, he shot towards the monster¡
"Arrrrrggh!"
sh!
The burning sword swung in the air until the wind whistled. A head then rolled on the ground. Lawrence was beheaded in less than a second.
"Just this?"
There was no satisfaction at all after killing the monster. Ling Tian felt strange. The man realized something was wrong with the current situation.
"What is this¡?"
GGGGRRRRRR
A huge earthquake shook the dungeon. However, the battle still continued. Wang Mei stopped killing the helpless monsters. Then, she went to the top of the fortified wall. The woman examined the situation of the battle, trying to figure out the cause of this oddity.
However, she found nothing. Wang Mei began to worry more about the earthquake than the tens of thousands of monsters surrounding her.
Suddenly, she felt someone''s presence. Her eyebrows rose when she saw the figure.
"I-Isaac!?" Her mouth gaped widely when she saw Guo Chen''s condition.
With a rxed gesture, Isaac lowered the unconscious man from his shoulder. Wang Mei still opened her mouth widely with a puzzled look on her face. There were many questions in her head.
Just as she was about to ask, a question came out of the man''s mouth with a strange aura emitted from his body. "Where''s Cheng Ho?"
Hearing that, her face darkened. "He died." There was a bitter tone in her voice.
Isaac just nodded. There was absolutely no sign of change on his face. The man really didn''t show any expression at all. For some reason, this made Wang Mei wonder if the man felt something or not.
Was Isaac always putting his feelings aside, or was he just a cold-hearted person? She looked at the ck-haired man for a long time.
"Hey!" Isaac snapped her from her reverie. "Don''t daydream. I ask, who''s in control now?"
Naturally, Wang Mei shook her head. She then tried to cool her head. "It''s me."
"Good. We have to stop fighting. Ignore the monsters. It would just be a pointless massacre. Now, we have to get out of here quickly. This dungeon will be destroyed in less than a day."
Of course, thest words uttered by the man with the mysterious aura raised questions on Wang Mei''s head. "Why¡ª"
"We don''t have much time," Isaac said. "Just do as I say."
Now, his words made Wang Mei squint her eyes. "You ordered me?"
"Should we argue in a situation like this?"
Hearing that, Wang Mei couldn''t help but hissed in annoyance. She quickly jumped from a ten meter high wall, then ran through dozens of hunters.
"Everyone! Ignore the monsters who don''t put up a fight! Let''s get out of here as fast as we can!"
Wang Mei shouted in a loud voice, exerting all the air in her lungs. Her voice reached the ears of every hunter. They still looked confused by the instructions they had just heard.
"Huh? Did you hear that?"
"Should we stop?"
"Let these damn monsters live?! Fuck!"
They asked another person beside them. Yet, their swords were still swinging and piercing the monsters that didn''t fight back. After the things they had gone through, of course they couldn''t let them live. However, the hunters must still obey the orders of their leader.
Ling Tian who was at the front line also heard it. Not long after, Wang Mei approached him.
"Shall we back off?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes. This earthquake seems to be due to the dungeon''s effect going down."
Ling Tian''s eyes opened wide. So far, humans had tried various ways to destroy the dungeon, but they had never seeded. Hearing the dungeon was about to copse sounded like bullshit.
"How could that be?! Until when?" The man leading the Golden Dragon couldn''t believe it.
Wang Mei hissed again. "I don''t have much time to exin. Now, we better back off, or we''ll be buried alive."
Ling Tian sighed. The man quickly pushed his way through the crowd of monsters, his body emitting fire and burning anything in his path. He shouted to his men, and the entire gold-armored army followed him right away.
Then, the huge fires burned one part of the castle, attracting the attention of the hunters. Wang Mei took advantage of this situation.
"We retreat! Retreat! Let''s leave this ce."
Seeing the number one hunter in China left the battlefield, the others finally chose to follow her. They followed the flow, and slowly thousands of humans left the castle.
Wang Mei turned her head towards the castle. Her eyes fixed on a man standing on top of the fortified wall. After that, she turned around and ran along with her men.
Isaac lowered his head, watching the dozens of humans flocking out of the castle. He was estimating how many humans would be able to survive the dungeon copse.
The greater the number of troops, the more difficult their mobility was. With the number of hunters almost touching 1500, it would take a long time for them to get out of the dungeon, while they only had less than 24 hours.
The chances of them getting away were little.
"I need those humans to live. The nobles should think that they were the ones who defeated Earl Xenovia."
Isaac could have left them, but he needed a scapegoat. Earl Xenovia''s sudden death certainly raised a mystery to the Dungeon Masters, especially the Dukes. They would get wary. If there was no certainty of the cause of the female demon''s death, of course, they would try to find out about it.
However, that wasn''t the thing that bothered Isaac the most.
He was worried about Duke Barbatos. The demon was known to have short-tempered. Duke Barbatos often acted based on his emotions.
Isaac still remembered that the demon once killed one of his allies just because he lost a battle in Mongolia. Duke Barbatos thought that there was a traitor who exposed his ns to the enemy.
Thus, Isaac didn''t want to face Duke Barbatos''s unexpected actions. Besides, he was recently in a bit of tension with the man.
"I have to reduce the number."
Isaac closed his eyes, trying to call Aman, but he didn''t get any vibrations from her. The homunculus girl was already dead.
He took a deep breath. The Mortal Ring that was hanging around his neck was removed, then he essed the inventory.
[Dark Fate is worn!]
Then, his entire body was wrapped in ck metal. A dense aura of death roared into the air. After that, he pulled the Jade de.
"Time to kill the unnecessary troops."
Isaac jumped into the middle of the sea of ??hunters trying to save their lives. They all looked surprised to see the figure of a creature with a dark aura appeared in the midst of chaos. Some chose to keep moving. Some stopped because of his arrival.
"What''s that? A monster!?"
"Dark Knight?"
"The Dungeon Master."
Various whispers echoed in the air. Not a word came out of Isaac''s mouth. He simply raised his sword, then a huge whirlpool of wind swirled around the de.
"Sorry, but all of you must die."
At that moment, the hunters quickly understood the situation. They hurriedly raised their swords and charged in unison.
However, they were toote.
A great typhoon swept them away even before they could move from their ces.
Chapter 132 Left
Everyone at the forefront was surprised by the sudden appearance of the hurricane. Some people stopped and looked back, trying to figure out the cause. However, Wang Mei shouted at them.
"Don''t stop! Keep moving!" She didn''t want any more of her members to be killed.
Judging from the rotation of the wind, the typhoon seemed to be chasing them. If they stopped for even a moment, they would be swept away. Hence Wang Mei chose to keep moving. Besides, they were currently being chased by time. 24 hours was very little time.
Reducing the number of troops would speed up the movement. That''s what the woman thought. Wang Mei realized that her decision was selfish. She wanted to save everyone, but that was impossible. Sometimes not everyone could be saved. She would rather give up some lives than lose them all.
Ling Tian thought the same thing. He wasn''t involved with this mission from the beginning. He was only helping. Hence he chose to stay still and go with the flow. As long as there were no orders from Wang Mei, he would keep moving. His priority at the moment was his men. Golden Dragon.
With a heavy heart, all the hunters continued to move away from theirpanions.
On the other hand, Isaac was still busy in the back row reducing the number of hunters. Half of his mana was used to create two cyclonic vortices that swept away hundreds of hunters. Most of them were Phoenix Armada.
His gaze then fell on the group of hunters far ahead. They were already out of sight.
''I think this is enough.''
Finally, he stopped creating the cyclone.
Isaac immediately left leaving dozens of injured hunters behind. He picked up the unconscious Guo Chen, then caught up with the party.
.
.
.
The city of Tianjin was in turmoil.
The sound of emergency sirens echoed throughout the city. The streets were jammed, packed with vehicles. Honking and cursing could be heard in the air. Several military vehicles were seen passing by, transporting civilians. In the sky, several helicopters of journalists were covering the city.
Currently, there was a massive evacuation.
It has been two hours since the earthquake. Upon investigation, the source of the quake came from a dungeon on the outskirts of Tianjin. The giant tower was slowly falling.
Soon, a dungeon would copse.
Because of the dungeon''srge size and height, the government decided to evacuate all civilians in the vicinity. Although the area of the dungeon has been restricted, there was still a possibility that the zone where the debris was falling would expand.
The news of the copse of the dungeon in Tianjin made the world buzzed.
After one year since the appearance of the dungeon, for the first time there was one that copsed. The inte was in an uproar. Various crazy ideas and theories began to fly around. Some thought that the party hunters led by Cheng Ho made it to the top. Some thought that the owner of the dungeon was angry because his home was disturbed. There were also those who think that was Cheng Ho and his men managed to find the self-destruct button.
The confusion makes strange rumors circte. The government''sck of response made people even more worried. Plus, the media made things worse by creating headlines that provoked a ruckus.
[The world''s first dungeon was destroyed! Is this a failure or a sess of mankind?]
[Deputy Director of Nine Sky, Wang Yi, confessed to taking ''homunculus'' children from the dungeon. Is this the cause of the dungeon''s destruction!?]
[The Hunter''s Association does not provide rity. China will be destroyed in one night!?]
The entire maind of China was in an uproar all day. Even so, Beijing still looked sparkling as usual. Tall buildings and magnificent structures were still brightly lit up against the stars above the night sky.
Among dozens of skyscrapers, a building with a fountain in its courtyard seemed to be filled with dozens of reporters. White light shed several times. The camera button did not stop making a ''click'' sound.
The building was the headquarters of the Hunter Association.
On the 50th floor, there was an office with a door that read "Chairman Room". The phone rang repeatedly. An elderly man continuously picked up the phone and answered in a friendly voice, though his face looked otherwise.
"Oh, yes. Mr. President. Right now we don''t have a definite answer. We will look into it as soon as possible."
Tuuut.
After dozens of calls, the phone finally stopped ringing. Then the old man sat down at the table with an exhausted face.
"What the hell is going on? I should have retired sooner."
The Chairman of the Hunter Association, Xiong Li, had been receivingints and inquiries from various parties since this morning. Whether it was from overseas associations or the government. The chairman couldn''t help but repeatedly call the old man, asking about the progress of the dungeon. But he couldn''t give a definite answer because he himself didn''t know. The search team he sent out, the Golden Dragon, had not delivered any news so far.
The problem weighing on him wasn''t just this. Wang Yi brought monsters out of the dungeon and asked the Hunter Association for protection. This certainly sparked controversy.
"I hope to die tonight." Xiong Li sighed as he closed his eyes.
He saw a piece of paper and a pen among the dozens of documents piled up on the table. For a moment, Xiong Li looked at it, then he picked them up. The old man wrote a resignation letter.
Suddenly, the door mmed and a formally dressed woman appeared.
Xiong Li stopped writing, his gaze glued on the person who disturbed him. "I know the situation is chaotic, but please don''t make the office atmosphere chaotic. What''s wrong?"
The woman was dripping with sweat. She was breathing heavily as if she had just run down the hallway. Her facial expression looked shocked.
She gulped. "Excuse my impoliteness, Chairman Xiong Li. I brought a big news."
The chairman snorted. "I''ve heard a lot of big news since this morning. Now, hurry up and tell me."
"The joint raid group has returned. They all just returned from the dungeon in Tianjin. Including the Golden Dragon."
Hearing the shocking news, Xiong Li opened his eyes wide. The old man grinned. He crumpled up the resignation letter and threw it into the trash can.
"Prepare the helicopter, we''re going to Tianjin."
The secretarydy nodded, then ran into the hallway.
Xiong Ling picked up the coat draped over the chair and put it on. He walked steadily to the exit. He strode steadily, his lips in a wide smile.
In a moment, the entire spotlight was on him.
.
.
.
In a dark and cold ce, a man was sitting on a ck stone throne. His skin was pale blue in color. Striking ck clothes with silver ornaments adorned his body. His hair was gray like grains of ash. His bright blue eyes looked at the floating Crystal Core.
The light of crystal projected the sight of a tall tower that was slowly copsing. The man smiled widely as he watched.
There was a woman with dark skin stood beside him. She was wearing a red colored suit. On her back was a pair of yellow wings.
"You are enjoying the view very much, Lord Vassago," the woman said in a polite tone. She smiled and bowed her head.
A low chuckle could be heard from Duke Vassago. The demon tapped his fingers on the arm of the throne.
"Another one of Duke Barbatos''s men died. This time to the point of losing the dungeon. That fool must be very angry. China will be very vulnerable."
Losing a dungeon was the same as losing a fortress. It was the same as opening up a gap in the defense of territory.
"This will make it easier for my lord to control Mongolia. Your n to expand into China will be easier."
Hearing his assistant''s words, the smile on Duke Vassago''s face vanished.
"That means it will also be easier for Lady Alyna. That bitch must have also seen this opportunity. Do you still believe that this n will go easily, Miriam?"
The woman gasped, then prostrated herself while hitting her head hard on the floor. She realized she had just given the wrongpliment.
"I believe Lord Vassago is capable of defeating Lady Alyna. That woman is not as great and brilliant as you."
Duke Vassago clicked his tongue. Miriam squeezed his hand.
"I''m sorry if I misspoke, my lord," she hurriedly apologized, before her master grew even more displeased.
The Lord sighed. He told Miriam to get up and she quickly stood up. Duke Vassago walked over to the Crystal Core floating before him. His hands were outstretched.
"You are not wrong, Miriam. You don''t need to apologize, because what you said is true. No matter who my opponent is, I will destroy them!"
Chapter 133 Pers Conference
Losing a dungeon was the same as losing a fortress. It was the same as opening up a gap in the defense of territory.
"This will make it easier for my lord to control Mongolia. Your n to expand into China will be easier."
Hearing his assistant''s words, the smile on Duke Vassago''s face vanished.
"That means it will also be easier for Lady Alyna. That bitch must have also seen this opportunity. Do you still believe that this n will go easily, Miriam?"
The woman gasped, then prostrated herself while hitting her head hard on the floor. She realized she had just given the wrongpliment.
"I believe Lord Vassago is capable of defeating Lady Alyna. That woman is not as great and brilliant as you."
Duke Vassago clicked his tongue. Miriam squeezed his hand.
"I''m sorry if I misspoke, my lord," she hurriedly apologized, before her master grew even more displeased.
The Lord sighed. He told Miriam to get up and she quickly stood up. Duke Vassago walked over to the Crystal Core floating before him. His hands were outstretched.
"You are not wrong, Miriam. You don''t need to apologize, because what you said is true. No matter who my opponent is, I will destroy them!"
.
.
.
It was early in the morning, but the courtyard of the Hunter Association building was packed with journalists. They had been waiting there sincest night. A female reporter in a white shirt and knee-length ck skirt was busy with her make-up. The cameraman who had been waiting for her looked impatient.
"Yun Yun, can you hurry up? It''s eight o''clock. The hunter''s entourage will be arriving soon."
The female reporter ignored the cameraman''s words. She was still busy putting lipstick on her lips.
"Shhh. We still have five minutes. Maybe they didn''t arrive on time either. We won''t miss the press conference. Rx."
Hearing the female reporter''s reply, the cameraman could only sigh.
However, the female reporter''s prediction was wrong.
"Hey! Hey! Look at that! They''reing!"
A line of ck sedans arrived on the frontwn. The reporters quickly flocked to them. A beautiful woman in a green dress with a fur coat around her neck appeared to get out of the car. Her hair was shoulder-length ck. Her skin was as white as porcin. She took an elegant step. Dozens of white lights quickly burst out of her.
"Miss Wang Mei! Can you tell us a bit about what happened in the dungeon?"
"Is there really an owner figure of the dungeon?"
"How did you and the team destroy the dungeon?"
The reporters bombarded Guild Leader Nine Sky with questions.
A group of men in suits and sunsses pushed the reporters to give the woman some space. Wang Mei walked on regardless of them.
From the first car, a handsome man with ck hairbed back appeared. The reporters'' attention was quickly drawn to him.
"Mr. Ling Tian!"
Unlike Wang Mei who didn''t reply to the reporters, Ling Tian smiled and answered a few simple questions.
"There are many things that happened inside the dungeon. I''ll tell you in detail inside the hallter."
Although Ling Tian answered kindly, the reporters seemed dissatisfied. They continued to press the charismatic man to divulge information.
The Golden Dragon leader did note alone. Some familiar faces also appeared. A woman with long ck hair dressed in red caught the camera''s eye. The reporters quickly changed their targets to the beautiful woman.
"Miss Xin Xia? The Red Lady! Did you also participate in the raid?"
Various questions bombarded her. Like Ling Tian, the woman in the red dress just smiled sweetly and answered some of their questions.
"No, no. I didn''t join the raid yesterday. I''m only here to apany the Guild Leader."
She answered as best she could. There was no specific answer she gave other than, "The Guild Leader will answer everything inside". Her eyes identally nced at Ling Tian who was already at the doorway. He was among dozens of reporters, the man winked at her.
From the start, Ling Tian brought that woman just to be a decoy.
Arriving inside the entrance hall, everything turned relieved. The front door was guarded by officers, unauthorized reporters were not allowed to enter.
"Phew, finally. I''ve never been used to reporters." Ling Tian ran a hand through his unruly hair. He tried to walk in step with Wang Mei. "We''re going to encounter reporters again. Damn it."
However, the 25-year-old woman ignored him and continued walking.
"Aw, you''re so annoying. Is there something bothering you?" Ling Tian tried to open up a conversation.
Wang Mei hissed. She finally responded. "We have to tell something we don''t know. People who actually understand the situation can''t evene along. Do you still think I''m annoying?"
Ling Tian finally shut up. He understood what Wang Mei was feeling. No one knew what was happening inside the castle. The two of them were fighting outside. Only Isaac and Guo Chen knew. It shouldn''t be the two of them who came to this press conference.
It was like they were stealing the spotlight.
The two of them walked down the hallway until they came to arge door. Several hunters in ck suits guarded it. Not long after, the door opened wide. Dozens of white shes shot out at them.
.
.
,m .
In a luxurious living room filled with modern furniture. A man with white hair can be seen sitting on the sofa watching television.
He was watching a broadcast of a press conference. There were Wang Mei and Ling Tian sitting in a long chair.
The elegant-looking woman recounted the chronology of the dungeon conquest incident with a t face. Together with Ling Tian, the two of them told the story in turn.
"In ordance with Cheng Ho''s n, we broke into the castle. There we met the owner of the dungeon."
Then the camera''s spotlight shifted to Ling Tian.
"After that, we fought together and-"
Beep
Television off.
Isaac put the television remote on the table. He leaned back and took a deep breath.
"They did a good job."
Isaac asked Wang Mei and Ling Tian to confess to being the ones who defeated the Demon Lord.
After they escaped the dungeon, he told them that Guo Chen was the one who caused the Tianjin dungeon to copse. Isaac gave a false story. He said Guo Chen was the one who defeated Earl Xenovia. The young man turned into a savage figure and defeated the dungeon master alone. He imed that Guo Chen had attacked him because he was out of control.
Of course, they both found it hard to believe. Someone who had only been a hunter for a few months had already reached a stage higher than Six Stars who had much longer experience.
Who would believe it?
However, Isaac was a demon. And a demon knows how to lie.
The best lie was a mix of fact and deception. Just add a little truth to a real story, and people would believe it. It was like adding a pinch of sugar to a ss of salt water. No one will notice.
Guo Chen killing Xenovia was a fact. But about the process and how to kill her, that''s another story.
People would believe a lie as long as it still makes sense.
Isaac did all this to keep his identity. He was a mastermind. ying in the shadows was his forte, while others would take the impact for his actions.
Knock Knock!
The door was opened.
Then a woman with long hair and natural makeup appeared. Beside her were two boys holding her hand.
"Brother Isaac, the children are ready. Some of them are in the car. We can just bring them."
Seeing the arrival of Wang Yi and the homunculus children, Isaac smiled and quickly got up.
"Good job, Wang Yi."
The woman nodded. "We can take them straight away. I can drive you."
"No, I''ll do it myself."
Isaac nned to take the homunculus children to the dungeon. He had something nned for them. So, he didn''t need Wang Mei''s help. Isaac learned a bit of driving from Guo Chen when he first came out of the dungeon.
"When will they be back?" Wang Yi looked curious. Even though she had met them for a few days, she already sympathized with them. These homunculus children reminded her of her old self. When she was abandoned and had nothing.
Unfortunately, she would never see them again.
"As soon as possible. They will be fine. You don''t have to worry. My friend is a good person," Isaac lied.
Of course, taking the homunculus children away for no reason was going to raise questions. Not just Wang Yi, but also Wang Mei and Ling Tian. Those two were not under the influence of the Seed of Mind.
Isaac assumed that he would take them to Australia to be researched by his colleague who lived in Sidney.
He would exchange the Homunculus children for dopplegangers. The price of the shape-shifting monsters was steep, but they were perfect for this n.
Besides, they would be Isaac''s eyes in the human world.
"Alright, you guys be careful." Wang Yi stroked the heads of the two homunculus children. They smiled as they nodded.
"It''s time for us to go. We don''t have much time," Isaac said.
They took his hand. After that, Isaac took the homunculus children away. Wang Mei watched their backs as they walked down the apartment hallway, getting farther and farther away. Until her eyes did not catch their presence anymore.
Chapter 134 Coming Home
"My lord!"
Just as Isaac stepped into the dungeon, Pippi jumped up in excitement. She no longer ran to Isaac and tried to hug him. The little girl had already changed her attitude.
"You''re finally home, lord. Pippi has missed you so much." She smiled so widely that she showed one of her missing teeth.
"Congrattions, lord! One enemy has fallen. We have one less rival!"
Isaac just put on a t face. Defeating one enemy didn''t change the situationpletely. There were still 106 dungeon masters that needed to be eliminated. Nevertheless, he appreciated the congrattions from his assistant.
"Thank you," Isaac replied. "What about the dungeon while I was gone?"
Hearing the question from her master, Pippi''s smile turned smug. "Rx, Lord. During your absence, everything ran safely. In fact, everything is even better."
Isaac raised one eyebrow. He was quite curious about thest sentence spoken by the little girl. He asked Pippi, but she only smiled suspiciously.
"It''ll be easier if you see for yourself," she said.
Finally, he followed the dungeon manager''s advice.
Isaac opened the control panel. His eyes opened wide at the increase in hunter traffic visiting his dungeon. Especially on the 4th Floor.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 115]
[Rank : 69th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[ Skill : 2/4]
[ Strength : 75 ]
[ Magic : 180 ]
[ Constitution : 96 ]
[ Dexterity : 103 ]
[ Perception : 100 ]
[ Unallocated stat points : 30 ]
.
[Dungeon Floors : 4]
[Monster Boss : 2/4]
[Poption : 436,875/400,000]
[Fund : 1,309,785 zenny]
.
[Dungeon Floors : 4]
[Monster Boss : 0/4]
[Poption : 247,536/400,000]
[Fund : 823,631 zenny]
He left the dungeon for two weeks, his two dungeons got 200,000 zenny each. This was a dramatic increase. Isaac quickly essed the Crystal Core and saw the condition of the Elven Vige.
The vige was not much different when hest saw the ce. It''s just that he saw a pretty striking sight. On the main road, he saw a group of armored hunters with red ornaments. Their numbers were quiterge, as if they dominated the streets.
Isaac felt very familiar with them.
"Who are they? I seem to have met them before."
His memory was quite vague. He had seen them somewhere. Not in the previous life, but not long ago.
Until finally, he saw a middle-aged man with gray hair and wearing heart-red armor among the crowd of hunters. That man seemed to be giving a speech.
His head recalled something.
"Ah, the Blood Oath Guild!"
Zhang Gang, that was the man''s name. The Hunter he had seen during the dungeon break in Beijing a few months ago. Last Isaac remembered, the man was knocked down by a Mutant Orc and then swarmed by hundreds of monsters. He thought Zhang Gang was dead. Apparently not.
"Since when did theye here, Pippi?" Isaac asked curiously.
The little girl snapped her fingers. "As I suspected, my lord is very observant. That group came after your departure to the human world."
"After I left?"
Pippi nodded proudly.
After Isaac left the dungeon, a group of Hunters from the Blood Oath Guild raid his dungeon. However, instead of a battle, they came only to do business.
They ordered a lot ofbat equipment and weapons from the dwarves living on the 4th Floor. They even brought two truckloads of tinum into the dungeon. These tinum was the medium of exchange requested by the dwarves.
Pippi realized that the dwarves were being used by them. Therefore, she told Goyo to make a new request.
The hunters from the Blood Oath were asked to help maintain security at the Elven Vige. Goyo told Zhang Gang that Elven Vige was in danger. He had to help Adelia, the vige chief, if he wanted the business to continue.
Finally, Zhang Gangplied with the request.
That middle-aged man and his men went to the 4th Floor to take the mission given by Adelia. They were asked to hunt in the Dire Area. For the first few days, he used his own men, but many of them died. Until finally, the old man recruited hunters in the Elf Vige.
And as it turned out, many of them joined. From then on, they continued to hunt monsters on Floor 4.
"Very clever," Isaac muttered. He stroked his chin.
Hearing the praise escaped of her master''s mouth, Pippi puffed out her chest while stroking her nose with her finger.
"Hehehe, take it easy, my lord. Pippi is a born genius."
In fact, thepliment was not directed at her, but at Zhang Gang.
The old man should have paid for weapons andbat equipment with the lives of his men, but he paid with the lives of others. He utilized the poprity of his guild to recruit hunters within the dungeon. In order to get more to join, he removed Rank restrictions and lured them with wealth.
Blood Oath was a Major Guild. Who wouldn''t want to join?
As a result, every day he recruited dozens of hunters who were ready to be sacrifices.
Isaac was quite impressed with the scheme created by Zhang Gang.
"Well, humans are full of surprises." He chuckled. Pippi who saw him only put on a curious face.
"Pippi, tomorrow meet me with that human."
Isaac pointed at Zhang Gang in crystal projection. Suddenly, Pippi raised her eyebrows. For the first time, the little girl knew that her master wanted to meet a human. She had always thought that Isaac saw humans as cattels.
"If I may know, why does my Lord want to meet with him?" Pippi asked. Curiosity was evident on her face.
Isaac just smiled. "You''ll find outter."
He saw that Zhang Gang was a person he could do business with. He thought of an interesting idea.
But before that, there was still one job waiting for him.
"One more thing, you call Adelia and Goyo. Ask them toe to the ''cooking ce'' on the first floor. Tell them to bring some of their men."
Still with a curious look, Pippi epted the orders given. "Yes, my lord." She struck a salute pose, then her body turned into a fragment of light and vanished.
Isaac was left in the Crystal Core room.
He observed the floating crystal projection, his eyes glued on Zhang Gang who was in the middle of a speech. His lips grinned widely at the thought of taking advantage of that old man.
.
.
.
The air was humid. The walls and ceiling of the cave were filled with purple crystals. They glowed brightly, dispelling the darkness with light. There were alsorge holes all around.
A white-haired man in a ck robe seemed to be standing alone. His gaze was glued on the beauty of the Power Crystals.
This ce was the ''cooking ce''. The ce where he would train human soldierster. This was also where Isaac had leveled up Guo Chen and Wang Yi during the Clearence a few months ago.
"This ce is still the same as before. There are no humans here yet."
Amidst the silence of the cave, a shard of light emerged from the empty air. From that bright light, a little girl with freckles on her face appeared.
"Pippi, attend my lord. They will be here shortly."
Not long after, the sound of footsteps echoed in the cave.
Goyo and Adelia arrived. They seemed to be carrying their men. Some of the male dwarves seemed to be casting flirtatious nces at the female elves. But they ignored the stares.
Isaac cleared his throat, the dwarves gasped. They quickly put on serious expressions.
"Goyo, Adelia. You two did a good job while I was away. I heard it from Pippi. Good job." Before getting down to business, Isaac praised them first. The subordinates had to be rewarded for their work, so that their performance would keep good.
"It''s a pleasure to hear praise from the dungeon master," said Adelia in a ttered tone.
While Goyo, like a typical dwarf,ughed loudly while stroking the back of his head. "This is nothing, my lord."
Pippi pursed her lips. The little girl seemed impatient to hear Isaac''s reason for gathering them here.
Then, the dungeon master began to speak.
"As you know, I left the dungeon for the past few days. During my departure, I brought some new families for this dungeon."
Hearing Isaac''s words, everyone seemed to nod. He then flicked a finger. Behind him, there was a hole. man in a butler''s outfit came out. Pippi who recognized that man opened her mouth wide. The little girl began to feel her position was threatened.
The man was Kirnish, Isaac''s second manager. However, he was not the one Isaac wanted to introduce.
Behind Kirnish, there were shy homunculus children. They all looked about the same age as Pippi. Among them, there was a man with skin as pale as quartz sand.
"They are homunculus. They will need your guidance."
The dwarves and elves nodded. Then, Adelia raised a hand, a curious look on her face.
"My Lord, if I may know, what business do they have with us."
The question made everyone in the cave look curious. Especially Goyo.
Meanwhile, Isaac just grinned. He had been waiting for this question.
"Like I said, we have a new family. I want you to help them create a family."
Instantly, the dwarves and elves opened their eyes wide.
Chapter 135 Family
"Family?"
They were surprised. Family was a word rarely spoken by dungeon masters if there was no conflict. In the dungeon there were various monster races, they would be free to fight or prey on each other, unless there were provisions issued by the dungeon. For example, if there is a massive invasion by humans.
Another reason they could unite besides the order from the dungeon master was the existence of humans. They had amon enemy.
What surprised them was that the dungeon master brought children. They thought that the children were humans.
Goyo ventured to ask. "My lord, but they are humans. What do we want to do with them?"
The question sparked a smile on his face. "They are not humans. They are Homunculus."
"What?" Goyo and Adelia shocked in the same time.
The elves and dwarves seemed to have dumbfounded faces. They didn''t think that those children were monsters. Even Adelia who was gathering information about them didn''t expect it. The information she heard with reality was quite shocking.
This was enough to make Isaac interested. Not only humans were fooled by the appearance of the homunculus, but also monsters. Only the system could detect them. He was increasingly convinced that saving the homunculus children from Earl Xenovia was the right choice.
"No need, Goyo. Raising them is not your job."
At the dungeon master''s words, Goyo and the other dwarves breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way Isaac would leave a task that required such care and affection to them. The dwarves had a very harsh disposition. Even dwarven children as young as 8 years old are given hammers to learn forging.
He was preparing the dwarves for another task.
Isaac looked at Adelia and her men. They quickly understood what the dungeon master was going to say next.
"Adelia, I want you and the other elves to teach these homunculus, about love. About how to form a family."
? Without needing to ask, the High Elf bowed her head. "It is an honor to have this task, my lord."
The elves had been used to humans since the Elven Vige was established. They are familiar with the human character. Surely taking care of the homunculus children would not be much different, considering they had the same characteristics. Besides, children were like a nk canvas, ready to be painted with anything. Raising them was no big deal.
That''s what Adelia thought.
But she didn''t know about Isaac''s mind.
"Homunculus are a little different from humans. They have an average lifespan of three to six months. It depends on their physical strength."
The golden-haired High Elf looked curious. "Then, they will die in a few months? Before they reach adulthood?"
She looked at the homunculus children. Compassion could be seen in her eyes.
Isaac held back a smile, trying not tough.
"They won''t die as children. They''ll be teenagers in a few weeks."
Hearing the exnation from her master, Adelia blushed. At the same time, this raised a new question.
"Like I said, I want you to help them build a family. To help them create a brood of offspring. After raising them, I want some of you to marry them."
"Damn?!" The dwarves said it simultaneously. While the elves were so shocked to hear it that they were speechless.
Adelia really looked like a dazed person. The female high elf still couldn''t believe what she had just heard.
"Apologize,my lord. I may not have been paying attention. You want us elves to marry..." Her eyes fell on the innocent-looking homunculus children. "...them."
"Yes, after they grow up," the dungeon master replied. His lips curved widely.
This was Isaac''s n. He wanted to interbreed elves and homunculus.
The physical development of homunculus was very fast, as was their age. However, they had above-average physical strength. They could reproduce quickly, but their offspring were very weak.
Meanwhile, elves had a long lifespan and slow physical development. Their bodies were quite fragile like ordinary humans, but the mana in their bodies was like a vast ocean.
From long-lived elves and homunculus with strong physical strength, Isaac tried to create a new hybrid race. A superior race.
Some elves made strange faces. This decision was quite difficult for them. Adelia as their leader also felt that this was too much. Nevertheless, the dungeon master''s orders were absolute. The system made them obey.
They would follow Isaac''s orders no matter what.
"We are ready to carry it out, my lord," said Adelia with her head bowed. Her face was covered in cold sweat.
Isaac snapped his fingers. Kirnish along with the homunculus children quickly approached their master.
"Show them their ce to stay. When you''re done, hurry back to your dungeon."
"Yes, my lord," replied the servant.
Isaac''s gaze fell on Adelia. "You and your men go with them. Kirnish will exin everything, after escorting them, you return to the vige immediately."
After that, Kirnish escorted the group of homunculus and elves into one of the cave holes. There, Isaac had previously built a habitable ce.
The dwarves saw their departure with a sour look on their faces. For some reason they felt unlucky.
"Why do you look disappointed?"
Upon hearing the master''s words, the dwarves gasped. Pippi clicked her tongue at their undisciplined behavior.
"No, Lord Isaac, we can''t wait for our work. Hehe..."
"All is well, my lord."
"That''s right, we''re not disappointed that we''re not the ones getting married."
The dwarves made grimacing faces while stroking their heads. While Goyo seemed to be clenching his fists, his face looked red from seeing the behavior of his men in front of the dungeon master.
"You want to marry a homunculus?"
His question took them by surprise.
"No! Of course not! We thought we were going to be married off to the elves." One of the dwarves spontaneously said.
"Asshole! You son of bitches! You''re embarrassing me! You''d better shut your mouths!"
Finally, Goyo could not contain his anger. The dwarves fell silent. Then the dwarf chief quickly put on a grimacing face and apologized to the dungeon master. Meanwhile, Isaac himself did notment.
"Pathetic," Pippi muttered.
Goyo heard the little girl''s sarcasm, she could only keep her mouth shut.
Isaac took a deep breath.
"I gathered you here for one task. That is to build an incubator."
The dwarves'' faces, which had been awkward, now turned curious. Building an incubator could be done by Isaac or his assistants, but if the master needed their help, then this incubator was not for random eggs.
Isaac essed his inventory, and pulled out an egg with a transparent shell the size of a human torso. Inside was a flickering red light.
The dwarves squinted at the egg. Pippi also seemed interested.
"This is a Caecilian egg. It requires humid air and warm conditions to hatch. One of these could wipe out an entire dungeon floor."
Instantly the dwarves opened their eyes wide. Their lips pursed in shock.
Goyo gulped. "So, my lord wants to hatch that dangerous monster. In this dungeon?"
Isaac nodded. "Do I have to say it again? As soon as possible."
Isaac then took out a blueprint from his inventory and handed it to Goyo. The bearded dwarf opened it, then his eyes narrowed as he saw the incubator design. The other dwarves were intrigued, and they surrounded the chief on tiptoe, trying to see the design.
"How is it?" Isaac asked.
"Hm, this design is tooplicated. Not to mention having to give buff effects. This should take at least a month or a month and a half."
Of course, the answer given by Goyo did not satisfy Isaac.
"Make it faster. Three weeks."
"EH!?"
The dwarves were shocked at the same time. They began to grumble. Goyo just bit his lower lip.
"Hey! Youzy bastards! This is an order from your master. You should be grateful to be allowed to stay here." Pippi snapped at them. The little girl looked grumpy. She dislikedining monsters the most.
Of course, Isaac had expected it. The dwarves were different from the elves who always obeyed and carried out tasks to the best of their ability.
"Take it easy. You want to marry other than a female dwarf, right? I''ll find you female monsters who are more beautiful than elves."
Instantly their faces changed drastically. Including Goyo.
"Seriously, Lord?"
"It''s not like before, is it? We''re really going to marry another monster?"
"It''s not a lie, is it?"
Isaac nodded.
Pippi was angry that they doubted the dungeon master''s word. The dwarves were traumatized by the incident of building the workshop a few months ago.
Goyo snorted. "Alright! We''ll do it quickly. We won''t fail this time."
"Yeah!"
The dwarves shouted in unison. They then quickly picked up their work tools.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction.
Chapter 136 Zhang Gang
[Elven Vige, 1st Dungeon, 4th Floor.]
The vige seemed more crowded than usual. The main streets were filled with hunters looking around. Some were seen haggling with the vendors by the roadside. Some filled the bridge that hung between one tree and another until it swayed slightly.
Since the dungeon in Tianjin copsed, there had been a drastic increase in visitors. Hunters who lost their hunting grounds had to move to other dungeons. One of their destinations was the dungeon on the tripoint border.
Moreover, with rumors of a dungeon that was ''friendly'' to humans circting, more and more hunters visited Isaac''s dungeon.
Elven Vige became the most visited ce.
In the middle of the crowded main street, a group of armor with red ornaments was seen walking through the sea of people. A man with gray hair and heart-red armor led the group. Although he was old, his skin was still firm. Aura of enthusiasm radiated strongly from his face. They attracted the attention of people along the way.
"Blood Oath? Isn''t that them?"
"Looks like he''s going to do some more recruiting."
"They just got back from the Dire Area? Tch, they''re crazy."
Whispers started buzzing like flies as they passed through the swarm of hunters.
The Blood Oath group stopped in front of a building with the signboard ''Tree Leaf''.
The gray-haired man inhaled a deep breath. He opened the door with both hands.
Everyone inside was watching him. Without paying attention to them, he walked in with confidence.
The female elf who had been busy cutting her nails behind the administration desk immediately gasped as dozens of armored hunters swarmed towards her.
"Uh, Mr. Zhang Gang! Have you returned frompleting the Level IX mission?" The female receptionist quickly put on a friendly face. Her smile was wide, almost touching her ears.
However, the gray-haired man turned sour. The receptionist immediately winced. She realized she had said the wrong thing.
"Uh... It doesn''t seem like a good day," she said.
"Yes, you''re right. Sometimes a good day can turn into a bad day. Like today." Zhang Gang sighed. "I came here because I got a message from an elf while hunting in the Dire Area. He said that Miss Adelia wanted to see me."
The receptionistdy flicked a finger. "Ah. It turns out that you are the important guest. Come here,e with me."
The Blood Oath Guild leader ordered his men to take a break. While he followed the female elf.
The two of them went to the upper floor.
The second floor of the office guild contained a row of doors. The receptionistdy escorted him to the door at the end of the hallway. The door looked different from the others.
"Miss Adelia has been waiting for you. Pleasee in."
She opened the door. Inside was arge and unique room. The scent of jasmine wafted through the air. A beautiful woman was busy styling her long golden hair. Her jewel-like eyes stared into the small mirror she held for a long time. Either due to focus or not wanting to ruin her hairdo, she did not notice Zhan Gang''s presence.
The old man cleared his throat.
Adelia nced at him. Instantly the woman put down the mirror and stopped doing her hair.
"Mr. Zhang Gang. Forgive me for being rude. Please have a seat."
The young-hearted old manughed. "No problem. I don''t mind waiting for a beautiful woman like you to finish your hair."
Adelia widened her smile.
For some reason, the woman''s appearance was so special. Her lips were as red as strawberries. Her hair, which was usually in a ponytail, was left down. She was wearing a beautiful green dress.
Zhang Gang felt honored.
"So, for what reason did you invite me here, Miss Adelia? I''m sure you didn''t invite me here to charm this old man," Zhang Gang joked.
The High Elf smiled. "If you don''t mind?" She returned the joke.
The twoughed together. Especially Zhang Gang. Heughed for quite a while.
He sighed. The look on his face turned serious. "Enough for the joke. So, what business does Miss Adelia have calling me?"
"Actually, there is still one more person who needs toe to this meeting. Before we start business, please wait a moment."
Zhang Gang raised both eyebrows. "Oh, I see. Alright. Let''s wait." He did not know that there would be other guests at this meeting.
He thought it would be just him.
Not long after, the door opened. Suddenly, the host stood up. Spontaneously, Zhang Gang also follow suit.
"Wee, my lord. It is an honor to receive you."
The gray-haired man squinted. "Lord...?"
A man in a demon mask with a unique pattern appeared in front of them. He was wearing a ck long coat. His hair zed like ck mes. Red seemed to glow in both of his eyes.
Looking at the newly arrived figure, Zhang Gang''s face stiffened. His spine chilled. He had seen the man before him once. It was when he was at home and rxing in the living room. He was watching the breaking news about the dungeon break at the tripoint border.
distosvok, thergest port city in Russia, was attacked by hundreds of monsters. The leader of those monsters was now standing in front of him.
The dungeon master.
Zhang Gang gulped. Naturally, his hand squeezed the hilt of the sword.
The Blood Oath leader was preparing to kill him. The terrifying scourge that was the cause of Earth being on the brink of destruction.
"If I were you, I wouldn''t draw your sword. We know what happens next."
A soft, but very intimidating tone escaped from the masked man''s mouth.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The heart of the middle-aged man thumped loudly like a drum. Nervousness began to creep into him. Zhang Gang squeezed the hilt of the sword even tighter, to the point that his hands trembled.
"Rx, Mr. Zhang Gang. Lord Isaac will not harm you, as long as there are no foolish actions. I''m sure you understand that, right?"
Adelia spoke. Her face looked t. No friendliness at all.
For the first time, the woman who had always looked friendly and smiling looked threatening. Her eyes stared with displeasure.
Now, Zhang Gang realized that Adelia had been hiding her true side all along. He had been deceived by the beauty andfort of this small vige.
This was a mistake. A big mistake.
Zhang Gang inhaled deeply and released the sword grip.
"Apparently, I was mistaken. You''re dressing up not for me, but for someone else," he said to Adelia.
The high elf smiled kindly again. "Of course not. I dressed up for you too."
Zhang Gang smiled with a snort. He knew the hypocrisy spoken from the woman''s mouth.
The masked man walked over to him. He extended a hand.
"My name is Caasi. The owner of this dungeon. You don''t need to be nervous, I invited you to meet for business. I promise not to harm you, and your men."
Zhang Gang gulped. His eyes nced at that man''s hand. His instincts screamed to shake it, but he refused to do so.
"How do I know if you won''t kill me. Inside the dungeon, anything can happen. Maybe not today, but we don''t know what will happen tomorrow," he said.
The masked man chuckled softly for a moment. This made Zhang Gang raise one of his eyebrows.
"If I wanted to, you would already be dead. All of you."
Zhang Gang gulped for the umpteenth time. The words spoken by the masked man sounded exaggerated, but he could feel that there was no bluff at all.
The man before him waspletely serious.
At that moment, Zhang Gang realized, he would not win against him. He had already lost before the fight even started.
The difference in their strength was too great.
Tap.
The two of them shook hands.
The middle-aged man put on a fake smile.
"Please forgive my impoliteness, Lord Caasi. My name is Zhang Gang." Heughed loudly.
For a moment, the atmosphere between them thawed. However, all of a sudden, Zhang Gang squeezed Caasi''s hand.
"But, I will be frank, Lord Caasi. If this meeting is to annihte my race, you better kill me right here and right now. I will not trade millions of human lives for my life!"
Zhang Gang was probably selfish. He sacrificed dozen hunter lives to keep his members safe. But he knew the boundaries that should not be crossed.
After all, there was only one enemy of mankind. The dungeon.
Suddenly, Caasiughed loudly. Naturally, it raised questions for Zhang Gang.
"You are truly unique, Zhang Gang. Take it easy, you don''t have to worry. I won''t make you betray your own people."
Hearing the shocking answer, Zhang Gang''s eyes crinkled.
"If not sacrificing humans, then what you want?"
Lord Caasi patted his shoulder.
"Destroying every dungeon on earth."
Chapter 137 Negotiation
Isaac smiled from behind the mask. His words were beyond Zhang Gang''s expectation.
"I told you, Mr. Zhang Gang. Everything will be fine," said Adelia.
However, Zhang Gang remained silent. It took time for the man to digest the situation.
"Can we sit down? So that we can talkfortably?"
The Blood Oath leader gasped. "Oh, alright. Of course."
Still with cold sweat on his face, Zhang Gang sat down with hesitation.
Isaac could read the man''s mind. So he gave him time.
It was quiet in the room for a while. None of them spoke. The guest still looked doubtful. He nced at Isaac and Adelia for several times, trying to ascertain whether this was a trap or not.
Zhang Gang cleared his throat, a sign that he was ready to start the conversation.
Isaac grinned from behind the mask.
"Lord Caasi, before, I apologize for my impoliteness. Honestly, this is beyond my expectations. I still find it hard to believe."
"It''s okay. There are many things in this world that we don''t understand. I guess this is normal."
Zhang Gang nodded. "Then, what does the dungeon master want from me?"
Isaac changed his posture. He was getting serious. He gave Adelia the code, the high elf quickly understood.
"I want you to be my soldier."
Zhang Gang squinted. "What?" Once again, he was taken aback.
Isaac nced at Adelia, giving her the code. The high elf understood quickly.
"Please let me exin," she said.
Then the elven woman began to tell the details.
In bing the dungeon master''s army, Zhang Gang and his men only needed to do two tasks.
The first task was to keep the dungeon safe.
The main problem of every dungeon master that was difficult to solve from now on was the leecher. No matter how much they were eradicated, people like them would keep appear. They are like weeds that cannot be eradicated. Their existence blends in with ordinary hunters, making them difficult to detect. Beside, there are no special features in the dungeon system to detect leechers.
They could only be searched for manually.
Therefore, Isaac needed a special force to keep the dungeon safe from these parasites. A kind of police that discourages criminals frommitting crime.
He saw that the Blood Oath had its own appeal. They had a big name and a respected leader figure. Of course they would be feared by petty leecher.
"What do you think, Mr. Zhang Gang?" asked Adelia confirming. The woman smiled like a fox.
While the middle-aged man stroked his chin. "I can do it. This is easy. Inside the dungeon thew doesn''t apply. I can take care of it. Besides, I hate them too."
Isaac smiled from behind his mask. He got the desired response. His eyeballs rolled towards Adelia, giving the woman the green light code.
The high elf continued.
The second task that the Blood Oath Guild had to carry out was to raid another dungeon.
Their task was not to hunt monsters or try to conquer the dungeon. Rather, it was to gather as much information as possible. They must made a map of the terrain, recorded monsters, and calcted the entry pattern in the dungeon.
There were more than a hundred dungeons in this world. He had information about them in his past life, but it was limited to rumors and some dungeons in East Asia. As for the European and American regions, he stillcked information.
He wanted the Blood Oath Guild to focus its raid on regional dungeons outside of China, such as the Golden Dragon. Since the dungeon wass a global-level disaster, guilds could quite easily gain ess to other countries. But it still depended on the policies of the country in question.
Of course, raiding across countries was not an easy thing. Moreover, they needed high credibility andbat power. Therefore, they would be given full resources from Isaac.
"Wow, wow. Wait a moment."
Zhang Gang raised both hands while pursing his lips. There were some exnations that he still couldn''t understand.
"I understand giving us resources. I mean no offense, but the human world is moreplex than you think. You also needrge money. You need funds to finance our various operationster. Moreover, when ites toplicated problems that need to be solved with ''money''."
Hearing the middle-aged man''s concern, Isaac chuckled. Adelia was still smiling broadly, although it was obvious that she was holding back herughter.
Of course, this made Zhang Gang frown. As if he had just said something stupid.
The high elf spoke. "You don''t need to worry about that, Mr. Zhang Gang."
Adelia walked to her desk, then returned with a seemingly heavy bag. She ced the pouch on the table.
The man became curious.
"Open it," said Adelia.
Zhang Gang looked at the high elf with narrowed eyes. He was suspicious of the contents of the pouch, but Adelia seemed to be smiling. This made his feelings unclear.
With hesitation, the middle-aged man opened the contents of the pouch. Purple light hit his face. Instantly his eyes opened wide.
"T-this is it?" Zhang Gang was left open-mouthed.
"Power Crystal. It weighs 1 kilogram. If I''m not mistaken, the price has risen to 1.5 RMB per kilo. Our visitor told us many things," said Adelia.
Zhang Gang gulped. Never had he held this many Power Crystals before. It would take him at least a few months to collect them, and even then he would have to mobilize all his men.
Unconsciously, the middle-aged man''s lips smirked. Greed began to rise on his face.
Adelia leaned in. "You can keep it. Think of it as our first gift."
Zhang Gang looked at Adelia with a look of disbelief on his face. "Really?"
The golden-haired female elf smiled as she nodded.
"We know that you humans came all the way here to look for that thing. By the way, it''s not even a tenth of the funds we''ll give youter. We can negotiate the funds you want."
Adelia''s words did not go unheard by Zhang Gang. He just nodded and his eyes were glued to the contents of the bag. He closed the bag and ced it on the table.
Zhang Gang took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind.
It was quiet again for a long time.
The middle-aged man opened his eyes. He had a serious look on his face.
"Honestly, this is an interesting offer. It''s almost impossible for me to refuse."
Isaac raised one of his eyebrows when he heard the word ''almost'' from Zhang Gang''s mouth. Adelia also squinted her eyes.
They heard the tone of doubt from the Blood Oath frontman.
"But, honestly," Zhang Gang continued. "There are some things I don''t understand. Why do you want me to attack other dungeons? As if they are your enemies. Besides, what exactly are you guysing to Earth for?"
Adelia was silent. She couldn''t answer that question. The elven woman nced at her master who seemed to be staring at Zhang Gang seriously.
Isaac then said.
"We havee to exterminate all of you. The entire human race."
"Wh-what?"
Instantly, Zhang Gang''s face turned pale. The man waspletely confused. He didn''t know what to respond.
"But I didn''t," Isaac continued. "I have no intention of wiping you out."
Naturally, the human didn''t believe him.
"Then why did you invade distosvok? Why did you kill every human who entered your dungeon? Why did you attack our settlement? We can talk."
Isaacughed sarcastically. "You think after you attacked us, I should be allowed to retaliate? After you broke into our dungeon and dredged up our resources, we''re just going to stay put? I didn''t attack you when the entire dungeon mobilized their monsters to ughter you all. I only attacked when my home was attacked."
Zhang Gang immediately fell silent. What Isaac said was a fact. His dungeon did not attack when the first dungeon break urred. Isaac only attacked when his dungeon was attacked by North Korea.
The man couldn''t argue with his words.
Besides, only dungeons on the border of the tripoint that provided services. Zhang Gang would never find an elven vige or a dwarven iron forge in other dungeons.
"I see potential in human. The will to fight, create a family, and survive. A great civilization. You have not yet reached your peak. You have yet to develop. I want to see that. I want us to live side by side. I am a pacifist, but I don''t stay silent when someone attacks me."
Zhang Gang lowered his head and his gaze was fixed on the ground. He was considering Isaac''s offer.
Not long after, that man looked at Isaac.
"Alright. I ept your offer. From now onwards, the Blood Oath will protect this dungeon."
Chapter 138 Incubator
The sound of banging metal echoed along with the sound of water vapor. Arge steam engine with six spider-like water pumps kept moving up and down. In the center of the machine was arge ss chamber. Inside was an egg with a transparent shell.
This machine was a caecilian egg incubator.
The dwarves seem to be working diligently despite the humid and hot conditions in the cave. Some of them put firewood into thebustion engine. Some checked that the iron pipes on the machine were not leaking. Some are keeping the water tank in the steam engine from running out. They all work together to ensure that the incubator machine continued to work perfectly.
It has been twenty-five days since the incubator machine was built. The process has only reached 90%. Although not fullypleted, the incubator can already be used, although not automatically. Therefore, the dwarves have to do some work manually.
Their spirits were quite high after receiving the lure of a potential new partner. The dwarves were tired of seeing female dwarves with beards. They wanted something new.
Among the dozens of hard-working dwarves, there was a little girl watching at the machine. Her attention was drawn to the egg in the ss chamber. Curiosity showed on her face.
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
Suddenly, one of the dwarves with a long beard came yelling at her. Spontaneously, the little girl was startled to the point of jumping.
The dwarf with the long beardughed at her.
"How dare you thrill Pippi! You damn midget, you want to die, huh?" The little girl uttered an expletive. She fisted the air repeatedly.
Hearing the insults hurled at him, the long-bearded dwarf snorted. "You little snot-nosed brat. Haven''t you ever looked in the mirror. I''m taller than you by an inch."
Pippi raised one of her eyebrows. A smirk emerged from her tiny lips.
"But Pippi is still a child, so it is okay. Not like you. Old and horny."
"What did you say?!"
Now, it was Goyo''s turn to get angry. The two stared at each other with a grunt.
It was no secret that the two of them would fight every time they met. Pippi and Goyo were like water and fire.
However, the fight soon ended.
"I told you to work, not fight."
A stern voice stopped the argument between the energy blob creatures and the dwarves. They gasped as a man in a long ck suit with white hair approached them.
Pippi quickly grimaced, while Goyo lowered her head.
"Hehe, sorry lord. We weren''t fighting. Just had a little argument about this egg," said the little girl. She nced at the dwarf with the long beard. "Isn''t that right, Goyo?"
Goyo stammered. "Yes, lord. We were discussing the issue of egg safety." He joined in the cover-up of Pippi''s lie.
Isaac was silent. The dungeon master just stared at the two midgets before him with a cold stare. While they seemed to bite their lips while looking away.
After staring at them for a long time, words came out of his mouth.
"Good. Brainstorming for amon goal is important. You''ve improved."
Pippi and Goyo breathed a sigh of relief. Their lies were believed by the dungeon master.
At least, that''s what they thought.
Of course, Isaac knew that these two creatures were lying. It was obvious from their expressions and tone. But he wasn''t going to get angry.
It was better to see his men working together than to keep arguing. Just like a machine, gears that didn''t fit together would make the machine unable to work.
Besides, scolding them and finding fault with them wouldn''t make things any better. The strength of the dungeon depends on the monsters in it. They must unite no matter what.
However, that didn''t mean Isaac would just let them lie to their master.
"Alright, then. Since you two seem to be sopatible, I need to increase your working hours. You two will continue to watch over the caecilian egg together until it hatches."
"WHAT!?" They said it simultaneously.
"But, lord... Pippi heard that there will be a celebration in the Elven Vige..."
"I also need to take care of the workshop..."
Goyo and Pippi tried to negotiate, but the dungeon master didn''t care. They needed to be punished for daring to lie to their master.
Isaac smirked.
"You guys have nothing to worry about. The Elven Vige celebration is still a while away. Besides, I''ve bought some new dwarves to help with the workshop. Everything is under control."
The two of them had disappointed looks on their faces. It was impossible for them to refute him. The dungeon master''s words were absolute.
Pippi and Goyo could only bow their heads.
Isaac smiled broadly. After giving his men a lesson, he quickly left the incubator machine.
''The construction of the incubator is going well. I think the eggs will hatch faster. Now, let''s see how the homunculus children develop.''
He walked down the dark tunnel. The deeper he went, the fainter the sound of the steam engine became. Until finally he saw a light.
Isaac arrived at the other side of the cave.
If the previous side was the belly of the cave, rocks and minerals on each side, then on the other side was arge room.
The walls were painted white and the floor was covered in sponges of various bright colors. Inside, it feels like a daycare center.
The homunculus children were ying. They were running around. Some were ying on the slide. Some were swimming in a pool filled with stic balls. The elf parents looked busy taking care of them. Some were feeding them, some were punishing their child. There were also those who y with their children.
The homunculus children looked different from thest time Isaac saw them. They no longer had t expressions. Now, smiles could be seen on their faces.
The elven parents seeded in awakening their feelings. They raised the homunculus children as if they were their own. Though they had only been together for a few weeks, their affection was obvious.
''Well, this is quite surprising.''
Actually, Isaac himself didn''t expect this parenting process to go well. He still remembered the distressed looks on the elves''s faces when they were given the task for taking care of the homunculus children. In fact, he thought there might be one or two homunculus child who died.
As it turned out, his estimate was wrong. The results were far beyond expectations.
Suddenly, one of the little ones shouted while pointing at Isaac.
"Look! Lord Isaac!"
The children who were busy ying then looked at him. Including the elves.
"Lord Isaac!"
They stopped ying and ran towards him. Isaac was surprised, as were the elves. The parents of these children looked deathly pale. They were afraid the dungeon master would be angry.
But, their fears quickly vanished.
Isaac just smiled as dozens of homunculus children surrounded him. He didn''t get angry, or try to avoid them. Instead, he stroked their heads.
The elven parents breathed a sigh of relief as they stroked their chests.
"Lord Isaac! Lord Isaac! Lord Isaac!"
"Thank you lord! I love Lord Isaac."
"Let''s y! Let''s y!"
They all tried to hug and touch Isaac. It was as if he was a father who promised to take his children to the zoo.
Isaac looked dazed. Never before had he been surrounded by so many fragile creatures. Once he shook his hand, these homunculus could be killed in an instant. Therefore, he was quite careful about touching them.
Then, a male elf with silver hair approached him
"Children, please do not disturb, Lord Isaac. You can''t bother adults."
Hearing the reprimand from the elf, they made sullen faces. That male elf told them to go back to ying, they obeyed. The homunculus children returned to their parents. While the elf parents bowed their heads to Isaac from a distance.
"My lord, forgive the children for disturbing you. I hope you will forgive them," said the male elf as he bowed.
"It''s all right. It''s a pleasant experience. They grow up fast. Thest time I brought them here, they were only as tall as my thighs. Now they are as tall as my belly button," Isaac replied.
The dungeon master tapped the male elf on the shoulder. "Good job. Too bad you don''t have a name."
"It is an honor to be praised by you."
Isaac turned his face into a serious look.
"In a few days they will be teenagers. Their behavior will probably change too. There will be changes to this ce."
The male elf bowed his head. "Yes, my lord. Their growth is very fast. This is quite surprising to us."
Elves are long-lived creatures. To them, a few weeks are like a few seconds. In their eyes, a homunculus is like a flower that blooms quickly.
"That''s a good thing. In a month or two, they will be ready for marriage. We will prepare a suitable couple for them. You will be able to rx and enjoy the Moon Festival for a while."
Of course, this was good news for Isaac. The sooner they matured, the sooner his project would bepleted.
Chapter 139 Wedding Day
[Elven Vige, 4th Floor, 1st Dungeon]
Three months had passed since the copse of the dungeon in Tianjin. The earth continued to rotate and the sun continued to rise. Everything returned to normal as usual. The hunters went back to hunting. The Dungeon Masters resumed their ns to rule the Earth.
Everyone went back to their respective activities. So did Isaac.
Today was a special day.
Radiant Forest never happened at night for the first time the sky was dark. The city streets were filled with lights. Fireflies flew freely. The leaves of the trees that had always been green now changed their color to pink. The sound ofughter and music echoed through the streets.
Lanterns hung along the trees. Elven children ran through the streets. The hunters enjoyed the food sold by street vendors.
Everyone seemed to be smiling happily. Elves and humans.
In the center of the crowd, Pippi was seenughing while riding a big bear. She attracted the attention of the people around her. They seemed worried about the appearance of monsters in the middle of the vige. However, none of them drew their swords or tried to attack them. The bear monster looked tame.
Pippi dismounted, the little girl bought a lollipop shaped like an apple. She bit right into it, sweet and sour juice filling her mouth. Her eyes lit up as the freshness of the fruit tickled her tongue.
Away from the crowd, on arge tree with a dark balcony above it, a man in a long ck coat seemed to be observing her.
"How many times have I told you not to bring monsters into the vige," he muttered.
A woman with blue crescent-like eyes and a dazzling face appeared behind him. Her hair was shiny white like moonlight. She walked up to the man in the ck coat.
"My Lord, Fedorov and his soldiers are ready."
Isaac heard Byakko''s words, but he remained silent. His eyes were still fixed on his dungeon manager.
"Good," he replied shortly after.
Byakko nodded. Her eyes nced at the festivities.
The white tiger embodiment woman did not understand what her master had in mind for this event. But as a subordinate, she followed the boss''s n.
The atmosphere became quiet.
"Lord, isn''t the Radiant Forest never night. Then how can you turn the sky dark?" Suddenly, Byakko asked.
Isaac raised one eyebrow. He didn''t expect his monster who was known to be so ignorant to start caring about the mechanics of the dungeon.
"That''s right. Radiant Forest is a terrain type that doesn''t have a time loop, but I can still regte the natural conditions inside. Including the light intensity. As the dungeon master, I can change anything."
"Oh, I see. I understand now," she replied.
Isaac pursed his lips. Without having to look back, Isaac knew that his men were nodding. He saw that Byakko had improved since pairing him with Astreus.
''She knows how to get along now.
Isaac puffed out his chest.
His attention was drawn to the vige hall. He saw the appearance of a parade of elves in the distance.
The crowds of people that filled the streets began to move aside and make way for the passing parade. Everyone''s attention was drawn to them. The parade group seemed to be wearing unique clothes with all green. Dozens of elves were seen ying musical instruments. Some yed the flute, some beat the drum, some yed the harp. This group of musicians seemed to lead a line of male and female couples. Their faces were covered by thin white hoods.
The hunters seemed curious about them. But to their astonishment, among the group were armored troops with red ornaments. They were humans
These troops were quite familiar to the hunters. After observing them for a while, the hunters immediately buzzed.
"Woaaaah! Aren''t they the Blood Oath Guild?"
"Why are they joining the festival lineup!?"
"Don''t tell me they were hired by Miss Adelia."
A whispered voice was heard between the sounds of the traditional music of the elves.
The parade stopped in the courtyard of the town hall. They stopped ying the music, but the music yed by the street musicians was still ying.
On the balcony of the town hall, an elven woman with long golden hair appeared. She wore a dress as blue as the sky. She wore a crown studded with sapphires and diamonds. All the hunters watching from below seemed mesmerized by the elven woman''s beauty.
When she raised her hand, the crowd cheered.
"Good evening, humans and elves. I, Adelia von Koenigswald, representative of the Elven Vige, would like to thank you foring to the Moon Festival."
Adelia spoke in a soft voice. It was not high-pitched or shouted, but her voice was able to reach all the ears of the thousands of hunters attending the festival.
This was thanks to the air magic learned by that high elf.
"As you know, the Radiant Forest never happened the night before. But for today the sky turns dark. Because today is a sacred day."
"Woahhh!"
Exmations could be heard echoing. The hunters were quite curious about this festival event. They had been told about the festival long ago, but they didn''t actually know what the event was about.
"Today is Mass Wedding Day!"
Instantly the sound of cheering and pping echoed. The hunters looked very excited after hearing that. Who doesn''t love a wedding day? A day full of joy andughter.
The noise of the crowd intensified when Adelia announced that the Elven Vige would be holding a party for seven days and nights.
The hunters began to get even crazier. They never thought that there would be anything like this in the dungeon. It was unexpected.
However, Adelia was not finished with her surprise.
"In addition, I''m also announcing another piece of good news. That from now on, this vige has a new head of security."
The soldiers eximed in surprise. Some pursed their lips. Some were looking at each other. They were really curious.
But guesses had alreadye to their mind after seeing the red-armored warriors apanying the procession.
Adelia twisted her body, she called out to someone. Then a gray-haired man in red armor appeared onto the balcony. That man seemed to raise both hands while eximing.
"I''m the head of the Elven Vige''s newest security guard! I guess you guys know who I am!"
Then, a thunderous roar echoed through the air. There were sounds of exmations of disappointment. There were sounds of cursing. There were also the pure ones who apuded. The hunter''s responses were various.
Seeing themotion starting to appear in the crowd, Adelia quickly intervened.
"I know that most of you disagree. You feel that Elven Vige is no longer a neutral ce. But trust me! Elven Vige will remain the same. Everyone is under the rules. No one will be arbitrary. Elven Vige will still be your home!"
Adelia''s words seemed to hypnotize the hunters. Suddenly everyone turned to agree with her.
Of course, Adelia''s words were not empty wind. She cast enchanting magic on her words, which made thousands of hunters be obedient.
Enchantment magic needs some special conditions. Among them were feelings of happiness and support. This magic could be contagious. So this magic was effectively used for crowds or campaigning.
Only certain witches could perform it. One of them was Adelia. A High Elf who costs 500,000 zenny.
"Adelia!"
"Adelia!"
"Adelia!"
Her name was called out by the hunters. They worshiped her as if she were a goddess.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Gang felt amazed. At the same time he felt astonished. What a great influence Adelia could have. But it all didn''t matter to him.
He got what he wanted. She had very strong support. That man was sure that the Blood Oath Guild would be at the top of China. Or even the world.
Zhang Gang would seize the opportunity.
However, he did not know how dangerous it was to make a pact with a demon.
The wedding ceremony was then held.
The entourage left the vige hall grounds, leaving only the bridal couple. They consisted of thirty couples, faces still covered by cloth. The hunters watching from outside looked curious.
Then an elf with white robes and golden ornaments adorning him appeared among them. The first couple faced the priest. The bridal couple removed the coverings on their faces. The two couples blushed. Neither of them had ever been in a rtionship.
The groom was an elf, while the bride partner was a homunculus.
The elf priest reads the contract, then the male partner takes vows. After that, the couple kissed. Then the sound of cheers could be heard echoing from the hunter witnesses. They didn''t realize that the couple were two different races. The homunculus'' hair was dyed silver, so no one recognized him.
The priest then married another couple. The bride and groom faced the priest in turn. And so on until the end.
Everyone waspletely immersed in joy. No one realized that thousands of monsters were besieging the vige.
Chapter 140 Chaos
After all the couples recited their vows, they all entered the vige hall.
A group of elves wearing servant uniforms appeared. Tables and chairs floated above their heads. The hunters watched as they set up the party''s dining area. Not long after, another group of elves appeared arranging the dishes and food.
The aroma of the food pierced the hunters''s noses. Their mouths salivated when they saw the various meat dishes served on the dining table.
On the balcony, Adelia saw the excitement of the party. The elven woman raised both hands in the air.
"I want to share this happy day with you. Let''s have a party!"
"Uwooooggh!"
The sound of hunter cheers echoed. They quickly took their seats.
The hunters poured wine and toasted. Some of them sang on the table. Some were seen dancing together. Waiters continued to fill empty sses and empty tes. The sound of flutes and drums made them forget that they were in a dungeon.
Despite the lively party, the high elf seemed to have a t face.
"Why are you putting on a sullen face? Is this party boring for you?"
Zhang Gang came over to the elf woman carrying two sses. That man willingly went downstairs to get ale for the two of them. He offered the drinks with a smile.
"This is your party. At least smile a little," said the man. He ran a hand through his hair.
Adelia epted the ss. Her t face turned into a sweet smile. The woman said thank you, then Zhang Gangughed loudly.
Several times Zhang Gang cracked jokes, but the responses given by the high elf seemed ordinary. She just smiled and nodded.
Zhang took a deep breath. His hand did not stop twirling the ss. He nced at Adelia, who seemed transfixed by the festivities.
"Eggh, by the way Miss Adelia, do you have ns to get married too?"
Hearing the unnatural question, one of Adelia''s eyebrows rose. She nced at Zhang Gang. That middle-aged man looked flushed.
A grin appeared on her face. "Of course. Why not?"
Zhang Gang opened his eyes wide.
The Blood Oath Guild Leader was quite desperate to get close to Adelia.
It was no secret that Adelia was the most beautiful woman in Elven Vige. There were dozens of hunters approaching her. Her beauty was able to captivate the eyes of every man, Zhang Gang was no exception.
After seeing the wedding feast of the elves, he saw the opportunity to marry Adelia. Although the possibility was very small.
"Don''t you mind marrying an old man?" asked Zhang Gang in a trembling tone.
Adelia smiled amusedly. Of course that elven woman knew the meaning behind the question.
"I do like to look for men who are older than me."
The answer given by Adelia excited Zhang Gang. The middle-aged man had been a single for 10 years since his first wife died. His youthful spirit was beginning to stir.
Zhang Gang grimaced like a fool.
"But s, I have yet to see a creature older than me."
Hearing Adelia''s answer, Zhang Gang opened his eyes wide. It was easy enough for that man to understand.
Adelia was an adult high elf. The average lifespan of an elf could reach 600 to 800 years. While High Elves could be more than 1000 years old.
They would remain young in appearance even though they were thousands of years old.
Zhang Gang pursed his lips. His face appeared to be covered in cold sweat. "What do you think I look like in the eyes, miss Adelia?"
The high elf looked up, her index finger tapping on her chin.
"You look like my grandson."
Upon hearing the reply, he nodded with a grimace.
Adelia knew that the man next to her was disappointed. But she pretended not to see it.
The two of them were silent for a long time. The atmosphere became awkward, at least that''s how Zhang Gang felt. This was the first time he had been treated like a child by a woman who looked so much younger than him.
The man sighed. He needed to break this atmosphere.
"By the way, if I''ve noticed from earlier, you always seem not to enjoy the party. Do you dislike parties?" asked Zhang Gang.
Adelia shook her head. "It''s not that I don''t like it. It''s just that this party ising to an end."
Hearing thest sentence spoken by the high elf, Zhang Gang frowned. He was sure that a few hours ago Adelia had said that there would be a big party for seven days and seven nights.
Then why did it alling to an end?
The man puzzledly wondered for a while. Until finally he thought that time elves had a long life. Thus, the flow of time for them was rtively different for them. So, he ignored it.
Although in truth, the party was reallying to an end.
"Haha! Cheers!"
"Hey! Chinese! Look at me!"
A Russian hunter looked dance with a bottle on his head. All the huntersughed as they pped their hands.
The more time passed, the merrier the party became. The elven servants kept filling empty bottles with ale, recing the bone-filled te with new dishes. The hunters did not stop dancing to the music. Not a few hunters were seen standing on side or just chatting. Each of them enjoyed the feast in their own way.
In the middle of the crowd suddenly came the sound of a man shouting.
Due to the loud music, the party was still going on. Most of the hunters were still engrossed in the party music and their fun. Only a few hunters heard the scream.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
A hunter with brown hair and blue eyes asked one of his drunken partner. But the man seemed to ignore him and went back to chugging his ss of ale.
That hunter hissed. Not being taken seriously, he got up from his seat. The man staggered through the crowd of people who were drowning in euphoria. The effects of the alcohol were still lingering in his head.
He finally came out of the party at the vige hall. His eyes looked around, the vige streets seemed deserted. Moments ago there were many merchants and a few street musicians.
"Where did they all go?"
His eyes narrowed, trying to focus his vision. He seemed to see something in the shadows of the forest.
Not long after, his eyes opened wide. The man''s lips trembled.
"No. .... No...."
A man in a ck demon mask with hair like mes walked towards him. Hundreds of walking monsters followed him from behind.
The hunter quickly turned around and returned to the vige hall. He ran with terror on his face.
"MONSTERS! MONSTERS HAVE ENTERED THE VILLAGE!!!"
That man shouted at the top of his lungs, until the veins in his neck bulged. However, the people ignored him. They were still busy partying. There were even some hunters whoughed at him.
"I''M SERIOUS MONSTERS ARE COMING!"
Zhang Gang heard themotion. He put down his ss. His attention was drawn to that man.
"What''s going on?"
He continued to observe the man from a distance, trying to figure out what was going on. The noise and music blocked his hearing.
Suddenly, yellow lightning struck in the middle of the party.
BAM!
Zhang Gang was so shocked that he fell down. So did Adelia. That man quickly helped her up.
"Are you okay, Adelia?"
The High elf did not respond. Her face looked pale. Her eyes were glued on the crowd.
Zhang Gang was worried about the woman''s condition. Then, the sound of a scream rang out. He quickly looked towards the party.
Both of his eyes were wide open.
"No... way..."
Hundreds of monsters went on a rampage amidst the festivities. They attacked the drunken hunters. Meanwhile, the hunters who still had their wits about them quickly ran for their weapons. Some were trying to escape.
"Monsters! Monster! Monsters!"
"Get your weapons!"
"They''reing!"
The hunters screamed in terrir. Their voices reced theughter and music that echoed through the air. They tried to wake their unconsciousrades. The servant elves ran around. They saved themselves first. While the monsters preyed on thousands of humans who became easy meals.
Only the Blood Oath hunters seemed ready to fight. Unlike the other hunters, they did not join the party. They were on security duty.
Seeing the party turned to 180-degree, Zhang Gang could only stand still. The man was speechless. The situation shocked him.
Until a soft voice awakened the man.
"Mr. Zhang Gang,e to your senses."
A beautiful face and pearly eyes stared into him.
"Miss Adelia..."
Unlike him, the woman didn''t seem surprised at all. There wasn''t even a look of panic on her face.
"We have no time for daydreaming."
Adelia smiled broadly as if what she had been waiting for had arrived.
Chapter 141 Melody
From beyond the darkness, Isaac saw how the wedding party turned into a massacre. The monsters he sent devoured dozens of drunken hunters. There was no expression on his face at all.
It was as if the incident was a natural urrence.
Byakko was also watching. Her crescent-like eyes reflected the battle that was taking ce. After observing for a while, he sensed something strange. The monsters sent by Isaac seemed weaker than the drunken hunter. It would have been easier to annihte them if he had sent stronger monsters.
This astonished Byakko. For a demon like Isaac, there was no way he would be careless with something so simple.
"My lord. After I saw the battle, the hunters seemed stronger than the monsters. I''m not saying that our monsters won''t win against them, but why would you do that?"
Isaac just smiled. "You''ll see."
Of course, her master''s answer left her curious. By now, she was convinced that Isaac had ulterior motives for this sudden attack.
So, Byakko waited for an answer while watching the battle.
.
.
.
"What?"
Zhang Gang looked wide-eyed. Seeing the high elf''s look made him wonder. With the situation in such a mess, the woman was smiling. Besides, there was something else that bothered him more.
Adelia was holding his face.
"Listen, Mr. Zhang Gang. Tonight the live of the hunters depends on you. You have to help them, do you understand?"
The middle-aged man did not understand. He had already entered into an agreement with Isaac to protect his dungeon. The dungeon master said that this party was prepared for him. But why were hundreds of monsters attacking him during the party.
Was he being framed?
"Aren''t all monsters controlled by the dungeon master. I promised I''d clean up his dungeon from leecher. But why did he attack? My men are still-"
SLAP
Adelia pped him on the cheek. Only then did the man shut his mouth.
"I understand that there are many questions in your head right now. But we don''t have time for that. The stage is set for you. Now, it''s time for you to take the spotlight."
Zhang Gang put on a confused face. He was getting more and more clueless.
Adeliah sighed. "You and your man are guaranteed not to die in this battle. Trust me."
Without the middle-aged man realizing it, light escaped from her hand and entered his temple.
Zhang Gang nodded. "Alright, I understand."
The high elf smiled. "Good. Now show me your strength."
Suddenly after being assured by the beautiful elf, he felt power flowing inside his body. That man dove off the balcony without a second thought.
Zhang Gang drew his sword while striking his sword against his chest. The sh of metal echoed. The hunters''s attention was drawn to him.
Especially the warriors of the Blood Oath.
"Everyone! Stay calm! Don''t run. Those who are still sober grab your weapons and fight. The healers and casters take the drunk into the treehouse. Get them sober as soon as possible!"
"Yooooh!!!"
The hunters answered in unison.
Zhang Gang quickly jumped into the dozens of monsters that were swarming. A bunch of orcs and hobgoblins attacked him simultaneously, but the man brutally shed every iing monster into two pieces.
St! St! St!
He broke through to the front of the line. Together with his men, they fought off waves of monsters. It was typical of the Blood Oath guild to fight relying on brute force.
Although Zhang Gang and his men tried to withstand the onught of monsters, there were still many human casualties. Most of them were in an unconscious state.
There were dozens of goblins and kobolds sneaking into the battle. They were targeting the unconscious hunters. Some of the monsters chased the caster and healer who were pulling the hunter into the treehouse. Since they weren''t fighters, most of them were killed by the goblins.
The healers werepletely devoid of meleebat abilities being swarmed by dozens of goblins. While marksmen and casters had no preparation time to cast spells or use skills.
They were easy targets for the monsters.
It took some time for Zhang Gang to realize the situation. That man was too busy ughtering orcs, lycans, and some werelions in the front row. When he turned his head, dozens of his people had be corpses.
"Damn it! Send some hunters to protect them!"
Dozens of hunters in armor with ornaments began to change their targets. They moved back and attacked the goblins and kobolds.
A few hunters remained in the vanguard and Blood Oath withstood the onught of monsters.
From the top of the balcony, Adelia watched the course of the battle. Her eyesbed every corner of the vige hall grounds, making sure none of the residents were involved in the battle.
Suddenly, a shard of light appeared out of thin air and transformed into a little girl.
"Yo!!!"
Pippi greeted excitedly.
Adelia smiled while bowing her head to wee the dungeon manager. She did so not because she needed to honor her, but she knew that the little girl would like to be treated with respect.
Adelia liked Pippi.
"How may I help you, mydy?" she asked in a yful tone.
The dungeon manager smiled broadly. She stroked her nose with her finger while puffing out her chest.
"You don''t have to act like that to Pippi, hehe. If my lord finds out, he might punish you."
Adelia chuckled.
"Pippi, did the lord order anything?"
The little girl nodded. "If the number of casualties has reached over three-fifths of the quota, you must help those pitiful humans."
"Understood."
The high elf''s attention was then drawn to the battle.
The Blood Oath Guild''s hunters seemed to be trying their hardest. They not only held the vanguard, but also chased after the sneaking monsters. They were doing double duty from the battle.
Of course, among them, the one who seemed to be struggling the most was Zhang Gang. As the leader, as well as the face of the Blood Oath, he had to look dashing. The morale of his men depended on him.
If he was savage, his men would also be savage. And vice versa.
Zhang Gang was the core of the battle.
"Everyone! Don''t go red!"
The man roared in the middle of the battle. He said the same phrase over and over again.
However, the situation seemed to be the opposite.
The longer the battle went on, the more they were beaten back. Dozens of orcs began to ughter the exhausted hunters. Werelions raged in the midst of battle. Lycan targeted the wounded fighters.
The hunters were in no condition to excel. Although the monsters they fought were weak, being outnumbered put them under pressure.
"Kuaaarrrggh!"
"No!!!"
"Blyat!"
The cries of pain from the hunters began to rise in the air.
Zhang Gang realized the situation could notst much longer. Even if he tried to fight with all his might together with his men, they would not be enough to face this endless wave of monsters. They were only buying time.
The mighty man began to bite his lip. He was running out of options. His options now were to leave Elven Vige and rescue his men, but at the risk of being hunted down by the dungeon master. Or fight to the end, trusting the dungeon masterpletely, with the possibility of being betrayed.
"Damn it... Why is this happening..."
Zhang Gang began to regret his decision.
In such a moment of despair, suddenly a melodious chant rang through the air. Instantly, the hunters stopped swinging their weapons. The monsters were stunned. All attention was focused on the source of the sound. They all looked towards the balcony.
"This melody..."
"So melodious... the song of heaven..."
"Am I dead?"
Adelia floated in the air and her body emitted a bright light. She sang with great passion. Her soft melody hypnotized every being who heard it.
But the magic didn''t stop there. The hunters who had passed out from drunkenness woke up. They slowly got up while rubbing their eyes, then looked up at the balcony.
Everything in the vige hall was affected by her magic.
Not except Zhang Gang.
The man who always appeared brutal and ferocious in battle suddenly softened. He even shed tears as the melodious singing touched him.
Until finally, he heard Adelia''s whispering voice in his head.
"Mr. Zhang Gang. Return to battle. I''ve made the opportunity."
Instantly, the man came to his senses from the insinuating chant. He pped his face repeatedly. He also saw that the hunters who had fainted had woken up.
A smile bloomed on his face. The opportunity to win appeared.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Zhang Gang hit his chest with a sword. The sound of metal shing drew the attention of the hunters. While strangely, the monsters were still hypnotized by Adelia''s singing.
"Stop daydreaming! It''s time for us to fight!"
For a while, the hunters were still confused. Especially those who had just woken up from a stupor. After seeing dozens of monsters surrounding them, they came to their senses.
The hunters quickly got up and drew their swords.
"Attack!"
The Blood Oath Guild Leader''s scream started the battle. Dozens of hunters charged at the hypnotized monsters.
In a matter of seconds, bloodshed ensued.
"Kill them!"
"Don''t let them get away!"
Since the monsters were basically low-ss monsters, it didn''t take long for the hunters to change the flow of the battle.
The monsters were ughtered.
The goblins tried to escape while screaming. The orcs were overrun by dozens of hunters. Werelions were burned to ashes by casters. The lycans who were predators were ughtered like sheep.
They retreated.
However, the humans hunted them down. There is no mercy for them. Not a single monster was let off the hook.
Zhang Gan was the one running at the front.
"Don''t let them get away!"
The man had been consumed by emotion. He would take advantage of this to avenge the dungeon master.
Unfortunately, the situation always changed quickly.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Dozens of lightning bolts struck from the sky. The hunters were forced to stop the chase. Some of them were struck by lightning and burned.
Zhang Gang only cursed inwardly.
"Bastard! Who cast the lightning magic!"
The Blood Oath Guild leader was furious. His face turned bright red.
However, his anger did notst long. Instead, his expression turned pale.
The figure of a masked man floated above the sky. His hair zed like ck mes. He was like a god descending from the sky. All the monsters hid behind him.
It didn''t take long for Zhang Gang to realize who it was.
The dungeon master arrived in battle!
Chapter 142 Dungeon Master
"Huh?"
"What is it?"
"That..."
The hunters were also surprised to witness the appearance of the masked figure. Zhang Gang seemed to bite his lips. Now, he didn''t know what to do.
Suddenly, one of the hunters came forward. That man brandished a spear towards the dungeon master.
"Don''t be afraid! One person is not enough to change things! Attack!"
Out of Zhang Gang''smand, the hunters followed the shout and attacked without a second thought. The leader of the Blood Oath Guild was shocked. He tried to stop them, but unfortunately it was toote.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Lightning struck dozens of hunters. Instantly, the sound of their screams filled the air along with the burning smell. Zhang Gang looked away with a dark face.
"You idiot," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Dozens of hunters who had originally had great guts now shrank. Watching dozens of theirrades be burnt corpses, they quickly put on horrified faces. Some hunters even fell down in shock.
Under these confusing conditions, Zhang Gang was filled with doubt. He had never received any prior notice from the dungeon master. All of this was sudden.
He thought, is this a test? Or is this really a trap?
The only clue given by Adelia was that he had been provided with a stage.
"Chief what should we do?"
"Whatever happens, we will fight with you."
His men began to urge him on. They were waiting for a decision from the leader. On the other hand, Zhang Gang himself still didn''t know what to decide.
He squeezed his sword.
At that moment, at the shadows of the trees, dozens of pairs of glowing eyes appeared. The hunters were immediately shocked to see that. Tension ran up their necks.
However, their worries were just their fears.
Adelia appeared above the warmth. The elven woman seemed to float like a goddess from down from the sky. Of course she didn''te alone. Dozens of elves came along with their leader. Hiding in both tree branches, they aimed arrows at the dungeon master.
Suddenly, this scene made hundreds of hunters gape. For the first time, they saw thebat power of the Elven Vige. So far they had only seen the elves as peace-loving creatures.
This was beyond their expectations. Including the Zhang Gang.
"What are they really up to," muttered that man.
He shook his head.
Although he didn''t know the real intention behind this incident, but at least he knew that this was all an act. Zhang Gang could breathe a sigh of relief. He did not have to fight against the dungeon master. Even with hundreds of hunters, he was not sure he could defeat him. Moreover, after seeing hundreds of hunters being eliminated like insects.
In the midst of the tense silence, Adelia spoke up.
"Dungeon Master! We elves are tired of facing your very all this time! We''ve had enough of being ordered to kill humans! From now onwards, we will not follow yourmand decisions anymore! No one can stop our decision! Even if you send hundreds of monsters! We will not be afraid. We will fight back!"
Floating in the air, her speech touched the hearts of the hundreds of hunters who heard it. Now they were fully convinced that there was a tyrant ruler enving the monsters. A ruler who ordered them to attack and kill humans for no reason.
Adelia continued her speech. She told how her people were enved and used. The hunters who were listening began to look pitying. Some felt a surge of emotion. Some were wringing their hands while cursing. Some were open-mouthed. A wide range of emotions filled their chests.
Of course, Adelia''s speech was not just airing out of her breath. There was magic in her every word.
Adelia was an oracle.
The high elf had the ability to influence the feeling of intelligent beings. In addition, she can also buff the people who listen to her voice.
Bang!
By now, all the hunters had fallen under her magical control. Not only were they immersed in emotions, but also great power flowed through their bodies.
Adelia nced at Zhang Gang. That woman gave him a coded look.
Zhang Gang nodded.
He stomped his weapon. The hunter''s entire attention was on him.
"Everyone! As you have heard, the creature before you is our true enemies. He is the mastermind that has humanity facing extinction. There is not just one of them. There are a hundred of them. They are the real threat!"
The hunters looked impatient to fight. They were already furious, especially since they were under the influence of Adelia''s magic.
Zhang Gang nced back at Adelia. The high elf nodded, a sign of approval to attack the dungeon master.
On the other hand, the masked man seemed to be silent.
Zhang Gang didn''t know what the real purpose behind this situation was. But he would improvise.
"Attack!"
"Yaaaa!"
Hundreds of hunters charged simultaneously. Dozens of elves hiding behind the leaves of the trees shot dozens of arrows. Adelia began to chant, her body shining brightly like the morning sun. Zhang Gang attacked at the very front.
On the other side, the dungeon master also did not remain silent. Dozens of monster hunters who were behind him charged. The man in the demon mask cast lightning magic.
The sh was inevitable.
Lightning struck, destroying the surrounding ground and trees. Dozens of hunters were thrown into the air by the force of the lightning. Some of them were injured, suddenly recovering quickly. But not a few of them turned into charred hunks of flesh.
The hunters fought like people possessed. They continued to charge even as lightning bolts struck them. They''re starting to not be much different from monsters.
"Attack! Kill them!"
"Kill the dungeon master!"
"End the suffering of the dungeon right now!"
Blindly, the hunters killed every monster in front of them. Goblins and kobolds were killed, then trampled. The lycans were shed in half. Orcs and werelions were pierced by hundreds of arrows.
Thebined forces of elves and humans excelled in battle. The monster troops was repulsed.
The situation was bing unfavorable for the monsters. If the dungeon master continued, thousands of his monsters would die. He decided to retreat. Of course, the hunters did not remain silent.
Drawing dozens of lightning bolts, the dungeon blocked the movement of the hunters who were trying to catch up with the monsters.
Zhang Gang was still chasing, then he heard a soft whispering voice in his head. Spontaneously, that man stopped.
"Let them retreat. Order the hunter troops to stop attacking."
The Blood Oath Guild leader paused for a moment, catching his breath. At the same time, he was digesting the situation. "Stop! Everyone stop!"
His words were not enough. He stomped his sword against the ground and a crack appeared. Hundreds of hunters who were lusting to kill stopped instantly.
The hunter looked at the leader with a questioning face.
"Why did you stop, Leader?"
"We almost won!"
"If we kill the dungeon master, we can eliminate one threat."
Zhang Gang hissed as he heard the protesting ramblings of his men. That man pulled the head of one of the hunters next to him and pointed at the dozens of hunters injured by the lightning strike.
"Look! If we mindlessly chase after them, we''ll all turn burnt like them! You want us all to die, huh?"
Only then did his men understand. They were too consumed with emotion to realize that many of theirrades were unable to catch up with the enemy.
Zhang Gang ordered the healer to treat the wounded.
Naturally, the elves came down from the trees to help the injured humans. Those with healing magic quickly treated the hunter lying on the ground. Thanks to the magic effects of Adelia, many of the hunters were not seriously injured. Even the magic healing effect became more effective.
Elves and humans helped each other.
Zhang Gang saw how their rtionship was stronger than a tragedy.
"Good job, Zhang Gang."
A soft voice greeted him from behind. A golden-haired and pointy-eared woman approached him.
The man sighed. "I don''t know whether to be happy or sad from this event."
Adelia smiled. "It doesn''t matter. Lord must have liked your work."
Despite being praised by the high elf, no smile at all crossed Zhang Gang''s face. That man looked tly into the shadow of the forest. It was as if something evil was watching them.
Chapter 143 After
Isaac watched the battle between humans and monsterse to an end.
"Adelia did her job well. Now we know what kind of person our new puppet is."
The dungeon master smiled with satisfaction. He then realized that, since the attack had begun, Byakko had made no sound at all. This made Isaac think of testing his observation skills.
"Byakko, what do you think about this attack?"
The spiritual beast incarnate turned her attention to her master. She seemed to pause for a moment, thinking of an answer.
"Hmm... in my opinion, this attack has been orchestrated from the start."
That short answer did not quite satisfy the dungeon master. "Of course. That''s for sure. Adelia is helping the humans. Can you give a more specific answer."
Byakko took a deep breath. She began to exin her observations in more detail.
This was to test Zhang Gang. Unlike other humans, that man had no Seed of Mind in his head. So Isaac could not have full control of him.
In a stressful situation, a person would bring out his true nature. Hence, he needed to see what decision that man would choose in a precarious situation. Would he be able to improvise a sudden n? Did he abandon his troops? Did he keep fighting? Did he remain loyal?
Isaac needed to see it for himself. Indeed, her actions were very risky, but she was not doing this without reason. At some point, he would need more human power. While the slots of the Seed of Mind were very limited. He needed the experience of controlling an unpredictable creature; a creature that could not be fully controlled.
Zhang Gang was the first to be selected.
"So, that''s my exnation, my lord," Byakko said.
Isaac nodded. "You''re right."
The white tiger incarnate woman smiled as she puffed out her chest. She was a spiritual beast who had lived for thousands of years. Of course this was nothing.
However, the smile on her face quickly disappeared.
"But, some things you missed."
Byakko frowned.
"There is another purpose for this attack."
The first objective was Fedorov''s debut.
After the press conference and the copse of the first dungeon in Tianjin, the world already knew that there was a master figure of the dungeon. Fedorov led this attack by disguising himself as Isaac to proim as the dungeon master.
In other words, Fedorov took his ce.
The second objective was to foster hatred for the dungeon master.
Isaac watched the battle between humans and monsterse to an end.
"Adelia did her job well. Now we know what kind of person our new puppet is."
The dungeon master smiled with satisfaction. He then realized that, since the attack had begun, Byakko had made no sound at all. This made Isaac think of testing her observation skills.
"Byakko, what do you think about this attack?"
The spiritual beast incarnate turned her attention to the dungeon master. She seemed to pause for a moment, thinking of an answer.
"Hmm... in my opinion, this attack has been orchestrated from the start."
That short answer did not quite satisfy the dungeon master. "Of course. That''s for sure. Adelia is helping the humans. Can you give a more specific answer."
Byakko took a deep breath. She began to exin her observations in more detail.
This was to test Zhang Gang. Unlike other humans, that man had no Seed of Mind in his head. So Isaac could not have full control of him.
In a stressful situation, a person would bring out his true nature. Hence, he needed to see what decision that man would choose in a precarious state. Would he be able to improvise a sudden n? Did he abandon his troops? Did he keep fighting? Did he remain loyal?
Isaac needed to see it for himself. Indeed, his actions were very risky, but he was not doing this without reason. At some point, he would need more human power. While the slots of the Seed of Mind were very limited. He needed the experience of controlling an unpredictable creature; a creature that could not be fully controlled.
Zhang Gang was the first to be selected.
"So, that''s my exnation, my lord," Byakko said.
Isaac nodded. "You''re right."
The white tiger incarnate woman smiled as she puffed out her chest. She was a spiritual beast who had lived for thousands of years. Of course this was nothing.
However, the smile on her face quickly disappeared.
"But, some things you missed."
Byakko frowned visibly.
"There is another purpose for this attack."
The first objective was Fedorov''s debut.
After the press conference and the copse of the first dungeon in Tianjin, the world already knew that there was a ruler of the dungeon. Fedorov led this attack by disguising himself as Isaac to proim as the dungeon master.
In other words, Fedorov took his ce.
The second objective was to foster hatred for the dungeon master.
The hunters who were in the bloody wedding will forever remember this tragedy. There were thousands of humans killed. This will fuel their hatred for the dungeon master. They would seek to avenge the deaths of theirrades. They no longer climb for money, but for revenge.
Besides, after listening to the false testimony spoken by Adelia, they were convinced that elves and humans had amon enemy. They would think they had an ally in the dungeon climb.
This sounds a little crazy, but it''s effective in motivating the hunter to climb to higher floors. Thus, zenny would flow into Isaac''s pockets.
"Oo..."
Byakko gaped at Isaac''s scheme. Although she hadn''t thought this far ahead.
Isaac made a fatal risky move, but at the same time delegated it to someone else.
"My lord, I may have lived for thousands of years. But never thought that far ahead. It is my good fortune to be under your shelter."
Byakko looked down. Although his words sounded ttering, he actually couldn''t wait to see what interesting thing Isaac created next.
"Commander!"
Then, a Russian ented voice rang out in the middle of their conversation. A man with a demonic mask and hair like ck mes appeared.
"Fedorov!"
Isaac called the man''s name excitedly. Meanwhile, Fedorov knelt down with his eyes on the floor.
"You did your job well. You were able to refrain from getting them killed."
A smile appeared on the dungeon master''s face. He helped the man to his feet, Fedorov still keeping his head down.
Byakko watched that man with apassionate gaze.
Isaac removed the mask from his face. The dashing face of the former elite soldier looked stern.
Isaac patted him on the shoulder.
"From now onwards, your task will be quite tough. You must be able to hold out for as long as possible."
Fedorov struck a salute pose. "Yes,mander."
Isaac widened his smile with a sigh.
His attention returned to the Elven Vige, watching the elves and humans helping each other. His n to control maind China is getting closer.
.
.
.
After the bloody tragedy that killed thousands of hunters, light shone again in the Radiant Forest. The Elven Vige appeared to be in disarray.
The elves rebuilt the vige. They leveled the sticking ground. They rebuilt the destroyed tree houses. They removed trees that had fallen due to lightning strikes. They didn''t work alone, humans helped them.
The hunters have made a good rtionship with the elves. Some are like brothers and stay at the tree house. Some brought food from earth into the dungeon. Some even invited them out, although they refused. Since the events of the past three days, their rtionship has grown stronger.
At least that''s what the humans thought.
The humans already consider the elves as part of them, even though the elves think otherwise.
Isaac observed the view of the vige from the balcony of one of the tree houses. He was wearing a long ck coat with a hood covering his face.
He felt the presence of someone behind him.
"My Lord, Zhang Gang is here," said Adelia.
Isaac sighed, then he entered the treehouse.
In a small room with various leaf ornaments in it, there was a table and a pair of chairs opposite each other.
Isaac sat in one of the chairs. Adelia stood next to him.
Not long after, a gray-haired man appeared in the room. Displeasure was visible on his face.
Isaac invited the man to sit down.
"You did not wear your maskst night, my lord."
The sarcastic tone was clearly heard from Zhang Gang. Adelia quickly frowned. Behind her waist, the woman clenched a fist.
Meanwhile, Isaac was not bothered at all.
"I know you have a lot toin about the other day. The sudden n. No notice. Maybe this surprises you."
"And the ughter of humans," Zhang Gang added. His face looked sour when he said it.
"Watch your mouth, Mr. Zhang Gang."
Adelia took on a threatening tone.
Zhang Gang would not be surprised by the temperament of the beautiful woman. He already knew her true nature.
Isaac raised his hand, signaling not to interfere.
The high elf fell silent while bowing his head.
"I know you have a lot of disappointments that you harbor. Butst night''s events were necessary to unite elves and humans. They need to take the existence of the dungeon master seriously as soon as possible. In addition,st night''s events had a very positive effect on the Blood Oath Guild. Isn''t it?"
Hissing, Zhang Gang had a wry look when he heard the exnation from Isaac. He could not deny it. Thanks to the bloody wedding feast tragedy, over the past few days, his guild had be the talk of the town. Blood Oath became the number one trending topic in the Hunter Society forum.
Nevertheless, the man did not agree with Isaac''s words.
"I''m sure there are still other options than sacrificing hundreds of drunken hunters."
Isaac sighed. "Sorry, I thought you were used to sacrificing humans. Like when you recruited dozens of hunters in Elven Vige to work on our level IX mission."
Zhang Gang gasped. The man squeezed his hands while grinding his teeth. He did not expect that there would be people who knew his secret.
In the end, he had to admit his hypocrisy. His emotions calmed down as he sighed.
"So, what business does the dungeon master have calling here?" asked Zhang Gang matter-of-factly.
Isaac smiled.
"I have already evaluatedst night. You are worthy of being our ally. As promised, I will supply the Blood Oath Guild with quality weapons made by our dwarves. Therefore, it is time for us to carry out the contents of the agreement."
Zhang Gang shrugged his shoulders.
Isaac snapped his fingers. Adelia then handed several sheets of paper to Zhang Gang. The middle-aged man seemed to raise one of his eyebrows.
The dungeon master observed Zhang Gang reading the contents of the document. Shortly afterwards he ced it on the table while stroking his forehead.
The Blood Oath Guild leader seemed to be silent for a long time.
"This is crazy. This is tantamount to suicide. Of all the dungeons, you want me to enter this most dangerous one?"
Hearing the frustrated tone from Zhang Gang, Isaac smiled widely.
"Right."
Chapter 144 Event
Isaac stood on the balcony, looking at Zhang Gang leaving the treehouse.
"Do you think he can do it, my lord?"
Adelia who was standing next to him asked. That woman doubted that the Blood Oath guild could infiltrate such a dangerous dungeon in the world.
His eyes were still glued on the man.
"We don''t know as long as it hasn''t been tried. We will see itter. The dungeon in New Orlean."
After a tough discussion with Zhang Gang, the Blood Oath Guild leader was able to agree to the offer made by Isaac.
There was a change in the deal.
Isaac not only gave the Blood Oath Guild weapons, but also trained their members to level up.
Some Blood Oath Guild members would be provided with farming zone. In that area, they would fight dozens of monsters with high levels and guaranteed safety for their members. None of their members would be killed.
Beside, Isaac would increase the monthly wage that would be given to Zhang Gang. He would give the man 10 kg of Power Crystals for himself personally, not for the guild. In other words, Isaac would fund the Blood Oath Guild and Zhang Gang separately.
Of course, Isaac also benefited from Zhang Gang.
Isaac would create a special Blood Oath Guild post in the dungeon. This post was used as the headquarters for Leecher extermination. They were tasked with not only terminating the leechers on the 4th Floor, but all floors in the dungeon.
They were required to patrol for 24 hours, with three shifts. Isaac had full control over them, including the punishments. If they were found to be corrupt, such as ckmailing hunters or cooperating with leechers, Isaac had the right to kill them as a form of punishment.
In addition, Isaac had the right to use them in a state of war. In the event of an attack on his dungeon, such as a raid or PvP.
Zhang Gang also did not allow other people to know about this agreement. If anyone else found out about this, they would have to be killed.
The man agreed.
Of course, Isaac could not trust humanspletely. Just in case, if Zhang Gang had any intention of leaking the secret or breaking their agreement, a curse was imnted on that man''s head.
It was Adelia who imnted the curse magic during the tragedy of the bloody wedding.
"ording to the information I heard from the hunters, the dungeon in New Orleans is a nightmare. There is a dungeon break almost every three weeks. A quarter of Louisiana is overrun by monsters. I''m not sure if they can reach the dungeon before being killed by monsters."
The high elf sounded skeptical.
Isaac remained silent. The veins on his face did not seem to move at all.
Of course he knew the dungeon in New Orleans was a threat.
Based on his memories of his previous life, the owner of the dungeon was Duchess Valefor.
She was a female demon who became the center of attention at the auction a few months ago. That fat woman became a terrible scourge during the Red Night.
By the end of the second year, she controlled all of Louisiana. Her army of ogres and trolls became a terrible nightmare for the hunters. They not only targeted awakener, but also ordinary humans. Duchess Valefor was indiscriminate with her prey. She would finish off any human as long as they gave her zenny.
As a result, the demonesse was unstoppable from the second year to the fifth year.
Many other demons tried her tactics. However, they all failed. Because Duchess Valefor targeted densely popted areas. She expanded to Texas and took control of the three most populous cities. Houston, Das, and San Antonio.
Beside, the effects of Red Night put the US in a major crisis. In the fourth year of the game, the superpower country copsedpletely. Most of its citizens fled to European and South American countries.
The trigger of Red Night was Duchess Valefor.
Therefore, in order to mitigate the effects of that terrible event or even prevent it, Isaac had to make a move first. If the US copsed, the number of hunters would be drastically reduced, considering it was the third most populous country. The Dukes are getting harder and harder to stop.
Isaac intended to cultivate pests for the enemy''s dungeon.
He sighed while closing his eyes.
"We''ll see."
"Yes, my lord."
Adelia bowed her head.
For now, Isaac had to focus his mind on other matters first. Another big event was waiting for him.
"Adelia, for the next few months, I want you to devote your attention to homunculus and elves. Pippi will help you with the vige matters. Don''t overload the girl withplicated work. She also needs to manage the dungeon while I''m away."
The high elf nodded. At the same time she was curious. "I see. Is Lord Isaac going to the human world again?"
Isaac snorted. "No, I''m not. I have no business with them yet."
Adelia raised one of her eyebrows. A curious look appeared on her face.
"Maybe in a few weeks, an angel will descend to Earth. Easter Egg Hunt Event."
Hearing the dungeon master''s answer, Adelia opened her eyes wide.
.
.
.
Every six months or every five months, there would be an event held. The event had a different theme and prize. The angels who lead the events were also different. Like Asriel who leads the annual Auction, they were part of The Knight of Heaven.
The first event would determine the holder of the game flow.
In a small room with sunlight streaming in, a white-haired man sat on a wooden chair while closing his eyes. A little girl seemed to be sitting with him on the other side of the chair. She yed with a teddy bear in her hands.
"If you''re bored, you can leave Pippi," the man said.
Pippi stopped ying with her teddy bear. She turned her attention to Isaac.
"Pippi is not bored, my lord! Pippi will apany you on your departure!"
Isaac smiled with his eyes still closed.
Not long after, a golden portal appeared before them. Pippi quickly jumped up from her seat.
"My lord, she hase."
Isaac opened his eyes. He rose from his seat.
A beautiful woman with long brown hair and a pair of white wings appeared from the portal. She smiled and quickly bowed before the dungeon master.
"It seems you have been preparing for a long time. Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Isaac."
A soft voice came from the beautiful angel''s mouth.
"It''s alright, Abigail."
Abigail, the guardian angel, invited Isaac to enter the portal. Before entering, as usual, Isaac told Pippi to take good care of the dungeon during his absent.
The little girl nodded and put on a ready face. "Pippi will take good care of the dungeon."
Isaac smiled. "Good, also tell Kirnish."
"Yes, my lord," Pippi replied with a salute.
The dungeon master''s attention turned to Abigail who was waiting for him in front of the golden portal.
"Let''s go."
Isaac entered the golden portal first, followed by the beautiful angel. Pippi waved her hand repeatedly at her master''s departure to another dimension.
.
.
.
Everything was white.
Isaac arrived at arge hall. Marble walls stood on each side. There were fourrge pirs in the center of the room. A gold-colored fire altar seemed to be burning in the center of the hall. Demon lords gathered around it.
Duke, Earl, and Baron; all staring at the fire.
"Lord Isaac. My duty is up to here."
Abigail bowed her head. Her task was only limited to escorting him to the event venue.
Isaac grinned. "We''ll meet againter."
The angelpanion looked curious about Isaac''s words. She then left her demon lord.
Now, Isaac was left alone with the unfriendly demons.
He looked at the crowd. He walked over to the crowd in the center of the hall.
The demons seemed to be forming groups. After the auction, they had determined who was the opponent and who was the enemy. Even so, there were still some demons who seemed to be alone. They didn''t seem to join any group.
Isaac was one of them.
His eyes scanned the crowd of demons one by one. He saw familiar faces; such as Duchess Alyna, Duke Gavin Bael, Duke Barbatos, and others.
However, his target today was not one of them.
Chapter 145 Easter Egg Hunt
Several familiar faces seemed to be paying attention to him. Among them was Duke Barbatos, the eighth-ranked demon, who looked at Isaac with a sharp gaze. Intimidation seemed to be aimed at him. Likewise with his right-hand man, Baron Loke, that man seemed to stare at him with a cynical gaze.
On the other hand, the demoness who had made a pact with him didn''t seem to notice him at all. Her eyes were still glued to the mes. It was as if the two of them had never met. She had not considered Isaac to be an ally before he reached rank 50.
"This event is going to be tough," Isaac muttered.
Isaac would not have any allies in this event. After he finished off Baron Gustav and was unwilling to give up the dungeon in Beijing, of course his rtionship with Duke Barbatos had deteriorated. It was not impossible that at this event he would be targeted by the burly demon.
However, with the death of Earl Xenovia, Isaac can breathe a little easier.
The death of the demonesse made Isaac bet that Duke Barbatos would not attack him. The Duke had lost two of his allies and a dungeon. If he killed Isaac in the event, the two dungeons in Beijing and the tripoin border would automatically copse.
The death of a demon lord in an event was considered a disqualification. All of his assets were not handed over to the demon that killed him, as they were not participating in PvP or in the dungeon in question.
Therefore, killing Isaac was tantamount to weakening Duke Barbatos'' territory defenses. The North and East China regions would be vulnerable to non-PvP attacked.
Isaac was confident enough to survive the first event. Nevertheless, he still had to be careful. The situation could change quickly, given that Duke Barbatos was a demon with a bad temper.
"I can''t be reckless. I have to stay away from them, just in case."
The golden mes on the altar suddenly grewrger.
Stepping back, the demons opened their eyes wide. They felt a sense of life in the mes before them. Not long after, a female figure appeared in the golden mes.
She had dark skin and a white cloth wrapped around her body. Her dangling silver-colored hair was covered by a thin shawl. Her eyes were purple like the light emitted by a power crystal. Several demons looked mesmerized at her beauty.
But not a few of them shed a look of disgust. Especially the demonesses. Duchess Alyna and Duchess Valefar hissed softly. Some of the male demons also sighed. It was as if they knew the rottenness of the heart hidden by the beautiful female angel.
The angel seemed to be floating while spreading her wings of mes.
Isaac grinned at the sight.
"You haven''t changed. Always loved being the center of attention."
The golden mes died out, and the angelic woman stood at the altar.
"Wee to the first event of the game,dies and gentleman. I, Uriel, will be your guide for this event."
The demons inhaled deeply. Strained looks appeared on their faces as their chests puffed out. The angel seemed to watch them for a moment.
"This event is the Easter Egg Hunt."
The demons opened their ears wide.
"All of you are currently in a dimension called Yggdrasil. Like the Dimension Challenge, this world that you see and step into is an artificial world. There are various monsters that inhabit Yggdrasil."
The demons nodded. They recalled every bit of information Uriel had told them. Entering an unfamiliar and different territory from where they lived, information was the key to survival.
"As the name of it, in this event you will hunt eggs. The eggs you hunt are monster eggs that you can breed."
Instantly the demons were excited, especially those from the Barons. Most of them had financial problems after buying many monsters in the previous auction. This was a golden opportunity to renew their warriors.
The Earls were also excited to hear it, but they didn''t show it. Meanwhile, the eight Dukes seemed calm. They already knew about this.
Isaac? He was beyond the question.
Uriel then exined the details of the game rules.
The dungeon masters were given three weeks to hunt for monster eggs in this dimension. They could take as many eggs as they wanted. During that time, any activities were free. Such as hunting monsters, fighting battles, or just exploring Yggdrasil. There were no special restrictions on this event. This included stealing eggs from other demons.
Eggs from the event can be traded. Either through the shop or fellow demons.
"Do you understand the rules of the game?"
After finishing exining the event rules, the angel asked the demons to make sure they understood.
No voice came out to answer the question.
Uriel assumed they all understood. She snapped her fingers.
Then on each demon''s system a notification window appeared. Including Isaac''s.
[Deadline - 21:00:00]
The angel said.
"Before you is the time limit, with the format ''Day : Hour: Minutes''. Make sure you finish before the time runs out."
There was a sound of deep breathing from the demons. They all seemed to be preparing to rush out of the hall.
Uriel was again floating in the air. His ming wings pped. She raised her hands. The demons'' breathing sounded ragged.
The snap of fingers echoed in the air and the mes on the altar red up.
"When the fire goes out, your time is up," Uriel said. She silent for a moment.
"The Easter Egg Hunt... begins!"
Instantly, the demons rushed towards the gate. They vied to get out first.
Isaac watched them like a flock of sheep.
His attention was then drawn to a female demon with red hair and snow-white skin. Duchess Alyna and her group were also running like the others.
The demon in the front row was a young man with yellow hair and orange eyes. His skin was bright like the sun. He darted out with the eight demons behind him.
"Come on kids, don''t let the other demons hunt down your eggs!"
Said the yellow-headed demon. He was the Duke. The demons called him Gatt Samigina.
There were some demons who were not in a hurry like them. The group of demons led by the fat woman with a pair of horns on her head seemed to be walking leisurely.
"You... lowly nobles. They''re in such a hurry," the fat demon grumbled.
They were Duchess Valefor along with her people.
Isaac chuckled at the fat duchess''s behavior.
Then his eyes turned to look for the figure he wanted to kill. A handsome man with silver hair and ck clothes typical of royalty.
Duke Gavin Bael.
His nemesis was also running among the crowd.
Isaac''s gaze changed when he saw him. Uncontainable hatred always welled up in his chest when he saw that traitor. If he hadn''t lost the ''Heart Touch'' title back then, maybe he still had a sixth sense. He wouldn''t have been stabbed in the back.
However, everything was in the past. Isaac could not regret what had passed. He was given a second chance to change it and promised not to fail again.
"I won''t let him get it."
Isaac already knew what he was looking for. There was another Spiritual Beast hidden in the Yggdrasil dimension. But the monster was still in egg form. There were only two demons who knew this secret.
Him and Gavin Bael.
This Spiritual Beast egg would determine whether Isaac would escape the clutches of Duke Barbatos or not. If he didn''t get it, Duke Barbatos would forever consider Isaac an enemy.
"I have to seed no matter what."
As Isaac was deep in thought, he suddenly sensed danger from behind.
His instincts screamed. Isaac jumped at once.
BLAZE!!!
A hand-shaped dark purple aura tried to grab him from behind. Thanks to his sixth sense, he survived.
Isaac''s gaze turned sharp when he saw the person who was about to attack him from behind.
Duke Barbatos.
The duke''s hands seemed to be shrouded in a dark purple mana. The burly, ruby-eyed demon grinned. Eight demon lords stood behind him. One of them was his trusted demon, Baron Loke.
"You have strong senses, too. No wonder that fool Gustav died in your hands. You are truly impressive, Lord Isaac."
Hearing the cold toneing out of his mouth, Isaac gritted his teeth.
The Duke was really not happy to see him. There was no hesitation on his face at all. He truly intended to kill Isaac.
Chapter 146 Imbalance Battle
Situation beyond the n.
Isaac essed his inventory and took out the ck Jade. Squeezing the great sword tightly, he prepared for the worst. Two Earls, five Barons, and one Duke.
An imbnce battle.
"Well, looks like you have an interesting weapon, Lord Isaac. It just keeps getting better."
The Duke also essed his inventory. Not long after, both his hands were wrapped in bronze gauntlets with lions carved on them. Seven of his men also took out their weapons. Some took out a scythe. Some were holding spears. There were also those who took out staffs.
Realizing that he could not defeat his enemies, Isaac had to find a way to survive. Even though Isaac''s level was high, he was outnumbered. What he was fighting was a Demon Lord and one of them was a duke. There was a good chance he wouldn''t survive.
However, that didn''t mean he had no chance of winning.
nk!
Isaac drove his sword into the floor. His action sparked the curiosity of the demons.
"What''s going on? You want to surrender? Don''t expect me to spare you," Duke Barbatos quipped.
The burly demon mmed his hands together. He really couldn''t wait to kill his opponent.
"My parents never taught me to ask for forgiveness. If theye across a coward who brings his men to fight one person, they tell them to beat the coward''s ass with their bare hands," Isaac retorted.
Duke Barbatos frowned. "What did you say?"
"Are you stupid or deaf? I said you are too cowardly to face me. A Duke bringing his men together to finish off one Baron. Tch... coward."
Suddenly, a deep purple aura emanated strongly from the Duke. His pride as a demon was offended. The floor suddenly cracked. The demons behind him trembled feeling the powerful force. Even Baron Loke, a demon known to be close to Barbatos, did not dare to calm him down.
Of course Isaac felt the opponent''s power. He got goosebumps. His animal instinct told him to run, but he fought it.
Because this was what he was looking for. The feeling of being under life and death conditions. The feeling of being under immense pressure.
If she ran away, she would die.
"Looks like, the n changed..." he muttered.
Isaac grinned even as cold sweat began to run down his face.
Duke Barbatos walked over to Isaac.
"A Baron does not know his ce. But thankfully, I now have a good reason to kill you."
A cold and intimidating tone came out of the Duke''s mouth.
Now, Isaac could not retreat.
"Bring it on!" he called out.
The huge demon took off.
Isaac quickly grasped the hilt of the ck Jade, then quickly poured arge amount of mana into it. The air around moved and quickly a vortex of wind enveloped him.
Swallowed by rage and hatred, Duke Barbatos'' face looked ferocious. His eyes glowed and his entire body was cloaked in a purple aura. He roared like a wild animal.
Duke Barbatos punched out a huge wind cyclone.
Instantly a violent explosion urred. The ceiling copsed. The entire aura shook as if an earthquake had urred. The demons who witnessed it opened their eyes wide. Some Barons gasped.
"I''ll kill you Isaac!"
Duke Barbatos pierced through the vortex of wind. The clothes wrapped around his body were torn, as was the surface of his skin. Blood began to seep and was swept away by the wind. Nevertheless the savage continued tosh out.
The duke''s breath caught when he saw his opponent standing in the center of the vortex.
On the other side, Isaac continued to pour mana into Jade ck. He held only the greenish-ck great sword. His eyes glowed, emitting green mana. His breath caught when he saw the Duke getting closer. He could hear screams amidst themotion of the hurricane. Even though he had released half the mana from his body.
"What a beast..."
One of his hands removed the hilt of the sword. He essed the inventory and retrieved the Strange Pendant. He clutched it in his hand.
His status changed.
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 115]
[Rank : 70th - Baron ]
[Title : Chief of Beast, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[ Skill : 2/4]
[ Strength : 75 (180) ]
[ Magic : 180 (75) ]
[ Constitution : 96 (103) ]
[ Dexterity : 103 (96) ]
[ Perception : 100 ]
Isaac stopped pouring mana into ck Jade. Duke Barbatos instantly shot towards him like a bullet.
"Die!" The burly demon roared like a beast.
Isaac raised his great sword and used it as a shield.
BAM!
A thunderous sound followed by a powerful mana explosion echoed out. The demons who were witnessing the battle were pushed several meters away.
Duke Barbatos hit Jade ck. His eyes opened wide when he found his arm covered in blood. It was as if dozens of sharp knives had sliced through his arm.
"What''s wrong, Duke Barbatos? Surprised, huh?"
A sarcastic tone escaped Isaac''s mouth. Instantly his words sparked the duke''s anger.
"I''ll rip your damn mouth off!"
The purple aura that enveloped Duke Barbatos''s body grew thicker. He beganunching fists rapidly.
Papapapapapapapapa!!!
Isaac began to be pushed back. It was as if thousands of maces were ming his body, even worse than that. He could only hold on. The floor he was standing on was shattered. His hands began to tremble.
"Keeeeuuuugg!"
Blood spurted from his mouth. His chest felt like it had been hit by hammer. The mana from Duke Barbatos'' body prated his defenses.
The dukeughed to see him bleed.
"Have you reached your limit? You''re going to die!"
Isaac saw Duke Barbatos holding his great sword. That demon would get rid of the Jade ck.
A smirk appeared on his face. Isaac saw an opportunity.
Swoooosh!!!
Jade ck was thrown into the air. Duke Barbatos grinned widely. With just one hit, he could kill Isaac.
The duke thought it was all over. However, his eyes opened wide when he saw that Isaac''s arms were covered in a ck aura.
The ck hand went into his stomach. There was no pain. There was no tactile sensation. It was as if the hand was fused into his stomach.
The duke''s feeling turned bad when he saw Isaac smiling triumphantly.
"What are you doing?" asked Duke Barbatos.
"You''re about to find out."
Duke Barbatos shuddered. He quicklyunched a fist at Isaac''s face, but a golden me appeared between the two of them.
Isaac screamed, as did Duke Barbatos. Heat spread across the surface of both of their skin.
Golden mes zed between the two of them. Then the two demons who were fighting separated.
Duke Barbatos was thrown and crashed to the floor. The burly demon rolled around.
"Duke Barbatos!"
The demons shouted their master''s name. They quickly approached him.
Meanwhile, Isaac was writhing on the floor. The ck aura that enveloped his hands was consumed by the golden mes.
It wasn''t long before the golden mes died out.
Isaac was breathing fast. He thought he would die from being burned by the golden fire.
A female angel with ming wingsnded in the middle of the two of them. Uriel stopped the fight.
Duke Barbatos pushed away his men who were trying to help him up. He pointed at Uriel.
"Damn angel! Why are you interfering!"
"That''s right! Don''t you have no special rules in this event," added Baron Loke.
Duke Barbatos'' demon followers also protested.
"There is no rule that says to kill fellow demons."
"You shouldn''t interfere."
Listening to the demons'' chatter, Uriel snorted.
"There''s no rule that says angels can''t interfere. As the authority, I can do anything during the event. I am doing this for your live as well, Duke Barbatos."
Of course, thest sentence uttered by Uriel sounded unpleasant to the burly demon''s ears. He was a Duke. There was no way he would lose the fight against Isaac who was mere a Baron.
This was an insult.
The dense purple aura again enveloped Duke Barbatos'' body.
"Angel bitch! You think I''ll be afraid of you? Come here, I''ll give you a taste of what it''s like to be hit by a Demon Lord."
Uriel clicked his tongue. She hated stubbornness the most. She flicked a finger, then golden mes burned the duke''s body.
Duke Barbatos screamed again. However, the golden mes seemed to consume his body. Slowly, his hands and legs began to disappear.
"What have you just done bitch?"
His men looked surprised to see him.
Uriel put on a cold face.
"For defying authority, you are disqualified from the event."
Hearing Uriel''s words, Duke Barbatos'' men immediately protested. Especially Baron Loke.
"This is not fair! You are arbitrary! You''re abusing your power. This is uneptable."
Of course Uriel didn''t keep quiet.
"Do you also want to be disqualified from the event?"
Instantly they fell silent.
Chapter 147 Fruit
Seeing Duke Barbatos rolling on the floor, they could do nothing. They were in a dilemma. They wanted to help their boss, but on the other hand, they still wanted to participate in the event.
Slowly, Duke Barbatos began to vanish. Some parts of his body had already teleported to his dungeon. He could only struggle.
"What are you guys doing? Help me! Don''t just stand there!"
Even though the duke ordered them, his men just stood still. Even Baron Loke, the demon he trusted the most, just watched himself writhing on the floor.
"Baron Loke! Baron Loke!"
Finally, the right-hand man''s name was called out by Duke Barbatos. The other demons looked at Baron Loke, hoping that the demon would do something.
Realizing that he was being waited on, Baron Loke visibly trembled. Not out of fear, but out of annoyance. Duke Barbatos was disqualified due to his own mistake and had to drag someone else.
Baron Loke sighed. The skinny demon needed to prepare himself.
"Sorry we can''t help you. But if we take your side, we will be disqualified. If we are also disqualified, we have less chance of building power in China. We would be weakening ourselves. Please understand, Lord Barbatos?"
Hearing such an unpleasant answer, cursing came out of the duke''s mouth. His pride was shattered, not even one of his men defended him.
Until finally, Duke Barbatos'' entire body was burned by golden mes. He vanished. The duke was teleported back to his dungeon.
Isaac smiled triumphantly.
The angel warned Duke Barbatos'' remaining men.
"I don''t want this ce destroyed. There must be no fighting in this area."
Baron Loke along with the other demons obeyed Uriel. They quickly left the meeting hall.
They stared at him with hateful eyes as they passed by. The two earls among them, Earl Gaskin and Earl Barton, seemed to ignore Isaacpletely. Only Baron Loke actually showed his hatred for Isaac.
That left Isaac alone as the demon in the hall.
Buk
His body quickly fell to the floor. He looked up at the cracked ceiling. Pain spread through every part of his body. His hands were still trembling from the effects of the battle.
"Damn, I almost died," he muttered.
Not long after, his vision was blocked by the beautiful face of a woman. Her clear eyes looked at him with a curious gaze.
"Lord Isaac, you may leave the hall."
Isaa chuckled. "Don''t you see my condition? I just fought against a Duke. My whole body is sore. Besides, I''m sure they''ll wait me from outside."
Uriel just stood by and watched. The look on the angel''s face showed even more concern.
This was the first time a demon talked casually with her. Most demons would have sworn at her or let out various disrespectful words. In her eyes, Isaac was like a rare demon specimen that should be preserved.
Annoyed at being stared at, Isaac quipped at the angel. "Instead of you looking at me like an animal in a zoo, why don''t you restore me?"
Uriel opened his eyes wide. This time she couldn''t contain her curiosity.
"You are indeed strange. This is the first time I''ve seen a demon ask an angel for help."
Isaac snorted. "Want to help me, no?"
The angel nodded. She raised her hands into the air, and golden mes consumed Isaac''s body.
Unlike before, he did not feel the excruciating heat, but rather thefortable sensation of bathing in warm water.
Uriel cast a healing magic spell.
It wasn''t long before Isaac''s body recoveredpletely. The bruises disappeared and the pain vanished. He was back to his old self.
"Heaven''s magic is amazing."
Isaac changed his position to sitting. He essed his inventory, arranging the order of items based on priority. He also took a few bottles of Med-Ether to restore his mana.
On the other hand, Uriel watched the demon with a curious face.
"You didn''t get out immediately? Aren''t you afraid of the powerful monster eggs being plundered by the other dungeon masters?"
Isaac was still focused on his system window. "No, I''m not. Most monster eggs in this world are trash. Not much different from the ones sold in the shop. The monster eggs I''m after are only known to me. Actually, there''s one more demon, but I''m sure it''s not time yet."
Uriel raised one eyebrow. "You seem to know about this event. Are you rxed like this because of Lady Alyna?"
Now, it was Isaac''s turn to be surprised. There were other angels who knew of Alyna''s connection. Not to mention she was a part of the Knight of Heaven.
However, this was not bad news from Isaac. Angels don''t care about demon affairs, and vice versa.
Isaac squinted. "Hmm...e to think of it, I''ve never had direct contact with Lady Alyna other than during the auction."
Not long after, his eyes opened wide. Isaac chuckled.
"You''re spying on Asriel''s territory? Wow... this is amazing. You angels really are crazier than us demons."
Uriel was silent. The angel realized that he made a mistake by exposing Isaac''s secret, but she did not panic. She thought that Isaac was nothing. He wouldn''t be a problem for her.
It''s just that she didn''t know that Isaac was not random.
Isaac got up while cleaning his dust-soiled clothes.
"My business here is done. I don''t sense any more demon presence around here."
He quickly walked towards the exit gate, leaving the angel alone in the hall. When he reached the gate, a soft voice stopped him.
"That skill you used, is it ''Soul Taker''? Where did you get it from? That skill should only be possessed by angels."
Isaac opened his eyes wide, not long after smiling. He turned to Uriel while putting on a smiley face.
"Of course not. It''s just ordinary darkness elemental magic. I imitated the ''Soul Taker'' skill for you to stop the fight. Because I know, you angels are siding with the dukes. The difference in our strength is too great. Only with Soul Taker, a baron can kill a duke."
Suddenly, golden mes appeared around her. Her face looked t, but the look in her eyes clearly implied anger.
Uriel could have killed Isaac, but that would justify his words. Besides, killing a baron for no apparent reason would only raise questions.
"nder is crueler than murder," Uriel said in a cold tone.
The demon''s lips curled.
"If what I said was nder, there is no need for you to be angry, Uriel."
Isaac looked away, then exited the hall.
.
.
.
A vast expanse of green forest. In the distance, you can see high mountains covered by clouds.
Several reptilian monsters were flying in the blue sky. Rodent monsters dig tunnels underground. Beasts hunted in the forest. Lakes and rivers are inhabited by hundreds of pisces-type monsters.
Yggdrasil was a paradise for monsters.
"I hate this event the most."
Isaac hissed as he hid under a tree root. Five minutes out of the hall, he encountered three t-rexes on the hunt.
The demon wasn''t afraid of fighting monsters, it was just that he avoided the battles. In fact, he could defeat them without having to sweat a drop.
He learned from his previous mistakes. Every corner of this forest had monsters. If he made the slightest noise, other monsters woulde and an endless battle would begin. Besides, retrieving monster eggs would be a hassle.
On the plus side, grinding to level up was easier. There were many powerful monsters that hold abundant exp when killed. They were like fat chickens ready to be ughtered.
However, for now Isaac wasn''t going to do that.
His priority now was the Spiritual Beast egg hidden in this forest.
After the group of t-rexes left, Isaac climbed out of the tree roots and continued his exploration.
He walked through the forest. Every time he encountered a monster he hid behind a tree or ducked in the bushes. Thanks to his sixth sense, he was able to detect the monsters nearby.
After traveling through the forest for a while, he arrived at an area with small trees. Fruits of various colors adorned the lush branches. There were also some nt-eating monsters. They were harmless, so Isaac wasn''t worried about them.
His eyes scanned the fruits. They looked varied; there were coconut-like fruits with an easy red color. There were small fruits like berries. There were also fruits that looked like babies.
Of the many fruits, his attention fell on a round fruit the size of a handheld and bright yellow in color.
Isaac smiled.
"I finally found it. The 1000-year-old orange."
Chapter 148 Oranges
Although the fruit was called the 1000-year Orange, it was not much different from oranges in general. It tasted sour and sweet. Isaac picked as many oranges as he could, from one tree to another.
Suddenly, he felt someone''s presence. A very familiar presence.
A demon wasing closer.
Isaac clucked his tongue. "Damn it."
His n to get the Spiritual Beast egg could fail.
"Why would a demone here? Perhaps..."
The ce where Isaac was currently picking oranges was practically a safe area. The inhabitants of this forest area were herbivorous monsters. Most of them were not the fighting type. So, it was unlikely that demons would search this ce.
Unless, if the demon was looking for something other than monster eggs. There were only two demons who knew the secrets behind this forest.
Him and Gavin.
Isaac wrung his hands.
"I didn''t expect you to arrive so early..." he muttered.
He pretended to still be unaware of the demon''s presence. Secretly, his hand reached into his inventory.
Isaac quickly turned his body around. He aimed the gun at the bushes.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of a gunshot echoed. The herbivorous monsters quickly ran away. Not long after Isaac pulled the trigger, a woman''s scream was heard.
Instantly his eyes opened wide.
"Who is it!" he shouted.
A red-haired woman came out of the bushes. Her body was covered in leaves. On her beautiful face were scratches, blood seeping out. She wore a sullen expression.
Isaac, meanwhile, was stunned by the woman''s appearance.
"Lady Alyna? What are you doing? Why are you hiding in the bushes."
Alyna rubbed her injured cheek. "That should have been what I said. Why did you shoot at the bushes for no reason?"
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I shot. You were sneaking around in the bushes, like an predator."
He quickly approached her and gave her a bottle of potion. The woman took it roughly and downed it. In an instant, the wound on her cheek disappeared.
Isaac sighed at her behavior. But in a way, he was relieved. Alyna hadn''t attacked him back, so he assumed that their rtion wasn''t broken.
This fueled his curiosity a little.
"You came here alone, where are your men?"
"Don''t act like the two of us are familiar. I still don''t consider you an ally," Lady Alyna replied, annoyance in her tone.
"Oh."
Isaac nodded. He began to keep his distance from Lady Alyna. After all, that woman was the Duchess. He had to remain cautious even if Alyna thought the incident just now was no big deal.
The white-haired demon made a smiling face. "Sorry, I shot you."
Alyna snorted. "You arete." Her eyes were glued on the orange trees. She looked curious.
She walked past Isaac. The woman picked an orange and peeled it, then ate a segment of the fruit. Her eyes opened wide.
"Wow... it tastes really good. But I still don''t understand, why did you collect so many of them? If you like it, you can just take one fruit and nt the seeds in the dungeon."
The question asked by the female demon made Isaac hiss.
He was not nning on sharing information about the existence of the Spiritual Beast egg. It would take more than a lie to trick a duchess.
Isaac had to give a reasonable exnation.
However, the woman before him seemed to have a curious look on her face. A simple lie wouldn''t suffice, while an borate one would make her even more curious. If his lies were exposed, it was likely that she would no longer trust him. He desperately needed the duke''s power to win the game.
Worst case, Duchess Alyna would kill him.
"Hey, answer me! I was asking."
The duchess seemed impatient for an answer. Isaac sighed.
"If you want to know, help me collect oranges."
Isaac walked over to the duchess and picked oranges from the tree next to her. Alyna squinted, a look of annoyance on her face.
"Hey, what''s so hard about telling me."
Isaac was still picking fruit. "Didn''t you say it yourself. We''re not allies yet. So I have no obligation to answer your question."
Of course, Alyna was upset to hear that. This was the first time she had been ignored by someone else. Especially a baron.
The demonesse began to utter demeaning words. She told Isaac several times to be aware of his position. However, Isaac seemed unperturbed and continued picking fruit. In the end, she was the one who got annoyed.
Alyna sighed.
She ended up picking oranges. Curiosity overcame her ego.
"Alright, I''ll help you. But watch out if you lie to me. I will not hesitate to kill."
Despite her words, Alyna did not sound serious.
They both picked the oranges that were there.
After an hour, there were no more oranges left on the tree.
"Finally, it''s done."
Alyna rubbed her forehead even though there were no beads of sweat at all. She saw Isaac walk away without saying anything. The duchess immediately chased after him.
"Hey! You said you wanted to tell me!"
"You''ll find outter," Isaac replied, looking away.
The two ventured into the forest together.
Throughout the exploration, Alyna kept talking like a radio. Her mouth couldn''t stop chattering. Various questions came out of her.
"How did you find me during the auction??"
"Why don''t you just join my crew? I''ll obviously be fair."
"By the way, what skills does he have?
Isaac continued to listen to the woman''s ramblings. He only answered a few questions that needed to be answered. In his mind, he never expected that Duchess Alyna who was known to be strict and honorable would be so chatty.
Despite her obnoxious attitude, Alyna was a demon who could be cooperative.
Several times they encountered monsters. Isaac asked her not to attack, and she did not. When asked to hide, she did. Alyna followed Isaac''s every word, so the journey went smoothly.
A lot of demons he had encountered in his previous life were stubborn. They could not be cooperated with and often made their own decisions. They didn''t want to be ordered, except by the dukes. This was what made Isaac sometimes had to be careful and extra patient when dealing with a demon lord.
And as it turned out, his worries were wrong. He met a duchess who was very cooperative.
This made Isaac breathe a little easier.
Their journey came to a halt at ake surrounded byrge cypress trees. The surface of theke was calm and the water looked clear as ss. By the time they arrived, the sun was setting, so theke reflected the orange sky.
Alyna crouched by theke. The duchess was seen chuggingke water with both hands.
"The water is very fresh, Lord Isaac. You should try it." She drank theke water again.
"No, thank you. Theke water may contain bacterial monsters. You''ll get a stomachache if you drink it carelessly," Isaac replied.
He was building a campfire. Next to it was a simple tent in the shape of a triangr prism.
Alyna quickly spit out the water in her mouth. She turned to Isaac with an annoyed look on her face. "Why didn''t you tell me from the beginning!?"
Isaac casually replied, "You didn''t ask."
"Lord Isaac!" Alyna raised her voice. "You should have taken more initiative. Do I have to tell you such a simple thing?"
Isaac was still glued to the campfire. He threw a branch at the mes. "We are outside our territory. Being careful is the most basic of survival. You should know basic things like this. You''re a duke, anyway."
Alyna sighed. She looked at Isaac, her face as if saying ''seriously''. Finally, she decided to keep quiet.
The duchess walked over to Isaac and sat next to him. The radiant heat of the campfire warmed her body that was enveloped in the cold forest air.
She watched Isaac. The baron ignored her, throwing a branch into the fire.
"You said there was something in thiske. Why don''t we find out now."
Alyna asked. That demonesse looked bored.
Isaac finally turned to the red-haired woman.
"It''s already night. There are some high-level nocturnal monsters roaming around. Besides, I don''t want to attract the attention of other demons."
Alyna chuckled. "I am here. I''ll beat up anyone who dares to disturb me. I''m not afraid."
"I don''t want any interference. Or you''ll never know what I''m looking for."
The duchess pursed her lips. A look of annoyance was evident on her face. She clicked her tongue, then she entered the tent.
Laying down, she said, "I''m tired of hearing you talk. I want to sleep. Alone."
Isaac shook his head. He warmed his body by the campfire.
While the two demons were resting, amidst surface of theke, a pair of eyes were watching them.
Chapter 149 Strange Object
Alyna sat cross-legged in the tent. She used her hand to support her head while watching Isaac who was throwing rocks into theke. The rocks seemed to fly fast and bounced off the surface of the water several times.
Isaac had been doing it for hours. Meanwhile, Alyna was silent and watched himzily. She asked Isaac what exactly he was doing, but the man wouldn''t give a definite answer. She even had lost count on how many rocks had sunk into theke.
And during that time, nothing special happened.
Alya snorted in annoyance. Her patience started to run out. The red-haired woman then got up with an irritated look on her face.
"Lord Isaac! How long are you going to do that stupid thing? If you''re just ying around, I won''t stand still."
Isaac stopped throwing the rocks, and he turned to the red-haired woman. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If you want things to work out faster, then help me," Isaac said. His calm voice was brushed off by the wind.
For countless times, the duchess was annoyed with Isaac. Alyna quickly approached him. She then picked up the rocks. When she stood near the shore of theke, without saying anything, her hand swung swiftly until the wind whistled.
The rock shot out at high speed, as if it was a bullet.
Pya! Pya! Pya!
That small object bounced off the surface of theke dozens of times, far more than the rocks Isaac had thrown so far. Until finally, the rocks crossed theke.
Bam!
The sound of the crash echoed throughout the air. Arge pine tree fell, and at the same time, a monster scream was heard.
However, that was just the beginning.
Several other rocks shot up and shattered the trees across theke.
Venting all her annoyance, Alyna continued to throw rocks into theke over and over again.
Isaac just looked at her with a t face. He didn''t try to stop her or give anyment about it. He just kept his mouth shut up and opened his eyes wide.
After about 20 trees across theke fell, then the women finally calmed down. She blew the hair on her forehead, and the strands of red hair on her forehead swayed slightly. Her gaze turned to the man next to her.
"Wasn''t that enough? I can do it all day. And better."
She looked at Isaac with a sharp re, but the baron''s attention was elsewhere instead.
Of course, this irritated her even more.
She hissed in annoyance, and the impatient woman prepared to throw a fist into his face. However, she halted as soon as her shoulder was grabbed by him.
Isaac''s eyes narrowed into mere slits. His gaze waspletely glued on the surface of theke. Not long after, his lips curled into a smirk.
Alyna became curious.
"Hey! What did you see?"
"Wow¡ you managed to summon her," Isaac replied quietly. He beamed from ear to ear as his smirk got wider.
Alyna was confused. She then turned her attention back to theke, and her eyes narrowed.
In the middle of theke, she could see a fish the size of a human being approaching them. The closer it was to thekeshore, the more visible she could see that it wasn''t just an ordinary fish. She could see ck hair and human back several times.
Alyna quickly recognized the creature. She turned to Isaac.
"Oh, so that''s what you were looking for?"
Isaac nodded. "Right. The mermaid."
Mermaids were pisces type monsters with B ss. They were typical monsters that used to maintain the dungeons, such as treants and some fye type monsters. However, they were specialists in the underwater.
The half-fish-human monsters might look tame, but they were actually predators. Mermaids were divided into two types, carnivores and herbivores.
Herbivorous mermaids only ate seaweed and some aquatic nts. They tended to hide their existence and would only appear for certain things.
Meanwhile, carnivore mermaids were the opposite.
They tended toe to the surface, attracting humans, elves, or monsters who had an interest in beauty. The beautiful-looking predators would lure those creatures to fall into theke, then quickly kill them in the water before they could react.
Predatory mermaids were herbivorous mermaids who had tasted meat once in their lifetime.
While the mermaid in front of Isaac and Alyna was a herbivore.
"You wicked human! How dare you disturb my house? Who ordered you?"
Floating on the surface of the water, a woman with exotic skin appeared. Her ck hair was wet and half of her fish''s body was green scales. Displeasure was evident on her face. She was even pouting her cheeks. The mermaid then looked at Isaac and Alyna with a grunt.
Alya raised an eyebrow. The demonesse could still hold herself back. She would have probably killed that rude creature if it wasn''t her that they were looking for.
The duchess looked curious as to what Isaac would do to the mermaid.
She was still waiting for Isaac to make a decision.
"Ahem." Isaac cleared his throat. "I''m sorry if I bothered you. I''m just here to talk. We don''t know how to call you."
Mermaid herbivores could be considered introverts. They would only appear when they wanted to and would not appear to creatures they didn''t know. If the mermaid in front of Isaac had been the carnivore, he probably wouldn''t have had any trouble summoning her.
Based on his past memories, the mermaid of theke at Yggdrasil Forest would appear when someone threw a stone into the water. Isaac knew about it from Gavin at the party after defeating Duke Samigina.
"Humph." The mermaid snorted. She crossed her arms, then looked away. "I ept your apology."
Isaac smiled at that, while Alyna really wanted to beat the half-fish monster right away.
"In return, I will give you a present."
The mermaid nced at Isaac, yet she still tried to hide her curiosity. Alyna smirked cynically at the sight. In her eyes, the monster before her was just a child inside a mermaid''s body.
Isaac essed his inventory, then his hand pulled out an orange. The bright color attracted the mermaid''s attention. In all her life, the fish monster had never seen a fruit before.
"What''s that? Don''t expect strange things to satisfy me!"
Isaac smiled while slightly chuckling. "It''s not a strange thing. You will definitely like it."
He threw the orange, and the mermaid immediately caught it. With a look full of curiosity, she twirled the orange like a strange object. Isaac gestured to her to eat the fruit.
The mermaid nodded her head. She quite understood Isaac''s meaning.
Without a doubt, the half-fish monster took a bite of the orange along with the peel. Her eyes were wide open. Sweet, sour, bitter, and a fresh sensation tickled her tongue. She quickly ate the orange at once. Both the skin and seeds, she swallowed them all without hesitation.
This was the first time the mermaid felt the deliciousness of citrus fruits.
"Wow! This is amazing!" the mermaid eximed happily.
Suddenly, Alyna burst outughing until the brim of her eyes filled with tears.
Of course, the duchess''s behavior surprised the mermaid.
"There is a way to eat oranges to make it taste more delicious," said Isaac.
He then took another orange and peeled the skin, then only ate the flesh of the fruit. His mouth chewed it, and not long, he spit out some orange seeds.
The mermaid opens her mouth slightly while nodding her head.
"So that''s how it is," she said in an innocent tone.
"That''s right."
Isaac tossed the rest of the orange, and the mermaid ate it exactly the way he did.
Her eyes shone brightly.
"Wow! This is delicious!"
The water monster then swam into theke, bursting with joy from eating such a delicious fruit. Alyna looked at the monster and shook her head.
After dancing happily, she returned to the two demons who were standing by theke.
"Hey, you! This is the best meal I have tasted in my life! I will forgive you for destroying myke."
Alyna nced at Isaac with a cynical look.
"That''s it?"
Pleasing the mermaid was not Isaac''s goal. The real n was just starting now.
He put on a friendly, smiling face.
"Hey, mermaid. You want some more?"
Hearing his words, the mermaid''s eyes sparkled. She nodded her head repeatedly. "Of course I want to."
Isaac took out dozens of handfuls of oranges from his inventory until his hands couldn''t carry them all.
The mermaid quickly showed her greedy expression. She held out her hand.
Of course, Isaac wouldn''t give it up easily.
"I''ll give it all to you. I even have many more. But on one condition, find me an egg in thiske. The egg with scales."
Hearing Isaac''sst words, Alyna opened her eyes wide. A look of surprise was clearly etched on her face.
Without hesitation, the mermaid replied, "That''s easy."
Isaac had not finished speaking, but the mermaid immediately dived into theke. He sighed, yet a smile crossed on his face.
On the other hand, his travelingpanion seemed to be looking at him in disbelief. "So that''s what you''ve been after all along."
"Believe me, the real surprise hasn''te yet."
After a few minutes of diving, the mermaid appeared again on the surface of theke. In both hands, she held an egg that had dark brown scales on the shell.
While smiling broadly, the mermaid handed it to Isaac.
"This is what you asked for, wicked human!"
"What the¡"
This time, Alyna was speechless. It was easy enough for a dungeon master to recognize what egg the mermaid was carrying.
A wyvern egg.
The mermaid had stretched her hand, hoping to get a lot of oranges in return.
Isaac examined the egg by looking at it from afar, then he said, "This isn''t what I was looking for."
Chapter 150 Special Orange
The mermaid frowned. "Huh? Didn''t you say scaly eggs? I brought it just like you said."
Isaac handed the oranges in both hands to Alyna. Leaving one orange in his hand. The demonesse hissed, but she followed the game.
He entered theke, approaching the mermaid. This time he examined the egg closely. His hands twirled them.
Isaac shook his head.
"This isn''t the egg I meant, but I''ll take it."
He gave the mermaid an orange. She quickly said yes, but the demon pulled her away. Of course, the half-fish woman monster was angry.
"Hey! You said you wanted to give me one!?"
Isaac clicked his tongue repeatedly as shaking his head. "I still haven''t found the egg I asked for. So I want you to go diving again to get an egg. I know there are many monster eggs in thiske."
The mermaid snorted, her eyes squinting as if all suspicion was focused on Isaac. "You''re trying to y me, huh?"
"Me?" Both eyebrows raised, then he chuckled. "Okay, let''s put it this way. Every egg you pick up in theke, if it''s not what I expected, I''ll exchange it for an orange. How''s that?"
The mermaid didn''t answer right away. She looked at Isaac with a grumpy look on her face. In her mind, she assumed that Isaac was a liar. At the same time, the mermaid really wanted that food called oranges.
Seeing theke keeper looking doubtful, Isaac quickly persuaded her.
"Hey, listen to me. This fresh food, oranges, can only be found onnd. Only I can give it to you. But, I am only be here for today. I don''t know when I''ll be back here again. I promise, if you bring me the egg that I want, I''ll give you all the oranges you can eat for the next few months."
The mermaid seemed to seriously consider Isaac''s words. If it was true that she would receive dozens of oranges, at least for thest three months she wouldn''t have to eat gargle.
Finally, the half-fish woman nodded her head.
"Alright, I''ll trust you."
She quickly dived back into theke. Her tail sshed water into the demon''s face.
Isaac could only sigh to vent his frustration.
"Hooo, you''re sneaky. Trading one wyvern egg for an orange."
Words sounded behind him.
Looking at Isaac who had just tricked a mermaid, Alyna couldn''t help but smile. She put the oranges in her hand into the inventory.
Alyna went down to theke, approaching Isaac who was still standing in the shallow waters. Her hands held his shoulders.
Immediately, Isaac nced at her while raising one of his eyebrows. For some reason, the duchess was acting familiar.
"So this is your n, huh? Making a in and stupid mermaid fetch the wyvern eggs in thiske for you. Now I understand why you collected so many oranges.."
Isaac didn''t answer, just made a facial expression as if to say "yes".
Actually, he didn''t think that far ahead. He didn''t even care about wyvern eggs at all. The monster that was considered the second most terrible scourge in sky was quite difficult to take care of. One wyvern could at least wipe out one-eighth of the monster poption on a floor in the dungeon.
Isaac might take one or two wyvern eggs, but not the entireke. Because there were hundreds of eggs in thiske. He had no intention of breeding those troublesome monsters. He was only after the spiritual beast''s eggs.
The real reason for collecting so many oranges was because Isaac knew that there was little chance of the mermaid getting a spiritual beast egg in one try.
The appearance of the spiritual beast egg he was after with the wyvern egg was not much different. It was just that the mystical egg emitted a divine aura. Mermaids could not sense it.
At the very least, she would need to dive and retrieve the egg hundreds of times within theke before finding the spiritual beast egg.
Isaac would not tell Alyna this part. He left the duchess to make her own conclusions.
Alyna clicked her tongue repeatedly.
"By the way, how did you know there were wyvern eggs in thiske?"
"Dragon-type monsters have a tendency to put eggs into ces where there are no predatory monsters. Theke is one of them," he replied.
Alyna nodded. "Smart."
The two of them waited by theke. After waiting for a few minutes, the mermaid surfaced with a scaly egg. She handed it to Isaac, and the demon shook his head. Isaac gave her an orange and the mermaid dived back into theke. Meanwhile, Alyna guarded the wyvern egg onkeside.
The mermaid always brought the wrong egg, Isaac rejected it and told her to dive back into theke. They did that over and over again. Until thekeside was filled with wyvern eggs.
Because there were so many eggs, they attracted the attention of monsters who were looking for prey. There were at least twenty times that swarms of monsters came to theke. Luckily, Alyna was there to kill them in an instant. Her scythe decapitated hundreds of monsters that were trying to prey on the wyvern eggs.
As the sun began to set, the sky turned dark and the cold air became bone-chilling. Theke reflected thousands of glittering stars.
The mermaid returned to the surface after hundreds of dives into theke. She was still carrying the same egg, a brown scaly shell, a wyvern egg.
A gasp escaped the mermaid''s mouth. A pair of gills on her chest, precisely on the corbone, seemed to clench when it touched the air.
"Is this what you''re looking for?" She extended her hand that held an egg the size of a human head.
Isaac took it. For the umpteenth time, he shook his head. The mermaid was annoyed as she mmed the surface of the water.
"Not again? I''ve picked dozens of eggs for you. But none of them. I don''t want to dive anymore."
The mermaid crossed her arms and looked away. Her lips pursed, showing a look of annoyance. She was tired of diving back and forth into theke.
Isaac was beginning to lose his cool. He had run out of oranges, but he hadn''t found the spiritual beast eggs he was looking for. Alyna had also run out of oranges. Besides, the mermaid must also had arge stock of oranges. She had no reason or motivation to go back diving.
He already couldn''t give the mermaid an orange.
"Alright, I''m going home. I want to eat my sweet oranges. Bye-bye."
She dived back in. Isaac was about to stop her from leaving, but the mermaid was already in the water.
From behind him, a woman''s scream could be heard.
? "If you go, you''re missing out on a special orange."
Just as the mermaid dived, she surfaced again. She had a curious look on her face.
"Special," murmured the mermaid, curious.
Alyna walked to theke with a nod. The woman essed the inventory, then held a green orange in her hand.
The mermaid squinted.
"It doesn''t look special. It''s the colour of a leaf."
Alyna chuckled while shaking her head. "You idiot. Don''t be fooled by appearances. This is the most delicious orange ever. Even the dozens of brightly coloured oranges you keep."
Hearing that, the half-fish monster was shocked. There were many things it did not know in the maind world.
Meanwhile, Isaac just stood by and watched. Now it was his turn to follow Alyna''s game.
"Really?" said the mermaid with a surprised look on her face.
The demonesse nodded. "Only poor creatures have never tasted it. Isn''t that right, Lord Isaac?"
Isaac nodded. He justified the duchess''s words. "That''s right. I couldn''t forget the taste, for years. I only ate it once. I didn''t expect you to keep it, Lady Alyna."
"This fruit is too special. So I will eat itter when I am about to die."
Seeing the two people in front of her talking about the deliciousness of green orange, the mermaid wanted to taste it. The vour of ordinary citrus fruits was so good, how about the special ones?
The mermaid was tempted.
"If you bring me one more egg, I''ll give you this special orange."
Without hesitation, the mermaid replied, "Okay! I''ll get you another egg."
She quickly dived into theke.
Isaac looked at Alyna with a grateful expression. "Thank you, Lady Alyna."
The red-haired woman looked indeed t-faced, as if her actions were nothing. "No thanks needed, I identally picked an unripe orange. After all, I also wanted to throw it away."
The two of them continued to waiting.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
The mermaid did not return yet. Isaac began to get restless. When the moon began to shine brightly, the mermaid finally surfaced.
Her beautiful face looked exhausted.
"This is thest egg. There are no more eggs in thiske."
The mermaid held out a scaly egg. However, the scales seemed brighter than other eggs. A powerful aura emanated from the egg. Isaac touched it, he got goosebumps.
A grin appeared on the demon''s face.
"Spiritual beast egg!"
Chapter 151 Trust
Isaac lifted the egg above his head. He smiled widely, unable to hide his joy. The mermaird looked intrigued at Isaac''s behavior. She didn''t know the difference between eggs. In her eyes, all eggs are the same.
It didn''t matter to her.
"Looks like you got what you were looking for. Now, give me that green orange," said the mermaid. Her lips pursed, she couldn''t wait to get her hands on the fruit that she said tasted so delicious.
Just as she asked for it, a green orange flew andnded in her hand. The mermaid opened her eyes wide.
"Wow! Special orange!"
She was acting like a child who had just gotten a present.
Having had enough of holding, Isaac quickly put the spiritual beast egg into the inventory. He couldn''t linger on exposing it. There was a pair of eyes watching him from behind.
Isaac turned back. He saw the duchess standing there holding her waist. That woman looked at him with piercing eyes. Alyna was a demon. It was easy enough for her to recognize the egg.
Alyna had already seen Byakko in person at the auction. Both of them had the same aura.
"You always bring surprises, Lord Isaac. A spiritual beast egg."
There was no sarcastic tone to Alyna''s words, but Isaac was not happy to hear it.
After all, the two of them were not allies. Even though they had been together for thest two days, that didn''t mean they were friends. Alyna was a demon. And a demon''s nature was to be treacherous. Just like Gavin had done to him in his previous life.
Alyna was the enemy!
"Alright! My business with you guys is done! Goodbye!"
The mermaid dived back into theke along with the fruit she craved. This time, she would not return to the surface.
That left Isaac and Alyna. Suddenly, the air got colder. Theke water seemed to freeze his feets. The darkness was getting deeper.
The duchess seemed to be waiting for Isaac toe to the shore.
"Do you like to linger in the water? Come here, Lord Isaac."
At the duchess''s words, Isaac followed her. He walked over and approached the woman. She stood right in front of him. The two stared at each other. It was as if they knew what was in each other''s heads.
Alyna smiled widely. Isaac just looked at her with a t face.
The man prepared for battle.
"Thanks, these two days have been quite fun."
She hugged him.
''Eh!?''
Isaac opened his eyes wide. He looked confused.
"I thought this would be boring. Instead, I saw something interesting. It turns out that there are many hidden secrets in this game. I think, the longer it goes on, the more fun it gets."
Alyna spoke casually. Isaac looked the opposite, he was frozen. His head was trying to make sense of the current situation. The duchess should have asked him to hand over the spiritual beast egg, but she did not. She even thanked him.
Strange. Unexpected. Hard to understand.
The redhead woman released her embrace. She smiled, then she frowned.
"Hey! Don''t be quiet, you''re making me look like a weird demon," she scolded.
Isaac gasped. His eyes were still wide open, seeing that the woman before him was a strange creature.
Alyna sighed, her shoulders slumped.
"I see your point."
Her fingers seemed to dance in the air, as if she was pressing something. Not long after, a notification appeared in front of Isaac.
Ding!
[A yer sent you an item.]
[134 wyvern eggs]
[Did you receive it?]
[Yes/No]
"I put them in the inventory on purpose. It''s not that I wanted to take them or ask for them to be mine. I just don''t want to attract monsters. They''re annoying."
From the look on her face, Alyna showed absolutely no interest in wyvern eggs or spiritual beasts. She really didn''t care. As if they were nothing.
Seeing the way Alyna tried to exin that she was not trying to steal the eggs, made Isaac smile.
He pressed the ''no'' option, and Alyna''s jaw dropped. The demonesse couldn''t hide her surprise.
"What the heck!? Why are you giving me these eggs? You know the price of them, don''t you?"
"You can take them. Consider it a reward for helping me get the spiritual beast eggs," Isaac replied casually.
Alyna couldn''t take it. She pushed Isaac.
"You know, I haven''t dered your ally yet."
"I know," he replied.
? Now, it was the woman''s turn to wonder. Most demons she had encountered would unquestioningly take everything. They even took what didn''t belong to them. Moreover, what Isaac had given her was the wyvern eggs.
One day, they will turn into giant monsters flying in the sky. Bringing terror to mankind. In the shop, one of them was sold for 300,000 zenny. Even though they were C-ss monsters.
Giving 134 wyvern eggs to a demon that wasn''t an ally was foolish.
That''s what Alyna thought.
Once again, Isaac gave her a surprise.
"Giving me these eggs won''t make you my ally. You have to get to rank 50 first. I don''t take bribes."
Isaac chuckled. "Whatever you think of them. They are yours. It was you who managed to summon thiske mermaid. Also, it was thanks to your unripe fruit that I managed to find the spiritual beast egg."
Alyna squinted, looking at the man with a suspicious gaze. Meanwhile, Isaac was so rxed. As if he hadn''t lost anything.
Finally, the duchess''s suspicion was dispelled. A smile crossed her face.
"It''s fine if you insist. What can I do?"
Gavin''s betrayal had left him deeply traumatized. Resentment, anger, and hatred; those negative emotions blinded and clouded his judgment. Making him thought that every demon was the same.
However, after seeing Alyna today, Isaac changed his mind.
He realized that he could not look at Alyna as Gavin. Although both of them were dukes, they were two different demons. Two different individuals. He could not hit each individual equally.
If he had to be objective. He had to judge a person based on personality and behavior. Just like when he was a dungeon master judging the performance of his monsters.
Isaac must not let his emotions affect his judgment. If he wanted to win this game, he had to be able to differentiate between individuals.
"Anyway, we still have 19 days left. There''s still a lot I can do. These wyvern eggs are good, but I think there are better ones out there. Do you have other ns?"
Alyna looked curious about Isaac. She tried not to show that she enjoyed exploring with him. After seeing Isaac find dozens of wyvern eggs and a spiritual beast egg, it wasn''t a bad idea to travel with him.
Moreover, a lot of high-level monsters and other demons out there. They must be moving in packs.
On the other hand, it was certainly easy enough for Isaac to understand the woman''s intentions. He also needed a back up to help him with his next n. But before that, he had to make sure of things.
He raised one of his eyebrows, making a face of astonishment.
"What is this? You want us to explore Yggdrasil together? Where are your men."
Alyna sighed, slightly annoyed. "Didn''t I tell you yesterday. I got separated from them, when the wyrm horde attacked us. Moskov and Benedict, those two morons ran in different directions."
Isaac forgot about it. Throughout the forest, Alyna talked without pause like a radio. More than half of her words were ignored by him.
Most of the topics she discussed seemed unimportant and the rest sounded interrogative. Of course, he remembered if it was important information; such as special monsters or information he had never heard in his previous life.
"Do you intend to look for them? If so, I don''t have time for that," Isaac said bluntly.
Alyna shook her head. "They''re adults. I''m sure they can take care of themselves."
"Good, I don''t mind if youe with me."
The red-headed woman shrugged while shaking her head. "Aye, aye."
Isaac smiled a little. The two of them soon left theke.
For some reason, Isaac felt he could rely on Alyna. He didn''t know their current rtion; whether allies or enemies. The two of them had yet to make a deal. Nevertheless, Isaac could trust her.
Chapter 152 Flower Field
Right after Isaacs and Alyna left theke, a silver-haired man in a ck suit came to the mermaid''s abode.
He did note alone. Twelve ck-robed figures trailed behind him. Two of them carried a basket of oranges.
The silver-haired man picked up a pebble, then threw it with all his might towards theke.
Boom!
Some of theke water overflowed into the air. Not long after, drops of water rained down on them for a while.
The mermaid surfaced.
"KAAAAAA! I''m enjoying my meal! Who dares to disturb my home?"
The half-fish woman was angry. She hit the surface of the water several times.
Seeing theke guard angry, the silver-haired man approached her. He extended his hand while putting a friendly smile on his face.
The mermaid squinted. She was suspicious of the strange man.
"My name is Gavin Bael. I''m an explorer who happened to be passing through. I''m here to make you an offer."
The half-fish woman crossed her arms. "What the heck! You just made a scene, you think I''ll take it? Don''t joke around. I don''t care."
Gavin sighed.
"Well, maybe you''ll change your mind."
Gavin looked back, gesturing a finger at his men. One of them threw an orange fruit from the basket at him.
He held it out to the mermaid.
"Have a taste. This is the most delicious fruit in the world. You mermaids will definitely like it."
The mermaid nced at the orange fruit in the man''s hand. Naturally, sheughed sarcastically.
Her reaction raised a question in Gavin.
"Oranges?" The mermaid looked away, sounding slightly disgusted. "Throw away the poisonous food."
Since Isaac and Alyna had left, the Mermaid had an abundant stock of oranges. For the past three days she had eaten only citrus fruits until she was sick to her stomach. The Mermaid could not eat anything after that.
Of course, Gavin wasn''t happy to hear that. Nevertheless, he tried to persuade her.
"Don''t be like that. You should try it first. This orange is different. It''s special. It only bears fruit once every 1000 years."
The mermaid clicked her tongue. "The same person who came here also said the same thing as you. Fruit?" She snorted. "Those green oranges taste very sour."
The half-fish woman shooed Gavin and his men away. She hurled harsh words at the first-ranked Demon Lord.
"You go already! Don''te back to myke again! You''re just a vadalize."
She waved her hand as if shooing away a beggar.
Watching their boss being treated like trash, the group of men in ck looked furious. Some of them even hid weapons under the sleeves of their robes.
Only Gavin still looked calm.
"Hmmm... let''s put it this way. Find me a scaly egg, then I''ll give you another delicacy besides oranges. How about it?"
The offer made by the silver-haired man sounded familiar to the Mermaid. "Scaly eggs? Oh, so that''s your goal. You''re trying to use me like that sneaky guy. You''d better get lost. There are no more eggs in thiske. Wait 30 or 20 years."
The mermaid snorted.
"What a waste of time," she added.
The mermaid quickly dived back into theke.
One of the men in robes approached Gavin who was still standing by theke. A hoarse voice came from the man''s mouth.
"Lord Gavin, are we going to let that mermaidnguish. We''re per-"
Surprised, the robed man felt a sudden aura of horror from Gavin. This frightened him.
"Lord..."
Gavin stared intently at theke.
"Kill that mermaid."
The silver-haired man turned and walked away from theke. His men followed behind him. Only one ck-robed man remained in ce.
The man touched the surface of theke. A murky liquid came out of his fingertips. The liquid spread, turning theke''s clear-as-ss color into a disgusting brown. Not long after, fish floated to the surface of the water.
Mermaid, the guardian of theke, also floated to the surface after thousands of her friends died. Her eyes turnedpletely white and foam came out of her mouth.
She''s dead.
.
.
.
"So, where are we going?"
Isaac and Alyna explored the wilderness. As usual, the red-headed woman kept talking nonstop. To silence her, Isaac elerated their travel by running. Hoping that she would stop talking to catch her breath.
However, Alyna was a duchess. Stamina was the least of her concerns. She could still talk while running.
The two of them kept moving until they got out of the forest. They entered the flowering grasnd region.
A carpet of colorful flowers greeted them; purple from violets, white from bloodrot flowers, and warm pink from strawberry flowers. In the distance, they could see ck mountains covered by clouds at their peaks. A few evergreen trees stand tall amidst the thousands of flowers.
Despite the beautiful view in front of them, Isaac had a sour look on his face.
"I hate this ce," he muttered.
Hatchu!
The pollen from the flowers tickled his nose, making him sneeze repeatedly.
Isaac had a high perception stat. This meant that all of his senses were working optimally.
His sense of smell was very sharp. He could smell the fishy scent of blood and the pungent smell of perfume from a radius of 1 kilo meter. Thanks to this keen sense of smell, he was sensitive to foreign particles scattered in the air such as pollen.
That''s why, he made it difficult for Pippi''s request to create a flower garden in the dungeon.
"Oh... looks like someone is showing weakness."
Alyna quipped at Isaac who kept sneezing.
"Looks like I''ll have to make a flower garden in the dungeon, just in case of treason," she added. The womanughed.
Although Alyna sounded joking, Isaac took it seriously. No one could urately predict the future. Situations can change quickly.
Without a word, Isaac ran through the flower bed.
"Hey, wait!"
Alyna irritably caught up with him.
The monsters inhabiting the flowering meadow were slightly different. If the forest was dominated by beast-type monsters, the water was dominated by pisces, while the flowering meadow was dominated by insect-type monsters.
The insect monsters wererge in size. Some of them had a variety of shapes. Such as the life-sized killer bee or the blue-banded beetle that emits a sound that could damage the hearing. Despite theirrge bodies, their eggs were the size of chicken eggs.
Isaac found many of their eggs, but he didn''t take any of them.
Because his target this time was not an egg, but a baby mammal.
After about thirty minutes of running and avoiding dozens of unnecessary battles, they came across arge hole in the middle of a lilly field.
The hole was like a tunnel that had been dug. From inside, there was the sound of wind blowing. A sign that there was air in the hole.
Alyna squinted at the appearance of the hole. There was not a glimmer of light after ten meters in. There was only total darkness.
"Are you afraid to go in, Alyna?"
Catching a glimpse of the duchess''s face, Isaac had already guessed that Alyna didn''t like the terrain they were about to cross.
The red-headed woman clicked her tongue, giving him an annoyed look.
"You underestimate a duchess, baron?"
Isaac snorted, trying to stifle augh. He shook his head for a moment, then went into the hole first.
Alyna called out to him, but Isaac ignored her. The duchess reached into her inventory and pulled out a yellow crystal orb. Her mouth twitching, the crystal orb lit up brightly and floated away.
"At least bring some light, you bastard," she sighed irritably. She quickly climbed down the hole.
When they entered the hole, unbeknownst to them, two demons inbat-ready suits were following them.
.
.
.
Inside the hole is like a cave. The air was stale. There was no sound other than their breathing and footsteps. Thanks to Alyna''s crystal orb, they could see the terrain within a five-meter radius.
Isaac walked quickly. His keen senses allowed him to see in darkness. Alyna was on guard. All her stats were focused on strength and magic, making women need to be extra careful. Because attacks cane from anywhere.
Kkckckc! Krckckk!
Suddenly, a rodent sound echoed through the air. Alyna quickly took out her weapon. A curved scythe.
Isaac also took out the double pistols from his inventory. He nced at Alyna, their eyes as if talking to each other.
Isaac''s lips moved, but no sound came out. Nevertheless, Alyna still understood the meaning of his words.
"We''re surrounded."
Chapter 153 Underground
Krcecece!
The tunnel rattled. Squeaking and ttering sounds echoed. Dozens of unknown monsters were about toe.
"They''reing," Isaac muttered.
Alyna clicked her tongue. Her body gave off a dense aura. Her red hair floated in the air.
Kikikikii
Dozens of rodent monsters appeared. They looked like bears. Their four legs had five long tusk-like hooves. There were no eyes, only a nose that resembled a star.
Hordes of mole monsters attacked.
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Mole]
[Type: Beast]
[ss: C]
[Level: 90]
They not only came from the front, but also from behind.
"I face the front, you the back," Isaac said.
Alyna sighed. "I knew without you telling me!"
The sound of gunshots echoed, signaling the battle to begin.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gun spewed out bullets rapidly. The mole screamed and fell. Those who were shot writhed on the ground. Even so, it didn''t stop them from attacking.
Alyna killed every mole monster that came near. Her sharp scythe that curved like a crescent moon cut down thousands of monsters. The redhead woman fought ferociously.
The attacks of these mole monsters were quite a hassle for them. Not because they were strong, but because the area where they fought was small. By fighting in tunnels and dozens of mole monsters attaking together, their movements were limited. The more monsters that were killed, the less space they had to move around.
They could only stay in ce.
"These damn pests are endless," Alyna muttered. She did not stop swinging her scythe weapon.
"Do you have any area-scale magic?" Isaac asked
"Of course I do. It''s just that this ce is too small."
"Then we''ll hold out until thest."
The duchess clicked her tongue. She thought that Isaac had a solution.
"Ah, what a fool!"
Hissing, Alyna quickly lunged at the monster in front of her. She left Isaac behind and chose to jump onto dozens of the mole monsters.
"Hya!"
sh! sh! sh!
The woman swung her scythe like an angel of death. One swing, one life. The monsters split into pieces. Although she could not see clearly, she knew that under her feet was a pool of blood from the giant rodents.
Seeing that his partner did his part well, Isaac finally entrusted his back to the duchess.
Keeeeiiiiik!
Suddenly, there was a screech from one of the moles. The thousands of rodent monsters stopped attacking. They quickly turned around and left the two demons behind.
However, the demonesse still didn''t ept her victory.
"Don''t think you can run away from me! Damn it!" Alyna screeched. she quickly chased after the few mole that were left behind.
"Hey! Don''t!" Isaac tried to stop her. The beautiful woman was already darting away.
Moles were intelligent creatures. Although these rodent monsters couldn''t see or speak, they were able to createplex underground mazes.
The two of them must stay together if they want to escape the underground maze.
At the same time, there were still some monsters trying to stop Isaac. It was as if they were nning it.
Isaac clicked his tongue. His hunch turned bad when he heard the scream that made the moles stop attacking.
One of the dead mole managed to reach him. However, it didn''t try to kill him, but held his leg. As if the creature wanted to make Isaac stay put.
"Shouldn''t they run?"
At that moment, Isaac just realized he had made a mistake. He opened his eyes wide and turned to Alyna.
"Lady Alyna! Come back! We must stay together!"
The redhead woman ignored him. She continued to merrily kill the rodent monsters that were trying to escape.
Until finally, another shock urred. This time the shaking was so strong that it was difficult for them to keep their bnce.
Naturally, Isaac''s sixth sense kicked in. Another great danger came.
Dust fell to the ground. Not long after, the ceiling of the cave copsed.
When Alyna felt the shaking, she realized that she and Isaac were separated. Like it or not, the duchess had to stop her pursuit. She ran after Isaac.
Unfortunately, she didn''t make it.
Large boulders had copsed. They were blocking the tunnel''s connecting path. Isaac and Alyna werepletely separated.
Isaac sighed. His path back to the surface was closed.
"I knew it."
He deliberately did not catch up with Alyna because the duchess was going in a different direction. If Isaac caught up with her, his journey to obtain the second treasure in this event would be stretched. Hence, he chose not to catch up with her.
After all, the n was to be alone from the start. No Alyna orpanion.
"Hey! Lord Isaac, you heard me!"
From across the rubble, came the voice of the duchess. The woman sounded annoyed. Several swear words came out of her mouth.
Meanwhile, Isaac looked rxed.
"Lady Alyna, since it''s a dead end, you better go back. I have no problem being alone. I''m sure you can take care of yourself better than I can."
Alyna snorted. "Of course, I''m better than you. But we can''t split up like this. Wait there, I can find another way or destroy these damn rocks. Or do you have other ns?"
The redhead woman meant what she said. She waited for an answer, but no sound came.
"Do you understand?" she repeated. "Hey, Lord Isaac, did you hear me?"
Alyna shouted repeatedly. As if talking to herself, she got no answer from Isaac. Until she finally realized.
"Ah! Damn it! He left me."
The duchess was so upset that she kicked a boulder. This was the first time in her life she had been ignored by a demon. Even more so from a lower-ss noble.
.
.
.
Isaac walked through the dark tunnel alone.
He immediately left the duchess after telling her to return to the surface immediately. His journey in search of the ''baby mammal'' had just begun.
After Isaac walked down the straight tunnel for ten minutes on foot, he finally found three forking paths.
The tunnel dug by the mole was basically an underground maze. It was like a mole''s fortress to defend from monsters. There would be many twists and turns and dead ends.
Despite the moles''s terrifying appearance, they were herbivorous monsters. They would only attack other creatures when there were monster entered their territory. Hence, the mole attacked Isaac and Alyna.
"Let''s see which way is right."
Isaac should not choose a path carelessly. Choosing a path without thinking was stupid. Usually, if there were monsters that entered the mole''s territory, they were either killed or starved to death. Of course, for him they were nothing.
What Isaac was worried of was running out of time. In this event, time was the most precious thing. There were many things to discover and do on Yggdrasil. He must not linger in this maze for too long.
Isaac had to get out as soon as possible.
He checked one forked of the path after another. He moistened his finger and raised it in the air. Isaac stood on the first path. Not feeling anything, he moved to the second path. His fingertips felt cold.
"Ah, this is it!"
The path where the wind was blowing was the right one.
He took the second path, his mission resumed. He followed where the wind took him. The deeper he went down the passage, the more forking paths he had to cross. The light intensity was getting smaller.
Several times he was attacked by hordes of mole. The rodent monsters were eliminated by him in no time. Not all of his encounters with monsters would be Isaac''s to deal with. He avoided some battles because he saw the strange nature of the mole monsters. Two or three times he was almost crushed by rubble.
In the end, nothing could stop him.
Isaac kept the pace. After an hour of walking through the dark tunnel, his eyes began to adapt well. He started to see clearly.
Until finally, his ears heard the sound of gurgling water.
"Just a little further."
Isaac grinned in the darkness.
He quickened his paces. He walked fast, then ran. He really wanted to leave this cramped and dark ce immediately.
A glimmer of light was seen in the darkness.
The closer he got to the light source, the bigger the light became. Until the white light engulfed him. His eyes that had been in the dark for too long had to cover them with his hands because of the re of the light.
It took time for him to get used to the light. After a while, his eyes could see normally.
Isaac opened his eyes wide. A grin appeared on his face.
"I finally found. The Ant Kingdom!"
Chapter 154 Ant Kingdom
A tower was built underground, made of mineral stones and lumps. Beneath it, green grass with fruiting nts could be seen. There was a waterfall that flows and forms a river. White crystals clung to the walls of the cave, like the sun, they illuminated the Ant Kingdom
Isaac had only heard about it, but this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.
"So this is where he got the ''baby''? Hehe, this time I''ll get it. Also with a hundred eggs."
He observed the surrounding terrain. In this heaven inside Yggdrasil''s belly, there were dozens of ant monsters outside the tower. They were tall like humans, except that they had four legs and two arms. Their bodies were reddish-brown in color, they had wide eyes, and a pair of antennae on their heads.
The system calls them ''antfolk''.
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Antfolk - Worker]
[Type: Insect]
[ss: C]
[Level: 50]
They were working in the fields. Some were harvesting fruit, some were transporting food into the tower, some were making irrigation channels. Among them, there were some antfolk who were well armed. They wore armor made of stone and wooden spears with brightly lit crystal spearhead.
The antfolk had a different stat than the others. You could even say they were stronger.
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Antfolk - Warrior]
[Type: Insect]
[ss: A]
[Level: 100]
Seeing theirrge number, Isaac frowned. Moreover, their status was quite highpared to the anfolk workers.
"Huh? Their ss is higher than the antfolk warrior''s. It''s going to be a pain in the ass."
Antfolk were actuallymon monsters.
Dungeon masters could buy them in the shop. Their incredible physical strength made antfolk the best worker monsters in the dungeon.
The antfolk were idealborers. They had horse-like stamina, can lift 50 times their own weight, and were great at team work. They are ideal monsters to help with dungeon building. Beside, they were able tomunicate well.
However, they were underestimated by dungeon masters because dwarves provided more benefits. The midget monsters were able to provide buff effects in every building or object created. That''s why, antfolk were not popr monsters in the dungeon.
To Isaac''s surprise, he saw the existence of the antfolk warrior. The average anfolk warrior had a ss B that was the maximum. Seeing them have a higher ss, of course, made the dungeon master astonished.
"Now, let''s begin."
Isaac had two objectives. The first objective must be obtained from the Ant Kingdom, otherwise the spirtual beast eggs would be useless. While the second objective was more optional. It was unlikely for him to get it. Of course, if there was a wide opportunity, he would not hesitate to give it a shot.
"Huft... here we go again."
The white-haired man descended the steep cliff that had a height of 50 meters. The angle was so steep that it made him dart down quickly. He could have jumped without hurting himself, but he didn''t for worried of causing a scene.
Isaac didn''t want to cause trouble. At least not yet.
Hended on the green grass, then made his way silently through the bushes and apple trees. All his senses soaked up every bit of information around him, making sure no antfolk were around.
"Ants are ants. They work very hard."
20 meters away from where he was hiding, the worker anfolk could be seen digging the ground and sprinkling seeds on the hole. Afterwards, they buried it, then watered it. Interestingly, every movement they made was always in unison. It was as if they were programmed robots.
Isaac was still silent in the hiding ce. He still hadn''t decided what he should do. Making a fuss or getting caught infiltrating was not a good idea.
"Ok, now what should we do?"
The dungeon master covered his mouth with his hand, his face looking serious. He was thinking of the right way to be epted into the Ant Kingdom.
His ears heard a sound, then he saw a 30-meter waterfall not far from his location.
An idea shed through his head.
"Huh, maybe the ssic way will work."
Isaac grinned. He walked quietly through the bushes, heading towards the source of the Ant Kingdom''s spring.
.
.
.
Ngeeeeng Ngeeeeng Ngeeeeng Ngeeeeng
The antennae on the anfolk''s heads vibrated, their heads heard a buzzing sound. The worker ants stopped their work. Those who were nting stopped hoeing. Those harvesting fruit stopped picking. Those transporting food and materials quickened their pace.
The buzzing sound was a sign that the working time was over. The antfolk went back into the tower.
In the citrus orchard, there were still some antfolk who could be seen organising the equipment.
Two antfolk chatted while putting fruits into a basket.
"Finally, today is over. I will eat apples until I''m full."
"The Queen will be angry if you eat the males'' favorite food."
"Then I will be a male."
The two worker antsughed. To them, it was a joke. A worker antfolk could never be a male antfolk. Their roles were destined from the moment they hatch from the egg.
Male antfolk are the ants whose job it is to create offspring with the Queen ant.
"Let''s go home quickly. Chief Warrior will go on a rampage again if we''rete."
"Rxed. We work double. Yandez should understand," replied the second antfolk.
The first ant shook his head, then he helped his friedn to put the scattered fruits into the basket.
After that, they quickly left. However, they abandoned their ns when they heard a scream.
It wasn''t just the two of them who heard it. The sound of the scream echoed, so that all the ants in the orange groves area heard it.
"What is that? Is that the sound of a mole? They dare to enter our territory again."
The first antfolk shook his head. "I don''t think so. Moles never make any sound other than squeaking. It must be the sound of another creature."
The antfolk looked at each other with questioning faces. Some of them had worried faces.
"I will check it out."
The second antfolk squeezed a basket of citrus fruits. He got up, then approached the source of the sound.
"Hey, where are you going? It''s dangerous!" the first antfolk eximed.
However, the brave antfolk ignored him. Sighing in annoyance, the first antfolk followed hispanion.
Meanwhile, the other antfolk decided to leave the groves immediately. They chose to leave rather than get involved in anything dangerous.
The brave antfolk traced the bushes and trees along the river. Hispanion followed behind him.
"Hey! Wait, don''t go alone! It''s dangerous."
The brave Antfolk heard his friend''s voice, but he ignored it. He continued to walk toward the source of the voice.
The closer he got to the waterfall, he heard the sound of moaning in pain.
"Hey! Let''s hurry back! Chief Warrior will punish us if he finds out we''re here."
The first antfolk repeatedly rebuked his friend. But curiosity had already engulfed him. Inevitably, he had to apany the second antfolk. He didn''t want anything to happen to his close friend.
Finally, they arrived at the source of the sound. The noise of the sshing waterfall pierced the ears of anyone who heard it.
At the spring of the Ant Kingdom, a man with white hair and ck clothes fainted. Half of his body was onnd and the other half was in the water. His entire body was soaked.
The two antfolk looked at him with shocked looks on their faces. The antennae on their heads suddenly stood straight up.
"Have you seen that thing before?"
The first antfolk shook his head. "Not yet. It''s best not toe any closer. Let''s wait for Yandez toe. Or we''d better get out of here before trouble befalls us."
However, The second antfolk ignored him. Instead, he approached the unconscious man.
In his entire life serving the Queen, he had never encountered a creature other than his own race or a mole. The unconscious man really caught his attention.
The first Antfolk was getting more and more panicked. His antennae were vibrating rapidly. He kept called out to hispanion not to approach the strange creature before them.
Just as the second antfolk was about to check the unconscious human, a group of ants in stone armor suddenly arrived.
Startled, the second antfolk quickly jumped up and away from the unconscious man.
The group of antfolk warriors looked vignt. Among the dozens of ant monsters, there was an antfolk warrior who wasrger than average. The armor he wore was not made of stone, but of ck metal. An arrogant and vanity was clearly visible on his face.
"Foolish workers, what are you doing here? Get out of the way, let us handle the enemy."
Chapter 155 Tower
"Cough!"
Isaac coughed as if water had entered his lungs. After he heard that he was considered an enemy, he couldn''t keep pretending to faint. He had to take action immediately.
The two antfolk who were about to save him looked surprised. Meanwhile, the antfolk warriors were getting more vignt.
"Look! He''s awake!"
"That creature is wake up."
With wide eyes, Isaac looked at the antfolk. Especially at an antfolk with ck metal armor on his body.
[Name: Yandez]
[Race: Antfolk - Superior]
[Type: Insect]
[ss: S]
[Level: 120]
"Huft, he''s going to be troublesome," Isaac muttered.
The antennae on their heads seemed to vibrate rapidly, a sign that they were on alert.
The demon quickly racked his brain.
He tried to get up, but the antfolk quickly pointed their spears at him.
"Cough..."
Bloody spit came out of his mouth again, then Isaac looked at the monster ants that were swarming him.
"The antfolk. Enemy. Watch out, they''reing. They''ll attack you..."
After that, the white-haired man fainted.
Of course, his words shocked the ants. Especially the Chief Warrior, Yandez.
The leader of the antfolk warriors initially wanted to kill Isaac as soon as possible, to avoid unwanted events. However, after hearing the word ''enemy'' from the person who was supposed to be the enemy, he abandoned his intention.
"Boss? What should we do?"
"Shall we kill him?"
Yandez was silent for a moment, the antennae on his head lowered.
"No, don''t. Take the creature into the prison."
"Yes, sir."
One antfolk warrior took Isaac and carried him on his shoulders. Yandez ordered his men to take Isaac into custody and interrogate him.
Seeing that the warriors were busy, the two worker antfolk took advantage of the situation to escape. Unfortunately, Yandez noticed them.
"Where are you going! Don''t go!" he snapped.
The two poor antfolk froze instantly. The antennae on their heads wilted like dead flowers. They were afraid. Afraid of punishment from the Chief Security Guard of the Ant Kingdom.
The antfolk warriors left the waterfall and returned to the tower. While Yandez himself still remained in ce, along with two antfolk workers.
The fierce-faced antfolk looked down at his two civilians who seemed to be trembling in fear.
"If the queen orders you to return, you must go back in immediately. Your actions are very dangerous."
The two antfolk lowered their heads, not daring to look at his face. They just kept quiet. Besides, making excuses would add to the punishment.
Yandez continued his reprimand. "Soon the mineral crystal will be ck out. You should have gone to the tower instead of ying around in the waterfall."
The crystal minerals attached to the walls and ceiling of this cave yed an important role in their survival.
Besides to growing fruits and vegetables, the bright light emitted by the crystalline minerals in the caves repels the mole from entering their territory. Moles were used to living underground, where it was dark and no light at all. They were very sensitive to light.
Hence, the moles were reluctant to enter the territory of the Ant Kingdom.
However, crystal minerals did not glow forever. Every 12 hours, the light it emitted would fade and would not be lit for another 12 hours.
"ording to the rules, those who vite the order will be punished. You can''t eat anything for one week."
The two antfolk felt weakness in all four knees.
If antfolk had lips, the they would probably bite them. They were truly regret for breaking the rules.
"Now, get out of my sight."
"Yes, sir," replied the two poor antfolk simultaneously.
Walking regretfully, they headed back towards the tower. Meanwhile, Yandez hissed at the sight of their backs. To him, the worker antfolk were useless ves.
Ngeeeng ngeeeng!
Suddenly, the antennae on his head stood on end. Yandez sensed danger.
The mighty antfolk looked around, making sure no one was there. The trees, the water, the walls; his eyes scanned the corners. But he found nothing.
"Is it just my hunch?"
The antennae in his head rxed again. Yandez finally decided to enter the tower immediately.
When the strongest monster in the Ant Kingdom left the waterfall, without him realizing it, a shadowy figure hiding behind the trees was watching him.
.
.
.
Isaac opened his eyes.
He found himself in a square cell. A te of fruit was ced in front of him. The walls around him were earth mixed with natural stones. They looked solid and unwavering, as if there was cement covering them.
A stone grate 3 meters long and 15 cm thick fenced the cell. They were strong enough to withstand monsters, but not demon nobles.
It was easy for Isaac to destroy them. And of course he wouldn''t do it or his n would go down the drain.
"They left food for me. That means they still need me to live. The first step was a sess."
Isaac grinned, then picked up an apple and bit into it. The sweet and slightly sour taste of the apple delighted his tongue.
"Let''s see what happens next."
Creack! Bam!
A creaking sound followed by a bang was heard. Isaac quickly took a firm bite of his apple. He felt the presence of a powerful monster.
The sounds of heavy steps echoed down the hallway. Not long after, three antfolk arrived. Two of them were ordinary antfolk, while the other wasrger and wore metal armor.
It was easy enough for Isaac to recognize who was in front of him.
"Who are you and what do you want?" a voice that was as heavy as the sound of steps in the hallway came out of Yandez''s mouth.
Isaac did not answer immediately. The white-haired demon was still casually enjoying his apple.
His actions disgusted Yandez, as could be seen from the antfolk''s antennae moving.
"I guess you like living in a cell, alien. But you won''tst long if you ignore me."
Isaac grinned, but he covered his lips with the apple. He put the apple down, innocently saying, "I''m sorry, I''m too hungry. This apple is too delicious. I haven''t eaten for days."
The mighty antfolk wrung their hands.
"Tell me your identity. What are you?"
Isaac made a surprised face. "Ah, forgive my impoliteness. My name is Isaac. I''m an explorer, originally from the surface. I research and record every single thing in this world. Not to be arrogant, but there''s nothing I don''t know."
Thest sentence spoken by Isaac made the antenna on Yandez''s head stop moving. The antfolk were curious. Even so, he had to identify Isaac first.
"Then what is your purpose here? Why did you get hurt at the waterfall?" asked the mighty antfolk.
Suddenly, Isaac''s face turned dark. "They''reing. They wille and kill us all. We must prepare quickly."
Yandez was even more intrigued. "They? Who are they?"
Isaac bowed his head with a haggard face. The dungeon master then began to tell his story.
As he said earlier, Isaac was an explorer. He imed to be a surface-dwelling human from a great empire called Earth.
His job as an explorer was to research every new thing and initiate cooperative rtionships with monster nations. Thanks to this duty, he met various creatures. From those who could be savage to those with high ethics.
Once, he visited arge kingdom. A kingdom whose inhabitants were demons. They were led by nobles. The demons were cruel and cunning creatures. They pursued glory more than anything else.
Isaac tried to get them on good terms with Earth, and of course they refused.
They have ambitions to control everything on the surface.
Because he failed to establish a cooperative rtionship, Isaac was finally arrested and sentenced to death. Luckily he managed to save himself.
However, they were chasing him to this day.
"So, that''s my story."
Yandez was silent. Not a word came out of his mouth. While his two bodyguards vibrated the antennae on their heads.
As long as Isaac told his made-up story, the mighty antfolk did not interrupt him at all. The antfolk''s facial expressions were hard to read, so it was difficult for Isaac to deduce. However, judging from the antennae that were still and motionless, he concluded that the mighty antfolk believed his words.
Silence fell between them. After both sides said nothing for a long time, Yandez finally spoke up.
"Open the cell. Bring him to the Queen. The decision is in her hands."
Chapter 156 Queensguard
In the middle of a field of flowers, a silver-haired man was seen along with a ck-robed group. Hoods covered their heads, so that their faces were obscured by shadows.
Some of the monsters around instinctively avoided them, as if they were a group of apex predators.
However, there were also some monsters who dared to attack them.
Eight horned beetle monsters attacked the silver-haired man, but that man ignored them and kept walking. One of the ck-robed person jumped into the air, facing the eight insect monsters alone.
sh! sh! sh!
In the blink of an eye, the monsters turned into pieces. Their blue blood stained the flower field.
The ck-robed man who killed them seemed to be holding a dagger in both hands. He waved them in the air, then sheathed them.
"Are you alright, Lord Gavin?" the ck-robed man asked. A calm, waterfall-like tone escaped from him.
Seeing his men''s quick response to the situation, Gavin nodded his head and said, "Thank you."
They resumed their journey as if nothing had happened.
In the middle of the flower beds and pine trees, there was arge hole. Gavin stopped, the ck-robed men naturally stopped as well.
The duke observed the hole carefully. He raised his hand and shook his. One of the robed men faced him.
"Yes, Lord Gavin," the robed person asked in a polite tone. This time it was a soft female voice that sounded.
"Please check if there are any traces of anyone entering this ce."
The ck-robed woman immediately crowed at the mouth of the hole. Her hand touched the ground, light emerging from her palm. For a moment, she groped the ground.
Rising with a sigh, the ck-robed woman told Gavin the information she had gotten from her scanning magic.
"So, what did you find?" the duke asked.
"I saw four footprints that went into the hole. Most likely demons," the ck-robed woman replied.
Gavin squinted with a snort. "I knew it. They''re after what I''m after. Then what else did you get?"
"Although they were a group, they entered at different times. The first two people. An hourter, two more entered."
Hearing the information he got, a sour look crossed the duke''s face. His forehead seemed to be wrinkled.
"Different time periods? That means there are two different groups." Gavin asked to make sure.
"It seems so."
The silver-haired demon sighed.
"We should go in immediately. We need to quickly retrieve the spiritual beast eggs that were stolen from us."
Gavin quickly entered the hole, then the ck-robed group followed behind him.
.
.
.
Creack!
The creaking sound of metal stings the ears. The sturdy and thick iron bars opened, revealing Yandez and the antfolk standing tall waiting for him.
After three days in the cell, Isaac was finally given time to meet the Queen.
"Stranger,e with me," said the antfolk in metal armor.
Isaac got up with a grin on his face. Yandez led the way, while he followed behind with two antfolk warriors escorting him.
Down the hallway of the prison, Isaac saw the condition of the other cells. In each of its, there were at least ten to fifteen prisoners. They were all antfolk. Their conditions looked miserable; their bodies were emaciated, some limbs were missing, and they smelled bad.
Judging by their status through the system, the prisoners were antfolk workers.
''Their condition is worse than I expected.''
After passing through arge gate, they entered a long hallway with lights mounted along the walls. The walls and floor were made of dirt, Isaac guessed that the passage they were walking through was the result of excavation.
All the way down the hallway, Isaac felt that he was walking on an uphill path, as if they were climbing a hill.
Yandez stopped when they came to anotherrge gate. This time the gate seemed to be guarded by eight antfolk warriors. They wore different armor from Yandez and the other antfolk warriors. They wore gray-iron armor.
These antfolk were the Queensguard, the chosen warriors appointed by the Queen to guard the throne.
Although they were weak whenpared to Yandez, the Queensguard looked quite strong in Isaac''s eyes. One of them was an antfolk with a name. A special monster.
[Name: Kaies]
[Race: Antfolk - Warrior]
[Type: Insect]
[ss: A]
[Level: 110]
"Hm... not bad."
Their antennae seemed to tremble when they saw Isaac, a sign that they were curious and surprised in the same time.
"Who is he, Chief Yandez?" asked one of the Queensguard. A curious tone came from his words.
"He is a messenger from the outside world. There is important information that needs to be heard by the Queen directly. It''s urgent, Kaies."
Yandez quickly walked towards the gate, but two other Queesguards quickly blocked him with spears.
Instantly, the mood changed.
Isaac saw an interesting sight.
The antfolk called Kaies didn''t seem to believe Yandez''s words. It was clear that he didn''t want to give way.
''They apparently don''t get along well.
Yandez looked displeased. He looked at the Queensguard chief with a sharp gaze.
"I don''t have time to y, Kaies."
Of course, Kaies did not want to lose in front of his men.
"Just because my people are few, doesn''t mean I''m afraid of you. You''d better tell me clearly, or you''ll never be able to enter the throne''s chamber."
The two formidable antfolk stared at each other. The tension began to escte rapidly.
The two antfolk warriors escorting Isaac looked dazed, the antennae on their heads beginning to wither. They held their weapons trembling. A simr sight was also shown to the seven Queensguard. They were intimidated by the strength of the two powerful antfolk.
Isaac found this interesting at first. However, after seeing the two of them unable to use their brains properly, like it or not, he had to intervene.
''You stupid ants.''
Isaac cleared his throat, drawing the attention of all the antfolk around. Including Yandez and Kaies. The two ant monsters looked at him with a sardonic re.
The demon sighed, trying to be patient with the arrogant creatures.
"I don''t want to disturb your dispute, but I have important news to tell the Queen. We don''t have time. How about discussing this with a cool head."
Yandez seemed to agree with him.
However, the Queensguard chief showed a displeased look. The antennae on his head rose.
"Who are you, stranger? No one asked for your opinion. Don''t expect that just because you''re guarded by these ants, you''ll be able to act as you please," Kaies said.
Isaac snorted. His hands itched to kill the sassy monster in front of him. He hated stubborn and arrogant creatures the most.
He gave the armored antfolk a warning look.
"Trust me, we don''t have much time right now. Powerful beings are here to destroy you. If you continue to let your egos, this kingdom will be destroyed by them in overnight."
Of course, his words angered the Queensguard''s Chief.
"You bastard! What do you know about the Ant Kingdom! I''ll kill you!" Kaies snapped angrily.
The Queensguard chief reached for Isaac''s neck, but his hand was caught in a tight grip. Yandez prevented him.
The superior Antfolk grabbed Kaies''s hand. The iron-armored ant looked in pain. Yandez''s grip was strong.
"This stranger carries important information from the outside world."
Kaies clicked his tongue. "You believe that?"
"No, I don''t. But when ites to the Kingdom and the Queen''s safety, I won''t take any risk."
Hearing such a reasonable remark, a sour look appeared on Kaies'' face as if he had just swallowed a bitter pill. The antennae on his head began to lower.
He quickly withdrew his arm.
With a tone of dislike, Kaies coded his men to give way to them.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction. The two ants guarding him also looked relieved.
"Thank you for your understanding, Kaies."
Yandez thanked him sincerely, but the armored antfolk did not care. The Queensguard chief was already fed up.
Creeeaaak!
A creaking sound echoed down the hallway. The gates opened along with a big smile on Isaac''s face. They then entered the queen''s chamber.
After they entered, the gate closed on its own.
A magnificent hall greeted them.
Unlike other ces Isaac had been, the throne''s chamber looked very special. The chamer was spacious, like a hall. A long red carpet wasid out. Fourrge pirs stood firmly supporting the chamber. If the walls and floor of the hallway were dirt, then the queen''s room wasposed of smooth stone.
The luxurious atmosphere of the kingdom was felt in the throne''s room. Isaac''s noble soul began to rise when he entered it.
''Not bad for a horde of ants.''
At the end of the red carpet, there was a throne made of glowing minerals. There sat a beautiful woman apanied by male antfolks. It was as if they were all her toys.
At first nce, Isaac knew who she was.
Chapter 157 Queen
At first nce, Isaac knew who she was.
Her hair was golden white, hanging down to her waist. Exotic skin like oak wood. Her beautiful jewel-like eyes looked at Isaac from a distance. Dozens of muscr male ants swarmed around her as if she were sugar.
With gentle steps, the Queen descended from the throne. Her two pairs of clear wings dragged on the red carpet.
Seeing his Queen''s arrival, Yandez quickly knelt down, paying his respects to her. So did the two Antfolk behind him. Only Isaac remained standing.
"Hey, get on your knees! You''re in the presence of the Queen!"
An Antfolk soldier warned him, but Isaac stood his ground. Not out of arrogance. Not out of ego. Not because he felt superior. It was because he knew what game the Queen was ying.
The Queen walked past Yandez, she approached Isaac. Her eyes looked Isaac up and down, then she surrounded him.
The two antfolk warriors looked nervous, even though Isaac was the object of attention.
The Queen touched Isaac, her soft fingers tracing his arm, the sensation of athletic muscles she could feel. She stood before him wetting her lips.
''So he really wants to do it, huh.''
As a dungeon master, Isaac remembered how the social mechanism was work for every monster living in the dungeon. The antfolk were no exception.
The antfolk was divided their people into four castes; from the highest, the Queen, to the lowest, the workers.
Queens were the most important existence fo the Ant Kingdom. They had the role of giving birth to thousands of eggs. In one kingdom, there was only one Queen of the antfolk. Without her, the antfolk would be extinct.
Second were the male antfolk, who help the Queen to give birth to ant eggs. Only they were able to fertilize them.
The third was the warrior antfolk. As the name of it, they were a line of defense that protects the Ant Kingdom from threats.
Finally, the lowest ss was the antfolk worker. They were the most numerous. Rather than workers, they were more like ves. They did various kinds of work; collecting food, nting, and building towers. The prosperity of the Ant Kingdom was thanks to them. However, their existence was not appreciated.
The antfolk workers were treated as trash. They were like disposable tools. This was because their lifespan was very short. Worker antfolk live for two weeks at most. Thousands of other eggs were ready to rece them.
Isaac looked to check the Queen''s status.
[Name: Kaileena]
[Race: Antfolk]
[Type: Boss]
[ss: S]
[Level: 20]
Although Kaileena was a high-ss monster, her level was very low. The Antfolk Queen had skills that focus on reproduction, so she relied on her warriors.
''Killing her is not a difficult matter. But her children will be troublesome.''
Isaac let out a long sigh.
After observing him, Queen Kaileena finally spoke.
"I heard amotion outside. Did something happen, Yandez?"
Kaileena''s gaze was still glued on Isaac. She seemed to be very interested in the man before her.
The demon was still silent, he let the ant monster. As long as it was within reasonable limits, he could refrain from killing Kaileena.
No matter how beautiful she looked, in his eyes an ant was an ant. Nothing more.
"Kaies is holding us back from entering, your highness," Yandez replied.
The Queen opened her eyes wide. "Ah, I forgot to tell Kaies."
Of course, Isaac was astonished. What a terrible queen to lead them. No wonder, in his previous life, Gavin was able to destroy the Ant Kingdom with only twelve demons.
Taking a deep breath, Isaac tried to contain his annoyance and disappointment.
Queen Kailee returned to the throne, the male antfolk kowtowing as she passed them by.
"Stand up," she ordered.
The antfolk escorting Isaac quickly stood up.
"I''ve heard the outline from Yandez, but I want to hear it from you. So, go ahead and tell your story, stranger."
Isaac nodded, then he told his made-up story to the Queen. It was exactly the same as what he had told to Yandez.
Throughout his storytelling, Queen Kaileena didn''t seem to be paying attention at all. Her face looked bored and she yawned several times. Of course the woman''s behavior annoyed Isaac. But he could still hold it in.
"That''s it, Your Majesty," Isaac said, ending his long story.
While the Queen only nodded in response.
"This is a disaster. We cannot remain silent. We must take immediate action."
Kaileena quickly stood up, then she ordered Yandez to increase security and patrol outside the tower when night fell.
Her reaction and her decision was very different. This raised questions for Isaac.
"Yes, Your Honor," Yandez replied.
The Chief Warrior immediately exited the Thrones'' chamber. When they turned around, the Queen called out.
"Stranger, you are still here. The rest may leave," said the Queen.
Now, the question in Isaac''s head was answered. The Queen just wanted to impress him with her quick decision.
Isaacughed to himself.
''She wants to charm me huh''
He clucked his tongue quietly, no one heard him.
"Yes, Your Highness," Yandez replied. He turned to Isaac. In a low-pitched voice, he said, "You stay here, Stranger."
Yandez and his men quickly left. The two antfolk warriors looked envious. They knew that the Queen wanted Isaac.
After they left, the queen ordered the antfolk warriors to leave. They followed the queen''s orders and gave Isaac a hateful look.
The situation was getting interesting. That''s what Isaac thought.
Queen Kaileena got off the throne and approached him. A seductive smile was on her face. She groped Isaac''s muscr stomach.
Meanwhile, Isaac just smiled, following the monsteress'' game.
"You have a strong body and a handsome face. I''m sure you carry a strong seed. The Ant Kingdom needs citizens like you." A naughty tone came from the Queen''s mouth
"Thank you," Isaac replied briefly.
"As you said, there will be a major attack on the Ant Kingdom. I think I need your help to prepare a strong army. For today... and for generations toe."
Isaac was silent.
He knew where this was going. So he would let the Queen speak her mind.
"Come with me."
Kaileena walked towards the other side of the Throne Chamber, there was a door hidden in therge banner of the Ant Kingdom. Isaac followed her.
They entered a hallway with smooth brick walls. The hallway was dimly lit, with only a crystal chandelier illuminating it every three meters.
They arrived at the end of the hallway, where there was a small, in wooden door.
For a moment, she nced at Isaac with a smile. "Don''t be afraid," she said. She opened the door.
The fragrant smell of roses wafted through the air. Arge bed stood in the center of the room. Kaileena walked in and sat on the bed. She looked at Isaac who was still standing in the doorway with a smile.
Patting the bed, she said, "Come here, sit down and don''t be afraid."
Isaac chuckled as he bowed his head.
He had known from the start that he would be the mating partner of the Antfolk Queen. But he did not expect it to be so soon.
''I didn''t know that the antfolk queens are impatient.''
Isaac followed her invitation.
He walked slowly to the bed. The queen seemed to have loosened her upper garment, showing a bit of her breast. The Antfolk Queen has a human-like physique, except that she has a pair of insect wings.
Isaac sat on the bed, next to the woman. Suddenly, the queen sat on hisp. Isaac was surprised, not expecting the queen to be so aggressive. He had never met a monster or even a demon doing this to him.
He was curious. What would happen if he removed the mortal ring. Would the queen dare to do this?
The queen slowly undressed. Softly fingers traced his body. He let her. Kaileena brought her mouth to his neck, her warm breath tickling Isaac. Slowly, the breath traveled to his ear and then to his cheek.
She smiled and looked up at him. Isaac disys a simr look.
"Are you embarrassed?" the woman asked in a mischievous tone. "Is this your first time?"
Isaac snorted. "Yeah," he lied.
The queen chuckled. She really liked inexperienced males. She leaned her face into Isaac, their noses touching. Her hands grazed Isaac''s chest.
"Your heart rate is normal for someone with no experience. Are your people like this?"
"We humans are used to facing the unexpected." Isaac answered as best he could.
Kailena chuckled. She didn''t dy in kissing him.
However, something distracted Isaac. Someone touched his back. He was sure the touch was not from Kaileena. It felt rough and strange.
Isaac pushed Kaileena away. The woman looked astonished.
He turned his head to check his back. Instantly his eyes opened wide. He found a creature that resembled a horse, but was the size of a cat. The creature had dragon-like scales. It seemed to be rolling around on the mattress as if asking for its belly to be stroked.
Kaileena, who realized Isaac''s oddity, quickly smiled. "Oh, it''s a baby qilin. Don''t be surprised."
Isaac nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I know."
What he wanted was right in front of him.
Autho Note:
Sorry if there was strangenguage in this chapter before. I misced the old data. I feel the need to write this to apologize. I promise not to do it again. Once again, please understand. (T_T)
Chapter 158 Qilin
Isaac touched the baby qilin rolling on the bed. Its belly felt soft when he tickled it. Suddenly, the tiny creature let out a breath of fire. Isaac was a bit surprised, then chuckled.
"kyu kyu kyu."
The queen looked curious. She brought herself close to Isaac''s ear, a soft, seductive voice escaping her mouth. "Do you like it?"
Hearing the whisper, Isaac raised one eyebrow. The demon''s attention was still focused on the baby qilin who seemed pleased with his tickling. He turned his head, Queen Kaileena''s face right in front of his. They could feel each other''s warm breath. Their faces were so close, moving just a little they would have kissed.
"If I''m honest, I want it. This thing is so cute," Isaac replied. Of course what he said was nothing more than foolishness.
Queen Kaileena chuckled, then stood up and straightened her clothes. She walked around the bed and picked up the baby qilin that was rolling around on the bed. Kaileena held it as if it were her own baby.
She stroked it with her cheek. The baby qilin lookedfortable in the queen''s arms.
"Too bad, stranger. Nothing can rece it. It is precious, evenpared to all the antfolk who live in this tower."
Isaac was silent.
Of course it wouldn''t be easy to get a baby qilin, let alone just by asking. They had only just met.
Qilin was a monster that brings good luck. Anything around it would experience good fortune. Women would continue to be fertile, men would continue to be rich, animals would be fat, the soil would be fertile, and nts would bear much fruit. Not except baby monster eggs.
Therefore, Queen Kaileena was very fond of the baby qilin. Thanks to it, the antfolk who live in this tower have a higher quality and level than the average antfolk.
Beside, the baby qilin had a special effect on monster eggs. The little creature was able to make them hatch and grow faster. Even pregnant women could give birth quickly if they were around qilin.
Isaac wanted the qilin to speed up the hatching of his spiritual beast eggs. Spiritual beast eggs took thousands of years to hatch. With the qilin''s help, perhaps it could hatch in a few months.
Of course, assuming that the spiritual beast egg had stayed inside theke for over 900 years.
ording to Isaac''s memory, Gavin once said that his spiritual beast egg hatched after three months along with the baby qilin.
Spiritual beasts were at the age of children after 200 to 300 years. Although they were not yet adults, at that age they were already capable of bringing terror to the world.
Now, Isaac needed to find a way to snatch the baby qilin out of the queen''s hands.
Queen Kaileena carried it to the corner of the room. There was a small cab that had four drawers. She took a gold piece from one of the drawers, and gave it to the baby qilin.
The little monster devoured the metal bar like a snack.
"Slow down, baby. You might choke..."
"Kyu kyu kyu"
She released the baby qilin to the floor and let it eat the gold bar. The queen turned her attention to Isaac who was sitting on the bed watching her. She walked over to him.
Sitting on the bed, Kaileena leaned into Isaac. "You seem very interested in it. What makes the baby qilin interesting?"
Isaac nced into the queen''s eyes. The female antfolk seemed to have a curious look on her face.
"In my kingdom, baby qilins bring good luck. Whoever has one will always have good luck," Isaac answered honestly. Lying was not a viable option for this question. Although he was still hiding the truth.
The queen seemed to nod. What he said was not wrong.
They were silent for a long time in the room. The queen seemed to be thinking about something. Isaac took this opportunity to prepare answers to her tricky and interrogative questions.
After a long silence, the queen finally spoke.
"Do you intend to return to your kingdom, after we''ve driven away the demons that were chasing you?"
The muscles on the demon''s face twitched slightly, he put on a serious face.
"Of course. I need to go back and warn them."
Kaileena''s face changed. The queen began to distance herself from Isaac. She was not happy to hear his answer. "You know, the reason I''m willing to amodate and mobilize my soldiers to drive them away, i mean the demons?"
This was an easy answer for Isaac, but he would have chosen not to answer it.
He was ying dumb. "To stop their threat."
Hearing the innocent answer, Kaileenaughed. "You''re so funny." Her face turned serious. "It would be easier for me to hand you over to them or throw you out of my territory. That makes more sense than protecting you in here."
''Exactly.'' That''s what Isaac thought.
He still made a stupid face. "So what?"
"Because I want you to stay here. To be my lover."
Queen Kaileena wanted Isaac to be part of her male harem. In her eyes, Isaac was a special creature. Of all the monsters she had met, only Isaac came close to her form. A perfect form, not an ugly insect monsters.
Every day, she had to make love to male antfolk with horrible faces. She was fed up with them. She wanted to make love to a creature simr to herself. A being that had the same body structure.
And Isaac was the one.
Isaac had a handsome face and an athletic body. The ideal man for any female fantasy out there.
Kaileena would not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away.
"I don''t know what your kingdom and the females there are like. But if you choose to settle down with me, you''ll have a well-deserved position. You will sit beside me. We will rule this kingdom together. How''s that?"
She touched Isaac''s cheek, staring him with a gentle gaze. The queen was trying to make him fall for her.
However, she got an unexpected response.
Isaac chuckled until he covered his face. Of course, his reaction raised questions for the queen.
Confusion coloring her face, Kaileena only tried to understand Isaac. "Why are youughing? What''s so funny?"
Isaac was still chuckling, then heughed loudly. He couldn''t hold back hisughter. Afterughing for a long time, he finally opened his mouth.
"Too small."
Kaileena narrowed her eyes. "What?"
The demon merely smiled without answering. Queen Antfolk wondered even more.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The atmosphere melted away instantly.
Sighing in annoyance at being disturbed, Kaileena got up from her bed with curiosity still lingering. She walked over to the door and opened it roughly.
A male antfolk appeared from behind the door. He looked frightened after seeing the upset look of the queen.
"What''s wrong? I told you, I don''t want any disturbances when I''m in my room. Don''te to me if the situation is not important."
The male antfolk shrank. The antennae on his head lowered like yellow wheat.
"Sorry to bother you, your highness. But we are in an emergency situation."
"What emergency?" asked Kaileena in an irritated tone.
"A stranger is infiltrating our tower. She''s making a scene."
Kaileena was surprised. Even more so after hearing the word ''she''. "WHAT? Send the antfolk warriors to subdue her. If necessary, order Yandez to go down."
The male antfolk bowed his head. "But... Chief Warrior has already intervened. One of his men came here to request assistance from the Queensguard. That stranger... I mean that monster... is truly terrifying."
Hearing that, Kaileena quickly turned to Isaac, her face questioning.
"They havee, Queen. You should also get involved immediately. I''m staying here. I will not leave."
The antfolk queen squeezed her hand.
She walked to a drawer in the corner of the room, retrieving a crystal. The woman stood for a moment in the doorway, looking at Isaac sitting on the bed with a sharp gaze. Then she closed the door roughly.
This left Isaac alone in the room.
Hey on the bed.
"Finally that pathetic creature is gone. Leading the tower together she said?" He chuckled. "Don''t be silly... that is too small for me."
The baby qilin suddenly jumped onto his chest. Suddenly, Isaac was startled until his eyes opened wide. It seemed to jump up and down enthusiastically, as if asking him to y together.
Isaac stroked the baby qilin''s head.
"Hohoho... are you lonely? Don''t worry, your old owner is gone. This is our chance to get away from this disgusting ce. It''s time for us to go!"
He got up from the bed and put the baby qilin in his suit pocket. The tiny creature thought that Isaac was one of its masters, after seeing its interaction with Queen Kaileena.
"You stay hidden here... don''te out no matter what. There are many evil creatures out there."
"Kyu kyu kyu."
Isaac sensed the existence of a demon within this tower. A very familiar demon. He guessed that the demon was not Gavin and his men.
Isaac had expected that Gavin woulde here to secure the baby qilin.
This infiltration had been nned from the beginning. He deliberately let himself get caught, waited for Gavin and his men toe to make a scene, and then took advantage of the chaotic situation to get out of the Ant Kingdom without getting caught.
However, something unexpected happened.
"Gavin can''t be this stupid. He''ll keep ying it safe, until he''s sure of the baby qilin''s location."
He suspected that there were other demons who came to this ce, but he would not be surprised. Since there was a time change, this was amon thing.
Moreover, Isaac sensed the existence of other demons outside the tower. Sooner orter, this tower would be a bloody battlefield.
Chapter 159 Commotion
The sound ofmotion could be heard throughout the hallway. The workers ran around, saving themselves, while the warriors with their spears moved towards the source of the fuss.
"Stop that thing!"
"Who is she?"
"Healer! Call the healer! Transport the wounded!"
The shouts of the antfolk warriors echoed out, intermingled with the sounds of banging and shing metal. A redhead woman seemed to be dancing with arge scythe. Each swing of it killed dozens of lives of the antfolk warriors who were trying to stop her.
The ants, they bounced in various directions, their bodies torn apart and blood staining the hallway. Watching theirrades being ughtered like cattle, they trembled.
There was only one antfolk who could withstand. Yandez, the chief warrior, he fought in the ranks. Even so, the mighty ants were unable to stand the duchess''s rampage.
"Scram all of you!"
Alyna roared lion-worthy. She was unstoppable, taking down anything in her way. The woman swung therge scythe in her hand like it was nothing. Bringing down the strongest antfolk in this tower.
In the midst of the duchess''s ferocity in ughtering the antfolk, they suddenly burst into cheers.
"Look! We have help!"
"Quensguard!"
A group of antfolk in gray armor jumped into the battle. They quickly helped Yandez who was fighting alone.
"Attack the target! That redhead alien! Finish it!"
Kaies eximed. A line of Queensguard consisting of 50 antfolk warriors rushed at Alyna. The queen''s entire guardian force was mobilized. They fought together with the antfolk warriors under Yandez''smand.
ng! ng! ng!
The shrill sound of metal shing echoed throughout the hallway. Some of the stone-armored antfolk warriors retreated to the back, securing their woundedrades and guarding the healers. Others fought alongside the Queesguard.
Kaies and Yandez, those two began to dominate the battle. The queensguard''s presence was enough to give the duchess a hard time.
The head queenguard acted as a distraction. His high responsiveness and reflexes allowed him to dodge every deadly attack Alyna threw at him. On the other hand, Yandez, who had great strength butck of agility, acted as a damage dealer.
Thebination of these two different fighting styles made Alyna frown throughout the battle. Besides, the other antfolk were targeting her blind spot.
Actually, Alyna could use lightning magic to wipe out the entire antfolk warriors that surrounded her. However, she chose to save her mana, considering she was alone.
Not a wise decision for an all-out battle.
The battle was not over yet, another troublesome enemy appeared.
A golden-haired woman with oak-like skin appeared at the edge of the battle. The antfolk warriors and healers at the back of the line were glued on the woman.
"R... Queen?"
"The Queen ising to the battle."
"She came alone."
Instantly, the antfolk warriors were excited. Some of them seemed to be kowtowing to wee their queen.
Queen Kaileena with a crystal in her hand walked to the edge of the battle. She looked at the condition of the antfolk around her, then a low hiss came out of her mouth.
She mumbled, and soon a magic circle and green light appeared on the floor. The antfolk''s wounds healed quickly when exposed to the light. With amazed faces, they found their previously injured arms and legs had recovered. Even some antfolk who had lost one of their arms suddenly grew back.
"My ant warriors! Your queen hase. Come back to fight. Don''t be afraid, I am here. As long as I live, you will not die!"
Cheering voices filled the hallway, praising their Queen.
"Yeah!"
"Queen!"
"Suiiiii!"
The soldiers'' morale has risen. The Queen will definitely not waste this opportunity.
"Attack!" she eximed.
The antfolk warriors who had been on the ground got up and charged at their enemy. They assisted Kaies and Yandez who were holding back Duchess Alyna''s ferocity.
"For the queen!"
Madly, they threw themselves into death. Alyna might be alone, but the woman was enough to finish off hundreds of antfolk. Her scythe continued cut through the antfolk who had lost their minds.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
Dozens of antfolk were killed in seconds, but they kept charging. Queen Kaileena muttered in the back row, casting healing magic so that the warriors would not fear death.
Kaies and Yandez took this opportunity to catch their breath. They rested, healing their wounds with the help of the healer.
This was the strategy used by Kaileena.
She utilized weak pawns to drain the opponent''s power, while her truff cards were saved forter. Queen Kaileena''s battle strategy was attrition.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
Three ants were split in two. Some of their blood sshed on the duchess''s face.
"Crazy ants!"
Realizing that this battle would take a long time, Alyna decided to retreat for a moment. The strength and mana in her body were draining slowly. If she continued, her risk of death would increase.
"Damn it!"
sh! St-!
After shing down one antfolk, she quickly retreated. The woman darted like a bullet, away from the swarm of antfolk.
Of course, Kaileena was not going to remain silent.
"Don''t let it get away!"
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.
.
? Outside the tower, the crystals attached to the cave ceiling were not lit. As far as the eye could see, there was only darkness.
Two demons looked up at the soaring tower. One demon had a human-like appearance, with copper-like skin and white curly hair like sheep''s wool. Next to him was a demon that had a human body, but a goat''s head.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" replied the human-looking demon. Hispanion seemed glued on the spire.
"The sound ofmotion. There''s a battle going on up there."
"Is that Lady Alyna?"
The goat-head demon nodded. "Yes, considering her nature. I heard she burned down a small settlement in Mongolia. That must be her."
The human-faced demon squinted. "You''re right. Let''s go in."
The two of them entered the tower gate which was unguarded.
On the other side of the belly of the cave, in a line of trees and bushes, a group of ck-robed men hid in the darkness of the night.
Among them, there was a man with silver hair. He put both hands on his back waist, his eyes glued on the tower.
"Lord Gavin... Are we going in there?"
His ears caught a soft female voice. A ck robe woman stood behind him.
Gavin was still silent. His eyes were still glued to the towering building.
"Should I scan it? To find the baby qilin," said the ck-robed woman.
Gavin shook his head. "No. Using your scanning magic will only alert the enemy to an attack. We don''t know what''s inside the tower yet."
The ck-robed woman squeezed one of her hands, she looked curious.
"We''ll wait," Gavin added. "Until we have enough information."
The ck-robed woman nodded, she returned to the back with the other ck-robed men. They were waiting for their leader, Gavin, to make a decision.
.
.
.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Kuaaaarrgggh!"
"No! No!"
"Forgive me!"
St! St! St!
Gunshots echoed repeatedly in the throne room. The supposedly luxurious and sacred ce was covered in blood. The male antfolksy on the floor in a mess. Some were already dead. Some were awaiting their deaths. Some had lost their arms and legs. Some were writhing and crying. Some had their guts spilled out.
There was only one ant folk warrior still alive in one piece. The pitiful creature cowered in fear. He covered his face and kept begging for mercy from the white-haired man sitting on the throne.
"Stranger... please... forgive me..."
The white-haired man heard the antfolk''s whining, but ignored him. He wiped his pistol which was stained with blood stters.
"I have said this many times, I am not a ''stranger''. Call me Isaac."
With a trembling voice, the antfolk replied, "Yeah... Isaac... I mean, Lord Isaac."
After all the bloodstains had disappeared from his pistol, Isaac put it in his inventory and stood up. He helped the scared-to-death antfolk to their feet.
"Hey, don''t be afraid. I am a viin, not a monster."
The antfolk nodded, his body still trembling.
Isaac put his arm around him, then showed him his dead and dyingrades in terrible condition.
"Hey, you don''t want to be like them do you, buddy?"
Seeing their condition, the antfolk trembled with fear. "I-I... don''t want to... die..."
Isaac smiled widely.
"Good, my friend. Then show me where the Queen keep her eggs."
Chapter 160 Antfolks Eggs
Hearing Isaac''s words, the male antfolk froze in his ce.
Eggs were the most valuable asset in the tower. They were the reason why the male antfolk lived. Although the Queen only saw them as a means of reproduction, for the male ants, the eggs were the product of their loves.
The antfolk couldn''t utter a single word. His body trembled, fearing the same fate as the other male ants. At the same time, he didn''t want to hand over the eggs to Isaac.
After what Isaac had done, how could he just hand them over to the man?
Isaac just looked at him with a smile. The antfolk''s antenna seemed to tremble greatly, and his body shivered as if cold air enveloped him.
"Kuaaaaagh!"
Suddenly, the antfolk screamed loudly for no reason. Of course, this surprised Isaac.
"FUCK, YOU MONSTER!!!"
Bam!
St!
The sound of gunshots echoed throughout the air. The antfolk fell helplessly, covered in blood.
"Useless," Isaac muttered.
He shot all the dying antfolks. After none of them were breathing anymore, Isaac sat on the throne with a sour face.
"I''m wasting my time on pointless things."
The demon held his chin with his hand. He was contemting what step he should take next.
Currently, the Ant Kingdom was in utter chaos, even the Queen had to intervene directly. This was the perfect opportunity to sneak out without getting into trouble. He had obtained the qilin infant, his main objective. But, somehow, he still couldn''t let go of the antfolk''s eggs.
The antfolk living in this world and those sold in shops were of a totally different quality. It was a shame to leave it.
"Should I wait here a little longer? Huh¡ I don''t think so."
He sensed the presence of other demons around the tower. The number exceeded his estimates. Besides, he didn''t have any detailed information on how the battle was going. Isaac only knew how the fate of the Ant Kingdom would end.
The demon pondered long enough on the throne. His eyes looked at the empty air, thinking about the various possibilities that might urter.
After taking a deep breath, Isaac finally made a decision.
"There''s no use thinking about it. I''ll just use the old ways; high risk, high return."
Isaac rose from the throne. He walked on the red carpet, passing the bodies of the male antfolks who had died in pathetic conditions.
The demon decided to look for the eggs'' hiding ce.
.
.
.
The sound of footsteps continued to be heard throughout the hall. Antfolk warriors were running around, patrolling, and looking for the intruders in their towers.
The passages within the tower were like a spiral staircase. They had one main passage that led them to the top, where the throne''s chamber was located. The main passage had hundreds of small passages that led anyone exploring it to an empty cavity.
The cavities were usually a food storage area or a ce for the antfolk to have a rest.
Antfolk workers and warriors were usually given only one two-acre cavity for 500 antfolk, while the male antfolk had their own ce. Sometimes one cavity contained two or three antfolk. In other words, the male antfolk got privileges from the Queen.
In one of the thousands of cavities inside the tower, dozens of antfolk could be seen sitting huddled on the floor. Some of them were trembling with fear. Some were talking nonsense to lighten the mood. Some were hugging each other.
They were all antfolk workers.
In the midst of theplicated situation, two antfolk workers seemed to be having a discussion. They kept their voices down so as not to attract the attention of other antfolks. One still looked young, while the other looked more mature.
"Hey, do you think the stranger we rescued is the cause of the chaos in the tower?"
The older antfolk patted his friend''s head lightly. "You talked nonsense. Did your head crack after Yandez cut your food rations?"
"Yes, yes. I understand." The young antfolkined exasperatedly.
Suddenly, they heard a loud bang, followed by an ear-piercing scream. All the antfolks who were in the cavity could hear it clearly. They certainly knew whose scream it was.
The young antfolk and old antfolk looked at each other.
"Did you hear that?" asked the young antfolk.
"Yes. Everyone in this room heard it."
The young antfolk got up and left the ce.
Seeing his friend''s behavior, the older Antfolk immediately knew what he was thinking. He quickly shouted at him toe back right away.
However, the younger antfolk paid no heed to it. He finally got up and caught up with him.
"Hey! Are you crazy? Let''s go back soon. If Yandez finds out, we''re dead."
The younger Antfolk still walked anyway despite being warned.
The two of them left the cavity, walking down a small passage until they finally arrived at the main passage. When they got there, a terrifying sight greeted them.
The antfolk warriors, who were known as the vanguard guarding the tower, all died in a disorganized state. Their bodies were hollow, scattered, and separated. Their blood pooled on the ground, while the smell of blood wafting through the air.
"Uaagggh¡"
The younger antfolk fell. He was shocked. Even his antennae drooped and shook greatly, showing that he was powerless to see this sadistic sight, while his friends seemed strong enough in facing the situation they saw right now.
"A... let''s go... we... should go back," said the younger antfolk, his voice trembling.
"Yeah¡ right. Let''s get out of here quickly¡"
The older antfolk helped hispanion to stand up, then they quickly made their way back to the ce where they had been hiding before.
Just as they were turning around, they heard someone calling them.
"Hey¡ where are you guys going?"
They slowly looked back.
A white-haired man dressed all in ck came up to them. A drop of blood could be seen from the coat he was wearing. Without having to ask, they knew who wasing over to them.
Instantly, the two antfolks stiffened. If they could sweat, maybe their entire bodies were already soaking wet. The two of them stared at each other without having to say a word, as if they could understand what each of their minds was thinking.
However, the shocking thing didn''t stop there. That man was the stranger. It was the person they were trying to save while they were at the waterfall.
The man seemed to smile kindly, as if the dozens of corpses around him didn''t bother him at all.
They were even being observed from head to toe by the man.
"It looks like you''re not one of them. You''re the workers aren''t you?"
"Yeah¡ I''m not the worker¡ I mean¡ we''re the warriors¡ ah¡ damn¡ we''re workers!" answered the two antfolks together. Because they were so nervous, their words were not that clear.
"Calm down. I won''t kill you," replied the white-haired man.
Hearing his words, the two of them could breathe a little easier. Meanwhile, the man still had a friendly expression on his face.
"Hey¡ by the way, do you know where the Queenid the eggs?"
The two antfolks fell silent. They looked at each other again, trying tomunicate through their eyes.
They knew what the white-haired man was after. Telling him the location of the eggs was tantamount to annihting their next generation.
They couldn''t tell him. Never. This was not only treason but also destroying the Ant Kingdom.
The older antfolk squeezed his hand nervously. He tried to find an excuse.
"S-sorry¡ we are only the workers. We don''t know anything about the eggs. The one who knows about it¡ only the male antfolks and the Queen herself. W¡ we know nothing. Hehehe¡"
The white-haired man seemed to open his eyes wide as he nodded. "Oh, I see. I understand."
The two antfolks breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally able to escape from the terrible monster.
At least, that was what they thought.
"Then, both of you are useless."
The man''s gentle smile vanishedpletely. Out of nowhere, he suddenly held a gun in his hands, pointing it at the older antfolk.
Bam!
Flesh sttered all over, blood spurted everywhere, and the headless body copsed. The older antfolk died in vain.
"Nooooo!"
The younger antfolk was hysterical. He knelt in front of his best friend''s blooded body.
"No¡ no¡ no¡"
The antennae on his head went down, while his body was shaking. He didn''t expect that a friend who had lived for a long time with him died before his eyes.
The man knelt down and put his arm around his friend''s body.
"This would not have happened if he didn''t lie to me. Now, I ask you¡ where does the Queen keep their eggs? You are the workers. Of course you would know."
The antfolk was still in shock. His hands trembled while holding his friend''s body.
Seeing him still stiffened in his ce, the white-haired man sighed in annoyance.
"Should I give you some motivation?" he said.
He brought his mouth close to the antfolk''s ear.
"You know, I''m not stupid. I''ve only seen the warriors before, but not the workers. If I find you here, it means the others are not far. It''s easy enough for me to finish them off at once."
Instantly, the antfolk''s face turned pale. The other antfolk workers would be dragged along because of him.
At that moment, he realized that all of this was his fault.
If only he wasn''t selfish and going out of his hiding, perhaps none of this would ever have happened. Maybe his best friend was still alive.
Squeezing his hands tightly, the young antfolk knelt before the white-haired man.
"Please, stranger! Don''t kill them! We, the antfolk workers, have a short life! We have very little time to enjoy our life. Please don''t kill them. I will tell you where the Queen keeps her eggs."
Of course, the young antfolk''s words made the man smirk widely.
Chapter 161 Cracked Wall
Isaac followed him. That young antfolk seemed to tremble as he walked. Not even daring to look back.
Actually, Isaac didn''t expect to meet them. He intended to extract information from the antfolk warriors he met along the passage. However, no one told him the location of the eggs.
For some reason, he had trouble extracting information from them. Isaac could get the antfolk warriors scared and hysterical, but they quickly fell silent when it came to the eggs. He didn''t know what caused this, but it was certain that they were fiercely loyal to their queen.
Isaac was lucky to meet the antfolk who were guiding him now. He thought that the worker antfolk were too young, and thus too naive in his view of the situation.
''I have to be prepared in case something bad happens.''
Although the young antfolk were naive, Isaac could not breathe a sigh of relief just yet. There was still a possibility that he would be framed.
In the middle of walking down the long, dimly lit hallway, suddenly a small quake ured. Isaac felt it. He quickly told the young antfolk walking in front of him to stop.
"What''s wrong strang... I mean, is something wrong, Lord Isaac?"
The demon did not answer. He was still standing, silent, and motionless. He raised a hand in the air, signaling the young antfolk to be quiet.
Isaac walked over to the hallway wall and touched it. A vibrating sensation tickled his palm.
Naturally, his eyes narrowed.
"Hmm..."
Isaac quickly looked around, searching for any holes or something. He saw a fragile wall, as evidenced by its wide cracks. Without thinking twice, he punched the cracked wall.
A small hole the size of a human head formed.
He peered into the hole. His eyes opened wide.
"Ouh... you''re the cause of this mess, huh," Isaac muttered with a grin.
There was arge cavity that was almost as big as the pce hall. There was a battle going on, dozens of antfolk warriors surrounded a woman with red hair. She was alone, apanied only by the giant scythe that was in her hands.
Alynaan fought against the army of antfolk warriors.
"No wonder I found few antfolk warriors."
The duchess seemed to be in a superior situation despite being outnumbered. She killed every antfolk warrior who tried to capture her. Among the dozens of stone-armored antfolk, there were two warriors who were able to keep up with the duchess.
A gray armored antfolk and a ck metal armored antfolk. Both of them were certainly familiar to Isaac.
"Yandez... and the other one... Kaies? This is interesting. Let''s see how far they go."
Watching the fight with interest, the young antfolk suddenly called out to him. Isaac turned to him, a look of curiosity mixed with fear evident on the antfolk''s face.
"L-lord Isaac... are we going to continue the quest?" asked the young antfolk, his voice sounding shaky.
Besides to fear, Isaac also saw a curious look on his face.
"Come here!"
The antfolk pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Who else is here besides you?"
Realizing he had just asked a stupid question, the young antfolk quickly approached Isaac. He stood near the demon with fear enveloping his body.
Isaac pointed at the hole, signaling the young antfolk to look.
"You''ve never seen how a demon fights, have you? Take a look."
With fear still in his chest, the antfolk looked into the small holes. He saw how his kind andrades were ughtered.
.
.
.
sh! sh! sh!
The curved scythe was swung so fast that the wind whistled. Dozens of antfolk warriors died in a single sh.
There were at least thousands of antfolk warriors who died at Duchess Alyna''s hands, but they still attacked the demoness. Of course, she did not spare anyone who tried to kill her.
Arge antfolk seemed to be breathing heavily. His antennae were beginning to wither. The ck metal armor wrapped around his body was full of scratches. Yandez waspletely exhausted. His partner and rival, Kaies, looked the same way.
Arrogance and pride were starting to leave him. One of his antennae was missing, hit by Alyna''s deadly scythe sh. He was lucky enough not to lose his head.
The two antfolk who were considered the strongest in this tower were unable to withstand any longer.
They had both reached their limits.
On the other hand, Alyna still looked fit. Even her face looked lit up.
The woman separated some of her enemy''s troops, so their numbers were drastically reduced.
She could have killed Yandez and Kaies quickly, if the antfolk warriors hadn''t gotten in the way. They were always protecting their leaders, as if they were meat shields.
In Alyna''s eyes, the antfolk warriors were like weeds. No matter how much she wiped them out, their numbers did not decrease, as if they were endless.
However, this time that would no longer be the case.
She had found a spacious ce. A ce suitable for castingrge-scale magic.
Bang!
Alyna mmed her scythe into the ground. The antfolk warriors watched her carefully.
"Stranger! Give up, you have no way to run!"
Kaies shouted, warning the duchess. Behind Alyna''s back, there was no more path. A dead end.
Of course it was a bluff. The antfolk warriors looked pessimistic, the antennae on their heads withering. Their condition was much worse than Alyna''s. The stone armors wrapped around their bodies were broken. Some of them were no longer d in armor at all.
They only depended on their leader.
Alyna chuckled. "For a dying ant, you''re pretty arrogant too. Don''t you realize, you survived thanks to your men."
The sarcasm that came out of the duchess'' mouth made Kaies furious. But the Queensguard Chief could not say anything. As for the antfolk warriors, their faces turned dark.
"What that stranger said is true, Kaies. We survived until now because the sacrifice of our men," Yandez whispered softly.
Kaies hissed. "Shut up! You think I don''t know!"
The two ant monster leaders refocused on their enemy.
Alyna smiled sarcastically. "You guys don''t worry. I''ll meet you with your men."
Both of her hands emitted light. All the mana flowing in her body was concentrated in her palms. Slowly, the blue light turned into electric sparks. The spark grew bigger and bigger, creating a ball of turbulent lightning in her hands.
The antfolk warriors who saw it began to get nervous, and their leaders Kaies and Yandez were no exception.
"Adios..." muttered Alyna softly.
The ball of lightning shone brightly, killing the entire cave cavity with bright white light. The antfolk covered their eyes.
Yandez, who already knew what would happen next, spontaneously screamed, "Take cover!"
A few secondster, a powerful explosion urred.
.
.
.
"Did you hear that?"
A woman in a ck robe muttered.
Amidst the darkness of the forest, a group of ck-robed people stalked the tower. Among them, a silver-haired man looked up at the top of the tower.
"Yes... an explosion. It seems to be from the top of the tower," the silver-haired man replied.
"There was a battle inside the tower. Certainly, there are demons there."
Gavin nodded. "Right, they could have gotten Baby Qilin. This is the perfect time to seize it."
The duke turned his body around, facing his men who hid their faces behind ck robes.
"Everyone, we''re moving. Prepare for battle."
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
Gavin nodded, then he quickly darted towards the tower. The ck-robed men followed their leader.
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.
Buuk
The young antfolk fell down. He hadn''t expected such a violent explosion of lightning. His face looked deathly pale. While Isaac who stood, watching the battle next to him looked unremarkable.
Luckily, they were peering from a good distance away, so they were not affected by the explosion.
"No... no way..."
The young Antfolk was inplete shock. His gaze was nk, his body trembling.
"That''s demon power, but only a little bit of it," Isaac said, sounding a little annoyed.
After seeing Alyna''s devastating power, he knew just how much power she had. He had to be even more careful.
Isaac snorted. "We''ve watched enough." He turned to the young antfolk still sitting on the floor. "Let''s get moving. Let''s not bezy."
The young antfolk gasped. He quickly got up, staggering slightly. Isaac helped him up and pushed his body to move quickly.
The two of them resumed their search.
When Isaac left the small hole, he felt a strong aura entering the tower. His hunch told him that the real bloodshed was about to begin.
Chapter 162 Guardian
"This way."
They met at a passage with a fork. The young antfolk pointed the way to the right. Isaac followed him.
Just like the others, the passage they walked through was not much different; the walls and floor were dirt. Their view was limited by the darkness and the air felt humid. Of course, this was not a problem for the demon.
After walking for thirty minutes, Isaac felt a sense of presence. Not just one or two, but hundreds of them. At the same time, the young antfolk stopped and raised his hands in the air. He crawled to a pile of dirt and hid behind it. That creature signaled the demon to follow suit.
Isaac followed suit. He followed hiding behind the pile of dirt with the young antfolk.
"Lord Isaac, look at that."
About 10 meters from where they were hiding was a small hall. At the end of the hall was a giant gate guarded by dozens of heavily armed antfolk warriors.
At first nce, Isaac knew that behind the gate was where the antfolk kept their eggs.
Hispanion turned to him with baited breath. Isaac could hear his heartbeat racing.
"L... lord Isaac. I can only escort you here. As you can see, there are dozens of antfolk warriors standing guard. Fighting doesn''t suit me. I probably can''t hold out against them for even one second. I am totally useless."
Of course, Isaac understood. The young Antfolk was dead weight to him. Protecting him had given Isaac nothing and letting him go was not an option. The only good option was to get rid of him.
This was not a difficult matter.
The demon smiled widely. "I see."
The young Antfolk smiled as he heard the desired answer. "Thank you, Lord Isaac." He felt relieved.
"But, you stay here. You go, you die."
That relief feeling quickly disappeared.
Isaac quickly got up and walked casually, approaching the dozens of antfolk warriors. Both of his hands that had been empty suddenly appeared twin pistols.
The young antfolk watched in disbelief. Even though he had never seen Yandez or any antfolk warrior dare to fight against dozens of enemies alone. This was a suicide. So unreasonable and stupid.
However, after remembering the passage full of blood and corpses of his kind, he changed his mind.
The young antfolk felt that Isaac was an exception. Isaac was a monster of monsters. There was no guarantee that he would survive if he stayed with the demon any longer.
He would wait for the right time to run.
"Hey! Stop! This is forbidden territory!"
"Stop stupid ant. You want to die, huh?"
No matter how many times they warned him, Isaac did not stop. He continued to walk confidently, as if nothing had happened.
The distance and shadowed face made Isaac difficult for the antfolk warriors to recognize. They thought the demon was their kind. It was not until the shadows was dispelled by the light of the torches on the walls that the antfolk realized Isaac wasn''t one of them.
Isaac took off the ring around his neck.
Ding!
[Mortal Ring removed]
[User stat returns to normal].
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 117]
[Rank: 69th - Baron]
[Title: Chief of Beasts, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[Skill: 2/4]
[Strength: (36) 75]
[Magic: (90) 180]
[Constitution: (48) 96]
[Dexterity: (51) 103]
[Perception: (50) 100]
[ Unallocated stat points: 36 ]
"Let''s see... how much exp those monsters give."
White hair, pale skin, and a handsome face; Isaac presented himself to the dozens of antfolk warriors who stood with trembling bodies.
"S-stran...stranger..."
"Damn it, it''s not supposed to be just one, red-haired woman, is it? He''s a man."
"Who cares, she intends to break into the egg storage. Everyone, it''s time to fight."
The warrior of antfolk squeezed their spear weapons. Their teeth chattering, the antennae on their heads raised high, signaling that they were ready to fight.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the horde of ant monsters in front of him, made Isaac even more excited. Throughout walking down the hallway with the young antfolk, he hadn''t met a single antfolk warrior. Finally, he was able to stretch his body a little.
"I''m busy... do it quickly. You guys are attacking me. Or I''ll kill your queen."
The demon provoked dozens of his enemies. The antfolks considered the Queen to be their god. There was no mercy for those who insulted their Queen.
Like fish eating bait, they easily fell for the simple provocation. They attacked Isaac simultaneously while shouting war roars.
"Kill that bastard!"
"Kill fucking him!"
The horde of antfolk warriors ran up to Isaac with spears pointed at him. They were going to kill Isaac, trampled his body, and made him beg for mercy. The antfolk could not let anyone who insulted their Queen live. They had to die.
Isaac must die.
Of course, that was not going to happen.
Isaac quickly drew his gun. His lips lifted as they got closer.
"Good bye, the pathetic ants."
Cleack
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the hall. shes of light dispelled the darkness.
"Kuagggh!"
"Keeeugggh!"
The antfolk warriors copsed one by one, they fell, and their blood flowed profusely. Their bodies were scattered. They died in blink of eyes. Some were still alive. Theyid in a pool of their own blood, moaning in pain, hearing to the endless gunfire.
The hall turned into a ughterhouse.
"What the..."
Thump!
The young antfolk fell down, his eyes wide open, and his mouth gaping. Horror was clearly painted on his face. After seeing how his kind were ughtered with such ease, he thought that it would be impossible for him to run. Even his legs were now unable to stand.
"I would die..."
Now she realized. His life was nowpletely in Isaac''s hands. The young antfolk could only give up.
Only when the screams were no longer heard did the gunshots disappear. Hysteria was reced by silence. There was no sound other than the sound of dripping. A fishy, burnt smell filled the air.
All the gatekeepers had been eliminated. Not a single antfolk warrior was alive.
"Huft... troublesome. It was pretty good... but I only got this much."
In his head, the notification sound was ringing.
[You killed 500 ''Antfolk - Warrior (A)'']
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 120]
[Rank: 69th - Baron]
[Title: Chief of Beasts, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[Skill: 2/4]
[Strength: 75]
[Magic: 180]
[Constitution: 96]
[Dexterity: 103]
[Perception: 100]
[ Unallocated stat points: 45 ]
"Only leveled up three levels huh? Looks like I''ve reached my exp limit."
Isaac then put his weapon into his inventory. He looked back. A smirk crossed his face as he sighed. The young Antfolk followed his orders. He thought that little creature would run away while he was fighting the antfolks warrior. It didn''t.
"Looks like I''m not going to kill him," Isaac muttered.
Letting the young antfolk go never crossed his mind. There was a possibility that the young semfolk would call for reinforcements and attack him.
Of course it would have been easier for Isaac to kill him on the spot, but killing on a whim was not who he was. Isaac was not one to kill for no reason. He needed motivation to do that.
Therefore, Isaac gave the young antfolk a chance. If that antfolk ran away while he was fighting, he would kill him. On the other hand, if the young antfolk followed his orders and stayed put, that monster ant''s life was saved.
This was how Isaac determines one''s life and death. As long as you obey, you would live.
"Come here..."
Isaac called out to him from a distance. The young antfolk appeared with a trembling body. Fear was evident from him. He looked at the corpses of the antfolk scattered around with a look of horror on his face.
With trembling lips and stammering speech, the young antfolk said, "E... eugh... are you going to kill me for?"
Hearing that innocent question, Isaac snorted, a hint ofughter. "No, I''m not. You''ve done your job well. I still need you. Now, do me a favor."
The young antfolk did not know what he should do. But, his gut feeling told him this man before him held his word. He could trust Isaac.
"Yes, lord." The young antfolk replied with a nod.
"Good."
Isaac then walked toward the great gate. Beyond it, he could feel millions of lives gathered there.
Chapter 163 Men In Black Robes
The gate creaked as Isaac pushed the gate. The wind blew out through the doorway and hit his face. His eyes instantly opened wide to the inside of the room.
"Amazing."
Hundreds of eggs stuck to the wall like barnacles. They piled up and ovepped each other. The antfolk eggs were shaped like rice, white and oval. The young antfolk trailing behind him looked stunned.
Of course, hispanion''s reaction made the demon curious.
"Hey, what''s wrong with your face? You look like a kid seeing an egg for the first time," Isaac said.
The young Antfolk nodded. "Yes, lord. This is my first time. I have no memories of when I was a child."
Isaac nodded.
This was the first time he''d heard it. All he knew was that the life of an antfolk worker was work.
"Now, help me sort the eggs."
"Sorting eggs?" asked the young antfolk.
"Yes, I want you to pick out the eggs that have the potential to be antfolk warriors."
The young antfolk looked puzzled. Isaac then gave him an exnation.
Antfolk eggs were divided into several types. Although their shapes were the same, there were characteristics that distinguish which eggs would be workers and which eggs would be warriors.
Most antfolk eggs were about the size of a human torso. When they hatched, they would be worker antfolk. Eggs that had the potential to hatch into warrior antfolk wererger. While eggs that hada the potential to hatch into males were smaller.
Of course, not all eggs that had arger size would be warriors and vice versa. There was still a possibility that eggs that had arge size would hatch into workers. The benchmark based on egg size was not one hundred percent urate.
"Ah, I see. I understand now," said the young antfolk innocently. The antennae on his head stood up, then, a questioning look appeared on his face again. "How do you know so much about antfolk? I, who lived from hatching until now, don''t know anything."
Isaac chuckled. "You would know if you dared toe out of this tower."
Hearing Isaac''s reply, the antfolk warrior could only squint.
Isaac was a dungeon master, he knew many things thanks to his previous life. Long before that, he was a noble.
Nobles were rulers in theher realm. Isaac had seen a lot of how demon nobles governed their territories. There were rulers who ruled with an iron fist. There are rulers who rule tyrannically. There are rulers who give false promises to their people.
They had their own ways of leading their people. They would do anything to make their people obey and carry out orders.
The Queen of the antfolk was no exception.
Isaac saw that the Queen of the antfolk led just like the demons. The Ant Kingdom was nothing more than a pyramid of social castes. She gave jobs andbeled each ss of antfolk.
The working antfolk who are at the bottom must work desperately for the ss above them. Meanwhile, the Queen is at the top of the pyramid, receiving all the pleasure from the suffering of her people.
"Let''s get to work, before the other troublesome antse."
"Yes, lord."
Isaac and the young anfolk quickly dove into the thousands of antfolk eggs.
.
.
.
While Isaac was busy stealing eggs, on the other side of the tower something happened.
"They don''t daree here anymore, huh?"
A red-haired woman sat cross-legged in the center of arge room alone. Around her, thousands of antfolk died in mes. Their charred odor wafted through the air.
Lady Alyna managed to eliminate hundreds of antfolk warriors by herself.
She needed to rest after the long and mana-draining battle. Some ether and potions helped her to recover her strength. In her inventory, there were now only a few bottles left, she had consumed too much.
"Damn it, where''s Isaac? I''ve made a big fuss, he should have shown up. Why didn''t he show up?"
After the two of them parted ways in the underground maze, Alyna made a detour and managed to find a tunnel that led her to the Ant Kingdom. They arrived at the same time, only on different sides.
She also saw how Isaac was caught by the antfolk warriors. Alyna did not take action at that time because she did not want to make a mistake. After traveling with him for a few days, Alyna knew how the character of the man. Isaac wouldn''t do anything reckless for no reason.
Therefore, Alyna let Isaac get caught.
The demoness waited and watched the tower patiently for three days. She infiltrated it, avoiding the patrols of the antfolk warriors. That woman hoped for a surprise created by Isaac.
However, nothing ever happened. The demoness ran out of patience. She began to think that she was being tricked. Finally, she made a scene and attacked hundreds of workers. With the expectation that Isaac would reveal himself.
Unfortunately, until now, after ughtering Yandez and thousands of his men, her actions have been fruitless.
"Huft... damn... what am I doing here. I''ve been waiting here for an hour, he hasn''t shown up. I''m wasting my time. I''d better get out of here."
The duchess got up. She patted her dirty clothes then walked leisurely past the charred corpses of the antfolk warriors.
All of a sudden, she felt goosebumps. She felt a strong aura of presence. A very familiar aura. There weren''t just one or two of them.
"Damn it...!"
The demonsse quickly jumped back. She squeezed the handle of her scythe tightly. Her eyes stared intently at the shadows. The sound of footsteps rang out amidst the silence.
Not long after, a silver-haired man in a long ck coat appeared. Behind him was a group of men in ck robes, their heads covered by hoods so that the shadows covered their faces.
A murderous aura surged high from the duchess''s body.
"Oh, it was you, Lady Alyna."
The silver-haired man seemed to smile sarcastically. His eyeballs rolled, looking at the corpses of the antfolk scattered around. After that, he looked the duchess up and down.
"You look messed up. You seem to have run out of ether and potions," she said.
"Why? is that a problem for you?" Alyna quipped back.
Gavinughed. "Very funny. Don''t you realize, in your current state, it''s quite easy for me to finish you off. I don''t see anyone next to you. You''re alone."
Hearing the number one duke''s words, Alyna clucked her tongue. What he said was true. With her unfit condition and alone, she was nothing more than an insect that was easy to kill. Maybe she could survive against Gavin, but not with twelve of his men.
This was a checkmate for Alyna.
The red-haired woman gritted her teeth. Her life was now on the line.
However, that didn''t mean Alyna would give up. She was a warrior. Begging for mercy or running away was not an option.
Naturally, arge amount of mana came out of her body. Her red hair floated in the air.
"Let''s begin, sly fox."
Hearing the challenge from the duchess, Gavin chuckled. A ck sword appeared from his hand.
.
.
.
"Wow! I thought it would be hard."
The young antfolk lifted an egg in the air with a dumbfounded look on his face. His hand felt the soft texture of the egg''s surface.
Isaac wouldn''t be surprised after seeing him get excited when they entered this ce.
"Hey! Stop ying around. Do what I say."
The demon reprimanded him. The young antfolk was startled, almost dropping the egg in his hand. Antfolk eggs did not have shells, they were very resistant to small impacts.
Finally, the two quickly continued sorting the eggs.
Isaac looked at each egg around him. He picked up the one egg that looked the biggest, and used it as a benchmark for the size of the other eggs.
He sorted the eggs until he lost track of time. And during that time no obstacles urred. No demons or antfolk warriors came. In a way, Isaac waspletely free.
"Lord Isaac, I''m putting the eggs here!"
Since the antfolk had no inventory, he collected the sorted eggs in the center of the room. After Isaac was satisfied with collecting the antfolk warrior''s eggs, he would pick up the eggs collected by hispanion.
Before they knew it, two hours had passed.
Isaac had collected 200 eggs while the young antfolk managed to collect 120 eggs.
That''s a lot for such a short time.
"I think it is enough."
Isaac put the eggs collected by the young antfolk into the inventory.
Suddenly, hispanion cried out.
"Lord Isaac! Come here!"
Chapter 164 Golden Egg
"What''s going on?"
Isaac found the young antfolk holding a golden egg. The demon opened his eyes wide. Not long after, a smile crossed his face.
"Lord Isaac! What is this egg?" asked the young antfolk innocently.
"You arepletely clueless." The demon touched the golden egg gently. "This is the queen''s egg. You just hit the jackpot."
"What!"
Immediately, the young antfolk was startled. His hands trembled as he learned that the egg he was holding was a queen egg. In his entire life, he had never met the queen in person. For some reason, this was an honor for him.
The young antfolk could not hide his admiration.
Isaac, on the other hand, frowned. It wasn''t that he was unhappy with the jackpot he had hit, it was just that finding the queen ant''s egg was strange.
"Strange... a queen''s egg should never be kept."
Hearing the demon''s words, the young antfolk put on a curious face. "Why? Isn''t that good."
"Yes, it''s good for me, but not for the Queen."
Now, confusion was written all over his face.
If Isaac remembered correctly, the possibility of a golden egg being born was very small. Even if a golden egg was born, the Queen would eat it immediately. Not all antfolk were cannibals, only the Queen.
In an Ant Kingdom, there could only be one Queen. Two Queens in one kingdom would cause chaos, like two maestros in one orchestra or two chefs in one kitchen.
If there were two Queens in one kingdom, they would most likely kill each other. They would fight for power. The antfolk only served one Queen.
Isaac had never seen such a scenario, but he had seen how the Queen ants consumed the golden eggs.
The Antfolk Queen storing the golden eggs raised questions for him.
"Lord Isaac, hey. Are you okay?"
The young antfolk''s voice pulled Isaac who was deep in thought.
The demon shook his head. "Ah, i''m okay. Give it to me."
The golden egg passed into Isaac''s hands, then it went into the inventory.
"The n has changed, you can''t go yet," Isaac said.
"Eh?"
The young antfolk sounded disappointed. He had hoped to be out of here soon. Staying with the demon was not a good idea.
"Now we collect the small eggs."
"Small eggs?" asked the young antfolk, a little curious.
Isaac nodded.
Small eggs meant that the eggs that hatched would have a high probability of bing male antfolk. Since they found a golden egg, which would one day be a queen, he had to find a male egg. Otherwise, this golden egg would be useless.
A queen without a male to fertilize her would just be a useless monster.
Isaac and the young antsbed the egg storage room again. They rummaged through hundreds of pile eggs, looking for small eggs.
Finding male eggs was more difficult than finding warrior eggs and worker eggs. Worker eggs make up thergest number of eggs. If a ratio was made; eggs that after hatching are likely to be worker antfolk were 70 percent and warrior antfolk were 25 percent. While male eggs wre 5 percent.
After rummaging through the pile of eggs for a while, they found 30 eggs that might have the potential to be males. Of course, there is a possibility that after they hatch, they would be warrior or worker antfolk.
"Sorry, Lord. I only found these."
In the young antfolk''s hands were 10 eggs. For some reason, his face looked grim. Either because he was afraid of facing Isaac, or afraid of disappointing him.
Isaac stroked his chin. "No problem. The difference size between the worker eggs and the male eggs is slight. It is difficult to identify them."
Had the system been able to identify the contents of the eggs, Isaac might not have struggled like this.
He took the eggs from the young antfolk''s hands and ced them into his inventory.
After handing them over, the young antfolk looked nervous. The pair of antennae on his head greedily swayed like a pendulum.
Without having to ask, Isaac knew what the young antfolk was thinking.
"You want to leave, right?" he asked.
The antfolk''s face lit up. "Yes, my lord."
"You may go."
The young antfolk bowed, showing his gratitude for sparing his life. He quickly ran towards the exit.
However, at the doorway, Isaac called out to him.
Instantly that antfolk froze. He grumbled in a low voice. Reluctantly, the young antfolk turned his body around with a smile, his lips visibly trembling.
"You''d better not go back with your gang. Get out from the tower, go to the surface. Although it''s dangerous out there, it''s better than living confined as a ve."
The young antfolk did not understand the demon telling him to leave the tower. It had never crossed his mind to leave his birthce.
However, he felt that what the demon said was so sincere.
The young antfolk nodded. "Yes, lord. But if I may why?"
The demon sighed. "Soon... this ce will fall into ruin."
Hearing such a surprising answer, the young antfolk gaped.
"What do you mean, lord?" he asked stammeringly.
"Isn''t it obvious. This ce will copse. Soon it will be a bloody field. Hurry up and leave this ce if you don''t want to die."
The ant monster gulped. Confusion was written on hiss face. Not long after, his eyes opened wide.
The young ant man trembled. He immediately ran as hard as he could away from the demon.
Seeing the anfolk running in fear, Isaac chuckled.
"He must think I''m going to destroy this ce."
A sigh escaped the demon''s mouth.
Isaac gave the young antfolk a warning.
He always gives appreciation to anyone who helps him. Like when he gave Alyna a wyvern egg or saved Taji from death. Not that he was a good demon, he just followed his principles. He must not be indebted to anyone.
Her attention was drawn to the hundreds of eggs piled up.
"Now, let''s clean up these eggs."
Isaac essed the inventory. He picked up a scroll.
[Type: Item]
[ss: C]
[A magic scroll that can release fire magic if the user injects mana into it.]
He opened the magic scroll, strange letters and symbols were written inside. umted mana poured out from his hand, sparks appeared from the writing. Not long after, the magic scroll spouted a huge me.
The mes devoured the eggs. A fishy, burnt smell, and a strange popping sound echoed in the room.
The mes reflected in his eyes.
He burned these eggs for no reason. There was a possibility that the demons would find them. Rather than let them get them, it was better for him to burn them, so that no one would have antfolk eggs but him.
As he was watching the mes, a huge explosion was heard in the distance. Isaac quickly turned his head outside the gate.
"Huh... it''s already started huh?"
A grin appeared on the demon''s face.
"I think I need to liven things up."
Isaac departed from the egg storage room, leaving behind the mes that consumed thousands of antfolk eggs.
.
.
.
Bang!
A huge boom echoed out. The walls of the tower copsed, dust flew up. Cold air entered the tower.
Alyna struggled to stand up. Her body was covered in blood. Bruises were scattered all over her body. Blood began to cloud her vision. Her breathing was getting heavier.
One more jolt, and she might faint.
On the other side, a silver-haired man stood proudly with a sword in his hand. Although the room was in ruins, dust was flying, there was not a single stain of dirt on his clothes.
A few behind him, men in ck robes watched them.
"You seem unable to fight anymore, Lady Alyna. Surrender, and swear allegiance to me. I promise to treat you well."
Spitting blood from her mouth, Alyana chuckled at Duke Gavin''s words.
"I''d rather die than be your pawn," she retorted.
Duke Gavin Bael let out a disappointed sigh. "It''s unfortunate then."
Swush.
All of a sudden, the silver-haired man vanished from Alyna''s sight. Instantly the red-haired woman gasped, she raised herrge scythe.
A sword swung quickly towards her face.
ng!
"Keeeuuugh!"
Gavin suddenly appeared in front of her, luckily Alyna managed to parry his attack.
"Asshole!"
A furious woman eximed.
After that, the two attacked each other. The sword and scythe were swung so fast that the wind whistled. The sound of metal shing rang out.
The two of them fought seemingly evenly, but Duke Gavin was actually holding back.
"Call out, Lady Alyna."
Alyna gritted her teeth. "I won''t!"
Hearing such an unwee reply, Gavin''s patience finally ran out.
"Alright then."
Gavin swung his sword with full force, Alyna restrained him.
ng!
"What?"
She was stunned to see her weapon floating and spinning in the air.
"Hey, I''m in your face."
Alyna gasped, Gavin was right in front of her. The man''s sword was ready to pierce her.
"Adios..."
Sat!
Fresh red blood spurted out.
Chapter 165 Battle
A goat-headed, human-bodied demon blocked Gavin''s sword thrust with his bare hands.
Blood dripped.
"Are you alright, Lady Alyna?"
Seeing the familiar figure, a relieved smile crossed the duchess''s face.
"Aries... youte fool..."
Not long after, a demon hovered above the sky, in his hand was arge axe ready to cut down Gavin.
Bam!
In less than a split second, Gavin managed to dodge the deadly attack.
"Oh, the helps areing," Gavin muttered.
The two demons in different forms were protecting Alyna, who was badly injured. The demon called Aries handed her a bottle. Without thinking twice, the red-haired woman quickly downed it.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
"Ah, I hate elixr."
Instantly, all the cuts and bruises on Alyna''s body disappeared. Energy filled the woman again.
"It''s a good thing we came, Lady Alyna. Otherwise, you might have died." A demon in human form quipped at her.
Alyna wiped her wet mouth. "Shut up, Amon. This is your fault. How could you be separated from me."
"Huh?" Amon furrowed his brows. "Didn''t I hear you wrong? The two of us stayed together. Suddenly you just disappeared." He clicked his tongue repeatedly.
"I don''t think this is the time to fight," Aries said. "We''re in bad situasion."
The situation changed. The group of ck-robed men who had been watching now began to stand next to Gavin.
They did not remain silent when they saw their boss being ganged up on by three people.
"Well, looks like the duel is over," Gavin said.
Hearing the sarcasm, Amon sighed in annoyance. He disliked demons who were arrogant the most.
"Then what? You want a team match? Three against Thirteen? I think it''ll be a bnce fight. You guys are just weak demons," Amon quipped back.
One of the ck-robed men quickly drew a dagger and was ready to jump at them, but Gavin stopped him first.
Amon chuckled as the demon on the other side was provoked.
"No need to rush. Don''t be easily provoked by his words. Don''t let the enemy''s words control you." Gavin said soothingly to his men.
Only then did the ck-robed demon calm down. While the other demons didn''t seem to be happy listening to Amon''s provocation either, they held back.
Alyna stepped forward. After recovering her body, she looked more confident. It was as if she could defeat all the enemies in front of her alone.
Bam!
The duchess smashed her weapon to the floor.
"Can we have a rematch? I ran out of mana fighting those damn ants earlier. But now, all of youing on me is no problem."
Amon, who heard it, chuckled.
"Huft... you two are the same," Aries muttered.
Again, the ck-robed demons seemed provoked. Only Gavin waspletely unaffected. He looked as calm aske water, no sign of a twitch on his face at all.
The duke looked at Alyna. Then, his lips curved up. "Why not? Let''s have a rematch."
Aries and Amon squinted their eyes.
"To be fair, I''ll only take two of my men with me to fight against you guys. The rest will just watch," Gavin added.
Aries, the wisest and most level-headed demon in Alyna''s group spoke up. "Won''t they interfere when you guys lose? Can you keep your word?"
Gavin opened his eyes wide, then chuckled. "Of course I''ll keep my word. They won''t attack no matter what. After all, it wasn''t my men who interfered in the fight before."
Simultaneously, Alyna and Amon hissed.
ng!
The red-haired woman swung her scythe at the floor. "Don''t act honorable, Lord Gavin. You attacked a defenseless person without a second thought, you hypocrite." she said softly, but anyone who heard it could feel the fury from her.
The duke''s lips seemed to widen.
"You challenged me first, did you forget?"
Alyna hissed. "Let''s just stop this carp. Bring it on."
The duke''s mouth seemed to move, but no sound came out.
Removing the ck robes, two demons stepped forward. The first demon was a woman with fair skin and pink hair. She seemed to be wearing clothes that matched her hair. In her hand, she held a staff with a star on the end.
The other was a demon in the form of a lion, but had a human posture. He had blue fur and dense hair. At first nce his appearance was not much different from the werelion. He carried no weapons, only arge shield that was almost the size of his body.
They both stood by Duke Gavin''s side.
Seeing that the other side was ready for battle, Alyna and her two men were also ready to fight.
Alyna drew her scythe. Amon held his axe tightly. And Aries seemed to be in a stance, with no artifact weapon at all.
.
.
.
"Hoho... this is getting interesting."
Isaac peered at the duke''s feud through a small hole. Thanks to the, ''mortal ring'' and the distant position, they did not detect his presence.
"This battle, did it also happen before? Or is this the butterfly effect?"
Isaac didn''t have much information with the events in the Ant Kingdom. In his previous life, he was busy searching for drake eggs in the mountains. There was never any information or rumors circting about Duke Alyna and Gavin''s feud.
In other words, he really didn''t know anything other than Baby Qilin''s information.
"I don''t think this is important right now. I have to make sure they are still alive. No one should die before the third year."
The changes in the future made Isaac feel anxious. It was possible that Duke Alyna or Gavin Bael could die from this battle.
Actually, it didn''t matter to Isaac if Gavin died. In fact, he was happy if his true enemy died. But if looked at the current situation, it is likely that Alyna would die.
Given how Gavin betrayed him, it is possible that the demon will keep his promise. Isaac saw Gavin as an opportunist. If there was an opportunity in sight, he wouldn''t miss it.
"I still need Alyna, she can''t die early."
Peeking out from behind the small hole, he saw Alyna dart towards Gavin, signaling the start of the fight.
Isaac quickly stopped peeking.
"It''s time to hurry up. Let''s utilize the avable resources to stop this stupid battle."
The white-haired demon left the small hole where he had been peering. He walked down the long, dark hallway, back to the ce where he had found baby Qilin.
.
.
.
"Kuaaaaarrrrrrggggh!"
Queen Antfolk was hysterical. She grabbed her own hair as she could not contain the flood of emotions in her chest.
"No! No! No!"
She watched as dozens of male antfolky in the thrones'' chamber in a lifeless condition. They all died in horrible conditions.
Seeing the madness of their queen, the antfolk warriors could only look down.
After sending Yandez and Kaies to chase Alyna, the Queen along with several Queensguard returned to the throne''s chamber. Of course, she was furious.
However, what made her furious was not just that.
The baby qilin, her most precious treasure had gone. She went even crazier after finding Yandez dead and the whole egg burnt down.
This was enough to drive the Queen mad.
"Kaies! Gather all avable soldiers. If necessary send the ants to work to prepare for battle. I don''t care... gather them all. Let''s kill that intruder!"
Hearing such an overbearing order, Kaies was shocked. The worker antfolk had nobat experience. Sending them into battle was tantamount to sending them to die. However, with the Queen''s unstable mental state, he was forced to carry out the order.
Besides, Kaies had a moral burden after Yandez''s death. He felt that all of this was his fault.
"Yes, Queen."
The Queensguar chief quickly left the throne''s chamber.
At the same time, a white-haired man appeared before them all. Instantly, everyone in the room was shocked, and the Queen was no exception.
The man looked injured. His body was covered in blood and bruises. He limped over to the Queen.
Of course the ruler of the antfolks recognized that figure. She wanted to be angry, but with such a condition, it was difficult for her to make a decision. Nevertheless, she still had her suspicions about him.
The antfolk warriors in the room quickly came to surround him.
"Stranger? Are you involved in all this?"
The queen looked at him with a sardonic gaze.
"They came... they killed the antofolk..." Isaac said. He copsed to the floor, but the antfolk were still at point their spear toward him.
This time, the Queen did not show pity or interest like before.
"So what?" she replied in a cold tone.
Isaac opened his coat pocket, and a baby qilin with fire breath came out.
"Kyu-kyu!"
Suddenly the Queen was shocked. With tears in her eyes, she ran over to it.
"Baby, are you alright?"
"Kyu-kyu!"
The Queen looked at Isaac, the cynical gaze gone, reced bypassion.
"What are you doing? Stop pointing your weapons! All of you disperse!"
Staring at each other, the antfolk warriors had astonished looks on their faces. Finally, they quickly carried out the orders given.
Meanwhile, Isaac hid a wide grin on his face.
Chapter 166 Storytelling
"Hoeggg!"
Blood came out of Isaac''s mouth. The Queen quickly embraced him. Her eyes looked pitying as she watched the wounded man endure the pain.
"Who did this to you?" asked the Queen. She stroked Isaac''s cheek that was stained with blood stters.
"The demons, Queen. They came. They''reing-keug" More blood oozed from Isaac''s mouth.
"Shhh. Don''t speak yet. Calm down. Let me treat your wound first."
The queen closed her eyes, her mouth chattering, a light came out from her body. She ced her hand on his chest, not long after, the bruises disappeared. Blood stains evaporated. The incision wounds closed. His pale face regained its color. All of Isaac''s wounds were healed.
"By now, you should be fine," the Queen said with a smile on her face.
"Thank you, Queen."
Baby Qilin jumped onto Isaac and danced on his chest.
The Queen could not yet put her trust in him. But after seeing Baby Qilin return to her arms and even it seemed familiar with Isaac, she felt she could give him a chance.
On the other hand, the antfolk made dumbfounded faces at the Queen and Isaac. They still regarded him as a stranger. Seeing how their Queen treated Isaac whom they had only seen a few days ago, was enough to make them wonder.
Of course they wanted to protest to the Queen, but they were afraid of getting punished. Doubting the Queen''s decision was tantamount to treason in the Ant Kingdom.
In the end, they could only remain silent.
"Come here, we need a better ce to talk."
The Queen then ordered the antofolk warriors to stand guard inside and outside the throne''s chamber. Meanwhile, she and Isaac entered the Queen''s private room.
There, Isaac was allowed to lie on the bed. The Queen caressed his face gently.
The reason she cared Isaac besides returning Baby Qilim, was because he needed a male to mate with. All the males had been killed and the eggs burnt.
Without the existence of male antfolk, the Ant Kingdom was threatened with extinction. No one would fertilize the Queen, meaning no eggs would be born.
The Queen still needs Isaac to reproduce.
Apart from the Queen and the Male, the other types of antfolk did not have reproductive organs. So they cannot mate with the Queen. That was why, the Queen was so hysterical when she found the eggs and the males dead.
As an alternative, the antfolk Queen could mate with other racial creatures that had reproductive organs. For example, humans, elves, dwarves, and even demons, like Isaac.
Of course, interbreeding had repercussions. Among them were disability, impurity, and failed hatching. Despite knowing these risks, the Queen still chose to do it rather than see the downfall of her kingdom.
"Stranger, do you have a name?" asked the Queen.
"Yes, Queen. My name is Isaac."
"Isaac, huh? That''s a good name. My name is Kaileena. When it''s just the two of us, you can call me by my name."
The Queen was silent. Isaac was also silent. The atmosphere became quiet.
Not long after, the Queen spoke again. "Isaac, can you tell me how they killed my people, and how you were able to save yourself?"
Queen Kaileena looked serious. Her face still held a look of pity andpassion, but her hand stopped stroking Isaac''s cheek, moving to his chest. Right above the demon''s heart.
Seeing the Queen''s behavior, Isaac quickly realized what was happening right now.
Queen Kaileena was testing him.
''You want to check my heartbeat, huh? Wow... I thought you had fallen for my trick, but I was wrong.''
Isaac took a deep breath, his face turning dark, as if he was recalling a nightmare.
Then, the demon began to tell his made-up story.
After the Queen left the room, Isaac confessed to sleeping on the bed. asionally, he yed with Baby Qilin to get rid of boredom.
Suffice to say, everything was fine at first. After a few minutes passed, he heard a noise from outside.
Because of the Queen''s order to stay in the room, Isaac ignored it. However, the noise grew louder and louder. Of course, he became curious.
Finally, he decided to leave the room.
Down the narrow and dark hallway, he heard the noise more and more clearly. He elerated his pace because he was getting curious. Arriving at the door that separated the Queen''s private room hallway from the throne''s chamber, he saw a horrifying sight.
Dozens of male antfolk were being tortured and killed by a group of demons. They were punched, kicked, and beheaded. They could do nothing, but scream and beg for mercy.
The demons tortured the male antfolk to extract information about the whereabouts of Baby Qilin and the eggs. Of course, they didn''t tell anything that happened. As a result, they had to pay with their own lives.
Among the demons, a man with silver hair seemed to enjoy killing the antfolk. He killed the antfolk so ruthlessly, that he ate a live male antfolk.
"What? He ate them alive?"
The Queen shocked after hearing her people being eaten by the demon. Anger was clearly visible on her face.
"Yes, Queen. That silver-haired demon is truly immoral. He evenughed while eating an antfolk who was begging for mercy. That demon is truly horrible."
Kaileena''s face turned dark. Anger, disgust, sadness, all were written on her face.
""Such a vile creature... I will definitely give him his due punishment," said the Queen angrily.
Isaac seemed to have a sad face, but he was actuallyughing.
The demon continued his story.
Isaac who watched them could not do anything. He could only tremble. At that moment, Baby Qilin suddenly appeared next to him. Knowing that the demons were after Baby Qilin, he quickly hid it in his coat pocket.
While the torture was going on, another group of demons suddenly appeared. These two groups of demons had a confrontation. It turned out that they were after the same thing.
The two groups ended up fighting.
Seeing the demons busy killing each other, Isaac used this as an opportunity to escape. He quickly entered the throne''s chamber and sneaked out.
As Isaac was on the verge of exiting, a demon spotted him. He was attacked by the demon. With just one kick, his entire body crushed.
Luckily, another demon quickly attacked the demon that attacked him. Isaac quickly took advantage of this to quickly escape.
Although Isaac escaped, his body was badly injured. He then spun around in the hallway to look for help, but he found none. Finally, he decided to return in the hope that the demon battle was over. And his hunch was right. There were no demons, and Queen Kaileena had returned. Isaac was saved.
That''s how his story ends.
"I see..."
Queen Kailena looked t. Her eyes narrowed, there were still signs of skepticism on her face. She doubted the story given by Isaac, but she didn''t feel any weirdness in his heartbeat.
On the other hand, Isaac put on his best face to convince Queen Kaileena. The woman''s silence frustrated him.
If the story failed, he went with n B.
Kill Kaileena as soon as possible and rescue Alyna immediately.
''Come on, bitch... say something... you''re pressed for time.''
After a long silence, there was a sudden knock on the door.
The Queen''s attention was distracted, then an antfolk figure in gray armor appeared at the door.
It was Kaies.
His face looked shocked when he found Isaac sleeping on the bed with the Queen sitting next to him.
"What''s wrong Kaies? Did you already gather them?"
"Y-yes, Queen. They''ve gathered. When are we leaving."
The Queen rose, then looked at Isaac with a gentle gaze and a smile.
"You rest, Isaac. I have business to deal with. After this, I will definitely take good care of you."
Hearing the Queen''s words, a wide smile appeared on the demon''s face.
"Yes, Queen. I mean, Kaileena."
Isaac managed to trick Queen Kaileena. However, to his delight, she actually believed that Gavin ate her males.
It was hard to believe it.
Queen Kaileena held baby Qilin. The little monster looked happy to be in her mistress'' arms.
"Honey, mama''s leaving first. You stay here, with Isaac."
"Kyu-kyu." Baby Qilin breathed fire, almost burning Kaileena''s golden hair.
But sheughed instead.
The Queen then handed Baby Qilin to Isaac.
"Take care of it."
"Yes. I will definitely take care of it," Isaac replied firmly.
Then, the Queen left the room with Kaies who had been waiting for her in the doorway.
Chapter 167 Preparation
Isaacy rxedly on the bed while watching the departure of the Queen and his men. The Qilin baby jumped onto his chest, circling around to chase its tail, then letting out a breath of fire.
Fwuszz
"Kyu kyu kyu!"
"O hohoh¡ Hey, are you happy? I''m happy too." He stroked the tiny monster''s head. "It''s great when everything goes ording to n. I can''t wait to see how their fight will turn out, but for now, let''s lie down for a bit."
"Kyu!"
The Qilin baby let out fire for the second time. Isaac gave it a gold bar, then it ate the metal lump like a snack.
After ten minutes of ying with the baby Qilin, Isaac put it in his coat pocket. He then quickly rushed out of the queen''s room.
In the doorway, he peeked at the state of the throne''s chamber.
Inside the throne''s chamber was quiet, only twenty antfolk warriors on standby. They were ced by the Queen to keep Isaac safe. Some of them seemed to yawn while the rest were seen chatting with each other.
Seeing the warriors'' indiscipline attitude, he clicked his tongue.
"Let me guess, they were stationed here to keep me safe?" Isaac let out a disappointed sigh. "How can people like them gain the Queen''s trust? No wonder the Ant Kingdom is on the brink of copse."
Annoyed by the indiscipline of the antfolk warriors who were on guard, Isaac quickly entered the throne''s chamber. He didn''t sneak or walk in the shadows.
He came out tantly towards the exit, paying no mind to them.
Of course, the antfolk warriors were surprised to see that.
One of the antfolks reminded Isaac.
"Hey, stranger! What are you doing here!? Go back to the Queen''s chamber."
Isaac paid him no heed.
"Don''t y around. Come back, I don''t want any annoying trouble!"
Yet, he still didn''t listen to the antfolk. He continued walking towards the exit.
Feeling ignored, the antfolk warrior was furious, so was with the others.
"Tch, that human just did what he wanted."
"Bastard! Just because the Queen likes him, he can act as he pleases? Let''s teach him a lesson. Come on!"
They chased Isaac who was walking towards the exit. An antfolk pulled his shoulder violently.
"Hey! Damn it! Do not go around as you please!"
At that moment, the sound of gunshots resounded in the air.
"Arrggggh!"
An antfolk copsed helplessly. He writhed on the floor while clutching his severed arm that continued to bleed. His colleagues could only see him, looking bbergasted.
They quickly pointed their spears at Isaac. The antennae on their heads appeared, standing straight tensely, a sign that they were on alert.
The exit opened, and a group of antfolk warriors entered the throne''s chamber. It seemed the Queen had also stationed guards outside.
They were also shocked to see one of theirrades lying on the floor covered in blood. Confusion was written on all of their faces.
Naturally, they also pointed their guns at the demon.
Finding himself surrounded by the antfolk warriors, Isaac sighed.
"You are all troublesome insects after all."
He pointed his gun at them.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Within seconds, tens of antfolk were killed. Those who were still alive were in dying states. Some of them were writhing in pain and some tried to crawl to save themselves, while the rest looked so shocked that they couldn''t move at all.
Isaac left them all without looking back.
.
.
.
In arge hall that was almost the size of a football stadium, thousands of antfolks were gathered. Most of them were worker antfolks. They seemed to wonder why the queen gathered them there. What''s more, they were given spears, an object that they were not allowed to touch for the rest of their lives.
The ranks of the workers were put in the same line as the ranks of the warriors. This was an unnatural sight for the antfolk.
Whispering voices echoed like flies. Confusion, fear, worry harboured in their hearts. The worker antfolks were questioning their fates.
In the midst of that anxiety, the Queen appeared on stage with Kaies.
Walking gracefully, the golden-haired woman caught the attention of all the Antfolks in the hall. There wasn''t a single pair of eyes that didn''t see her.
Queen Kaileena took a deep breath.
"My people, I know you are all wondering, confused, and do not understand, especially for you, the workers. Let me exin the current situation."
Hearing their names being called, the antfolk workers looked amazed. They very rarely got the attention of the Queen. So far, they had always been looked down upon.
Queen Kaileena examined the worker antfolks. A sincere look appeared on her face.
"As you all know, our tower is being infiltrated. At first I didn''t think it was a big deal, because I didn''t want to worry all of you. However, the situation escted beyond expectations."
The Queen took another deep breath.
"Those intruders, they came to our house. They wanted something from us. They¡" her words trailed off, as if something had caught in her throat. ".... killed the males and... burned all our eggs."
Instantly, the hall filled with gasps of shock, not long after, whispers echoed again. The antfolks werepletely shocked, especially the workers.
They dedicated their lives to the tower for the future generations, but the thing they fought for all this time had gone.
Queen Kaileena looked gloomy. She lowered her head in shame. Her eyes zed with tears, while her hands clenched tightly. An aura of sorrow enveloped her.
"The warriors have been trying hard to drive them away. Unfortunately, they are too strong to defeat. More than half of the best warriors had died. Even one of our strongest warriors, Chief Yandez, fell in the battle."
The crowd of antfolks instantly became boisterous. The workers got rowdy, while the warriors lowered their heads. Their faces darkened.
Kaies, the only warrior fighting alongside her, clenched his fists until blood seeped out.
"I need all of you. I''m not ordering you to fight. I beg you to lend me your strength. I know my request is selfish and forced, but we''ve run out of options. If we continue to remain silent¡. and hide. Everything will end."
Her eyes filled with tears, then those tears rolled down her cheeks pitifully.
Seeing their Queen cry, the antfolks'' hearts were touched. Many of them became furious.
"So, please¡ lend me your strength! Fight for the tower! Fight for the Ant Kingdom! Fight with me!"
"Queen! I will fight alongside you!"
"You are not alone! We are with you!"
"We will fight for our tower!"
The worker antfolks voiced their thoughts. They shouted energetically to cheer up the queen.
"Queen!"
"Queen!"
"Queen!"
The antfolks'' cheers that said her name resounded in the hall. Queen Kaileena smiled at seeing the support of the antfolks. She smiled while wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
She bowed before her people. Without them knowing, a wide smirk crossed her face.
The antfolk had fallen from the Queen''s trick.
.
.
.
ng! ng! ng!
The sound of metal shing echoed. Sparks erupted every time the two sharp weapons collided with each other. Two groups of demons were fighting with all their might.
"You can only do this much, Gavin?! Where was your power earlier, huh?!"
A red-haired woman with a scythe shot through the air as fast as a bullet, cornering a silver-haired man with her sword.
Gavin''s face was as calm as the surface of theke. His hand swung his sword swiftly, deflecting every attack thrown by his enemy, Alyna.
She cast lightning magic. Then, tremendous electrical spikes shed in various directions. The ground and objects that were struck by them gave off a thinyer of smoke. However, none of them managed tond on Gavin.
That first ranked Duke wasn''t even hurt in the slightest.
"The duke fights are really different, huh?"
A demon in the form of a blue fur lion with arge shield in his hand watched the battle with an astonished face.
Suddenly, a red ax shot towards him.
CLANG!
The sh between the ax and the shield caused an ear-piercing sound, like hearing the church bell.
"Hey! Where are you looking, Agrias?"
Amon, one of Alyna''s men, shouted at the lion demon.
Staring at the enemy in front of him with a cynical re, Agrias pushed out arge amount of mana, then a light emerged from the shield.
"Damn it!"
Amon quickly jumped back.
At the same time, Alyna was thrown in the air, shooting like a meteor towards Amon.
Naturally, Amon saw hering.
"Lady Alyna!"
The man was about to grab her, but a goat-headed demon stepped on his face and caught the woman.
"Keugh!"
The duchessnded smoothly in Aries'' hands.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, damn it! I let my guard down," Alyna replied in annoyance.
From behind, Amon brandished his ax angrily.
"Hey, you jerk! I can catch her! You don''t have to step on my head!"
Aries didn''t care, and neither did Alyna.
Their attention was focused on Gavin who was floating in the air together with the pink-haired woman with the star-headed staff. The two of themnded beside Agrias.
Not far behind them, the ck-robed demons were watching their fight.
"It looks like this fight will be long and tiring," Aries whispered.
Alya went down, stamped her feet on the ground. "Yeah, it''s going to take a long time. The demons hiding under the robes¡ I don''t know when they will attack us."
"Hmm. We had bettere up with a n for our escape."
Alya didn''t answer, she only nodded her head.
Even though Alyna was a duke, escaping from thirteen demons was not easy. At least, one of the three of them had to sacrifice their lives.
Chapter 168 Louder
"I think we should kill that magical girl."
Amon joined in their conversation.
"Magical girl?" Aries raised one eyebrow. "You mean... Paimon?"
Paimon, a young woman wearing a pink dress with a star wand. She seemed to be floating behind Gavin with a cute smile. Although she looked like a child, she was a noble demon who was ranked 10th. She was an earl.
"Yeah... the first demon to get rid of is that woman. She''s like a nuisance fly, really annoying," Alyna replied, slightly annoyed.
"So cute," added Amon.
The goat-headed demon shook his head as he heard hispanion''s out-of-contextment.
"Let''s change the n," said Aries. "Lady Alyna, you go after Lord Gavin again. Amon, we both attack Lord Agrias. He''s quite passive in battle. Not moving much, just relying on Lady Paimon''s buff. Seeing Agrias being ganged up on by two people, she will naturally focus on Lord Agrias. When the opportunity arises, Amon will execute Lady Paimon."
"Lady Paimon, huh." Amon quipped. "At a time like this you still call the enemy by the name honorifi?"
"And you''re also stillining over trivial matters?"
The male demon smiled wryly. Meanwhile, Alyna seemed to be ignoring them. That demonesse''s attention was still focused on her main enemy, Duke Gavin.
Alyna hissed to her twopanions, they also turned their attention to her.
"Here we go."
The duchess darted toward Gavin. The silver-haired demon quickly soared into the air, along with Earl Paimon.
Meanwhile, Amon and Aries attacked the enemy tanker, Agrias.
nk
The sound of metal shing echoed above their heads. Alyna and Gavin confronted.
Seeing that the battle between the dukes had begun, Aries gave instructions to his partner.
"You attack first from the front!"
"I already know!" Amon replied. The male demon shot out like an arrow. His burly hands held the axe tightly above his head, then shed at it.
The blue-furred lion demon that was his target seemed to raise his shield to block the attack.
Not long after, a second sh of metal echoed.
ng! ng! ng!
With brute force, Amon swung the axe in various directions. From the side, front, head, feet; but each of his attacks was blocked by the shield.
He tried to spin around, aiming for Agrias'' back. However, that demon spun quickly, making it difficult for Amon to strike at the enemy''s blind spot.
"Damn it! You fucking turtle!"
Amon changed his attack pattern.
He took a few steps back. A me shed out of the axe, then he mmed it into the ground.
Bam!
A loud bang echoed throughout the hall. The ground cracked, and the cracks were lit up.
Agrias'' pupils seemed to dte. Not long after, a huge fire engulfed his body.
Wuuuuzzzzzz!
"Hahaha eat that!"
The huge fire caught the attention of Gavin in midair who was fighting with Alyna.
"Lord, should I help Agrias?"
The magical girl, Paimon, seemed to be waiting for an answer from the boss withrge pupils.
"That me wasn''t enough to kill him. But, his opponent is the Earl. Paimon... you help him."
The pink-haired girl smiled cutely. "Yes, Lord!"
Just as the magical girl descended to help Agrias, arge schyth swiftly shot towards him.
Sling!
The swing was so fast that the wind whistled, almost hitting Gavin in the neck. The silver-haired demon managed to dodge just in time.
"Looking away when there''s an enemy in front of you. You are so careless, Lord Gavin."
The red-haired Duchess grinned with a dismissive look. Gavin took a deep breath, without speaking he quickly attacked back Alna.
He swung his sword like a snake. The sword moved as fast, leaving a blue line in the air. Gavin didn''t give the duchess a chance to breathe.
Those attacks made Alyna have a hard time.
Of course, the duchess did not stay still. She chanted lightning magic, a ball of electricity wrapped around her body. As a result, whenever Gavin was about tond his sword on her, the voltage instantly struck him.
Their battle was evenly matched.
On the other hand, the battle below looked different.
"Hahaha!"
Amonughed loudly as he watched the huge mes devour Agrias. However, theughter quickly vanished when the mes died out.
Arge chunk of rock appeared to stand firmly. The rock shattered, and a blue wolf-shaped demon appeared. There was not a singlerge burn on him.
Agrias was untouched by the mes.
Paimonnded down. She chanted an incantation, then light surrounded Agrias'' body.
"Tch!"
Failing to burn the enemy, Amon stomped his axe. The goat-headed demonnded at his side, a sour look on its face.
"I told you. Follow my n. You just did what you wanted. Now look... Agrias has gotten a buff," Aries said, a hint of sarcasm in his words.
"That doesn''t matter. We''re killing the magical gilr. Not that furry."
Aries raised one eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"Do as nned." Amon shot off at high speed, once again attacking Agrias.
Aries sighed and shook his head. He quickly caught up with her partner who was advancing alone.
"Hya!"
BAM!
A loud bang echoed, for the umpteenth time, Amon mmed his axe straight into Agrias'' shield. He swung it a thousand times.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Although the axe was swung with all his might, Agrias did not seem to budge an inch. The lion demon did not move from his position.
After getting the buff from Paimon, Agrias was like a solid iron wall. He wasn''t copse and invincible.
"Are you stupid... Is this the limit of your power?"
The sarcasm came out of Agrias'' mouth. Of course, Amon was not happy to hear it. However, he could only swallow his own saliva. Because attacking Agrias was no longer his goal.
"Oh, yeah?" replied Amon with a smirk on his face.
Agrias seemed to squint.
Suddenly, a blownded on that demon''s face.
BAM!
"KEEEUGG!"
Agrias was pushed a few meters away, then Aries came in with a flurry of punches.
"Mudamudamudamudamuda!"
Ariesunched thousands of punches at the lion demon''s body. Stomach, chest, shoulders, face, shoulders; not a single part of the body escaped his deadly blows.
Bam! Bam!
Aries'' eyes opened wide.
"You''re surprised, huh?"
Agrias catched both Aries''s hands.
The goat-headed demon quickly pulled them away, but his hands could not move. Agrias''s grip was too strong.
"No need to panic. I''ll kill you quickly. A goat dares to fight a lion? Hehe..."
Agrias''s face turned hideous. His lips were wide open, sharp fangs dripping saliva. The look in his eyes said the quarry had been caught.
At first nce, they were like lions pouncing on a goat.
However, Aries grins back.
"Is that so?"
Agrias'' attention was diverted. He noticed that Paimon was being attacked heavily by Amon.
The pink-haired woman seemed to be struggling to avoid the swinging axe. Her breathing wasbored, her body covered in scratches.
"Agrias! Help Paimon!" Gavin''s voice echoed through the air.
"Asshole!"
The lion demon left Aries, and he quickly darted to help his partner. Of course, Aries didn''t stay still.
"You thought I''d let you!"
The goat-headed demon caught up with him.
With his bare hands, Agrias pounced Amon from behind. Sharp nails came out of his finger.
"Damn it!" Amon was startled. He quickly changed the target of the attack.
sh! sh! sh!
St!
"Keguh!"
His axe too heavy, Amon was slow to parry Agrias'' swift attacks. Like a wild lion, that demon attacked him relentlessly until his entire body was covered in scratch marks.
"You beast!"
Aries came over, helping his partner. Now, it was Aries and Agrias who fighting.
Amon took this opportunity to retreat and drink a bottle of potion. So did Paimon. The magical girl casted a recovery magic spell for herself.
Seeing that his partner was safe, Aries quickly retreated.
"n failed."
"Needless to say I already knew," Amon grumbled back. "Now, what''s our n?"
Aries looked dark. Exhaustion made it difficult to think. Their opponents had also recovered. The ck-robed demons were still watching. It was difficult for him to think clearly..
At that moment, suddenly from the shadows came a rumbling sound.
"Did you hear that?"
Amon squinted, focusing on his sense of hearing. "Yes, I heard it."
The rumbling sound got louder and louder.
Paimon and Agrias heard it too. They looked toward the shadow, the source of the rumbling.
The sound drew the attention of all the demons in the hall. Alyna and Gavin stopped fighting. The demons hiding behind ck robes seemed to be gripping their weapons tightly.
"What is this? Antfolk?" muttered Amon, frowning.
"I don''t know... anyway... this is good news. We can take advantage of this opportunity."
Aries'' face brightened. He saw an opportunity.
Then, hundreds of antfolk came rushing in. They were shouting, running, with spears in their hands. Like people losing their minds, they charged.
At the very front, there was a white-haired demon with a gun in both hands.
Floating in the air, Alyna felt familiar with the man''s figure. She squinted, focusing her recognition. Not long after, her eyes opened wide. She recognized him.
"What the f..."
Isaac came with thousands of antfolk. Running while shouting, "Charge!"
Chapter 169 Battle
[A few hours earlier.]
"Isaac? Why are you here?"
Queen Kaileena looked surprised at his appearance. He should have stayed in the room. She ordered her guards not to let Isaac out.
Kaies who stood next to the Queen seemed to cross her arms with skepticism written on his face.
Isaac smiled slightly. "Sorry to take you by surprise, Queen. But right now, I can''t just stay in the room while you guys fight alone against the demons. After I thought about it... it''s better to help you. My condition has been restored thanks to your healing magic."
The reason Isaac joined the attack was because he wasn''t sure they would be able to give him much time to secure Alyna. After seeing how undisciplined the antfolk warriors were, he was skeptical that his first n would go smoothly.
Instead of the positive answer or response he expected, Kaileena wore an astonished expression. Her brows furrowed.
"Yes, I appreciate your concern, but that''s not what I meant. How did you get past the 20 guards I put in ce to guard you?"
Twenty antfolk warriors were not random monsters. They were at a fairly high level.
Isaac formed his mouth into the letter ''O''. He thought that Kaileena wouldn''t think of such a detailed thing. Of course, he had already prepared an answer to this kind question.
"They were stubborn. So I knocked them out. You know, I''m pretty good at fighting. Butpared to demons... maybe I need extra effort."
Hearing the answer he gave, the queen narrowed her eyes. She sensed something was wrong with Isaac. Kaileena nced at her right hand, Kaies, that antfolk warrior seemed to shake his head, signaling not to believe Isaac''s words.
Isaac saw it the way theymunicated.
Then, another antfolk warrior came over to them.
"Your Grace, Captain Kaies. All soldiers have been counted. 500 antfolk warriors. 2000 antfolk workers. They have also been armed. Ready to go to battle."
The demon saw that the news that had juste distracted the queen. She seemed to be prioritizing the uing battle over this matters.
"Alright." The Queen''s gaze turned to Kaies. "It''s time for us to go."
The Chief Queensguard, as well as the leader of the antfolk warriors, bowed his head. "Yes, your grace."
"We''ll discuss this after the battle. Let''s go, Isaac," Kaileena Added.
The Queen went first, then Isaac and Kaies followed up. They walked side by side.
That antfolk warrior still couldn''t believe Isaac.
"I don''t know how you can make the Queen trust you. But I don''t. After this battle, don''t expect you to get away," Kaies whispered. After that he left.
Hearing the scolding, Isaac just chuckled. He didn''t care whether Kaies believed him or not. It didn''t matter if the Queen suspected him. He also didn''t care about the consequences that woulde.
Because, there was nothing after the battle.
.
.
.
[Now.]
Isaac''s eyeballs rolled quickly. The demons seemed to draw their weapons as he and the thousands of antfolk troops charged over.
One of the ck-robed demons took out a magic wand. Hands waving, a magic circle appeared in the air. Not long after, the wind blew fiercely, pushing back thousands of antfolk troops.
Isaac took action quickly. He aimed his pistol at the demon. "Obstacle!"
Bam!
The mana bullet shot out at high speed, piercing through the strong wind.
Creack!
The magic wand fell. The magic circle vanished and the wind stopped blowing. The ck-robed demon cursed as his hand bled from Isaac''s bullet.
"Kill!"
Thousands of antfolk devoured the ck-robed demons.
Floating in the air, Gavin watched as his men were mobbed, shouting, "Finish them off! The n''s changed! Kill them!"
At the same time, Lady Alyna took the opportunity to attack Gavin whose his attention was divided.
Swung! Swung! Swung!
Therge scythe swung quickly, aiming for Gavin''s neck. Unfortunately, he had expected it beforehand.
Gavin stared at the red-haired woman with fiery eyes. "Did you do this on purpose, Alyna? You set us up on purpose."
Alyna smirked. "You think?"
Feeling that he had just been tricked, the first-ranked duke let out a powerful aura.
"I thought you were an honorable noble. Turns out you''re just the same."
Alyna''s grin vanished, her face turned serious. She did not stay still. All the mana left in her body was mobilized.
"Bring it on!"
Then, both darted towards each other. A violent sh between the two dukes was inevitable.
The two of them fought it out.
Watching the two dukes fight from below, Isaac furrowed his brow in frustration. He nned to get to the duchess as soon as possible, but since they were fighting it out, it would take him a long time.
"Tch... is she losing her mind," Isaac muttered.
Besides, the great hall had turned into a bloody battlefield. The ck-robed demons, they were all Earl-ranked noble demons. Most of the antfolk were workers who had no fighting experience. Of course, they were no match for them.
The robed demons ughtered anything that got in their way. There was a demon who carried a shield and spear, single-handedly able to kill dozens of antfolk with a single stab. There was a demon who used a mace, brutally crushing the head of every antfolk. Not only with weapons, there were also demons who used crystal balls, casting fire spells and burning hundreds of antfolk in an instant.
The sound of screams, the smell of burning, fishy, smoke, metal shing echoed in the room.
Isaac was in the middle of a killing field rather than a battlefield.
"As expected, they won''t be able to deal with 12 high-ranking noble demons. But it didn''t matter, I have plenty of time."
Suddenly, a ck-robed demon leapt towards him amidst the sea of anfolk warriors. That demon appeared to be holding a pair of daggers, both pointed at Isaac.
sh! sh! sh!
St! St!
The wind whistled. Dozens of antfolk died in the blink of an eye. Luckily, Isaac had time to avoid it.
That ck-robed demon was heard snickering after seeing the target he was about to kill was alive.
Hundreds of antfolk quickly surrounded him, pointing spears at that demon. Although they won in numbers, their expressions looked tense, their hands trembling. It was hard for them to try to remain brave after seeing how theirrades died at that demon''s hands.
"You''re agile too for a weak demon," said that demon in a condescending tone.
Isaac remained calm. "I''m not agile. You''re just slow. Stop acting like a coward. Open your robe, dummy."
Laughter escaped from the ck-robed demon''s mouth. The antfolk looked astonished and creeped out at the same time.
The ck robe revealed, the demon showed his true face.
It was a tall man with light armor covering his body. His face looked rough, brave, and arrogant. He had blue hair, amber eyes. His tworge hands held a dagger tightly.
Seeing that demon''s appearance, Isaac quickly recognized who he was.
"Earl Astaroth, it''s a pleasure to meet you in person."
Astaroth snorted. "You know my name, but unfortunately I don''t know who you are. And I don''t want to know the name of the walking death."
After saying so, that demon darted quickly towards Isaac. The antfolk tried to hold him back, but they all died at his hands.
Eventually, Astaroth arrived before Isaac.
"HAHAHAHA! Gotcha, you bastard!"
sh! sh! sh!
The dagger struck so fast that the wind whistled. Isaac was able to dodge the attack, but the mortal ring still around his neck was quite difficult. Dozens of antfolk in the vicinity were killed by Astaroth''s ferocity.
"Hahaha! Keep dodging like a loser!"
sh! sh! sh!
St!
More and more antfolk died at Astaroth''s hands. That demonughed with blood running down his face.
However, no matter how fast Astaroth swung his dagger, not a single one managed tond on Isaac''s body.
This annoyed Astaroth.
"Keep dodging like a loser! You''re a fighter aren''t you."
Dodging a deadly dagger cut, Isaac casually replied, "This is the difference between a fighter who uses brains and not."
"Damn it!" Astaroth was getting angry.
The second round of life made Isaac a veteran. He had fought a lot of demons, various defeats and victories he had tasted. Every failure he experienced in his previous life was deeply imprinted on his flesh. He knew the characteristics of the demons'' fighting style.
Astaroth was an assaassin. Demons like them had a focus stat on Dexterity and attacked at weak points; such as the neck, heart, veins. They tend to kill, unlike warriors who tend to fight. So it was easy for Isaac to anticipate the attack before it came.
Besides, the reason Isaac kept dodging was because he had other ns.
As the battle was heating up, suddenly the surrounding walls exploded.
Chapter 170 Distraction
Astaroth''s attention was distracted.
"What other surprises can these antse up with?"
"You''ll find outter," Isaac replied.
He then quickly left. When Astaroth looked over, his figure was gone somewhere.
"Damn it! Where did that worm go?!"
The walls copsed, creating a hole extending along the top of the cave wall. From there, dozens of antfolk warriors could be seen marching with spears in their hands. They threw their spears at the demons.
Thousands of spears flew and plunged at high speed towards Gavin''s men.
Of course, the ck-robed demons quickly shielded themselves, the sheer number of spears made it impossible for them to dodge. Some demons cast protective magic, creating fire shields, earth walls, wind magic. Some demons directly deflected every spear that came.
To the noble demons, surprise attacks were nothing. However, dozens of antfolk who were around the demons were killed by their ownrades'' attacks.
The warrior antfolk continued to throw spears, they didn''t care even if their kind died. In their eyes, the worker antfolk were ves, sacrificing them was a small price to pay.
Like rain, hundreds of spears rained down on Astaroth. That demon quickly exerted great mana from its body, the air blew around it, slowly the wind swirled and created a tomb. The thousands of spears thatnded were reflected by the vortex.
St! St! St!
The antfolk were killed by the spears. Blood sttered everywhere. Spears stuck into their bodies like porcupine quills.
After the rain of spears stopped, Astaroth stopped his wind magic. His face looked sour as he looked at the surrounding.
"Is this all? I''ll finish you all off."
Just about to look for another prey, suddenly a mana bullet pierced his stomach. There was no sound of gunfire. There was no sound of the wind whistling. There was no warning. Unexpectedly a bullet had lodged in his stomach.
Roaring in pain as he held his stomach, Astaroth quickly grabbed a bottle of potion.
"Damn it! That coward demon! How dare you!"
Creak!
The potion bottle shattered when the demon was about to drink it. A bullet shattered it. Astaroth quickly got up before another shot rang out. And he was right, sessive shots chased the demon.
Dodging the shots, Astaroth stepped back quickly to avoid it. He picked up some of the antfolk corpses lying on the ground and used them as meat shields.
Actually, the single bullet lodged in his stomach did not cause any significant damage. However, if there were multiple bulletsnding in his body simultaneously, then it was a different story.
"You bastard! Come out, don''t be a coward. Come out and fight me!"
Instead of Isaac appearing, hundreds of other antfolk warriors rushed at him. They came from all directions, surrounding Astaroth so that the demon could not move. Of course, they weren''t enough to stop the demon.
"Asshole!"
sh! sh! sh!
The resident ants were dismembered as they tried to attack the demon. At the same time, hundreds of flying spears rained down on the battle.
"Bloodydamn!"
Swush! Swush! Swuh!
The spears wereing, Astaroth quickly cast his wind magic once more.
St! S! St!
A dozens of antfolk died in blink of eyes.
On the other side of the battlefield, Alyna watched the battle with furrowed brows. The antfolk were targeting the demons, they were killing their own kind. Even for the demon ss, this was a crazy tactic.
"It really doesn''t make sense. Is this part of the -."
ng!
Alyna parried an attack while her eyes were still glued to the battlefield beneath her feet. Gavin appeared before her with a cold expression.
Not stopping at one strike, the number one dukeunched another attacks. Alyna was not to be outdone, she countered it.
ng! ng! ng!
The two demons fought in the air, twisting and turning like two kites shing.
Amongst the dozens of crazed antfolk and the endless battle, the two demons had their backs to each other. They were surrounded by the antfolk. One of them had a human form with a goat''s head.
Amon swung his axe brutally. The resident ants who were hit by his huge axe screamed hysterically.
"Damn it... these ants are a nuisance. I''ll burn you all!"
Mouth twitching, a magic circle and me appeared in his hand. Suddenly, Aries put it out.
"You idiot! Don''t use your magic!" scolded the goat-headed demon.
"Why?! They''re like annoying insects. No... they are insects. They must be burned to destroy them!"
"If you kill them all, we won''t have a chance to escape, you idiot!"
Amon was instantly silent. He grunted as he shut his mouth.
"Let''s use this opportunity to escape."
"But how? That redhead woman is busy fighting," Amon retorted in an annoyed tone. The more annoyed he became, the more brutally he swung his axe.
While they were busy fighting, the antfolk around them stopped attacking. They were surprised.
Aries stopped killing the antfolk. His brows furrowed. However, Amon was already annoyed. He continued to ughter the antfolk brutally, until Aries finally stopped him.
"Hey! Hey! Stop it!"
"Damn it!"
Amon stopped killing the antfolk. An antfolk who was almost killed by his axe seemed to tremble in fear watching the demon.
"Someone''sing," Aries muttered.
From behind the crowd of antfolk, a demon with a long ck coat and white hair appeared. Amon and Aries recognized them in one nce.
"You..." Amon pointed at Isaac with narrowed eyes.
"Lord Isaac," Aries added. "The baron we met at the auction. I don''t know if it''s appropriate to say this, but it''s been a long time."
Isaac didn''t answer. He coded the ants to find another target. They ran, leaving the demons behind.
Snapping his fingers with his mouth open, Amon remembered meeting Isaac. "It''s you. What brings you to us. You''re not one of our allies yet, huh." An intimidating tone came out of his mouth.
The goat-headed demon was silent. What his partner said was true. Isaac was still ranked 69th, not yet reaching the top 50. He was not yet part of Alyna''s alliance officially.
In other words, they were not in same boat.
The expression on Amon''s face suddenly changed. Veins bulged, Blood pooled on his face.
"You can talk to them! You''re the cause of this mess!"
That demon walked up to Isaac, his hands about to choke him, but Aries quickly held him back.
"What again, Aries? He''s not an ally!"
Aries sighed. "Yes, he''s not an ally. But he''s not an enemy either. If he was an enemy, he would''ve attacked us. But he didn''t."
Amon raised one eyebrow, skepticism written clearly on his face. He withdrew his hand.
Meanwhile, Isaac just shook his head.
"Forgive my partner''s carelessness, Lord Isaac. What is the need for you to approach us. I''m sure you''re not siding with Gavin, are you?"
Isaac nodded. "I am. I would like to have a longer talk with you, but with the current situation, we don''t have much time. Astaroth is also hunting me."
Inhaling deeply, Isaac''s eyes turned sharp. "I won''t mince words. If you continue to fight Gavin and co. You will all die. You are no match for them."
Naturally, Amon was not happy to hear that. That demon was about to grab Isaac''s cor, but Aries, prevented him. Amon knew that they were at a disadvantage and likely to lose.
However, thest sentence spoken by Isaac was not pleasant to hear.
"What are you saying?!" Amon was absolutely furious.
On the other hand, his partner remained level-headed.
"Yes, what you said is true," Aries replied. Amon turned to him with a look of disbelief, but Aries ignored him. "I''m sure you didn''t juste here to say that, did you?"
A smile crossed Isaac''s face. He was happy to talk to such a quick-witted demon.
"That''s right. Keep your ears open."
Isaac beckoned them toe closer. Then, they both heard his n. Not long after, Aries and Amon opened their eyes wide.
"How? you guys understand right? I don''t want to repeat myself a second time."
"You''re crazy..." muttered Amon. He had a dumbfounded look on his face.
Aries, on the other hand, was silent as he held his chin.
"So, when will it start?" asked Aries in a t tone.
"After the Queen appears. In a moment-."
BAM!
In the middle of their serious discussion, a shield suddenly shot towards them. Luckily, all three felt the surprise attack and quickly dodged in time.
Aries set up a stance. Amon raised his axe.
"Well, well. I don''t see any ants swarming here. Apparently, there''s a conspiracy."
A demon with the form of a lion walked slowly towards them. Behind him, two ck-robed demons followed.
Isaac''s n, it seemed, would not go easily.
Chapter 171 War
"Damn it... it alwayses at the wrong time..." Amon muttered in annoyance.
Agrias picked up hisrge shield that was stuck in the ground. One ck-robed demon appeared to be wielding a sword, another was sheathed in chains that hovered around him.
Seeing that the enemy was ready for them, Amon spread his lips, showing snarling teeth. He was ready to fight it out.
"Lord Isaac, they''d better get to work quickly."
"He''s already gone," Aries replied.
"What?"
Amon looked around, not seeing Isaac. Though the white-haired demon was standing between them just moments ago.
"He left right away when that damn shield almost killed us. He knows when to leave."
Amon who heard that, hissed in displeasure. He thought they would fight together.
"So, it''s now two against three, huh?" Amon whispered irritably.
The goat-headed demon shook his head.
"You fight alone. Someone has to stop Lady Alyna. I leave it to you, Lord Amon."
After saying so, Aries quickly left leaving his partner alone.
Amon was surprised. "Hey! What the f...?"
Seeing one of their enemies leave the fight, Agrias did not stay still.
"You think I''m going to let you guys run away?"
That demon quickly threw his shield. Darting quickly, the metal shield chased after Aries in the air.
However, an axe crashed into it. The shield bounced off and hit the ground along with therge axe.
Agrias looked at Amon with narrowed eyes.
"I didn''t let you attack my allies either. You want to die, huh?"
Agrias chuckled. "Well, you think you can stop the three of us?"
A chain shot out, wrapped around Amon''s legs and arms. He tried to break free, but strangely, the harder Amon tried, the stronger the chain became.
Augh escaped from one of the demons in ck robes.
"That chain won''te off."
Agrias alsoughed at Amon who was struggling to remove the chain wrapped around his body.
"You bastard! You think this is enough to stop me!" Amon shouted with anger in his voice.
"That''s what happens now," taunted the ck-robed demon holding a sword in his hand.
Amon struggled violently, screaming loudly, exerting all the strength in his body to break free from the chains.
However, he was unable to move at all.
Agrias sighed,ughing slightly.
"Letho, Garet. You guys take care of this stubborn demon. I''ll go after the fleeing rats."
"Leave it to us," replied the demon controlling the chain.
The blue lion demon left them. Suddenly, arge fire blocked its path. Agrias quickly dodged the mes to avoid being burned.
The fire then spread, coiling, enclosing them so that no one could get out of there.
Agrias clenched her fists, her teeth chattering. Without having to ask, he knew who the cause was. He turned to Amon with a furious look on his face.
"Asshole... are you crazy?"
The two ck-robed demons showed the same reaction as Agrias.
In contrast, Amon seemed to chuckle at the angry demons before him.
"Don''t be arrogant just because of winning numbers. Don''t you know who I am? I am Amon Surtur. The Demon Lord of Fire!"
The air was getting hotter. The chains wrapped around Amon''s legs and hands expanded. Eventually, the chains broke. The demon was free from his shackles.
His hair turned a floating red. He was ready to fight.
"Let''s begin!"
Instantly Agrias'' face turned serious. So did the two ck-robed demons.
.
.
.
A pir of fire zed in the center of the battlefield. The antfolk ran away with their hysterical screams. Some of them were burned alive.
Isaac stared at the fire with a stunned expression.
"Amon... that must be him. Crazy bastard."
The name was still stuck in his head. Amon was a rank 9 demon, just below Duke Barbatos. Like their rank, their strengths differed slightly.
In his previous life, Isaac remembered that Amon had once challenged Duke Barbatos to a PvP. After the battle, the duke seemed passive and showed no movement for several months. Based on rumors, because of Amon''s attack, Duke Barbatos had to suffer heavy losses.
"His strength will be of great help in this battle. But it is not enough. The Queen must act immediately."
Watching the battle unfold, Isaac grew increasingly worried. Within a few minutes almost half the antfolk warriors were dead. The demons began to cast AoE magic that could take out dozens of monsters in the blink of an eye.
The longer the battle, the higher the chance of Isaac''s n failing.
"Isaac, what''s the situation?"
A familiar sounded in the midst of the chaotic battle. Isaac turned his head, an antfolk in gray armor stood next to him.
"Kaies... everything went ording to n."
"n, huh?" a sarcastic tone came from the antfolk''s mouth. "Watching my people being ughtered like insects was ording to n?"
Isaacughed, but he tried to hold it in. Of course, Kaies liked it.
"Why are youughing? You think it''s funny, huh?" The antfolk gave him a look of displeasure.
Isaac smiled as he shook his head. "I''m sorry. But you are indeed insects. At least your blood is. Ah, nevermind." He shook his head. "What about the Queen''s preparations?"
Kaies still had an angry look on his face. He still did not ept Isaac''s word, but this was not the time to vent anger.
"It will be a while. The Queen is still studying the skill roll you gave him."
"Hmm, she better hurry up. Or this sacrifice will be in vain."
The antfolk looked desperate. Some of them were running away from the demons. Some were desperate to attack the demons while shouting hysterically, even though the demons were casting powerful magic. Some stood still with their bodies shaking.
They werepletely helpless.
At that moment of desperation, suddenly the bodies of the antfolk lit up. A great power flowed through their bodies. The wounds on their bodies also healed. They looked astonished, while at the same time feeling amazed.
"What is this?"
"Power?"
"My body feel light."
From the back row, a beautiful woman appeared riding a chariot pulled by antfolk. The woman wore battle armor, her body shiny, her long golden hair floating in the air. She held her hands while closing her eyes.
The antfolk felt a strong presence behind them. Then, they gave all their attention to the woman.
"My people!" the woman eximed.
"I know, this battle has been hard. Many of our brothers have fallen. Many of our brothers became lifeless flesh. But their deaths were not in vain. Their deaths will be remembered by our future generations. Today, we drove out the invaders. The criminals. We defeated those cursed creatures."
"Yeaah!"
The antfolk cheered excitedly. The fear that had gripped their hearts disappeared, reced by a spirit that carried hope.
"Let us show you the power of the Ant Kingdom. Antfolk, raise your weapons and puff out your chests. Attack the invaders!"
"Uraaaa!"
The sound of screams echoed. The antfolk attacked the demons again. Those who were previously frozen in fear began to move again. Those who fled returned to face their enemies. Theirbat morale returned. Even higher than before.
The sea of ants was surging again.
"Damn it! These ants are crazy."
"Someone must have given them a buff."
"Troublesome."
The ck-robed demons began to grumble in annoyance.
They did not remain silent. Elemental magic spells began to be chanted. The sea of fire burned. The ground was sticking up. Hurricane winds swirled. Water dragons bulldozed the antfolk.
The battlefield turned into a disaster ce.
Isaac who saw the scene before him couldn''t blink an eye.
"Gosh, this is really chaotic. But this is good. Their attention ispletely focused on these ants."
A grin crossed Isaac''s face.
From the beginning, Isaa had nned to divert the demons'' attention to the antfolk.
Before the Queen and her army departed, he proposed a n.
Of course, the n would not be epted easily. Therefore, he persuaded Kaies. He gave Kaies the n, and allowed that antfolk to im his n.
Kaies had be the Queen''s confidant. But he still felt inadequate. His inferiorityplex to Yandez made that antfolk greedy. With a little lure from Isaac, he epted it.
Isaac gave her some magic scrolls to learn, tricking the antfolk Queen with a buff magic. Kaies backed up Isaac''s assertion, getting the queen to agree.
However, this was not all of her ns. There was still one more toe.
Chapter 172 Snowstorm
As thousands of antfolk charged at the demons in droves, out of thin air came falling snow.
Isaac raised a hand into the air, a snowkended right on his fingertips. When he touched it, there was no cold sensation. Not the slightest.
Gradually, more and more snow fell. It was getting heavier and heavier. The demons who noticed a weather phenomenon happening indoor were astonished. They killed the antfolk while watching the snow fall.
"What''s going on?"
"Snowkes? Inside tower?"
"Ice magic?"
Some of them felt the cold, some didn''t. As time passed, the intensity of the snow increased and the air felt bone-chilling. The demons were raising more and more questions. Even the ck-robed demon who used fire magic seemed to look cold.
Something beyond theirprehension was happening.
Surprisingly, the antfolk didn''t seem to feel anything. Instead, they were attacking the demons with crazily. They lost their minds, lunging despite the deadly magic in front of them.
Isaac who saw the demons'' reaction grinned.
"n worked!"
This snowfall was not real ice magic. Rather, it was an illusion.
This magic was chanted by the Queen. With her low level, Isaac wasn''t sure if she could cast AoE magic, so he gave her an illusion magic.
Illusion magic s arguably a weak magic, easily broken. It was usually used as a defense to deceive monsters. It rarely worked on demons. Illusion magic only affects those who trust it.
With chaotic situations and fierce battles, demons tend to absorb information from what they see. As a result, a trivial magic can fool them.
Of course, illusion magic was easy to break as long as they knew its weaknesses. It was quite easy, by not believing in it.
Sooner orter, this illusionary magic would malfunction. But it was enough to buy time for Isaac.
"Now it''s time to get out of here," he muttered.
Isaac didn''t know how long this illusionary magic wouldst. It all depended on the Queen''s endurance and the demon''s sensitivity.
When he was about to leave, Kaies held his shoulders.
"What is it?"
The look on Kaies'' face was serious. At first nce, Isaac knew this was going to be a long conversation.
"I don''t have much time for unnecessary chatter. Make it simple."
Kaies batted his eyelids, annoyance shing across his face. "I don''t like this, but I can''t deny that it''s all thanks to you. If we win, I''ll persuade the Queen to reward you."
For a moment, Isaac''s eyes opened wide, then chuckled. "Yeah. You take care of the Queen. See youter."
After saying that, the demon quickly left Kaies.
"If we win, uh?" Isaac muttered as he ran. "I feel guilty."
His figure then vanished in the sea of antfolk.
The demons fought, some of them visibly shivering. Others looked as if nothing had happened. They finished off the antfolk mercilessly. Isaac passed by them casually. They didn''t even realize his existence.
He looked at the smoldering pir of fire, then his eyes darting to the ceiling.
"If I''m not mistaken Gavini and Alyna are fighting around here."
He saw two demons fighting fiercely in the air.
"They are indeed crazy, buying the levitation skill in the second year. Now, how do I separate them?"
Seeing the fierce fight, Isaac suddenly spotted another demon who seemed to be trying to break them up. From the looks of it, he immediately knew who it was.
"Earl Aries. The third glorious person has appeared." Isaac sighed. "I''ll wait for an opportunity."
ng! ng! ng!
Alyna and Gavin shed into each other. The scythe sliced through the sword, and vice versa. Sparks were created every time the two metals collided.
The red-haired woman seemed to be fighting aggressively. She attacked with no hesitation on her face.
sh! sh! sh!
Alyna shed her scythe towards Gavin''s legs, but the silver-haired man quickly dodged it and he shed back.
sh!
"Keugh!"
The sword swung by Gavin managed to hit Alyna''s cheek. He did not give her a chance to breathe, he continued to attack the duchess mercilessly.
On the other hand, Alyna seemed to be gritting her teeth while dodging the duke''s sword shes. She counterattacked several times, but her scythe only shed the air.
"You''re as agile as an eel, huh?" quipped the red-haired woman.
"This is air. You''re making the wrong analogy," Gavin retorted. Then he shed towards the duchess''s neck.
"Eith..."
Alyna managed to dodge it. However, her position in the air became unbnced. She lost control of her body.
An opportunity arose.
Wasting no time, Gavin darted quickly, his eyes glued on Alyna''s neck.
"Die!"
In a split-second moment, Alyna realized the attack wasing.
ng!
"Keugh!"
She parried it with the scythe. Unfortunately, her grip was too weak, causing her weapon to be thrown to the ground. Suddenly, Gavin had shifted position right in front of her. Their faces were so close that they could see the color of each other''s pupils.
Alyna''s eyes opened wide, facing death in front of her face.
"This time you not gonna make it."
Alyna quickly closed her eyes.
Sat!
Blood spurted in the air. However, she felt no pain. When that woman opened her eyes, she saw Gavin with his disgusting expression facing a goat-headed demon. The duke''s sword was stuck in Aries'' horn.
"You son of bitch..." Gavin muttered angrily.
Bang!
"Keugh."
Aries punched Gavin, right into the man''s stomach. Gavin was sent flying several meters into the air. Meanwhile, Aries was injured, with one horn cut off and blood seeping from his head.
"Aries! What are you doing? Are you crazy? You could lose your head."
The goat-headed demon wiped the blood on his head. "No matter, I''m still alive. We must go, Lady Alyna. While there''s still a chance."
"What? No way. This is the chance to finish him off. These damn ants are giving us time."
"But it won''t be long."
Alyna squinted. A skeptical look was written on her face.
Gavin, on the other hand, looked furious. Blood flowed from between his lips.
"Damn goat, you dare to interrupt our fight. Then. I won''t y around anymore."
Suddenly, a terrifying aura came out of his body. The air around became cold, not because of the illusion, but because of Gavin. His sword gave off a strange aura.
Aries squinted at that man. While Alyna who always had fiery eyes and a persistent smile, turned wary.
"I don''t want to show you here, but... I need to kill you guys."
A pair of pitch-ck wings emerged from Gavin''s back.
Alyna squinted, she had never seen it before.
Sing!
"What?!"
The silver-haired demon''s figure vanished. Then it appeared behind them.
"Watch out!"
sh!
St!
"Uggh!"
Alyna dodged, but was still hit by Gavin''s sword. Luckily, the wound was not deep.
Gavi disappeared again.
"Are you all right, Lady Alyan?" asked Aries worriedly.
"Look out! He disappeared again?"
Gavin in tow. The silver-haired demon swung his sword.
sh!
"Keugh!
It was now Aries'' turn to be injured.
"Damn it!"
Alyna essed her inventory, retrieving another scythe. At the same time, Gavin vanished.
"Coward!"
Gavin appeared behind her. Alyna tried to fend him off, but missed. Her stomach was scratched, gushing fresh blood.
"HAHAHHAHA!"
The sound ofughter echoed. Alyna gripped her weapon tightly. Aries took a potion for both of them. Before they could drink it, Gavin appeared and shed at them again.
sh! sh!
"Keugggh!"
"Damn..."
sh! sh! sh!
Sat!
Gavin kept disappearing and appearing, shing Alyna from blind spots. Sometimes he would appear behind, sometimes he would appear to the side, and sometimes he would appear in front.
Unexpected attacks kept rushing at them.
After their energy was depleted, Gavin appeared in front of them, out of their reach.
"I''ll stop messing around. It''s time to end this. I never thought it would be this easy to kill the Duchess."
Groaning in pain, Alyna tried to puff out her chest. She wanted to look strong, even in death. Although she had not given up, she knew this battle was not one she would win. Nevertheless, Alyna still wanted to fight to the end.
"Bring it on!"
At that desperate moment, they began to lose hope.
A powerful typhoon appeared. This time it wasn''t an illusion, it was real. Alyna and Aries were gritting their teeth, enduring the fierce wind. So was Gavin. It wasn''t long before a man in ck armor appeared among them.
Chapter 173 Escaped
[Mortal Ring was removed]
[Strange Pendant was used]
[Stat will be randomized]
[Stat back to normal]
[Dark Fate is used.]
[All user stats are increased by 30]
The notification sound echoed inside Isaac''s head.
Isaac floated in ck armor. An aura of darkness radiated out. He could float in the air thanks to the effect of the wind magic released by ck Jade.
"Ah, I didn''t expect to use Dark Fate in a situation like this," he muttered.
He had no ns to reveal his trump card earlier, but under these urgent conditions, like it or not, Isaac had to use Dark Fate. Or else his efforts would be in vain.
From behind, Alyna called out to Isaac in a whispered tone.
"Wow, so you bought the Dark Fate. Damn, why didn''t you say anything?"
Aries who heard their conversation, his eyes opened wide. He was quite surprised at the fact that the winner of the Dark Fate at the auction was Isaac. He did not expect that a baron would own such a powerful armor set.
Isaac sighed. "We can discuss thister. We don''t have much."
"Well, with the three of us now. Especially with you using Dark Fate, we can defeat him quickly."
"No," Isaac snapped. "We''re not going to fight him. We''re going to get out of this damn ce."
Of course, the duchess was upset at Isaac''s words. With Dark Fate, their chances of winning against Gavin were higher. It was wasting an opportunity that was right in front of their eyes.
"We can win. Are you afraid?"
"It''s not afraid, Lady Alyna," Aries interjected into their conversation. "Fighting a battle that cannot possibly be won is foolish. A legendary artifact, such as Dark Fate, must have limits to its use. Gavin can''t possibly be defeated in a few minutes. Even if we could, remember we''re outnumbered. Not to mention that we''re badly injured. Our goal is to win the game, not the battle."
Hearing the exnation from Earl Aries, the redhed woman finally silence. Although inwardly she was upset.
"Did you hear that?" Isaac quipped in a soft tone. Thanks to Aries, he no longer needed to give an exnation to that stubborn woman.
Duchess Alyna simply clucked her tongue.
"Now, leave everything to me," he said.
Floating in the air, Gavin seemed to furrow his brows. A curious look was written on his face. The duke pointed the sword at Isaac.
? "Who are you? How dare you meddle in my business."
No answer came from Isaac''s mouth. He raised his sword into the air, then a vortex of wind appeared.
The wind rustled, creating a vortex within a vortex. Gavin''s skin that was hit by the gusts of wind was like being cut by a knife. At that moment, the duke quickly released a dense aura in his body. The aura wrapped around him.
Not long after, Isaac swung his sword, a wind de darted quickly towards Gavin. The silver-haired demon dodged it.
sh!
The first de wasing, he blocked it.
sh!
Gavin dodged the second wind de.
sh!
However, Isaac did not stop there, he continued to pull out dozens of wind des.
The wind des charged at Gavin.
"Is this all you''ve got?"
The duke weaved through the air like a kite, passing every wind des that tried to take his life. Some of them he deflected. A few were hit, but Gavin did not suffer any significant damages. The dense aura wrapped around his body absorbed the wind des.
"If this is the all of your power, you''ll regret it!"
The ck wings behind the duke''s back spread. After that he darted towards Isaac like an eagle.
Of course, Isaac did not stay still. The wind enveloped his sword, creating a small typhoon.
Aries looked tense as Gavin darted towards them. The duchess, on the other hand, was smiling broadly as she gripped her scythe tightly. She was ready for the second battle. Her body recovered after downing the potion given by Aries.
"Lord Isaac! Hurry up and do something! He''sing!" Aries eximed.
"Let hime." Alyna replied to herpanion.
Aries was certainly not happy to hear the duchess''s words. While Isaac didn''t answer, he just stayed silent, focusing all the mana in his body on Jade ck.
The Gavin was only ten meters in front of them.
"Lord Isaac!" eximed Aries.
"Bring it on!" Alyna screamed in full fervor.
"Die!" Gavin shouted with his sword in hand. A dense aura wrapped around the duke''s sword.
At that moment, Isaac opened his eyes and immediately shed his sword with full power.
"Hyaaa!"
Swoooooosh!
A giant typhoon rushed towards Gavin. The duke opened his eyes wide, he immediately canceled to attack Isaac and changed to a defensive position. A pitch-ck aura enveloped his body. After that, the typhoon devoured him.
Dhumb! Dhumb! Bam!
The typhoon raged. The antfolk were swept away. The wind not only blew them away, but also riped them up. The Kaies who were at the back of the line to protect the Queen panicked.
"Everyone! Protect the Queen! Protect the Queen!"
The antfolk warriors quickly swarmed towards the Queen. Some of them were still frozen from witnessing the ferocity of the typhoon.
"Fools! Quickly gather! Go back, protect the Queen!" Kaies shouted at her personnel who were still frozen.
However, they did not respond.
"You moron dogshit."
Eventually, the typhoon devoured them.
A huge deadly vortex of wind came carrying thousands of flying antfolk warriors. They screamed, but the noise of the wind drowned out their fear.
Queen Kaileena looked shocked. Her face was so pale as she witnessed a natural disaster that she had never seen before.
In that moment she realized that it was all over.
"No way... My kingdom..."
The demons who were busy ughtering the antfolk quickly cast protection spells. Some of them quickly left the tower by jump from perforated walls.
Within seconds, all the creatures in the hall were swept away by the typhoon until there was nothing left. The wind continued to rage, destroying the tower.
From the outside, a quarter of the tower copsed like a crumbling castle.
The Ant Kingdom that stood strong for hundreds of years, it finally came to an end today.
.
.
.
Thump.
Isaac copsed in the middle of the forest. His head ached as the notification beeps rang in his head.
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
[The use of Dark Fate has exceeded the limit. Remove it immediately or the effects of the curse will overwhelm the user.]
"Damn it!"
The demon quickly essed the system, then removed Dark Fate. The ck armor wrapped around his body disappeared. The notification beeps in his head finally stopped.
A sigh escaped Isaac''s mouth.
"I didn''t expect to use this much mana."
There was almost no mana left in Isaac''s body. He put all his energy and mana into fighting Gavin. In other words, he was all out.
"Making three typhoons at once is not a good idea."
A bottle filled with blue liquid flew towards him. Isaac caught it.
It was an ether.
"Drink it. You need it badly."
A feminine voice sounded in his ear. Then a red-haired woman stood over Isaac with a smile on her face.
"Look, you''re really messy." Alyan quipped.
Downing ether, Isaac ignored the red-haired woman. But he was grateful for the mana-restoring liquid. His body felt light again.
"Thank you, Alya," Isaac said.
The duchess extended her arm, Isaac took it and she helped him up.
"Not only did you perform admirably, but you also saved us. Although I would have preferred to fight against him."
"Yeah, then you''re dead for sure," Isaac replied curtly.
The duchess red. She then punched Isaac in the shoulder. "Hey! What do you think I am? I''m a duke. I could have won the fight without you having to interfere. I also haven''t forgiven you for leaving me in the moles''ir."
"What Lord Isaac said is true. We''re at a disadvantage. We''ll die if Lord Isaac doesn''t help us."
A wet hoarse voice sounded in the middle of their conversation.
Alyna turned around in annoyance. She saw Aries sitting limply under a tree. He was quite pale.
Seeing the goat-headed demon''s condition, Alyna undid her intention to yell at Aries.
"What''s more. We lost one demon. Amon. He''s gone."
Aries lowered his head.
The duchess who heard him quickly put on a haggard face.
"Huh, so he''s dead?" muttered Alyna.
Just as the atmosphere became sad, a man in tattered clothes appeared before them.
"Who said I was dead! I''m still alive!"
Chapter 174 Separation
"Amon!"
Seeing the arrival of her subordinate, Alyna opened her arms wide. She could not deny that she was d Amon was still alive.
"I thought you were dead," Alyna joked as she patted his shoulder.
Hissing, Amon dismissed her hand. "Hey, my shoulder still hurts. You know, fighting three demon lords at once was not kidding."
"Yeah, yeah."
Alyna did not care, continuing to pat his shoulder with a smile on her face. A simr expression was also shown by Aries. The goat-headed demon was relieved that there were no casualties from their group.
Fighting Gavin and his men was no easy matter. With only four demon, being able to escape the clutches of the number one Demon Lord was an extraordinary achievement.
Of course, it was all thanks to Isaac.
Meanwhile, Isaac himself was still busy organizing the inventory. He was preparing to leave. What he was looking for had been obtained. There was only one thing left that he needed to do, then his entire objective in this event wasplete.
"You want to go already?"
The goat-headed demon was watching Isaac.
"Yes," he replied without turning his head. His attention was still on the system window. "We''re not far from the tower. Sooner orter they''lle for us."
"Yes, but we have some time to breathe and recover our strength. The impact of your hurricane magic, it''s no joke."
Alyna heard their conversation and joined in. While Amon cleaned his body and changed his clothes.
"You''re too tense, Lord Isaac."
Bowing his head with a sigh, for some reason Isaac felt that the two demons before him were taking Gavin lightly.
He turned his head, his face visibly tightening. "Trust me, my attack didn''t hurt him a bit. Underestimate him, it''s the same as looking dead. It''s not good to linger here."
Alyna crossed her arms. Her facial expression said she didn''t like what Isaac said.
"You mean I have no chance of winning against him then?" The duchess''s words sounded fierce.
"I didn''t say that. Don''t twist my words. Gavin is with his army. He is at his full strength. He won''t waste the chance to kill you."
The duchess growled. "You-"
"Lord Isaac is right." Aries interrupted. "We are being separated from the others. We''d better get together with our allies soon. We don''t have a chance to beat them in our current situation."
The demon Alyna trusted the most agreed with Isaac. Of course, she was upset. But she should have held back. Right now was not the right situation to show her selfishness.
The duchess looked at the ground while holding her waist. She sighed.
"So, what''s the n?" asked Alyna, biting part of her lip.
"Like I said, get out of here."
Alyna squinted. "Are you part of my group now? I asked to Aries." A sarcastic remark came out of the mouth.
"Then, we''re not. You guys are free to do what you want. I''m leaving."
After hearing the duchess''s unpleasant answer, Isaac left without a second thought. He walked into the forest, leaving behind the three demons he had survived. Not looking back at all.
Aries shook his head. He regretted Alyna''s impulsive action.
"We should have let him go. Now we owe his a favor," the goat-headed demon muttered in a tone. He meant for the duchess to hear.
Alyna clucked her tongue.
"Hey? Did I miss something?"
With his lips pursed, Amon came up to them. His clothing looked better than before. Alyna and Aries just shook their heads.
"It''s nothing," Aries said. "We''ll be leaving soon."
"Okay."
Then, the newly arrived demon squinted, ncing around. "Where is Isaac? I mean, Lord Isaac."
"He left. We went our separate ways."
Amon nodded. "Well, I didn''t get to say thank you. I would have died without his magic typhon."
k!
"Aw! What the hell is wrong with you?"
A quizzical expression was written clearly on Amon''s face. He didn''t know why, but suddenly Alyna hit him on the shoulder.
Aries who saw it only sighed. While the red-haired woman waltzed away without saying anything.
"What''s wrong with her? Something hit her head, huh?"
The Earl was annoyed, rubbing his shoulder. The blow received was quite painful.
"Well, I don''t know either," Aries retorted.
The goat-headed demon left after the duchess.
Sighing, Amon followed them. They left the Ant Kingdom''s territory, heading back to the surface.
.
.
.
"Chough! Chough!"
A lion-shaped demon with blue fur rose from the pile of rubble. He looked around, the ceiling seemed higher than before. He saw the crystals clinging to the top.
Then he realized that part of the tower had copsed. Now he saw the belly of the cave directly.
"Damn it, the typhon... I failed to finish off Earl Amon."
Thump!
A demon rose from the rubble, right next to Agrias.
"Damn it! Who casts high-scale magic in a ce like this! Knowing this, I won''t hold back."
That demon had the stature of a teenager. It had a small body, a squeaky voice, and blonde hair. On both of its arms were chains wrapped around.
"Are you okay?" asked Agrias.
"You think?"
The lion demon sighed. His attention returned to his surroundings.
The other demons had also risen from the piles of dirt and rubble of the tower. Just like the teenage demon, they were annoyed and cursing. Some quickly changed their clothes. Some approached the other demon.
Only the demons were able to survive the devastating typhoon. There was no sign of the surviving ants at all.
Agrias muttered, "So we lost them, huh? How unfortunate."
Her eyes then fell on a demon standing by the tower. A silver-haired man. His hand seemed to be holding something. Something dangling, like a ball.
Agrias got up and approached that demon.
"Lord Gavin. Are you alright?"
Agrias stood right next to him. His eyes nced at the object held by the duke.
It was a head. The head of the Antfolk Queen, Kailena. Her beautiful peak face looked terrified.
"Not now. I''m not in the mood to talk."
A cold tone escaped Gavin''s mouth.
Agrias understood immediately. He nodded and remained silent.
"White-haired... pale-faced human. Who are you?"
The duke wrung his hands. Then he shouted loudly, all the anger pent up in his chesting out. Agrias who was standing next to him just stayed silent with a t expression. The other demons heard. Some seemed to bow their heads. Some were trembling with fear.
Gavin''s entire n failed. None of the things he was after in the event fell into his hands. Spiritual Beast eggs, Qilin Babies, and even golden antfolk egg.
Worst of all, he had no idea who the person was who foiled his n.
.
.
.
"Hatchu!"
His nose was so itchy that Isaac sneezed.
"Am I allergic to hay fever too?"
The demon made it out to the surface safely. A flower bed of various colors greeted him. The sky was dark, just as it had been underground. Some stars were beginning to lose their shape, a sign that it was already dawn.
"Alright, there are still 17 days left."
"Kyu-kyu!"
Baby Qiling jumped from his clothes pocket. The tiny creature seemed to lick Isaac''s neck, asionally spraying fire to him.
"Hoh, naughty monster. You stay inside. Don''te out."
"Kyu-kyu!"
Baby Qilin spouted fire, then went back into his pocket.
Isaac strode excitedly across the field of flowers. A big smile was stered on his face.
He got all the treasures in this event. Even got an unexpected jackpot, the Antfolk golden egg.
The main objectivepleted, it was time for Isaac to level up.
After passing through the flower field, Isaac returned to the forest. Along the way,rge monsters approached him. But the demon ignored him, some were killed. It''s not umon for him to run away too.
Not because he was afraid, but those big monsters didn''t give him anything. They were too weak. With his current level, Isaac must look for strong monsters. Of course, he also shouldn''t carelessly fight hordes of high-level monsters at once. Monsters above a hundred were different from monsters below level 50. At that range, Isaac could still face monsters that were two or three levels higher.
He had also determined a ce that had a mountain of exp. ces that would boost his level quickly.
"Finally here."
After a long and time-consuming journey, Isaac arrived at a crater. There was a small greenke there. Theke was steaming, a sign that the temperature was very hot.
However, hundreds of big-bodied monsters surrounded it. They drank from it, as if they were drinking freshke water.
Isaac arrived at the Pit of Devil, their of the elemental monsters.
Chapter 175 Crater
"Here we go."
Isaac slid down the steep slope.
Sharp odor wafted through the air. As far as the eye could see, there were only boulders and white sand. The temperature in the crater area was so high that it stung his skin, which was covered with a thick cloth.
"Looks like I need to down some buff items."
Isaac essed his inventory, then took out a bottle with a yellow liquid.
[Type: Item]
[ss: B]
[A potion that gives yers immunity to heat for 1 hour. Effect decreases with time].
Thup!
The bottle cap came off, the demon quickly downed it.
Ding!
[You have consumed ''Drinkrad (B)''!]
[Resistance to heat increased.]
[Effect granted 60 minutes.]
A blue light enveloped Isaac''s body for a moment, a sign that the potion had begun to work.
He also removed the ''Mortal Ring'' and put on the ''Strange Pendant''. Of course, not forgetting he took out his most powerful weapon. Jade ck.
This time he was fighting a monster that was on par with his level. He needed to give all he had. Unfortunately, Dark Fate was still on cooldown.
Ding!
[yer has a status change.]
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 120]
[Rank: 69th - Baron]
[Title: Chief of Beasts, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[Skill: 2/4]
[Strength: 75 (180)]
[Magic: 180 (75)]
[Constitution: 96 (103)]
[Dexterity: 103 (96)]
[Perception: 100]
[Unallocated stat points: 45]
Isaac swiped his hands together.
"The preparations are enough. If anything happens, I can just raise the stat."
Shreeeng.
The great sword was drawn.
The demon moved closer to the hot greenke. Sneaking behind arge rock, he observed a pack of monsters drinking theke water.
They were big, tall; if measured, they were 7 meters tall. Their skin was rocky. Their arms were long and touched the ground, but their legs were short. Every time they moved, the sound of friction from their skin and the ground sounded like stones crashing together.
They seem to drink the hotke water directly with their mouths. They were so slow like lorises.
Isaac got bored of waiting for them to finish a mouthful of water.
"This is why I hate them."
[Name: N/A]
[Race: Rockman]
[Type: Elemental]
[Level: 120]
[ss: A]
"Let''s use the old way."
He picked up the pistol holstered at his waist, then brandished it into the air.
Bam!
The sound of the gun firing echoed.
The rockmen stopped drinking theke water. They looked surprised. Some looked around like fools. Some mmed their big, long arms into the ground until the vibrations reached Isaac''s hiding spot.
"Grrrrroooowrrr!"
They roared, their voices sounding heavy and trembling. The horde of rockmen still didn''t know where Isaac was, but they knew there was a threat around them.
Isaac picked up a stone the size of his palm, then his eyes fell on a boulder about 15 meters away from his position.
With one eye closed, Isaac aimed at the boulder.
Swoooosh!
The rock shot out with such speed that the wind whistled. In less than a second, that huge boulder was shattered into pieces.
Spontaneously, the rockmen roared again. Some of them hit the ground repeatedly, while others ran towards the shattered boulder.
They ran not with their feet, but their long arms. Therge numbers and their heavy weight made the ground tremble. After they spotted threat, their movements turned fast drastically.
Isaac sighed, wondering if he could finish them all off. Considering there was no level difference between them. If it wasn''t the game rules that reset the demon''s power, he might not have hesitated to rush at them.
The rockmen surrounded the boulder that Isaac had destroyed. They threw stone fragments into the air, looking around, looking for who destroyed the boulder.
Meanwhile, Isaac watched them. He looked for a rockman who had gotten separated from the group. Then, he spotted one that was still at the edge of theke.
A grin appeared on the demon''s face.
"Gotcha!"
Without a second thought, Isaac darted off at top speed. He gripped his greatsword tightly, flowingrge amounts of mana into it. Wind swirled around Jade ck.
That rockman saw Isaac''s appearance. It screamed, then threwrge rocks at him.
sh! sh! sh!
Wind des shot out from Isaac''s sword swing.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The stones shattered, puffs of white dust flying through the air.
The noise attracted the attention of the other rockmen. They roared and quickly chased after the demon.
Isaac arrived in front of the separated rockmen. Tworge hands ready to crush his body into pieces greeted him.
"Grrrooowwrr!"
Bam!
A tremendous boom echoed out. That rockman only hit empty air, while Isaac was in the air, right above it.
"Graaar!"
Isaded smoothly on the rockman''s head. He didn''t sh it. The rockman''s skin was very thick and tough. It would take powerful magic or great physical strength to break it.
However, he didn''t need to waste his mana to kill one rockman. Isaac knew the monster''s weak points.
Although the rockman had a skin of hard stone, the chest to the abdomen was soft flesh. An ordinary knife could slice through its flesh. It''s just that the rockman''srge hands are usually used to protect the abdomen.
Therefore, Isaac did not rush to attack it. He needed to catch it off guard.
"Hey, dummy."
That rockman raged, his tworge hands trying to hit Isaac who was on its back.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Isaac quickly moved nimbly like an eel. The rockman''s slow movement and Isaac''s high speed allowed him to dodge the rockman''s attacks with ease.
He stepped onto the ground, standing face-to-face with the monster. The rockman''s soft belly was right in front of his face.
sh!
Sat!
"Grarrr!"
A scream of pain shook the air. Thick red blood spurted out.
Bam!
That monster copsed. One rockman was dead.
"One down."
Isaac rubbed his dusty forehead. Shouldering his greatsword, Isaac looked back. Dozens of rampaging rockman monsters wereing for him.
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